Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter! This one's a little shorter than the last one despite it taking longer, I was out of town for the past weekend and I had some challenges writing this one tbh. Nevertheless, I hope it's enjoyable regardless!
Content Warning for this chapter: Violence and mentions of blood.
My head pounded to the racing of my beating heart. My veins surged with warmth and I didn't want to leave the comfort of sleep, but something tugged at my consciousness. Somewhere something outside of myself stirred me with a jolt and a bang, and I groaned as my eyes slowly creaked open. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the lighting of the room or rather the lack of light in the room. I blinked blearily at my surroundings as my headache continued to throb relentlessly, taking in the strange scene around me. I was in Al's arms, his strong metal hold enveloping me, his eyes lifted away from me and I could smell a waft of concern and anxiety flitter through the air. His not being the only one. I wasn't sure what was more weird, him holding me in a dark cramped space seemingly terrified, or the fact that the dark cramped space was a storage closet?
"Wha-huh? Are we in a storage closet?" I grumbled confused as my senses sharpened dramatically and I was suddenly very aware of how much my body was on fire and I wiggled in Al's grasp. Two gasps from inside the closet space broke through the silence as two sets of eyes landed on me and my heart would have jumped if it hadn't already been running at full speed.
"Em, you're awake," Al breathed, red eyes glowing down at me and I could almost feel the shock that ran through him inside me as he held his nonexistent breath at the sight of me. "What? Did I finally grow two heads this time?'
"What happened?" I asked, pushing past the concern that flitted through the small space, as I shifted my gaze over to Ed who I caught in my peripheral and he looked blindly in my direction, eyes a little unfocused in the dim light.
"The fumes from the red water made us pass out, or at least that's my guess." He responded to me simply, his usually clear emotions becoming muted as his eyes darted around in the darkness, not quite meeting my own. 'Right, can't see in the dark.'
"You hardly guess about anything," I quipped flatly, finding myself still focused on his face as I searched for anything from him. He was like a maze, there was something there, but it was like he had a wall up, his eyes continuing to avoid mine in favor of glancing out of the small gap in the door with a grumble.
"Yeah well, these guys aren't exactly handing out answers."
"Shhh!" Al hushed sharply as the commotion picked up from outside, and I turned my attention toward the sliver of light between the door, ears picking up on the conversation beyond.
"Great work boys, I commend you for getting this far, but I'm afraid we've run out of time, we need to move straight to our contingency plan," A voice said from somewhere inside the room and I craned my neck as I tried to listen intently, eyes squinting in thought. 'Contingency plan?'
"But sir, we've made incredible progress, we don't need to resort to that," Another voice spoke, this one much younger than the other but unmistakably masculine. 'Just what is going on in this place?'
As the strangers continued to talk outside the door, I knocked the back of my fist against Al's armor lightly and gestured for him to let me down, which he obliged silently, setting me onto my own feet inside the small space. He pressed himself further into the closet to give me room and I wedged myself closer to Ed's side to gain a vantage point outside the small crack in the door. He shifted from my side to give me room and I leaned forward slightly to peer through the crack.
My perspective of the view outside was poor, I could just barely make out a few bodies scattered throughout the room. Two figures stood close to one another, a taller boy not much older than us held a protective hand against a younger boy's chest, stashing him safely behind his back as he faced an older man who peered down at the two with a look of disdain. He was rotund and surprisingly tall from what I could make out, cropped hair a shade of grey matching his mustache as he puffed his considerable chest out at them. The guy reeked of poor ego and there was something really creepy about him. The look in his eyes didn't help.
"You know, there was another alchemist who couldn't follow through with orders, he didn't make it very far." The older man glowered at the two boys in the room, and the tall blonde growled at the insinuation.
"Is that a threat?" He asked lowly and I dared a glance at Ed, gauging his reaction. His eyes were glued onto the scene unfolding from the other side of the door, resolve still blocked behind a steel wall. For once, I found myself wanting to know what he was feeling.
"That depends on you, Russel Tringham," The older man said lowly, the air feeling thick as the atmosphere seemed to shift, and the young man, Russel gasped.
"What? Wait you knew all this time?" He asked in disbelief, shoulders tensing at the realization, and the older man sneered.
