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3

~ Present Day ~

Light filtered through the glass of the hotel and warmed my face with its beams. I rolled over, disturbed by the awakening. It could not be time to wake up yet.

"Stop stealing all the blankets!" A grumpy voice groggily slithered its way over to me. "You had me freezing all night, but with me being such a gentleman, I decided to let you have them. I at least deserve the morning." With that, Edward gripped the blankets and roughly jerked them off me. Cold assaulted my senses and I groaned at the rude awakening.

"Fine, have it your way, gentleman," I scoffed, swinging my parchment legs off the edge of the bed and stood up for a nice long stretch.

I noticed my robe was a bit loose and I hastily corrected it. If it had come any looser during the night...I shook my head at the humiliating thought. What kind of girl would they make of me?

"Good morning, Alphonse," I said, adding as much cheer as possible, given I was freezing. "Do you know if there's any extra blankets in here? Your lovely brother decided to help wake me up and now it seems there's an absence of them."

A loud snort sounded from the direction of the bed.

"Sure," Alphonse said, his permanently chipper voice piercing the air. "I could always ask room service to bring some."

I shook my head. "Too much trouble, but thank you. I might as well get used to the temperature."

Checking my reflection in the mirror in their bathroom, I quickly fixed my tangly hair into a loose bun. I then took a short trip over to my room to grab a tank top and some pants.

When I came back, Edward was sitting on the edge of his bed, braiding his hair and wearing a disgruntled look on his face. Alphonse had a tray of coffee on the table in front of him.

"I figured I'd find another way to warm you up," he said.

"Thanks, Al," I replied, sipping the warm drink. "So what's the plan for today?"

The brothers exchanged a look. "Well, I guess we should continue looking for the Homunculi," Al suggested. "We know that they harbor Philosopher's Stones. Maybe if we obtain one from them, we could use it to both get our bodies back and send you home!"

I nodded. "It's a good idea, but it sounds dangerous."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Ah, please, I've fought them before, I can do it again."

Always so darn confident. It was going to get him killed.

"Maybe we could walk around town a bit and keep our eyes out for them," I suggested, secretly really not wanting them to battle such a dangerous adversary. "You haven't really shown me much of Central, I've mostly been scampering around right behind your guy's heels."

Ed let out a drawn out, exaggerated sigh. "Sure, I guess it wouldn't be too much harm."

"Wow, if it's such a drag for a busy guy like you then forget it."

"Don't mock me!"
"Oh, I'm totally serious, what are you talking about?" I said, barely able to keep from laughing.

"Stop, you two," Al butted in. "If we're going into town, let's go now."

And that was that. The Elric brothers and I waltzed into town, which must've been quite a sight, with Al's large armor, Edward's dramatic red coat, and me looking like an obvious outsider.

I wasn't sure what it was about me, but people's eyes were always drawn to me. Perhaps another girl would've been flattered by all the attention, but I knew it was something else. Men's eyes slithered up and down my body like I was a toy for them to use. Even women clutched their children closer to them as I walked by, shuffling away as quick as they could. I didn't mention this to the brothers. I didn't want to make Ed angry for no reason. Not that he would get protective over me, but rather that he got angry over everything.

The same applied to today. Central was bustling with a beautiful and diverse array of life. Stalls were set up everywhere, the scent of roasting food tangling in my senses. Fish, spices, meat, and vegetables.

"Hey there! Would a pretty lady like you like you want a sample of garden grown tomatoes?" A man called out from a stall, flashing a friendly smile at me. But the moment I met eyes with him, fear crossed over his expression and I decided to just continue on my way. This time I kept my eyes downcast.

"I don't understand why I scare everyone," I whispered to Al. "Purple eyes aren't that uncommon, are they?"

"It's not their color," he whispered back. "It's the thing that burns within them. There's something akin to a white flame deep in their core. Ed and I have noticed it before. We think it's because of your close interaction with the Truth."

I nodded, not really understanding what he said but accepting it anyway.

I smelled something amazing, coming from the direction of a meat stall. Without really thinking, I wandered over in the direction.

"Well hello there, Miss," greeted a teenage boy, roasting some kind of dark meat over coals behind his stall. He met my eyes directly, and didn't flinch. I was fascinated by this.

"Would you like to try a sample?" He asked.

"Yes, please," I said timidly. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled such good food.

He gave me a sliver, and the flavor exploded in my mouth. Such good spices and texture...I hadn't ever had something this good.

"It's amazing," I said softly.

He chuckled. He had dark hair and piercing green eyes. "There's more where that came from," he remarked. "If you want the spice that went on it, I could give you a discount if you follow me. They're in the back."

I nodded, wanting some of that wonderful flavor in my own food. I looked behind me, and noticed that Ed and Al were nowhere to be seen. Something that felt a little wrong settled in my stomach.

"Hold on," I said, but shut my mouth when a firm hand clamped around my wrist.

"I thought you wanted a discount," he growled, pulling me with him. Fear struck me numb, and I was unable to move. I wasn't brave enough to resist him.

He pulled me into a side alley next to his stall, where the crowd outside didn't even glance. "Now," he said lavisciously, his eyes hungry for something other than just food, "let's have a little fun, shall we? With freaky eyes like yours, I doubt you get much time with the menfolk."

"No," I gasped weakly, my legs shaking so hard I was about to collapse. I was no heroine.

He barked a laugh. "You're really saying no to this?" He whispered, fumbling with his belt. Just as he reached for the front of my pants, a dark figure leapt behind him, and blood splattered on me as an arm smashed into the side of his face. He slumped to the ground, out cold.

"Edward!" I gasped, running into the figure's arms. I wasn't sure why I assumed so fast.

A strange voice cackled from the person. I shoved myself away from them immediately, blinking a couple times to see in the darkness of the alley.

"I couldn't let the goods get damaged," a high pitched voice said snarkily. "You're much too valuable for that."

The being stepped from the shadows, the wandering threads of sunlight landing on thick black hair sprouting in thick strands from the top of their head. I gasped, immediately knowing who it was.

It was the Homunculus, Envy

"Get away from me!" I cried, stepping backwards, only to press into the wall behind me. "Edward! Alphonse!"

"How sweet," Envy said, smirking. "Well, your buddies won't make it in time to rescue you, I'm afraid." They swung their arm, and that was the last thing I saw before darkness.