Chapter 2: Every Cloud has a Silver Lining
Clair's POV
I sat at the train station for a while before the train arrived. Many of the people there gave me weird looks during this time - maybe because of my clothes? - but I tried my best to ignore them.
The train finally arrived at a quarter passed two. When I headed onto the old, industrial train, I saw that three or four families and a few loners were on board. I decided to treat it like my school bus, imagining it had blue seats instead of green, and my friends were sitting close to me. My friends would talk about the dramatics of school; I lacked interest in those conversations, but I wished they were here comfort me in my desolate state.
"Hey, you need to take a seat, ma'am!" the conductor called from the front.
I snapped back to reality, realizing I'd blanked out, and quickly apologized. "Sorry!"
I made my way toward the back of the train and sat down near a little family. They had one child with them who, I noticed, looked a bit like my best friend; her long brown hair curled delicately, and she had blue eyes instead of brown, but I remembered my friend's smile when I saw her coloring.
My mind snapped back to reality again when I sat on the right side of the train. I shouldn't think about my friends and family right now, I decided, telling myself to be calm - but I missed them more than anything.
I eventually managed to get my mind to trail off to a different topic instead. That...stone. What...was it exactly? What did I know about it? It was white, luminous, made me cheerful when I held it, and it healed me. But why? Maybe it was a Philosopher's Stone. Although... that would probably mean I was a homunculus now, and I didn't see an Ouroboros Tattoo on me, nor was the Stone blood-red. And besides that, wasn't the Philosopher's Stone supposed to make you feel uneasy?
But if it was like the Philosopher's Stone, could I perform alchemy? I almost tried to make an array with my hands like Ed - clapping them together - but I quickly shook the thought out of my head and sighed, murmuring to myself quietly. "No, if it has enough power to heal me, I might blow up the whole train if I tried alchemy." I paused. "That is, if it would even work." Would I need to know alchemy first, or does the Stone override that rule, too?
For the next two hours, the landscape out the window was rolling, desolate mountains without a single village or house among them. I sat restlessly in the most uncomfortable seats ever before my boredom broke from its shell. I yawned, then started singing aloud to myself quietly. "Purity is calling me to fresh untainted air... I'm going to the new place that is waiting there... Whoaohoh," my voice, though quiet, reverberated throughout the otherwise silent train. Surprisingly no one stared at me, but my volume was so low I could barely hear myself, so maybe they didn't notice. I continued: "Lost, a child, I search aimlessly with the sky overhead like a graveyard. Through my dreams are changing like ink on a map that is caught in the pouring rain-"
My reflexes twitched when something poked my side gently, and I stopped. Turning, I realized the doppelgänger girl from earlier had hopped onto my seat without me noticing.
"Sorry to stop you," she murmured shyly, apparently sheepish. "I-I didn't mean... What I mean..." she stuttered, then looked up at my face 'bravely'. "You're good!"
My head jolted back slightly as the full shock of her arrival and attitude kicked in, leaving me dazed for just a moment. "Heh, I suck at singing. My sister swears that I'm tone deaf. I like to sing songs for fun, though. It helps me save my emotions of depression and stress for later." I chuckled awkwardly.
"No, you're better than me!" the girl cried, smiling now. "What were you singing, anyways?"
I smiled at her compliment, replying, "It was nothing, just a song called Hologram. I'm better at the flute."
"You own a flute?" the little girl gasped. "That's so cool! Can I see it?" She leaned forward at the question.
"Sorry, but I don't have it with me - though I wish I did." I sighed, thinking about all the other things I'd left at my house before coming here - not that I could have grabbed them anyway. But I felt lonelier without my iPod in my pocket.
"Hey, my name is Nicole," the girl greeted suddenly. "Nicole Price. Nice to met you." She smiled as a kind gesture.
"My name is Clair, Clair Aragon," I introduced myself. I was starting to feel a bit better talking with this girl. "Where are you heading, anyways?"
"My father is part of the military. They told him to move to central. Crazy thing, they were nice enough to pay for a house and our tickets." Her eyes widened with excitement at the next part. "I can't wait to see Central! Have you ever been there?"
