For once, Ivan could think of nothing to say. The mere mention of his sister's name brought about a wave of pure terror upon him, paralyzing him with fear. Poor Tope, he mourned. Hardly a week back and she was about to face one of the most dangerous perils in the world—his younger sister.

Tope, on the other hand, was only slightly disappointed. How was she going to win the contest if her partner hated every fiber of her being? She didn't exactly like Ivan's sister either, but then again, they hadn't met on good terms. Tope sighed. What was she supposed to do now?

xXx

Later, in the lounge with her friends: "Why does Natalya hate me?"

Everyone fell silent, except for Alfred. The American shot a glare at Ivan, who was startled yet again at the sound of his sister's name. "It's 'cause the commie keeps sticking with you," Alfred said, eyes as sharp and accusing as a hawk. "I think he should just leave us all the hell alone."

"You never told me you had a younger sister," Tope said to Ivan.

To her surprise, his eyes suddenly darkened. "Well, I don't have to tell you everything about my life, do I?"

Tope was taken aback. The surprise must've been apparent on her face, because Felice placed his hands on hers, saying, "Ve, are you okay?"

Ivan's eyes trailed down to where Felice had his hand over Tope's, and they narrowed minutely. His stomach lurched sickeningly and his jaw clenched. Jealousy, he grimly realized. It was happening again. It took all of his self-taught control to keep from lunging forward and throwing the cowardly, unworthy Italian into the wall (a feat he was most certainly capable of).

But why now, when it was Tope and not Utopia? Why did he have these feelings for the second time—for two people that looked the same, but were completely different?

Abruptly, the Russian stood up from the couch, startling the Chinese next to him. Without a word, he stalked off to his room.

Tope watched him leave in silence. After a while, she sighed and got up from the couch. "I'm going up. Does anyone know what room Natalya's in?"

The boys looked at one another. Alfred said, "I dunno. I never see her in the building."

"Ve, she stays in Miss Katyusha's room~"

Alfred shot a glare at Felice, but said, "It's just a rumor."

The glare went unnoticed. "Andiamo!" the Italian cheered, starting to pull Tope. "I can show you which room Miss Katyusha's in!"

Before he could lead Tope away, Arthur dropped a heavy hand on his shoulder. Felice jumped in surprise, "Eep!"

"Just a moment there, lad. You don't mind if we have a quick chat, do you?"

Tope narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why do you suddenly feel the need to talk to Felice, Arthur?" She took Felice by his sleeve and tugged him away.

Arthur looked pained. "Just a quick chat, Tope. Nothing serious."

"You certainly look serious."

There was a long moment of silence as Arthur and Tope stared each other down. Finally, Tope sighed. "Okay, whatever," she snapped. "You go have your secret meeting without me. I'm going to bed."

Arthur felt bad as he watched her open the door to the stairs and disappear behind its mechanisms. But he steeled himself and whirled on Felice, hissing, "What the bloody hell are you doing?"

The small Italian winced. "S-Si? I was just—"

"Leading her to her death?" interrupted Alfred, eyes dead serious. "That Russian witch—"

"Belorussian, aru."

"—yeah, whatever. That Russian witch hates Tope almost as much as she loves her brother. You didn't stop to think that if Tope visits her room, that the crazy witch lady would try to hurt her?"

Feliciano was on the edge of tears from the sudden assault by the American, but he managed to whisper, "I was just helping her."

Alfred threw his hands up in the air helplessly. "Yeah, well you're not!"

Ludwig finally came to the aid of his friend. With a warning in his eyes, his voice rumbled, "I don't understand why you're getting so worked up about this, Jones. Tope is perfectly capable of defending herself from any danger in this school. Besides, Miss Katyusha will also be in the room. Natalya wouldn't jeopardize bringing unhappiness to her elder sister."

"And how do you know that, huh, Luddy?" Alfred jeered. "If you cared for her now half as much as you used to during the second war, you'd be worried, too. Oh wait, I'm sorry. You never really cared for her, did you? It was just a sad, sick obsession."

"Verdammit!" Ludwig exploded, his fist coming down on the coffee table. The German's blue eyes were hard sapphires. Everyone but Alfred winced. "Why are you so immature? Stop acting like a whiny bitch and shut up!"

