A/N Sorry, sorry, I know I'm not updating a lot like I had hoped and said I would be, but I've been a little bit busy (not that that's an excuse for not updating, but still). I recently finished City of Bones, and I LOVED it. I want to read its sequel sooo badly, but I have to finish my summer English project before I can get the book. T-T
Anyways, enough of my ramblings; onto the story!
Winry was woken up an hour later by Ed, gently shaking her shoulder. "Hey, wake up," he murmured. "We're here." Winry gazed up at him with sleep-bleared eyes, confused for a moment. Where was here? The sound of luggage thumping to the floor echoed around the train compartment, bringing Winry back to the present.
Glancing across from her, she saw Rina and Al pulling down their suitcases from the compartments near the roof. Winry realized the train wasn't moving anymore either, and turned to look out the window, wincing as she shifted position. Her back and legs were sore from sleeping like that for so long; she made a mental note not to do that again.
The window was pushed all the way down, giving a clear view of the train station they were in. It was a crowded place, filled with people who were trying to leave and enter the station, board and exit the trains. The lighting was a little dim, some of the lights flickering overhead to cast odd shadows against the walls.
"Come on, Winry," Ed said, breaking Winry out of her reverie. "We have to get going."
"Ah, sorry," Winry apologized, reaching up to lift her luggage out of the compartment. She followed Ed, Al, and Rina as they led the way down the train's aisle, then into the dense crowd, which was no better outside the station. She nearly lost sight of them twice, but each time, Ed would grasp her wrist with a guiding hand until they were in an area with less people.
"Where are we going, exactly?" Winry called to Al, who seemed to be leading their small party a few feet ahead.
"First we're going to Aster Avenue, apartment building 204," he answered, and Winry thought how unusual it was for his normally quiet, shy voice to come out as a shout so that he could be heard above the crowd.
"Is it far?" Ed asked, coming to stand beside Al with Winry right behind him.
"Not really," Al replied with a shrug. "Just down the street."
"Remember everyone, we're going by our assumed names now," Rina breathed, so quietly that Winry wasn't even sure she had heard her.
"Of course," Ed whispered back, just as silent, while Al and Winry nodded.
Winry quickly went over the made up information in her head: Rina was now Marisa, Risa for short, and a friend just coming with them while her parents were away. Al was John, brother to Ed, who was under the name of Jason, and they were moving to the East because their parents had passed away; that shouldn't be too hard to remember. She herself was Elli, a mechanic looking for work with her boyfriend, Ed–no, Jason. She felt her heart skip a beat and involuntarily looked at Ed. What did he think about her being his supposed girlfriend?
"We're here," Al announced, jerking Winry out of her reverie. She glanced up to see that they were standing in front of an apartment. It was a large white building, two stories high, with the overhang of the second floor hanging above the doors of the ground floor. A staircase wound up one side of the building, looking well-used and maybe even a little over-used. Blue paint trimmed the building, outlining the wood-colored doors and windows. Old, rusted numbers hung over the doors, the nearest being 102. On closer inspection, the paint was chipping in most places and dust seemed to cover everything.
"Not the best place around, but I guess it'll do," Ed muttered.
"We couldn't get something much nicer," Al pointed out. "It would seem weird for four kids to be able to afford something like that."
"True," Ed agreed thoughtfully. He started up the stairs, Winry following immediately, and Al and Rina behind them after a moment's hesitation. "Number 204, right, John?"
Al looked surprised for a minute, then shook his head as if berating himself, and said, "Yes, that's the room number."
"Then it stands to reason it would be on the second floor if the first number is a two," Ed said confidently to no one in particular. When they reached the second floor, he led the way down to one of the last doors at the hall and tapped lightly on the old door before trying the handle. "It's locked," he announced, turning to the rest of them.
"That's because I have the key," Al replied, stepping up to the door with a key in his hand Winry had just noticed. He turned it in the lock of the door and pushed it open gently, standing aside for everyone else to file in silently and closing the door behind them after taking the key back.
The very first place you walked into was after a small hallway was the living room, adorned with tattered old furniture and separated from the kitchen by a single counter. There was a hall past the chair near the back that led to four other rooms; three bedrooms and a bathroom. Rina was already going through the kitchen cabinets, yelling back to them that at least there were some dishes, pots, pans, silverware, and cups.
