The chapter title Conor is Latin for Venture. I'm officially going to make this lean more towards the mystery genre rather than the horror genre. By the way, World City does not exist and neither does Hetalia High lol.
I know the characters' ages are messed up here, but it's an AU, right?
Chapter One
Conor
On July 4, 1997, a scorching summer greeted my first birthday. My left lung punctured, which is an occurrence most commonly known as pneu… pneumo… pneumo-something. Well, Arthur tells me to remember the term because apparently, it's stupid not to know what you're diagnosed with, but I really just can't pronounce it.
Ah, pneumothorax. That's the word!
Well, anyway, because of my condition, I usually have problems with breathing. That's what caused me to miss my first week of school at Hetalia High, an international school where I transferred recently. You see, my mother died giving birth to me and my father is doing some work in India or Indonesia, wherever that is. That's why my father left me with my grandparents, who are living here in World City, in the freaking awesome U.S. of A!
It was freaking lame, though, how I was confined in the hospital as soon as I arrived.
Wait- someone's knocking on the door. I call out a little hoarsely, "Come in," and I realize how lonely I am when Arthur Kirkland enters the room. The sight of his messy blond hair, emerald green eyes, and bushy eyebrows manage to cheer me up. He looks at me wearily as I sit up on my white hospital bed, excited.
He's my childhood friend. We used to be neighbors back when we both lived in the same place in New York, but we were never schoolmates. He soon moved here to this quiet place. When I found out my dad was going to drop me off here in World, I was ecstatic. I could finally get to see Arthur again after almost a decade!
Fate seemed to be on my side when my grandparents insisted that they enroll me at Hetalia High. Guess what? We're officially classmates. The dazzling opportunity to spend time with him even during class- it blows me away.
It sucks, though, missing the whole first week of school because of stupid medical conditions.
I grin widely. "Artie! I thought you were never going to visit me!"
Arthur rolls his eyes. "It's Arthur. You haven't changed since we last saw each other, Alfred. Besides, I couldn't visit you because I've been busy with homework this whole past week."
Oh, how I miss his British accent.
"Are you serious? Homework? On the first week of school? Is that even legal?" I say incredulously, staring at him, "That makes me not want to go to class… But I will! I know you'll miss me if I don't."
"The first week of school is still school, you bloody wanker. Care more about your studies, why don't you!" he says calmly, ignoring my last comment, "Anyway, I couldn't believe it when I heard from your grandmother that you got sick again. Imagining Alfred Jones actually lying still on a hospital bed isn't easy."
I laugh. "Whatever, Artie-"
"Don't call me that!"
"I'm sure you brought me something to eat!" I continue cheerfully, "The hospital food sucks."
Arthur nods curtly. He hands me a paper bag with a container of delicious burger inside. "Of course. Here, I got you a cheeseburger from the best burger chain here in World City. Don't get used to it, though. I only brought you something because you're sick, and that's what a normal person does when a friend's sick."
"Oh, you are so taking me to this burger chain as soon as I get out of this place," I say with my mouth full, chewing on the burger happily. The perfect clash of cheese, lettuce, and tomato along with the well-cooked burger itself, sandwiched in between the quality buns and causing all the flavors to-
"Stop describing how the damn thing tastes in your head. You have that silly look on your face again," Arthur snaps, glaring at me. His eyes give him away though. He looks like he misses me too. "I don't even know why you like burgers. You're actually shortening your lifespan when you eat lots of those each day… Anyway, here's the homework for the past week. You have to catch up."
I pretend not to notice the notebook he sets on my bed. "Catch up. You forgot the extra ketchup, Artie."
He doesn't laugh. "Well, it's a good thing your collapsed lung is causing you breathing difficulties. Otherwise, I'd be hitting you like I should whenever you annoy me with that stupid nickname. Just knock it off, Alfred."
"Glad to know you're being easy on me," I answer, the smile still on my face, "Artie."
Since it's the weekend, Arthur got to visit me again today. The visit was shorter than yesterday, but he dropped off an album of pictures from our childhood. We spent the few minutes we had browsing through the memories. He yelled at me for laughing hard at his face in one of our embarrassing pictures. Totally not my fault he looked hilarious. It was funny how the nurse had to throw him out yesterday because he excited me too much.
