Al's P.O.V.
I look at Brother, then at Jade. I smile to myself, knowing neither of them will be able to see the smile. It's so obvious, but neither of them seems to know. I see the way they look at each other. There are some crushes forming between them. I can see it, the way Brother blushes when he looks at her. And how Jade is so comfortable around him.
My opinion? They look adorable together. And in Brother's defense, she's only an inch taller than him.
Their personalities complete each other and Brother finally seems happy for once when he's around Jade. Ever since that night when we tried to bring mom back, the only thing that has med him happy was the stone. But now, it's like he's this whole other person. I'm glad he can finally be happy. But if the two of them aren't admitting their feelings, I won't say anything about it.
After a few hours, we arrive in the western train station. Once we exit the train, it's not hard to find this carnival. A man in a colorful outfit stands atop a platform with a mic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Marti's Horror Carnival! Be amazed as we show you our never-before-seen creatures!" A cage door opens and an animal walks in on huge paws. It's a very husky animal with bright orange fur and golden stripes. A dark brown mane is like a wreathe around its neck.
"Chimera?" I whisper to myself, but Ed and Jade hear.
"What's a chimera?" Jade asks me in a whisper.
"A cross between lives, human or animal." I reply, taking a good look at it.
"A lion, tiger, and bear." Brother says, his tone certain.
"Cliché much?" Jade asks sarcastically as other crossed animals are displayed.
At the end of the show, we check into a hotel room. Jade is sitting on the window sill, looking over at the carnival, while Brother and I sit on the beds. "It's about time, right?" Jade asks quietly, and we rise off the beds.
"Yeah, let's check this out." Brother says, and we sneak out into the night.
"Be careful Jade." I whisper to her. "You don't know as much alchemy as we do."
"Yeah, and this might get serious." Brother adds.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Jade whispers.
When we reach the edge of the carnival, Brother suggests we should split up.
"See you two soon." Jade smiles and winks at us before disappearing into the night.
Brother sighs. "She better take it easy."
I chuckle lightly. "We weren't any different when we were first learning." I remind him.
He smiles softly. "Be careful, Al." And with that, he too disappears into the night. I wander around the carnival, and I get the feeling someone is watching me. That's when I hear Jade's scream. I look for where the sound is coming from, but I just don't know. It echoes all around me. I hear her scream again, the Brother shouting. I run as fast as I can to where I think the sounds are coming from.
My P.O.V.
This place is so strange. The chimeras glare at me from their cages and I walk away quickly. I hear the click of a lock, and I spin around to see the lion chimera step out of its cage.
"Well, shit." I whisper, drawing out my chalk. "How'd you get out kitty?" I ask quietly, glancing to the sides of the room, expecting a person, but nothing.
I have to stall, buy time. I draw a transmutation circle on the floor, slowly, never taking my eyes off the chimera. It growls and looks like it's going to tear my head off. I clap my hands together and touch them to the circle I just drew. A long, metal pole rises out of the ground just as the chimera leaps at me.
I spin to the side, hitting the pole against the chimera's head. Its teeth are only inches away from tearing at me. I'm pinned against a wall, with only the pole for defense, and the chimera is coming closer. Using the pole for leverage, I leap over the chimera, landing just behind it.
As I stand to run, my left ankle stings every time I put pressure on it. But I can't complain now, not when I have a pissed off lion/tiger/bear combination coming at me. I run as fast as I can, but my ankle slows me down. I a few moments, I feel the jaws of death bite down into my left shoulder. I scream in pain, my blood pooling underneath me. I hear footsteps coming in this direction, and I fear it's the ringmaster.
"Jade!" I hear Edward's voice, and the chimera turns its head, sending a whole new wave of pain through my shoulder. I scream again as Ed shouts at the chimera.
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't understand you, Ed!" I scream, the teeth pressing deep into my skin. The chimera releases me and I fall to the floor like a dead weight. Bad analogy! Think positive! As Ed fights the chimera, I move my good arm to touch my shoulder. My hand is stained red with my blood, and the pain is unbearable.
"Brother! Jade!" I hear Al's voice, but my vision is starting to blur. I see Al helping Ed, and together they finish off the chimera quickly. They both then run over to me. "Jade, are… Are you..?" Al's voice expresses his worry, and I would usually smile to relax him, but I honestly don't know if I can stay conscious much longer.
"You two should go… b-before another… gets lose." I manage to say through gritted teeth.
"No, we have to take you to a hospital." Ed says, looking at my wound.
"B-be… careful…" I whisper before I succumb to the pain. Everything around me goes black.