Disclaimer: I don't own Axis Powers Hetalia or any of its characters.
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say
Welcome to the Hotel California
~ "Hotel California" by the Eagles
Chapter 2 - The City That Never Sleeps
Tilting her hat to shadow her eyes, Matthew weaved her way through the crowds. With one hand, she gripped her only bag tightly, wary of any pocket-pickers or thieves.
The boy's clothing that she wore, brought from a nearby store, itched and rubbed irritably against her skin. The white shirt was too big for her thin frame, the sleeves past her wrist and flopping uselessly by her thumb. The brown breeches were also billowing and baggy against her legs. She was fortunately to find a band of thick cloth to bind her chest flat, to portray the appearance of a young boy more effectively. Her hair was cut short and her face smeared with dirt and grass to convey the image of running in fields and playing in abandoned factories.
From her experience, people tended to listen to a boy rather than a girl at her age. They are mostly too busy trying to flirt with her or ignore her than to take her seriously. But her disguise worked and no one was able to tell that the sweet, polite lad that they met on the road was actually a girl.
After burying her mother and long months of returning to her old apartment and trying to gather any crumbs of information on her brother from four years ago, Matthew finally found herself standing in the busy city of New York, after an elderly maid had remembered a young man who she had glimpsed of speaking to her mother and having to claim to come from there.
It was a shot in the dark though and Matthew knew there was a slim to none chance that her brother would really be here. It was four years ago after all and the old maid's memory might not have been accurate or she could have mistaken her brother for someone else. Her brother could have easily left the city to seek his fortunes elsewhere. Or he might not have come to New York at all.
She tried hard to remember what her brother looked like. But her memories of those ten years ago was oddly hazy and unclear. And it frustrated her to no end. The picture in the necklace helped a little, but the black and white photo was faded and crinkled and small, making her brother's face appear ambiguous.
It didn't help that she knew that her brother could easily change during those ten years since she had last seen him as a child.
But it was all she had at the moment and she was willing to take that chance.
So here she was, standing in the middle of New York, trying to find a place that would take her in for a cheap price. If she could find a place. Gripping the numerous advertisements she managed to find, Matthew tried her best to make her way through the streets.
New York was everything that she could have ever dreamed of. The crowded, bustling streets filled with people. The meticulous buildings and fancy stores. The exquisite fashion and alluring smell of food wafting towards her. So many sights and places she could wait to see.
Wondering if she should ask someone for help, she glanced upon a particularly refined building, with at least three levels of floors and tinted windows to mask what laid inside. The architecture was stunning, definitely beyond anything that Matthew had ever seen. It clearly was the place that all other places would enviously resent. There at the front of the place, in bold, twisting words was Le Château du Marianne.
She would have walked by it without another thought, if a hand didn't suddenly clamped down on her shoulder and a puff of warm breath fluttered behind Matthew's right ear. " Didn't think you'd be here so early in the morning, Mr Jones," a sultry voice murmured, causing her to turn red.
Red painted finger nails gripped her chin, jerking her head to face a girl not much older than her. She was quite a pretty girl, with her blond wavy hair dancing about her cheeks. And at times like these, Matthew was never more fully aware of her own gender! " I'm afraid you're mistaken," she said, quickly stepping back from the girl, blushing. " I'm not - "
" Jones?! He's here!?" A loud, coarse voice erupted from behind Matthew, startling both her and the girl. She barely turned around to face a huge man, who snarled at her while puffing streams of thick smoke from his Cuban cigar at her face.
" We are going to have a long talk, you and I," he growled, jabbing a finger at Matthew's chest.
A faint blush tinted her cheeks as the man had prodded near her bound chest. " But I'm not - "
" You think you're so big, huh? " Matthew let out a yelp as the man roughly knuckled her in the head, his callous hands digging against her skull. "Well, let's go right now, you bastard. Just you and me. Come on!"
" W-wait! Why don't we - ?"
The next hit across her face knocked her down to the ground. Her bag went flying, its contents crashing everywhere. Her hat casually tumbled next to her, as she landed hard on the ground with a cry, scraping the palms of her hands against the grainy dirt.
Cracking his knuckles menacingly, the man advanced towards him, a malicious glint lighting up his face." Not so tough, are you now, eh Jones?" he sneered, raising his fist once more.
Squeaking in alarm and fear, Matthew closed her eyes, bracing herself for the hit. All she could miserably think was how this was only her first day in New York and she already ran into trouble. Was all luck against her?
But the hit never came and she risked opening her eyes a tiny bit. Another man stood in front of her, holding back the first man. He was dressed quite extravagantly in blue and red. From where she was, Matthew was able to detect a whiff of roses and wine from him. " Adelio, you must calm down. This is not Mr Jones," he scolded, wagging a finger at the man as if he were a child. This new man spoke in a French accent, smooth and sophisticated. " Apologize at once to this poor stranger who was caught up in your antics."
A dull flush appeared on Adelio's dark skin. " Sorry," he muttered, dipping his head downwards, before quickly leaving to return back inside. The girl who had stood silently this whole time shot Matthew an unreadable glance before following him in as well.
