Chapter 2: Bruises
It had been several days since Amelia met the countries at Devil's Canyon. Though meeting new people had left an oddly feeling knot in her heart, it didn't diminish the fact she had been late for curfew. Not only that but her parents had been waiting by the door, waiting to pull her into their grasp.
Unfortunately, when she was caught she payed for it dearly.
She had been prohibited from going to school for the last three days, causing her to ultimately miss her deadline for her paper. Not that it really mattered anymore. Her parents had taken her duffel bag and burned both her work and her sketch-book simultaneously. She broke down and cried when they tormenting her with countless chants of 'This is what you get.' and 'You should be grateful it's not you.'
They even took her crowbar and used it against her, one of her most trust tools. It had been a miscalculation on her part. She should have arrived early just like every other day. For a very long time, she managed to hide her sketch-book, crowbar, and school work, along with a couple of other precious belongings underneath a couple of floorboards in her room.
That wasn't the end of her punishment; last night they called Dominic. After he did his 'business' her parents cooked him a lavish meal to reward him for his...hard work. They left the mess for Amelia to clean up.
God, she didn't want to think about it; it made her want to throw-up. Trying to avoid retching up bile from her empty stomach, Amelia turned her focus to the dishes she was instructed to do. Amelia's stomach hated her for scrubbing the morsels of food from the pots, pans, and plates.
Amelia shuddered as a frigid breeze from an open window blew onto her bare skin. It was easy to see the black and blue muscles on her back straining in effort as she roughly scrubbed the pans clean. Her parents forced her to wear tank tops and short-shorts while she was in the house. They loved 'admiring' their work. Though, if she were to leave her home she needed to be completely covered. Her parents didn't want to be asked difficult question, especially from the police or child protection services.
"AMELIA!" A gruff yell pierced through the air, startling Amelia and causing the plate in her grasp to fall to the floor and shatter. "Damn it girl!" A hand harshly gripped her forearm and jerked her from the sink. "Who are the people at the front door?! Why are they asking for you?!" Her father demanded.
Amelia shook her head quickly. "I...d-didn't...what?" She was terrified. No one knew were she lived, not even Hana. She had made sure of it.
"STUPID girl!" He said, the reminiscent smell of alcohol hit her face. Quickly he threw her to the door of the kitchen. "Go some get clothes on to hide your ugly self! NOW!"
Amelia sprinted up the wooden stairs, her feet pounding on the treading. Round the first corner she walked into her door-less room. The window of the room was boarded up with multiple thin planks creating a dim light that filtered threw the cracks. Up against the bare and dirty wall was a brown, stained mattress; no pillow or blanket in sight. Strewn around the floor laid a few articles of clothing.
It was among these pieces of clothing that Amelia picked up a pair of grass-stained pants and a torn sweater. The clothes pulled itchily against her open wounds as she fully pulled them on before her mother called up the stairs after her in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Amelia, sweetheart, there are some wonderful men down here asking for you!"
The sound made her cringe, but she quickly replied evenly. "Yes ma'am! I am coming down now." She bolted out of her room and down the stairs; as she turned the last corner she froze mid-step. There, in the middle of the living room of her home were the nations she had met only a couple of days ago. Germany, Italy, Russia and -.
'Ah misst! Alfred!' She cursed at herself. The nation embodiment of her home country was staring at her, smiling widely. He hadn't noticed. 'Well of course he hasn't,' She thought. 'I'm hiding the evidence willingly.'
"Amelia, darling, can you tell me why these people are here to see you?" Her mother turned around to look at her daughter so her face was hidden from the men in her home. While her voice remained sweet her face said something else entirely.
In response Amelia smiled as sweetly as she could to her mother. "I do not know Mama. I just met them the other day." She quickly moved up to them and introduced them to her parents. "This is Alfred, Ivan, Feliciano, and Ludwig."
"It iz very nice to meet you and your vamily ma'am," Germany bowed slightly as he took it upon himself to greet for everyone. However, as he moved to raise himself something caught his eye. "Amelia," He said slowly, as if trying to contemplate something carefully. "You leg iz bleeding."
