Screams and howls rang throughout the building as fire crackled. A teenage girl, bruised and bloody, and her clothes torn and tattered, ran as fast as she could towards what she prayed to be the door, and slammed into it, pounding on it until the door finally started to slowly opened.
She paused as the warmth of the sun hit her skin, and her amber eyes adjusted to the blinding daylight. She didn't have much time before she heard barking and men shouting behind the door, and she started running again with no real destination in mind.
How long had she been trapped inside?
Caged like a wild animal..
Tortured and beaten, tested on like a lab rat all because she was different..
Nova woke to a warm wetness meeting her cheek, and stirred her from a restless sleep. "Den..?" She murmured quietly as her sun lit ember eyes fluttered open. The dog sounded a whine and bumped her cheek with his wet nose.
Nova slowly raised her arm and brought her hand to the side of his muzzle. "I'm finally home.." She murmured weakly.
Den nuzzled against her gently before slowly moving his head away from her and started barking, as if hoping to gain someone's attention.
Edward and Alphonse had just returned to the small town after dealing with the town of Lior, before having to return to Central. Al caught the sound of Den's barking and paused, then nudged his brother. Edward rolled his eyes some, still tired from the long train ride. "It's just Den, he's probably just barking at the birds." He mused as they walked.
Not many people came out here after all.
Hearing the boys talking as they neared the field, Den continued to bark. Nova had since dozed off, and Den didn't want to leave her side. He sounded a whine as the brothers seemed to ignore him and another, slightly more aggressive bark.
Al paused and turned and gasped quietly when he saw him and the teenage girl. "Brother.." He murmured, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Edward glanced over, blinking a couple of times. He sighed and set down his bag as Den wagged his tail. "C'mon.. Let's check it out." He said, not having noticed the girl. Al nodded some and followed his brother when he started walking over to the dog with a mechanical leg.
Edward paused, his breath catching when he finally noticed the bruised and tattered girl and broke into a run. "Hey!" He called. Al followed suite.
When they reached Den, Edward slowly lowered down to examine the girl. He was hesitant, only wanting to check her for signs of life, and when he lightly felt for a pulse in her wrist, relief washed over his facial expression. He glanced at his younger brother.
"We've gotta get her to Granny, she's hurt." Al said quietly as he came up to his brother. He then carefully shifted the girl so he could pick her up and carry her. Edward froze as her hair moved from her face, his golden eyes widening. "Nova..?" He whispered. It had been so many years since he last saw his and Al's childhood friend, and now here she was.
The boys hurried to the Rockbell house, with Al trying not to jostle the unconscious girl too much and Den close behind them.
"Granny!" Edward shouted as he opened the door, panting some, causing Pinako and Winry to jump. While they were happy to see him, both were wondering what had him so worked up.
When Al came inside with the unconscious and beaten girl, Pinako immediately went to the the boys with Winry close behind.
The old woman instructed the younger brother to take her upstairs and lay her on the bed in Winry's room and motioned for her granddaughter to follow.
Nova woke sometime that evening, her amber eyes slowly fluttered open and a weak murmur sounded from her.
Winry was sitting next to her on the bed, gently running her fingers over her long redish orange hair. "Hey.." She murmured softly, offering the girl a small smile. "You gave us quite the scare." She said, refraining from using her name as to not trigger any kind of panic.
Nova stared at the blonde, her vision blurred and her head pounding. The last thing she remembered was seeing Den, before losing consciousness again. "Winry.." She rasped softly, her throat painfully dry.
Winry shook her head and carefully helped her sit up, before reaching for a small cup of water she had placed on the night stand beside the bed. "Don't try to talk.. You're in pretty bad shape." She murmured quietly. "Think you can drink some water?" She asked.
Nova sounded a weak whimper as Winry slowly helped her sit up. Her body ached, probably from all the running and trauma she went through before finding her way home. She felt weak, and it wasn't something she was used to. As the cup touched her lips, Nova carefully held the cup with both hands and slowly sipped the water.