The man who appeared to be their boss turned to Matthew instead, looking quite concerned. " Are you all right, mon chéri?" he asked, offering her a hand. " I apologize on behalf of the rash actions of my employee."
" I-it's all right," she stammered, quickly scrambling to her feet and going off to gather her things. She could feel everyone's eyes on her and her face was burning in embarrassment. She just wanted to leave this place.
Her hand brushed against the Frenchman's hand, who held her hat and a few scattered papers in his hand. " Here you go," he kindly said.
Wondering why she was so flustered at the momentary contact, she took them, carelessly shoving them into her bag before standing up. " Thank you for everything," she mumbled, bobbing her head in gratitude and hastily turned and started sifting through the now scattering crowd.
Suddenly, her wrist was grasped by another hand and she froze, thinking he was trying to do something to her. Gripping her bag tightly, intending to use it as a weapon, Matthew spun around to nearly bump nose to nose with the Frenchman.
To her surprise, he gently turned her hand upwards, to see the bleeding scratches and cuts on her palms. A pale finger reached out and lightly stroked the throbbing spot of red on her cheek where Cuba had hit her. " You can't go anywhere with these dreadful injuries on your hands and pretty face," he declared. " Come. I shall find you a doctor to bandage these for you."
Feeling a headache pinching at the side of her head, Matthew tried to dissuade the man." Thank you for your thoughtfulness, but I must insist that - "
Without even bothering to allow her to finish her sentence, the man began dragging her back to the building, cheerfully ignoring her protests. " Please, it is the least I can do," he cut in, smiling cordially at her. " By the way, I'm Monsieur Bonnefoy, the owner of Le Château du Marianne," he added, answering her unspoken question.
He steered her inside, merrily humming a tune. And Matthew gasped, eyes widening at the sight of the grand theater stretched before her. It was a magnificent stage, colored in creamy oak and maple, gleaming in the spotlight. Two velvet curtains hung at the sides, rustling and itching to be pulled. The ceiling was decorated in impressive arches and vaults that expanded over the length of the room, divine and majestic. None of the stages that she had seen before in other clubs and bars could ever hope to compare to this.
" It's a beauty, isn't she?" Monsieur Bonnefoy smiled appreciatively. Matthew could only nod her head in agreement.
A few people stared as he continued to pull her along the corridor, but she barely had time to notice them, too busy trying to figure out where Monsieur Bonnefoy was leading her to. " Master Wang! Where are you? I have a patient for you!" he called, pulling Matthew into the kitchen with him.
A young man irritably poked his head from the stack of plates he was washing. " I'm not a doctor-aru," he crossly said, wiping his hands on a towel. " Why do you keep calling me that?"
Nevertheless, Monsieur Bonnefoy pushed Matthew towards the Chinese man. " This poor child unfortunately got caught up in Cuba's anger," he explained patiently. " Adelio had believed he had seen Mr Jones and wanted to return Mr Jones' - ahem, earlier favor to him."
" Ahh, yes. Mr Jones and Adelio never did get along." Master Wang glanced sideways at Matthew. " Though I must say that the resemblance of Mr Jones is uncanny. I myself would have believed it were Mr Jones if you didn't tell me."
" So you will treat ...?" Monsieur Bonnefoy abruptly shot her an apologetic look. " My apologies yet again, mon chéri. It appears that I do not know your name."
" Matthew Williams," she told them.
Monsieur Bonnefoy raised a delicate eyebrow. " Matthieu, you say? So you are a boy then."
A blossom of pink spread across her cheeks. " W-well, yes!" she stuttered, hopefully that the indignation in her voice sounded authentic enough.
" I could have sworn you were a girl-aru." Master Wang stared at her in disbelief. She ducked her head, trying to avoid his intense gaze as his eyes seemed to examine her a little too closely for her comfort. Then, he shrugged, withdrawing his scrutiny, allowing her to breath at ease. " I suppose I was mistaken."
" So you will treat Matthieu then?" Monsieur Bonnefoy prompted.
Master Wang huffed. " Very well." He took Matthew's wrist and began pulling her as the Frenchman had done to a separate room connected to the kitchen. This room was filled with the rich aroma of medicine and herbs. It smelled exotic and foreign to the usual smoke, alcohol and sweat that Matthew had grown accustomed to.
" Sit," he ordered, which she did. She curiously watched Master Wang as he inspected the palms of her hand and poked her bruising cheek, muttering to himself, before heading off to the huge cabinet near the back of the room.
" The cuts are mostly shallow," Master Wang told her, sitting across from her and unscrewing a jar of thick green paste. He began applying it to her palms, smearing it in circular motions. There was a slight sting where the paste touched the cuts, but soon, she felt barely any itch from it. " And the bruise on your cheek will be gone in a few days if you put this on right now." He handed a pack of ice, gesturing her to press it to her cheek. " Leave it on for a few hours-aru," he said. " And tonight, make sure you gently massage the area. It will help heal it faster."
" Thank you very much." She smiled sweetly at him, causing Master Wang to blink and look away in a moment of bashfulness.
" It was nothing-aru," he muttered.