"Of course I did, you really thought I didn't know that the real Edward Elric has an automail arm and that you're the sons of Nash Tringham? You must think I'm really stupid don't you?" My eyes blew wide and I glanced at the different figures standing in the room as I rolled that one around in my head. 'Then these must be the other brothers Al was talking about.' How we continued to get ourselves mixed up in weird shit I could only wonder.
"I suppose that doesn't really matter now, does it? While you were doing the heavy lifting, I've been off making my own plans, and I no longer see a need for your assistance." The large man's voice sounded throughout the room again and my eyes trailed his slightly out-of-frame body, landing on his unnerving eyes as he flicked them to one of the gunmen in the room who I hadn't realized was there until now.
"Kill them and dispose of the bodies." He commanded with a wave of his hand and I held my breath. 'Whoa, am I really about to see this guy murder a couple of kids?' The thought made my stomach drop, but I needn't worry about them anymore as Ed pressed a hand to the door and blew it wide open with a loud crack of its hinges, thrusting himself out into the open as his boots squeaked against the hardwood floor. The next thing I knew he was mowing down gunmen left and right, hardly caring for his safety, or anyone else's for that matter as bullets started raining down from all angles. Bodyguards tried to apprehend him, but it was futile as the blonde rushed them with impressive speed and I had to duck my head to dodge a stray bullet as it zinged overhead.
"What the hell is he doing now!?" I shouted at Al as he pushed me down, using his large metal frame to give me some cover. All he could do was sigh in response.
"Being Ed," He said and I couldn't contain the weak laugh as my nerves shot from all the excitement. More of his reckless behavior and I was gonna have an aneurysm. At the next available opening, Al shoved me out of the closet into the open with a harsh "Move," his voice more commanding than I was used to and I stumbled over my feet as I tried to move forward.
Almost ending up on my hands and knees I scrambled before picking up speed and darting across the room just as a gunman was put down for the count by Al from where we'd taken refuge inside the closet. I whirled around, back slamming against a cabinet and counter against the farthest wall in the room. 'Huh, thanks for the save Al,'
Most of the bodies in the room were out cold on the floor now, save for the other brothers who were crouched in a corner, the older brother shielding the younger with his arms protectively across the room amongst the chaos. Ed was still off aways dishing out blows to the remaining gunmen and I tore my eyes away, scanning the area for anyone else to make note of. 'Wasn't there another person here? That big guy…'
Something solid pressed sharply into the dip in my back and my blood ran cold as a hand tugged at my wrist harshly, pulling me away from the cabinets I was leaning against to twist behind my back. I hissed as a large body pressed firmly against my back. 'Oh god'
"Alright, you brats, surrender and the girl lives." The heavy man's breath brushed against the back of my neck and a sharp shiver rocked my body to the core as I paled. 'Looks like I found him…or rather he found me…'
If it wasn't for the fear rattling in my chest I'd probably be nauseous from the scent of the man. He was about as grimy as I had suspected and I turned my wide gaze to Ed and Al as they froze in place, horrified looks on every person with a face stared at the scene unfolding. 'Of course, I'd be the one to get caught, damsel in distress and whatnot. How useless am I?' I berated myself mentally as I looked back at the two of them. I could almost sense the nasty grin on the man's face as he preened in delight at the response of his show of power over me, and he chuckled lowly in his throat.
"That's more like it." As we continued to stand off in silence I hung my head as I tried to think of a way to get out of this. I seriously wished I had some combat knowledge at this moment as he shoved the hard object against my back harder and steered me helplessly toward the left side of the room.
"Now, you're all gonna be good boys while I lead our little lady downstairs, and you're not going to follow." He said, pushing my arm further up my back and I choked back a pained whine as I was thrust forward, shoulder and arm aching at the abuse, and I walked. The angle was awkward and I had to hunch to try and ease the pain but he didn't seem to notice as he drilled me toward a rug in the middle of the room, kicking it to the side to reveal a hidden hatch. He barked at me to open it and I did as I was told hesitantly, pulling the heavy metal ring attached to the wooden cover with a heave of my body.
Once it was open he rudely shoved me down, whatever it was he had pointed against my back thrust out toward the boys still inside the room as he followed me down. I spared one last glance above me before we descended, Ed and Al looked at me worried and on the defense before they were out of view, nothing but concrete filling my gaze as I was ushered further down into the abyss. I had no idea what was going to happen, my mind swam with horrors I'd only ever imagined in my nightmares. A strong sense of dread overfell me as we went further and further down the steps, plunging into darkness. Even with my superior night vision, I could only make out a continuous winding set of stairs as we descended further. 'How deep is this damn thing?'
