*Sorry for how that first paragraph last chapter was all jumbled together… It just does that sometimes. It would be great if someone could tell me how to fix that.*

2003

I was a really oblivious kid. I heard fighting inside, but I just continued kicking my ball against the garage door.

Whump.

It bounced at my feet and I picked it up, standing up and staring inside the window of my home. My sneakers scuffed the concrete as I walked inside. My loose curls, a little shorter then, got caught in a tree branch. As I tugged the strands free, I heard a loud CRACK from inside. I stood frozen for a minute and made my way inside.

My parents were arguing again and I guess my mom slapped Dad because his cheek was red. I sighed and walked into the living room. Nothing I wasn't used to. Things were usually a lot worse than this. But Dad never fought back.

"Bella," he called.

I flinched at my name but walked inside, my soccer ball still in my hands. "What?"

I noticed he had several suitcases on the floor. "Bella, I'm leaving for a while."

I wasn't surprised. He left all the time on business trips. "When will you be back?"

"...I'm not sure," he sighed. "But it'll be a long time."

I looked down at the floor and feigned interest in my sneakers. "Longer than before?"

"Longer than before."

The longest time he's been away was for two months. I shrugged a shoulder, trying not to show my disappointment. Without Dad around, Mom would turn to me for stress relief.

"I'm going back to Germany," he continued.

He never traveled farther than two states away.

"I want you to take this to remember me by."

Not a good sign. He took a silver key necklace from his pocket and clasped it around my neck. I still didn't look up.

"You're coming back, right?" I asked.

"I promise," he replied. He gave me a hug and stood up, taking all his suitcases in his hands. Without another word, he turned around and left.

Present Day

"So...that's it?" Britain said once I was done with my story. "He just left saying he'd come back and he never did?"

"I still think he will," I muttered. "It's one of those cases where the woman abuses the man instead of the other way around. I can't blame him."

"But he's in Germany, right?" America interrupted. "What if ask Germany himself to find him?"

"He hasn't been born yet," China replied, rolling his eyes.

"True," France sighed dramatically. "It's so sad."

"Way to make her feel better," America groaned.

Russia sat next to me silently.

"Well, there's no reason to act upset!" I said cheerfully. "That's all in the past. So the question is…" I leaned in, a devious glint in my blue eyes. "Got any battle plans against the Axis?"

"Of course!" America answered arrogantly. "We-"

"Don't tell her!" Britain interrupted. He turned to me. "Sorry, Bella, but you live with members of the Axis. We can't be too careful."

"Understandable," I muttered in disappointment. "I guess my spying days are over." I nudged Russia. "So how's the world domination coming?"

"Excellent!" he exclaimed.

The other countries in the room shivered. I laughed at them.

"Hey, question," I continued, switching from topic to topic. "Have you guys ever had a human girl stay with you?"

"...Not that I can remember," France recalled. "And if I did, I wasn't very close to them."

"Same," China shrugged.

"So you guys are four thousand to two hundred years old," I gasped. "And you've never had a human girl stay over?"

They all exchanged glances.

"Oh, France!" I giggled. "Out of all of them, I'm most disappointed in you. Aren't you supposed to be the charmer of the group?"

He slumped his shoulders and sighed. America grinned at his sadness.

"Now let me ask you something," Russia said. "If you're from the future, you'll know how we're all doing then."

"Hm...well…" I thought for a moment and gave them my verdict. "Britain's doing pretty well in my opinion and America's grown a bit. Italy's expensive to live in but still has too many people for the size. Germany's doing good, I think. But I'm honestly at a loss with China, France, and Russia. But that's just from my point of view."

"And there aren't any more World Wars, right?" Britain asked.

"Right," I responded. "That doesn't mean there won't be a third one, but I haven't seen one."

"Where do you live in my country?" America asked out of the blue.

"Huh? Jersey," I answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering," he answered. "People from the east, west, north, and south are a little different in my place."

"Yeah, true," I sighed. I glanced at the analog clock on the wall. "I'd better get some shut eye. I've gotta go back to the Axis in the morning and get ready for the meeting."

"But we only talked a little bit," America whined.

"At least we got to do it without the Axis stalking us," I chuckled. "'Night, guys!"

I headed upstairs and everyone else followed me to where they'd be sleeping.

*Nya...I feel tired.

Romano: It's such a shame that no one cares.

T.T Shut it. Y'know what? Get out! *pushes Romano away* Holy Rome, you're doing the footnotes with me!

Holy Rome: Someone save me… T.T*