My name is Capital, and only I have the will to win the game.

I awoke to a terrified scream. I brought myself to a sitting position and groaned. I knew that someone would find Alfred's room eventually, but I was hoping for at least a couple more hours of sleep. The reaction was almost instant; doors slammed open, I heard states yelling questions, and I heard their loud footsteps storming the halls. I quickly searched under my pillows for my earpiece, it never fell out of my ear, but I still didn't want to wear it while I was sleeping. I was glad the small earpiece was wireless, not only was it unnoticeable when I was using it, but when I wasn't it was always easy to hide. I picked up the device and put it in my ear. I knew I didn't miss much, and even if I did, everything would be repeated to Spain and Romano once they arrived.

I heard France's voice call out, "That sounds like Canada!"

I smirked and jumped to my feet. I predicted that it would be Canada who'd fine Alfred's room first; he's one of the few nations who actually knows where anything is, and no state would see a reason to visit his room. I walked over to a wooden desk in my room and dug my hand through a make-shift compartment behind the bottom shelf. While I had to admit the nations' searches were persistent, I'm more clever than to leave my resources in plain sight. I retrieved a disposable phone, a roll of tape, and a switch blade knife, then put the mattress down. I slipped on a large hoodie and shoved the items in my pocket.

I wanted to run the plan over in my head once again to make sure I didn't leave anything out, but I didn't have the time. It was annoying when England ran, my earpiece popped and crackled. For the amount of time I already used up, they were probably at the stairs by now. I left my door wide open and sprinted down the hallway, my bare feet almost slipping over some of the ridiculous things the states left on the floor. I heard their shouting long before I saw my fellow states, as I approached Alfred's hallway I saw nothing but them pushing and yelling. I grimaced at the crowd, and decided to stay in the back. Anything interesting that'd happen in the front I could hear from England anyway.

"Move aside! Now!" My earpiece made a curdling screech from the British nation's shout, causing me to wince and cradle my ear. When I bought this device I wasn't warned about the functionality at close distance. I turned my head away from the hall and almost jumped when a group of nations came from around the corner and sprinted for the crowd. I knew England and France were in the group, but there were definitely more than two personifications.

They rushed past me before I could get a better look, a strong hand pushed me against the wall to make room. I glared after the pusher, and caught a head full of dark brown hair. I narrowed my eyes and tried to trail the nations, but they cut through the states in a panicked rush before I could make out any faces. That had to be Italy with them, but why did his hair look so dark?

I was about to ignore my thoughts and focus on the mission before a state tailing the nations brought herself to a stop in front of me. Her chest heaved as she hunched over and gasped for air. A shaking hand swept away black hair flung over her face to reveal a pale expression. I then realized whoever shoved me against that wall wasn't supposed to be here yet.

"Wyoming, come with me." I grabbed her by the wrist and led her from the hall. The states would eventually be herded from the scene, most likely to the bottom floor, so we couldn't stay too close to the stairs. We sped through house until the noise became a bit more distant, well at least to Wyoming, I could hear every bit of it blasting through my ear. When Germany shouted, "I WANT EVERY STATE OUT OF THIS AREA AND INTO THE DINING ROOM. I WILL BE COUNTING, AND IF A SINGLE STATE IS MISSING THEN THEY WILL BE SEEN AS THE CAUSE OF THIS MESS!" I knew I was limited on time.

I slowed to a stop and released Wyoming, she leaned against the wall and stared at me with bulging eyes, "Why are you here? What happened? Make it quick, we don't have a lot of time."

"They split up. New Mexico and Romano left the group to get Colorado and I. New Mexico decided to ruin the plan to get here faster, we left the others behind." She said between breaths.

I blinked at her blankly, I didn't want to believe her. I then turned my back on her and scowled at myself. Dammit. I was expecting New Mexico to act out, but I wasn't expecting anything from her until she arrived. Now she already curled her blood-stained fingers around the nations and set her own course under my nose. She was a walking weapon that will be used against me, I'd have to study her every move. Especially now that she dragged Romano into her schemes, I could imagine her staying back with the nations now to investigate Alfred's room, they wouldn't allow it at first, but I knew she'd be persuasive enough to talk her way out of their distrust.

I squeezed my fingers around my materials in my pockets, I'd have to tiptoe my way around New Mexico's theories if I wanted to get away with this. Even if I did slip away just in time to ease suspicion, they wouldn't stop until they found me. There was a very chance that this plan was unraveling before nightfall, and if that happened then I'd be in their grasp. There had to be a way for me to slip through their investigation, I needed a loophole, a distraction, maybe a dead end...

