Chapter 18

A Chapter by Keevan

"Miss Lucy!" Lieutenant Ross said, saluting, when I wandered back to my room. I didn't bother waiting for Edward. Sargeant Brosh was also saluting. I just nodded, telling them they could stop the ridiculous gesture.

"Are you alright?" Ross asked, putting her hand down. "Alphonse said you broke a glass in your hand." I nodded and closed my fist tight. I walked past them and back into my room, ignoring the fact that Ross wasn't done talking to me.

Alphonse wasn't there, and neither was the glass on the ground. He got it all picked up. I closed the door and stood there as my eyes got used to the darkness. I had always felt more comfortable at night and in the dark then I ever had during the day in the sunshine. Maybe that's what it meant to be a Homunculus.

What is a Homunculus? I asked myself. I decided to look it up in the library.

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I leafed through the pages of a book about alchemy and figured I should try the index instead of scanning every page.

I found the word. Homunculus.

I found the page and began to read the definition for Homunculus:

Homunculus:

Artificial being or human, though they are not even humans.

The remains of failed Human Transmutatations come to life.

Abilities: They do not die. They do not get hurt. The only way to

And that's where it stopped. Half of the page was missing. I ripped out the half that was in the book and folded it neatly, putting it in my pocket.

I can't be a Homunculus, I thought to myself. I know that I'm not the result of the Transmutation that I did. But my brain hurt just thinking about it. I grew up from 8 years old thinking I lost everything because of failing a Human Transmutation, when I was taken against my will to a scientific lab facility and killed, being turned into a Homunculus.

But, my hand healed, just like that. And my gunshot wound didn't hurt anymore, even though Dr. Marcoh said it would hurt for a few weeks. Oh the brightside, I don't have to worry about dying.

I sat down, feeling dizzy again. But the dim light of the library was comforting, in a way. I put my head in my hands and just sat there, doing absolutely nothing.

That is, until the library doors opened, and I heard two sets of footsteps enter. I listened carefully, and debunked that it wasn't the Elrics; I didn't hear Alphonse's armor clinking.

"Lucy, are you in here?" Lieutenant Hawkeye's voice called from the front of the library. I was in the back. I stood up and wandered through the shelves to the front so I could make myself known.

"Ah, there you are," Colonel Mustang said as he stepped out of the shadows of a nearby bookcase. I sighed silently and shrugged.

"I waanted to let you know that I've paid for that medical bill," he said, a heavy and tired sigh in his voice. "and I want you to know that you'll be taking leave for a while with the Elric brothers." I blinked, and clenched my fist.

I like taking leave and getting away from the military for a few days, but I prefer to do that alone.

But I still couldn't find my voice. I couldn't tell him how I really felt about it.

"Lucy, you're abnormally quiet," Hawkeye said, taking a step closer to me. I took a step back, a sudden fear that they might find out what I was; I was pretty sure that Homunculus were bad.

I just shrugged again and looked at the ground.

"Lucy, we think that you taking leave for a while will let you get your voice back so you can tell us what happened to you," Mustang said. "Fullmetal and Alphonse are taking you to their home in Resembool to see their friends." A pang sounded in the back of my mind.

Resembool was the place where I grew up. I was sure of it. The picture, the memory, the Elrics.

At least SOME things were begining to make sense.

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I got dressed in the usual red sweatshirt, white T-shirt underneath, and dark blue jeans. I packed a small back with extra shirts and threw my cigarettes and lighter there. The colonel made it clear that I couldn't smoke on the train.

And at last, I pulled the picture of me, Serah, Edward and Alphonse out from under my pillow and gently put it in my front pocket.

Ready for Resembool.

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