*Hi, guys. I'm back again. Thank you for the positive response, by the way!

*Hmm. For some reason, I'm not satisfied with this chapter. Well, I'll just wait for your opinions. :)

*I love you guys. Seriously.

*Enjoy your read!

CHAPTER FOUR

Day 2: Evening

It isn't everyday a girl who goes to your school and mocked your lunch friend in front of everyone in the cafeteria is murdered the very same day, and the reason is most likely because of yourself. And it isn't everyday it's the countries of your world personified explaining why the shit that happened to you ever since you arrived in your nation was not because of bad luck, and not because your cat secretly cursed you to get revenge for kicking him that one time when you were in preschool.

I sat back in my chair and waited for my brain to digest the info. It didn't.

"I know it is a lot to take in—" England began.

"Are you kidding?" I interrupted, unable to stop the fear and anger in my voice. "You just told me I murdered a cheerleader!"

"Not directly," he said. "But yes, she was probably tortured by them so they could obtain information about you."

"Who's 'them?' Why are they after me? Do I look like some kind of freaking Chosen One? Because I'm not going to play your games!" I was hysterical by then.

"We are not playing any 'games,' Sophie." England said this so coldly I found myself suddenly speechless. I sat back in my seat meekly.

America hadn't arrived yet. He was still stuck somewhere in traffic, but he'd already learned about Emily's death from England. I don't know how he took the news.

England continued, "The enemy we are talking about is likely another nation and their people. We're not exactly sure, but we know that they're after the dice." England focused his emerald eyes on me. "So please, tell us what you know."

I didn't want to get myself into this mess. I wished that some other little girl had picked up the dice, and some other girl had decided to move to the wrong place at the wrong time. What I wanted was to pretend I'd never met these nations, pack my bags and go back to Spain.

But did I really have a choice?

Well, it wasn't that bad. There were no vampires involved, I wasn't destined to destroy some evil villain and I was human, as far as I knew- not a witch, not the daughter of some god, not a Guardian of a parallel world. Just human.

"When I was six," I said, "I found a pair of dice in stream next to my house. It was really pretty, so I began wearing it around as a necklace. A week later, my parents had a fight. My dad just kind of left in the middle of the night." I cleared my throat. "So, anyway, I ran after him and got lost. My mom didn't tell me, but there'd been this serial killer lurking around. I was wandering around when I heard a gunshot and felt myself flying backwards. When I looked up, a figure was running away. Not much later, someone found me and took me home."

My leg had begun to throb and I winced at the pain. "There was a hole in my shirt in the shape of a bullet, so my mom freaked out and checked me for injuries. The bullet was there, but it was wedged in my necklace so it didn't harm me. After that, the dice became my lucky charm."

There was a moment of silence as my story sunk it. It sounded more interesting than it actually was. Really, those were only vague memories; some details came from my mom.

"That's an interesting story," England said, and some countries nodded in agreement. "Where is it now, then?"

That was the problem. I didn't know where it was. "Actually, I..."

The pain in my leg intensified and my head began to swim. Black splotches spotted my vision, and the sound of someone shouting was the last thing I could remember.

xXx

Day 3

I woke up to the smell of macaroni and cheese. And boy, do I love mac 'n' cheese.

Ahh. The pillows were heaven. The covers were so smooth they felt like water. I closed my eyes and decided to continue sleeping and ignore the sound of a second person moving around in the room...

A second person. In my room.

My eyes shot open and I sat up. Oh, great. Like I had dreaded, this wasn't my room. Which meant that yesterday wasn't a dream. Which meant that Hetalia was real.

Which meant that England hated me for a reason I couldn't understand and I happened to lose the one item that could save the world.

Life really sucks sometimes.

"Oh, you're up," a voice said. "Do you have a thing for mac 'n' cheese? It's kind of the only thing I have to eat right now."

I started and looked around the room until I saw him. America was standing on a chair under the heavy curtains, a wrench in his hand and a black toolbox on the windowsill. He noticed my expression and quickly assured me, "Don't worry, I wasn't trying anything. I just came in to fix the curtain rail."

"So...I'm at your house?" I asked.

"Yup. It's awesome, huh?"