"No, but I've seen pictures," I shrugged, unsure of how else to answer. "So, um, is your father a State Alchemist? He must be good."
"Yeah. He never spends much time with us, but his alchemy is what keeps the roof over our heads," Nicole shrugged, too, then smirked as though she'd just thought of something. "Why do you ask? Are you an alchemist?"
I frowned. Was I? I hardly knew anything about alchemy for real. I knew what I'd learned back home, however, I wasn't sure if I could perform it. But if I could, would I be considered an alchemist? If I couldn't, surely I had enough background information to say I kinda was. Maybe... "Sorta..." I tensed suddenly when I got an idea. "I know! Can I show you something? Only it has a catch: you can't tell your parents. Okay?"
"Yeah...I guess," she answered uncertainly.
"Do you have a piece of scape paper?"
She nodded, then went and grabbed a piece from her seat. Her father had fallen asleep, and her mom was dazing at the window, so they didn't notice her much. Nicole came back and sat down beside me, handing me the paper immediately.
I realized with a tiny bit of amusement that I could have shown her a math problem to freak her with my awesome math skills; but instead I just lifted my wrist in the air, holding the paper up to it, and swiftly sliced the sharp edge across. I felt a barely noticeable, yet sharp and searing pain. My eyes widened as I saw the lightly colored blood seep from the paper cut; it was almost pink in contrast to its usual color. Weird.
Ignoring the weirdness, I became curious as to whether the Stone would always heal me or whether I could resist it. I decided to test that, focusing on the cut. I closed my eyes, feeling the stone deep inside my gut. It seemed to work, but it felt like sticking my hand into a hellfire without it being able to escape. It burned. But I just stared at the two trickles of blood, one at each end of the cut, unable to understand how the Stone worked.
"Why is your blood that color?" Nicole whispered in cautious bafflement.
"I'm not sure," I shrugged honestly. I wanted to lie. I wanted to sound smart. Although, she could see it on my face that I was even more shocked than her. I sighed. "Watch," I asserted, then relaxed the nerves in my wrist on an impulse. The wound healed itself instantly, not leaving a single drop of blood. "Cool, huh?"
"Whoa," was the only syllable that hung loosely with the girl's jaw. Then she added, "My dad can't do that."
"I'm the only alchemist that can," I explained, though I knew it was a lie because of Hohenheim's Philosopher's Stone. Oh, well. "You know Edward Elric?" I asked.
"Yeah! Who doesn't know him?" she replied excitedly.
That's what I tried to explain to that man... I side-noted, rolling my eyes.
"I'm going to Central to meet him, or hopefully meet him." I told her calmly, yet causing a huge smile to jump across both our faces.
We talked for hours until we arrive at Central. For once in this strange world, I felt a sense of belonging. Nicole was a great kid, too. She told me a few things that caught my ears, like how school lasted six years instead of twelve, yet the people here were brighter than most teenagers in my school.
Once we were off the train, I followed Nicole's family through Central to get a good feel of the place. Everything was great for a few minutes, but then her father noticed me. "Why are you following us?" he demanded, setting his deep blue eyes on me; his ragged hair folded loosely over his ears.
"Oh!" I cried, realizing how odd it was for a strange girl to follow the family. "I-I thought you were going to the Headquarters, so I decided to follow..."
"We're going back to our house," he spoke in a serious tone. "We don't need followers."
"Oh, honey, she's so young," Nicole's mother chided. She gave me a kind look. "You can stay with us-" The man swung his arm to hold back his wife, effectively stopping her. Nicole watched from beside her mom, gulping.
"No. There's something about her I don't like," the man growled, and I decided there was something about him that I didn't like. "C'mon, Nicole, lets go." the man growled as he glared with his frightful gaze. He held his child away from me with his arm, then he turned.
Something about me?... I questioned myself, watching them walk away. When the family hit the sidewalk, I wanted to follow, I felt like I needed to, but I remained dazed until they left my vision.
