A/N: Awesome somebody followed and somebody favorited. Thank you very much. I hope you like this next chapter. Please review.
Disclaimer: I don't hetalia or ghost stories or anything.
Veronika's POV
America half dragged, half carried, me to his shiny, red convertible and took off at fifty miles-per-hour with me in the passenger seat.
"Awesome coincidence, that the world meeting was held on my land this time." Alfred smiled, "We're gonna have a rockin' time together. Anything you want for dinner, you must be kinda hungry after crossing a portal into an alternate dimension?"
"Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry." I replied thoughtfully, "I'll let you choose where we go."
"Sweet, I know of an awesome burger joint in Texas that you might of heard of." he offered, and in the span of ten minutes America drove from Washington D.C. to Houston, Texas, all the while singing along to cowboy music on the radio, which I inwardly snickered at.
He opened the passenger door for me and politely offered me his hand. I slowly took it and stepped out of the car with eyes as big as baseballs and breathing long, hard breaths.
"Hey," Alfred called, snapping me out of my trance "You okay, Veronika?"
I closed my eyes, straightened my posture, and put a hand to the side of my head "I guess being the entire country of America has it's perks." I replied as I followed him into a restaurant which I recognized as Fudruckers, sweet.
As we patiently waited in line to place our orders, I received many stares and glances from other people who were eating dinner with their families, some of them even took pictures with their cellphones. I simply stared back at them then looked down at my gothic style dress 'A little showy, maybe' I wondered, staring at the black and red garment.
"Excuse me for one second, Alfred." I whispered to the blond man at my side before calmly stepping into the women's restroom. I looked into the mirror for a second then closed my eyes and put my hands together. Once I opened them again I was dressed in black boots, fishnets, a knee-length plaid skirt, a black T-shirt with hearts hanging on strings and the words "strings of love", a beautiful cross-necklace with my savior hanging on it, and to top it off: a spiked bracelet 'lovely' I thought to myself.
Nodding at my success, I stepped out and re-took my place in line next to Alfred.
"Whoa, how did you change so fast?" he asked in complete shock, staring at my pretty outfit, "And where did you get that from?"
"Matter could not be created or destroyed, Alfred F. Jones," I smirked, picking up a metal spoon on the counter beside me and turning it into a tube of black lipstick, "Only transformed." I finished, applying the dark to my soft lips.
Once it was our turn to order, Alfred stepped forward and leaned an elbow on the counter "Two cheeseburgers, please, one large for me, one medium for her," he said coolly, wrapping an around my shoulders,"and a large order of fries."
"And one small order, for me." I whispered in his ear.
"And a small order of fries for the lady and two large Pepsis for the both of us." he finished.
"Yes sir, coming right up." the woman behind the counter replied, writing down our order.
"Thank you, ma'am." Alfred nodded, paying for the order.
With his arm still around my shoulders, he lead me to a booth where we sat down to wait while they cooked up our desired meal. "How did you know I liked Pepsi?" I inquired. "Lucky guess." he smiled.
Soon our meal was brought to our table by a young waitress and I thanked her as Alfred began on his huge hamburger, then I said a quick prayer to thank God for providing for us before I began to eat my own burger, which tasted simply divine.
When we finished, America left a tip and we were out the door.
In what seemed like fifteen minutes we were at Alfred's house in Washington, I know, insane.
Alfred lead me inside an closed the door behind us "Hey, wanna watch a movie?" he offered, "I've got all the movies made in America."
"Sure." I replied as he lead me into the living room, where he had what was probably the largest flat-screen I've ever seen. "What do you want to watch." he asked, walking over to a large movie shelf.
"Transformers." I called as I sat down on his white, leather couch and crossed my right leg over the left.
"Awesome, that's one of my favorites!" he cheered excitedly, "Do you want some popcorn, too?" he called back, walking into his kitchen. "Yes, please." I replied.