Shocked, Amelia started to stutter incomprehensibly. With her parents right there she couldn't come out and tell them how she was bleeding. She had to come up with an excuse. However, Amelia's parents were quicker. The father ushered the girl out of the room and the mother stayed, spouting out excuses to her guests. "I'm terribly sorry. The silly girl probably cut herself shaving."
"Veally? If zat iz ze case zen I zould help. I am a very good doctor." Russia said, smiling at their hostess.
"No, really there is no need!" The woman squeaked out, slightly intimidated.
"No, veally. I inzizt." Russia stood and broadly strode out the door to follow Amelia and her father.
XXX
As soon as her father was sure she was outside the range of the guests his hand tightened considerably around her arm. He guided her up the stairs and threw into the side closet, before speaking roughly. "You really are stupid aren't you?" Amelia just whimpered as her bruised back hit the wall of the closet. "Shut up! Or I'll call Dominic again! Do you want that? Do you want him to do same thing he did last time to you?" His voice was raising. Amelia violently shook her head no and clamped her hand over her mouth. Then he moved to close the door when a hard, loud thwack was heard. Amelia's father looked stunned for a moment before sliding down the floor like tree being cut down.
Ivan appeared from behind the door, scowling menacingly down at the man on the floor. He moved to punch him once more, but a small cry from the girl in the closet brought his attention to her. His expression softened considerably. Taking a moment to think, Ivan disappeared from the doorway of the closet, dragging her unconscious father by the foot.
After a couple of minutes Amelia heard her mother scream hysterically. There was loud yelling before fast footsteps were heard climbing the stairs. Amelia folded into herself, trying to make herself smaller; whispering quietly a soft mantra, "Bitte lassen sie sie nicht finden mich. Bitte lassen sie sie nicht finden mich." She rocked back and forth, her hands over ears. She wanted to block out all sound, all feeling, all thought.
She was so scared.
"Amelia?" Amelia's dull blue eyes slowly opened to reveal Alfred's slim, concerned face. He repeated her name, but she didn't respond. She refused to move. "I need to you to breath." He pressed a hand to her back, rubbing soothingly.
Amelia shook her head; she didn't want him to touch her. He shouldn't be putting his hands on her filthy body. She didn't deserve concern.
"You need to breath, now!" Alfred said more forcefully. It was not longer a request, but a command. His hand lifted from her back and replaced itself swiftly with a soft thud; he was trying to shock her system into breathing. Shocked, Amelia's body betrayed her allowed her lungs to inhaled sweet oxygen and fill themselves.
"Good. Keep breathing deeply." Alfred sighed, relieved she was breathing again. "Now," Alfred said slowly, pulling up Amelia's chin to look him the eyes. "You need to tell me the absolute truth." Amelia, didn't nod nor move; she sat there and stared at him. "I need to know what these people have been doing to you."
Amelia felt tears prick her eyes. Quickly, she pulled her chin out of his grasp and shook her head. This couldn't be happening. As soon as these people leave she was going to be killed. No, worse than killed. Tortured.
"Amelia," Alfred whispered softly. "I already know. I just need to hear it from you." He took a breath. "It is my job to protect my citizens. I mean what kind of hero would I be if I couldn't do at least that?"
The girl didn't say anything for a long time. She just sat there, her back against the wall, trying to gather her courage. When ever she had confided in a teacher or police officer they had always brushed her away harshly.
"You could start at the beginning?" He asked.
Swallowing thickly, Amelia nodded. "I-I s-suppose it s-started-d a-als ich d-das erste hier angek-kommen."
"When was that?"
"2006. W-when m-my mother-r died of cancer." She paused. She was sniveling like a child. "I-I w-was o-offered t-to g-go to M-Mississippi. Some of my family lives there; but d-didn't like my family down there. So I-I was a-adopted by my c-current f-family."
Amelia paused again, trying to pull herself together. She was still in the same closet that she had been shoved into many times and locked into for many days at a time. It was a place of very painful memories.
"I-I thought-t they w-were schon, und they w-were angenehm f-for the first couple of months. B-but then..." She broke off into sobs. "Sie haben schreckliche zu mir!" She cried, heart brokenly. She was switching confusingly between German and English quickly and without warning. "Sie haben mich geschlagen! Und ihr Bruder mir klopfte!" She said, now completely in German. She sobbed hysterically.