The sound of rushing water filled my ears again as we finally stepped on flat ground, the staircase opening up into a cavern of sorts. Rock walls were painted in a shimmering pink glow onset by the waves of the red water from before, the stream gushing from a beautifully elegant porcelain fountain in the middle of the cave. From the fountain trailed a continuous stream of red water flowing down a dug-out path into the darkness of a tunnel that lead to somewhere I had to assume. I was reminded of my disturbing company again when he shoved me deeper into the cavern with a grunt, almost being thrown to my feet when I regained my balance with a few awkward stumblings, swinging around to face him. The man stood there a few feet away with a sinister smile on his face as he pulled out some sort of leather mask, and slipped it onto his face, blue beady eyes trailing my figure and I couldn't help the chill that coursed through me at the look.
"You'll soon succumb to the toxins of the red water, and by the time you do, those brats won't be able to do anything for you. It's a shame it had to come to this, I'd hoped I could get those two to help in my efforts. But I suppose some sacrifices are inevitable." He said cooly, and I stared at him to the best of my ability, eyes becoming unfocused as the smell of the red water's chemicals stung my nose, and I felt my brain fog over again, dizziness muddling my senses like before. My body swayed as I tried to stay on my feet, eyes drooping as the toxins set in.
"You…You're fucking evil," I spat, mind swirling and I shook my head, willing my vision to clear but to no avail. His eyes squinted as he chuckled at my struggle.
"You don't know true evil. My decisions were made for the betterment of this town, but the state you kids work for, now that's true evil." He clicked his tongue and I squinted my eyes at him, honing in on his blurring figure with confusion.
"What? The state? Wwwhat do you mmmean?" My words started to slur as my head spun and my limbs suddenly felt incredibly heavy. I fell to my knees, palms pressed roughly into the dirt below as I tried to will my body not to shut down. 'Am I gonna die…?'
"I think that's the least of your concerns now." The man said, footsteps sounding off the walls as he stepped toward me. A large metal something pressed under my chin and tilted it up to draw my eyes toward him and I jerked back drunkenly, eyes and brain throbbing at the sudden movement. The next thing I knew I was thrust forcefully onto my back, something heavy pressed to my chest and I gasped futilely for air. Bleary eyes peered up at a large knee as he drilled it into my chest, pinning my strung-out body harder into the floor as tears brimmed my eyes. Large hands gripped my shoulders tightly as crazed eyes stared into my own and I realized I'd never felt true fear until now. My jaw fell slack as an unheard cry tried to escape my lips and my limbs tingled as each extremity fell numb. I knew my consciousness was slipping, and I genuinely feared what would become of my body should that happen. Would he use me in some way, and leave me here as evidence of his crime? Or would he just end me here and run off, never to be found or brought to justice? I guessed it wouldn't matter anyway as I was sure my fate was set.
My eyes fluttered as one last effort at keeping them open began to fail and slowly, I closed them, shutting the rest of the world out as I opened myself up to the twilight that called to me faintly. There was little fight left in me now, if god or the universe or whatever it was that was beyond this place wanted me, maybe it was futile to resist. A loud scuffing noise and shouting cut through the loud rushing of water and deafness in my ears and my eyes snapped open. A flash of red and white flew past my vision and suddenly the pressure on my chest and shoulders was gone. My head was jerked upwards as something smelling of leather and glue filled my nose and I sucked in a sharp breath, gulping in the air of my saving grace as it was pressed harshly against my face. My lungs ached as air was forced into them again, the abuse of oxygen loss taking its toll on my body and I coughed ruggedly into the item as it was tied around the back of my head. As my mind cleared I could feel familiar metal arms as they held my shoulders, easing me into a sitting position and I weakly tilted my head to look up at none other than Al. The armor's eyes were wide as he studied my condition and I smiled weakly at him as my burning eyes shed tears down my cheeks.
"Al…" I croaked against my abused throat, my esophagus burning from the red water particles in the air that seeped into every part of me.
