It was past midnight by the time they reached Oklahoma. Getting in a cab and resting his head against the window was the last thing Romano remembered before Spain nudged his shoulder, "Roma, wake up!"
Romano lazily half lifted his eyelids, "What is it, Bastard?" He could feel the soft grumble in his voice. "Did I fall asleep during the meeting?" Someone laughed loudly, probably that idiot America, who always acted like he ran the meetings. Romano generally didn't care what happened during them. He knew that nothing would get accomplished, and even if something important did happen, Italy could take over for him. America... Italy... wait.
"Meeting? Are you talking about Oklahoma?" Spain's response jerked Romano up once his mind became more alert. He groggily glanced around the cab to see two other states squeezed in the back and Louisiana in the passenger's seat. "Anyways we're five minutes from the apartment."
Oh yeah, Italy's with Germany, and America's gone, Romano wondered how his cheerful little brother was doing. At least he didn't have to worry about Italy getting hurt since he went with that macho potato, but that macho potato was also someone who made Romano nervous, so that didn't put him at ease. "Do I dare ask what time it is?"
"It's one twenty-three," New Mexico answered, causing Romano to groan. They were only on the fourth state, which meant that they had seven more to go. He knew that this country was big, but this was border-line ridiculous. He wished that some powerful force would suddenly land every state in Oklahoma to save time.
"How long before we reach D.C.?" Texas asked.
"I'm not reading all of our plane tickets to find out." Louisiana called from the passenger seat.
Texas slouched in his seat, "Whoever came up with this plan is an idiot. We should've just waited for everybody to come to the party and be like 'surprise! America's gone, time to list our suspects!' It'd be better than this!"
New Mexico fixated her calculated gaze at him, "Louisiana came up with the plan, you'd know this if you let her share with you. Also that would have been a wreck. First of all that would give whoever's behind this way too much time to plan ahead, and do you know what would happen if we actually did that? We would lose our heads with such sudden news, especially if we were all in a crowd, if I would throw a riot, we all would."
Texas rolled his eyes, "Well what would you have done then?"
Romano could see the wheels turning in her head through her eyes, she reminded him of a computer about to overheat. "Who cares what any of us would have done? This is our plan, nothing else matters," Romano grumbled.
Texas gawked, "How doesn't it matter?"
He glared at the state, "Are you telling me that sitting here and talking about it is going to change anything?" Texas remained silent, and Romano took that as a victory. He glanced over at New Mexico, who still had a distanced look, like she was still thinking too deeply about the conversation.
The taxi came to a stop in the parking lot of a small apartment complex, it looked more like a two-floor hotel and not a bunch of apartments in his opinion. The street lights were just bright enough for Romano to see the white panel and red roof. They piled out of the back groaning and complaining, Romano let out a big sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. He went to the back of the taxi and opened the trunk. He grabbed his bulky tourist suitcase, Louisiana's lean suitcase, and New Mexico's thick briefcase. Since he learned that at least these two states weren't immediately out for his head, he figured it was time to start showing the women the respect he'd usually give them. "Oh how sweet of you!" Louisiana cried when he handed the case to her. New Mexico simply gave him a thankful nod, but it was enough from the collective state.
Texas snorted, "Already trying to impress the girls? I guess you and Italy aren't as far off as I thought you were."
Romano was about to unleash his wrath of Italian rage with a side order of creative swear words before Louisiana spoke, "Texas, shut up. You're an isolationist, you should know better than to talk back to a nation." Texas looked down on her with a snarl on his face.
"What's an Isolationist?" Spain asked, carrying his and Texas' luggage.
New Mexico rolled her eyes, annoyance being the strongest emotion Romano has seen from her yet, "It's a petty fight that divides us. The Isolationists want to keep states as a secret while the Internationalists want to expose it."
"Well the argument sounds stupid, who the hell decided on that?" Romano bluntly questioned.
Louisiana shrugged, "Who knows. We've been discussing the topic since there were only thirteen of us. Back then all the stripes were isolationists, but its hard to believe since most became strong internationalists as time passed." She shrugged again and rolled a suitcase behind her, assuming that everyone was following. "Depending on what happens, states change their minds often, it's only the states who mostly lead the debates that never change."
"Who's that?" Romano couldn't say he cared so much, but he did want some names if it would help later on.
Louisiana sighed, "New York practically controls the Isolationists, while Michigan leads the Internationalists. Neither of them has switched sides since they formed."
Texas' face turned red as he hotly stormed after her, "Hey! Why is New York controlling, and Michigan leading? Stop using loaded words before they get the wrong idea!" New Mexico shook her head as she sped after them, Spain and Romano shared a look, but Romano just shrugged, and turned to follow.
XXX
They silently tiptoed down the dimly lit hallway, the arguing died down the second after they entered the building. The apartment wasn't a giant square building that Romano imagined all apartments looked like. It had more of a homey atmosphere, which meant that they unanimously didn't want to wake any of the residences.
"Ok's in there," Texas announced with a whisper.
"Ok?" Romano asked.
"Ok."
Romano shook his head, "No, what does Ok mean?"
"You don't know?" Texas raised an eyebrow, "Wow, it's such a common phrase that I thought everybody knew."
He was tempted to raise his voice, "No! What I'm asking is-"
"We call Oklahoma 'Ok,' not only because it's short for his name, but because he's so agreeable," New Mexico thankfully interrupted.
Louisiana sniffed the air, "Do you smell food?"
There was a pause, "Yes!" Spain cheered while throwing a fist in the air. "I'm so hungry, I'll eat anything!" While he was also hungry, Romano couldn't agree, who knew what these Americans could cook.
Texas tried the door knob, then looked at everyone behind him when he realized that it was unlocked. He slowly pushed the door open and winced when it made a loud creaking noise. "What are you doing!?" Louisiana cried in a harsh whisper. "Close that and knock like any normal person would do!"