It was awesome. I'd been here before once, but that time I was too busy trying to stay hidden to take a good look at my surroundings. The bedroom was grand in that American way, with bold colors and modern furniture and designs.

But you could tell some of the stuff was clearly broken. Like that crack in the wall, the table with uneven legs, the slightly lopsided pendant lights...and the curtain rail.

"Your economy's declining," I said.

America made a face. "Why does everyone have to remind me? It's not like I haven't noticed or anything." He stepped down from the chair. "Well, that's done. You feeling okay?"

I moved the covers and swung my legs off the bed. "Yeah, I think so. What happened last night?"

"You suddenly passed out in the middle of saying something," he answered, opening the curtains to let sunlight in. "I dunno why. Maybe all that world-apocalypse stuff was too much to take in."

I got up and grabbed my walking stick, which was leaning against the wall next to the bed. "I don't know," I said. "It's just...nothing like this ever happened to me before."

"Everything will be over before you know it," he said, and grinned.

I'd believed him then. How wrong he was.

xXx

The macaroni was delicious. It was a soft butter yellow color and all gooey with cheese, just the way mac 'n' cheese should be. I was tempted to ask for a second helping, but I was afraid I'd eat up all his macaroni.

"Hey, you wanna play some videogames after you're done?" America asked me, stepping into the dining room. He'd been in the gaming room setting up new games. "God of War: Ascension was released just yesterday."

I stirred my macaroni. "Aren't you supposed to be working on your mission?"

He rolled his eyes. "That's only England. He's been freaking out about this since we came."

"But the world's going to end. And everyone will die, including you guys."

"That's why they say enjoy life while it lasts. So, you up for a game or two?"

I finished the last of the cheese, wiped my mouth and stood. "I'm not that great at gaming, but okay. Still, aren't we supposed to look for the dice?"

America was confused. "Wait, don't you have them with you?"

Crap. "Um, actually..." I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

Something told me he figured it out, but for some reason, he didn't say anything about it. Instead he said, "Just chillax for now. Video games first, okay?"

I nodded, grateful, and we went to the gaming room. The curtains were drawn, blocking light from entering the room. All the screens were on and a pair controllers sat on a table between two comfortable looking chairs. He sat down in one of the chairs and grabbed a controller, and I followed him, part of me afraid I was going to lose really badly. Okay, so games were played for the fun, but still. It'd be kind of embarrassing if I died in the first five minutes.

The game started with my character as an oath-breaking warrior in a dungeon. I was about to be killed when I was suddenly transported to Olympus, where I had to choose one of four gods to follow: Ares, Hades, Zeus and Poseidon. America chose Ares and I decided to go with Poseidon, who seemed like the only god not in a bad mood.

As I had dreaded, I died pretty soon. "Ouch," I said, when a titan roared and drove his spear through my character, allowing blood to explode everywhere.

America glanced at my screen, which was splattered with crimson. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you weren't good at this stuff. It's been, what, ten seconds?"

"Fourteen," I corrected.

He gave me a serious look. "My friend, you have a lot to learn on skillful video gaming. Haven't you ever watched any PewDiePie videos?"

"What's that?" I asked blankly.

He stared at me, apparently shocked. "You don't know who PewDiePie is?" Then he shook his head and stood. "Ah, never mind. Here, I'll teach you some basics." America walked over to me, took hold of my controller and began guiding me through attacking enemies, kind of like the way teachers guide little kids in practicing their letters.

He was leaning over me, throwing in tips here and there, when I felt it—a stirring in my stomach. All my senses were heightened and I noticed that fast-foody smell that clung to him, that his fingers brushed against mine as he rotated the joysticks on the controller. Then the feeling went away and I could hear what he was saying again.

"...always expect jumps when you're in the dark," America finished. Right about then, the muffled sound of a phone ringing floated into the room. "Wait, let me go get that."

After he left the room, I sat back in my chair and wondered where That Feeling came from. That Feeling was—I'll admit it—pleasant, but not necessarily a good sign. I told myself to avoid That Feeling from now on, because something told me it was going to get me in trouble.

He returned to the gaming room. "Hey Sophie, your mom called," he said. "England wants you to go over to Taiwan's house."

