"You need to leave, i cannot keep you safe anymore"
Frustration swelled inside her head, it was just so unfair.
"They confirmed that the order broadcast yesterday was from the military, the extermination order is real, we will all be killed"
She wants to scream. All of them, her heart feels like it's shattered. These people who have cared so much for her, kept her safe til now, this man who has taught her so much. Will all be murdered, for what?
"I hate them"
"Sigh, me to, but that won't help now. you need to leave before they reach here"
So much death, distant roars of cannons, the unmistakable sound of burning and gunfire. The clarity that at any moment the human weapons might come, those dogs come for slaughter.
"There is no time to teach you more, you need to take the notes with you, studie them on your own"
"it's not all of it"
Her voice is barely audible, the tension in the air breaking down her will.
"No it isn't, but, if they find you and take it that won't be the last chance. if you had it all, it would be. Please understand, it's too important, I'll have my brother take them out of here, should the worst happen"
"ok"
The pressure is overwhelming she can barely see, her eyes are too wet, but still he is kind. going down to a knee he holds her sholders and neck.
"Take those and learn, be better than those dogs, go back home, your parents are waiting. I don't want to be responsible for them losing you"
An impossible situation, there is nothing right anymore, very carefully he pulls her to himself and hugs her. A distant explosion, the only sound. Until.
Step step step
The door opens violently, she can't see who is there and tries to pry herself away from him.
"Brother! Stop coddling the child, we need to leave!"
"Take her to the wall, head her westward, i still need to compile my notes."
He looms furiously at her, his distaste clear, for her and those notes. Less then a second later he relents to his brothers look.
"Fine, but you wont have more then 8 minutes before they get in range of here. I'll head your distraction west"
He let go of her and stood back.
"Can i know your name?"
His brother is livid behind her, but she can't see that. he thinks for a second.
"Isan. My name is Isan."
"Brother!"
"It's a beautiful name, it fits you very well "sniff"
Isan: I am very proud of my name, this gift i got from god i share with you, on this condition.
Her eyes tell him everything he needs to know.
Isan: Never use Alchemy against another human, use it only! to heal and save others!
"I Will!"
Isan's brother takes her by the shoulder and yanks her out of the house. Despite the tears, the crust around her eyes, the pounding of her young brain. She stares Isan down, not letting her eyes leave his until the wall obscures him entirely. A deep sorrow rips out of her throat, the brother holds her tight and secure under his arm. Her backpack rustles, she can't think anymore, she doesn't notice the people they pass.
'Brother, what a fool you are to study the blasphemous! To take children into it! To give up your sacred gift!'
The man is fast, in under a minute he reaches the wall and sets the limp child down. She lands on her hands and knees. He considers her.
'this child, what's for one more Amestian dead? to balance the child whose murder started them on this path of mass destruction and murder.'
"If you go against my brother's will, Ishvala will swallow your being and deny you all peace. But follow it and i shall grant you that, a second name, to complete the brother's pair. Do not fail god child."
She stands up slightly, still crying and meets his eye. She can't speak, her heart is blocking her throat.
"Good."
He leaves back into the city, back to his brother and family, back to certain death.
Her knee leaves the ground, her legs are flimsy at best the backpack weighs her backwards awkwardly. But she nonetheless turns away from the city and starts the long trek home.
A Group picks her up just before the sun goes down, she is exhausted, they place her in the back of their vehicle and try to give her water, she refuses it until she falls asleep.
So delirious was she that she failed to notice that they came from the same direction as her, she fails to notice the uniforms too and the wepons.
'ON THIS CONDITION!'
She startles awake, breathing hard her body aches from every movement but no sound escape her lips. Everything is blurred, her sleeve isn't very helpful clearing her vision, she is still dressed as she was, the notes are heavy on her shoulders.
"Oh dear, you're awake"
She startles, it's still blurry but a shape is clearly in front of her, looks female and there are blue ones behind them.