Romano pushed Texas aside and marched through the doorway, if they were going to wake this state up anyway, why be polite about it? Besides, if the state didn't wake up from Texas creaking the door open, then would footsteps? Romano wasn't sure, but he didn't care either. The apartment was dark, the only light coming from a street light outside the window. Romano could only see the apartment in dark shapes and shadows, but it didn't seem too small. The dining table sat beside the large window, that was only half covered by thick curtains. There was a recliner, a love seat, and an old, bulky TV on Romano's left, and on his right was a small kitchen where the smell of food clung in the air. He felt the walls around him for a light switch, and flicked it on once he found one. The room had such crappy lighting that Romano almost cried, but of course that was soon forgotten once he saw lump of blankets on the love seat moving. Romano paused, he thought that after meeting states already he'd get used to meeting another one, but looks like he was wrong.
"Good morning, Ok!" New Mexico called, "you do know that it's unsafe to have your door unlocked, right?"
The said state jerked up into a siting position and squinted his eyes at her, "What the heck are you doing here?"
Romano backed out of that conversation before Oklahoma was conscious enough to notice him. He walked towards the kitchen, the farthest place from the state without him having to enter a different room. He was so tired that his eyes burned every time he blinked. He was about to lean over the counter to see if he could have a short fiesta, but the second his hand touched the counter, he reeled back in disgust. Daring to swipe a hand over the counter, he felt nothing but grease and crumbs. There was a dark puddle of something sticky near his feet, pile of food encrusted pots and pans sat in the sink, and the garbage can was overflowing with trash."IS THERE ANY AMERICAN WHO CAN ACTUALLY TAKE CARE OF THEIR DAMN KITCHEN!? He screamed from a fitful anger. He didn't know why this was the thing to push him over the edge, but it was.
The murmuring of states talking died instantly, and Spain who was hiding behind the others stared at Romano in shock, but not nearly as much shock as Oklahoma. "What's going on? What's a nation doing here?"
Romano didn't need to listen to anything else, he snatched a wash cloth and started to viciously scrub the counter after he wet it. He could hear Spain walking to him, and he was surprised that he took a second from hovering over Texas to try to talk to him. However, before Spain could get out a word, a door down a short hallway was opened, and two pairs of footsteps entered the room. Causing the next shock factor since Romano's outburst.
Two women stood in front of him, looking in the direction of the arguing crowd of states, both having stars for their left eye. The woman closest to him wore a baggy tee-shirt and a pair of shorts. She had a narrow face and long blonde curly hair that was taken over by frizz. The woman standing beside her wore a tight tang-top and long sweat pants. Her face was round and looked fuller with her brown pixie cut, the girl yawned and stared at them with confusion, "What's up?"
"Excellent question!" Oklahoma called out. New Mexico leaned over him, slamming her forehead into his. Romano barely noticed the light white that was shared between the two, if he blinked he wouldn't have noticed at all. Once both of their eyes faded to a dim light, he two were both blinking rapidly, one paralyzed on the couch from shock, the other scanning the room for broken objects, then smirking in satisfaction.
Louisiana shook her head, "Wait, why are you two here?"
The frizzy-haired woman had a cheeky grin, "We're makin' food for the party! Are you three so excited for a sample that you flew over at this time? All you had to do was wait til mornin' y'know." She pointed towards the kitchen, "We just got to sleep an hour ago, you should see all the food we ma-" her face dropped when she noticed Romano and Spain.
Oklahoma suddenly leaped from the couch and pointed at Louisiana, "You!" He took in a breath, "You're the only one in this group who talked to New York, did this seriously happen?"
"Would two nations be in this room if it didn't happen?" She gestured to Romano, "Romano and Spain, meet Oklahoma. The two lovely ladies standing in front of you who are in no way supposed to be here are Nebraska, and Kansas, who's behind her."
The blonde Nebraskan gaped at them while Kansas held out her hand, "Nice to finally meet you!" He smile was wide and her yellow eye had a joyful gleam to them, while her star glowed brighter than before. Romano shook Kansas' hand, her skin was tough and her nails were short.
Nebraska stared at New Mexico, "Hey genius, do you mind telling me why they're here?"
New Mexico nodded and grabbed both of their arms, "Yeah, let's do this in another room just in case, I'm still not completely sure why we're not breaking anything from a very close distance. I'm still looking into it." The two states appeared lost from her words, but didn't question her, they were most likely acquainted to all of her knowledgeable ramblings. The knowing state glanced over her shoulder as she led the two to another room, "Oklahoma, try to be polite while introducing yourself to the nations."
"Hey! don't test this theory of yours in my bedroo-" The door closed behind the three and Oklahoma slumped, knowing it was useless to finish his sentence.
"Honestly, this is the exact opposite of what I was expecting," Louisiana muttered while digging through her suitcase.
Oklahoma held his head in his hands, "I know." He glanced up at Romano and Spain, "So you two actually met New York?"
"Si!" Spain called.
He tapped his lips with his pointer finger, "So there are five sections, ten states, in each, and two nations with each group. If you two are with us, then where did the other nations go?"
Romano gawked, "How did you know all that?"
Texas sighed, "Clearly you don't really understand how our stars work."
"You explained to me how it works! I just want to know how he knows about Louisiana's plan and New Mexico's theory when he only shared with New Mexico." Romano huffed, it's not like he should be expected to completely understand this weird ability with one brief explanation from them. He can't say that he's ever heard of anything related to what they can do.
Oklahoma paused, "Well I guess I can see how a nation would find that confusing. Hmmm, how do I even describe this? Well Louisiana shared with New Mexico, right? Well when she did that, the strongest details of her memory from the time of the beginning of the video chat to when she shared with Louisiana was transferred. When it happens, we're thrown into somewhat of a daze, it's like having a very vivid flashback, only it's not your own. Then when New Mexico just shared with me, Louisiana's memories and her own were were transferred to me."
"Well how do you know what to transfer and what not to?" Spain stole the question right from Romano's lips.
"It depends on how much focus you put into it. If we're not focused enough, sometimes we might be sending a memory of eating a bowl of cereal and not something important that happened. That doesn't happen too often though, controlling your star is one of the first things a state learns after joining the union," Texas answered.
"Speaking of sharing, Louisiana shared your little confrontation with the nations at the restaurant," Oklahoma mentioned with a gossiping tone.
Texas whipped his head in Louisiana's direction, "What? Is he serious!?"
Louisiana was crouching on the floor staring at a pile of paper with a frustrating amount of concentration. When he yelled at her, she jumped and sent him an angry glare, "Texas, shut up!" However, her anger didn't seem to be pointed at him. She looked as if she were angry about something else, and Texas' mouth just got in the way of her thinking process.