I turned around and studied Wyoming, she wasn't breathing as heavily, and she stared at me waiting for instruction. Adherence sparked in her eyes, while she seemed nothing but a sweet girl, her passion was just as raw and cruel as any other state. She had enough loyalty to keep the plan together until the end. She crossed her arms and looked at me, "You're thinking of something, aren't you?"

My lips stretched into a smile, "Yes, we're getting out of this. Germany's sending us to the dining room to make sure none of us are missing, so we'll have to be quick. I'll walk you through the beginning of the plan, then I have to leave. You however, can stay a while longer before they realize you're here. New Mexico will stay with the nations, you'll be here, and Colorado will have the count total to 30."

"Wow," She murmured, "How do you know all of that?"

It took effort to prevent my smile from twisting into a smirk, "I have to know how the pieces move before playing chess, right? Today, you're going to become the most important state to our mission. What you're about to do will change everything, and it's crucial that you deliver the entire message. Now it won't take that long to explain..." I told her my plan in a low tone as we sneaked towards the states' bedrooms. Germany and the states were probably in the dining room by now, but I had another group to worry about; Prussia was leading Canada to his room. I had to take care of the Mid-Western hallway before they arrived.

"Is that all I have to do?" Wyoming asked. We neared the Southern states' hallway, every door was open, but the hallway wasn't as chaotic, which meant that Germany walked through here.

"Yes, I'll be messaging you the entire time of course. We're only going in order after the letter 'T' just to make sure we don't get caught, then I'll be leaving you to bring glory to this country. You can do this, I believe in you." I stared into her wide eyes, trying to keep my composure genuine. "You can do so much, by the time this is over you'll be seen as a hero."

She giggled, "That's funny because we're the bad guys."

I glanced over at her, "You're wrong, we're good. Good and bad all depends on who's telling the story. Not only are we outnumbered, but the majority doesn't even know what's going on. There's nothing I can do to change their minds yet, but when the time comes, there will only be one side, and the nations will be gone."

She gave me a warm smile, "Let's do this, I can't wait until we're the majority!"

When we reached the Mid-Western hall, New Mexico and France left for her lab, and Romano was telling England of his trip. I didn't need to listen completely, I heard enough to estimate exactly how it went down. We ran into Ohio's room, I almost shut the door behind me before I thought of how suspicious that would look. The light was still on, it seemed that not many states thought of turning their lights off before leaving. I approached Ohio's bed and flipped through a book he must have been reading. "It has to be somewhere," I muttered. "He'd probably leave it in plain sight if he used it recently."

"Why's it so important to destroy it?" Wyoming asked.

I scanned a pile of books on his night stand, "Not many personifications waste their times documenting their lives in diaries, most can't keep up with it, but for the one's that do, it's incredibly detailed. The nations have to leave this country with as little information as possible, they'd learn too much if they got a hold of one of our diaries. That's why we can't just tape the notebook, we have to demolish it."

Wyoming grinned, "I'm glad you're leading us, I never would have considered that!"

I nodded along while I relentlessly searched for the notebook, "Where the hell would he put it? Unless a nation already noticed it..." I felt something drop in the pit of my stomach, there were only two nations that could have thought of the notebook, and one is much more perceptive than the other. I turned to Wyoming, "From what I heard, Prussia's in Wisconsin's room, check there. I'll look in Michigan's, if Prussia and Canada arrive, don't do anything until I reach you, alright?" She agreed without a word and rushed down the hall.

I tiptoed out of Ohio's room and ran to Michigan's as lightly as I could. I felt my heart would lurch from my chest the moment I entered the room, too much time passed, they'd be here any minute and I had to get out of here. I ran straight for the bed and would have started to rummage through Canada's stuff if there wasn't a giant sleeping polar bear laid on his suitcase. It's white stomach slowly rose and fell, I was lucky enough not to wake it. I sighed softly and quickly looked over the bed, but the notebook wasn't in sight.

Then I heard a pair of footsteps, and froze. My time was up. I turned to step away from the polar bear when my foot sent something skidding across the floor, causing me to mouth a curse from the noise. The bear stirred, and I glared daggers at the object, then jumped when I realized it was the notebook. I pulled my sleeve over my hand and picked it up, then scrambled away from the bed. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood and pulled my earpiece out to hear better. I didn't think they were in the hallway yet, so I risked barreling through the doorway and launched myself into the room across.

