Trees. It was all Mattias had been seeing to his right for the last twenty minutes. He had been riding for what he figured had been around thirty minutes since…stealing the snowmobiles from Norway's…and he didn't feel like he was getting any closer to the mountains. He didn't even know how long the journey would take. The Dane was now somewhat regretting his failure to check the route before leaving. Maybe then he would have had some idea of where he was going.
Scowling, he slowed the vehicle down to a stop. He fumbled for his phone in his pocket, pulling it out to dial Arthur yet again.
"Mattias, if you call me one more time…" was Arthur's first remark as he answered the phone.
"Aw, don't be like that!" Mattias replied in a light tone. "Listen, I need you to make sure I'm going the right way. And maybe if you could figure out how long it will take me to get to Lukas, that would be helpful too."
The Brit started grumbling something along the lines of "inconsiderate wanker", but the Dane couldn't be sure what he said exactly as the phone was put down. Mattias waited impatiently, looking around and tapping his foot in the snow.
"Keep heading straight," he heard on the line after several moments. "Don't turn at all. Straight. You're about forty minutes away. You'll see a house on a cliff when you arrive. That's his."
"Thanks buddy!" he replied, ending the call, but not before hearing Arthur's grumbling.
He shoved the phone in his pocket, careful not to place it in his other pocket where a fragile item lay. He then turned the snowmobile on, adjusted the goggles he wore, and took off yet again.
I'm almost there Norge, he thought to himself. Help is on the way.
(Lukas POV)
Lukas walked downstairs to the kitchen where the rest of the Nordics sat eating breakfast and socializing. Everyone had a smile on their face, even Iceland, and laughs rang out across the room.
As soon as Lukas was seen, everyone looked at him, stopping their chatter and laughter. Ignoring them, Lukas walked over to the coffee machine, feeling their glares directed at his back.
"Why does he even live here?" Mattias said to the others loud enough for Lukas to hear. "Doesn't he know that no one likes him?"
Emil snorted. "Obviously not. If he did, he would've left by now."
Lukas froze hearing the words of what he thought were his friends. This was what they really thought of him?
"Not necessarily," Berwald spoke up. "He's probably delusional. Or no one else likes him, so he has nowhere else to stay."
Norway flinched at those words.
"Hey, you!" Mattias called out, and the Norweigan turned around feeling dread in his heart. "Why are you here?" The Dane continued, a cruel look on his face. "Obviously no one here likes you."
Lukas just stood there, unaware of what to do.
Denmark rolled his eyes. "What, are you deaf, or mute?" The others laughed, sending Lukas's heart plummeting even further down.
"I don't think he knows how to talk!" Emil laughed. "What a loser!"
Tino joined in the laughter. "Let's be honest though. He'd be better off dead!"
No. no no no. this wasn't happening. Norway's breathing picked up as he started to have a panic attack. His vision blurred, and he ran out of the house before he broke down in front of everyone.
He ran out the door but immediately felt something sharp in his abdomen. Gasping, he looked up to see Mattias holding a knife that was stuck in the Norweigan's body. With a malicious grin, he yanked the weapon out, and Lukas stumbled to the ground feeling the blood pour out of him. Mattias bent down next to his head.
"You thought you could actually get away," he whispered with a chuckle. He stood up. "Goodbye Norway," he called out, walking back to the house. "It's for the best."
Lukas shot up with a gasp, clutching the covers that had nearly fallen off the bed. He breathed heavily, trying to shake off what he had just seen. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to gain his bearings.
It was just a dream, he told himself. None of that was real.
Shaking, Lukas got up and walked into the bathroom, splashing cool water on his face. He grabbed a towel, drying his face. He spotted himself in the mirror and paused, lowering the towel to gaze at himself.
Pale. Dark circles marking his eyes. His hair was disheveled as well, making him look as if he hadn't slept in years.
Norway gazed at himself for a few more moments then broke the silence when he blasted the mirror with an orb of magic. The mirror splintered into a thousand glimmering pieces, few of which scraped the Norweigan. Where once was a reflecting glass now lay a plain wall and a cabinet with the mirror's splintered remains. Lukas stared at the wall for a couple seconds then stormed out of the room.
A thousand thoughts swirled through his mind, some having to do with no hope for himself, others about his weakness and worthlessness. He clenched his fists trying to control his urge to unleash his magic. He unconsciously formed a shard of ice in each palm causing his blood to start dripping to the floor. He continued walking until he was out the door, unaware of the gashes that opened on his palms.
Lukas moved to the back of his house, right to the edge of the cliff. He stood for a moment, his chest heaving. Then, with a huge breath, he threw both arms out to his sides, and a huge wave of energy erupted from his bloodied palms. Snow flurried everywhere from being pushed by the wave, and the sound of rocks clamoring down the cliff could be heard. Lukas collapsed onto the snow in the midst of this, tears cascading down his face.
"Why," he whispered in a barely audible voice. Why couldn't he escape? He was so far away from everyone and everything, yet his anxieties and problems seemed determined to stay with him. Why couldn't he have some peace for once?
Lying on his side on the edge of the cliff, Lukas stared out ahead of him, single droplets occasionally escaping from his eyes. The snow seeped into his clothing causing the Norweigan to shiver, but he didn't care.
I deserve this, he thought numbly. I don't deserve any relief. I only deserve pain.
He lay there as the night sky full of twinkling stars changed into daybreak. Stars disappeared, and the sun started peaking out over the horizon. Lukas still hadn't moved, although the tears had stopped falling, and he had adjusted to the cold encompassing his body.
"Norge?" a soft voice said from behind him causing him to snap out of his trance. It was a voice he could distinguish anywhere. He closed his eyes in frustration and despair.
Mattias.