Texas was taken aback, "What's the matter?"
Louisiana groaned, "Nebraska and Kansas are the matter! They're not in their own states!"
"And?" Oklahoma dared to ask.
She glared at the pile of paper, "And now we have completely screwed ourselves! We only have six plane tickets to our next destination, and we now have eight personifications. Not to mention that the next state that we're supposed to fly to is Kansas, which we no longer need to do. Our tickets to Nebraska are also useless. We practically ruined our entire route to D.C."
Spain gasped, "Seriously? Well how are we getting there?"
"I don't know," She growled.
"Well we have to get there somehow," Romano fussed. "You planned this out, certainly you can fix it. I am not going to be stranded in this stupid state while Italy gets to sleep at America's house!"
Romano heard Nebraska yelling from the other room, he assumed that New Mexico started describing in detail what had happened. Oklahoma cringed, "The Isolationist sure is taking this hard."
Texas' stare was cold, "I know, right? I can't believe we're getting upset over the fact that America was gunned down by one of us, is now probably in captivity, and we don't know who's to blame." His tone changed from sarcasm to anger, "Who wouldn't get upset by that? Actually its shocking how you're so calm right now, if you try to claim that we're overreacting, then you're under-reacting."
Louisiana let out an exasperated sigh, "Enough with the side arguments. We need to figure this out."
"Figure what out?" New Mexico asked while opening Oklahoma's bedroom door. Nebraska and Kansas were in tow, their former playful gazes were replaced with haunted eyes and pierced lips.
They ended up forming a circle on the floor with Louisiana while she explained the situation. Afterwards they tried pitching in ideas for a solution, but in the end each one was put down by the possibility of failure. "You know what? the outcome of any idea we come up with is unpredictable until we get to the airport to see what they can do." Romano finally burst out during their umpteenth argument. Was this how that German bastard felt at meetings?
Afterwards, most lounged around Oklahoma's apartment while waiting for their taxi's to return and for the new states to pack. Romano wished he was lounging, but instead he was viciously cleaning the kitchen the best he could. His arms ached from scrubbing the counter, and his hands were wrinkled and warm from cleaning the dishes, but at least he was slightly satisfied with the way it looked. He was just about to mop the floor when they finished packing, to hell with the floor, he thought once he saw them. "None of you are allowed in the kitchen at America's house," He told them.
Oklahoma pouted, "oh come on, look at everything we cooked! From the samples we had before packing it all up, it tasted pretty good."
"That doesn't matter!" Romano raged, "What matters is that none of you know how to take care of a kitchen!"
Nebraska waved her hand dismissively, "Whatever, so are we ready to go out there and BS our way around the country?"
Oklahoma jingled his apartment keys, "Yeah, let's try to work this out. I hope we're not stuck here."
XXX
Romano banged his head against the airport's wall in frustration, it was three in the morning and they still haven't completely figured out what the hell they were doing. Most personifications, including Romano, slouched on the ground ready to give up. All except Louisiana and New Mexico, who were downstairs trying to get more tickets. Kansas and Oklahoma fell asleep on each other, Nebraska was reading a book she bought in the airport, Texas was laying on his back on the hard carpet, he wasn't sleeping, but staring at the ceiling as if in a daze. Spain was now nodding off on Romano's shoulder, and he'd definitely shove him away if he could spare the energy.
At the moment he was the only nation watching them, and while he didn't suspect any of them yet, he could never be too sure. The thought caused him to grimace, the states were so different from each other, he couldn't imagine any of them forming an alliance to capture America. They couldn't even be near each other without starting some odd argument, do they really have enough union to do such a thing? He hoped that the rest of the countries didn't have as much trouble suspecting states as he did.
He was just about to fall asleep with everyone else when Texas propped himself up on his elbow and stared at the approaching states. "Hey," he murmured, "looks like our wait is over."
The two women looked absolutely exhausted, Louisiana stumbled to them, barely being able to put one foot in front of the other, and while New Mexico seemed to be trying hard to keep up with her usually professional posture, Romano caught her slouching and rubbing the dark circles under her eyes. "Well?" He asked them.
Louisiana dropped herself to the ground, "It's done, we finally got somewhere."
"What is it?" Spain yawned.
New Mexico shook her head, "We couldn't buy the two tickets that we need to follow the normal route. So instead we're splitting up. Six of us are after the normal route to Kansas, but beyond that are somehow finding a way to skip the other states to reach the Dakota states. Two of us are flying to Colorado and Wyoming. Then we can all meet in North Dakota to fly to D.C."
Spain and Romano shared a look, both knowing that they couldn't stay in the same group if they still wanted to keep an eye on the nations. Romano cleared his throat, "I guess I'll be one of the two flying to Colorado."
New Mexico nodded to him, "I'll go with you then." Romano was thankful that it was New Mexico going, she and Louisiana were the only two states he could completely stand so far. He didn't like Oklahoma too much, and just the thought of Texas going with him made him want to scream. Also he was way too tired to try to get to know Kansas and Nebraska, but so far they didn't seem too awful.
Louisiana ran a hand through her curly hair, "It's decided then, you two head towards your flight, it deports at 3:30, we have to be on ours by 4, so you'll get a head start. Beyond this, however, you don't have any form of transportation," she pointed to New Mexico, "but with your brain I'm sure you can find your way to Wyoming and then North Dakota."
New Mexico agreed, but her eyes seemed dead and unprocessed. Romano knew she was smart, but was it really fair to expect her to magically solve a situation that she might not have any control over? Would they really be able to make it North Dakota? "What if we don't make it in time for the flight?" Romano voiced his thoughts out loud.
"Then we're screwed," Louisiana answered simply. "You two can't afford to miss the flight."
"We won't mess up," New Mexico tried to assure, but she bit her lip and looked away, revealing that she didn't quite believe it herself. "We should get going before our plane takes off without us." She held out a hand for Romano, he grabbed it and let her help him up. Her skin was cold, and her grip was very loose.
Once he felt he could stand without falling over, he crouched to pick up his suitcase. He met Spain's eyes and mouthed, "I'll text you." The Spanish nation gave him an exhausted yet cheerful smile as a silent response.