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Your mom wants to check on you," America replied. "And...well, it would be kind of weird if you were staying at a guy's house overnight. Besides, Taiwan lives outside of the sanctuary."

I thought about that and decided it made sense. "So where's her house?"

"Not too far from here. I'll drive you there." He looked down at my leg and grimaced, as if just thinking about the injury was painful. "And you'd better cover up that wound."

"Oh...right." I got up, tried to walk without my stick, and took a few steps forward successfully. "All I need now are some long pants."

"Japan brought some of your belongings over," he said. "He, um, threw away some clothes. Something about how 'young teens shouldn't wear such revealing clothing.'"

As far as I knew, I didn't own any slinky clothes. The most revealing one I had was that black spaghetti-strap tank top Maria gave me for my birthday. I was going to get rid of that one eventually anyway. But there was one particular article of clothing I couldn't live without. "He didn't get rid of my Tony T-shirt, did he?" I asked worriedly.

America raised an eyebrow. "Tony T-shirt?"

"Uh, yeah." For some reason, I was embarrassed. "They made merchandise for him, too."

"I totally have to tell him that." He grinned. "Hey, if I give him one he might even agree to take me to his planet."

"You can buy one on Amazon," I informed him. "It's pretty cheap, too..."

Again, the phone rang. "Probably England again," he said, frowning. "Jeesh, he's so high-strung these days. I guess we better get moving."

America left the house and I went to the living room to retrieve my things and change. My black and pink duffel bag was sitting on the couch, filled to the brim with neatly folded clothes (my Tony shirt had survived, thank goodness), toiletries in a small bag, some miscellaneous stuff and my laptop. I mentally thanked Japan for considering the laptop. I mean, what else would I use to read yaoi?

In the car, we drove in silence. After a while I asked, "Is England always so grumpy?"

"Yeah, ever since we came here," he replied. "He used to be a lot more cheery...well, relatively cheerier. Even his food got worse."

"Oh."

America glanced sideways at me. "I don't think England means to be sour to you," he said, after a moment. "It's just that a couple decades ago, he went to war with Sira when she declared independence. Ever since he lost, he's held a grudge against all Sirans."

I stared at the road. "Does she hate him?"

"No, but they have a tense relationship." He sighed. "He doesn't like me, either. After my country rose to power, he lost almost all his territory. No wonder he's such a grouch."

I felt a little sad...until I realized what an amazing fanfiction that could turn into. I began to map out a story plot in my head.

"Hey...what are you grinning about?" America was looking at me curiously.

My smile faded. "Uh, nothing important. Just some childhood memories."

He didn't seem convinced, but he dropped the topic. "Well, we're here."

I looked out the window. We were in a typical Siran neighborhood. All the houses looked alike, except for the one the car was parked in front of. That house had been painted red, blue and white, and had cherry blossoms painted all over it, so it stood out like pepsi amongst a bunch of coke. Cherry blossom trees surrounded the house, and the Taiwanese flag was stuck in the grass next to the front door.

"Painfully obvious," I remarked.

America shrugged. "Hey, we like to be patriotic."

The front door opened and the personification of the Republic of China walked out, a spring in her step. Taiwan waved. "Nihao, Sophie!"

"See you later," he said. "Buy me a Tony T-shirt sometime, okay?"

When he smiled at me, blue eyes bright, That Feeling came back again. I silently willed for it to go away, but failed. My stomach did a somersault to make it worse.

"Yeah," I said weakly. "Bye. And thanks for the macaroni."

I exited the car and approached Taiwan, who gave me a hug and said, "I'm so glad to see you, Soph!"

She acted like we'd been friends for years. I grinned and returned the favor. "Me, too!"

"I'll make you some bubble milk tea," she said, as we headed inside the house. "Trust me, you haven't lived until you've tried bubble milk tea..."

"Anyong, Taiwan!" Korea sauntered into the living room. "Ooh, who's the guest?"

Taiwan sighed exasperatedly. "Korea, how many times have I told you not to break into my house? You broke my window last time!"

"It wasn't a very attractive window, anyway," he said. "Can I have some tea, too?"

"Fine," Taiwan huffed, but I could tell she was pleased he asked. She turned to me and smiled. "Just make yourself at home. Your mom's arriving soon."