After standing there for a few minutes, I knew where I needed to go: Central Headquarters. I'd find the Elrics there, and maybe they could help me with...everything. And almost as though Truth wanted me to find them, every path I followed led closer to the ginormous building with the Amestris logo (an oddly shaped dragon with a hexagonal ring surrounding it) on it. My jaw dropped lower and lower to the ground the closer the building became, and at last, I made it. I saw two buildings standing parallel to each other, connecting to the center main gate. A few smaller buildings were seen from behind the major headquarters, too. It was humongous, almost as big as New York City from looking out the Empire State building.
I paused before actually walking up the twenty step staircase to the top, wondering if this was the right path... "Screw it," I muttered to myself. Snap out of it. "I need to take risks sooner or later if I wanna find the brothers." The sun rose high into the sky, showing that it was midday, as the wind started to pick up - just in time to shove my light blonde hair into my face. "Let's do this!" I cried with zealous confidence while I pulled the strands away from my mouth.
I walked as silently as I could up the stairs, eyes glued to my destination with vigor in my steps. Until, at least, I saw a guard at the gate. My heart skipping a beat, I leaped into the shadows behind two bushes and one masculine tree that needed trimming. The man on lookout was smoking a cigarette and sitting near the door. Obviously, I couldn't get in this way. It wasn't like he would just let me in.
Maybe there's a back or side door...? I asked myself, leaving quietly. I felt like a mouse who'd gotten cheese from a mouse trap without getting caught. My mind and heart raced with anticipation as I sprinted to the back-side on the left parallel, suction-cupping myself to the wall as it guided me to the back of the building. I felt a bit like a super-spy, acting like that.
A shooting range layout was found by the corner at the end. A general was commanding his troops - loudly: "Never look your enemy in the eye without a glare! Don't be stupid! And never hold back when a rifle is in your hands!"
The troops nodded, replying with "Yes, sir!" in unison.
At the far end of the training ground, I noticed a stern lady with long, blonde hair pulled back in a bun. A pistol was held in her hands, bursting shots firing from the gun at a fifty meter target; it hit dead center every time. "Hawkeye..." I murmured quietly. I needed to speak with her - though she didn't know me... I'd cross that bridge when I got there - but how was I going to get past the soldiers?
C'mon think! I shouted mentally, but all I could think was the word 'think.' Then a light bulb flicked in my head. Okay, so if I can use alchemy, then I could make a pocket watch and pretend I'm a State Alchemist. Yeah, that'll work. I'll just have to find Ed and Al before anyone realizes I don't have any military records. Gulp.
I rubbed my hands - a kind of quiet version of Ed's clap - then placed them on the ground. "Work? Please?" I asked shyly with desperation straining from my voice. Nothing happened.
Maybe I need to believe in myself more, I thought, starting over. I rubbed my hands together again, hoping against desire that I would succeed this time, and placed them on the ground. "Work!" I screamed. I was sure everyone outside the building heard me, but if it did work then maybe that wouldn't matter so much.
My eyes sparkled with excitement when a bright flash appeared - a blinding, alchemical light. It shined in what seemed to be a hundred foot radius around my hands, then suddenly exploded. It threw me against a wall, creating a giant cloud of dust. I wheezed, coughing at a severely abnormal rate as I tried to stand up. Blood spewed from my throat after a minute of the infernal coughing - maybe after ten times in a row; it was a light-red color like before.
I wanted to flee; I needed to flee. The soldiers would catch me for sure! But my muscles shut themselves down along with all my nerves, and I laid in waiting until the smoke cleared. The soldiers circled around my body in the dust. Everything looked hazy to me. They were all silent as Hawkeye and a General shoved them out of the way to make room, but I didn't see anything else.
Because afterwards, I closed my eyes, hoping the pain would subside. Now I knew my stone was more powerful than what I'd planned. That was a good thing, right? Or was it bad? Ugh, I didn't know. Eventually, I passed out, hearing voices as they started talking about the random girl who flew into a wall...
Ed's POV (Third Person)
Edward Elric was standing with his younger brother at the steps of Central Headquarters when they heard the rushing sound of ambulances and patrol officers at the scene. The older turned his head curiously as the noise persisted.
"What do you think happened?" Alphonse wondered aloud to his brother, his armor shifting as he looked down.