Then he was on his feet again, New Mexico picked up her suitcase, said a few goodbyes to the states who were awake, and the two personifications turned to leave. While walking away, Romano glanced over his shoulder with uncertainty. Was it really the best idea to split up, or was this a trap? Romano shook his head, he didn't believe that it was a trap. Louisiana and New Mexico came up with the plan, would they really hurt America? The thought scared him, who knew that he could actually trust a state, he never saw this one coming, and for the first time Romano didn't exactly see that as a bad thing.
XXX
Romano tiredly smiled at the darkened sky through the dirty window of a taxi. While the sun wasn't coming up any time soon, the dark blue was at least getting a tone lighter, which meant that he survived most of the night. Nothing seemed longer than that night, most likely because they're trying to travel to ten states in one go. New York made the plan sound so easy, he didn't mention how exhausting it was going to be. Romano wanted to strangle the state right now.
He glanced over at New Mexico, who was sitting as straight as possible, he noticed when she didn't want to sleep, she tried to act like she wasn't tired at all. While he slept on the plane ride, she was on her laptop typing this "analysis" she talked about at her house. Last time he asked, she was writing about the state of Iowa. "So what happens when you reach yourself?" Romano asked her when he woke up.
She didn't stop typing when she answered, "I'll write an analysis for myself, I thought about not doing one earlier because it seemed too bias, but at the same time, this entire analysis is based on my observations. You nations might not hold any of this information accountable for all I know, so why should I hold back with myself?"
Romano shook his head remembering the conversation, he'd be surprised if she slept at all until they found America. "It's five buildings ahead, the long one with the green sliding," She announced to the Taxi driver.
The man snorted, "You're acting like I can tell what color it is in the dark." He was an old lanky man with a scruffy beard, Romano could see the dark bags under his eyes through the mirror, and he suspected that he didn't look much different himself.
The taxi pulled to a stop and New Mexico hesitated before opening the door, "Actually could you wait here? We're just picking up a friend and then heading back for the airport."
He raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like that'll be one grouchy friend you're bringing along if you're waking them up at this our." She paid him and promised a large tip after they reach the airport.
She exited the taxi and walked towards the apartment building without looking back, leaving Romano to hastily unbuckle his seat belt and scramble after her, "Hey! Aren't we getting our luggage?"
Her pace slowed as she waited for him to catch up, "No. I hate taxi drivers who don't wait, so now he can either wait for us and get a big tip by the end of his shift, or he can take off with our luggage, and then lose his job."
Romano gawked, "We don't have time to get our luggage back if he drives off!"
"And we don't have time to find another taxi, we're crammed for time as it is. It's better to take the risk than waste any more time than we have to." New Mexico held the door for him.
"So you don't think we'll make it to the other states on time," he concluded.
She shook her head, "I know that we would make it, but we're not going to North Dakota."
Romano threw all of his confusion into one glance at her, "Why not?!"
New Mexico's gaze became far off, "Doesn't it feel like we're doing exactly what they want? The states who are responsible for this I mean." He stopped walking from her unexpected words, because it did feel like that. "We have to stray away from the plan when it seems necessary, or else we'll never get the upper-hand. These states are always one step ahead of us, we can't continue to blindly walk in a line and hope for the best. This plan that affects fifty states was created by five, doesn't something about that seem off?"
Romano felt his jaw tighten and his cheeks heat up from anger, "So are you saying that the state in charge of this disaster is one of the five?"
New Mexico shrugged, "Not even I can give you a correct answer. I'm more of thinking if five nations can think of this plan, then that means that the guilty state can too. For all we know they thought of it themselves once you nations became involved, either way they thought ahead, and we must surpass that."
A growl escaped his lips, "What a bunch of bastards! I'll kill them when I find out who they are! Nobody can surpass me!" He glanced at New Mexico, "Wait, but we already went off track because of Kansas and Nebraska, why do we have to change more of our plan?"
Mexico stared at him, her sandy eye gleaming with alarm, "Does that matter when we all end up where we're supposed to go?"
Romano looked away, he didn't have to answer,"So are we really doing this?"
New Mexico nodded her head, "Colorado and Wyoming will understand also, by the time we meet them, I'll be able to transfer our conversation as part of my memory. Speaking of which..." She leaned forward once the dark gray elevator doors opened and stepped inside. "I believe that we should see her now that we've decided what we're doing."
Romano eagerly stepped into the opportunity of planning ahead of these states and rode the elevator to the ninth floor. His heart was dancing at the idea of beating the states who kidnapped America. When he caught a satisfied side glance from New Mexico, he glared at her, "What?"
New Mexico laughed, "For a nation who claimed how much he doesn't care, you seem rather excited about catching them."
Romano snarled at her, "I don't care," an empty lie, "I just want to catch them so that I can leave this damn country."She gave him a slight nod, but her content smirk never left her lips.
Once out of the elevator, they walked down the hallway in silence until they were outside of Colorado's door. New Mexico grabbed her phone from her pocket and sent her a text, then she gave the door three sharp knocks. Romano took large steps backwards when she opened the door. Generally, he didn't prefer a state's reaction to seeing a nation in a private area for the first time. "What the hell was that text?" Colorado asked hotly.
New Mexico's expression was starting to look more resourceful rather than insanely unpredictable to Romano, "It takes a lot to get someone like you to their feet this early in the morning. I decided to help you."
The girl's voice was less hysterical and more annoyed the second time she spoke, "If you sent any other nation a text saying that a nation's outside of their door, they would've killed you. It's a good thing that you're lying."
New Mexico glanced at Romano with a certain playfulness dancing in her eyes, "Well actually, I never contradicted my text. I just said that I wanted to get you up faster." She reached over to grab him by his shirt and drag him to where she stood, "Here's the nation I was talking about."
Colorado's voice cracked when she screeched and tripped backwards, landing on a tan carpet with a loud thud. Romano couldn't stop himself from letting out a burst of obnoxious laughter. New Mexico shook her head at his reaction, but she was laughing too. "When did you decide that you were going to be such a horrible person about this?" He asked between his bubbling laughter.
The brunette walked through the doorway, "I may have been influenced by an irritating Italian, what a shame." She knelt beside the state, who was staring at Romano with wide eyes.
