The day began with me watching the sunrise…again. I was really starting to miss television when the only things to do at night were read (which I hated to do) or watch the sky change color. I had to find something to occupy myself or I really would go insane.
At the moment I was sitting on top of the Plaid Skirt, the shingling rough beneath me. The way I was constantly watching the sunrise was strongly reminding me of a movie I once saw back in my world. In it, there was a race of people who always took the time to watch the dawn. I brought my hand to my ear, checking for points. Nope. Damn, that would have been cool…
By the time the sun was a tenth of the way into the sky, I could see from my vantage point that the town was already bustling with activity. Booths lined the streets in the center of town and people buzzed around them, preparing for the festival that would last all day and late into the night. Despite my tension, I was looking forward to it.
The sky was still pinkish when I spied the Tringhams walking towards the bar. Well, Russel was walking, his hands tucked into his pockets. Fletcher looked like he was bouncing in excitement, and the second they rounded the corner he broke into a run. I smiled. Was he really only a couple years younger than Russel? Fletcher ran into the bar and Russel followed calmly. I knew they were looking for me so we could prepare for the festival together. The people of this town had a tradition of dressing in brightly colored clothes for this celebration, which celebrated both the ending of a year and the hope of a plentiful spring. Fletcher had shown me his costume the night before. Russel had hinted that they had bought a costume for me as well, and I was looking forward to seeing it.
The younger boy started calling my name, and I smiled in amusement. I wondered how long it would take them to find me up here. About a minute, as it turned out. Barret must have given me away.
"Alex!" Fletcher poked his head out of the window underneath me to my left and smiled when he saw me. He grabbed ahold of the edge of the roof and pulled himself up, sitting down beside me.
"What are you doing up here?"
"Red sunrise," I said mysteriously. "Blood has been spilled this night." I crossed my arms and looked grim.
Fletcher paled and looked between me and the red ball that was the rising sun. "What! How do you know?"
I held my serious expression for a few seconds, but couldn't keep it up for long. I broke into a grin and chuckled at his expression. "Nothing, nothing, I'm just messing with you." He was such a gullible kid.
Fletcher flushed and punched me lightly on the arm. "Jerk." He stood and smiled again a second later, already over it. "Come on, I want to see you in your costume!"
The costume consisted of brightly colored swaths of cloth that would be worn over your regular clothes. They were usually decorated with flowers or plants to resemble the spring, which I found amusingly ironic. They almost looked like robes or kimono, but they hung open in the front and came to a point at the mid-knee. Russel had already slipped his on as Fletcher and I were entering the room. He turned his back to us, the loose open sleeves fluttering a bit, and showed off the beautiful flower pattern that graced his back in colors of bright blue, red and deep green. "What do you think?"
"It's beautiful," I commented, setting my hand on my hip and leaning forward, admiring it. Fletcher rushed over to his own bag and pulled out a similar garment, although his was bright orange and yellow, with little blue highlights.
"Wow," I said, taking them both in together. If I thought they looked good in plain clothes, these costumes made them really sparkle. The two brothers grinned at each other and pulled out a third garment, holding it between them with identical smiles.
I smiled hugely. "Is that for me!?" They extended it out to me and I took it reverently. It was a deep scarlet decorated with a subtle patterning of large rouge flowers lined with black bands. I ran my hand over it, feeling the ridges where the pattern was inlayed. It felt like silk underneath my hands and I immediately slipped it over my shoulders, spinning and feeling it flutter about me dramatically. "Thank you so much!"
Russel smirked smugly and Fletcher blushed, scratching the back of his head and avoiding my eyes.
"It looks good on you," the younger boy said.
"Heh, thanks," I said, greatly cheered. I had seen how expensive these were, and had forsaken buying one for myself since I had very limited funds until I returned to my brothers. My eyes watered a bit, touched that they had thought of me while buying their own. "I'll treasure it."
Fletcher perked up and looped his arm around mine. "Come on, let's go!"
"You weren't planning to leave me behind were you?" A voice stopped us as we were about to leave the room. We turned to find Barret, dressed in his own costume and crossing his arms. His robe was plain green, decorated only with a light shine. With his sword latched at his hip, he looked like some kind of elf warrior, especially since he wore his usual serious expression.