"Em," Al sighed relieved, and a flitter of care and concern floated from him and I welcomed it as the fear from almost dying subsided. He could be shouting at me and I'd still be happy just to hear his voice. It was then I realized I was hearing a commotion out of my immediate sight and I craned my neck past Al as I caught the tail end of Ed's brutal assault of the old man, being forcefully pulled off of him by the elder Tringham brother, cursing obscenities I didn't quite catch.
My heart ached at the sight of his bloodied fists as he huffed heavily from the altercation, the legs of the man falling limp as they rested on the ground. The rest of him was blocked from my view by Al's shoulder and I think it was intentional as he clinked to shift my gaze away slightly. I could sense a faint wash of guilt fall over him and I looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at me as Ed approached from my other side, kneeling down to rest a hand on my shoulder. I jumped involuntarily and he flinched as well, but didn't remove the hand as he looked into my eyes, sweat coating his brow and fair face.
"You okay?" He breathed out and I finally sensed something from him. Anger, fear, shame, but funnily enough, not an ounce of guilt.
"Um…I am now…is he…?" I couldn't quite finish my sentence unsure if I really wanted to know. Ed's eyes creased like he was smiling from behind the mask on his face and he snorted tiredly as he swept a hand over his brow.
"No. He'll be out for some time though, I made sure of that." He admitted, the look in his eyes never wavered and I felt a strange wash of relief. Sure, the man may have been trying to kill me, and who knows what else, but a part of me didn't want to imagine Ed ending someone else's life, no matter how fucked up they may be. His eyes scanned my face and body as he sighed.
"Did he hurt you?" Ah, the golden ticket question. Technically yes, but I think I knew what he meant and I shook my head.
"No, thank god. You came just in time." My chest rose and fell easier as the pain in my lungs eased and he shared a sigh of relief with his brother.
"Good," He breathed before another voice cracked through the air.
"Not to break up the tender moment, but this tunnel is looking like it's gonna collapse. It might be best to get out of here if we wanna live," Russel said as he stood a little ways away, hands on his hips and little brother at his side who looked a little concerned over at the three of us. Ed turned his gaze over his shoulder and gave the Tringham a stiff nod before turning back to Al.
"Al, can you carry her?" He asked and Al nodded with a clank in response. Ed then turned his gaze over to me with a smile.
"Then let's get the hell out of here." With that, he heaved onto his feet as Al scooped me into his arms once again and I had little energy to protest, as much as I would have liked to. My heart continued to clamor in my chest as the group raced through the tunnels, Russel and his brother leading the way out as the surge of water become more violent and unstable. With a loud whoosh, a spurt of red water sprung from the walls of the rock tunnel, more sprouting as we continued our way out of it. The tunnel behind us slowly filled with dirty water as the support beams holding up the tunnel began to wan under the newfound pressure. Russel shouted something over his shoulder, signaling the exit that glowed up ahead. I wasn't sure if it was the near-death experience or the remainder of the toxins from the red water or not, but I could have sworn the exit looked ethereal and almost otherworldly as we raced toward it. The 'light at the end of the tunnel' saying was starting to sound quite literal and I found myself amused despite the anxiety coursing through my body. With a burst of speed, we bounded out into the open and I squinted my eyes at the rough shift in lighting, the late summer sun baring down on the earth below and straight into my eyes.
Al jerked roughly to the side as he slammed his back against the rock wall behind him, and a violent whoosh of dirt, rocks, and red water rushed through the exit to the tunnel, surging over the side of the nearby cliff like a waterfall. 'We really dodged that by seconds. I thought to myself as my eyes trailed the water's descent.
The sound of birds fleeing from the nearby trees and the flush of the violent current of water drowned out the heavy pants from beside us as everyone tried to catch their breaths. Suddenly, a violent rumble shook through the mountain as the tunnels gave in under the pressure, more and more red water gushing out of the many mine shafts throughout the mountain and I worried there'd be a huge rock slide soon.
In an instant, Ed was running again, racing over to the edge of the wide cliff we stood on and clapped his hands, the sound reverberating off the rocks before kneeling to transmute the ground below him. Electric sparks of energy surged through the mountainside, and more rumbling shook the earth as a massive wall of rock emerged from the ground, bordering off the mountain from the rest of Xenotime and its little town below. In an impressive show of power, Ed had erected a dam to keep in the flooding red water as it tried to escape down the mountain and I gaped at its massiveness.