"I really shouldn't rest..." Canada's voice slurred from the hallway. I slowly crawled from the doorway and leaned against a wall, resting my chin on my knees and hugging the notebook like it was a lifeline.

"Of course you should! You're recovering from shock, you have to lie down..." I was out of breath, and gasping for air seemed like a horrible idea since Prussia and Canada were only a wall away. I closed my eyes and put my earpiece in my ear, I needed a distraction before I gave myself a panic attack.

From what I could hear, they were in Alfred's room poking around. "I don't know. It could have been put there to anger us, but that doesn't make sense because this state wants us to eventually support them. There must be a message in here somewhere..." I suppressed a growl at New Mexico's words. I knew which states were going to be the last to conform after I won, and she was either at the top of the list or the bottom. It all depended on what she saw as logically just when it ends, but until then she made up her mind, and I knew that she'll stop at nothing until she finds America. It'd be difficult to stop her, but she was impossible to ignore.

I breathed in, then out. Wyoming was waiting for me, and Michigan's door was closed, it was time to move. I stood and gripped the notebook through my sleeve; there's no such thing as being too careful if you're not wearing gloves. I forced myself to stop shaking and stepped into the hallway, on my toes I carefully stepped around everything spread around the floor and into Wisconsin's room. Wyoming was crouched on the floor near the closet, she probably froze in that position since Canada and Prussia entered the hall. "Do you have it?" She whispered the question.

I held it out for her to see and placed it on the floor, "Here." I reached into my pocket and retrieved my switch blade knife, then placed it in her hands, "I'm trusting you to do this as quietly as possible."

Her carving was slow and crude, but if it meant I didn't have to do it then it was worth the patience. I sat near the door and listened, both for England, and the two nations down the hall. Nothing from Prussia and Canada, but in Alfred's room they found the birds. "THAT BASTARD! "THE GODDAMN PLAN! THERE ARE FIVE BIRDS AND FIVE STATES MADE THE PLAN!" I jolted when Romano yelled in my ear, if he screamed this loud with every revelation then I wasn't looking forward to it.

Wyoming hissed when she cut her finger on the knife. I stood from the floor and walked over to her, "Hurry, I don't know how long they're going to be."

She shook out her hand and cursed under her breath, "Done." I lifted her hand and frowned, the cut wasn't that deep, but I still didn't want her to splatter her DNA all over the rooms. I snatched a few tissues from Wisconsin's night stand and wrapped them around her hand, then kept it in place with the red tape. "How does it look?" She opened the notebook revealing a large 'T' carved into the pages.

"It'll do, make sure to dispose of those tissues when you're done, we don't want them to link you to this tape." I placed the roll of tape in her hands, "this is it. I'll be texting you, so make sure your phone is on vibrate."

She nodded, nervousness danced in her eyes, but so did determination, "Thank you, I know what to do." I smiled and we left the room, she went one direction with the tape, and I went the other with the notebook. I could have put the book in Ohio's room, but decided to leave it at Canada's door. I was getting the suffocating feeling that they were going to decode my message faster than I preferred, so there wasn't much of a point in hiding it from him. Besides, if Canada noticed it was missing, he'd probably wander around the house until he found it.

XXX

Sneaking into the dining room was almost too easy. I missed the head count, but Colorado was there to help the numbers add up. The dining room was one of the largest rooms in the house, so it had two doorways to enter from. The symmetrical table was long enough to belong to a royal family, there were twenty five cushioned chairs on each side of the table, and two chairs at the end. The long table wore a thick white tablecloth, with a long gold table runner in the middle. The center of the table was never dull; there were unlit candles, flowers, and an assortment of centerpieces that would make any interior designer cry from joy.

States were scattered throughout the dining room, some leaned against the wall, some sat in circles, and there were more states sitting on the table than the chairs. At the time Germany and Italy were at the other side of the room staring at a piece of paper where they most likely wrote down the head count. I waited until they glanced down, then I used the same technique I used when I left Canada's room, disruptive and clumsy, yet fast. I ran into the room and crouched beside a plant, then slowly inched myself further from the door. I ended up sitting against the wall with my head in my hands, it seemed like a natural thing to do, but unlike the other states, I was overwhelmed about almost getting caught rather than seeing what was in Alfred's room.

