A/N: H-holy- I have reviews?
Sorry about that. I don't expect people to like my stories... Well, uh, thanks? Um, I don't have much to say.
Oh! I noticed how no one cares about Ian... he's Nova Scotia, just so everyone remembers... poor baby...
Also, Male!Netherlands name is different in this. Princess of preposterous hates Johan, and she made me change his name to Jasper. Complain one more time and I'll fly over there and murder you, Lotte! Just kidding... I wouldn't kill you.
Please review!
A month. That's how long I had to wait for something to change.
I woke up every morning the same way as before. It was almost painful even. I tried to do it, but it didn't work. I even succeeded! But that isn't something that matters. It was only a dream, and I still had to wake up with the faint horizontal scars on my thighs every morning and ignore the box of razors buried in a pile of old homework. The scars were easily hidden by scars from the crash. Open fractures and glass and stitches camouflaged the fading razor scars. They were practically invisible, well, not to me, but to everyone else. I wasn't worth seeing or remembering, so they didn't notice abnormal scars.
My eyes flashed open as usual, seeing the ceiling. I looked over to see Kumajiro sleeping curled up on the pillow. He was panting in his sleep. I sighed at him and pulled him into my arms. His eyes opened lazily and looked up at me. I couldn't help but smile back down at him. He was like a child to me.
I lumbered down the steps to the bathroom and plunked Kuma down in the tub. I turned the cold water on and plugged the tub. I dashed back down the stairs to grab one of the huge bags of ice.
"Maddie!" Alfred said as I was about to leave the kitchen. "I didn't hear you wake up!"
"Al, why are you awake?" I asked as I stared at the clock that read 7:00. "You don't get up until 14:00 or later." I said and shifted the ice in my arms. "Can I go, I need to get the ice up to Kumajiro." I said and watched him sigh. He waved his hand and let me trudge up the steps.
When I was up stairs, I stopped the water and started to slash open the top of the bag.
I giggled at the thought of that being me, skin as the plastic of the bag. It would be entertaining, seeing my blood splatter like water across the walls of a bathroom. Kuma looked up at me like I was insane. He reached up and pawed me across the face. Mom got his claws removed when we got him a few months ago. I poured the ice in, playing with it a bit so it would break up and cool off the water. When I was done, I sat there, cross legged and played with him. He was like a baby. One of the only things that kept me from finding that bridge and jumping off it was this little guy. I didn't want to think what would happen if I was gone. Well, it'd happen some day, hopefully soon.
"MADDIE!" I heard Alfred shout and storm up the steps. "Mom's home early!" He said with an excited expression.
"There's chores." I said and let Kuma play-maul my arm. He tackled it and tried to pull me into the water with him. "We better just ask her what we're going to do." He looked at the floor and nodded He turned out of the room and I sighed. Mom never remembered me, so she never really had me do anything. Most kids would be happy, but any acknowledgement from my mother was something treasured by me.
It was a while before I sighed and pulled Kumajiro out of the tub and walked downstairs, drying him off. I silently sat down at the table next to Alfred.
"Madelyn! I-"
"Yes, you forgot. I know. It's fine." I muttered and stroked the still damp bear in my lap. "What do you want me to do?" I asked and watched her sigh. I was a burden to talk to, that's what. She didn't want me anymore. When did she want me? She always liked Alfred so much more.
"I was going to ask you to go into town and buy a cake for your brother's birthday." She said with a smile.
That's always the sign that she forgets. Our birthdays were different, I was two minutes younger than him, and in the next day even, so we celebrated on separate days, but mom always forgot my birthday, no matter what. She was so centered on Alfred's she didn't want to celebrate mine.
"Yeah." I said weakly and stood up. I walked up the stairs to put jeans on and to place Kuma in the tub again. When I got up to my room, I brushed my hair because I didn't do it that morning. I let it fall on my back in pigtails before pulling a messenger bag over my head and pulled flip flops on before I trudged out of my house. I walked through the streets quickly in the heat in the summer. It wasn't something I liked at all. I just wanted to get into the town and into somewhere with air conditioning.
It didn't take long for me to be in the streets of the college town again. I shuddered at the sight of the crowded streets. I hadn't been there for so long. Not since before my dream had I been there. It gave me an unnerved feeling. I felt as if I would just disappear as I always did. Nobody noticed me. Nobody.
I shook my head as I approached a few cafés. I wasn't until I looked through a bakery window that I had a crazy flashback. I remembered seeing a figure of someone in perfect detail. It already happened. The memory was in such detail, it was giving me a headache. I tried to ignore the throbbing image, but it wouldn't stop until someone crashed into me. He had red hair and green eyes, but he didn't look at me. He brushed himself off and walked quickly away without any notice of me.
I picked myself up and walked in the bakery's doors. The smell of delicious food hit me and I remembered when I was little when Mom took me and Al here. I breathed in the scent and smiled. I remembered it.
I bent down to look at a set of cakes in the display counter. They were cute.
