The Silver Alchemist

The Silver Alchemist-Chapter One

Once again, Amanda found herself wasting too much of her precious morning time on brushing her hair. She knew she had to hurry-it's not a good thing to late to your work. Definitely when you work for the army. And definitely when it will be the third time this week. On Wednesday.

There were two reasons for her to be delayed on this seemingly simple, mundane task. One was old and the other new

The old reason was the fact she used her left hand for the task, which, in a way, wasn't actually "Hers". It was an Automail. A mechanical hand to replace the one she lost. She insisted on using it for this task in order to train her hand. She had it over a year but she still struggled with it, especially when it came to fine motor skill and Eye-hand coordination. In time she got better, but there was still a frustrating delay between the order from her mind and the action of her fingers, and not once she found herself using too much force, or too little, to hold an object. She knew it will take years before she will get full control of it. Decades even. And she was determined to achieve this.

The new reason was the length of her hair. It has been a year since she cut it to shoulders' length, and several months since she decided to let it grow long again. She cut her hair to mark the change of her life, and that from this moment on she was a different person. She decided to let it grow again as she made peace with her past, and decided she didn't need to become someone else to deal with her  traumas.

Before living the house, she gave one last look at the framed picture on her dresser, depicting herself hugging a brown hair, green eyed girl, both smiling. "Bye Cassie" She whispered as she buttoned her uniform. "I'll make sure to annoy Mustang enough today for you" She said as she opened the door, facing a new day

Twenety years earlier

"Cassieeeeeeeeeeee come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!" Six years old Amanda were lying horizontally on the bed, her head near the floor, her legs up, and a suffering expression on her face. "Leave this boring book already and let's go play outside!" "It's not boring!" Her best friend, Cassandra Turner, said. She was sitting on the floor, her back against the bed, and a book that was almost too heavy for the young girl to pick up herself leaned again her folded legs. "It's really interesting! It's alchemy!" "That can't be alchemy!" Amanda said, getting off the bed and standing behind Cassandra. "Alchemy is about making cool stuff like toys from dust and spikes from walls and explosions and stuff! This is just numbers!" "Alchemy is not that simple, Amy." Cassandra said. "It's not magic. It's science. You need to understand how it really works to do anything. And I will understand it! When I grow up, I will be a national alchemist! I will make amazing inventions that help a lot of people happy and everyone will know my name!"

Amanda was silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"You really want to be an alchemist?"

"Yes!"

"Really really?"

"Really really"

"Then move aside a bit" Amanda said after another few moments. "Let me read it too" "But you said it was boring!" Cassandra said. "It is boring" Amanda said. "But you are my best friend" She said and hugged Cassandra. "We said we will always be together, right? So if you are going to read boring books and become an alchemist then I will do it too"

And indeed, they studied. Cassandra with burning passion, and Amanda with occasional reluctance. They studied and trained for many years, easily surpassing their peers. Until 15 years after making that promise Amanda was hopping down the stairs of the Central Command, a silver watch in her hand. She hurried toward the spot she and Cassandra agreed to meet. When she got there she indeed saw Cassandra, but instead of finding her smiling from ear to ear as she predicted, her best friend was instead sitting on a bench, looking gloomy.