"Goodness dear here, lean your head back and open your mouth"
Something lukevarm goes down her throat, the motion is weird, her teeth clack the glass, and the water is moved away.
"Dont be stubborn, you are severely dehydrated. open your mouth again.
there's a hand carefully placed behind her head the woman is becoming clearer, her outstretched hand tilts the head back some more as the mouth is opened. more water, the throat is dry the smell is tangy and rotten. More carefully she closes her mouth and moves away, shuffling backwards til she hits a wall, she leans on it.
"Are you hurting or hungry?"
"no"
"Can you see clearly?"
Whats more and more obviously a nurse, asks her, while she tries to answer all her questions there are to many she doesn't.
Nurse: Why were you around Ishval?
Nurse: How did you get past the military checkpoints?
Nurse: Whats your name?
"Vanessa Hendricks"
Nurse: Good, where do you live Vanessa? She asks a little gentler.
Vanessa: Risnan.
"That is a fair bit away child from were you were."
One of the blue uniformed men spoke, witch, she didnt catch. Very fast she needs an excuse.
Vanessa: I was taken, by some of those, ... things ... i got away when,"
She cries, collapses into her knees and hides. She hates herself for the lie, but she needs to get home.
"oh, I am sorry for being inconsiderate, we were worried when we found you and you refused to drink."
Vanessa: 'Damit, they must be dead'
Vanessa: How ... many ...
Nurse: You need to drink more Vanessa, ill bring you something light for you to eat after you've finished this glass, okay?
Vanessa: okay.
More aware, her back cracks as she rights it, still watery she makes eye contact with the nurse, the smile she gives doesn't feel genuine to Vanessa. Not wanting to be hand fed Vanessa takes the glass and as calmly as she can takes more sips. The room is quiet, Vanessa still looks at the nurse but in the periphery she sees the soldiers loitering by the entrance, the room isn't very big but there are more beds. Only a few are occupied, more blue.
Nurse: there you go, here let me take that.
The nurse hurries calmly out with the glass, passing the three soldiers, leaving through the door, though she can see that there is no actual door to open there. Very quickly the atmosphere gets awkward, the soldiers by the entrance try to be subtle with their gazes but she knows, she can feel ther eyes when they are on her.
"klikk klakk klikk"
The nurse reappears, passes the 3 and moves swiftly to Vanessa.
Nurse: Here. drink some more.
The glass is passed to Vanessa and a plate is sat beside her, the nurse looks unsure of something. More water, her throat is still sore but it isn't dry anymore, they'll expect her to speak more now.
Nurse: Will you eat this if i leave it here with you?
Vanessa: (pauses drinking) Yes.
Nurse: okay, I need to checkup on some more people, I'll return in an hour or so, if you need anything have one of them get a hold of someone.
She leans her head to the soldiers, who are still not subtlely listening in.
Vanessa: Okay. I'll do that.
The nurse smiles, nods and stands up. Quickly leaving the room again, leaving Vanessa with the soldiers. For the first few minutes she calms down more, slowly emptying the glass, cautiously picking at the food. By minute 4 one of them broke.
1: "You should eat that."
Vanessa: Not hungry.
2: "Come on kid, no need to be stubborn."
Vanessa: I want home.
2: "Then you should eat, you wont make the trip on an empty stomach."
Vanessa: (mumble)
It doesn't taste anything, some of the foods texture drags in the mouth and down the throat, only the water saves it all from coming up again. Though the texture isnt the only thing threatening a gastric upheaval.
3: I hope they wake up by night, if they dont we will probably have to escort the girl without them.
1: Those bastards with their cheep shots, doesn't even help em, if they wanted that they'd focus down the alchemists.
2: They know they're dead, they should do like their priest and lay down.
Never has she ever been so infuriated.
1: The number was 856 confirmed today in our sector ...
3: Some snipers have a quarter that by themselves ...
2: Can't get so high anymore there arent enough left ...
They're voices are begging to be silenced, cut to pieces.
3: I heard Kimble caused ...
2: Mustang incinerated ...
1: The Hawks eye ...