Now that he could see her clearly, he noticed that she had the same sandy eye as New Mexico. Her long and wavy hair was a grayish blue color that faded into white at the tips. She placed her hand over her heart, and bit her full lips with crooked teeth. She glanced away from Romano to glare at the woman staring into her, "What made you think that doing any of that was ok?"
New Mexico tabbed her finger on her lip, and rocked on her feet to lean closer to her, "Probably because they know about us, and this happened." A beam of brilliant light jolted from the star in her eye, then she jumped to her feet and stared around the state's apartment. "Well we have a few seconds." She rushed to the blue tiled kitchen counters and snatched a phone plugged into a cord.
"What?" Romano asked. He came to the conclusion that she preferred to act out her plans before actually explaining what she wanted to accomplish. She was reckless, yet in a way that didn't seem so.
"I'm searching her phone for any conversations that could be connected to America's capture," Then after a moment she placed the phone back with a frown. "Nothing, the same with every other state you've met so far. They must be using disposable phones."
Romano gawked, "When did you check the others' phones?"
"After the disaster at Ok's place."
She looked like she was going to explain more when Colorado pushed herself to her feet and gave them a fiery stare that burned into Romano's memory. "This isn't right!" Her strong voice was clearer than before, which was clouded with drowsiness and confusion before. "I don't care if the state who's behind it all is in front of me, I'm going to watch them bleed." Her ferociousness scared him, but at the same time he didn't expect anything less. She seemed emotionally determined to go against what she thought was wrong from the moment he saw her.
New Mexico smirked, "Well you don't have to worry about me being the one who did it, but if you're really up for it then I guess I can't ease your suspicions until we have valid evidence." She nodded towards Romano, "I'm sure you've seen Romano a good couple times."
Colorado's eyes sparkled with interest, "You look even more like... Southern Italy up close." He raised an eyebrow at her, he wasn't sure if he should be insulted. She decided to correct herself, "I mean that from a distance, it's not as obvious that you're a personification. Now that you're standing right in front of me, I can see it clearly."
Romano snorted, "I can't say the same about you states, how do you even blend into society?"
Colorado shook her head, "We range from side bangs to eye-patches to sunglasses... the list is endless." She ran a hand through her long hair, "Anyway, are we really disrupting the plan? Because you do know that if you do this, then you're going to be one of the first states to be suspected."
New Mexico kept her head held high, "Then so be it, we're not getting anywhere if we play it safe. Would you rather these states winning the game to avoid suspicion? Either way, I'm innocent, so they'll be proved wrong soon enough. All I know it that who ever did this could be any of us." Colorado didn't respond, she turned on her heel and stormed away from them, slamming a door behind her. Romano gave New Mexico a questioning look, then they both jumped when they heard an angry shout and something shatter against a wall from another room. "I'm sure that she needs a moment."
Romano let out an exasperated sigh and went to slouch on the couch, which was large and comfy. The cushions were so soft that he'd do anything to be able to fall asleep now. While most of his face was buried in the soft fabric, he could see New Mexico take a seat at the dining room table. She quickly glanced around, and must have thought that he wasn't paying attention, because she leaned over the table to hide her head in her arms. Her exhausted groan was quiet, but he could still hear since it was the only sound in the room. He started to wonder why the states tried so hard to be perfect around them, every one of them seemed to be trying too hard. New York was too curt, Louisiana too cheerful, Texas too rude and outgoing, New Mexico too calculated.. the list was endless. Even the states more open towards nations seemed to be doing the same thing. It was then that Romano determined that they were all intimidated by the nations, why wouldn't they be? He was able to recognize a personification trying to act like they weren't weak, and that was the exact place these states were in.
He almost forgot the thought while nodding off, but then he jolted into a sitting position once Colorado slammed a door and marched to the living room with a suitcase rolling behind her. Every step she took seemed to build on an electric energy within her that wanted to burst any moment now. "What are we doing waiting around? We have a leader to save and asses to kick!"
New Mexico was on her feet in seconds, her posture was as pristine as she could pull off at this hour. Romano groggily brought himself to standing up. He was about to reach for his luggage when he remembered New Mexico's stunt. He whipped his head over to New Mexico with a hint of anger, "We have to get to that taxi!"
"I know!" Colorado said loudly, "How else are we going to reach America's house?"
Romano gave her a side glance while they walked out of her apartment. Colorado: Too determined.
XXX
The sun was up and the puffy clouds loitered throughout the blue sky when they were staring at Wyoming's house. Romano held his stomach as he studied the ground, the turbulence on the plane was sickening. While the day was beginning to be taken over by dry heat, a gust of wind ripped through his hair every couple of minutes, reminding him of the horrid plane ride. His body was fighting against him at this point, exhaustion was trying to put him to sleep every time he sat down, and he either wanted to throw up, or eat anything in front of him. God, when was the last time he ate? Well he could assure Louisiana that he'd be able to last more than twenty minutes in Texas Roadhouse if it meant that he could eat something.
Colorado glanced around with an amused smirk on her face, "Did you know that Casper is one of Wyoming's most populous cities? Not very impressive if you ask me."
Romano crinkled his nose, "Really?" He assumed that he was in a smaller town. There were a few tall buildings, but not many to make an impression. Also even from Wyoming's house, he could see mountains lining the horizon.
"Wyoming is the least populous state, but that does not mean we measure our worth on population," New Mexico said with a glance towards Colorado. Romano couldn't decide whether she was trying to educate him more on the states, or defend Wyoming against Colorado's comments. Judging from her informative expression, and Colorado's smirk dropping, it was a mix of both. "Instead of talking about her, we should go inside and talk to her."
Wyoming lived in a small suburban area thirteen minutes away from the airport, the one-floored house seemed small from the outside, but there looked to be an attic and a two-door garage. Colorado grinned with pearl white teeth, "Yeah, you're right! Let's go meet her!" She marched to the narrow front door and banged her fist against the wood. Her strength half convinced Romano that the door would break off its hinges.
She placed her hands on her hips and hummed while waiting for the state to answer, slamming her hands against the door once the was bored again. New Mexico ran a hand through her hair, when he gave her a questioning look, she sighed. "Wyoming and Colorado are rivals," She explained quickly. She walked towards Colorado, "I'm sure that she heard you by now, it's illogical to knock any longer."
