I'm sorry this update is so late. I can't really give any excuse why I haven't updated in so long. I'll tell you though, rereading the reviews I've gotten made me want to finish this piece and I will. I have the whole story mapped out, just writing it and trying to find a good pacing takes a lot of time and I'm so sorry that I don't often have that time, but the people who take the time to write me just one nice sentence about my story make my day. You people make me want to cry out of happiness. Thank you so very much to LillianNovakJones and GalaxyWolf2.0. You people make me smile so much! And thank you to all the people who have favorited or followed this story!
Read on and Enjoy!
-Symbolic
"You want to tell a story? Grow a heart. Grow two.
Now, with the second heart, smash the first one into bits. Gross, right?
A bloody pulpy liquid mess. Look at it, try to make sense of it.
Realize you can't. Because there is no sense.
Ask your computer to print out a list of every lie you have ever told.
Ask yourself how much of the universe you have ever really seen.
Look in the mirror. Are you sure you're you?
Are you sure you didn't slip out of yourself in the middle of the night,
and someone else slipped into you,
without you or you or any of you even noticing?"
-Charles Yu
Iceland could feel her throat closing and her stomach growing icy under the examination of Italy. He stood at the tops of the steps and gave of all of them a look that reeked of disgust, but he seemed to reserve his loathing look for her. Iceland tried to glare back at him, but could tell by his amused smirk that she had failed completely.
Behind Italy, to the right, stood his blonde brother, Romano, and to the left of him stood Germany, who stared at the ground in apathy, and Japan, who watched them with resentfully red eyes. Italy took one step forward down the first step. He surveyed over the gathered nations and smiled viciously in victory.
"I assume you have all completed your missions?" Italy questioned, but before any of the gathered nations could affirm he plowed on. "Very well then, if you could go get them, we will hold them at the our home of operations."
A bolt of surprise traveled through Iceland as she watched the others slowly begin to meander towards their cars.
"Wait a second!" She called out, flinching when she drew everyone's attention to her. "Why should you guys get them after all the work the rest of us put in? Didn't the Ally guys even go get your alternates while you stayed here? How do we know you won't turn them against us?"
Iceland had added that last part after the glares the others were giving her, probably eager to get their alternates off their hands the way she knew her brothers wanted to. However, a new gleam of suspicion entered her eyes at those last words. Immediately it was as if a sudden shift came over all those gathered there, even the most laid back nations, France, Canada, and Denmark, stared around them at the other nations with tensed muscles and narrowed eyes.
Italy gave her the darkest look she had ever received, but she knew her words had done their job. Once the seed of suspicion was planted, there was nothing that could reunite them to a common mission. It was the key way to break up World Meetings that they had all used at least once. Italy smirked at her.
"Fine, all of you, feel free to take your alternates with you, but that just means you have to watch them and be responsible for them should they escape. Personally responsible," Italy finished with a direct look at Iceland that made her shiver.
Iceland knew that look. She'd been on the receiving end of that look only once and it had required her to hide from Italy for two years. She glanced around at the other countries who looked upset, but grudgingly were agreeing. She let out a small breath, relieved that her brother's alternates wouldn't be subjected to Italy's version of fun. They looked far to like her brothers for her to imagine them being hurt by him, it made her feel cold and alone, like she was letting her real brothers down. The others grumbled as they walked away, their meeting apparently over with that final enjoin from Italy.
Iceland followed silently behind her brothers trying to hide the bright smile on her face, knowing they'd be pissed if they caught onto what she had done.
"I can't believe Italy would try to take advantage of all the work we did!" Finland exclaimed, scowling even more when Sweden agreed with a "Yes dear!".
"You can't believe it? I believe it, the others are always trying to steal credit when they don't even do anything," Norway said with a yawn.
"And you're one to talk, right?" Denmark remarked, making Norway glare over at him.
The group arrived at the car and everyone climbed into their previous seats. Iceland finally let a smile overtake her face. She knew none of the others would look back at her, so she didn't have to worry about them seeing it and catching onto what she had done. She was tempted to spin around and tell the others in the cages how lucky they were, but that would likely draw the attention of the others. She roved her eyes over her brothers. Denmark and Norway were fighting over the stereo, Denmark wanting to listen to classical music and Norway fighting to listen to some cheesy pop station. Finland and Sweden were talking to each other in lower voices that, when Iceland leaned closer to hear, she could discern was Finnish from Sweden's slight hesitancy before speaking. She quickly pushed herself back into her seat when Finland spun around and glared at her, his hand twitching towards what she knew was a small pistol hidden in his uniform.
As Iceland leaned back in her seat, she swore she could hear voices coming from the back. She pressed herself further into the seat and strained to hear the voices coming from their prisoners in the back. She could definitely hear them, but she was unable to make out what they were saying. She jumped and clutched her ears when a blast of loud music filled the car as Denmark and Norway started to fight over the volume controls. Iceland felt conflicted over what she should do. She hardly listened as Finland yelled at the two nations up front. The prisoners in the back looked like her brothers, but they were not her brothers. Would it be more of a betrayal to tell on the people who looked like her brothers, or to not tell her actual brothers? She gathered her courage and leaned forward, tapping on Finland's shoulder.
"What do you want?" Finland yelled at Iceland, his hand digging into his uniform.
"I can hear them speaking in the back," Iceland said.