ЖЖЖJASPER'S POVЖЖЖ
I groaned as I rolled over. The morning crowd of people downstairs woke me before my alarm got to it. I picked myself off the floor I rolled onto, not caring that my hair was messed up passed normal. I wanted to go downstairs, but dad would be angry passed belief and that would just be... perfect. Sarcasm is a beautiful thing, isn't it?
I walked into my bathroom and washed my face, staring at dark circles under my eyes. I hadn't slept well since that night. It felt like a dream, but I distinctly remember waking up and going to sleep. And I couldn't stop seeing the girl's eyes out of my head. They looked like they blamed me for something.
I shuddered and ran my hands through my half-gelled hair. I rummaged through the cupboards to find it, but I gave up after a few minutes. I pulled on pants and walked down to the shop, tired. Dad would have just called me down anyway.
I stared at the customers, all buzzing about for the American national holiday. Fourth of July or something. It was a bit annoying since this college town was barely American at all. Most of the people were from Europe or Asia, not America.
I sighed as I helped some obviously stupid customers. "No, this will not help you loose weight.", "Yes, I can customize a cake for you, but there is a three day wait.", and "Just because America's national day is in three days,doesn't mean the entire world even remotely cares." Are common answers I've been trained to give.
I sighed as another customer walked away and looked up. Then my heart nearly stopped.
There.
She.
Was.
Holy crap.
I swallowed hard as I stared at the girl walk in the door. She was just knocked to the ground outside, as her hair was a little off. I couldn't move as I stared at her walk around lazily. She examined the pastries in the counter, ones I decorated. I blinked quickly, not believing my eyes.
The instants my eyes were closed, I saw the body being washed down the river, mangled face, torn maple leaf hoodie, haggard jeans, even the boot left in the fence.
I sighed and calmed myself. It was merely a dream. She probably only looks like the girl. I mean, it's not like she could have the deep violet eyes. Those were just... uncommon. No, impossible. I just dreamed it up! Yes, just a dream-
Shit.
She looked up.
The eyes... they were the exact same purple.
I let my eyes fall upon another customer for a second or two so she wouldn't see me staring, when I looked back, she was looking at the counter again. I couldn't help but walk over slowly. I could feel my mouth forming the words "Aren't you dead?" but that was rude, so my mind just pulled at nothing.
"Happy Canada Day." I said and she jumped up to look at me. Canada Day? Really? You're making up a greeting on the fact in a dream where she was wearing an obviously Canadian hoodie. It's not even possible you dunce!
"How do you know I'm Canadian?" She asked, wary.
Her voice. It was so soft, I could barely hear it above the chatter in the shop. I blinked like an idiot as I stared into her purple eyes. They were the exact same as my dream, which made me wonder if it was a dream. She had a few freckles on her cheeks, mixed with a blush that made her absolutely adorable. Her hair was hanging in front of her eye and I wanted to brush it out of her face, but my arms wouldn't move.
I realized she asked me a question and I tried to speak. Something about how Canada was amazing and it's freedom from the British deserved to be celebrated sprang to mind, but all that didn't come out of my mouth.
"Uh..."
Crap.
Why does the universe hate me?
She stared for longer and I couldn't say anything. My mouth wouldn't keep up with my head and noting would come out.
"Jasper." I felt a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back. I finally got the strength to look at the owner of the hand. My father. "Don't you have cakes to finish?" He asked and practically saved me. I nodded and walked back into the kitchen.
I breathed heavily, not believing my memory.
Holy mother of god, what the hell just happened?
I pulled out a particularly difficult cake from the fridge and continued to decorate it, to distract me, and so I wouldn't look like I was staring off into space like an idiot, quote of my father, by the way.
She was there. She had the same eyes, the same face, the same everything. I saw her die! There was no way I just imagined that though. And it couldn't have been a dream. It wasn't as if I could have mistaken that face. I saw it shred on the bridge! Even her hair was the same. The same massed up pigtails. I couldn't get my thoughts strait at all.
"Jas!" I looked up to see dad looking at me. I looked back down at my work and grunted in response, telling him he could continue. When he didn't, I looked back up. He was looking at the wall with a confused expression.
"Dad?" I asked and waved my hand in front of his face. "You in there?" He looked back at me with a blank expression.
"Why am I out here?" He asked faintly.
"Uh... you took an order from that blonde girl in here. Violet eyes, freckles." I said and he stared at me, this time not knowing what the hell I was saying.
"Who?"
"Come on dad. The Canadian girl that you just pulled me from."
"Jas, what are you talking about? I haven't seen a blonde girl all day." He said and this time I stared. He was just talking to her! How did he not remember her?
I looked down at his hand that had a piece of paper scrunched in it. I pulled it from his loose fist and looked at it shortly. It was an order note. I looked at he signature. It was small and illegible, but it started with an "M". It was a cake for a birthday.
"I'll take this order." I said and he looked at it like it appeared from thin air.
"Where did-" He stopped himself before he could say more. "You, Bella, and Henri can run the store. I'm going to sleep." He said and rubbed his head.
I watched him walk up the stairs to our apartment above the shop and blinked.
The hell just happened?