"I'll be the cook," Rina announced, already getting some things down. "We'll have to go do some grocery shopping, though."
"Hey, how are we going to get money for stuff like food?" Winry asked nervously. "Are we all getting jobs along with doing the research?"
"I think there was something about that in the papers," Al answered uncertainly, starting to sift through his suitcase to look for the packet he had received from Mustang. "Here they are." He flipped through them until he found the one he was looking for. "We have enough money right now to last a week or two, and it looks like we're going to be sent money that is supposedly from Rina's parents every month. It also suggests that Winry gets a job since that's her reason for being here; as a mechanic looking for work. We'll be given enough money to live off, though, so you can keep it. That's what it says, anyways."
"It's settled then," Rina said with a note of finality in her voice. "Later I'll go shopping for some food with Al."
"What? Why me?" Al asked, startled.
"Someone has to come with me, and you probably know what type of food your brother and Winry like," Rina answered matter-of-factly.
"Then Winry and I will start researching while you two are out," Ed said.
"Okay," Winry agreed. "Later I'll have to start asking around for work."
"How are we dividing the rooms?" Al asked. "I'd guess there's one large bedroom and two smaller ones."
"Easy, the boys get the large room and Winry and I each get a smaller room to ourselves," Rina replied, scribbling something down on paper.
Before anyone could agree or argue with her, there was a sharp rap on the door. Winry froze, watching as Ed and Al tensed and Rina went to answer the door, casting a quick glance back at them. However, as soon as the door opened, Ed and Al looked relaxed, Ed almost seeming bored, starting a conversation about a book Winry didn't recognize. She wondered how they could be so laidback like that before she remembered that it would seem odd to be alert just because someone knocked on your apartment door.
Winry tried to loosen her shoulders and let her expression become one of interest as she gazed around the apartment like someone who just moved in would. The pale brown wallpaper was peeling in some places and had tape holding it up in others. Dust layered the coffee table in the center of the room, which was surrounded by an armchair on either side and a couch behind it. Dark curtains blocked the light from the window, casting a pale, gloomy radiance over the room.
Rina's voice, light and cheerful, drifted to them from the front door. Then she walked into the living room a moment later, a middle-aged couple walking behind her. "These are my friends I was telling you about," Rina told them, indicating Al, Ed, and Winry with a sweep of her arm. "That's John, and next to him is his brother Jason. That over there is Elli. Everyone, these are the Dublins; they heard us coming and came to welcome us to the apartment."
"Pleased to meet you," Mrs. Dublin greeted, smiling politely. She had short brown hair matched with bright hazel eyes and a motherly smile. She was of a short and stocky build, but looked kind and gentle the way she moved. Her husband was in sharp contrast to her, tall and thin with an angular and stern face.
"The pleasure's all ours," Al replied just as politely, nodding his head to both of them in turn. "Thank you for coming out of your way to meet us."
"Oh, how sweet," Mrs. Dublin said, blushing slightly.
"What are four teenagers like you doing living by yourselves here?" Mr. Dublin asked abruptly, giving them all a hard, suspicious glare. Teenagers? Winry thought, glancing at Al. Then again, at first glance, she supposed he did look older with his gold-brown hair and mature attitude.
"Dear!" Mrs. Dublin scolded quietly.
"That's alright, we don't mind" Rina told them with a wan smile. "I'm staying with my friends while my parents are away on a business trip. John and Jason…" She trailed off, suddenly looking down at her feet with a sad, almost mournful, expression. Winry just barely remembered to avert her eyes uncomfortably from their guests as Al's smile faltered and Ed's vanished completely.
"Our parents passed away in an accident," Al murmured. "We came to the East looking for a place to live; we have no other relatives."
"I'm so sorry," Mrs. Dublin murmured, her hand half-covering her mouth.
"I'm here looking for work," Winry quickly interjected, trying to change the topic. Even though Ed and Al's parents hadn't just passed away, it must have brought up bitter memories for them. "There weren't many job opportunities for me as a mechanic in the city where I came from."
"Don't look like a mechanic to me," Mr. Dublin muttered to himself, receiving a sharp nudge from Mrs. Dublin in return.