"Barret," I said surprised. "I would have thought you would want to hang out with your father today."
Barret gave me a look. "I'm not here to visit. I'm here to be your body guard, or have you forgotten?"
"Oooooh, right. I actually forgot about that."
Barret grumbled but the four of us left together, walking out into the crisp day and heading towards the center of town, where we could already hear music playing. We turned a corner…and walked into a fairyland.
The festival was everything I anticipated and more. The usual gray streets and dull buildings were lavishly decorated with colorful lights and banners. The people were likewise illuminated in their bright robes, making the dull cobble stone street look like it was covered in a field of vibrant flowers. Booths lined the streets selling all sorts of wares from jewelry to costumes to delicious smelling food. I could almost forget the pain in my body as I took in the many sights and sounds, the streets already filled with brightly dressed and smiling people, despite the early morning hour.
We wandered the streets for a few hours, Fletcher running excitedly from booth to booth. The atmosphere was positively infectious, especially for me, as every person who brushed against me walking by in the crowded streets imparted some of their own merriment through my open link. Usually I might have been annoyed by this, but I couldn't bring myself to be bothered. I was trying to have fun after all.
We passed by a booth selling goods that looked oriental, and I paused, admiring the bright colors. Gorgeous hair ornaments and elegant fans lined the counter and a eastern looking woman sat behind it with an inviting smile. A jade hair ornament caught my eye, and I picked it up to examine it. It was a long black stick with a jade dragon intricately carved on the end, and wrapped around it were two shimmering string bands that hung from the tiny dragon's claws, hanging down and sporting two more jade beads that clinked as I moved it. I admired the craftsmanship, thinking that it looked a little bit like Jäger. The little guy was huddled pathetically in my bag at Orkan's. I wish I could have brought him, but it was too cold for him.
"Ah, you have excellent taste, mĕinánz," the oriental woman said from behind the counter, giving me a salesman smile. She was a beautiful woman in her twenties with long black hair that she bound intricately in braids around her head, leaving the rest to hang loose down her shoulders. She had charming smile that would have made my heart skip if I had been interested in women. "That pin sports the finest jade that can be found in the Xingese Empire. Are you looking or a present for a lady friend?" She glanced me up and down. "Or perhaps for yourself? The jade would match your eyes splendidly."
"Oh," I sighed. "No thank you. I'm afraid I'm pathetically low on funds." I gave her an apologetic smile and stroked the pretty ornament before setting it down. Her eyes fluttered.
"Aleeex!" Fletcher came up behind me and threw his arms around me exuberantly, causing me to stumble forward. "Alex, what's wrong? You're falling behind!" He looked down at the table. "Those are pretty. Do you want one?"
The saleswoman pounced before I could say a word and delicately lifted the pin I had been admiring. "He was looking at this one. Such a shame he could not afford it, as it would match his green eyes beautifully." She fluttered her black lashes at the unsuspecting youth hanging on my back and Fletcher blushed, smiling shyly.
"It's ok," I said quickly before Fletcher could fall for her charms. I started to pull him away from her seductive salesperson clutches. "I would look girly anyway."
"Eh? I thought you liked that kind of stuff!"
"Well, yeah but…just forget about it ok? Look! There's pies over there! Let's go get some!"
Fletcher gave me a thoughtful look before smiling brightly. "Yeah!"
We enjoyed the festival late into the day, listening to music, looking at wares, watching performances and eating as much sweets as we could fit into ourselves. Even Barret loosened up after a while, going so far as to smile when a passing performer placed a winter flower behind his ear. Around mid-day, the sky clouded and it began to snow, which set off a big cheer in the crowd. As the snow covered the streets, the colorful ceremonial robes which everyone wore looked even more bright in the silver light, giving everything a magical and surreal feeling.