America, very confused looked to right to Germany. The German man was standing very still, his teeth clenched tightly. "Germany, what did she say?" Alfred asked.
Germany very slowly and precisely bent down and spoke in Alfred's ear. Alfred's eyes grew wide, then narrowed considerably. Angrily, he stood and made his way down the stairs. When he passed Germany a quietly spoke. "Grab her and follow me."
Germany quickly picked up the crying girl, only receiving a bit of struggling before Amelia became completely limp in his arms. It broke his heart to have to drag a broken girl from a closet.
Slowly, he walked down the stairs, following the free nation as he made his way to the living room. Russia and Italy were finished tying them up and the father had awoken from being knocked out. America quickly walked up to the pair of people and stood bravely in front of them.
"By the Authority of these United States of America, you mortals are hereby under arrest for child molestation, child abuse, child malnutrition, and child neglect. May Hell have mercy on your soul." America's voice boomed violently off the walls, pronouncing his decision.
Both the parents shouted protests at his, demanding to be released. They called their daughter a lair, scum, stupid, retarded, insane.
"Silence!" The United States of America said. He was beyond mad, he was livid. "I am The United States of America, and I hereby order you both into SILENCE!"
Amelia's parents gaped, and suddenly understanding the situation they were in. Not only were they caught, but they were caught by someone of the United States.
XXX
Half an hour passed before police officers arrived and hauled the married couple to jail. Alfred, knowing Amelia did not want to watch any of it, placed her in a car. A man named Gilbert, who was sitting in the back seat, was instructed to keep and eye on her.
However, Amelia couldn't stop crying. Now that she started she knew it wasn't going to stop soon. So, instead she cried into her arms in the front seat as Gilbert awkwardly jut a hand on her shoulder. Everything that had happened to her seemed to rush out of her all at once, drowning her in emotions. It took her several minutes to compose herself.
Suddenly the car door opened to reveal Ludwig, who grinned sadly. "Iz zere anyzing you vant to collect bevore ve leave?" Amelia nodded fiercely in response. "Vere iz it?"
"My kammer." Ludwig and Gilbert winced at the choice of word. Amelia opened the car door and headed into her home for last time. She heard several pairs of footsteps follow behind her as she trudged up the stairs for the last time. Slowly, she approached her room.
The countries all gasped as they passed through the threshold of her room.
Amelia didn't respond – she knew the major contrast between her room and the rest of the house – she only made her way to a specific spot on the floor and carefully tried to use her nails to lift a piece. The nations stood and watched her grow more and more frustrated with herself before she lost her temper.
Gilbert, tired of watching her try to pull up a floorboard, lifted his hand punched through the offending wood. Amelia sat wide eyed at him and his fist that was now surrounded by a large piece of wood like a bracelet. "Go on," He said, his voice high and thick with a German accent. "Grab vhat vou need."
Amelia, reminded of her original task, reached into the grassy insulation and pulled out a beautiful golden necklace. Slowly she brought it into one of the cracks of light from the window, making sure it was still intact.
Behind her, Gilbert breathed in sharply. "You!" He said carefully. Amelia jumped and clutched the necklace to her heart. "Vere did you get zat?"
Amelia picked her words carefully. "It was my mother's, before she died."
"Do you vealize vhat zat zymbol meanz?" He asked.
"Gilbert!" Germany scolded behind him. "Ve vill have time vor zat la..."
"Yes I do." Amelia said, closing her eyes, standing hesitantly she clutched the necklace to her chest. "Ich bin Königlich Preußischen."
Gilbert smirked in response. He was back.
TBC...
Translations:
German
misst: crap...
als ich das erste hier angekommen: when I arrived here
schon: nice
angenehm: pleasant
sie haben schreckliche zamir: they did terrible things to me
sie haben mich geschlagen: they beat me
und ihr Bruder mir klopfe: and their brother raped me
klammer: cell or room (bad connotation for room)
ich Königlich Preußischen: I am Prussian Royalty
