• ❁Alchemic Scars [Editing]❁ •

Chapter 20 - Something is Wrong

(art above does not belong to me!)

Chapter 20 - Something Is Wrong

The wringing of a telephone line buzzes in my ear, as I wait for the sound of someone answering on the other line. I wait moment after moment, standing against the hard, concrete wall of the hospital hallway. Edward, cowering slightly away from the telephone box, has seated himself down on the sofa by my legs. He declined my offer of answering the phone, being too cowardly to step in and take action on his mishaps.

"Hello? Rockbell auto-mail shop." Winry's calm voice speaks from the other end.

"Hey, Winry? It's me." I announce through the speaker.

"Who...?"

I sigh quietly. "...Elleah..."

"Oh! Elleah! How are you?" Winry exclaims, sounding slightly embarrassed from not recognising my voice. But I can't blame her, she hasn't heard it in so long. "So, what's up? I didn't think I'd get a phone call from you of all people."

'Ouch,' I think. "Well, I was wondering if you could come out here to do some repairs?"

"You want me to come to you? Whatever for?"

"You see, Edward managed to bust up his right arm... it's a long story. We can't exactly get him over to you right now, so, we were hoping you could come to Central-"

"Busted?! Busted how?"

I look over to Edward, offering him the telephone so he has the chance to explain. He shakes his head vigorously and holds his flesh hand up in defence. I sigh heavily and place the receiver back to my ear.

"He hasn't completely busted it per se," I reply to Winry's worried and angered tone. "He has movement in his fingers, but can't lift his left arm at all. He mentioned earlier that it feels like his shoulder has been dislocated - but without the pain that comes with it."

"Hm... I guess it didn't work after all..." She breathes. I go to question her about the statement, but I am quickly silenced when she speaks again. "Did he lift anything heavy or swing his arm around more than necessary? Anything of the sort?"

"Well..." I mumble. "He got into a rather big fight. He's still alive, mind you. But his arm, well..."

I quickly hold the phone away from my ear, squinting my eyes shut and bracing myself for the shouts of Winry, saying; "Again?!! I told him that it would break if he were too rough with it, for goodness sake!!". But, surprisingly, no such shouts come. Instead, I'm left to look like a complete imbecile, holding a telephone as far away from my face as possible.

I look over to Edward, still cowering away from the phone box, and give him a bothered look. He responds by matching my look and creeping closer to the line. He gestures me to hand over the phone to him, and I oblige his request with no hesitation.

"..Winry?" He calls to the female on the other side. "...Hello?"

A few mumbles from the phone later and Edward pulls away to look at it in shock, almost as though Winry's head has poked itself out of the receiver.

"...Is something wrong?" Edward asks, placing the phone back to his ear. "You're acting awfully... Nice." He sweats a bit as he hears Winry's response. I just stand to the side of this conversation, trying to listen to what Winry has to say, but failing dismay at it.

-

"All right. I'll call you later about the details... uh-huh. Got it. Thanks a lot. Bye." Edward hangs up the phone after what seems like an hour of talking, letting out a relieved sigh afterwards. He places the phone onto the holder to end the call.

"Oh, was that your girlfriend?" Brosh asks, casually passing by with a flower patterned teacup and saucer, sipping the contents of the cup calmly with one hand.

Edward turns red from ear to ear, sweating profusely from the soldier's statement. "Girlfriend?! No way!!" He shouts out in embarrassment. The side of his hospital shirt begins to turn a dark shade of crimson-red, indicating his wound has just started to open up again.

"Who's your girlfriend then? Elleah?"

"Elleah?! Are you kidding?!!" Edward shouts out once again, this time dropping to the ground with blood gushing from his fully opened wound. He passes out quickly, earning worried looks from nurses that pass by.

I stand to the side and watch as Brosh fusses over Edward in his unconscious state. My face is flushed in an unwanted way, making me feel embarrassed and overheated. I gently feel across my uninjured cheek to feel the burning heat radiating off of it.

'What is up with my blood today? I don't normally get it rushing to my face.' I ponder absentmindedly. 'I don't have a cold; I would have a cough or a runny nose otherwise. I'm not embarrassed per se, so what is going on? It can't be that... I'm... Shit.' (I tried so hard to make this sound less cliché... It always ended up that way despite my efforts... Oh well.)

-

The wheels of Edward's wheelchair squeak as they haul the boy's weight down the corridor. Edward slouches slightly in the moving chair, his face partially flushed while he listens to Brosh, badgering him non-stop about girlfriends. The officer in question slowly pushes against the handles of the wheelchair to move it forward steadily. Besides the two men, I walk quietly. I stay in my own world and thoughts, ignoring their banter.

"She's my auto-mail mechanic, that's all!" Edward exclaims with a disgruntled look.

"That's all? How boring." Brosh replies with a small chuckle when he hears Edwards next response.

"Boring is fine with me!"

"Don't you have a girlfriend?-"

"Don't want one!"

'Boys.' I think, grunting slightly as I look to the side.

"What about you, Elleah?" Brosh now addresses me with the same question he had just asked Edward. "Do you have a lover?"

I turn to the man with a blank stare, giving him all the information he needs to answer his question. When he turns away with a sweaty face, accepting my answer, I look back to the side.

When we pass by a side hallway, I spot a large suit of armour, not too far away from us. I stop in my tracks to look down the hall to who I suspect to be Alphonse. On closer inspection I see him holding a few objects in his oversized hands. These objects appear to be a leather-bound book and a single, pearl earring; Marcus and Jacky.

"Alphonse, Marcus, Jacky?" I question, moving slightly closer to the young boy and my siblings. "What are you three doing by yourselves?" Getting no response, I try a little harder to grab Alphonse's attention; yelling instead of talking. "Alphonse? Al!"

The mentioned suit of armour turns in the direction of my voice, jerking slightly from fright. "Elleah, Big... Brother?"

"What are you doing over there?" Edward asks his brother, just realising that he is there. "Let's go back to the room."

Alphonse only turns his head to the side and looks away from his older sibling. He looks down to Marcus and Jacky who have not spoken at all. It's strange and unnerving how they are acting.

"Are you three alright?" I ask with slight concern.

"I-It's nothing..." Marcus speaks for the first time in the conversation. "We'll meet you in the room. Don't worry."

I exchange a small glance with Edward. He looks concerned and confused about his brother's actions. I would be lying if I wasn't feeling the same way about my siblings.

"See you back there, then," Edward replies slowly.

The three of us walk away from the scene in the side hall, trying to get any thoughts out of our minds over what is going on. While walking, I take one, final, glance over my shoulder at the hall, hearing a little shattering of glass, presumably from the mirrors on the wall in that area. I sigh heavily and look back the way we are going, continuing on the path ahead of me.