Soon he returned with a large bowl of popcorn and the movie began.
We watched all three Transformers movies before we decide it was time to retire. Alfred showed me to one of his spare rooms and bade me goodnight then went to bed, himself.
I looked around the lovely room and noticed a few things: the closet and drawers were completely full of women's clothing and undergarments and the bathroom, connected to the room, had all kinds of soaps, hair products, and even supplies for a woman's time of the month. I raised an eyebrow at this, 'had other women stayed here?' I wondered to myself.
Shrugging it off, I selected a black nightgown from the closet, brushed my hair, then went to bed.
The next morning
I awoke to the sunlight shining right on my face when morning arrived, I quickly covered my face with my blanket and shifted onto my side, I preferred darkness over light. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, I found it was 7:45 A.M. I sighed and got out of bed and stretched my muscles, feeling refreshed from last night, I looked through the many articles of clothing in the large closet.
I found a pair of skinny, black denim shorts that go a few inches below my knees, a puffy, white shirt, and some black, high-heel boots that reach my ankles.
Smirking, I pulled the fishnets, from yesterday, over my long, snow white legs, then put the shorts on over them, and slipped the white shirt on. But I noticed that it was about one size too big. Putting my hands together, I willed it to fit my size. I looked over at a mirror on the dresser, 'Not bad.' I thought, 'But what's missing..."
Thinking for a second I got an idea, and ran into the bathroom and took out a hand towel. Getting in-front of the mirror again, I wrapped the towel around my abdomen then concentrated hard on it.
After a few seconds, I let go of the towel, only it was now a gothic/punk, under-bust corset ,with tiny silver chains hanging on the side. Shifting the leather garment to fit my figure, I fastened the shiny, metal latches on the front, then tightened it in the back.
Satisfied with it, I slipped on the high-heel boots, brushed my hair, and applied mascara, eye-shadow, lipstick, and perfume from a selection of cosmetics from under the counter in the bathroom.
Looking spectacular, I stepped out of the room and went downstairs to the kitchen, following the way Alfred lead me last-night.
When I reached the kitchen, I was greeted by the scent of pancakes and a "You look beautiful." from Alfred, himself.
"Good morning to you too, Alfred." I snickered, "What are we doing today?"
"Well, after breakfast, we could go to the rodeo!" he offered excitedly, handing me a plate of pancakes,"I could show you my mad skills there!"
"Alright, cowboy." I agreed as I took a seat at his large, beautiful table. Straightening my back and shoulders, I cut tiny bites with my knife and fork, while Alfred messily stuffed his face with the sticky pancakes. At this, I simple rolled my eyes, then finished and put away my plate, as America finished his third plate.
When we left the house, Alfred decided he didn't want to drive his convertible this time, so we drove to San Antonio in a red Ford truck, 'Getting in the spirit.' I thought smirking.
"I've never been to a rodeo before." I said, getting out of the truck.
"What? That's insane!" Alfred exclaimed, slapping his forehead, "I thought you said you're from Texas!"
"I am," I told, exasperated "Calm down, dude."
He lead me to a seat in the crowded bleachers then ran off, saying he had some 'important business' to attend to
I simply shrugged and sat down and the first contestant for 'tie-down roping' was announced 'Oh, I think I know what that is.' I thought as a blond man, with a big hat and cowboy gear, mounted a white horse behind a closed gate. It only took a second for me to realize that it was Alfred. I put a hand to my mouth in shock as a small-ish cow was released and he took off after it, on his horse, at a sickening speed that would make lightning wish it was fast. He quickly caught it with a skillfully, thrown lasso, then wrestled it to the ground, and hog-tied it in record time.
Then, surprising us all, he swung the cow around in the air about six times then flung it a good ten feet to the side and shouted savagely at it, like some cage-fighter.
The crowd, including myself, cheered loudly for the spectacular act of skill and brute strength, as Alfred raised his arms and waved at the audience, and smirked directly at me. I smirked back, gave him a thumbs up, and continued clapping for him.
