KK, so my story ISN'T done, I guess I just got lazy and hit a bit of a road block, let's try this again!
Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, FMA or Ametris. Wish I did, but I don't. However, most of the plotline and some characters are, like Jade and some people that you haven't met yet nyah nyah! XP
O.O That was...awkward...Let's move on, no staring at the crazy person, she may bite! snarl!
Chapter 12 (EDITED!!!): Missing
Ed laughed as Jade had struck Mustang across the face. Why didn't I think of that? However, his fun was cut short when the Colonel looked like he was about to fry Jade.
"Nice one!" he said as he patted her on the shoulder. "What seems to be the problem, Mustang?" Ed gave him his cheeriest smile. Mustang lingered a bit longer, and then sat back into his chair.
"I had received a call from a town called Kahlen. It's a small farming town to the west. Apparently there's been some suspicious activity going on in an abandoned city near there. I'd like you to go check it out. There are a few rumours floating around that might interest you."
Ed's eyes went from a joking twinkle, and snapped into focus. "What kind of rumours?" The colonel shrugged.
"Something about an old lab being used and people disappearing." That was all he needed to say. Ed dashed out of the office and rushed to the car still waiting at the front gaits. Jade hopped into the car with them.
"Hey! Just where do you think you're going?" she turned to Ed, who wasn't looking totally pleased.
"Where do you think I'm going?" she teased. "I'm coming with you! Besides, where else would I go? You guys are the closest thing I have right now to family." Silence. Well at least that shut him up! "To Kahlen, James!"
"I'm not James!" grumbled Havoc.
"Never mind, inside joke, now MOVE IT!!!"
The ride to Kahlen was mostly quiet and uneventful. Ed spent most of his time sleeping and Al, well if armour could sleep that's pretty much what he was doing. Jade spent most of the time trying to sort through her newly acquired memories. There were the occasional childhood moments, snippets from her schooling, plenty of summer vacations...especially the past summer...
But still, there were so many black holes! How did she get here? Was she dreaming? No, it's gone too far for that. She didn't remember what jobs her parents had, nor any other friends she had besides Cassie. She didn't remember her trip to New York very well...or the flight back...
She stared at the passing scenery, watching as the grey, urban landscape of Central transformed into suburbs, them farms, until there was nothing but trees and grass. And the road of course!
She wasn't aware of when she dosed off, but when she awoke, she was in the middle of a small little town. Little family restaurants, as well as food stalls and various shops and houses lined the dirt road. She thanked Havoc for the ride, and stepped next to Ed, her small pack with the box slung over her shoulder.
"Now what?" she asked.
"Now, we find a place to stay." The trio wandered around the town a bit. By noon, they were still without a roof, and were getting pretty hungry!
Jade observed once again in fascination as Ed ate, still unable to physically understand how hw could eat so much and still have a six-pack!?!?! She shook her head and ate her ramen.
"You guys new here?" They turned to see a tall bearded man in a wide-brim straw hat, plaid cotton shirt and brown pants pulling up a seat next to them. He had a low, pleasant voice and a thick country accent.
"Uh, yeah," Jade smiled pleasantly. She elbowed Ed to stop eating and pay attention to the man. Ed swallowed up his remaining food and turned his attention towards the stranger.
"D'ya need a place to stay? Stacy n' I run a little bar not far from here, n' we can give ya some rooms if ya want," Jade wasn't sure if she should be grateful for the man's hospitality, or suspicious...
Ed shrugged. "Sure, how much do you charge Mr..."
"Mr. Hanley, but ya can call me Murray!" he shook Ed's hand. A look of surprise crossed his face, and quickly disappeared. "That's a strong hand shake ya got there..."
"Edward. Edward Elric, and this is my brother Alphonse and our friend Jade." Al hurriedly stood up and bowed, accidentally knocking his chair over. Jade nearly chocked on her drink.
Murray seamed to find this amusing as well. "Nice to meet ya too Alphonse! Hey, what's with the suit? Never mind, that's none of my business! If you want to come over now, you can drop off yer bags n' stuff and then I can give ya the tour 'round here! Not much ta see, but ya might's well know where t' find what ya need now, 'nstead of wand'rin round! Come on!" Ed paid the restaurant bill, and off they went. It was nearly four in the afternoon by the time they got there, and a half moon was visible in the sky.
Once they had paid for the room, Ed put down his suitcase (Jade wasn't yet willing to part with the box) and set out with Murray for their tour.