"I'm not acting like a whiny bitch!"

Suddenly, the door to the stairs opened, and out walked the very girl in question. Everyone froze, and Tope blinked in surprise before falling back into an irritated expression.

"I dropped my key," she said, walking back over to the table and snatching the fallen key. "What's with you guys? You're all so quiet." Without waiting for an answer, she exited the room for a second time just as swiftly as she had arrived.

Kiku released a haggled sigh. "I am sorry, please excuse me. Things are much too tense here." Then, as if someone had dismissed them, the boys all got up and went off on their own.

Alfred bit his lip, the thoughts running through his head like a never ending stream.

xXx

Closing the 4th floor stair door behind her, Tope sighed. The argument she had eavesdropped on wasn't helpful at all. She already discerned that Natalya was dangerously obsessed with her brother. In fact, that was probably the reason why the girl hated her so much, since Ivan had always seemed to hold a particular interest in her. But why? And how was she supposed to deal with something like this? The facts were muddy and unclear, like a room obscured by smoke. If only she could wave her hands to clear it up a little and maybe...

Tope winced and bit her lip; her head was starting to hurt. Thinking this way was pushing it too far. It felt like all the weight of the world was easing in on her mind, growing more insistent by the second. Like lightning, a mental image of a bright sunflower popped up in her head, and then the picture was gone; and with it, the headache.

Tope breathed out slowly, rolling her neck and stretching her shoulders. That was closest she'd ever gotten to remembering.

"T-Tope?" a timid voice echoed down the hall. Tope turned around to see a familiar face walking down the hall towards her.

"Atlantis!" she greeted, grateful for the company. "I haven't seen you around very much."

Atlantis smiled sheepishly. "Well, I kinda see you around. But there just hasn't been enough time to talk to you, since your friends always hang out around you."

Tope rolled her eyes. "Right, those idiots."

Atlantis watched with careful eyes as her friend hit her back to the wall and slid down a foot. "Is there something wrong?"

Tope looked away for a second, and then back. "The boys were arguing again. Alfred and Arthur don't want me to do the Christmas Eve contest with Natalya. I personally think that they're over reacting, but they seemed so worried. But still..."

Atlantis was silent for a moment, and then in a quiet, irritated voice Tope had never heard her use before, she murmured, "They don't control you, Tope."

The once shy and timid Atlantis was gone and replaced by a tall, mysterious stranger—familiarly quiet, yet powerful in essence. Her eyes were as deep as the depths of the ocean; her hair, like underwater fire. The young woman stood like a queen with a storm in her eyes.

"S-Sorry?" Tope stuttered, unprepared for the sudden change in character.

For the first time, Atlantis looked at her directly in the eyes, her expression slightly irritated. "Those boys may represent their country by being at this academy, but we represent something different—something more powerful than anything they could ever imagine. I am Atlantis, and whether you accept it or not, you are Utopia." Her eyes lightened a little. "They do not control you, Tope. And they never will."

Tope sunk lower against the wall, letting Atlantis' words echo deep inside her mind. Something did heat up in the pit of her stomach—an inward fire of something unexplainable. She chuckled to herself, finding the feeling enjoyable.

"You know," she said, looking at Atlantis, "you're really scary."

The redhead smiled ruefully. "I'll take that as a compliment." Her whole figure seemed to relax and Atlantis reverted back to her usual self. "You look like you're feeling better."

Tope heaved herself off the wall. "Yup!" she said. "Thanks, Atlantis. I never knew you were so deep." Tope grinned widely at her companion.

Atlantis' cheeks tinged a little pink. "Th-Thanks. But I hardly ever act like that. I don't know, it just comes out sometimes."

"Well, I think that that side of you is badass and cool." She paused. "Of course, I think I would rather have a nice, shy Atlantis than a scary one."

"Don't be scared," her friend teased.

"Hey," Tope said. "You wanna show me where Miss Ukraine's room is?"

Atlantis rolled her eyes.

"I'm more than certain that you'll figure it out yourself."

And Tope agreed with Atlantis. In the teacher's lounge, Miss Ukraine's room was one of the only ones with a name plate on it. Her door was a happy blue with cute floral embellishments along the frame of the woodwork.