Eventually the sun began to fall and everyone gathered into the large courtyard in the center of town where a dozen bonfires were being lit. A large stage was in the middle of the courtyard and a great cheer went through the crowd as the evening performers began to play. As one, it seemed, the townsfolk began to pair off and step into the open space of the yard. They bowed to each other and began a dance that it appeared everyone knew. Couples swung about each other, performing what looked to be simple steps that caused groups to weave in and out of the crowd. As the music climaxed, women were spun out of men's arms and partners were switched before the dance resumed. I smiled in delight. I had never seen anything like it. As the people spun, their robes flared out behind them and I finally saw part of the reason they were designed the way they were. As they spun it must have looked like flower petals weaving together from the sky.
Our group was not left out of the fun. As soon as the dance began, a gaggle of cheerful women snatched us up with delighted giggles, and before I could protest that I didn't know the dance I was thrown into the throng. At first I was incredibly nervous, as I was afraid I might hurt someone, but I found that as long as I remained relaxed it didn't seem to be a problem. The young woman who had chosen me for a partner only laughed as I stumbled a bit, but guided me through the steps, which turned out to be quite easy to learn. Soon enough I was weaving in and out and behind like I had been dancing these steps my whole life. The music climaxed and I spun the laughing lass out of my arms and immediately caught another one, this time an older gal.
Time began to blend together as we danced into the night, the song never seeming to end. At some point, I must have been mistaken for a woman because I was suddenly dancing with the gentlemen in the ladies' steps, which I actually found to be even more fun as men spun me about in an endless passing game. I must have danced with two dozen people when I ended up in Barret's grasp. His face was flushed and he gave me a smug grin. It occurred to me that, being a local, he must have been to many winter festivals in his hometown. I winked playfully before spinning out of his arms, immediately finding myself dancing with Russel. He looked at me with an expression of surprise. I grinned and shrugged. With a devious smile I suddenly switched our roles and began dancing the men's steps, forcing him to follow and causing him to laugh as he caught on to my game. Finally the song ended, and we came to a stop.
The crowd applauded as the dancers bowed to their partners, chests heaving from exertion but delighted smiles on every face. Russel grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd to the side. We couldn't see the others so we stumbled back into an ally along the back of the crowd and rested against the cool stone walls. I fanned myself, feeling hot even though the air was frigid. I had never experienced anything so fun. This was definitely a party to rival anything I had ever seen in my own world. It was magical.
I pulled my hair off of my neck and bound it higher on my head, allowing the sweat that had accumulated there to cool. Russel was leaning beside me against a wall, catching his breath with a big grin and watching the crowd to try and spot his younger brother. He turned and saw me messing with my hair, which had flown everywhere thanks to all the spinning, and stepped forward, pulling something out of his pocket.
He twirled the small object between his fingers with a smug look. I clinked. "A little birdie told me that you wanted a pretty hair pin."
I looked at the familiar jade pin, surprised. "Why, that little brat. He went back and bought it, didn't he?" I just knew he wouldn't be able to resist that pretty saleswoman.
Russel shrugged and tried to hand it over to me. I didn't take it. "Come on, I thought you liked this sort of thing."
"No way. I'd look like a girl," I said, even though I stared at it as he spun it around.
Russell rolled his eyes. "I hate to break it to you, Alex, but you are wearing an earring. Just take it." Still, I resisted, some part of me still clinging to the preconceptions of how I thought men should be. Russel sighed and forced me to turn around, ignoring my protest. He began weaving my hair clumsily and I held still with a blush. "The people who matter don't care about how you want to be, Alex. You don't have to hold back. Not around us."
Warmth blossomed in my chest as I felt his fingers, and his soft emotions, brush my neck. He really meant what he said. It reminded me vividly of something that Edward had once told me. A sharp pang of longing hit me as I thought of my brothers. God I missed them. As much as I was enjoying my time here, I really wanted to see them again. I felt homesick, even though we had no home. I smiled slightly to myself. My home in this world was with them. The blonde boy slipped the pin in my hair and I turned around, a bit glassy eyed. He smirked and flicked my forehead lightly.
"Be sure to thank Fletcher when we find him." He looked over his shoulder scanning the crowd. "Oh, look, I see your awkward bodyguard. Come on." He began to weave back through the crowd toward a black head of hair that I could just see peaking out over the people. I fingered the jade pin in my hair, my heart fluttering a bit, and began to follow him.
