April 1 2052
I woke up this morning and the instant I stretched and said it's April, I felt absolutely sick. I also got this strange pain in my chest right where that circular scar that I don't remember getting is. I don't know what's going on with me lately?! Should I see a psychiatrist or something? I hope I'm not crazy! I REALLY Don't want to be crazy! But waking up feeling perfectly fine and then feeling queasy the instant you think of what month it is is not normal at all!
At least I've found if I put on this certain iron cross and clutch to it then I feel better, there's this warm comforting sensation that warms my heart when I do. I can't explain why since I can't remember where the cross came from in the first place. And something creepy is that there appears to be dried blood on it but I can't chip it off. So if it wasn't for the fact that it's soothing I wouldn't put it on at all!
All right all of this really does seem like I'm losing my mind. Maybe that girl will be at work again. My boss has told me about her and that he thinks she's interested in me. Well I have caught her looking at me and smiled back at her and felt warmer when she returned it. Despite that though, I felt like I was going to throw up when I thought about asking her out. It was even worse than when I've tried to ask other girls out lately. So if she makes me feel warm inside, why isn't she the right one either?
I'm so confused
~*IPS*~
APRIL
~*From the notes passed under the door in the Beilschmidt/Vargas household on April 1*~
I can't actually talk directly to the two of you. I feel too guilty at the moment. Notes will have to do for today. I'm so sorry for keeping this from you but I didn't want to involve anyone else until I knew that there was a way for him to regain his memories. It's really painful not knowing currently.
I can understand that, but Laszlo is really upset. He thinks you enjoyed keeping your little secret.
That's not the reason at all! Do you know how hard it is to see papa, actually make eye contact and have him not recognize you at all? It hurts Lor. It's hurts a lot.
But at least you've gotten to see him! That's something that we've been missing for 3 years! It's not fair Verona! It's not fair at all! I can understand our younger siblings not being able to handle it but why not us? Why didn't you trust us?
I already told you the reason. No matter how much I trusted the two of you I didn't want to put you through that pain.
So instead you endured it on your own. Oh wait not fully on your own...you did have Uncle Gil, Courtney, Roslyn, and Kazumi who are going through the same thing. How are things going with them by the way? You didn't write down everything in your journal I assume.
Things aren't much better than with me, except in the case of Matthew. He at least seems to like them and keeps coming back to see them. But you brought up something I am annoyed about. My journal. How dare you two read my personal journal?!
We didn't mean to. You'd left it open when we chased Ginger into the room trying to catch her to give her a bath. Laszlo just happened to look over at it and caught the last paragraph of your last entry on March 19. It was such a shock that we gave up on the dog and flipped back through several entries. Of course we were shocked! It was my idea to leave you our message in here tactfully, instead of confronting you directly when you came home.
I'm grateful you didn't do that. A scene like that would have brought Vater down on us immediately, demanding to know what was going on. I'm not ready for him to know yet. I really wasn't ready for any of you to know yet but that can't be helped.
Don't you think Vater is just what could spark the memories?
I don't know. Since Uncle Gil wasn't able to with Matthew I don't think so. But now that I think about it...the two of you might be able to! You look so much like papa apart from the slightly lighter hair that it might be so much of a shock to him that it sparks the memories!
Whether you had thought of that or not we were still planning on coming the next time you go to Venice. When will that be by the way?
It was going to be the next day I could get free. Now it will be the next day that all three of us can get free.
Or we could just go without you.
Oh really? Do you know where the specific bistro is?
Good point. So the next day that all of us have free then...but in the meantime, there are still four countries not being looked for and that's not fair. You have to tell at least one person in each of those families. I mean it.
Very well then. I'll text them today.
~*IPS*~
April 3 Text Conversation
Isolf: How exactly am I supposed to be going about this? It's not really fair. You came across your papa, Canada, and Romano quite by accident. Why can't I seem to do that?!
Received 7:05 PM
Me: Well think back on what he liked. Was there something that Iceland was particularly fond of? Something that he enjoyed doing? Someplace in his country that he liked above anything else? Papa is working with food and Uncle Roma was too, like they enjoyed in the past. And Canada was drawn to the house in Saxony that he used to live in.
Sent 7:11 PM
Isolf: He did like puffins a lot...
Received 7:17 PM
Isolf: And music. And video games.
We all liked playing video games together.
Received 7:19 PM
Me: So try a place that sells lots of video games and music then. Or try a bird sanctuary.
Sent 7:20 PM
Isolf: I guess I'll try that tomorrow. I think I'll also visit the empty lot where our house was destroyed. Talk to you later Juliet.
Received 7:26 PM
Me: Good luck!
Sent 7:28 PM
Dimitre: I thought it would be easy to keep this from my brother and ojciec but they must have some sort of sixth sense that something has changed which makes them question me thoroughly and want to go with me whenever I say that I'm going out. I need some good excuse to let me go to Lithuania in peace! Any suggestions?
Received 9:40 PM
Me: Why don't you ask Sofia to go with you and then you guys can go to Finland afterwards as well. You can tell Poland and your brother that it's a date. They shouldn't follow you then right?"
Sent 9:49 PM
Dimitre: I hope not! I think I will try that. Thanks for the advice Juliet. Has anyone else had any luck yet?
Received 9:53 PM
Me: Not that I've heard yet. I know that since Aaron read the text over his brother's shoulder, he and Andrew are both going to London when they get the chance. I think they said they're going to check in every bar they come to. I teased them about their mama being a drunk and got an all caps text back from Andrew. He wasn't happy with my little joke apparently. Isolf hasn't had any luck yet. I don't know about Sofia.
Sent 9:58 PM
Dimitre: I just texted her the plan and she said she hasn't gotten a chance to get away yet so she was happy to accept. Let's hope this works!