Speaking of the nurse, here he comes right now.
"Hey again, Tino!" I greet him as he comes in with his clipboard. He's soft-spoken and polite, if not slightly feminine for a guy. He has light blond hair and his eyes gaze at me as he takes my blood pressure and stuff.
"Alfred, have you been reading horror novels again?" He asks, concerned, "You're just scaring yourself, you know. Even I notice how you can't sleep easily at night because of these." He picks up one book on my bedside table delicately, flipping through the pages and reading the summary. "HetaOni? It sounds like a Japanese R.P.G…"
I say indignantly, "Don't take it away, Tino! That stuff has nothing to do with my lungs."
"That may be true, but Doctor Oxenstierna doesn't want his patients lacking sleep whatever their condition may be," he replies quietly, putting the book back on the table. "You should worry more about your health rather than haunted mansions and evil aliens."
"Yeah," I answer sheepishly, remembering his stubbornness regarding the novel, "But it's boring in here! If only I remembered to bring my Marvel comics instead, maybe it wouldn't be a problem… My grandparents wouldn't be able to find those comics if I asked them to bring those over, anyway. My room's still a mess."
"Whatever, Alfred. Just follow the doctor's orders and you'll be fine. Personally, I'd entrust Berwa- I mean Doctor Oxenstierna with my life," he replies earnestly, opening the door and about to walk out of the room, "You have guests waiting outside, by the way. They're wearing the Hetalia High uniform and one of them has flowers."
Guests? I wave as he leaves and rack my brain for any people who could visit me at this time of day. Arthur was here before lunch and my grandparents came after. It does sound sad, but I don't know anyone else in this town.
The door opens. Two teenagers my age that I don't know enter the room and I take my time looking at them. They're both wearing the Hetalia High uniform and I realize that they could be my classmates.
The first guy has glasses and dark brown hair combed back neatly in place. He nods his head politely when he enters the room and I can't help but notice how graceful his fingers are as he closes the door and gives me a bouquet of flowers. "You are Alfred F. Jones, correct?" he asks. I can't quite place his accent.
I nod, taking the bouquet and sitting up. "Yup, that's me. Who are you people, though?"
The girl behind him grins at me cheerfully. She has long, light brown hair and friendly green eyes. "We're your classmates, Alfred. I'm Elizaveta Hedervary, the female class representative of year 3 class 3. The guy who gave you the flowers is Roderich Edelstein. He's the male class representative. We just wanted to welcome you to Hetalia High." I check her accent as somewhat similar to the dude's, which I still can't figure out…
"Sorry if I'm being nosy, but where are you guys from? I've never heard your accents before in any action movie before," I venture, avoiding their eyes and poking at the flowers, "Is it German? I do know it's European."
Elizaveta laughs, somewhat nervously. "Yes, that's right. We're European. Anyway, we've heard about your illness. We hope you can get out of the hospital soon, so everyone else in our class can finally meet you."
"I've had a smooth recovery," I answer enthusiastically, noticing instantly that she evaded my question. What's wrong with not being from America, though? It's not like I'd treat them any differently. "I think I'll be able to come by Monday."
She nods. I realize she looks pretty. "That's great."
I notice Roderich and Elizaveta exchange strange glances before looking back at me. Maybe they're a couple. They even look good together, if not the guy being too uptight. Roderich asks, "We've heard from Arthur that you've lived New York, same as he did. Is it your first time living here, though?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Have you stayed here in the past?" he asks again.
"I'm not sure… This is my mother's hometown and I was born here. We left but never came back."
"Where have you stayed in the past few months?" he asks once more.
"Like I said, New York. I've been there my whole life- well, we did stay in Washington D.C. when I was three, but that was just for a year," I reply, slightly suspicious. Reading the atmosphere was something I honestly was never good at, and Arthur managed to blatantly point that out several times when we were still kids.
However, I could tell that there was a certain level of intensity in the air as they exchanged glances again.