She disappeared into the kitchen and Korea plopped down on the sofa next to me. "So! You're Sophie, right? Did you get my note?"

"

That was for me? "That was for me?"

"Well, duh. Why else would I give it you?" He winked at me, and his eyes moved down to...er, the region below my chin.

"If you make one move on her, I'll kill you," a new voice said. A pretty girl in a green dress came down the stairs and glared at him. "Why can't you be satisfied with Japan and China's 'breasts?'"

Korea jumped up at the sight of her and smiled nervously. "V-Vietnam! How are you doing on this lovely day?"

"Fine, thank you," she answered. Her golden eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What were you planning to do?"

"N-Nothing, of course! I was just having a nice little conversation."

Vietnam glared at him again, then crossed her arms. "Hmph. I'll let you off this time. But I'll be watching you." She looked at me and her expression softened. "This must be a tough experience for you."

"No, I'm fine!" I said, which was mostly true. "It's actually been really exciting. I mean, you guys are so cool!"

She was perplexed by my answer. "Cool? How are we cool?"

"You don't know how many fans you have here," I said. "And all of them are so dedicated, it's amazing."

"I see," she said, but she still looked confused. Vietnam walked over to me and glared at Korea until he squeaked and moved over. She sat next to me and smoothed her dress.

Taiwan emerged from the kitchen with three tall glasses of beige-colored drinks with black dots swimming at the bottom. "Viet-chan, you're up!" she said. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Vietnam said. She noticed the drinks and her eyes brightened. "Is that milk tea?"

"Mhmm! Drink up, guys." Taiwan set down the drinks and sat across from us. I took one of the glasses and tried a sip. Just like she had said, it was delicious.

The doorbell rang and Taiwan jumped up to answer it. She opened the door and there stood my mom. My mom looked a little worried, but otherwise she was perfectly fine.

"Hi!" Taiwan greeted her. "You're Sophie's mom, right?"

I realized what a great idea it was to move me here. Taiwan looked about the same age as me and she was just like how a teenager should be. My mom immediately relaxed at the sight of her, and the sight of me on the couch.

"Yes, I am," my mom answered. "And you are...?"

"I'm Xiao Mei," Taiwan said, holding out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs..."

"Dupont," my mom finished, shaking Taiwan's hand. "May I come in?"

"Of course!" Taiwan stepped aside and my mom entered, immediately rushing towards me.

"Sophie! Thank goodness you're alright," she said, clearly relieved. "After I found out our house was broken into, and about that poor girl who was murdered..."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Sorry for not telling you about the sleepover sooner."

She shook her head. "No, it's alright. It's nice to know you're already making friends."

"Would you like to stay for tea, Mrs. Dupont?" Taiwan asked. "It's a special kind you can only find in my country."

"Thank you, but I must be going now. Have fun, girls." She smiled and Korea added, "and guy."

After she left, Vietnam said, "Taiwan, what do you have in mind? I see something in your eyes."

Taiwan's brown eyes gleamed. "I'm going to show Sophie my secret stash."

Vietnam groaned and Korea made a choking sound. "Don't traumatize her," the Vietnamese nation pleaded. "Please."

"What's this secret stash?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, you'll see," Taiwan said. "Follow me!" I went with Taiwan upstairs and she opened a door down the hallway. We entered what I guessed was her bedroom and she began rummaging through her drawers, finally coming up a plastic folder. "Here it is!"

She took out some files and I saw that they were all Japanese comic strips. We sat down on her bed and she spread them across the sheets. Taiwan looked at me and, with a smile, asked, "Tell me, do you know what yaoi is?"

I stared at her, mouth agape. "Y-Yaoi?" A grin spread across my face. "Oh my God, you're a yaoi fan?"

She squealed. "Yes, I am! It's Japan's best invention yet!"

I noticed that there was Japanese stuff everywhere in her room: posters with pictures of anime characters, vocaloid merchandise, omamori, and manga books on her bookshelves. She sure was a fan of Japan. "So, which anime's yaoi do you support?"

"Oh, the one that exists in our lives," Taiwan answered. "I learned about the Hetalia yaoi madness around a year ago. Hungary formed a club just for it! Right now the members are Seychelles, Hungary and myself. Sealand came to a meeting once, but after that he never came back again. Sey-chan said he'd been mentally scarred, but how anyone be traumatized by yaoi?"