"Holy shit…" I breathed and Al cleared his throat disapprovingly as he continued to hold me and I laughed with a roll of my eyes.
"Give me a pass, I almost died," I quipped playfully but he didn't seem amused as he only hummed in response but didn't say anything, just turning his eyes away from me to watch on as the Tringham brothers sprung into action as well. The younger of the two rushed toward a cluster of trees and skidded to a halt as he whipped out some kind of white stick from his overalls, scribbling a strange symbol encompassed within a circle I didn't recognize before pressing his small palms against it, forehead atop his hands and the circle glowed.
Sparks of a radiant green shot from the circle and flowed around the trees as a transmutation was initiated and the trees began to glow a dark red color as the water level from Ed's dam lowered slightly, But it wasn't nearly enough as the water continued to flow and swirl in the rock made bowl. Slowly, the older Tringham rested his palm over the younger brother's hands, and the two shared a smile as they worked together to encourage the trees to suck up all the water.
And it worked, millions of trees turning a dark shade of red as the water dissipated inch by inch until mere puddles were left. The brothers shared a triumphant smile before turning their attention back to the trees, channeling all of their energy into the transmutation as the red trees transitioned into a brilliant glowing blue. Moving into the next stage of the transmutation, the trees began to glow brighter, before bursting into millions of minuscule particles, scattering wildly like water molecules into the open air. Trillions of crystals dissipated into the sky as more trees succumbed to the transmutation before every last tree had dissipated and I breathed in the fresh air, the smell of the chemicals from the red water disappearing along with them. I pulled the mask off of my face and took in another deep breath. God, it felt good to breathe in air this crisp, and clean. After being basically poisoned for two days the relief my lungs felt was incredible.
Al stepped away from the wall he'd pressed himself against and carried me toward the middle of the open space before setting me down gently. I slid onto my feet, legs feeling slightly weak which I could only assume was due to the toxins still raging through my system. I was however grateful as Al kept a hand on my back just in case I needed the assistance, despite how embarrassing it was that I couldn't stand on my own. Ed finished up another transmutation as he reset the risen earth back to its former state before making his way back over to us, the Tringham brothers close behind. Once Ed was within reaching distance of me again, he stretched out a hand toward my face, grasping my chin to face him as he looked into my eyes intently.
"They're still red," He said a bit disappointed and I flinched at the contact before eyeing him wearily.
"What's red?" I asked and his eyes darted away slightly as if trying to decide how he wanted to answer before Russel spoke up from beside him, getting a closer look at my face as well.
"You're eyes, they're red. I've never seen this kind of effect before." He stated a bit surprised, shifting slightly from beside Ed to get a better look. I flushed at the sudden onslaught of attention and information as my heart picked up inside my chest. 'What? My eyes are WHAT?'
"They're red? Why are my eyes red?" My breathing hitched slightly and I pulled my face away from Ed's grasp, mind reeling. 'Just one more goddamn thing to go wrong for me today!' I whined internally as they all continued to stare at me and my eyes darted wildly as I willed myself not to break down in front of all these boys. 'Too much, It's all too much!' As I hyperventilated Ed shifted his body to fully face me, golden eyes catching my view as he tried to regain my attention, but did not try to reach out for me again as my system began to overload.
"Hey, Em it's okay, just try and relax. Just breathe," He said slow and calm and I focused my attention back on him, sucking in a sharp breath, calming my nerves enough to listen to him again.
"There you go. See? Nothing to worry about. You're okay." He said softly, offering me a small smile. I eased, my heart settling back into my chest with a sigh.
"I'm okay," I repeated slowly and offered a small smile of my own in return. Once my body seemed to settle down again, I turned my gaze over to Russel with a curious look.
"Russel was it? You worked with the red water, right? You don't have any idea why this is happening to me?" I asked hoping that perhaps I was wrong but the thought was whisked away with a shake of his head.
"I'm afraid I don't know. I've never seen this happen to anyone before, I suspect maybe it was due to your prolonged exposure to the toxins in the air. Then again we've all been exposed to it as well and didn't have the same adverse effects." Russel said, giving me a considering look as he seemed to weigh the possibilities in his head. As Russel busied himself in his thoughts, Al turned his helmet with a clink toward his brother beside me and the two made eye contact.