It broke her heart to see her like this. Winry set the cup back down when Nova was finished. "You can tell me anything, you know that.. But right now you need rest, and a bath." She said softly.
Nova nodded some and slowy sat up. "Help me up..?" She murmured softly, and Winry blinked. "Wha.. No, absolutely not. I'll give you a piggy-back. Let me just go get the water ready, alright?" She spoke calmly. Nova pressed her lips together and nodded some after hestitating for a moment.
Winry offered her a small smile, then got up and left the bedroom to head to the bathroom and turned the nobs to turn on the water.
Nova let her eyes slide close as she waited for her childhood friend to return.
Winry came back soon, after adjusting the faucet knobs so the water wouldn't be too warm, and gently nudged her friend. Nova slowly opened her eyes and Winry carefully helped her sit up. She then lowered down some so she could get onto her back without much trouble, and gave her a piggy-back to the bathroom.
Nova slowly got down from her back once they were in the bathroom and sat on the toilet. "Win.. I'll be alright.. You don't have to stay." She murmured. Winry blinked and glanced at her. "Hey, it's okay. We're sisters." She said calmly, and Nova shook her head some. "I don't want you to see.." She murmured. "I know you and Granny know I'm different..but..this is different.. I don't want you to see me now.." She murmured wearily.
Winry offered her a soft smile and gently brushed her hair out of her face. "You're hurt, and weak. I'm not leaving you alone if I can help it." She said calmly. "Now lift your arms." She said with a small smile.
Nova pressed her lips together, knowing she couldn't argue, and slowly eased out of her shirt with help. Winry couldn't help but stare at her. Not in any kind of way except awe. "Nova.." She murmured softly, gently touching one of the many scars along her torso and upper-back. There were so many.. and so much blood. Most of it was dry now, but it was still there.
Nova stiffened a bit. Winry blinked and glanced at her. "Sorry.." She said softly, wanting to ask who had done this to her, but refrained from doing so right now. "Come on, we're not finished." She said. Winry helped her undress, and get into the tub filled with warm water. As the teen began to relax, her long hair covering her bust and keeping her legs together firmly out of shyness, Winry used a cup to rinse out her hair. Only she was careful of the fuzzy ears on top of her head. She then gently, and thoroughly washed her hair.
She felt like a child being washed like this, and Winry was her older sister, taking care of her baby sister.
"I remember the first time I tried to give you a bath, you acted just like Den when he had his first bath." Winry said teasingly, just trying to ease the atmosphere a little. Nova blinked and flushed some. "I don't like water.." She murmured, and Winry smiled. "But you're not giving me a hard time now." She said. Nova smirked some. "Maybe I'm just too tired.." She murmured, causing Winry to laugh. "I think you still trust me." She said softly. Nova glanced at her. "Of course I trust you, you're like my sister." She murmured. "No matter of time will change that." She murmured quietly. Winry smiled softly.
After making sure she was clean, Winry drained the darkened bath water and wrapped Nova in a towel before helping her out of the tub. She helped her dry off, and get dressed in some clean night clothes. A loose tan colored t-shirt that came down over her waist more like a short dress, and a pair of black shorts.
She then helped her back down the hall and into their bedroom and helped her get comfortable under the blankets on the bed. "Tomorrow you should try to eat something.." Winry said quietly, earning a small nod from the other teen, and she smiled some and watched as Nova slowly began to doze off once more.
Not much more happened that night, the four of them ate dinner and the brothers asked about Nova, since she was their childhood friend as well. Winry explained that she was probably in shock from whatever she had gotten away from and needed time to unwind before facing them, knowing they would have questions. And Nova would have her own questions.
Nova woke again as the sun begun to rise, and laid in the bed next to Winry after having nightmares of being in the lab. She always had nightmares. Nova slowly turned her head to look out the window to get a look at the sun rise. The sky was so pretty when the sun first broke the skyline. Like a canvas someone painted on.
