Chapter 9: Racing to Renées!

PEI noticed right away the sudden behaviour change between his older siblings. Despite the two of them having a small fight on where to eat, it was as if the dine-n-dash event never even happened. After breakfast, they decided to walk around to see if New Brunswick happened to be walking around. Even though it was tourist season, few people were out walking around this early in the morning. Still, PEI stuck close to his siblings, cautiously eyeing the sky-scrapers at they walked through the city streets, not caring about the morning heat.

After an hour and a half of looking, or in Nova Scotia's case, sensing, and finding no trace of their brother, they decided to enter a small and thankfully air conditioned cafe. Taking a table beside the window and a wall of plants, the trio took a minute to restratigize.

"Walkin' round ain't doing nuttin'." Nova Scotia stated, taking a sip of her tea. "We may needa find Louisiana." She seriously didn't want to bring anymore people into this, but it seemed like there was no other option.

"How can we fin' someone we haven even met?" Cape Breton asked.

"We don't even pers'nally know halfa tha States." PEI added. "How're we gunna find Louisiana anyway?" There was a silence as all three thought about that question, not caring about the group that just walked through the door.

Until one of them spoke.

"One large coffee and one of those little chocolate cakes, please." America said at the counter, unknowingly causing the three Maritimers to jump in surprise.

"Medium coffee for me please." Canada said in a quiet voice, with Ontario ordering a smoothie.

"A smoothie, and why a coffee?" Ontario asked Canada. "It's like, 30 degrees outside."

"Actually it's around 83, or are you dudes going by celsius?" America asked.

"Celsius." Ontario answered, looking around the cafe. The Maritimers ducked behind the wall of plants just in time. PEI thought about convincing Nova Scotia that they should just team up with Canada already, but stopped himself upon remembering what Cape Breton told him on the plane.

"Wat should we do?" Cape Breton whispered. Nova Scotia didn't answer, but watched the other trio.

"So where is this woman, again?" Ontario asked, not wanting to say the state's name infront of the employees.

"First, her name is Renée Jones, and I got her address right here. It's right inbetween Baton Rouge and N'Awleans." America said, holding up a piece of paper. A minute later, their order came in, and all three headed to a table close to the front doors. Ontario and Canada left for the bathroom, leaving America at the table.

"Should we leave now?" PEI asked quietly. "S'not loike we hang out with America a lot. He may not recognise us."

Nova Scotia nodded, but just as she was about to take the first step, Cape Breton stopped her.

"Gimme a sec." He said, getting up and walking over to the American. "Hey dere!" He greeted.

"Mornin'." America greeted back, flashing a bright smile.

"I heard ye were talkin' aboat Renée." America's eyes widened.

"You know Renée?"

"Yeah, we're good buds."

"How does someone from Canada know her?" Cape Breton's eyes widened in surprise. "Especially when she doesn't leave the state often."

"Oh lord..." PEI whispered.

"Howja know I'm from Canada?" Cape Breton asked, sounding curious.

"Your accent." The America stated. "I also know some dudes from Canada. You sound a bit like 'em."

"Ah really? Weel, I'm from Nova Scotia. Me an' Renny met on da innernet, trough a French website. We don't meet too often. I had 'er address, but I lost it dis mornin'. I was hopin' ya woulden mind lettin' me copy 'er." The Caper held up a plain green address book and a mini pen, also green. America, deciding that he was trustworthy, showed him the paper. Cape Breton quickly copied the address down, thanked America, gave a quick comment about the weather, and then left with a goodbye.

America watched him make a turn after exiting the cafe, before looking in the direction of the bathrooms, ignoring the people entering and leaving the cafe.

Seriously, what's taking them so long? America thought. However, the moment that thought entered his head, the two Canadians emerged.

"They should really oil those things." Ontario thought aloud.

"Hey, what took you guys so long?" America asked.

"The bathroom doors suddenly got stuck on both of us; it took us a few minutes to open them." Canada explained.

"I didn't have trouble openning it the first time." Ontario added.

"I see... Hey, guess what? I just met a Canadian tourist! I actually thought he was Scotland for a sec because of his red hair and England-like eyebrows, but then he started talking and I was all like 'Canadian accent!' and he told me he was from Nova Scotia and that he was here to visit Renée and stuff."

Canada and Ontario exchanged glances throughout America's story.

"America... Did he have an ear piercing?" Canada asked.

"Did he talk funny?" Ontario asked as well.

"I think he had a piercing, yeah... Oh, yeah, he totally did. He said things like 'aboat', 'dis', and 'dat', and stuff."

The Canadians exchanged glances again.

"What was his name?" Canada asked.

"Uh, didn't say... But then again, I didn't say either." America said, eating the small cake.

"...Wanna go?" Canada asked.

"Huh? But we just got here."

"We're going." Ontario said, standing up and taking her smoothie. "Better get to Renée's as soon as possible." She said, walking to the exit, Canada and a confused America following after her.

~On the Highway, A Couple of Hours Later~

"Jezus. 'Merica ast more questions den I tought 'e would." Cape Breton muttured to himself, rereading the address. "Make a turn here." Nova Scotia wordlessly turned off the highway with the car they had rented the night before. A few minutes later, they found themselves in a quant little town. They drove through what was probably the main street, given that they passed the town square, town hall, and a row of buildings that looked like the were built in the 17-1800s. It instantly made the Maritimers feel welcomed.

"Reminds me of Chéticamp..." Cape Breton said, gazing out the window.

"An' Tracadie..." PEI added.

"An' Gautreau Village..." Nova Scotia also added.

"Hey, d'ya think tha' maybe after we fin' Brunswick, we can hang around, y'know, play tourist?" PEI asked his siblings from the back seat.

"Maybe..." Nova Scotia replied. It seemed like a nice area. Louisiana definitly knew a good place.

They stopped at a small diner for lunch asked around for directions. Eventually, they were on the right road. Making one last turn onto a small dirt road, they drove up to a small house. It was a bright yellow, with a porch surrounding the house. There was a barbeque sitting inbetween two white chairs, which neighboured a matching patio table.

They all got out of the car, taking a minute to look around the yard. The first thing they noticed were the two cars, one of them with a New Brunswick lisence plate.

"Brunswicks here." Nova Scotia announced, walking up to the porch, Cape Breton and PEI on her heels. PEI stopped for a minute, looking over to the trees in the swamp a few yards away.

"Uh, guys..." He said, causing the Bluenosers to stop. "Do anya yas got tha feelin' that we're bein' watched?"

"A bit..." Cape Breton admitted.

"S'prolly jus' tha creatures livin' here." Nova Scotia replied dismissivly and turned back to the house. Approaching the door, she lifted up her hand to knock...

... When the door suddenly opened.

[A/N- Clifthangerrrrrrrrr! Oh, and sorry for the crappy chapter title. You can tell I'm running out of ideas.

I don't know about you folks, but I had a good March Break!

I've been thinking about putting a specific year to this story. I'd like to think it happenned in 2003, let's say.

I don't about my fellow N. Americans, but there seems to be a bit of a 'fear philosophy' going on in N. America, hence why I made America be a little guarded when he was talking to Cape Breton.

For anyone wondering about Louisiana's human name, I just feminized the name René-Robert Cavelier, the guy who claimed the territory for France and named it 'La Louisiane'.

Cheticamp, Tracadie, and Gautreau Village: Acadian settlements/towns in the Maritimes.]