CHAPTER TWO
I suppressed a groan, and the urge to wham my head down onto the large table. Judas and Kray snickered at me, as if it was THAT obvious I wanted to injure something.
Well, it probably was.
"Are you okay?" Canada asked, glancing sideways at me. It was kind of hard to take him seriously; he was too cute.
I nodded a little. "I don't want to be here…" I told him. "But I was kind of forced."
"Well, you're Solaria, of the Solarian Tri-Nations….you kind of have to go. You're the one who makes the decisions and stuff…." He mumbled, trailing off at the end. My eyebrows had already shot into my hairline, though. If I made the choices…did that make me the boss?
Sweet.
"Solaria, stop grinning, it's creepy." Kray said loudly, and nearly everyone glanced at us curiously.
I shoved my friend a little while my face was reddening. All eyes were on us…ALL EYES! I didn't particularly care for it, so I opened my mouth slightly.
No words came out, as expected. I had very much planned on saying 'Stop staring'…but like I just stated; no words came out.
Judas patted my head.
"Kray broke Solaria just now, so please excuse her lack of speaking." The taller of my two friends said, flapping her hand to dismiss me. I only sunk further into my seat, the blush on my face reaching out to my ears.
I changed my mind; I was not doing okay here.
Finally the meeting was over.
After much arguing (and not even justified arguing), strangling (courtesy of England and France), yelling, laughing, and humiliation, it was finally DONE.
I got up and fixed my clothes a little, only to look around and figure out that my buddies had gone on ahead without me. There were still people in the room…
"Oh, suck it up, Kannora…" I whispered to myself.
"Who's Kannora?" Somebody asked from behind me. I pulled my phone from my pocket and flipped they keyboard open.
"Kannora is my first name." I told America, typing out a few words in a text message to Judas, wondering where she went. "And before you question again, no, you may not call me Kannora."
"I'm not that predictable!" The blond man complained, and I turned around, staring at him. He returned said stare, his lips pulled into a smile.
"Yes you are." I told him briskly, and almost ran from the room.
Almost being that I 'almost made it out'. I usually watched where I was going, but since I had been staring at the floor, it was too late by the time I realized someone was in front of me, and I walked into them.
A head turned, and a curl bobbed, and I hid in the corner.
"Ve~ Sorry Solaria! Was I in the way?" Italy asked, making me feel like an even bigger loser. I shook my head no, but remained in hiding. The auburn-haired country let a slightly dopey smile cover his features, and he tugged me out from my walls-vertex.
"Don't be scared, ve~ Come! We can go get pasta!" He chirped, dragging me away through the door.
"Doitsu~" The happy-go-lucky Italian called once we were out of the building, me still in tow. Doitsu. Germany.
I squeaked and yanked myself out of the grip on my arm, then proceeded to start trotting over to my mode of transportation..to find it gone.
My blood started boiling again.
I pulled out my cell and hastily dialled Judas. She picked up on the second ring. "Wassup, Solaria?" She greeted cheerfully, and I started yelling at her for taking the car, and ditching me, and the gist of today.
"Wenn Sie nachhause kommen, werde ich Sie verletzen (1)." I hissed lowly in a language she would understand.
She also knew I was being serious when I said things to her in german.
"O-okay! Sorry I ditched you! Do you want me to come get you? I'm just at this little cafe shop with Kray and England! I could probably step out for a moment if-"
"It's fine, moron, I'll probably just walk home. It's nice out…" I grumbled, and a sigh from the other line greeted me.
"Alright! Have fun!" Then she hung up.
I held the cell to my ear for a few extra moments.
"Idiot." I rolled my eyes and closed the phone up.
"Ve~ Solaria, are you coming?" Italy cried out at me, waving from a few cars down. What the hell.
I walked back over, trying to look like I wasn't about to have a mental breakdown. "Yeah yeah, I'm on my way…"
December 16th 2011
I'd seen Italy almost every day since we'd met, and Germany a few times too. Today was another one of those days. I was supposed to be heading over to the little Italians' house for dinner in about three hours, so I had some time to kill.
Clad fully in pyjamas, I skipped into the kitchen to make more stir fry. Another thing I enjoyed, especially when water chestnuts were involved.
As the pan was heating up, there was a knock on the front door.
"Someone get that?" I called out to the other inhabitants of the household, but no reply greeted me.
"Oh, I'll get it Solaria! I know you're busy, so I'll be considerate!" I mocked quietly as I wandered over to the front hallway to fling the obstacle out of the way.
"Sup Solaria!"
What the fuck.
"America. Why are you here? Are you looking for one of my friends, perhaps?" I suggested, motioning him inside. Just because he irritated me, didn't mean I was going to be rude.
