Chapter II: Change of Plans

Amanda carefully opened the door so it wouldn't squeak and slipped into the apartment, knowing her guardian would be sleeping to make up for the late hours he'd worked the night before. Well, at least she had her laptop to entertain herself with until he woke up. Surely her friends from Sudan or England – err, Sealand, as Peter insisted – were dying to know where she was moving this time.

Fortunately her laptop was exactly where she'd put it on the kitchen counter that morning, the charging light blinking a steady green. The apartment complex the girl and her guardian currently called home wasn't the nicest pace to live and their electronic devices were probably the costliest things in the building, but at least the neighbors minded their own business more often than not. She'd still miss the tiny three-room space a little when the few things that made it home were packed up again though.

Walking past the old picture of her and her dad sitting in front of the Parthenon laughing and petting various cats with a sleepy-looking tanned brunette Amanda unplugged the laptop and logged on. A dazzling smile lit up her face when she saw the small '2' flashing beside the envelope icon on the desktop – of course they would have replied immediately no matter what time they received the message.

"What're you so happy about?" Deep blue eyes widened in surprise but the shock quickly changed to glee when she realized who'd spoken. It was strange seeing her guardian wearing jeans and a t-shirt because his work clothes usually consisted of a dress shirt and slacks. "Did your boyfriends email you back?"

"Daad, Hassan's not my boyfriend! And neither is Peter!" Amanda gasped dramatically. "They're just good friends who want me to move close enough to visit easily."

Sam Thompson only laughed as he retrieved his own laptop from its place beside the teen's and sat down in the chair he'd claimed as soon as they'd moved in. He was actually pretty average in height and build, with neatly cut light brown hair and warm hazel eyes, but the way he spoke and carried himself made him appear much bigger and more confident than the average person. It wasn't hard to see how he could find work quickly no matter where or when he decided to move. "I know; just keep them as 'good friends,' okay?"

"Whatevs. How's Heracles doing?" Oh, she knew Sam was reading something from the Greek when he grinned like that.

"The usual. He's about to go to one of those meetings he has every few months but accidentally sent the email when he went to sleep, then realized he was running late when he woke up and sent another one saying he'd message me again when he had time."

Amanda chuckled as faded but fond memories of the cat-lover came to mind but couldn't help noticing Sam sounded a little anxious, like he'd been waiting for whatever Heracles wanted to tell him for a while. "Could we swing by his place before going to Bavarda? I miss Greece a lot and you two can catch up."

"Actually, I had to move our flight forward – I got a phone call from my new employers saying they needed me a bit earlier since they had an…unexpected problem. I know you were excited for your days off but after you finish emails we need to pack."

The youth frowned inwardly as she opened her own inbox. Usually her guardian allowed for these kinds of things – what had happened that was making them move earlier than planned? "Well…okay. I thought that it'd be easier to see what Heracles wanted if you went to see him instead of reading half-finished messages."

"Maybe next time, but if you've read the brochure you'd know that Bavarda's climate is very similar." Sam's eyes got that knowing gleam as Amanda's quickly returned to her inbox and he chuckled. "Don't take too long online, we have to pack soon."

_-Hetalia-*'

Something was wrong, but what was it? The man absentmindedly checked the pocket inside his jacket again as he slipped through the crush of people. Instead of brushing the cool smooth surface, however, he felt nothing but fabric.

The girl! The pin must have fallen out of his pocket when he bumped into her on that little side-street! He hadn't really known who she was but acting like he did threw her off enough for him to recover and escape without being questioned. It was the only logical option, which meant over five years of planning had gone to waste. Hurriedly ducking into a small alcove he checked the pocket again and found a large tear in the silky fabric.

"I just can't win can I?!" He moaned and leaned against the cool brick as he realized his (much richer) brother wouldn't forgive him for stealing the globe pin, never mind losing it.

_-Hetalia-*'

If Amanda had read the newspaper that evening instead of directing her adoptive parent to the airport she would have eventually noticed the small add near the back of the classifieds offering a reward for the small globe pin now attached to her carry-on.

[Edited 6/8/15]