It was all sick, they were all sick and dead hearted, sick in the head, dying from such SICKNESS.
Her head pounded, the room caried their conversation easily to her, though she was a bit more subtle when listening. It almost made her glad that the others were bedridden and unconscious, who knows what rancic sickness they might be concealing.
Nurse: Move aside, please.
Vanessa 'Ahh, i didn't notice she came back!'
Nurse: Wow, that is a good amount, and all the water, do you want more?
Vanessa: Yes, thank you.
Nurse: No problem, here let me take the glass.
Vanessa: 'Thankfully her appearance disrupted the soldier's conversation, otherwise she might have lost her control totally.'
Even more thankfully she returned fast enough for it to not start up again.
Nurse: How are you feeling now Vanessa?
Vanessa: better, i guess. stiff.
Nurse: Well no wonder, sitting like that for an hour will do that. Why don't you eat up and we'll take a walk?
2: Ah, nurse she isn't allowed to move around without us as guards.
Nurse: First, its Doctor. Second, she isn't staying the night here. And third, you are guards for your fellows as well, so i will take her for a walk with ONE of you and the others wil stay. Understood?
1, 2, 3: Yes Ma'am!
Doctor: How does that sound?
Vanessa: good?
Doctor: Great! Eat up. (Smiles)
Vanessa: 'Well that smile is real at least'
The place was kind of nice, for a makeshift hospital teeming with injured and uninjured soldiers alike. The doctor (name was Alice) did take me for a walk around, though she was smart about it cause she visited patients during our walk too. 2 was the one to tag along, and while it was good to stretch my legs again, it didn't help calming me down.
Vanessa: In fact it was stressing me out being so near so many murders, not knowing if they were alive, and hearing these soldiers want them dead.
"Doctor!"
Alice: Yes, sir?
"Transport is ready, the parents have been informed and are waiting."
Alice: Thank you, witch side is the car?
"North exit"
Alice: We'll get you going home Vanessa.
Vanessa: Thank you.
2: Um, Doctor we need to return her to her room, the others are there and a walk is very different from leaving.
Doctor: Than go and tell them your leaving. Easy.
The soldier looking fairly annoyed, did do so after some grumbling.
Alice: North exit!
2: I heard it the first time.
Alice: Come on Vanessa.
With a bit more energy then she thought she'd have, she followed Alice out to the exit. Close by a curve stood a fairly decent car, only bad was the soldiers around it.
Vanessa: 'Well might just ask'
Vanessa: Alice, why were you so, nice.
Alice: It's refreshing to have someone young to work with, all these military people are just so monotonous, and dont get me started on what they're saying.That they can carry out such orders, it's chilling, but you only needed good help, and i like giving good help.
Vanessa: I get that, you stopped an awful conversation when you came back from those patients, its nice to know good people are out there.
Alice: of course, it's all about finding them, and once you've found them, guess what.
Vanessa: What?
Alice: Then you gotta keep em! stick by them, cause those good people, are rare.
Vanessa: Thank you.
2: Hey, kid get to the car, and doctor our mates will be staying overnight. Get them up and running, ok?.
Alice: Of course, it's what i do. Goodbye Vanessa, have a safe trip!
Vanessa: Goodbye Alice!
Vanessa waved til Alice had returned inside, then by 1's direction entered the car on the right back seat. All the energy Vanessa had when Alice was there evaporated in seconds, and she was left with a 5 hour drive home, left to her thoughts about it all. Alchemy, the Dragons pulse, Isan, the brother, Ishval and how evil the country suddenly felt.
So, this came out.
I was rereading a fmab fanfic that stopped updating in 21 and decided to read the comments on it, mistake. Obviously my bar is lower that some people, but i couldn't help agree with some of the points, even though I still like that story it has tarnished it somewhat in my brain. So what did my brain do? invent a character that does the things the coment complained about, in the fanfic that stopped updating in 21... and than just to get it out of my head i put it down here. This is ch.1 the prologue ... pt:1 yeah