"I dunno," Ed replied, his curiosity dying slowly as he found his mind slipping back to what it had been on moments before. "But it can't be any worse than Liore!" he growled with an almost-whine hiding beneath his words; it sounded as though he'd been defeated in battle. And Ed hated being defeated in battle.
"C'mon brother, it wasn't that bad. We unmasked a corrupt fraud." Al pointed out as Ed hurried up the steps. The younger alchemist hesitated before running up after his brother. When Ed made it to the top, soldiers were scattered everywhere. Hawkeye, Mustang, Hughes, and a few of the higher ups were talking at the scene. "This worries me, brother." Al spoke quietly. Liore was now completely pushed to the back of their minds.
Ed didn't say anything to his younger sibling, reluctant to reply, and headed over to where Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye stood. He spoke accusingly to them: "I see how it is. I leave for a few days and this happens. What the hell did you do?"
"This is not the time, Fullmetal," Mustang growled, giving him one of those behave-or-else glares, and gesturing for them to follow him to the scene. "A girl was taken to the hospital earlier today after blowing up a part of the headquarters' outer building. Once she recovers, the Fuhrer requires to have her for an interrogation. Personally. So this is serious."
They got to the site right about then; the white wall had crumbled, and there was a small dent starting to cave inward on the ground. When Ed first saw it, he knew something was...off about it. And why would the Fuhrer want to see her personally, anyway? Ed was now interested.
"Um, Colonel," Al started his question politely, "why do you think she blew up the wall?"
Ed wandered around for clues as he listened, but he wasn't finding anything besides cracks slitted across the wall. Not that wasn't something...
"Many of the soldiers believe she was a spy, but I doubt it," Mustang explained calmly, pointing at the cracks. "If she were a spy, she would be smart enough not to hurt herself, and there are easier ways to a break into an important building besides blowing it to smithereens. Also," he turned to where Edward was kneeling by the dent in the ground. "Fullmetal, do you see something distinct about this particular explosion?"
Ed touched the crater, realizing that some of the dust had been transform into a different material than the wall. That, on top of the rectangular shape of the cracks... "Yeah," he murmured thoughtfully, his voice so quiet the others probably couldn't hear; he spoke louder. "It was definitely an alchemical explosion." But this material...It's silver, isn't it? Concrete doesn't have the properties to transmute into silver. He kept this thought to himself as the conversation kept going.
"If it was done with alchemy, then why didn't she just make a door?" Al questioned, confused. But he knew there would be no answer.
"Here," Mustang knelt down and handed Ed an address. "The girl was taken to this hospital. I want you to talk to her before the Fuhrer gets a hold of her."
Ed frowned. He had to admit he was curious about this, but something in the air bothered him. He spoke impulsively, "Well, if it's so important then why don't you do it, Colonel Bastard?"
"I can't leave my post," the bastard explained, expressionless. This made Ed pissed; Mustang was just trying to get on his nerves, show him who's the adult, but he wouldn't let him win. Edward whirled around with a slight pout and started walking away without a word of goodbye.
Secretly, though, he was glad the man had refused.
"C'mon, Al," he called to the suit of armor, "we have an explosive alchemy girl to find." Al started following obediently, and Ed frowned. An important thought going through his head: If she can transmute that concrete into silver... Then maybe she has a Stone.
Ed walked through the hospital until he stopped at room 204. "Well, this is it, Al," Ed sighed, going through the questions he'd thought of in his head. "Let's see what this girl is hiding."
A guard stopped them before they opened the door. "Sorry, but you're not allowed in here."
Ed scowled and showed him his pocket watch. "What about now?"
"Oh! Sorry, sir, for the inconvenience." The man bowed while Ed and Al walked into the room, shutting the door behind them. A girl laid on the hospital bed with her eyes sealed, passed out in her sheets. She had light blonde hair, and a dark blue coat was hung at the end of the bed - most likely hers. She wore a star necklace, as well, that was a turquoise tint.
Al paused beside the bed, inspecting the girl for a few moments. "Hey, brother, don't you find it strange that there isn't a scratch on her?"