He walked cheerily into my house and looked around.
"Sweet crib!" He told me, and I shrugged.
"It came fully furnished. Now, are you going to tell me why you're here?" I made my way back over to the kitchen to tend my frying vegetables, sampling a water chestnut or two.
"What are those things?" He questioned, nodding at the little things I had just popped in my mouth.
"Wodder Ches'nus." I replied, unable to speak properly because of a full mouth. America laughed loudly and went straight over to the frying pan to steal one.
"Stupid, you'll burn your fingers if you just take it like that!" I squawked, grabbing a hold on his wrist. I pulled out a fork and stabbed a chestnut, then handed it to him. "Eat it like this."
He chewed it carefully before swallowing. "It tastes weird. It's really juicy. And crunchy." He declared, and I rolled my eyes.
"That's why it's called a WATER chestnut." I growled.
Judas popped in through the front door about an hour and a half later, announcing her presence quietly. I hadn't even realized she'd gone out…usually she slept the days away.
I was just washing the dishes when she strolled into the kitchen, carrying a fairly large box….with a few small holes poked in it.
"Whatcha get?" I asked her, nodding at the item in her hands.
"A cat." She told me, opening the folds of cardboard. "I rescued her from a shelter. Now, tell me, why is America on the couch playing video games?"
I patted the pudgy white feline as she tiptoed out of the box, looking around. I supposed she was scared. "It's okay, baby." I whispered to her, lifting her up. She purred and rubbed her face on my cheek. I smiled, happy to have a fuzzy companion again.
"I'm naming her Puffy." I said, completely ignoring my friends' question.
"Solaria. Why. Is. America. On. The. Couch?" She grumbled again, trying to scare me into answering. I shrugged, because still, I didn't know. He'd not yet given me a reason for being here, so I just kind of let him laze around.
I told this to Judas.
"Oh. Well, I'm going to go bug him, 'kay?" Again, I shrugged to her. I didn't care…
I peeked at the clock, and bristled.
"Rosary, I'm hopping in the shower, I have to be at Italy's in about an hour and fifteen minutes…." I explained, and ran upstairs.
Thirty minutes later I was back downstairs, dressed in red denim skinny jeans, and a plain black Tee shirt, with a big happy face in the middle. The shirt actually belonged to Kray, but I doubt she'd mind. We borrowed each other's clothes quite often, because we were the same size. If Judas was shorter, we'd probably steal her stuff too.
"I'm off, Rosy!" I called, pulling on a wooly sweater and a pair of fuzzy boots. It's wasn't warm outside, as guessed by the thin layer of snow on everything, but it wasn't cold either.
"Okay, bye!" My friend called, along with America.
Why the hell was he still here?
"Ve~ You made it!" My hair-curled friend said happily, ushering me in.
"Of course I made it. I've made it every day for the past week! Plus, I'm like a raccoon. Feed me once and I'm here for life." I chuckled, reusing and old joke my Dad used to tell me. It wasn't my fault I really enjoyed good eats….
"Well, the pasta is almost ready ve~ I'm glad to have someone who eats it with me all the time!" He cheered happily, and disappeared into another room.
I wandered into the main living area, where a few couches littered the room, and a big TV was mounted up on the wall.
"Hi Germany." I greeted the blond man, and he mumbled a quiet hello.
I plopped into a squishy chair and sighed, blowing some hair out of my face. A pair of blue eyes looked at me questioningly. I shook my head a little and leaned back.
"America randomly popped into my house today, for no reason. It's irritating me a little bit…plus I'm already behind on bills and I've been around for only a week-and-a-bit…." I closed my eyes momentarily, thinking about that dumb wish I'd made.
Maybe it had all been a mistake.
I jumped a little, startling myself awake. I panicked for a few seconds until I remembered where I was. Italy's house. But it was dark outside…and all the lights were dimmed; save a lamp in the corner of the room.
I looked at my wristwatch.
"Two in the morning?" I whined quietly, irked. I sat up quickly and looked around…no one seemed to be up at the moment, which was a good thing I supposed. I hunted around for a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a quick note to the inhabitants of the household.
Then I slipped out the front door.
By the time I had gotten home, it was close to three. Great. There was a World Meeting in about six hours….ugh. There was no point on going back to sleep now. Knowing my friends, they would hog the bathroom, wake me up late, and eat all the good food.
I unlocked the front door and waltzed in, hanging up my hoodie in the process.
"Dude, you were gone so long! You sure you just went over there for pasta?" An irritating question hit my ears. An annoying question with a slightly hinting undertone.