I heard footsteps and someone plopped on the ground beside me, "Where were you?"

I stiffened, but then sighed when I recognized him as one of my closest allies. We called him Tie-Up just like they called me Capital, I forgot how we came up with all of these nicknames, but I found his very fitting. "Hey, Tie-Up. How was the role call?"

He quickly glanced around and tensed up, "Don't call me that here."

I shrugged, "The only thing that looks suspicious about us right now is the way you're leaning way too close to me and speaking in a low tone." He loosened his shoulders and leaned against the wall next to me, "That's better. How much did I miss?"

He rolled his eyes, "Italy cried while Germany yelled orders at us. Arguments started, some screamed, some cried, some stayed silent while others didn't shut up. Now we're kinda just waiting. What were you up to?"

I gave him a playful smirk, "Y'know, just tying-up some lose ends."

He punched my shoulder while I laughed, "I can't believe you think you're funny. Why don't you stick with the planning while I tell the jokes. Your plans better work by the way, I didn't gut an eagle for nothin."

"It will, this is just the beginning."

He snorted, "Yeah yeah, why are all leaders so cliché? If this is just the beginning, then I hope the rest of it doesn't include me defacing any more birds. Seriously, everyone's fucking pissed."

"Of course they are, if I didn't know the reason behind it then I'd be pissed too. Now be quiet, the nations finished investigating, I need to listen to what they think of it." Tie-Up finally shut his mouth and watched his twiddling thumbs.

I heard nothing but rustling at first, then the extra noise settled and New Mexico's voice rang in my ear, "HE WAS NEVER A HERO. Tell me, what looks weird about this lettering?"

I honestly didn't expect them to figure it out, even if New Mexico was with them, but the word "lettering" threw me off, like she was already on the right track. I shoved the thought away as they continued talking, the nations' guesses were close, but not close enough to make me feel threatened. That is, until Prussia decided to say, "Also the letters look odd. Why are some bigger than the others?"

I stiffened and leaned forward, Tie-Up must have noticed, because I could distantly hear him asking questions. It was weird; my ears were so strained at my earpiece that it sounded like he was underwater. "As you can see, the smallest letters are the H and the O. They get bigger towards the middle, but it's not symmetrical. The largest letter is the A after NEVER, and I think that's what we should be focusing on."

I stared into blank space with my mouth hung open, only when Tie-Up waved his hand right in front of my eyes did I look at him, "What the hell is the matter with you?"

My vision cleared and I blinked at him, "Wyoming's in danger."

His frustrated expression fell to one of confusion, "What? She isn't even hear."

"No, I-"

"EVERYONE QUIT YOUR CHITCHAT AND SIDE CONVERSATIONS!" Germany's voice rang through the room like an alarm; loud and annoying. If only he had a snooze button. Once the room quieted he continued, "I want every state to take a seat at the table, not on the table," he glared at the states sat on the table, causing them to snicker. "I am conducting another count, you will all be quiet and act appropriately until I am done. Now move!"

Everyone grudgingly stood from their place and sat at the table, Tie-Up pushed himself to his feet and bent down to help me up, I grabbed his hand and leaned close to his ear, "I'll explain everything after the count, if I make it that far." Then I followed him to the table.

I sat between him and another ally; we called her Gust. She greeted me with a tired smile and drooping eyelids, and I greeted her the same, "What's up?"

I shook my head, "Gust, everything is up. Just cover me while I message Wyoming."

Gust gave me a confused look while Tie-Up shrugged his shoulders, "Just go with it, Cap's the only one who really knows what's going on."

Germany was talking, but I wasn't listening. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and placed it just below the table, so it would look like I was staring at the cloth rather than my lap, still suspicious but not as much. Gust whipped out a bottle of pink nail polish and opened the top, why she grabbed that in particular when leaving her room I have no idea. She placed her hand in front of me and softly ran a glob of pink chemicals over her fingernail, "There, now you're watching me paint my nails like you're in a trance."

"Lovely." I flipped open the phone and began to type, it was an old phone that I picked up at a flee market, but as long as it was usable then I didn't mind.

Where are you? -C

Her reply didn't take long, I knew she was waiting for a message from me.