Tope quietly knocked on the door.

"Just a second!" sang a familiar voice. After another minute or so, the quiet blue door opened to reveal Miss Ukraine in a long yellow nightgown. Her chest was bulging in the light material and her short hair was damp from a bath.

Her eyes widened a little when she saw Tope standing there, and it looked like she was a little disappointed.

"Good evening, Tope," she said cheerily all the same. "What brings you here tonight? I thought curfew had already passed."

There's a curfew? Tope thought. "I'm so sorry for bothering you, Miss Ukraine, but is—"

"It's okay, sweetheart. You can call me Katyusha," the woman interrupted. "Oh! I'm sorry, go on."

"It's fine. Anyways, I was wondering if Natalya was here. I need to talk to her about the Christmas Eve contest."

Miss Katyusha's eyes widened in surprise once more. There was a moment of hesitation in her eyes, but eventually she turned inside and called, "Natalya, there's someone here to see you."

The room offered no reply. Katyusha smiled sheepishly and said, "Come in."

She pushed the door open to let Tope in the room, but a quick, pale hand stopped her from the inside.

"Excuse me," Natalya murmured to her sister as she placed her hand firmly on the doorknob. First her bow came into view, and then her sour face. She locked eyes with Tope. "What do you want?"

Tope was unaffected by her unfriendly tone, but Katyusha's eyebrows scrunched together worriedly. "Natalya, that's no way to talk to others," she scolded.

Her younger sister seemed to sigh a little. "Outside,"' she commanded rather than said to her contest partner.

Once Katyusha was behind the door, Natalya turned on her. "What?" she snapped. "I told you to stay away from me."

"I wanted to know when we can get together to get ready for the contest."

Natalya stared at Tope as if she was stupid. "I'm not going to compete with you."

"Why not?"

"Because I hate you."

"Give me a different reason."

"I need no other reason."

Tope pursed her lip. This conversation wasn't going where she wanted it to go. "Please?" she asked. "Work with me? Even if you hate me, don't you want to win?"

"No."

"Come on, just for the sake of competition?"

"What part of no do you not understand, you stupid girl?"

"Every part."

Natalya scoffed and without warning, she shut the door right in Tope's face.

Tope narrowed her eyes, but her determination never faltered.

"I'm not giving up until you agree to work with me," Tope called through the door. After giving it another few good seconds of silence, she turned to leave.

xXx

Early next morning, Tope bounded down the steps to breakfast. She grabbed a bowl full of cereal and climbed the steps to the balcony, only to find a surprising figure sitting in a corner, sipping on warm broth. It was Natalya, warming herself up with a gentle brew.

"Good morning!" Tope said cheerily.

Natalya's head snapped up, her lips already curled in disdain. If looks could kill, Tope would've been dead twelve times over by the time she sat down across from Natalya. Otherwise, the Belorussian said nothing.

"So, I was thinking about the contest last night," Tope started, mixing her hot chocolate around, enjoying the heat that tickled her fingertips. "Maybe we do some kind of skit or play. Or a story about the snow, or making presents."

Still no response.

"What about your Christmas experiences? Sorry, I don't remember any of my own." When Natalya was silent once more, Tope said a little more determinedly, "If you don't like any of my ideas, you can suggest one."

"I'm not working with you," Natalya finally said. "The contest is stupid. It's pointless."

"I just think you're scared to lose," Tope challenged. "I bet that you actually want to win." She wracked her brain for more arguments. "Come on, don't you wanna win the free gift card? Or a seat on the Council?"

"No. Not if I have to work with you and your stupid ideas."

Rather than being discouraged, Tope's expression brightened. "So, if I think of a really good idea, you'll work with me?"

"No."

"Aww, what if it's a great idea?"

"All of your ideas are stupid." She took a sip of her coffee and added an extra glare to Tope's collection of glares.

"Okay then," Tope replied easily. "I'll come up with the greatest idea ever, and you'll have to help me follow it through."

Natalya's coffee cup came down a little harder than necessary. "Why are you being so insistent about this?" she said angrily. "What's so good about winning this stupid contest?"

"I just want to win," Tope said. "You ever get that feeling that you just want something to happen, and you'll do anything to achieve it? It's kinda weird, but I feel like this is something I need to do."