Elizaveta breaks the silence, smiling at me in a friendly way, "Um, I think we should go now since it's getting a bit late. It was very nice meeting you, Alfred. I look forward to seeing you again on Monday."
"Yeah. Bye, guys. Thanks for the visit," I tell them earnestly. Elizaveta waved and Roderich shook my hand. Formal much? I wouldn't be surprised to find out him and Arthur being friends in class.
They exit the room and I can't help but wonder why their little visit seemed strange. It's as if they were hiding something when I asked them questions and asking me strange questions back. I could ask Artie, though…
The window shows the sun setting outside, colors like gold and pink and purple splashed around in a haze.
I snicker to myself at the idea of exploring the hospital without the doctor's permission. Even though I'm going to get out of the boring place tomorrow, I still can't resist the temptation of doing something interesting. If Arthur knew, he'd probably try to drag me back to my room but fail epically.
Besides, it really sucked ass when Doctor Oxenstierna told me that I had to get out of the hospital the day after tomorrow, not today. I already told the class representatives that I'd be back by today! Not like I could oppose the guy. He's fucking scary.
Then I formulated this genius plan.
I spot my nurse Tino pushing a cart of vaccines down the hall and I quickly try to hide behind a wall. It's too late. I curse silently as he sees me and smiles. He walks to my direction, still pushing the cart.
"Don't tell the doc about this, Tino!" I plead, looking around us to make sure no one was listening.
He frowns. "Okay then. Just make sure Berwald doesn't see you. He'll know I let you wander around."
"Berwald?" I ask.
"Um, I meant Doctor Oxenstierna."
It takes a few seconds for the information to register in my brain. "You guys are on a first name basis?"
Tino shushes me. "Yes, yes, he's not as scary as you think, you know. Now go! If someone sees me talking to you right before you speed off somewhere, they might tell him and it won't be good for you. Such a troublemaker…" He walks past me to some other patient's room.
I look around me before making my way towards the elevators. I wait for a few seconds before a tiny 'ding' sound signals the elevator doors opening. Soon enough, they do open and I go in. I scan the numbers of each floor. Where can I go…?
Before the doors close, a guy my age enters. I feel strange vibes as he comes in and stands a small distance away from me, seemingly avoiding my stare and looking down at the floor. He has wavy bond hair that's slightly longer than mine and his eyes, which are an unusual shade of blue-violet, are framed by glasses. What makes him stranger is the large, white, stuffed polar bear he's hugging in his arms.
He's also wearing the same school uniform that Arthur was wearing when he visited me.
I strike up a conversation as the elevator descends. "You're from Hetalia High, aren't you? I am, too. I missed the first week of school because of my pneu… pneumo- aw damn, I forgot again. Well, what're you doin' here?"
He answers really softly, "I'm going to visit someone I know."
I look at the button he pressed on the elevator wall. B2… Basement Two? Who the hell is there to visit at Basement Two? I remember some of the scenes that I read about in my horror novels and realize that hospital basements are usually mortuaries or morgues for the patients that die and need to have autopsies on them.
Wait- he's visiting someone from the freaking morgue?
"Oh, uh, um…" I feel myself tense up as the elevator arrives.
"You wouldn't understand," the shy guy says quietly, "I just have to go and give this bear to… my other half."
Other half? I don't understand what he means but my eyes follow him as the elevator stops and the doors open. He steps out and continues walking down the dark hallway which, I can't help but notice, smells so much like blood and death. The air seems to turn cold as he looks back at me, and I see this sad look in his eyes.
His strange eyes shining behind the glasses. I can't help but feel something's out of place.
The elevator doors are about to close but I press hard on the 'open' button as if in a trance, feeling like I want to continue talking to the guy. I call out to him tentatively, "What's your name?"
My voice echoes around the dark corridor and he doesn't look at me, his back facing me instead.
"I'm Matthew Williams."
Arthur laughs as I tell him the creepy plot of the horror novel I'm reading. "That's absolute tosh, Alfred! I can't believe you scare yourself every night believing in that. They can't even make their own exit out of that mansion, they buy things from a toilet, and they named the monster Steve? What does that bloody U.F.O. want, anyway?"