"Brother, do you think maybe Em's chemistry might have something to do with it?" He asked and Ed lifted a hand under his chin as his eyes cast toward the ground in thought, occasionally darting up to me as he mulled it over.
"Maybe, I'm not sure. But it wouldn't hurt to assume that until we can look into it more. We better keep you out of contact with any type of red water in the meantime." He responded finally, eyes flitting between the both of us and I nodded slowly as I processed it all. As far as I was concerned I was more than happy to steer clear of the stuff, I didn't ever wanna feel like this again, not if I could help it.
"And by chemistry you mean?" Russel asked, drawing us from our previous conversation to lay all eyes on him and Ed paled slightly at the question.
"Oh uh, we just mean she's unique that's all," He tried with a wave of his hands, a small laugh of discomfort escaping him. My heart picked up again as a rise of anxiety flitted through my body.
"I'm not from here," I lied. Half lied really, it was partly true. The older Tringham gave us a suspicious look, purple-blue eyes digging into the both of us like he was reading our very thoughts and I sincerely hoped that wasn't possible. After a few seconds of his prolonged staring, Russel retracted his gaze with a sigh, deciding to wave it off and he smiled.
"In any case, I suppose it's better things ended the way they did. We technically owe you our lives. Mugear probably wouldn't have ended things with just a threat had you two not been there to stop him. Still, I think I could have done it better myself. " He said with a smirk, verbally backhanding the boys and while I was sure Al would brush it off like always, it was silly to assume Ed wouldn't take offense to it. And he definitely did.
"Yeah well at least I took him out without the use of a fake stone," Ed countered flatly and the two glared at each other. 'Called it.' The two continued to eye battle each other for a moment, but it fizzled out soon after into respecting smirks as the two called a truce.
"So, where will you go now?" The younger Tringham who I'd temporarily forgotten about poked his head into the group, big blue eyes peering up at the three of us and Ed folded his arms with a considering look.
"Well, with any luck we'll be headed back East, this place was a bust and we've got more leads to look into. I'd hoped this wasn't a wild goose chase but, well, obviously it's not that easy." Ed lamented softly and we all shared small chuckles when Al's voice picked up amongst the small laughs.
"What about you guys, what will you do now?" The two boys looked at each other, before smiling warmly, Russel turning his gaze back to us as he regarded the question.
"Well, I just so happened to be offered a job by a guy in town named Belsio a couple of days ago. He owns a lemon farm there, he offered to pay me to help him with the harvest. Since his niece passed, he's been doing all of it on his own. Could give us something to do till we figure it out at least." He responded before resting a hand over Fletcher's soft blonde mop of hair spilling over the capless trapper hat on his head.
"Before we do any of that though, I'm gonna work to make sure all the red water is cleared out of Xenotime, and do better to be a good older brother to Fletcher." He smiled down at his brother and the young boy beamed with a blush.
"Russel," He said to the older brother happily, and their gazes were returned when Ed spoke up to regard them again.
"Well, I wish you the best of luck, and please, don't go messing around with red water anymore. I understand your dad was Nash Tringham, and it's obvious now you were trying to carry out the work he couldn't do. My advice, live your own life, you'll be a lot happier in the long run." He suggested, eyes looking upon them like he spoke from experience and I considered what it was he was thinking in conjunction with that advice. The older Tringham smiled simply in return, that small curl of his lip into the classic smirk I'd been growing used to apparent on his face once again.
"Thanks, Ed. I'll do my best to remember that."
After returning to the hotel room again, It was mid-afternoon and we debated staying another night, the last train leaving the station for the day departing in a matter of hours, and decided against it. It would take almost a week to get all the way back to East City and Ed was determined to get back on the road again and off to the next lead with little time spent here any longer. So despite how exhausted this whole trip had made me, I agreed and as usual, Al wasn't going to protest if I didn't.
The heavy plop into the stiff train bench did make me reconsider for half a second, but Ed had already bought the tickets so changing his mind seemed pretty unlikely at this point. I sighed as I pressed my forehead against the glass window of the train car, my hot breath fogging the glass slightly. I considered doodling in it but passed it up as Ed came to sit across from me, Al sitting beside me on the bench we shared.
