What Meets The Eye

Chapter 1: New Life, New Roommates

What's one of the worst things in life? Being slave to a huge group of rulers. Having your freedom all taken away. Having all your favorite things you like to do taken away by one loss in war.

It seemed for Winry just a few weeks ago, she had the perfect life. She lived in a house with her parents, and her grandmother Pinako. She was learning automail, while reading doctor books. Life couldn't be better than this.

Except for one thing: War.

For the last couple of months, war had been raging all over the country. North vs. south. East vs. west. It wouldn't end. Soon, many doctors all over the area were called in to go and help the injured, including Winry's parents. Though she hated the idea of her parents leaving, she knew it was for the best. Unfortunately, her country had lost, and everyone who was still alive was taken in, and had become a slave.

The slaves were shipped everywhere that could afford them. Winry and her grandmother didn't know where they were being shipped to. They just hoped for the best. They had to ride in a huge cart the whole way. The trip took about a week. They saw many people being tortured by the heating sun itself. It was an awful sight.

When they arrived at the place that had bought them, they could tell it wasn't going to be as good as they imagined. They first had to go through huge,, golden gates. Once inside, they saw where they were soon to serve at. It was a huge, pearl white mansion, surrounded by gardens full of many types of flowers. In front of the huge mansion, was a woman around her twenties., smiling at the look of the newly arrived slaves. She was pretty for someone who worked here.

As everybody started to exit the cart, the woman started to speak. "Welcome to the Elric mansion. You will soon be given new clothes, a new job, and a place to sleep. You will respect everybody in this mansion. You will follow every command given to you. If you mess around in any way, you will directly, come to me. I am Miss Lust. Now, follow that man. He will show you where you will be staying. Envy, go ahead."

"Yeah, yeah. Damn, I hate this job. Lust, go and tell Mr. Elric that they have arrived."

"Will do." Lust disappeared into the shadows, leaving Envy with all forty slaves waiting for him.

"Why, hello people. I'm Mister Envy, but just call me Envy. I hate this job, so let's get this over with." He showed all around the first floor, saying that the second floor was not allowed to be trespassed unless you have permission. He showed them the kitchen, dining room, the library, the lounge, the garden, the ballroom, the supply closet, and finally their new home.

The room was small, with enough beds for ten or even more people. There was a tiny bathroom and shower in the corner. There was only one window in the whole room. Sadly for Winry and her grandmother, they wouldn't be sharing the same bedroom.

The whole 'bedroom sharing' thing went like this: Seniors share different rooms, both for women and me. Adults older than eighteen share a room, but different rooms for the guys and the girls. If you were a little kid, you were allowed to stay with your guardian. If you were a teenager, you share different rooms, too. Once Envy took all the guys to their rooms, he led the girls to their rooms. Just as it was Winry's turn, the room didn't have any more beds left. She was the only one left.

"Oops. Well, it looks like you'll have to share a room with the other girls, beautiful."

"Ughh." Winry was disgusted by his remark. "Don't even try."

Envy led her to a dark, damp hallway that led to another room. He opened the door, and Winry saw three other girls in there. There was one with blond hair pulled back, with piercing eyes. There was another one with two, raven haired knots, with three twirled, twisted, braided knots coming down from those. The third one had very dark brunette bangs covering a small portion of her face, while the rest of her hair was in a bun.

"Hey, gals. You have a new roommate. Be good, and don't cause trouble." And with that, Envy closed the door, and Winry could hear his footsteps getting farther and farther away.

"New girl, huh?" said the blond haired girl. She stood up ad looked at Winry. "Welcome."

"Thanks. I'm Winry." Winry suddenly didn't feel as nervous as she did a moment ago.

The blond haired girl then introduced herself. "I'm Riza."

The raven haired girl then stood up, and also introduced herself. "I'm Mei."

"And I'm Lan Fan. Nice to meet you." said the dark brunette.

"What is this place?" asked Winry. She had never seen a house this big in her life.

Riza was the one to answer her question. "This is the Elric mansion." Winry was about to ask who were the Elrics, but Riza answered her question before she even had the chance. "The Elrics are a rich, worthy family. This house is owned by Mr. Elric, who lives with his two sons, and two other friends. There's Roy Mustang. He studies flame alchemy. And when he isn't studying, he's a manwhore. You'll know it's him if he flirts with you, and if he has jet-black hair."

