Dreamer372: Hi! This story is done by two authors, and we're each characters, but not too much Mary-sue.

BlueRoseRabbit: Heya, this is Rabbit. Just wanted to pop in and say hello, and then also add that we own absolutely nothing other than Alex and Kestrel. NOTHING. NOT EVEN THE LATIN LANGUAGE, I SWEAR.

Alex POV

Small, black arms crept from the giant eye on the floor. I faced my best friend, Kestrel, being decomposed by the limbs. This was NOT going as planned. We just wanted to try a simple transmutation. We opened the Gate instead. I screamed as I was being stripped away by the small, black arms.

"ALEX!" My teacher, Ms. Slobbernot, shouted my name, and slammed the textbook on my desk. Great, I fell asleep...again, I thought, but that dream... Why did I have IT again? That nightmare had plagued me for weeks, and it was creeping me out. "ALEX!" The teacher was NOT amused. I looked around for Kestrel, who gave me an exasperated look. I looked at the door, then the clock. After school. I sat up and stretched.

I looked at the teacher's fuming face. "Yes?" I had always thought teachers and students are equal, we're just different ages, and have different experiences. I fought with logic, and I fought HARD.

"You fell asleep again, Miss Consilium(A/N:Latin for plan)," Snobber, as kids called her, knew this was going to be a good fight.

"Yes, I did. School is nearly over, and it's practically summer, so it's reasonable to be tired."

"Yes, but school's not over ye-," Snobber was cut off by the bell, and I internally thanked my perfect sense of timing. I met up with Kestrel and walked out.

"You fell asleep again?!" She hissed at me as we walked down the hall.

"I was..um...tired? Oh, and I had that dream again." I yawned. Kestrel looked a little frightened. "Oh, don't give me that look, Kes, it's only a dream. Right, wanna come over to my house? Mom's making brownies."

"Brownies?! YAY!"

Kestrel POV

"Hey, Mom, need some help?" Alex gestured to the messy kitchen. Alex's mom was speckled with flour and wore a pink, frilly apron that contrasted with her auburn head of hair.

In fact, the mother, father, and daughter are all redheads. Alex's mother is a stay-at-home mom and the dad works late into the night. Her mom has brown eyes and is 5'6", while her dad has green eyes and is 5'7". They're an active bunch, the Consiliums. They climb trees and go on hikes and the like all the time.

Alex Consilium has frizzy red hair that goes down to her waist and lovely hazel eyes. She's a little tan, 5 feet tall, and loves Fullmetal Alchemist to bits. Alex has waay too many posters of FMA... (I mean, I like it, too, but gee!) She gets lots of strength from her dad's habit of making everyone go outdoors and be active and fun. Alex wears a pink, knitted anklet about two inches in width that holds a long knitting needle in place. Don't ask me why, I'm not quite sure. Sonething about knitting needles are as dangerous for the enemy as knives are, but they are safer for the wielder. She is so energetic and vibrant (and also rather loud at times), while I'm kind of like a quiet, faded old picture.

I'm 5'2", and I have knee-length, straight, limp, mousy brown (or kestrel brown, according to my father) hair that's usually in some sort of braid. I have round glasses and deep brown eyes that are almost black. I'm thin, though I have a bit of hidden strength (from carrying books around all over the place; I'm a bit of a bookworm). My skin is rather pale, and I have a large burn scar on my left side. I live with my father, Richard, in a small house. Mother died in a house fire a few years ago. Father never quite got over it and when he's not at one of his two jobs he's probably drinking. We're not the most well off family, but we have enough to get by.

"No, I'll be alright, you girls run upstairs and do your homework." Alex's mom was saying.

"It's a Friday, we don't have homework, Mrs. C." I said politely.

"Oh, is that so? Ah, right, Alex! One more thing- I got you that Kindle you wanted. It's chock full of Fullmetal Alchemist for you." She smiled brightly. "Happy late birthday, sweetheart!"

Alex got that look on her face like she was trying to figure something out, then she broke into a huge grin and have her mom a hug (while getting herself covered in floor, too). I couldn't help but smile at the display of affection. She then grabbed the Kindle from the table and dashed upstairs, forcing me to take it upon myself to follow.

"Yay, a Kindle! That's so cool, I've always wanted one!" I beamed at her as she plugged it into an outlet to charge.

"Speaking of which, Kestrel Anderson, you didn't remind me that your birthday was last month! I couldn't get you a present!" Alex pointed an accusing finger in my direction.

"It's not like I need anything, really." I smiled apologetically. She gave a huff and flopped down on her bed. There were FMA posters everywhere.

"Gee." She sighed. "Anyway, I finished rereading FMA for the thirteenth time around one in the morning today." Alex grinned. I gaped.

"One in the morning?! What on earth-?!" I spluttered. "No wonder you were napping in class today!" I face-palmed. "One day Ms. Slobbernot's going to kill you, and I'm going to laugh."

"You wouldn't!"

"Would!"

We laughed gaily. I enjoyed hanging out at Alex's house. There was always something to do there.

Eventually, I said that I should probably go home. Mrs. C was kind enough to say that I could stay the night if I wanted to, to which I said thank you and I agreed to it.

I ran home as fast as I could and packed stuff I needed in a bag: pjs, clothes, tooth brush, hair brush, tooth paste, a change of clothes, and a good book just in case Alex fell asleep before I did. The book I picked today was The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I also reached up to my neck to make sure my necklace was there. It was.

The locket on my necklace that I wear all the time opens to have a picture of my mother on the right and my father on the left. It is the most important thing I own.

I scribbled a note to Father telling him that I was spending the night at Alex's place and left it pinned to the fridge.

Upon my return to Alex's house, I was greeted by an excited Alex.

"I wanted to wait until you got back for the ceremonious turning on of the Kindle." She grinned.

Alex POV

The Kindle just sat in the corner, screaming for us to turn it on.

Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

I was dressed in my pajamas already, but Kestrel had only had time to take off her socks and sneakers. Her bag was still slung over her shoulder, but she merely sat down in front of the Kindle with the bag on her lap. I sat cross-legged next to her.

I reached out and turned it on.

The normal Kindle start-up screen began before the screen winked off. I slumped my shoulders, about to say something pessimistic. Suddenly, the screen turned back on, but instead of a start-up screen there was a transmutation circle. Filled with a strange sense of dread, I shut the device off.

Kestrel and I shared a look.

I turned it back on.

The same thing happened.

Almost as if we were in a trance, each of us reached out a hand and touched the circle.

Small, black arms crept from the giant eye on that opened up on the device. The circle began to emit an eerie glow. I faced my best friend, Kestrel, being decomposed by the limbs. This was NOT going as planned. We just wanted to try a simple transmutation. We opened the Gate instead. I screamed as I was being stripped away by the small, black arms.

BlueRoseRabbit: And that concludes chapter one! I hope you enjoyed it! *bows majestically*

Dreamer372:Thank you for reading! We each did this, but this chapter's credit goes to BlueRoseRabbit! *Waves*