Romano grabbed his suitcase- which he didn't lose in Denver- and was about to approach the front door as well when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He retrieved his phone and unlocked it to find out that it was Spain who was calling him. He rejected the call; the fifth one he rejected since his departure. Spain could always tell when he's lying, and this was a pretty big lie. New Mexico made it clear that she didn't want him to tell anyone about their side plan until they reached the house. Deep in thought, he almost didn't notice the door opening and a state falling back from an overwhelmingly bright light. He jolted and whipped his head from his phone to the states in front of him.
"What the hell was that?!" New Mexico burst out.
She was scary when she was angry, and Colorado apparently didn't have different thoughts from him. Her eyes became wide at her outburst, then tried to respond with a voice that didn't sound as intimidated, but didn't fare too well. "W-Well I figured that we should get this over with!"
The brunette shook her head, "I at least gave you some sort of explanation on what happened before sharing with you. We don't just share without any form of greeting, that's extremely rude and you know it. You're lucky that it's daytime and not much electricity is running, because that distance was way too far to prevent damage. When she comes back to her senses I expect you to apologize immediately."
"Or what?" Colorado weakly asked. She was losing the argument and everyone knew it.
A challenge gleamed in her eyes, "I'll inform the love birds of your actions."
Romano didn't know what she meant, but the words instantly took effect on Colorado, "Fine, I'll apologize. Let's get her on a couch or something." Romano stood on his toes and craned his neck while trying to see the state, but the two woman moving her blocked his view. He shoved his phone in his pocket, grabbed his suitcase, and followed them inside the house.
The interior was simple with a hint of cowboy-inspired decor. Wyoming was laid on a plaid couch, but she wasn't laying for long. Her rapid blinking died out and her hazy gaze cleared to an angry glare. She jumped from the couch and snarled at Colorado, "Why did you do that and where the hell is America? What shitty prank is this?!" The state had a light peach-colored eye, and straight black hair that waved at the ends. She wore a button down blouse tucked into high-raised jeans, and cowboy boots. She was lean and muscular, and her tan skin was spotted with freckles. At the moment her face was red from anger, but that was the only time Romano ever saw her that angry again.
Colorado put her hands up, "Alright, I'll admit that I shouldn't have shared with you in that way, and I'm sorry, but it's not a joke. As you can tell from our joint memories, this is pretty serious."
Wyoming stared at New Mexico, who nodded to confirm Colorado's words, then her gaze settled on Romano. She stared at him with wide eyes, as if meeting him was one of the most eventful moments throughout her life as a personification, which he doubted. Her eyes told him that she wanted to say more, but all she could must was a quiet "Wow."
Romano pointed at her, "You're the one saying 'wow'? I didn't even know that you existed."
Wyoming's polite smile was wavering, but he didn't expect much happiness from a state who found out their leader was kidnapped, "Yeah, but if I were ever this close to you before, the Isolationists would have killed me."
"Yeah, you nations do look different up close," Colorado brought up the second time that morning. "For example I had no idea that your eyes were so intense before meeting you face to face. Seriously, it's like every thought you have can be read through your eyes."
Romano didn't know if she was trying to fluster him on purpose, but he internally cursed anyway when he felt his face heating up, "Anyway," he said with a cough, "Do you know that we're changing the plan?"
The woman nodded, "I didn't get zapped at my doorstep for nothing, I know everything." She frowned, "New Mexico, don't think I'm criticizing you, but what difference will this little stunt make?"
New Mexico's gaze was hard, "It's more of a message than anything. We have to let these states know that we can and will adapt a bad situation and turn it to our favor. That we will not be their pawns, and they can't trick us into helping them. Not only that, but this may help us picking out a couple of states based on their reactions once we tell everyone what we did." She glanced at Romano, "Us two will be considered a threat, me because I thought of this plan, and you because you're willing to trust me."
Romano froze, he never considered that by following her plan, he'd be seen as a threat. He'd never been seen as a threat to many personifications, and the thought of being seen a threat now terrified him, yet excitement ripped through him like electricity. "How will my trust consider me a threat?"
He didn't mean to ask aloud, but New Mexico seemed happy enough to answer, "I can come up with the plans, but none of them will be put into action if I don't have a nation's trust. We're much more threatening than you'd think."
Romano nodded, almost dazed by her words. "One more question... who are the love birds?" He didn't want to stay on the topic for too long, it was almost too unbelievable that a group of violent and dangerous states saw him as a threat.
Colorado laughed, "Utah and Arizona. They're the only states who are currently in a romantic relationship, they've been married for a century."
"Wait, aren't you family or something?" He asked. That's how New York described them.
Wyoming shrugged, "It depends on which state you're asking. None of us are actually related by blood, but states who've grown up together consider us as family. Ask any Stripe and they'll cringe at the idea of dating another state. However, states who didn't meet another state until later in their life time think otherwise."
Romano nodded, he guessed that it wasn't too different from nations, who make their own family, and are alright dating whoever's not part of it. Usually nations couldn't date for long, foreign affairs mostly got in the way, but since these states united under the same flag... they lived by different rules. "So why did you apologize to Wyoming because of them?"
A groan came from Colorado, "Because they will give me the longest speech about respect towards other states that I'll ever hear."
"I believe that you could use a speech similar to that," Wyoming commented.
Colorado opened her mouth, but before anything was said, an annoying ring escaped Romano's pocket. He growled and yanked the electronic from his pocket, "For the love of god, Spain, I don't want to talk to you!" When he saw the caller ide, he paused. England?
New Mexico, who was reading over his shoulder told him to put it on speaker. He answered and followed her command, "Hello?"
"Romano you do know that Spain has tried to call you for the past four hours, right? Why did you two split up in the first place?"
Romano winced, "Well we had a problem with buying tickets since we met two states earlier than we should have." He decided to ignore the question about Spain.
"Spain said that you're meeting him in North Dakota and then you're flying to D.C. am I correct?"
Romano glanced at New Mexico, who raised her eyebrows at him, "That's the plan." Well, there was no lie there.
"Alright, now where are the states that you're traveling with?"
"They're next to me, you're on speaker." Colorado gave him a look and he shrugged, he didn't see why he wouldn't share the information.
"What? Which states are with you?" Over the phone he seemed more out of convenience rather than surprised. Romano wondered if he wanted to talk to him alone for some reason.