Just finished Maryland's, going to Louisiana's room now -WY

Changing the plan, I want you to tape the A on her floor, and make it big and obvious -C

What? Why? -WY

New Mexico figured it out, they're heading for NY's room right now. -C

What? What if I run into them?! -WY

That's another aspect to the new plan, you /are/ running into them. -C

No! I'll get caught! -WY

You won't. Don't put down CA's letter, just hide when they get to that hall. -C

How are they going to get the message? -WY

After they realize that something changed, they're going to be on edge, I have a feeling that one of them is going to be keeping watch. It would be easier if it is New Mexico, but if it's a nation then we can still pull it off. You're going to share with them the last letter. -C

Are you serious? I know it's possible to share with a nation, but we've never actually tested it on an outsider. -WY

Today's a first for many things. I know that we can finish this, we have no choice unless we want them to win. - C

Alright, fine. I'm in Louisiana's room, I'll send you an update once the nation's reach CA's room. -WY

I understand. -C

I shoved the phone in my pocket and continued staring at Gust's nails, she finished her right hand and was halfway through with her left, "Hey creep, ya gonna keep on starin' at my hand, or are ya gonna behave like a normal person?"

I raised my eyebrows, "Huh? Oh, sorry. I must've spaced out, but yeah, I'm done."

She smirked, "Good to hear."

Germany pointed at us, "Stop chatting! We're almost done, I'd expect more patience from you states in this kind of situation." We watched him walk away with Italy close behind him. They talked in low voices that sounded concerned.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Tie-Up whispered.

I looked at him, "There's one extra state in the room, I wonder how many times they've counted since they sat us down." I doubt that Colorado even thought to tell them she was here, she could be dense when trying to see things from another point of view.

While Germany and Italy recounted in frustration, the other nations found the clock and the mirror, they were rushing to Ohio's room now. Once they realized that Canada had it, they'd probably have him come along. A couple minutes passed, and they were in Ohio's room wondering why the door was open when Germany reluctantly called out, "We have finished counting, and you're allowed to roam around the room, as long as none of you leave it or cause any trouble."

I led Tie-Up and Gust to lean against a wall near the entrance that Wyoming would most likely come through. Tie-Up was bouncing from impatience and Gust simply seemed confused, "Now tell us," she said, "I think Tie-Up's gonna explode."

"Alright, I'll explain, but you can't this share with anyone else in our group, I want to tell everyone directly myself once the next meeting comes around." I told them what happened, from when I first noticed Wyoming to our conversation through text message.

They went from appearing intrigued to concerned, I watched Tie-Up nit his eyebrows together and Gust pierced her lip in a tight line. "So... is Wyoming going to get caught?"

I shrugged, "It depends, if Wyoming can share with one of them and get away with it, then maybe. However, that stunt New Mexico played out will make them stand out since they arrived earlier than expected." I stole a side-glance at the two nations in the room. They sat at the end of the table with their heads pressed close. "I don't understand why they counted again if the count was perfect, I should've saw it coming with Germany's perfectionist attitude. Now they know something's wrong. If anything, the messed up count has a bigger chance for getting her caught than sending her rushing through the halls to send a message."

Tie-Up crossed his arms, "Great, the others haven't even arrived yet and someone's already gonna get caught. You know, if Wyoming didn't suddenly arrive then that would be you, right?"

Gust blew on her drying nails, "Relax, Tie. The reality is that all of these situations Cap's talkin' about is built on 'ifs'. I doubt even New Mex would connect the role call to Wyoming."

He shook his head in response and glanced at me, "Now what?"

"Now we wait, there's nothing left to do." Since the nations got involved, I spent every minute plotting their every move to adapt to my original plans. There were several miscalculations, but I got the main idea. So far none of my states have been caught before reaching the house, and I was undetectable with the plans I put into action. However, the notebook made me realize that my ice was getting thinner. I'd have to scrap most of my ideas, or change them to fit the decisions the nations made. It would be hard, yet the flexibility charged me with excitement, because the possibilities seemed endless. I was done for today, I set everything up, all I needed to do now was watch the impact and learn from it. Tomorrow was when the real fun started, the house would be filled, and the world would be in my fingertips.

"So where are the nations?" Gust asked.

I paused, I was so focused on our conversation and my thoughts that I wasn't paying attention, "Good question."

She raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

"Hey, you try paying attention to two places at once. Let me see..." I jumped when a large crackle erupted in my ear, this earpiece tried to torture me every time England did anything other than stay still. Through the static I distantly heard two voices talking, they seemed to be tossing back questions and answers. Canada and New Mexico. "They're definitely on the move, Canada's with them, they must've found the notebook. There's no message from Wyoming, so they're going to Louisiana's room."