Finland turned and passed the information on to Norway who grumbled, but surrendered the fight with Denmark, causing the cheesy pop music to change to a furious classical station whose music pounded out with a confusing mix of fervor and elegance, and started searching around his feet for a small bag that held another charm England had made that would put people within a 1.5 meter range (5 ft.) to sleep. Iceland had wondered why they didn't use it in the alley, but didn't actually ask why they hadn't, she would never turn down a chance at a fight she could actually win for once. Norway handed the charm wrapped in a purple cloth to Finland with a warning to not toss it at Iceland because, "When this is dropped it'll activate and knowing that, the charm would put us all to sleep." So for once, Finland actually handed Iceland something instead of throwing it at her.
When Iceland got the charm she pulled the cloth off, taking special care not to drop it, and stared in awe at the little block in her hand that swirled deep blues, purples, and pinks against a black background. She climbed onto her knees and turned around so she was leaning over the seat and looking into the trunk. She leaned over the cages, ignoring the way the two who looked like her brothers, Lukas and Tino she believed they were called, looked up at her as she stretched out her arm so the charm would fall on the floor right in front of the cages. She heard a sharp inhale from Lukas before she dropped the charm before pulling her arm back. She leaned her head on her arm and watched in fascination as the charm shattered once it hit the ground and released the dark colors that swirled through the air like snow on an especially windy day. The colors swirled around and disappeared into the air. Iceland watched as the others in the cages began to slow down their movements and droop. She felt her eyes growing heavy and a weight settled in her chest, making her heart beat slower and her breath shallower. Slowly the world became darker around her.
When Iceland next opened her eyes, she was confused by what she saw. She thought she was looking at the bottom of a car seat, but how had she ended up like that? She looked up and saw the roof of the car. Her eyes widened when she suddenly felt a flash of pain in her legs, she reached up for the seat and pulled herself back up into a kneeling position. It appeared that at some point Denmark had slammed on the breaks and she had fallen back and over the seat. That explained the pain in her legs, she had fallen while still kneeling and her legs were cramped after being in such an uncomfortable position for so long. Iceland also felt a dull ache in her head where she had likely hit the back of the seat on front of her when she had fallen. She ran her hand over her head and felt a slight sense of relief when her hand was clean of any blood.
"Hey dritthode, get out here and help us unload the cages."
Iceland scrambled from the car when she heard Norway's words. Iceland ran around the car to the back where Denmark was carrying a cage containing his copy around and into the house. Norway was standing back and directing the others except Finland who was watching Sweden unload the car. No one, not even Denmark, would ever even consider directing Finland to do anything. Iceland stepped forward and grabbed the cage containing Tino while Sweden was beginning to carry Berwald into the house. Iceland stumbled under the weight and awkwardness of the cage. She went into the house through the garage door and carried the cage down the hall and into the basement.
Iceland felt a shiver travel up her back, but also felt rather happy that for once she was locking somebody else into the cell in the basement instead of being locked in it herself. The basement was rather dark and although there wasn't much light, Iceland knew from experience that the walls were a light blue that had faded to a blue-gray, the floors were a dark gray in an attempt to hide dirt and blood, and there 32 cracks in the walls and ceiling as well as 10 moisture stains all on the ceiling and all located in the corner where a bathroom sat on the floor above. Denmark was heading back up the stairs as Iceland carried the cage down, nearly tripping a few times and wishing she could let go of the cage and clutch the rather rickety and possibly rusted railing. Iceland set the cage down inside the cell and opened the door before leaving and heading back outside. She passed Sweden who was taking his cage inside the cell.
Once outside again, Iceland grabbed her copy's cage and turned back to the house, pausing for a moment to readjust her hands so she wouldn't drop the cage. She glanced up at their house that seemed to be sagging in on itself. It was a dull gray that matched the color of a stormy sky. A few of the windows were bordered over and one of the windows to their living room had been broken while they were gone. The door to the house looked as though it would give in if someone just leaned on it and she was sure it was only her brother's ruthless reputation and known fondness for violence and fire that kept people from attempting to break into the house.
Iceland headed back into the house with the others following her which would have made her pause if she didn't know, again from experience, that if she stopped her brothers would simply run into her, yell at her, and push her to get her moving again and completely ignore any questions she tried to ask. When Iceland put the final cage into the cell, she turned around to step out, only to find her her big brother closing and locking the cell door.
"Big brother what are you doing?" Iceland cried, making her big brother sneer.
"Don't call me that, I'm not your big brother!" Norway exclaimed as he yanked the key from the lock.
"Since it was your idea to make us watch over the idiots, we all decided you will watch over them," Finland explained with a vicious smile on his face. "As well as this will spare us from your awful presence."
"But you can't do this!" Iceland cried.
Her brothers had to be joking! She had been helpful to them, she had done her job and done it well. They couldn't do this to her!
"Sure we can. Next time, don't get hit," Finland said with a smirk.
"But-"
"But nothing, Iceland. Sweden will bring food down for you later. Keep an eye on them and don't let them try to escape," Denmark declared with a note of finality in his voice.
Iceland could only watch as her brothers went up the stairs and left her in the cell along with five countries who had yet to regain consciousness. Iceland stepped up to the cell's bar and stuck her arms through them before resting her head against the criss-crossed bars and watching them leave until the door closed behind Sweden, the last to leave, and left the basement lit by only two weak bulbs on opposite sides of the room. She heaved out a miserable sigh and pushed herself away from the bars. She moved to the back of the cell and sat down on the one dry spot of the cell that was usually shielded from moisture by a few empty wooden crates that had once held pieces and parts to Finland's guns. She glanced over at the cages, watching the sleeping countries, but within a few moments she was bored. She threw out a disgusted blast of air and flopped back onto the ground to count the cracks and stains in ceiling and walls once again.