"I dunno, man. I'm not done reading it yet but I'll keep you posted," I say seriously as he continues laughing.
We're in the living room of the house and Arthur decided to visit. I was surprised when he entered the house, but otherwise happy and relieved that there was someone to humor me on the day before first setting foot in class.
He smirks. "Speaking of horror, there are lots of superstitions you need to know before entering Hetalia High." I roll my eyes but he doesn't seem to notice. "Firstly, if you hear a crow while you're on the roof, you have to step first with your left foot when coming back inside. Otherwise, you'll get badly injured. Secondly, you must not fall on the hill near the back door. If you do, you'll flunk your tests."
"Artie, is it really necessary?" I say, yawning widely.
"Thirdly, whatever your class has decided to do, you must carry it out absolutely," He finishes, looking at me with a ridiculously solemn look on his face. I laugh instead, bending forward as my stomach starts to hurt.
He doesn't look pleased. "Your damn lungs might collapse if you continue, you blithering idiot."
I sigh, wiping the tears out of my eyes. "Okay, fine. I'll follow the superstitions. Why do those even exist?"
"How should I know? Hetalia High is a really cursed school. Everyone knows that."
"Why do you believe in curses, magic, and occult crap, anyway?"
"It is not crap, Alfred! Your U.F.O.s are the ones that don't exist! Besides, you don't want to admit that ghosts and evil spirits scare you," he says smugly, his emerald green eyes shining with contempt.
"They do scare me, fine! But they really don't exist."
The topic changes and the afternoon drags on to night. I remember the weird encounter I had with the bear-wielding guy yesterday and decide to tell Arthur. He'd probably understand why the chills went up my spine and the temperature started turning cold when I talked to the kid, since he believes in all that crap.
Maybe ghosts and evil spirits are real.
Arthur is silent as I insist once more that my encounter with the strange, violet-eyed boy actually happened. He doesn't believe me, which in itself makes me think that something is wrong because the funny kid with the bushy eyebrows had always believed me back then. Well, maybe because we were both stupid when we were children.
"I'm being serious here, man!" I repeat for the third time, "The kid went right down to the freaking morgue and said that he had to give his white teddy bear to a certain someone down there. What if-"
"What did you say his name was?" He interrupts me. It's the first he's said for a while.
"His name is Matthew Williams and I'm telling you he exists!" I yell.
He gives me an irritated look and puts a hand on my shoulder, making me sit down. I sit down impatiently.
"Look, Alfred," Arthur says slowly, as if talking to a child, "I want to believe you, but I can't. First of all, I don't understand what's so strange about his eyes. Eyes are supposed to shine, you know. The moisture-"
"I know enough about eyes, Artie. I have a pair of my own, thank you very much! There was just something… off."
"Fine, I believe you," he continues patiently, "But why is this affecting you? He's just some kid you met at the hospital who wanted to go to the morgue with a teddy bear. What is it about him that makes you so riled up?"
I'm dumbfounded. "I… I don't know… He just seemed so lonely, like he didn't deserve it."
Arthur nods. "Let it be, then. It's not like you're going to see him again. You don't have to see him again."
I look at him suspiciously. "You know something. You've met a Matthew Williams before and you don't want to admit that I'm right! What's going on, Artie? You're hiding something and I don't like it!"
"Well you certainly are full of beans today," he answers, pissed, "What have I to hide?"
"You know lots of superstitions about Hetalia High, but I have a feeling there's something you're not telling me!"
He glares at me, exasperated. I glare back fiercely, daring him to say more. He doesn't.
Ever since Elizaveta and Roderich visited me, I knew something wasn't right with the cautious way they spoke to me. When I encountered Matthew in the elevator, there was this feeling that told me maybe he was involved in something that I had to help him with. And now Arthur- he's hiding stuff from me, for what reasons?
All of it doesn't add up.
Okay hi. I really liked the idea of making Finland a nurse and Sweden a doctor. The rest of the Nordics will make their appearances soon, don't worry. So will the rest of the APH cast too, obviously. YAAAY~
For Another fans: I did not want Canada with an eyepatch because I didn't think it would fit him. Sorry. :/