It was about the 19th century, give or take a couple. Guatemala was feeling particularly adventurous, so after checking in with her boss, she headed out. There wasn't a specific destination she had in mind; she just went. She went through her capital, toward smaller villages that she rarely visited. Still, she didn't linger anywhere for very long. Perhaps she did have a destination in mind… she just wasn't aware of it.

For a long while- how long, Guatemala wasn't sure, but it must have been at least an hour- she just proceeded through towns and villages, smiling and greeting citizens that she passed, maybe pausing for a brief conversation. Eventually, though, she strayed away from the dirt trail she'd been following. The dusty road had felt so much more comfortable under Guatemala's sandaled feet than this unkempt grass, and she had never before ventured into this area, yet something compelled her to keep on going.

It wasn't until she was standing on the overgrown outskirts of a forest that Guatemala finally came to a halt. From the atmosphere of the place, she could tell that a human being hadn't set foot on the spot on which she stood in quite some time. "Why am I even here?" she breathed under her breath. I bet this is the border, she added in thought. The idea of heading back gradually grew appealing to her… Even so, she grasped the bottom hem of her dress so as not to catch it on anything and climbed into the jungle.

Her surroundings were fascinating- not quite new to her, but fascinating nonetheless. Various species of vegetation that Guatemala found familiar yet couldn't name off the top of her head grew everywhere, creating a luscious world of green. The din of countless birdcalls and other animal sounds nearly masked the powerful noise created by the distant rushing of a waterfall. A snake slithered by once or twice, but it didn't scare Guatemala; just intrigued her.

What harm could going farther do? She wondered. Her conscience immediately snapped back with a lot of scenarios, but Guatemala ignored them and kept on going. She hadn't the slightest clue why, but it was as if someone- or something- was beckoning to her, and she simply couldn't ignore the feeling.

Although she didn't notice it at first, Guatemala's heartbeat was progressively increasing as she drew nearer and nearer to the heart of the forest. For an unknown reason, a tingling sensation washed all throughout her body, and then vanished climatically once she reached a mahogany tree. The thing was massive- easily 100 feet in height- and clearly marked the forests' center. What made Guatemala's chest freeze, though, was what sat at the foot of the tree: a wooden doll.

There was nothing special about this doll. Its dress was obviously assembled from unevenly cut cloth; its hair was a single piece of black fabric; its painted-on face was simple, consisting of just two circles for eyes and a smile. It lay in an unnatural position, so it had apparently been dropped there, yet it gave Guatemala the feeling that it was waiting for her to pick it up. So, of course, she did.

The very second Guatemala's fingertips met the doll's body, a rustling sounded nearby. Guatemala snapped her gaze up in alarm, her grip tightening on the doll almost protectively. The massive leaves of some sort of plant folded down, and out stepped, shockingly, a little girl.

"…Hola, niña… Did you drop this?" Guatemala managed to whisper after she and the child stared at each other for a good 20 seconds. The girl just nodded, hesitantly outstretching her arms. A soft smile appeared on Guatemala's face as she gently pressed the doll into the child's hands. They continued to look at each other while Guatemala wondered what a child was doing in the middle of a jungle on the Guatemalan border. A theory suddenly jumped into her head. "You're a new country, aren't you?" she asked before she even realized what she was thinking.

"…Yes. My name's… Belize." Guatemala felt her heart leap. A new country? So close by? She couldn't help but get a good observation of the girl.

She was young, but not awfully so- she appeared around the age of 8. Her skin was tan like Guatemala's, except maybe a shade or two lighter. Also like Guatemala, her hair was black, although short and rather scruffy. She had eyes of the most brilliant shade of green that could practically blend in with the surrounding vegetation. Oddly enough, she had notably thick eyebrows. In a way, though… she looked like a younger version of Guatemala herself.

"Do you have a family, Belize?" Guatemala inquired gently, standing up straight (she had been kneeling down to Belize's height).

Belize opened her mouth, but then closed it as if her immediate answer wasn't good enough. She stared at the ground for a moment before looking back up and saying "No."