After giving them a quick glance to regard their presence I returned my gaze back to the scenery outside the window. It would be fall soon and I wondered what this place would look like with the trees bare, leaves floating along the ground as winter approached. The thought was nice. Nice and interrupted with a loud shout from outside the train car window and I jumped as a pair of blonde heads of hair stood just below the glass frame and Ed stood up to pull the small plane up to open it.
"Hey!" Fletcher called from beside the train car, smile as exuberant as ever and I felt the strange urge to squish his rosy cheeks. Because he was cute or I was coming down from being scared half to death I couldn't say. Russel smirked from beside him, hand lazily in one pocket which was becoming quite on brand for him.
"Russel? Fletcher? What are you guys doing down here?" Al asked from beside me, leaning over to look out of the window down at the two boys on the station platform.
"We wanted to see you off. And, I figured If you'd like, I can tell you all the ingredients needed to make the red stone, given you think you could use it. It's the least I can offer you. You know, for helping me and my brother." Russell said with a lean of his elbow against the lip of the window frame, purple-blue eyes fitted to Ed's own as he spoke, insinuating his intentions toward the older brother. Ed gave him a considering look, pondering it, then he smiled warmly as he regarded the other.
"Thanks, Russel, but no thanks. We'll find the real deal on our own." He responded with a shake of his head and Russel chuckled warmly.
"Fair enough." A small whine from beside him pulled my attention to the younger of the two beside the train car as he bid for our attention.
"Hey, don't be strangers. Feel free to come visit sometime, this place might be completely different the next time you come by." Fletcher said from his spot beside his brother, small hands gripping the edge of the window frame as he stretched his chin over it barely, his height just a little too short to see into the train car.
"I think that would be a great idea," I said turning my gaze over to my companions to regard them with a smile. Ed smiled in turn and Al nodded his helmet before Ed returned his gaze back to the other boys.
"Yeah." He said simply, when the train whistle blew loudly from up front, queuing the boys to retreat from the train car. They stepped back further onto the platform and waved us off as the train slowly chugged out of the station. We waved our hands out of the window with resounding goodbyes and promises to see one another again as the train picked up speed. Once the boys and the town were at a fair distance, Ed shut the glass window before nestling back into his spot on the train bench with a contented sigh. His golden eyes peered out of the window as I had just a few moments before and I joined him with a soft smile on my face.
My smile fell slowly as the events of our recent endeavor flitted across my mind and that sick feeling returned as anxiety gurgled in my chest uncomfortably.
"That…was a lot," I admitted slowly and the two turned their attentions toward me as I rested my hands on my lap, eyes drifting down at them.
"Yeah," Ed said slowly, seeming to pick up on what I meant and the air turned stale between the three of us as our moods shifted from good-natured to a mix of many different ones.
"I…I was pretty useless." I mumbled just loud enough to hear, the events of my somewhat kidnapping replaying freshly in my mind. There was uncomfortable shifting across from me, but I didn't pay it much mind.
"I wouldn't say useless, you were just-" Ed tried but I cut him off as my emotions seemed to rise again, and I lifted my head to gaze at them, brows knitting in frustration.
"No, I was absolutely useless. You two had to put yourselves in harm's way to keep me safe, meanwhile, I just stood there and took it…" I bit back the unusual anger I felt, watching as they flinched at my sudden change in tone, and my heart clenched suddenly. Sighing softly to ease my emotions again, I bowed my head, returning my gaze to my hands as they gripped tightly in my lap. "When I was down there with him…I was genuinely afraid I was going to die…and I was fully expecting that breath to be my last…When Al shoved that mask in my face and I took my first breath of clean air, I realized just how much I had actually accepted death…That's…That's pretty fucked up. I've never felt like that before, even when I was starving in the streets for weeks, I wasn't that afraid of death." My hands inched up to my upper arms and I gripped tightly, folding into myself at the memory, flashes of violence and fear rushed through my mind as I sat there quietly, desperately willing them away.
"Listen Em," Ed said, eyes cast in his lap, unable to look at me, before slowly, he rose them to meet mine, that wall breaking ever so slightly, like a door was creaked open behind the facade.
"If you want to call it quits, and back out now, Al and I won't judge that decision. We understand this journey of ours isn't easy, and we can understand if you don't want to be in this anymore." It was quiet for a moment as the air grew thick and his eyes searched me like he was a little afraid of my answer. That look, made me feel like I finally knew what I needed and I gave him a shake of my head with a determined look.