"New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming," New Mexico's voice was strong like she was talking to a general, "We will look forward to meeting you and the other nations at the house."
England hesitated, "Right. Honestly I want to share this information with Romano only, but based on the states I've met already you're not planning to leave the room." Romano stared at the phone taken aback, what was he planning to say? The states didn't have to respond to his comment, because he continued, "Anyway, I don't have time to waste since I still have to contact Russia and Japan. Also France and I have to plan the house for when Germany and Italy arrive, so I'll get to the point. After America's capture around 8 A.M. the ring leader of this mess contacted France with a series of requests..."
Romano listened, but he couldn't stop his ears from ringing or his heat from beating faster than it should. The light in Wyoming's eyes vanished, as if England's words were emotionally draining her. Colorado was gripping the hem of her shirt tight enough to turn knuckles white. New Mexico stared at the phone trying to absorb the information in the most logical way possible, Romano could practically see the wheels turning in her head. When England finished Romano was at loss for words until he said, "So far every nation I asked agreed to stay, you can be the exception, or you can carry on the mission. It's your choice, and you're responsible for it, so choose wisely."
Romano froze. This was his chance out of here, he could be lounging in Rome in a plane ride if he decided to leave. He wouldn't have to worry about missing super powers or mysterious states. But... England said that every nation agreed so far, which meant that so did Spain and Italy. Not that he cared about them! That's right, he just didn't want to deal with his boss scolding him for leaving his brother behind. Maybe he'd have to deal with Spain's boss too, and he didn't want that. "Tch, what kind of country do you think I am? If I can handle the mafia, I can handle a couple of sociopaths hosting a shitty hostage situation." He rolled his eyes to avoid eye contact with the states.
"I hope so. I'll see you at the house. Make sure to call Spain before he looses it."
"Yeah, sure." He wasn't up for a formal goodbye, so he hung up then.
The states must have held in their outbursts during the phone call, because they let it all out at once. "What the hell does this state want?!"
"Like hell I'm not gonna go against 'em!"
"I wonder how they were able to see France even before the phone call started..."
Romano let them continue their outbursts while he stared at his phone, dazed. If this state eventually wants every other state to go along with them, then they're planning something big. Suddenly he realized that this state must be careful, otherwise they wouldn't have made it this far. He wasn't too sure about being seen as a threat anymore. They wouldn't expose themselves while trying to take down their obstacles, but would do it in a quiet yet destructive way. Romano could imagine himself being taken down before he even knew it. But how would it happen? He didn't like the possibilities that ran through his mind, so he tried to shake them away and focus on reaching D.C.
"Hey!" The three nations stopped talking immediately and stared at him in a respectful silence. He almost wished they didn't, he wasn't used to the attention and authority they gave him. Would all states treat him in the same way? He pointed to Wyoming, "Get packed, we have a flight to catch. If we're taking down this state we must do it in D.C." He looked at New Mexico, "You have an analysis to finish, what state are you on again?"
"Montana." She responded. He wanted to keep her busy before she ran her self into the ground with theories about the state.
"Right, I want that finished by the time we reach the house. Judging by how detailed you're making every one, it will take a while, so continue it now." He turned to Colorado, "You're coming with me to the kitchen, we're making food for the road because so help me if I go one more hour without food, this state will be the last of your worries!" He waved his arm around like a true Italian as he talked, he didn't know if he looked authoritative or ridiculous, but either way they followed his orders. Wyoming rushed to another room, New Mexico whipped open the lid to her laptop, and Colorado followed him to the kitchen. Romano crinkled his nose at the cheap wallpaper, but when he whipped open the fridge, it was packed with food. "Finally," he muttered, "at least one thing can go my way."
XXX
They've been in D.C. for about an hour and a half, and they haven't reached the house yet. No one was there to pick them up since they were supposed to arrive with Spain's group. Romano lost count of the number of voice mails the country sent, and he didn't listen to a single one. Louisiana left a few for New Mexico, saying that they were leaving to D.C. without them and hoped they'd find a way there. So the group of personifications decided to rent a car, and then go to a department store before the house.
Wyoming claimed that while the house had plenty of food, she still doubted that anything would get cooked until tomorrow, since everyone would be too focused on unpacking. Romano didn't object, they already ate the food Romano and Colorado packed, and he was still hungry. They decided with subs, the meat bread and cheese wasn't too expensive for feeding 60 personifications, so Wyoming paid for it all. He didn't want to know how much these states have spent collectively throughout every trip.
Colorado was driving the car to the house while Romano stared out the window in the passenger's seat. Wyoming fell asleep using the groceries as a pillow, while New Mexico typed viciously on her laptop. She was halfway done with the last state since he checked, and she was set on finishing before they reached the house. He was starting to find the sound of her keyboard relaxing before she leaped out of the backseat with a yell. "DONE!"
Colorado jumped in her seat while Romano whipped his head to her. Wyoming jerked awake with a startled groan, "Jesus! You don't have to yell! You gave me a heart attack!"
Romano would be surprised if she heard the state's complaint. Accomplishment sparked in her usually calculated gaze, "It's finally finished! I just saved it and it's officially done, right before we reach the house too!"
Colorado rolled her eyes, "Good for you, now how about you wait until we reach the house to bury yourself in another project. We're here." The car turned down a long and narrow driveway concealed by trees and brush. Anyone would drive past the driveway if they weren't told it was there. What looked like mostly woodland opened up to show America's house. Wyoming showed him a picture of it on the plane, but it looked much larger in person. He didn't know that America could have this big of a house all to himself, until he remembered that he didn't. Fifty other personifications could fit in here, which wasn't surprising due to its size.
They parked in front of the garage, and all exited the car. Something about being so close to a bed made Romano want to fall asleep on the driveway, but instead he opened the back door for Wyoming and helped her carry the groceries inside. New Mexico ran to the front door but came back shaking her head after it didn't budge, "They must want us to come in through the garage."
Romano gave her an exhausted nod, at the moment nothing weighed heavier than the grocery bags he carried. Colorado lifted the garage door and they followed her into the garage. A black van and a red car was parked in the garage, New Mexico was only able to recognize the red one as Massachusetts'. Romano was the first one to walk through the door, and was greeted by a pristine kitchen that looked like heaven. It was big enough to fit a mob of chefs, and he saw nothing less of the most updated appliances and marble counters. Sitting at the island in the center of the kitchen, were France and England, who both looked startled to have the door open so suddenly. It was clear that the two nations didn't expect them for a while.