"I know, right," I agreed. I leaned forward eagerly. "Do you have any USUK doujinshis?"

"Of course! That's the most popular one in the fandom." She gave some to me and said, "And there's also..."

"Hey, Sophie!" came Korea's voice. He opened the door. "England's here..."

"Korea and China!" Taiwan finished. "Sooo hot!"

Korea looked like he was about to faint.

"Can I keep these for awhile?" I asked Taiwan, gesturing at the USUK strips.

She nodded. "Sure! You know, I even have some pictures..."

Korea snapped out of his shock and said, "Eum, England's waiting downstairs, you know."

"Oh. Right," I said, not sounding very enthusiastic. I organized the doujinshis into a neat stack and followed Korea downstairs, Taiwan just behind me. The British nation was sitting in the living room. To my surprise, he wasn't dressed all formal like the previous night. Instead he wore jeans, a T-shirt with the English flag on it and New Balance sneakers.

Maybe there was hope for him yet.

"Hello," he said. "Are you feeling better today?"

Okay. What. "Yes I am, thank you."

He smiled—smiled—and said, "That's good to hear. So, do you have an idea where the dice might be?"

I gaped at him. "H-How did you know I lost it?"

England sighed. "America told me. And I..." He hesitated. "I apologize for being unacceptably rude. None of this is your fault, after all."

Ah. So the gentleman England had finally revealed himself. "Um, it's okay," I said, because to tell the truth I didn't want him to be all nice and loving. It was totally un-tsundere-like. "Really. I mean, this is like a fangirl's dream!"

"Well. I suppose that's good," he said. "So, my previous question...?"

"Oh, right. Sometime in middle school, I gave the necklace to my friend for good luck because she was entering a national spelling bee competition. She won, of course, but she lost the necklace. That was in Spain."

"Do you know any more details about its whereabouts?" he asked, frowning.

"She said she misplaced it in the hotel," I said. "I think I know which one. I think."

"That's a good enough lead." England stood and turned to the Asian nations. "Thank you for letting her stay here, Taiwan."

"No problem!" she chirped, lively as ever. "Come again anytime."

"Thanks, Mei." I grinned at her. "You better show me the pictures sometime."

She grinned back. "You'll be shocked when you see them."

England looked at her, then at me, apparently confused. "Let's go, Sophie," he said. I nodded, took my duffel bag, and followed him out the door.

"So, where's the next stop?" I asked as we got into his Land Rover (Land Rover? Seriously? Why not Bentley?).

"Spain," he answered, and my mouth dropped open.

"It'll be a quick ride," England continued, while I was still speechless. "Assuming the hamburger git wasn't just trying to prove his ridiculously large ego, it'll take a couple of hours at most."

"Ah," I said weakly.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the sanctuary. A private jet was parked in the center, and America was waving from inside the cockpit.

"Japan and America will go with you," he said. "I have some...business to deal with here." He didn't mention what "business" he was talking about.

England parked the car and we got out. Before I headed toward the plane he said, "Wait, I forgot something important. Stand still."

I did as he told me. He knelt, produced some chalk and drew a circle around me. Immediately I began to have a bad feeling about this. England drew some ancient symbols along the border of the circle and sprinkled green powder around it, muttering something incoherent under his breath. The circle flashed bright blue and my head felt lighter.

I closed my eyes. For a heartbeat I felt immense pain. Then all of a sudden everything was normal again, and I slowly opened my eyes. "What just..."

I stopped mid-sentence. My voice sounded different, almost as if...

"AAHH! W-What did you do to me?" I looked around frantically and rushed to the car window. My reflection proved it was real.

I didn't look like plain school/fangirl Sophie anymore. Hell, I didn't even look prettier.

Nope, I was something far, far worse.

*And that's it. How do you guys like it?

*This is one of those yay-meet-new-nations chapters, so there's more drama rather than action.This fanfic will switch between drama and action. The next chapter will be action.

*Still, I'm not entirely satisfied with this one. But I had fun writing it anyway, so whatevs. =)

* Thank you for reading! :) Adios~

...x Whitlinger x...