"Yes, you moron. I fell asleep in an armchair because no one around here pulls any weight. Those two are always out shopping or spending money…" I explained, snapping a little.
America looked slightly taken aback, but otherwise still cheerful.
Wait.
"Why the hell are you at my house anyways? Why are you STILL at my house?" I nearly yelled, and upstairs I heard a gentle creaking of beds. I hope I didn't wake anyone, and that my girls were just stirring.
"Well, you three little Nations are cute! And small! Without a doubt, someone's gonna trying and screw you over, so I figured that I'd be your body guard! The damsels in distress always need a hero!" He pointed at himself, and laughed loudly.
Irritation boiled in my veins.
"Get the fuck out before I crush your nuts." I hissed, shoving him towards the door. "I can take care of myself, AND my friends! I don't need your help, you idiot!" Then I closed the door with a slam.
Maybe that had been a bit harsh…but Solaria plus Early Mornings equalled grumpy bitch. And I didn't like being called weak. I just needed to stay out of people's way, and that way no one would hate me.
I yawned, breaking off any trains of thought. Who cares if I got up late? I was still sleepy.
"SOLARIA! We're going to be LATE!" Krey screamed, barging into my bedroom. I rolled around under my bed blankets for a few moments before opening a single eye to glare at her.
"I know." I grumbled. "Go away so I can dress…"
Pulling on an assortment of clothes similar to the attire I'd worn to the last World Meeting, I sprinted down the stairs and out the car. Well, MY car. I had a big 'PROPERTY OF SOLARIA' magnet stuck to the bumper.
Krey and Judas followed in suit, still messing with their shirts and hair. Oh, right! My hair….
I yanked it into a messy ponytail and popped the key into the ignition.
Thankfully we were on time. Barely, but still.
I went to go sit down, but a teary Italia suddenly latched onto my waist. "You disappeared last night! I thought something bad had taken you and eaten you! Ve~ Don't worry us again!" He cried, hugging me tighter.
I made 'I'm suffocating' noises, and was released.
"I left a note…" I pointed out. "Did you not find it?"
Italy opened his mouth to say something, but the door was suddenly thrown open, and a girl tripped in. I started walking over to see if she was alright, but once I caught sight of her face everything around me simply dissolved.
It seemed that Kray and Judas had noticed too.
"Somebody grab her." My friends said urgently. They knew who this girl was too.
Back when I was…human, I'm guessing….another girl –Julia Nocturne- and myself were best friends. Some bad crap had gone down, which resulted in me getting emotionally scarred, and Julia showing her true colours.
Why the fuck was she here?
My girlfriends arms wrapped around my shoulders and midsection just as I started struggling, wanting nothing more than to punch that stupid Julia in the face.
"Solaria. Solaria! Calm down!" Kray pleaded, sniffling. "It's in the past! We've forgiven her! Please, please, pleeeease get a hold of yourself!" She continued whining, and Judas argued that Kray was the only one who'd forgiven Julia for what she did.
I stopped moving around, my brain still hazy with adrenaline, and my friends grips slackened. And then I had bowelled Julia over on the floor.
She squeaked, startled, but as she looked into my face I knew she recognized me.
"What the hell kind of right do you have being here, bitch?" I yelled at her, and she smirked. "The same right as you, Kannora. I'm a country."
I hated her voice. It was a normal voice, but I hated it. That stupid, happy, no-good, EVIL high-pitched trill of hers….it made me want to vomit.
I was very suddenly yanked off of Julia (but not before I managed to kick her in the chin) and carried out into the hallway and around one of its corners. Then I was set down.
I stared at the brown fuzz of a bomber jacket neckline for a few minutes while I calmed, then I plunked onto the ground and curled up into an upright fetal position. Fuck. Fuck Fuck Fuck….I was not going to cry. I was NOT going to—nevermind.
A salty droplet drooled down my cheek and soaked into my sleeve, which was covering the lower half of my face.
"Dude, are you crying? Aren't you worried your make-up is gonna run or something?" America asked, plopping beside me whilst stuffing a burger into his mouth.
"I'm not wearing make-up." I growled, trying to hide the cracking in my tone. A hand rested on my shoulder. "You can't just jump people like that. The poor girl didn't even do anything to you—" I shoved the blond nation away from me.
"What the hell do you know, America?"I yelled and hopped up, wiping my face. "Juila and I…we….she's not a good person. I knew her before I became a country, alright? It's a bad past, and it's none of your business, so that's all you're getting." I tried to explain.
In all honesty, I think I wanted to tell someone, but every single time I tried I either got so enraged by the memories that someone got hurt, or I got so depressed that I needed medication. I couldn't talk about it.
"Before you became a country? What?" He asked, thoroughly confused.