That night
I closed the door to the red truck and caught up with America, who was carrying a big trophy, as we walked up to his large house "That was insane, how had no trouble hanging on to that crazed bull, longer than everybody else." I commented, "Then when it was time to get off, you tossed the bull ten feet, like you did that tractor, that cow, and that horse."
"Yeah, I told you." he said smugly, as he flexed his mighty bicep in triumph, "I got mad skills."
We stepped into the living room, and I closed the front door for him as he went to place his new trophy in a large trophy case, filled with more metals and cups than he, big strong America, could ever carry.
"I'm gonna get some chips." he said, walking toward the kitchen, "Do you want some?"
"No thanks, I ate quite enough after the show ended." I called back, heading upstairs "I think I'll just go to bed now."
A few hours later
I was suddenly jolted awake at the sound of loud music at two in the morning. Wondering what was going on, I got out of bed, put on some fluffy vampire bat slippers and a silky, black robe, and padded over to Alfred's bedroom, where he merrily jumped and danced around on his king sized bed, stereo system blasting All American Rejects.
I just stared blankly at him for several minutes until he finally noticed me stand there. "Oh, Veronika." he gasped, quickly turning off his stereo, "I'm sorry, did I wake you, dudette?" he apologized.
I sighed heavily at this, "What's the matter, Alfred? Can't sleep?" I asked, trying to stay quite and cool like I normally am.
"Oh, no, I always get worked up like this after the rodeo!" he smiled brightly.
"How about I tell you a story, would it help you to settle down?" I tried, smirking darkly on the inside 'Let the fun begin.'
America gasped at me, "Rock out! I love stories!" he cheered, before practically flying back into his bed, all tucked in, eager to listen to my tale.
"Alright," I smirked lightly, which went unnoticed by the hyper American as he squeed in excitement. Conjuring a small, brass candle-holder, complete with a black candle, I shut off all the lights with a silent spell. Getting his complete attention as the large room was plunged into Stygian blackness, "Hey, what's with the lights?" he questioned aloud, looking frantically about, hoping to spot my white face in the darkness. I then quickly ran my fingers up the candlestick, which instantly caused it to light, with a tiny flame, so he could see me as I smirked darkly, the candlelight casting flickering, shadows on my face, which was half shaded by my long hair. Raising the side of my long, dark nightgown, to allow me to walk better, I took slow, ominous steps towards him and sat down on the edge of his bed.
I knew fully well that Alfred had a crippling, pathological fear of ghosts. I could be pretty evil when I wanted to be and if he was going to be up all night, it would be out of fear from my prank, not celebration of his victory. Plus I was really bored and wanted to see how long he could go without freaking out, fainting, or wetting the bed.
Staring intensely into his sapphire orbs, I crossed my right leg over the left one and began to slowly pull up my long, black shirt, revealing my ghostly pale, feminine lower limbs.
This greatly distracted him, but that was the point.
When I got up to my knee he noticed a black wand,(with a shimmering moonstone on the tip and shiny black lace twined around it, which glowed when in use, colors depending on what sort of magic I used) strapped to my leg. I quickly took the magical tool, letting my gown full back over my legs, then drew a blue(divination) circle of light over the middle of his bed.
He cast a questioning glance toward me but I simply motioned with my eyes for him look at it.
As he looked back at the circle it formed into a bright round orb, and I began to tell my story.
"There was once this painter. He was getting on in age and didn't have a lot of money. There was an art exhibit that was coming to town and not only would it make him famous but it would make him a lot of money if he won." I began as the orb projected a picture of an aging man with a paintbrush.
"The artist was stewing because he tried painting but no matter how hard he tried he knew his paintings weren't good enough. He began thinking about how he could win the prize when all of a sudden the most terrifying figure appeared." I continued as the orb played out what I said in video form, "It was a shriveled old man with no hands and no eyes. Empty sockets. It began to speak. 'I know how desperately you want to do well at that exhibit. I can guarantee you win on the condition you give me your right hand'. The painter knew the presence was evil, but at this point was so desperate he agreed."