She laid there for a few minutes before slowly sitting up and got off the bed, grabbing a throw blanket to wrap around herself and het beanie, being careful not to wake her childhood friend. She then quietly made her way out of the room and downstairs, before wandering around the house until she found the front door and gently turned the knob. Nova slowly closed the door behind her as she walked out of the house and sat on the porch.
She hugged the blanket around herself tightly, not because she was cold or anything, just for comfort. Nova turned her head some as the door opened and she glanced at Edward as he came outside.
"Kinda early to be up, isn't it?" Nova spoke quietly. Edward gave her a lazy smirk. "I could ask you the same thing." He teased, sitting down next to her.
Nova averted her gaze and looked back at the sky.
Edward sighed some and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look.. I know it's been awhile since we've seen each other, but we grew up together. Nothing has changed." He said quietly.
Nova's ears lowered under her beanie. "What happened after i left?" She asked hesitantly. The air felt different. Smelled different. It felt like something terrible happened after she left.
Edward tensed some, pausing as he tried to think of way to tell her without overwhelming her, then sighed some and slowly stood. He offered her his hand. "Come take a walk with me?" He asked.
Nova blinked and glanced at him, hesitating before slowly reaching for the hand that lightly pulled her to her feet.
He led her to the cemetery, and Nova glanced at each tombstone, an uneasy feeling creeping over her. "We didn't meet you until our father had already left.. and she seemed happier with you around.. But Al and I noticed her when she didn't think we could see her.." Edward began speaking in a soft voice.
"After you left, the sickness came.. and took her.." He said quietly as they came to the tombstone labeled 'Trisha Elric" and Nova froze, her wide amber eyes taking in the name on the headstone as her hand hesitantly brushed the stone.
Edward lowered his eyes, remembering how close she was to their mother. How could he tell her what they did, about trying to bring her back? His own eyes widen some when he heard the familiar sound of alchemy being used, and glanced at Nova only to see a wrap of their mother's favorite flowers braided together around the top of the tombstone from the grass, but saw no array.
"Nova.. You.." He barely managed to get the words out. "You don't need an array?" Edward voiced wearily.
Nova blinked and glanced at him, then glanced at her handy work and shook her head lightly. "It's not what you think.." She murmured. "I'm..different..from you and Winry.." She said wearily, kicking herself for letting it slip. He didn't know.
Nova sighed some. "I was scared to tell you.. But I'm not scared anymore." She admitted quietly, though shs was still weary about his reaction. She hesitantly placed a hand on her beanie and tugged it off the top of her head, revealing her fuzzy rusty orange wolf ears. "I'm not entirely human.. and I've got people after me because of it. I have a naturally stronger alchemic response, and I heal faster than a normal human." She explained quietly.
"I didn't just leave, all those years ago.. I was taken to an underground lab." She murmured, after a pause.
Edward's golden eyes widen and his throat went dry. "You were taken.." He repeated in a whisper. "But.. If they wanted your blood, the only people who would benefit would be other alchemists, right? Is that who had you?" He asked, glancing at her before slowly reaching his flesh hand and lightly touching one of her ears. "They're real?" He asked, mainly curious. They were soft.. She flushed some and brushed his hand away. "Yes, and they're sensitive." She mused.
He rubbed his neck and lowered his eyes. "I joined the military, as a state alchemist to fix something terrible I did. It's the only way i can fix it.." He said, balling his hand.
Nova glanced a him. The military.. She lowered her own eyes. It was the military who experimented on her! How could she tell him? "I dont plan on disappearing again.. I want to help, if i can." She murmured, causing Ed to glanced at her as she put her beanie back on.
He found himself grinning some, and nodded. "Yeah, and Al and I will protect you from whoever is after you. You're secret is safe, i swear." He said.
Nova smirked some and nodded. They soon headed back to the house, being welcomed by Winry and Pinako making breakfast. Edward asked if Winry would mind doing some maintenance on his arm, and she agreed to.