" What's this? Has Master Wang been seduced by Matthieu already?" Monsieur Bonnefoy appeared, holding a tray of wine and biscuits. His eyes twinkled in jest, causing both of them to splutter indignantly.
" You speak beyond your own wisdom," Master Wang scowled, turning up his nose at the inadequate biscuits (in his opinion).
Monsieur Bonnefoy looked supremely unconcerned. " Is that another one of your proverbs?" he teased, helping himself to a few biscuits. " How are you doing, mon chéri?" he asked her. " I hope your injuries were all taken care of."
" Yes, they were," Matthew said, nibbling on some biscuits happily. She hadn't eaten a proper meal since last week. " Thank you very much for your hospitality."
" All to see your pretty smile," he frivolously answered, smirking at her embarrassed expression. How cute, he thought to himself. " And judging from your appearance, I would guess that this is your first visit to New York. Am I right?"
She blinked, surprised that he was able to figure it out. Monsieur Bonnefoy chuckled at the look on her face. " Humour me, mon chéri," he said good-naturally.
Finally, she nodded, still trying to work out how he knew. " If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you have come here-aru?" Master Wang asked.
Wary, Matthew debated whether she should tell them about her brother. As much as Monsieur Bonnefoy and Master Wang were friendly towards her, she didn't trust them enough to tell the whole truth. " I am looking for a job," she replied evenly.
" Oh?" Monsieur Bonnefoy looked interested. " Then you came to the right place, Matthieu!"
Her eyes brightened immediately. " That would be wonderful if I could get a job here, Monsieur Bonnefoy," she exclaimed.
" However, there is a certain criteria that needs to be met." His blue eyes pierced sharply into her own. " What sort of talents do you have?"
Confident in her abilities, Matthew began listing them. " I can clean, wash and sweep anywhere you would like me to," she rattled off. Practice and hard labor during those ten years had paid off. " I can cook a little, sew clothing and babysit children if necessary. I also did some catering before I - "
" That's not what I meant," Monsieur Bonnefoy interrupted. " I spoke of talents, not the characteristics of a housewife or a servant. I can easily attain those. I am referring to your own talents. What can you offer me, Matthieu, to make me hire you?"
Sensing the heat rising at the back of her neck, she squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. " I - I'm not sure if I have any," she honestly admitted, furiously blushing, saying all the words in a quick breath. " I mean, I don't think I can sing very well and I never danced before. And I've never played any kind of instrument before - though I would like to learn how to. And I - and I never really thought about having any talents at all ..."
She stopped, feeling very overwhelmed. Her bottom lip trembled and Matthew suddenly realized that she had spent all her time focusing on laboring through an assortment of unkempt jobs to pay off the rent and purchase necessities of living that she never had given a thought to what she truly wanted. She never had any dreams, any focus or real ambition in her life. All she wanted was to find her brother and go home with him. But now the shaft of reality began to open up and as the despair trickled in, she couldn't help but feel unshed tears sting her eyes.
Both Monsieur Bonnefoy and Master Wang were gazing at her as if they were seeing her for the first time. " That ... was perfect!" Monsieur Bonnefoy exclaimed.
" A natural," Master Wang agreed.
Confused, she looked between the two of them. " What do you mean?"
" That act, mon chéri, was utterly mesmerizing and beautiful. I have never seen anything like it in my life!" He wrapped an arm to her shoulder. " For a moment, you nearly had me convinced that it was true. You make a very formidable actor. And a very cute one, if I may add." He smiled charmingly at the pink creeping to her cheeks.
" But it wasn't an act!" she squeaked, shrinking considerably under his arm. " I wasn't acting at all - "
" I will inform the rest of the acting troupe that they will have a new addition-aru," Master Wang was talking to Monsieur Bonnefoy, not realizing she had spoken. " And I shall go prepare a room for Matthew. I am certain that we have a few rooms on the second or third floor that can accommodate him."
" Yes, yes. Immediately, if you can." He vaguely waved a hand and Master Wang disappeared through the doors back into the kitchens. " I was quite surprised, I admit," he murmured in her ears, pulling her close. " I didn't think you had it in you to pull out such a magnificent scene. But you did and I am impressed. I am quite curious to see what else you will have in store for us, mon chéri."
Torn between hating herself for lying to them and the desperation of needing money and lodging, all Matthew could do was silently nod her head.
~.~.~.~
Author's Notes:
Le Château du Marianne - Marianne's Palace/Castle. Marianne is the national symbol of France for liberty and reason.
This is meant to take place in an alternate world set between the 1930s and 1940s. My history and translation skills aren't the greatest and may not be completely accurate, so if I do make a mistake, just let me know and I'll correct as soon as I can.
The girl who flirted briefly with Matthew before Cuba showed up was meant to be Belgium.
I always loved the idea of making China the chef (because he loves cuisine and he had said food is his priority) and the doctor (because China is known for acupuncture and having many traditional Chinese herbs and medicine).
Also, notice how France and China suspected Canada was a girl originally before finding out "his" real gender, compared to Cuba and Belgium, who mistook her for both a guy and America.