"No way. I don't wanna split from you guys. You two have given me so much, I don't wanna quit on you now. Besides, I told you I'd get you to the lab, I'm sticking to my promise." The wall cracked again ever so slightly as Ed's eyes continued to analyze me, a small flitter of hope seemed to fall over his features before the wall was patched again and he gave me a serious look.
"And you're sure? This path we're on could get even more dangerous from here. I won't bullshit, things could get a lot worse than this. We've seen firsthand how bad it can get. We don't wanna subject you to that without you being totally sure." My eyes glanced at the two of them, both listening intently and I turned my gaze back to my lap with a pained laugh.
"I admit that was pretty awful, but I made it didn't I? I survived, and you guys are okay. I'm sure I can handle worse. As long as we're together, we can get through anything, yeah?" I looked back up at them with a reassuring smile, although I couldn't say for sure how convincing I looked. Ed snorted softly with a smile of his own as he regarded me.
"Well, I don't know about anything, but I'll do my best to get through whatever I need to succeed."
"Me too. And we'll do whatever we can to support you and keep you safe Em. We just want you to be okay." Al piped in with a clank of his armor beside me, a flitter of reassurance and warmth crossed from his armor into my nose and I smiled a little brighter at the sentiment.
"I feel the same about you too. I don't want you guys getting hurt for my sake. I need to start relying on my senses more, and…being more honest when I feel something's off. I've been convincing myself it was better not to say anything when something felt wrong. I just didn't want you guys to worry." I admitted, feeling a little sick at the vulnerability, but was surprised by the reception as the boys only continued to radiate safety and warmth.
"We might be worried, but that's no reason to keep things from us. It's better to tell us if you sense something's not right. That way we know what you're feeling, and we can help." Al said and I couldn't help the sudden realization of just how mature he seemed. He really was a conundrum. He and his brother both. One minute, this seemingly menacing suit of armor was just a little boy trapped inside, so innocent and nothing like how his outer shell made him seem. And then in another instant, he was this mature adult who knew just what to say. How the hell does he do it? My thoughts were interrupted when Ed's own voice picked up from across the booth and my gaze turned toward him as he seemed to halfheartedly snort at me.
"Exactly, You can't expect us to help if we don't know what's going on." It almost sounded like he was chiding me, but something in that smile made me feel both at ease, and ashamed as I realized he too was acting a lot more mature than I was. I dropped my head, shame and embarrassment making my heart clench.
"You're right, I'm sorry," I said softly, I'd never had parents to chastise me for doing something stupid, but I had to assume if I did, it would feel similar to this. I failed them, so, why were they so calm about it? Was it just me who thought they should be more upset?
"It's alright. Just in the future," Ed started and I lifted my head at the gentleness in his tone. His golden eyes peered into my own with no sense of ill will and I felt my heart pick up again. "Say something okay?" He finished, his smile still stretched across his fair features and that strange warmth crept along my insides again and I blushed softly at the energy the two were giving off.
"Okay," I responded with a small smile, reciprocating their lighthearted warmth. My heart eased as the air seemed to lift dramatically and we all settled back into our seats a bit easier to breathe now. Comfortable silence filled the booth as the train continued to chug steadily along the tracks, a small hum of the engine a few cars up a consistent sound in my ears amongst the quietness between us. I turned my gaze back out the window, leaning my shoulder against it and I smiled softly in thought. I supposed it was silly to think they'd be that mad about it, I severely underestimate them it seems. I wondered vaguely if I was used to being heavily reprimanded for bad behavior in the past, and maybe that's why I assumed the same of them. Either way, it was apparent to me now things would be different, and I was becoming endlessly grateful for that, and for the two of them. They've already done so much for me, and I hoped I could return the favor someday.
My eyes drooped suddenly as a gentle wave of tiredness overtook my body and my breathing slowed as I eased into a light doze. And then someone sneezed loudly from across the booth.
"Damnit!"
Looks like someone was still a little sick.
And that's it for this chapter! Certainly not my best work, tbh I kinda got burned out a little bit with this one. As I continue to write down notes for the future chapters I've found myself ready to move on to the bigger events and I admit I slacked a little bit on this chapter. But, thankfully, the next chapter is one I've been excited to step into. So I will see you all in the next one! As always, feel free to leave a comment and follow if you wanna keep updated, your support is appreciated! See ya!