I didn't make it a single step. The air whooshed out of me as a sudden familiar agony gripped my chest, vacating my lungs of air and making lights flash behind my eyes. I fell back into the wall with a groan, every muscle in my body clenching painfully. I staggered further into the ally off the main square and doubled over, riding it out in waves. Eventually it stopped, but the craving I had been feeling intensified sharply, causing me to gasp. It was acutely painful now, and impossible to ignore. Nausea and dizziness gripped me and I promptly threw up everything I had eaten that day.
I heaved and moaned for several minutes until I had nothing left but bile to give. Slowly, as I calmed down, I became aware of a gentle touch rubbing the back of my neck with cool fingers. At first I ignored it, feeling soothed as my stomach settled.
"You poor thing," a woman's voice said. It was deep and husky, and startlingly familiar. I froze, ceasing to breathe. I would recognize that voice anywhere. I looked up, alarmed.
A woman was crouched by my side, the woman, her long black hair waving gently over a deep purple robe, which obscured her usual black dress. It matched her violet eyes, which verily gleamed against the firelight behind her.
"It's you," I gasped. Suddenly I realized that I could not feel anything from her, even though the woman was touching my skin directly. It was if there was nothing there to feel. It was as if she was empty.
The woman stroked my hair gently before standing and walking further into the ally, her heals clicking quietly agains the stone. "If you want answers, follow me."
I stared after her as she began to disappear into the shadows. I looked back over my shoulder into the bright light of the festival, where Russel had just disappeared and where Barret, the man who was sent to protect me, was waiting. Here, in this secluded spot, it felt so far away. Even sound was muted and silence seemed to encroach. I looked back into the darkness. The woman was watching me.
My chest twinged painfully and I groaned gritting my teeth.
This was my chance. Finally someone had come along that may have the answers I was seeking. This person, who was not all that she seemed, was finally offering those answers.
If you see that woman again, run.
Edward's voice flashed through my mind. I wavered for a moment, but then decided to ignore it. No, I didn't trust her. But I needed to know. Had I not wished for this? For someone to come along and explain, and end all of the wondering? The fear?
What am I?
Why can I feel other's emotions?
What are these powers?
Why does it hurt?
She could answer those questions, I could see it in her eyes. And even if she couldn't, even if this was just a trap, I had to try.
She stood, tall dark and beautiful across from me, looking like the most seductive creature of good or ill that had ever been witnessed. Would she save me from my suffering? Or would she sink in hidden teeth and destroy me? There was only one way to find out.
Without a backwards glance at the party behind me, I I lifted myself from the ground on trembling feet, stepping around the remains of my sickness, and followed her into the darkness, the shadows swallowing us both.
Here it comes, guys! The long awaited answers! I have had the next scene planned out for weeks, and it will be a nice little climax to this story arch. I can't wait to get started on it. I actually would have put it in this chapter, but I got really carried away describing the festival and it would have ended up being too long.
Next Chapter: the Explanation. Well, most of it. I still have to keep some secrets after all. Also a bit of gore, so I suggest you don't eat too much.
Continued AN for those that care:
So, I was in a book store yesterday, browsing through the manga section which I haven't done in over five years, and I came across the entire FMA manga. I was like 'hey cool' because I had never actually looked at the manga. I picked up the third book or something and recognized the scene where Ed and Al find out what the PS is made of…and then I started banging my head on the bookshelf. I have written THIRTY SIX chapters, and they haven't yet gotten to a scene which happens at basically the BEGINNING OF THE SERIES.
So, as I was standing there being pointed at by small children and some grody looking nerd guys, I had an idea. What do you guys think about me making this a trilogy? I'm pretty sure I have enough content to write three books. This first one would end around the fifth lab, which is actually going to be a huge event where…well, you'll see. You guys have probably guessed what will happen (I mean, I've been obviously hinting at it forever). Anyway, let me know. Would you rather me break this monster up into three books or just continue writing until I get to the end? Just a warning, it will probably end up being round a hundred and fifty chapters.
P.S. The Xingese woman called Alex 'beautiful man' in Chinese. Mandarin, I think. If I'm completely off, just let me know.
Thanks for reviewing! Toodles!