Alfred whimpered in fear of the ghostly man the mini cinema showed, but nonetheless stared intently at it, all the while sucking on his thumb and hugging a pillow to his chest.
"The next day he showed up at the exhibit to see the most spectacular painting he had ever seen and sure enough it was signed in his name. So he took home his prize." I smiled at him as he cheered for the old painter, but my smile quickly turned to a sinister smirk as I continued, "That night the presence appeared and with one swift swing of a very large knife the artist's hand was gone."
The nation of America screamed like a little girl and hid under his blanket, 'Now, that won't do' I thought before pulling down the covers to reveal the whimpering mess that was Alfred F. Jones, then pulled him back up by the front of his collar, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and continued.
"Sometime later the artist was enjoying his fame and fortune, he had made up a story about his hand and he had basically forgotten about the deal he'd made until one faithful night." I said ominously, making Alfred tense up
and hug his pillow again.
"He was sleeping when he awakened by a loud tap, tap, tap on his window. He woke up to see the hand. It was begging to be let in. Ignoring it he went back to sleep. Again later tap, tap, tap. Again, it wanted in. The artist ignored it again, but was getting nervous. A while later this happened again. This time the artist screamed for the hand to leave him alone. The rest of the night he slept peacefully and the next morning he thought he'd been dreaming."
Alfred sighed in relief but I quickly put a finger to his lips, halting his delighted cheer.
"Well the next night he was again in a peaceful sleep when he heard a loud crash downstairs. Waking with a start he headed downstairs to investigate. He was rushing down and the last thing he felt was a hand gripping his leg."
America gasped in shock at this.
"He was found two months later. Neighbors had been complaining of a bad smell. The cause of his death, a broken neck, a nasty fall down the stairs." I finished the story.
"Well, that wasn't so bad. Thank you, Veronika." Alfred said in a cracked voice, trying to look as though he wasn't freaking out or scared. But he was. "Um I have a question?" he announced to me, "How did the old dude's hand kill him like that?"
Sighing "Our hands have feelings too," I said sarcastically, "And his hand was angry and hurt when he, so willingly, allowed an evil spirit from hell to cut him from the arm which he had faithfully served since birth."
Alfred gasped once more, in understanding this time, "So if you tick off your hands like that, they'll come back and kill you?"
"No Alfred, his hand was possessed by an evil ghost, and if you're not careful," I said, backing away slowly toward the center of his room, "The ghosts will make you kill yourself with you're own hands."
"Holy crap! Are you serious?" Alfred cried in horror, looking frantically around to make sure no ghosts were present, "How will I know if they're coming?!"
"Oh, you'll know when you hear blood curdling howls from all around, that's when they're closing in on you. Goodnight, Alfred!" I finished brightly with a wicked Bellatrix Lestrange laugh and a few mighty claps of thunder and lightning outside, before teleporting back to my room with a dramatically, bright glowing portal.
When I was back in my room I heard a loud, less than manly, scream reverberate from America's room. I cackled and blew out the black candle I was holding near my face during the story, then pulled out a small remote, from the front of my gown, that controlled five powerful speakers that I placed in the four corners of his bedroom and the fifth one right under his bed when I turned out the lights to the room.
Alfred's POV
"Oh my God, that was a bad idea! Bad magic! Bad story! Bad hand! Bad! Oh my God, there's no way those were real ghosts! Ghosts are scary! Save me, Ace!" I cried as I snatched up my equally freaked out cat, "Well, at least there's no ghosts here because I don't hear anything!" I went on, trying to stay calm even as I hid under my blankets, curled up in a ball, and quaking in fear.