Received 10:02 PM
Me: Good luck to you and Sofia Dimitre! I'll let you know if anyone finds out how to make them remember.
Sent 10:04 PM
Dimitre: I hope someone does because I certainly don't have any ideas myself. I'm just focusing on finding tėvas first. Getting him to remember everything will come later.
Received 10:13 PM
Dimitre: Goodnight Juliet
Received 10:13 PM
~*IPS*~
April 10 2052
I'm starting to get annoyed. My brothers and I have tried to get away without others for a couple of days now and have been unsuccessful. In the meantime, Courtney has had dinner with her père three times now and I haven't even talked to mine! Lorenzo and Laszlo are getting irritated as well, especially at Vater since he's the one that keeps preventing us from going for one reason or the other. I've gotten out of the house but only because Peter took me on a date. There's nothing that can make you feel like a prisoner quite like when you really really have somewhere you desperately want to go!
On another note...Forseti knows as well now since he decided to confide in his sister about finding a Finland look alike in an animal shelter in Stockholm. He wanted to ask her opinion on whether they should tell Sweden or not. So Sofia told him everything and they went back to the shelter and sure enough it was Finland. They're still debating on whether to tell their far or not. But in the meantime they're volunteering at the shelter so they can continue to see their äiti. That made me feel even more annoyed at my present situation.
Both Isolf and Dimitre were successful as well. Iceland works at a store with video games, music, and a tame store puffin waddling around. Go figure. And Lithuania is part of a housekeeping crew at a hotel.
So the count stands at 7 countries found and 14 people who know about them.
Maybe we'll get freedom eventually so Lorenzo and Laszlo can actually see papa and stop asking me to tell them about my encounters. It does nothing but make me more annoyed.
April 19 2052
Vater almost didn't let us out of the house today because of what day it is but that's exactly why I told him we should be allowed to go out. He finally relented and let us while he stayed home and played with Ari and Michael. We're still trying to get Michael to speak but I'm starting to pin all my hopes on that with when papa regains his memory. Anyways...
Even though we finally got to Venice we were all disappointed because papa wasn't working today. The guy behind the counter that I always talk to told me that he called in sick.
"Said something about a terrible pain in his chest. Didn't sound good. Here's his address so you can go visit him. A visit from a pretty girl might be just what he needs to make the pain lessen."
I took the slip of paper with the address and thanked the person. Laszlo wanted to go to the address but Lorenzo and I convinced him that it wasn't a good idea. If he wasn't feeling well then two kids that looked like him showing up at his front door could be too much of a shock.
"You understood what he said though right?" Lorenzo said quietly, "A pain in his chest?"
I nodded and Laszlo's eyes went wide.
"Do you think he has a wound from the bullet?"
"Something like that." Lorenzo nodded, "Which makes me wonder what else he came back with."
"Well he gave Vater the ring for safe keeping while he was on the battlefield so we know he can't have that but maybe..."
"My cross!" Laszlo exclaimed, "He must have my cross!"
"It's Vater's cross remember?" Lorenzo corrected, "Just like this one is papa's."
He fingered the iron cross around his neck.
"And we don't know for sure that he has it now." I added.
"But if he does...do you think that's something we could use?" Laszlo asked lowering his voice to a whisper as we flashed back into our house.
Lorenzo looked around to make sure that Vater and our siblings weren't in the room before he nodded.
"The two crosses together might be the trick."
"When do we try?" Since it was my brother's plan it felt right to let him call the shots for executing it.
"When we can next escape. By the way Juliet..." he produced a small box from his pocket and placed it into my hands, "Happy birthday."
Until that point I had once again forgotten that April 19th, the day that we lost papa, was the day that I first appeared in papa's arms when he had been holding out his arms for a collection of books Vater planned to move to the new house. I was wailing at the top of my lungs with no indication that I would stop anytime soon, with a single word on the blanket wrapped around me
Verona
~*IPS*~
April 22 Text Conversation
Andrew: So we found mum, but my brother is a bloody moron with no tact. We found mum in a pub called Legend of the Unicorn and Aaron didn't think and just ran forward and hugged him, blurting everything out. In front of the other bar tenders and customers as well. Basically mum told us to get the hell out and never come back. But I did manage to slip my e-mail into his hand before I dragged my idiotic brother outside. I don't know if he kept it or not. If he didn't then there goes our chances for now.
Did your brothers behave better?
Received 9:38 PM
Me: Papa wasn't working the day we went so they have yet to see him. However, Lorenzo has come up with a possible plan to jolt his memory. I hope it works! And sorry about your mum. Your brother is an idiot. I'll keep my fingers crossed that your mum kept the address and will start thinking about things and contact you. Until then, just keep your brother in check and hope that the rest of us can find something that works to jolt their memories.
Sent 9: 47 PM
Andrew: Will do. You have to tell all of us right away if your brother's plan works.
Received 9:55
Me: Of course! At that point I'll tell everyone the secret I'm sure!
~*IPS*~
April 30 2052
We've decided to put our plan into action tomorrow. If we have to sneak out of the house in order to do it then we will. We can't wait anymore. It seems that everyone else is counting on us to try and find the solution first and that puts even more pressure on us to try out this plan as soon as possible. If it doesn't work then I don't know what any of us will do. Uncle Gil seems to be the only one having any success in getting close to his lost country. But nothing he's tried, apart from just stating the truth, which he'll never do for fear of chasing Matthew away like Aaron did with his mom, has worked.
Tomorrow. I hope things will change tomorrow!
(AN: I would like to state for the record that Juliet's birthday being on the same day was completely by accident. I created the death dates quite by random and then when I went and looked at my master list of birth dates for the countries and their kids I discovered that the birthday I had given her was the same day. That was quite a shock! I feel really sorry for my little character now!)