"Yeah, and I'm getting a weird vibe from her, too. We should be careful." Ed warned, then walked over and shook her body lightly. He was almost surprised when she rolled over, her eyes starting to open slowly. Strangely, they were two different colors. One was a deep blue while the other was dark green in comparison. Huh.
Clair's PoV
When I'd first woken up, I'd been in a hospital. The doctors did a few tests on me - without taking any of my blood thankfully - and afterwards I'd laid in bed to rest my eyes from reality.
I'm not sure how long I was like that, but then someone shook me. I rolled over to see a red coat sleeve attached to a white glove, which was touching my stomach. I sat up quickly and gasped with relief. "Ed! Al! Yes, people I know! Thank goodness I found you guys! I thought I'd never see you, but I guess it's sad that we meet in a hospital..." I rambled.
"Hey, slow down. You know us?" Ed asked, his eyebrows practically sinking into his eyes. Al stood silently near the end of the bed.
"Who doesn't know you?" I chuckled uncertainly, unable to think of a good answer with a million thoughts popping up in my head. "You're a State Alchemist, a-and you're famous, right?"
"You're shaking." Al murmured with a worried look.
"N-no, I'm fine, but why are you here?"
"My boss asked me to interrogate you before the government decided to take you in." Ed replied, smirking slightly at my reactive expression.
Take me?
"So...it's vital you get information before they come get me," I confirmed, taking a deep breath. "I'll answer anything, but can you promise me something?" I asked before I knew what I wanted him to promise. It only took a moment to know, though. "Don't die, and don't tell the Fuhrer what I'm 'bout to tell you. I would ask you to hide me before the he took me, but I doubt that's possible - and I guess you wouldn't anyway."
"Okay, we promise," Al answered with a definite nod. I waited for them to ask away, in fear of changing the future. "Brother, can I ask first?"
"Sure, go ahead." Ed's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Why are your eyes two different colors?"
"Oh!" I half-chuckled. "I thought you were going to ask something else. It's a birth defect. My grandpa had different colored eyes so it passed down to me. Funny how that works." A wide smile came across my face as I laughed silently at myself.
"Okay, my turn," Ed stepped forward and crossed his arms, frowning. "Are you an alchemist? Why shouldn't we tell the Fuhrer? How did you turn that concrete into silver? Why did you blow up that wall in the first place?" My eyes widened at his questions, blinking once. I liked Al's question better...
"Brother! Don't bombard her. Let's ask one question at a time." Al tried to calm him.
"No, it's fine. I understand," I paused. Turn the concrete into silver? Well, I was aiming to make a watch. So...I could perform alchemy. Interesting. "Well, um, I'm not an alchemist, but I think I can perform alchemy, if that makes any sense. I don't want the Fuhrer to find out much about me because I don't trust him. I'm not sure what you mean by that next one; I was just trying to get past without the guards seeing me, so I thought I could use alchemy. But when I tried to perform it, I kinda blew up... and as you may have seen, I'm not speaking figuratively here." I explained to them.
Ed gave me a glare, but his eyes weren't filled with hatred; he was intrigued on what I had to say. Very intrigued. "Why did it rebound?" he asked.
I shrugged, slurring, "I dunno." uncertainly.
"What's your name, anyways?" Al asked, opposing Ed on politeness.
"Thanks for asking. My name is Clair Aragon." I smiled at his friendliness.
"I would tell you our names, but you already know us." I could hear the smile in Al's voice as he said that.
A moment later, the doctor stood just outside the open door, cutting off any further questions Ed or Al might have had. "I think it's best for you two to leave now. She's recovered enough."
Two guards walked into the room from behind him. "The Fuhrer wants to see her at Central Command now," one of them stated. I wanted to refuse being separated from Ed and Al, but my opinions didn't count. The brothers left obediently as the two officers dragged me outside the hospital.
When the sunlight hit my face, it blinded me with its shimmer haze. I squinted my eyes until the men shoved me into the back of a black, 1920s style car - if it was considered a car... The seats inside were hard leather and didn't show any signs of having seat belts. My thoughts swung to the worst possible thing as we arrived at headquarters for the second time. Will he try to kill me? If he does, and then realizes he can't, he might keep me in prison for a lifetime and a half! The homunculi could torture me... As I thought that, my spine started to shiver.