"...and over there's the Willson's mill n' bakery. Hi Tom! Over to yer right ye can see the Vaultman's apple orchard." They were nearing the end of their day (and the tour, who knew there could be so much for this man to talk about in such a small town!) and it was getting dark. On their way back, Jade noticed an old path that wove its way through a forest on the outskirts of the village.
"Where does that lead to?" Al said, pointing at the old road.
Murray's bright face turned dark. "I wouldn't be goin' there if I wuz you! That there path leads to an old abandoned town. Folks may go there, but they don't ever come back! Sum say the place's haunted even." The back of Jade's neck began to tingle. Was that the town they had been sent to investigate? She turned to Ed. If he thought the same thing she did, he did a fine job at hiding it.
Murray led the three of them back to his home. After a wonderful home-cooked dinner, the three of them retired to their rooms. Jade lay on one bed and Ed on the other. Al lay on a mattress on the floor, the moon through the window turning his steel body into silver.
"Ed?" Jade wanted to talk to Ed a bit about the path. And also just to talk. He hadn't been talking much lately. I wonder what's bothering him?
"Yea?" Good, he's not asleep.
"What do you think we'll find in the village?"
Ed rolled around to face her. "Here? Nothing much. The people seem to be good-natured and honest...enough."
"No, I mean in the deserted town that we're supposed to check out."
"That I'm supposed to check out. This is my mission and I'm the Sate Alchemist!"
"Tough, short stop, 'cuz I'm coming along too. Whether you like it or not!"
Ed's face was turning red. "Not now brother! You don't want to end up waking the whole town! Besides, I don't mind if Jade tags along." Al almost appeared to be smiling. Ed must have seen it too. He blushed furiously and rolled over to face the wall, mumbling something about a big day and needing some sleep. Riiiiight...
A. N: This one's gonna be a lot longer than my other ones! Huzzah! The writer's block is gone!!!!! And thanks to Rianne-DragonQuest for the review! It really helped this story (and me)!!! Hugs for all reviewers!!! Hugs for Ivers!! Oh, and No Name, ZE PLOT CONTINUES!!!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! I seriously need to shut up now!
Jade was the first to wake up the next morning. She felt rested, warm and contented. It was just before dawn, the dark blue dome which they called the sky was becoming lighter along the horizon. The few clouds were golden and trimmed in amber and red, as well as a hint of purple. The sunrise was far too beautiful to watch from the inside!
She quickly wrote a note for Ed and Al, incase she decided to wander around for a bit. It was the usual Morning boys! Just gone for an early morning stroll to see the sun rise! I should be back soon! kinda note. She grabbed her bag, and tip toed outside.
The air was clean and fresh, hinted with the perfume of flowers and wet earth. The golden light transformed the dew-studded each blade of grass into a diamond-encrusted emerald shaft. It was a truly beautiful sight. A robin perched on the apple-laden bow of a tree across the road. He fluffed up his feathers, and sang the yellow sun over the horizon.
Jade felt a bubbly giddiness inside. She wandered around the outside of town, in the fields and the orchards, all the time watching the sun as it crept up the heavens. (A.N. Scarily enough...I think like this a lot! Big words, 3rd person and all! Gah! Must shut up!)
She wandered by the path she had seen the night before. In the daylight she could see and old sign a bit further ahead. Forgetting the old phrase "curiosity killed the cat", she wandered into the woods. The sign was made from wood, now beginning to mold and decompose. Faded letters announcing a name were carved into the wood, but overtop was nailed a plank; "Beware!".
Now anyone with common sense would have turned back, or maybe at least have come back with the cute, ass-kicking blonde asleep in her room, or the huge-almost-invincible suit of armour (also asleep in her room) or better yet, come back and check this place out with BOTH of them at a reasonable hour!
But, as you can guess, Jade didn't have any common sense at that point in time, and decided to check out the woods all by herself at an unreasonable hour, leaving her knight-in-shining-armour and her actual-shiny-armour-man behind who will have no idea where she is when she happens to stroll along naively and get caught unawares by a creepy girly-man in a training bra and skirt.
Lol! That last sentence was pretty long! As you may notice that this chapter is full of happy! Well, don't get used to it! I'm kinda high on sugar right now and have been for the past four days, so as you may guess I'm SO FLIPPIN' HAPPY FOR NO REASON!!!!!! eats a chocolate bar WOOHOO!!!!!!! XD Will promise to update soon! If I don't...then I'm sorry and will not bite any of your heads off if you flame me...FIRE!!!! Got to go now...Adios!