The Forgotten Locket: Chapter Two

The second chapter of The Forgotten Locket... Hurray!

CHAPTER TWO

After a long, dreamless night, I finally woke up at around 5 AM, Japan time. That was early, but I hadn’t adjusted to the time change yet; back in Italy, it was still 9 PM, which was about when I would normally go to sleep.

I wonder if Nana will try to call me, I thought. But she’s probably asleep since she goes to bed so early.

A tiny sliver of light trickled into my room from the big glass doorway to my balcony, which so happened to land right in my eyes. I squinted and got up from my bed, rubbing my eyes. I opened up my closet, which I had filled last night, and pulled out a tank top and a matching sweater. I was wearing jeans under my nightgown when I went to sleep, so I didn’t have to worry about that. After I’d changed, I went down into my new kitchen and stood in the center, observing the room.

Maybe I’ll just clean around the house, I thought, sighing. There’s nothing better to do right now.

 

 

“How cute!” I exclaimed out loud, leaning my head out the window. I had to hold onto my bandana so it wouldn’t blow away in the breeze. “A tiny little kitten sitting all alone.”

There was a tabby kitten stretched out on top of a cardboard box in the alley beside my house. It shivered as it licked its bony gray flank.

I can’t just leave it there, I thought, shutting the window. It’d probably starve to death, huh? Maybe a pet kitten would liven up this place. It's so lonely here without someone else to talk to.

I headed to my front door, slipped on a pair of tennis shoes, and walked outside. I went around the corner of my house and walked down to the dark alley that was barely lit by the early morning sunlight.

Where’s that kitty? I thought, peering into the dark narrow way. I tried to be quiet so I wouldn’t scare it, so I tip-toed deeper into the alley. It was getting darker as I went further and further in. It was starting to get a little creepy.

I saw the glimmer of a trash can and the kitten stretching luxuriously on the lid, which erased a bit of the uneasiness in my stomach.

“Hi, kitty,” I whispered, reaching out to stroke the cat. Surprisingly, it didn’t hiss when my fingers ran down its back. “Are you hungry? If you come with me, I’ll give you a good meal and a nice, warm house to live in.”

The cat just stared at me with big blue eyes, twitching its ears. It didn’t move at all or make a sound.

Is something wrong with this cat? I thought. It’s acting weird... Maybe it’s not-

A sudden loud clanking noise stopped my thoughts dead in their tracks. I was scared out of my mind and didn’t want to turn around, so I just squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip. Nana always said that I was always scared as a child, so I would just clamp my eyes shut and bite my lip down. I guess I still did that.

“Is anyone there?” I squeaked. I heard the clanking again, which wasn’t as loud as before, but did sound like it was coming closer. I spun around to see who was there, and I regretted it.

My heart stopped as I made out a huge silver figure that towered over me, like a giant in a suit of steel armor. I was frozen. I couldn’t move.

Oh, God, help me! What is this? Am I going insane? I screamed in my head, trying hard to snap out of it and get the heck out of there. Suddenly I felt the blood rush back to my legs and I bolted it as fast as I could, almost slipping and falling as I turned the corner.

“Wait!” cried a young boy’s voice. It had a weird echo, like it came from inside a metal box. “I didn’t mean to scare you!”

Is that the guy in the armor? I thought, still running. It sounds like a ten-year-old boy.

I scrambled into the house and slammed the door shut, locking it and panting heavily, wiping sweat from my forehead. I sat down at the kitchen table and sprawled my arms out, my face on the table.

That was close! I thought, still breathing heavily. What was that? A monster? A ghost? A psycho? Ah, just forget about it, Anita, just calm down... It was just your imagination. You’re just stressed out. Oh, God, I need to relax...

 

 

I dusted the cabinets. This summer would be boring, but I had to move here since the Dream was just too overwhelming when I was in Italy. Ever since I moved here to Amestris - even though it’s only been a few nights - it’s been much less distracting and somehow... Happier.

Hm, I thought, standing in the center of the kitchen and scratching the back of my head. I wish something would-

Three knocks at my door, each followed by a scarily familiar clanking noise. My skin prickled and started to crawl.

Who’s at the door?

I rubbed my hands on my arms to stop the shivers. I walked over hesitantly after a while and unlocked the door, held my breath, and opened my door slowly.

“H-hello,” came a familiar boy’s voice, ringing with a strange, metallic echo. I looked up and saw the one thing I didn't want to see in my doorway, towering above me. A giant suit of steel armor.

Anita, just breathe... Just calm down... It’s only your imagination... It’ll go away... It’ll go away...

My heart was beating loudly like a drum. Cold sweat was wetting my palms as they clenched together, my head facing the floor. I bit my lip down hard.