Lan Fan was the next one to talk. "The next one is a guy named Ling. He treats himself as if he was a prince. He's also the type to flirt with the gals."

"There is also the younger brother, Alphonse. All I know, or heard, is that he's way kinder than his older brother. He has golden eyes, and a darker shade of golden hair. He loves animals, and he's always taking care of his older brother. He's not really type to be interested in girls." said Mei.

"Then there's the older brother, Edward," Riza continued. "He has golden eyes just like his younger brother, but his hair is a bit lighter. The two brothers study alchemy. He's a bit more hot-headed than his brother, and takes a lot of risks. And if you insult him about his height, he get's all pissed. Together, all these guys make up the Elric family."

"Wow. One more thing: Why are you guys even all way to the end of the hallway? Isn't there more rooms over there?" It seemed a bit strange for them to be a little farther than the other girls.

"You don't know? Hmmm…Lan Fan, you tell her why." cried Mei. "I'm too tired to speak!"

Lan Fan stood from her bed, and went in front of the tired Mei. "You're always tired. Okay, here's all you need to know. If you're brought here, you're somehow dangerous, or a threat to this family."

"Wait! What? How am I a threat? How are any of you guys a threat?" Winry couldn't possibly think herself as a threat.

"You don't think you're dangerous? You didn't get put in here accidentally. We're all considered a threat."

Winry just couldn't imagine these girls as a threat, neither. "Oh yeah? You don't look like the type."

Riza chuckled at her respond. "Looks can be deceiving, my friend. I ain't as innocent as I seem. Before getting captured, I was in the military. I was hiding in the shadows, in the least expected places. I was the sniper. I had the hawk's eye. I learned to live in harsh conditions."

Lan Fan then looked at Winry. "I trained to be a bodyguard that can protect under any circumstances. I felt the harshest pain, and learned how to attack swiftly, and silently. Mei isn't anymore innocent than we are."

Mei slowly lifted herself off the bed. "Fine. I wanted to learn more about immortality. I learned a little about healing alchemy. Even as a little girl, I could cross any desert, and live on! And I could also kick butt!"

"I guess looks can be deceiving. I still don't get how am I a threat?" In her whole life, Winry had never been seen as a threat. It didn't feel any good knowing you may be a threat.

"What have you been doing for the last couple of months?" Riza wasn't convinced she was as innocent as she thought. No one gets put in that room in accident. There had to be something….

"Umm….well, before my parents left, I was studying and practicing automail, and I was reading doctor books that belong to my parents, but-" Winry was interrupted by Lan Fan.

"There you go. There's your problem: Your not a threat physically, but mentally. Maybe your knowledge is a threat to this mansion, or the people that live in it."

"Mentally, huh? Oh, whatever! So, what's our job in this house?" Winry did wonder, since now she was a slave, what was going to be her duty.

Riza went to sit on the corner of her bed. "Heck, I don't know."

"Huh? I thought you've been here for a while! How the hell do you know all that information, then?" Winry yelled.

"Cause," said Riza, "those freaking, damn chicks in the next room won't shut up."

"Yeah!" replied Lan Fan. "All they do is talk about those freaking, annoying sounding guys!"

Mei was next to talk. "Try living next to Miss. I-can't-shut-my-damn-mouth-up all-the-time! It's a challenge. All they talk about is how they look, and suppose 'rumors'. The only good thing is you get info that may come in handy later on, if you know what I mean." By then Mei had a smirk on her face.

"Yeah….." was all Winry could say. "So, do you know when we're getting our jobs?"

"Don't think of it as a job." said Lan Fan. "Think of it more as a….umm…tasks. This isn't somewhere you're gonna get paid. This is place is the borderline between your life and your grave. And anyways, I feel bad for who's gonna get that job of being a servant for those manwhores. Ha!"

"You said it, Lan Fan!" screamed Mei as she laughed with joy.

"Don't get too comfortable, Lan Fan, Mei, and Winry. The work is just getting started…..Anyways, he's here." And with that, Envy announced aloud, that everyone was to appear in the main hall, soon to be told their new duty in life.

So….Whatcha think? Review, and sorry for any grammar mistakes. No one's perfect.

Oh yeah. One thing: Mustang and Hawkeye are seventeen. Edward, Winry, Ling, and Lan Fan are sixteen, or almost sixteen. Alphonse and Mei are fifteen.

Just needed to get that over with. Have some pie!

~Lucy