"We're here. Get out," the driver demanded as the car stopped. The other guy came around and pulled me out himself.
I wanted to be sarcastic and say, 'Oh, you're the nicest person in the world!' but I knew I was in enough trouble.
They guided me inside the building, leading me upstairs, then to the third floor. We walked down a few halls, and giant red doors swung open into the Fuhrer's office near the end of one hall. The ginormous room stood about ten feet above my head with huge windows and a big enough desk to store an elephant. The ruler of Amestris sat behind it.
I glared at their leader, heart racing, lungs taking in heavy breaths. I felt a sudden, unmoving feeling deep inside my gut telling me to kill him. I've never had the desire to murder someone before - I wouldn't hurt a fly - but at that moment fire burned behind my eyes like a psychopath. I wanted to rip out his lungs, and maybe blow the brains out of the officers who'd brought me here afterwards.
I swallowed nervously. I'm going crazy! There's gotta be something wrong with me to think like this! Maybe it's the Stone...
"You wanted to see her."
"Yes, I did," the Fuhrer affirmed. "Thank you, men. You may leave."
The men nodded and left without another word, bowing slightly to the homunculus.
"So, what are you going to do with me?" I stammered, glaring at him as I licked my lips hastily. My head twitched from the conflicting pain in my chest; what was wrong with me?
He gave a deep-throated chuckle, smiling 'kindly'. "A child wouldn't die under my watch. I know you performed alchemy, so I would like you to become a State Alchemist. I want you to take the alchemy exam in a month. I can see the fire burning in your eyes, and I like that about you."
In the midst of my shock at his request, the stone inside me took control of my nerves - or I'd assume it was the Stone anyway. I was on the balls of my feet for hardly a moment before I attacked, trying to kick him in the neck. Instead, he grabbed my leg, snapping it into a multi-fracture. The stone automatically healed it as I fell on my back.
The Fuhrer laughed harder than before, barely able to contain himself. "I knew there was something different about you! You're the girl with the Pure Stone, and I won't take that lightly. Of course I wouldn't ask just any alchemist to become part of the military, but now that I know what you are, I can't wait for you to join." A grin perked his face.
"Who ever said I would?" I interrogated, speaking impulsively.
"This isn't up for negation," the Fuhrer's smile melted into a serious glare. "You either join the military, or you'd better run as fast as you can out of this country and never return. You're like me; you'll die once your stone runs out of energy. Only you're human." He paused before giving me that charming grin again. "Good luck, young alchemist!"
That was obviously a dismissal, but I thought of something and nodded. "Fine, I'll do it. But you have to tell me everything you know about this 'Pure Stone'."
The homunculus shook his head, closing the eye that wasn't covered by a black eye patch for a moment. "Silly girl, you'll learn soon enough. My only advice: don't let your emotions take control of you. The slightest feeling will set it off. Also, I'll give you a secret: my siblings aren't fond of that stone, and they would kill themselves to get rid of it. I'm not sure what's so bad about it, but we don't exactly see eye-to-eye," he paused before continuing, "If I were you, I'd find a teacher first. You may leave know. See you in a month."
I wanted to ask more, but he was right about my emotions. If I didn't leave right now, something worse might happen - though I wouldn't be too upset to see this man ripped to shreds, at least in my current condition. So with that, I strutted out the door, slamming it behind me.
Hey! How's it going? Been a good week, hasn't it? I would update sooner - because I love all of you, not just the people who reviewed, but liked as well - but you know how school can get it. At least my chapters are kinda long, right? I know this is a lot like other stories, but I promise you it gets better.
Hey, this time we learn it's called the Pure Stone before chapter 20, so that's a plus. Thank you all! Next week I'll have at least three updates for Thanksgiving Break and maybe a one-shot.
Review me what you liked! :D
I did this in the Snow Alchemist, so why not have it in this one, right?:
Question of the Chapter: What is your favorite song and band? (I know this doesn't have much to do with anything, but you know me, I'm a questioner. XP)
Published: 11/17/13 (Betaed same day thanks to Mysterious Illusion)