“Um, excuse me,” came the echoing voice again. I almost jumped into the air when it spoke.

“W-w-what do you w-want?” I managed to squeak.

“Please don’t be afraid of me,” the armor said, suddenly sounding gentle. I felt a hard, cold metal hand brush against my shoulder and I flinched, but I couldn’t find the courage to run.

“Who are you? What are you?” I demanded.

“My name’s Alphonse,” he replied. “I’m sorry I scared you, really, I am! Please don’t be afraid of me, I really won’t hurt you.”

I saw the tall armored suit standing in my doorway, which actually didn’t seem as horrifying as before. I let myself relax a bit.

“Why are you in that suit? You look... Creepy,” I said, looking into Alphonse’s empty glowing eyes. He was quiet and didn’t really seem to know how to explain, so I figured he wasn't comfortable explaining his story to a complete stranger who ran from him while thinking he was a psychopathic monster.

“Alphonse,” I said, backing into the kitchen. “Why don’t you come in?”

“Oh, um, I really couldn't...” he said, waving his hands nervously.

“I feel bad for running from you. I want to make it up to you, yeah?”

He eventually gave in and walked inside, his metal boots clanking on my kitchen floor. I started making some tea and told him to sit down.

“I actually wanted to make it up to you for scaring you,” Alphonse said, reaching into a little pouch he had strapped to his side. He pulled out a tiny, furry gray ball and set it on the table in front of me very gently.

“Is that the kitten from the alley?” I spectated, rushing over and stroking the fluffy ball that stretched out on the table. The kitten rubbed up against Alphonse’s arm and purred like a motor.

“Yeah, I found it hiding in a trash can after you ran from me. I tried to give it some scraps that were lying out and it just hopped into my arms. I figured I’d give it to you, since you were looking for it in the first place,” Alphonse explained. I picked up the kitten.

“How did you know that I was looking for it?” I asked him.

Alphonse pulled back a little and scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. He didn’t say anything. I figured that he didn’t want to admit to following me into the alley.

“So,” I said. “How did you really get stuck in that suit?”

 

 

“Incredible,” I whispered. “You and your brother tried to use Human Transmutation? And you lost your whole body? I’ve read about that kind of stuff in fairytale books. I didn’t know anyone could actually do it.”

“Yeah,” Alphonse sighed. “Edward managed to seal my soul in this suit of armor. He lost his arm and leg, and I had to bring him to our friend Winry and her grandmother’s house to help him... Well, I think I’ve said enough.”

“Sounds like you and your brother have been through a lot,” I said. “That’s more than I can say about my own childhood.”

“We manage, I guess," Alphonse said. "Why’d you move to Amestris?”

I sighed and swished the remaining tea leaves around in the bottom of my cup. “It’s kind of hard to explain, and it takes even longer to tell than your story, which is stupid because mine is ten times more boring,” I muttered.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Alphonse said. If he had a real body, I could guess that he would’ve been smiling at me.

“Well,” I started hesitantly, “I guess I could tell you. But don’t fall asleep.”

Alphonse sat back in his chair and looked straight at me, seeming interested.

I can’t believe this guy. It still feels like I'm dreaming. He’s an alchemist trapped in a suit of armor without a body? And he’s only a kid? Yeah, right! I don't believe a word of his story.

“Where do I start?” I sighed. “I suppose I’ll begin as early as I can remember.”

“Ever since I was little, I lived with a woman who I called Nana as a foster child in a village in Italy. There were a few other kids who lived with me that were also her foster children. I guess that I was an orphan or my parents never wanted me, because I didn’t live with them or ever know who they were. I asked Nana a few times about them, and she only replied ‘Your mother loved you a lot, but she couldn’t keep you because she was ill.’ When I asked about my father, she’d say ‘He was very busy providing for you and your mother.’

“I guess I was always pretty good in the private schools I went to, because I skipped three years of elementary and entered 11th grade when I was 14. But something very strange happened when I went into high school. I began having visions of me as a very young child in a small countryside house with a little boy a bit older than me. He knew my name and called me his little sister. I had a mother, too. For some reason, my father was never there. The visions were always of the same thing: I was getting taken away from my home. It sounds crazy, but the dreams almost drove me mad. Finally, I decided to move out.

“I told Nana that I had found a great college in Amestris, Japan - I had heard the name Amestris before in one of the more uncommon dreams. I came up with some wild assumption that my visions would reduce if I moved there. So, I bought a plane ticket, packed my things, said goodbye to everyone, and wound up here, in Japan.

   “The strangest thing yet is... I’ve explained it all to a strange boy in a suit of armor.”

Reviews

[lynne]

I love this so far >< Can't wait to read more! ^^

[Keevan]

What is Anita missing!? I need more chapters so I can find out!