"Ah, well I hope it's over quickly. If Wyoming's not back before the states with Spain arrive, then her absence would be noticed immediately," Tie-Up pointed out.

I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. "Close your mouth and wait. Whatever outcome you can possibly suggest I thought of hours ago. Like I said, there's nothing left to do."

The two went silent, and I set myself on listening to the nations. "What the hell is up with this?"

"The next letter is 'A'."

"Huh? "Why so obvious?"

"...I don't know. Something changed... but I'm not sure if it's the state anymore. "I don't know what's happening, but the only way to find out is to go to California's room."

I squeezed the phone in my pocket with sweaty hands, everything was going so well that I couldn't help feeling a little jittery. My chest fluttered, and I had to stop myself from glancing up at Italy and Germany every two seconds. For once, the snapping crinkles from my earpiece didn't bother me, the pulsing in my ear felt like a second heart beat. It swore I lived half a day in that moment. My phone's vibrate was an earthquake in my pocket, I barely had the patience to wait for the two nations to look away before I whipped it out.

They're here. -WY

I caught Gust's and Tie-Up's gaze and gave them a slight nod. I couldn't loosen the tension in my fingers as I typed.

Good, you know what to do. -C

I took a deep breath in, then out. As time stretched like elastic, the task was getting harder. The nations stopped, then the words I waited for came out of Romano's mouth, "I'll keep watch." I knew somewhere in my gut that a nation would keep watch rather than New Mexico, but finding I was correct still shocked me.

Just yesterday meeting a nation sounded nearly impossible, and today we were going to blind one.

A minute passed, maybe two. I heard some rummaging. England spoke, then Canada said something, but nothing they said mattered anymore. It was over, there was absolutely nothing they could do to change my plan at this point. I already won, now all I had to do was wait for a scream; the same thought I had before falling asleep earlier today. I didn't know what would come after this, and I'd have to recreate my plans once Japan and Russia arrived, but for some reason I felt nothing but control.

And then he screamed.

"Shit!" I hissed as my earpiece pierced my ear. I desperately scratched at the side of my head until the device made a sharp click when it bounced on the wooden floor. My ears were ringing too loudly to hear anything else, I shoved my palms over my ears and stared at my lap. I hated that earpiece, but so far those bugs I placed on France and England saved my ass on several occasions today.

Black dots danced around my vision, and I was glad that I wouldn't need to place that device back in my ear until things settled down a bit. I felt a vibrate in my pocket, and I knew that it was Wyoming announcing she's on her way. I would've answered her if it weren't for a couple of states that approached us three, "Hey, you alright?"

I glanced up at the two states; they were North Carolina and South Carolina, they came from the large group that was sitting on the table. My gaze lingered at the earpiece on the floor, if North Carolina took a step forward he'd crush it. I'd share if they were my allies or not if it mattered, but at the moment it didn't. All I cared about was getting them away before Wyoming arrived, and before North Carolina's huge foot crushed my earpiece. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't look like it," South Carolina said as an obvious statement.

"It's been a rough day," I said curtly, trying to dodge a lengthy conversation.

North Carolina took a step forward, and I couldn't stop myself from physically cringing, then I inwardly sighed; it was the wrong foot. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

I crossed my arms, "Nope, but when I feel like having a long heart-felt discussion, I'll come to you two."

They glanced at each other, then shrugged, "Alright then." As they walked away I heard North Carolina say, "Wow, I know a lot of us are out of it, but that was just strange." It seemed that today I was the master of eaves dropping, if only I didn't have to blow out my ear in the process.

"Cap, this is possibly the worst time to bring attention to yourself," Tie-Up said, glancing at Germany and Italy.

I swiped the earpiece from the wooden floor and shoved it in my pocket, "It wasn't my fault I almost lost my hearing! I should get you one of these things, try lecturing me then."

Tie-Up crossed his arms, "At least I'd know what's going on. I had to tel Gust what we set up in America's room, because you didn't explain anything like you said you were going to. I bet we're the only two who know about this letter puzzle excluding you and Wyoming."

I scoffed at his skeptical tone, "Do you understand what's been going on for the past twenty-four hours? The nations have been watching our every move, and while their plan was stupidly predictable, it was somewhat smart to spread them out. If the nations are watching us in smaller groups, it's easier to point out suspicious activity. Even if I did have the time to think of these plans and spread the word, I wouldn't have done it. Too risky."