Veronika's POV
Smirking, I turned the volume on the remote up all the way. 'Hmm, screams that I would find fitting are banshee screams, the screams of the plague victims from I am legend, and the zombie screams from Half-life. They're all very good screams but which one should I choose?' I thought in my head as I set the sounds for the speakers, 'I think I'll just use all of them.' I decided, pressing a few buttons on the remote then put my finger on the play button, 'Oh, this is going to be fun.'
Alfred's room
Third POV
Suddenly with warning, Alfred suddenly flew ten feet into the air as horrible shrieks and howls sounded from every corner of the room. Landing back on his bed, cat still in his arms, he quickly jumped off and began running around in search of safe harbor from the 'invading spirits', while screaming like a little baby-girl-man-boy.
"Aahhh! They're here, they're here! The ghosts! I don't wanna die! Not my hands! Not my hands!" he panicked, hugging his blue eyed cat protectively to his chest as he snatched up the phone beside his bed, "Matthew, help!" he cried. "Huh, Alfred? It's 2:15 in the morning." Alfred's Canadian brother yawned. "Matthew, the ghosts are gonna cut off my hands and make me kill myself with them!" the terrified American shouted into the receiver. "Um fine, I'll be right over." Canada replied tiredly before hanging up.
Veronika's POV
Wow, I could hear his screams perfectly over the monstrous, screams from the speakers and he was on the other side of this large house, 'Amazing.'
Quite suddenly, Alfred came bursting into my room and jumped right into my arms, making me stumble a little and try to balance myself.
"Ahh! The ghosts are here! Protect us from the ghosts!" he screamed, shaking violently in my arms.
Struggling with his weight, I set him down as gently as I could and placed both my hands on his shoulders, "Alfred, Romans 12:21 says 'Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'" I told him seriously, looking into his eyes.
But before I could say anything else the doorbell rang and the American nation screamed and hid under my bed, almost inhumanly fast.
Rolling my eyes I ran downstairs to find Canada waiting patiently at the door, "Good evening, Matthew." I greeted pleasantly, "Your brother is currently hiding under my bed, because I told him a ghost story and scared him with monster screams."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense, because he called me a few minutes ago about ghosts." he replied quietly as I willed my nightgown, robe, and slippers into a pair of black, skinny jeans, my 'strings of love' shirt from earlier, a leather jacket, and high-heel boots. "I'll just leave him a note for when he calms down." I said as Matthew stared in shock as he watched me perform magic, "Well, are you ready for your turn then, Matthew?" I asked, as I wrote the aforementioned note for Alfred, snapping him out of his shock.
"Oh, of course, Ms. Veronika." he replied shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You needn't fear me, Matthew." I comforted him, setting the note on the coffee table in front of the couch, "And please, just call me Veronika." I smiled softly to him as I we stepped out the door to his car.
The next morning
Third POV
It was 8:00 in the morning and Alfred awoke with an extremely sore back, "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to sleep under Veronika's bed all night." he said aloud as he crawled out from under said piece of furniture, but Veronika was nowhere to be seen.
"Veronika?" he called out for the blonde girl as he began downstairs, but he received no answer.
Noticing the nicely folded note on the coffee table. Snatching it up, he read aloud her beautiful, cursive words: "Dear Alfred, I have bargained with the evil spirits you've encountered, and they have agreed to take me in your stead. I do not hold cowardice against you and I pray that God does not hold your sins against you. Goodbye, Alfred F. Jones and thank you for making my last hours meaningful.
Veronika, Rosenthal
PS: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21."
The words greatly shocked him, "Oh God, what have I done?" he gasped, falling to his knees and sobbing, "Why couldn't it have been England?!"
But he failed to noticed the back of the note as he continued to sob on the floor.
'PPS: The ghost story was fake and the screams were hidden speakers all over your bedroom.
PPPS: See you at the next World meeting.'
A/N: Awesome, I scared America. What did you think? Next chapter will be her visit with Canada. Please review. Best of love.