"Why not try Central?" Mrs. Dublin suggested helpfully. "It must be fairly easy to get a job there. Or Rush Valley; that place is one of the best for mechanics to gather."
"Central is a little too crowded and busy for my tastes," Winry replied, thinking quickly. "And because there are so many mechanics in Rush Valley, it's hard to find an open job when I'm competing against so many experienced people."
Mrs. Dublin nodded her head sympathetically. "So did all of you know each other before you came here, or did you just happen to meet on the way?"
"No, we all knew each other ahead of time," Rina answered. "I've been friends with Elli since we were kids, and she introduced me to her boyfriend, Jason, and his brother, John, about a year ago."
Ed jerked his head away from where he had been staring out the window, which Winry noticed he seemed to do a lot, when the word boyfriend was mentioned. Luckily, Mr. and Mrs. Dublin were too busy listening to Rina tell a made-up story of how they met and didn't notice him. Winry tried to catch his eye, but he wouldn't look her way.
"Well, it was wonderful meeting you," Mrs. Dublin told them, clapping her hands once in front of her. "You'll have to come down to our room sometime for dinner. Oh, that's right, we're room number 105; feel free to stop by any time."
"Thank you for the offer," Al replied. "We might be busy for a little while, though. We're going to look around town and try to find a job for Elli."
"Well, you just be sure to give us a call when you're ready," Mrs. Dublin told them. Mr. Dublin was watching Ed, wearing a thoughtful look that made Winry uneasy.
Ed seemed to noticed, because he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"You haven't talked the entire time we've been here," Mr. Dublin stated, narrowing his eyes. "And I have the feeling I've seen you somewhere."
Ed was spared having to answer when Mrs. Dublin cut in. "I'm sure he's just upset about his parents and nervous being in a new city like this."
"He doesn't look nervous or upset to me," Mr. Dublin retorted. Mrs. Dublin rolled her eyes, smiled at the others, and started leading her husband out of the door.
"Please come by again!" Rina called after them, closing the door as they left. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as she came back into the living room. "That husband sure was suspicious."
"Yeah, but I think we acted pretty well," Al said thoughtfully. "What do you think, Ed?" Ed was still staring out the window, his expression contemplative and looking like he was trying to remember something.
"Is staring out of windows all you ever do anymore, Ed?" Winry asked dryly.
"Mr. Dublin," Ed said abruptly. "He looks familiar. Al, did we ever meet him in the military?"
"We might have," Al answered reluctantly after a long pause.
"You and Winry should dig around and find out," Rina suggested, sitting down on one of barstools pulled up to the kitchen counter. "Who knows; if he was ever well-known in the military and had a rank of Major or higher, he might be next."
"Well, at least it looks like we have nothing to fear from them," Winry put in.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Ed said, his tone serious. "You can never tell if someone is acting or truly are who they say they are. After all, look at us."
"You don't have to be so pessimistic all the time," Winry muttered. "You're just over thinking things."
"Over thinking things isn't always a bad thing when you're in the military," Ed replied, looking at Winry with that penetrating gaze that made her feel as if he could see right through her like glass. "It's saved our lives more than a few times. Remember, Winry; the people around you aren't always who you think they are."
"And you?" Winry countered. "Do I know who you are?"
Ed flashed his teeth in that grin of his; the one that showed pain and sadness but seemed to be laughing at the world, daring it to challenge him, at the same time. "Maybe you don't, Winry. Maybe you don't."
Rina and Al, who had disappeared briefly when Ed and Winry started talking, returned just as Winry was about to ask him what he meant by that. "Okay, time to start moving," Rina told them. "I'm going to the store with Al; you two better head out too."
"Right, right," Ed replied, heading to the door after his brother and Rina. He glanced back when Winry didn't follow. "Are you coming?"
"Uh, right," Winry said, hurrying to catch up as the others left. Ed's words kept echoing in her head, even as she tried to drown them out. What had he meant when he said that maybe she didn't know him?
A/N Yaaay, it's done! 2, 943 words isn't too bad if I don't say so myself. ^.^
I actually got City of Ashes and finished it recently, even though I didn't finish my project yet (I wrote the first A/N a few days ago and don't feel like changing it) and it was as awesome as the first. Now I am awaiting the chance to get the third one, City of Glass. :D
Please review~!