I rubbed my temples, hoping to send away the headache I could feel coming on.
"Ugh…Krey, Judas and I were born human. About a week ago, when the three of our Micronations were founded, were the days that each of us became countries. We disconnected with our pasts and our families…..or so I'm guessing….and….now we're here, but so is Julia, so everything sucks." I stomped my foot at the end.
But there was no way I was saying that I wished on a star. I would sound crazier than England….even though I knew that little green bunny of his actually did exist.
America stayed silent. And it was quite unnerving, considering it was pretty much impossible to shut him up.
"Are you going to say something?" I asked finally, looking over at him tearily. He turned his head to me and shook it.
"There isn't much to say….except that it's kind of weird you were born human. I've never heard of that happening. Countries are usually discovered by other ones…never just born out of thin air; and you're grown up too…."
I sighed loudly. "Nah. I'm not grown up, as proven by my recent dispute. I'm only seventeen, I'm still a kid who sucks at life and has failed every history class since grade seven…." I mumbled, scowling at the floor.
America patted my head, then stood up and offered his hand to me.
"Let's go back in." He said, and I shook my head.
"Oh, come on." He plucked me easily from the ground, and tossed me over his shoulder. "I'll protect you from that bad Nation. Plus, I kind of want to see the damage you did to her face; you kicked pretty hard."
I had to chuckle a little.
America strolled into the room airily, with me still hanging off him. A few of the others turned their heads, but most of them remained focused on arguments happening around the room. Mainly the yelling match between Judas and Julia.
Interesting.
I wriggled a little in the Blond Country's grasp, and he released me. I walked over to my friends and patted Judas's shoulder. She turned on me, but softened a little when she noticed it was just me. I smiled a little. "Julia isn't even worth your time." I told her, and the meanie standing in front of me crossed her arms.
"My NAME is Nocturne!" She hissed, and I shrugged. "Whatever. I don't care. You're still the same bitch you were before, and that ain't gonna change. Dummkopf." I told her, flapping my hand to dismiss her as I sat down.
I stretched a little as Kray tossed me the car keys. "We're gonna hang out with a few of the Allies for a bit…." She told me. I smiled, and spun the chain of keys around my finger. "Okay. I'll see you girls later. I'll make some ham and peas for dinner, if you want some…." But they were already out the door.
"Fine, I'll eat the ham by myself, then…"
"Dude! Ham? As in HAMburgers? I'll have some!" An overly excited bond popped out of nowhere, scaring the daylights out of me. Slightly flustered, I reached to the back of my head and tightened my ponytail.
"Er…no. Ham as in roast ham; pork. Hamburgers are made of beef….and I didn't offer to give you any." I scolded a little. "Don't go barging in to other people's conversations, either! It's rude!" I turned around and strutted away to my car. I wasn't entirely sure as to why I was being a biz-natch to America.
Maybe because his character was tolerable; but that was back when I wasn't thrown into the world of Hetalia. In real life –which was now- persons like him annoyed the hell out of me.
Once again, I shoved the key into the ignition of my crappy, piece of shit car, and turned it. There was a bit of unhappy revving, but the engine didn't start up. I twisted my hand again, but was greeted with the same irritating sound.
Reluctantly, I slid from the drivers' seat and propped the hood open as I began checking things.
"Hmm…the spark plugs are fine…the fuel pump is fine…I'm fairly certain the fuel's clean. I mean, I've replaced the gas a few times already and it's never done this…uh…." I peered in closer at the metal chunk in front of me, unaware that a certain American was slinking up beside me.
"Dirty fuel filter!" I yelled, pumping my fist into the air. Then I groaned. "I hate changing the filter….it's grooooss….." I muttered to myself, and looked at the time.
"If I run home, I can still get a clean filter, and be back here to fix it before five…." I mumbled, and turned around…only to be startled.
"H-how long have you been standing there?" I squeaked, tense.
"Long enough to figure out you know a thing or two about cars." He smiled, and I sighed.
"Yes…well…I have to make money somehow…and I do like fixing crap, sometimes. I picked up a lot when I was younger…" I looked away from him, oddly flustered. Why was I blushing, damnit?
I swivelled around and slammed the hood of my junky car shut.
"Though, judging by the fact that I'd be spending more than I have repairing this thing…and the fact that this THING is a load of crap…." I continued talking to myself whilst I pulled out my phone. I dialled Judas.
"Sup Sol?" She greeted me.
"I'm buying a new car." I said, and hung up, then turned my phone of so she couldn't yell at me.
I glanced sideways at America.
"Well, uh…since you're still standing there…d'you wanna help me pick out a shiny new vehicle?" I wondered.