"What the bloody hell happened? You were supposed to meet with Spain, did you miss the flight?" Romano knew that they'd know about them not going with Spain. Who knew how many times Spain called them.
"That can be explained later, can you help us unload the car?" He said. He didn't want to explain what happened until every nation was in the same room to hear it. England nodded and left the kitchen with Colorado and Wyoming.
France grabbed the grocery bags from Romano, "Sure, but how did you get here and why did you buy food?"
"We wanted everyone to eat something today, and we rented a car." His explanations were short, mostly due to his exhaustion.
England, Colorado, and Wyoming returned with the rest of the groceries, and their luggage then dropped it on the floor. England walked around the clutter on the hard tile and turned to face them. "The area surrounding the front door has been taped off, all states are forbidden from that area unless allowed by a nation. You are to be supervised by nations at all times, sneaking off calls for interrogation. You may be called in for questioning, and we're considering confiscating all electronics that you can use to communicate with each other."
"Are you going to rip out our eyes too?" Colorado joked.
England's serious expression didn't crack, "You're going to unpack and have Germany search your rooms. Those are the rules for now, but there will probably be more later." He looked at Romano, "You're going to have to room with another state." He turned his attention back to three states, "That is all, now go to your rooms and get some sleep, I'm sure that you're all tired."
While Colorado rolled her eyes, none of the states protested to the rules, Wyoming stared at England with a cheerful smile that reminded him too much of Italy, "After Germany searches my room, can I start making sandwich subs for everybody? I had a full night's sleep."
England tapped his finger on his lip, "I suppose so, if you find any states who are awake as well then make sure they assist you."
Colorado yawned, "Please don't ask me to."
New Mexico stepped in front of the two and handed France her laptop, "If you're confiscating electronics, then you'll find this very helpful."
France gave her his usual flirty smile, "Merci, Mademoiselle. Your selfless actions are quite beautiful, such like your appearance."
Her smile was more amused than flirtatious, "I expected you to say something like that."
England scoffed, "Try to ignore him. Anyway, you should all be heading for your rooms, us nations have a lot to talk about with Romano." Damn it. He still didn't figure out how he was going to tell them that he strayed away from the plan just because a state told him to.
France nodded, "I'd love to walk these gorgeous ladies to their room, if it's alright with-"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Every personification in the room froze when the ear-piercing screech echoed through the house. What the hell is that? He asked himself. The scream was long and painful, as if the screamer was being tortured to death. It was the kind of scream that's capable of ripping a throat out. He plugged his ears with his hands, but the screaming didn't stop. It only seemed to get louder, and only stopped when there was an equally loud gasp or cough. Something about the scream sounded familiar, but he couldn't figure out who's voice it was.
They stood around for a moment, every expression was lost and surprised. They stared at each other, nobody knowing what to do, until France cried out, "That sounds like Canada!" He placed the laptop on the counter and sprinted out of the room, Romano couldn't think of anything else to do but follow him. He leaped over the pile of groceries and luggage and chased after the French nation with every one left in the room on his heels.
As he charged through the first floor, he wondered what could have happened to cause such a quiet nation to scream so loud. While running up the stairs, he realized that this wouldn't be the last time someone in the house will scream from pain and misery. When they reached the second floor, he remembered that he'll be seen as a threat as soon as he explains why he didn't meet up with Spain. His legs felt heavier and his heart sank as they ran past the states' rooms. Doors swung open and states ran after the screaming as well. Shoving himself through the crowd of sprinting states, he wished that they were fighting an enemy they can see.
Romano knew they reached the same hallway Canada was in when the screaming became loud enough to be engraved into his memory. States stopped and crowded the entire hallway. England yelled a command and everyone tried to make a path, but they were too slow. Romano tripped a couple states while running through the crowd. New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming must gotten stuck within the states, because he couldn't see them with a quick glance over his shoulder. But Germany, Prussia, and Italy met them from the opposite side of the hallway. They all burst into the only clearing in the hallway, where Canada was still hunched over on the ground screaming. He screams were enough to make Romano lose his mind, and from the terrified expression on every nation around him, they felt the same.
"What the hell is this?" Romano asked in a whispered gasp. He stared at the Canadian on the ground, his mouth stretched open, and his entire body quaked from his screeching. His eyes however, didn't look like they were conscious of his actions. They were glued to whatever was through that door. Romano stood on his toes to peer through the doorway, only to fall backwards with a startled yell once he caught the sight of blood smeared on the walls. No one helped him up. The states were too busy shouting, and pushing, all trying to see what was happening. The states who were close enough to realize what was happening were screaming and crying, all demanding to know who's behind this. But there was no answer.
And Romano was starting to question whether there ever would be.
XXX
Author's Note: Guess who didn't take several months to update? ME! For all of my beautifully patient readers I've rewarded your wait with a super long chapter! I hope you enjoyed part 2 of Romano's POV, and I formally apologize for skipping around for those of you who wanted to learn more about the states in Spain's group. Don't worry though, they're on their way to the house. Speaking of that it looks like not every plan is perfect, Nebraska and Kansas really messed them up. Anyways, you're one chapter away from finding out what the hell happens to Canada! Next chapter we're definitely looking more into the house again, let's just say that this state is much more ahead than anyone would believe.
So what do you think of the chapter? Do you have any new suspicions? Because I'm dying to hear them. What do you think of these newly introduced states? Do you think they'll ever find out who did it? What do you think of the assassination of J.F.K.? Alright, you don't have to answer that last one, but you CAN write a 5 page review with index citation and a works cited page please. Sorry, I can't remember how long I've been writing, all I know is that at this point I'm a little hysterical and everything is funny. But seriously Santa will give you nice presents if you review.
Speaking of that, I can't write another chapter this long in five days, so since I won't update before Christmas I hope every one has an awesome Holiday! Even if you don't celebrate anything, just have a nice week in general! I'm always so pumped around this time of year! My family's great and Christmas never ends badly for me. Even if you do have a bad Holiday try to make the best out of it and I hope the best for you! I'm hoping to update in January so until then have a great time!