Natalya said nothing for a long moment, and then she finally picked up her food tray and walked away.

Tope sighed, gazing at the spot Natalya had just been in. She would come up with an idea that even Natalya couldn't deny! She would!

But what would melt her cold heart? Should it be a heartwarming song? Or a depressing painting? Or maybe just a simple narrative? Tope tried to list the things that were important to Natalya. Big bow accessories? Her hair and clothes? No, it would be hard to write a poem only about getting a new blue dress for Christmas.

Wait, wasn't she in love with Ivan?

Tope nearly slapped herself. Well, duh! It should be something about her family! Family, she realized, was Natalya's most important thing in the world. Even if she loved Ivan more than brother and had a sister that looked like a magnet for trouble in its nastiest form, the Belorussian was intent on keeping her siblings away from anything that jeopardized them. For some reason, she thought that Tope was the threat this time. But she couldn't think about that now. Tope just had to come up with an exceptional way of expressing family in time for Christmas Eve...

"Good morning, Tope," a polite voice jolted her out of her thoughts. Arthur was up bright and early, spick n' span in his neat uniform. He had a small tray of biscuits and hot tea.

"Good morning," Tope replied. "Did you sleep okay? You look a little tired."

Arthur smirked ruefully. "I slept quite well actually, with that bloody frog knocked out cold from his wine."

Tope raised an eyebrow. "Does he drink every night?"

"Some nights, and only during vacation." Arthur eyed Tope's finished breakfast. "I see you're up a bit early. Couldn't sleep again?"

"I guess so," Tope said lightly. "Hey, you know about Ivan's family?"

Arthur's posture stiffened. "His family? Yes, what about them?"

"Like, what can you tell me about them?"

The Brit hesitated. "What would you like to know? There's very little that anyone knows about that particular family."

"Well, do you know anything about their relationships with each other? I heard that Ivan is scared of his little sister, but I don't know why," she added a little lie at the end.

Arthur sighed heavily. "I'm not really one for gossip, but perhaps this is an exception." He cleared his throat. "The three siblings are, from eldest to youngest, Miss Katyusha, Ivan, and Natalya—the latter two being the mental siblings. The two sisters are close in their own way, whereas Ivan's relationship with them is a bit more offhand. Miss Katyusha is like a mother to them both, but she distances herself from them. Natalya's even more insane than her brother. She's constantly pressuring Ivan to marry her, and she's not very pleasant in her methods of asking. Once, she had Ivan cornered in the gymnasium attic for hours before he finally ripped a hole in the wall and jumped down."

Tope whistled and smiled, despite herself. "That's intense. Is there a reason why she's so...persistent?"

Arthur scoffed, "Who knows how that woman thinks? It's more important to stay out of her way while she rambles on after her brother, waving knives around like a menace."

Suddenly, Tope burst up from the small glass table. "I've got it!" she exclaimed. She gathered her rubbish and dirty plates, excitedly rushing to toss them away. Arthur stared after her in confusion as she pivoted clearly on the tiled floor and burst down the stairs.

xXx

"Natalya!" she called, knocking on the door for what must have been the twentieth time. "Come on, I know you're in there. I saw you walk out the door and back in."

No reply.

"I just had an epiphany. You're not gonna just let my brilliant idea die, are you? Come on, you'll love it! Just listen, please?"

"How can I not listen when you're shouting at the door?" a voice angrily snapped.

"So you are there!"

"Leave, damn it!"

"Make me!" Tope retorted.

Immediately, the door was thrown open. Natalya advanced two steps outside and held a knife up at Tope's throat. "You asked for it..."

"What if I told you," Tope interrupted, "that my skit involves killing me?"

Natalya paused. "What?"

Relief and excitement sent shivers down her spine, but Tope did her best to hide it. "I made up a skit for the both of us, and Miss Katyusha too, if she wants to help."

"Do I get to kill you?"

"Sort of, yeah…in a sense. And not literally, of course."

"..."

"I assure you, when we win, the kill will be just as satisfying."

"I doubt it."

"At least let me explain the story?" Tope said hopefully, but not too hopefully. "Just give me ten minutes."

"...you have five."