Although a warm, motherly expression formed on Guatemala's face, she couldn't help the feeling of power building up inside of her. Never in her life had she thought of conquering another country, except maybe in dreams and fantasies when she was little. Yet this girl was so small; so alone; so vulnerable… Maybe it would actually be in her best interest if Guatemala seized the opportunity. "That's going to change. I don't know about you, but I think we could be hermanas."

Belize's bushy eyebrows furrowed together questioningly. "'Hermanas'?"

"Sí. Sisters. We look similar, and I feel as if I was destined to meet you here… So how about you come live with me, sweetie?" Guatemala hoped she sugar-coated the offer enough to make it appealing, while at the same time not giving the child much of a choice.

There was a good moment of silence as Guatemala smiled down at Belize, hands on her knees, while the girl tossed the situation back and forth in her petite head. "I guess I don't have anywhere else to go…" she muttered.

Guatemala had to bite down on her lip to keep from squealing like a little kid. Instead, she clapped her hands twice. "Muy bueno! My name is Guatemala, by the way." She held out her hand. "Come on, little one. I live a little more than an hour away from here." Slowly, Belize reached up and let her hand be engulfed by Guatemala's.

~.~.~.~.~

The walk back was, for the most part, quiet. Guatemala asked Belize simple questions- where she was from, how old she was, what things she liked- all of which were answered simply. Really, it sort of concerned Guatemala how much Belize lacked animation. Surely, nobody could be so bland… The girl was doing an excellent job of covering up her personality. But the question is, why?

Every time they entered a village or town, at least one person would ask who Belize was. Each time, Guatemala would introduce her as her little sister, to which Belize remained unresponsive. She just stared off to the side, and Guatemala used the excuse that she was "very shy."

"You're not very talkative, are you?" Guatemala remarked as they made it down the path that would lead to Guatemala City.

"I can be. I just don't want to," Belize replied casually.

"Is there a reason why?" Belize gave Guatemala a look that clearly meant the topic shouldn't be touched again.

Finally, they made it to Guatemala's home. She gave Belize a tour, introduced her to José, and told her to stay put while she went to find some clothes that would fit her. Belize just nodded and sat on the sofa, José fluttering after her. "Hello, bird. Is Guatemala nice?" she asked, using her index finger to scratch the quetzal under the chin. José tilted his head, and then nodded. Belize sighed in response. "That doesn't mean I want to be here."

Upon Guatemala's return, she led Belize up to the bathroom and offered to give her a bath. "I can do it myself," Belize insisted immediately. Guatemala decided it best not to argue over such a light matter, and instead filled up the tub and laid out an outfit for Belize to change into afterwards.

"Oh, you look muy lindo!" Guatemala squealed when Belize stepped out into the hall, clothed in a simple purple dress with a white collar. Much to the girl's confusion, Guatemala pulled her onto her lap. "Now, let's tame that mane of yours," she crooned, bringing a brush to her hair. It only reached her mid-neck, yes, but it was still long enough that a thorough brushing was needed.

10 minutes had passed by the time Guatemala finally set down the brush. Even though it certainly looked neater, her hair still had that scruffy look about it. The style seemed somehow familiar….. A knock at the door interrupted Guatemala from trying to figure out where she'd seen the hairdo before.

Guatemala opened the door to see a group of children from the neighborhood standing on her porch. "Hola, Señorita Guatemala! We heard the rumor that you have an underling," declared a boy that stood at the front of the group, grinning widely to show that he had a few teeth missing.

"Oh, sí, you're talking about mi hermana pequeña." Smiling, Guatemala nodded over her shoulder at Belize, who was curiously poking her head out from the hallway. She gripped the doorway in mild alarm when multiple pairs of eyes settled on her.

"We wanted to know if she'd wanna play some football with us!" chimed a girl in the back, holding up what Americans call a soccer ball. Guatemala's smile faltered.

"Lo siento, but she just got changed. You can certainly come back tomorrow, though." The kids pouted but nodded, leaving Guatemala completely oblivious to the glare Belize shot her way before disappearing farther into the house.

This was going to be a long guardianship.

~Author's Note~

A new OC- Belize- finally made her debut! That tricky little girl is going to turn Guatemala's world upside-down... I haven't researched Belize nearly as much as Guatemala, so sorry if chapters with her aren't very accurate.