The week passed quickly for Nina and Amy as they prepared to go to Central to take the Acceptance Exam for the Central Academy of Alchemy. Amy chose to spend that week more with her friends than studying but she was over confident in her ability to pass the exam. Amy’s mentality was that she didn’t need to ace it, just do well enough to pass it and that would certainly be easy enough to do. Besides, she had the three days on the train to study, she wouldn’t be able to see her friends then. Nina on the other hand saw the exam very differently. She wanted to get the highest grade she could. It never hurt to make a name for yourself before you even took a class. That and she hoped to be able to study with Dr. Rothstein who was famous these days for his medicinal alchemy and the breakthroughs he’s made in bio-alchemy. She knew she was going to need to have the best test scores she could manage to even have a prayer of getting into any of his classes.
The day before they left, they were sitting in the living room with Natalie and Edward going over things.
“When you girls get there remember, just do straight to the dormitories and stay out of trouble,” Natalie said.
“We will Mom,” they replied.
“You don’t have to worry Natalie, I’ll be with them,” Edward said as if this wasn’t new information to anyone. All three of them looked at him like he had three heads.
“Excuse me?” Natalie said.
“What do you mean Daddy?” Nina asked. “Why are you going to be with us?”
Edward just chuckled. “I forgot to tell you, I have to go and sit as the proctor in one of the exam rooms. I don’t know which one yet though.”
“What?! You’re kidding right?” Amy asked sounding a bit angry. “I thought this was supposed to be our chance to finally do something on our own.”
“Can’t be helped,” Edward said with a shrug. “They needed more instructors to be there and since things are pretty quiet at the Eastern Academy right now they asked me to come to Central. I can’t exactly tell them no.”
“Since when have you been one to hesitate to say no Ed?” Natalie asked with a laugh.
“Very funny smart ass,” Edward said laughing along with her. “Trust me, if the order had come from Mustang I probably would have told him where he could shove it just on general principle but Gregory asked me to do it.”
“Dr. Rothstein?” Natalie asked.
Edward nodded. “Yup. He’s a decent guy and one that I don’t mind having owe me one.”
“You know Dr. Rothstein Daddy?” Nina asked with bright, excited eyes.
“Not well but yes, I’ve had occasion to talk to him from time to time when I’m in Central. He’s actually looking forward to meeting you Nina. I told him how much you wanted to be a medicinal alchemist.”
Nina blushed deep red. She couldn’t believe that her father had told Dr. Rothstein about her. She was glad her father was who he was and that he was famous. She didn’t mind having him to help her make the connections she needed. Why Amy fought it so much was beyond her.
“Well I’m glad one of us is happy about all this,” Amy muttered.
“Oh stop Amy. You act like it’s the end of the world if your father is there when you take the exam. It’s actually better this way; at least I’ll know you’re keeping out of trouble. Besides, it’s not like he’s going to be staying in the dorms with you guys anyway,” Natalie said. She really was glad Edward would be there with them. Nina she didn’t worry so much about but Amy, well knowing her she’d find a way to stay out all night and miss the exam because she couldn’t get out of bed in time. At least with Edward not too far away she’d think twice about doing anything that might distract her.
“That’s right, once I drop you off at the dorms you’re on your own until after the exam,” Edward replied. “I actually have to go see Mustang when we get there before I head over to the Academy hotel anyway.”
Amy looked far less angry now. “Can I come with you?” she asked hoping he’d say yes.
Edward shook his head. “No, its official business not personal so I can’t. Besides, you need to get some last minute studying in before the exam; you really shouldn’t be distracting yourself with that.”
Amy pouted. She really wanted to go. The last time she had seen the Fuhrer was last year for around their birthday when Edward had brought her and Nina to Central to go shopping as a birthday present. It was actually pretty sad, she spent so much time with the Fuhrer’s son, one would think she would see him more often.
“Alright you two, you should get to bed. Tomorrow is going to be an early day and then you have a three day train ride out to Central.”
Nina and Amy got up and said their good nights to their parents before heading upstairs to their rooms. Nina wouldn’t go to bed any time soon. She actually took out one of the many books she had borrowed from Alphonse and reread it. She was going to make sure every bit of information in her head was as crisp as possible. Amy didn’t go to sleep either though she didn’t do anything as noble as studying. She was still fuming about her father going out to Central with them and then crushing her spirit even more by telling her he was going to see Fuhrer Mustang and refusing to take her with him. She wondered what he wanted with her dad anyway.
Downstairs, Natalie and Edward sat talking for a bit longer. “Why does Roy want to see you Ed? Did you do something to piss him off again?”
Edward just made a sour face at her. “No, I didn’t piss him off again. I’m actually not sure why he wants to see me. Knowing him it’s something ridiculous though and stupid, it usually is. At least he doesn’t make fun of me anymore. I sometimes think he’s jealous though.”
Natalie quirked a brow at him and asked, “Jealous? Why?”
Edward grinned at her. “That would be because I look better at 35 years old than he did.”
“You know who to thank for that right?” Natalie said with sly grin.
“And don’t I every day?” he said leaning over to give her a kiss. “You and the kids keep me young and that has nothing to do with what your powers gave me and everything to do with how much I love you guys.”
Natalie grinned at him. “And since when have you gotten all suave and romantic Ed?”
“It comes with age,” he said sticking his tongue out at her.
“Come on, let’s get to bed. You have to up same as the girls do in the morning and if I’m not mistaken you haven’t packed yet.”
Edward hung his head a bit. She was right. They made their way upstairs and when they got there they saw light coming from under the doors of both girls’ rooms. “I’ll get Nina if you take Amy,” Edward said.
Natalie opened Amy’s door and saw that she had passed out on top of her covers with the light on. She simply shook her head as she went over and pulled Amy’s blanket up over her. Was she really going to be alright on her own when she went to the Academy? Natalie just had to hope that she would be.
When she left the room she shut off the light and closed the door. Edward was still in Nina’s room when Natalie had come out of Amy’s. What was he doing in there? “Everything alright?” she whispered as she poked her head in. Edward nodded at her and held up the book that Nina had been reading when she’d fallen asleep. It was Alphonse’s copy of the book that Edward’s father had written back when Edward and Alphonse were still babies.
“I didn’t know she even had this. I wonder why Alphonse even allowed her to take it,” Edward said softly as he thumbed through the pages. He knew this book well; it was the one that had first given him the idea of human transmutation all those years ago. It contained everything Hohenheim had compiled about using alchemy on humans. Hopefully Nina found this book interesting only for the bits about medicinal alchemy and nothing more.
Natalie stood in the doorway waiting for him just smiling gently. “She’s just as tenatious about learning as you were Ed. She can never know enough. Your brother sees that in her just as he always saw it in you, that’s probably why he gave it to her. I doubt she’d do anything reckless with the information in there though. Nina’s too smart and too king hearted to ever use anything in that book against someone.”
Edward nodded as he closed the book and set it on her bedside table. “You’re right Natalie,” he said as he joined her at the door and shut off her light. Closing Nina’s door behind them, they headed off to bed themselves.
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