Free Falling

Chapter 1: A Bird with a Broken Wing can only Fall

A young girl, with midnight hair and poison green eyes walked with a distrusted look on her face. Her hair fell to her mid back; a black hoodie over her head. Black jeans hugged her legs and black hightops kept her feet from touching the hard ground under her.

The girl did not care what other thought about nor did she want to know. She wasn't a goth. No. She was simply someone who ran away from her abusive parents. She had grabbed a dark blue backpack on her way out of her parents house before leaving. Her school bag. She had saved up enough money to buy a bus ticket and leave this city they called New York.

A name, was sewn into the blue bag with white thread. Nicole. That was her name. Nicole Brown. A girl of few words. A girl who wanted to escape. A girl who everyone thought was trouble. But, that wasn't true. She helped people all the time. There was something else about Nicole that no one knew. Not even her parents. She watched anime all the time. On the roof of her apartment building and in her room at late hours, when her parents were asleep.

Her favorite? Fullmetal Alchemist. It was her dirty secret. Others had the secret of sneaking out at night or stealing while hers was an anime made in Japan.

"I wish," She said quietly. "I wish I could get out of this world entirely. Go to a new world and start over."

As she turned the corner, down an alleyway, a white light engulfed her. She wanted to scream but couldn't. She wanted to run but her muscles were glued in place. Nicole was then pushed into the large white circle and into a white room.

"No fricking way..." Nicole said looking up. An outlined figure of white, grinned evilly at her. "Truth." She stated more than asked.

"So you have heard of me! I heard your wish. Starting in a new world it is than!?" It asked. Nicole nodded hesitantly.

"What do you want in equivalent exchange?" She asked with a slight snarl. Truth chuckled and pointed a hand in the direction of the large doors. The door was designed flawlessly. Swirls here, circles there. The doors, creaked open and Nicole went pale.

"This is what you wanted?" Truth asked laughing. Nicole growled.

"No! I didn't want to see the truth!" She yelled. The doors opened revealing small, black hands. Nicole shivered as they touched her skin. They were cold like ice yet hot like fire. Nicole was pulled into the gate and they closed behind her.

Images flashed before the fifteen year old girl. Her eyes widened in pain and fear as the knowledge filled her head.

"Stop it!" She yelled. "My brains gonna explode! Stop!" The back hands started to drag her back and threw her back to the white void of nothing with Truth once again.

"Wasn't it beautiful?" He asked sarcastically kind. Nicole clutched her head while she was on her knees.

"Beautiful!? That... that was horrid!" She cried. Truth chuckled and waved his hand lazily to the left. A blue hole appeared and Nicole was sucked into it.

"Say hello to Edward for me Nicole Brown!" Truth said waving her off.

'This is what Ed had gone through.' Nicole thought in pain. What had Truth taken from her? An inside like Izumi Curtis? A limb like Ed? That was her last thought, as she fainted, before she could know she was falling from the sky.

***Ed POV***

A suit of armour and a boy with golden blond hair sat in the train seat looking out the window. The armour sighed and looked at the blond boy.

"Brother, how long until we get to central?" He asked.

"I don't know. A few hours maybe." He pulled out his watch with a small lion carved into it with swirls around it. "I think maybe fifteen minutes at the most Al."

The blond boy leaned back and closed his eyes while Al looked out the window. As soon as he did, a blue column of light appeared out of the sky; spinning slightly. Al could almost make out the shape of a body falling from the sky inside the blue column.

"What the hell!?" The blond boy cried.

"I hope no one's making the same mistake we did Ed!" Al cried. Ed growled and headed towards the engine room where he told the conductor to stop the train. As soon as it was slow enough, Ed and Al hopped out and ran towards the blue column as it disappeared.

"What if we're too late Brother!?" Al asked concerned. His voice was filled with fear. Fear for someone who might have made the same mistake.

"We can't be too late! We have to stop them!" Ed yelled as the two ran on. Soon, a figure took shape in the forest next to the East City. Al gasped when they got up to the girl.

"It doesn't look like she did it!" Al said.

"Then what was that blue light for?" Ed asked his brother. "We have to get her to a hospital."

Al nodded and picked the face down girl up as blood trickled down her chin. Ed's eyes went wide. Al had gotten the look of concern for the girl Ed gave. The younger brother nodded and they started to run to the East City train platform.

"Fullmetal!" A man with black hair yelled as they got to the Platform. "The train came and you weren't on it! Where did you-" He cut himself off at the sight of the girl.

"She needs a hospital!" Ed said pushing past him while Al Followed behind him.

"I have a car waiting. It will get her there faster."

"You surprise me sometimes Mustang." Ed said with a grin.

"I help the people." Mustang said grinning. They ran to the car Mustang had waiting, and ordered the driver to the hospital. Soon, they would get their answers.