Before long, Reina found her first alchemy book. She absorbed the information faster than any other book she had read.
"Could I do alchemy?" She asked Mustang one day.
"Maybe. You'll just have to try, now won't you?"
Every time Roy and Reina talked at the office, Hawkeye smiled.
"What?" He finally asked.
"Dad is cute on you."
Roy smiled. He heard a something that sounded like a transmutation, and glanced at Reina to see her holding a wooden horse proudly. There were no circles on the floor…
"How'd you do that?" Roy and Riza asked at the same time.
"Alchemy." Reina said happily.
"Can you show me?"
Reina rubbed her hands together and pressed them against the floor. Her palms glowed as she pulled another horse out of the solid wood.
"See?" She held it up.
"She doesn't need transmutation circles…" Hawkeye breathed.
"I told you she's special."
"Did I do it right?" Reina asked.
"Perfectly." Roy sat down on the ground with her. "How'd you do it?"
"I just put my hands on the floor and pictured the circle in the book."
Roy picked up the basic alchemy book. He flipped through the pages.
"Can you do this one?" He pointed at another simple circle. She studied it, then pressed her palms to the wooden floor, pulling them up. She displayed the perfectly transmuted iron staff.
"That's incredible. Hey Havoc!"
Havoc entered the room. "What do you need?"
"Can you get me a few pieces of scrap materials? Just simple stuff."
"Sure."
"And have Hughes come in here too."
"I'm on it." Havoc disappeared. He came back a few minutes later with an armful of different metals, fabrics, and leathers, followed by Hughes.
"Is everything alright?" Hughes asked.
"Watch this." Mustang took a piece of iron and set it down in front of Reina. "Go ahead."
She did the same thing as before, but produced a knife. Hughes knelt down and studied it.
"No transmutation circles?" He asked.
"None. Tell them what you do." Mustang encouraged Reina.
"I just picture the circle in my head, and I can use alchemy." She said proudly. She selected a piece of black leather from the pile and transmuted it into a sheath. The small knife fit perfectly. "Here." She handed it to Hughes. He took it with a smile as wide as Roy's.
"Something tells me this knife will save my life one day." He clipped it to the back of his belt. "You keep practicing alchemy, and one day, you might be as good as Roy. Maybe even better."
Reina practiced her alchemy everyday and read lots of alchemic books while Roy worked. Every now and then he would glance up and coach her, but she didn't really need much help. Hughes wore the knife every day, still clipped on the back of his belt.
"When are the new alchemists coming to Central?" Reina asked.
"They are only choosing one, but the people trying to become state alchemists are coming tomorrow." Hughes explained.
"Why do they only choose one?"
"Because they only need one every year, and only the most skilled alchemist in the group is chosen."
"Who gets to choose?"
"The council. First, the alchemists all take a written test. If they pass, they are given a psychological evaluation. After that stage, they go out to the courtyard where different types of alchemic tools are set out. They can do any type of alchemy they want. The council decides who has the most military potential and skill."
"Sounds like a lot of work."
"It is, but these people dedicate their lives to learning everything they can about alchemy."
"…Could I be a State Alchemist?"
"Do you want to?"
"Well Roy says I'm good at alchemy, and I don't need transmutation circles. I don't know any other alchemists like that."
"Good point. You probably could be a State Alchemist when you get older, but you'll need to keep up on your studies and practice alchemy."
"How old do I have to be?"
"I guess it depends. They might let you try out a little sooner because of your…unique abilities."
"How much sooner?"
"I don't know. Why do you want to be a State Alchemist so bad?"
Reina shuffled her feet.
"Reina? Why?"
"…Because."
"Just because?"
"No. I want to help people that can't help themselves. Like Roy and Riza did for me."
"And you think becoming a State Alchemist will let you help people?"
"Yep. I have a power not everyone is blessed with. That's what Roy says. I should use it for good, not bad like some people."
"If you try hard enough, I don't see how they could reject you."
With a new drive, Reina spent her days in the library, reading all of the alchemy books they had. She practiced her alchemy regularly, learning new and more complicated transmutations, still without any circles. She practiced some of the questions on the written test with Hughes when he wasn't busy, and never got one wrong. Her eighth birthday passed, with a small party at Roy's apartment. When the evaluations started, Reina watched with fascination how the State Alchemists fought each other. She took notes on their combat styles and started practicing in secret. As she developed her own unique of fighting, she found it easier when the target was larger than her, a good advantage considering her size. Hughes taught her how to throw knives with deadly accuracy, and Hawkeye did the same with guns. Reina worked even harder during the next year.
A few months before her tenth birthday, she planned to ask Roy.
"Hey Roy… Can I talk to you?" She asked.
"Sure. I just finished." He put down his pen and looked up at her. "What's on your mind?"
"Well… I was wondering… How old would I have to be to take the State test?"
Roy looked surprised. "I didn't know you wanted to be a State Alchemist."
"I've been studying and practicing alchemy really hard, so I think I could do it."
"You're very good at alchemy, but, being a State Alchemist takes a lot more than alchemic skills."
"I know! That's why I've been watching the other alchemists during exams, and studying logic and war tactics, and answering the test questions with Hughes."
"Hughes knew? Hm. And you're positive you want to do this?"
"Yes."
"…I'll talk to the council. But they aren't going to agree right away. You need to keep studying really hard, and prove to them that you have what it takes."
"I will!"
"And when you get accepted, you have to promise me that, no matter how small the assignment seems, you will try your hardest at everything and follow orders."
"I promise."
"Alright. Go get ready to go home."