Gust looked at me, "So when are we actually going to be on the same page?"

"Soon." I glanced at a large wooden clock hung on the wall, a few minutes passed, where was Wyoming? "When Japan and Russia arrive, so will the rest of our allies. Tomorrow night will be the perfect time, we'll form a meeting with a selective number of states from our group, it all depends on how the nations plan to watch us overnight."

The two states nodded in agreement, "We'll spread the word."

"Good, I'll send out details by mid-day tomorrow."

Gust started to say something, but cut herself off as her eyes trailed someone entering from the far arch across the room. I leaned forward and followed her gaze, then stopped when I saw Prussia approach Germany and Italy nimbly, wearing a dark expression. He came to break the news to the two nations. The noise in the room increased as the states' conversations shifted. Their questions started in the form of alarmed whispers, but gradually grew in volume. I didn't expect them to receive any clear answers, this wasn't something that the nations would share openly. Prussia walked Germany and Italy towards the entrance, from the way he hunched his shoulders and leaned towards the two, I could tell he didn't want any state hearing.

"Wow, that was a perfect opening, I even made it without you three noticing me," Tie-Up, Gust, and I whipped our heads upwards to see Wyoming standing in front of us. When she sat down, I noticed that something was off. Her smile was plastic, and there was distraught gleam in her eyes. Her black hair was unkempt, like she ran her hands through it too many times. She tapped her fingers against her knee and looked at me, "I did it, I killed a nation."

I placed my hand over her dancing fingers, "You didn't kill him."

"I might as well have, I can't breathe." She placed her hand over her chest.

I've never seen her so skittish before, "Hey, you did they right thing, you hear me?" Wyoming rapidly shook her head, I didn't even know if she was listening at that point. "Look, I came to you for help because you're one of my strongest allies. I know that you have the strength to get past this, right?"

Tears brimmed her eyes, "Maybe, but I don't want to do this any more. I support you, Capital, and I'm glad we're fighting against the nations instead of giving up, but I can't stand to harm them any longer. I'll do whatever it takes to aid you, but from now on I'd only be dead weight in your plans when it comes to action."

I glanced at the countries across the room, then back at her. I sighed, and tried to give her my best reassuring smile, "I understand. I will exclude you from further plans involving violence against any personification, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook. You're still attending our meetings, and everything else that we do, because you'll never be dead weight, Void."

When she heard her nickname, she gave me a genuine grin as she scrubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Thank you, sorry for flipping out."

"It's fine," Gust called out, "Not everyone can be as badass as I am in action."

Tie-Up groaned, "So Cap, can we make a compromise too? Because I don't think I can deal with Gust's boasting for the whole time we're trapped in this hell-house.

I shook my head, "Sorry, we're all stuck with her until we win. Don't worry, maybe if we suffer through it together we can lessen the pain."

Gust stuck out her tongue, then turned to Wyoming, "Void, so besides the whole blinding a country thing, how was your trip?"

She gave her a wavering laugh, "It was sort of a mess, but an entertaining mess. Oh!" Wyoming's eyes widened, "I almost forgot! We're having sandwiches for dinner!"

My mouth started watering as an instant effect, I couldn't remember the last time I ate something, too much has happened since. "I'd go to a word meeting, and blind every single country there for a sandwich."

Tie-Up raised his eyebrow, "The fact that I can easily picture you doing that would startle me if I weren't too hungry to care."

"When do we get food?" Gust asked eagerly.

"After you get off your lazy asses and make it!" Wyoming said with a teasing smirk. "I bought the meat, cheese, and bread, after the countries finally get a grip on what the hell they're doing, I'll ask to get a bunch of us in the kitchen."

Gust deflated, "You didn't buy them pre-made? Didn't we use up enough energy today?"

"Apparently not," Tie-Up said, equally disappointed.

I laughed, "Come on, it's for food!"

"EVERYONE QUIET DOWN!" Germany yelled as he walked from the archway. Italy and Prussia were gone, they probably left to see if Romano was alright, leaving Germany with us.

"Here we go again," Tie-Up muttered, "Void, you should be thankful you missed this the first and second time."

Germany stood in front of the room with the posture of a commander, once he finished waiting for us to quiet, he said, "This will be the last count, sit at the table, you know the drill." I heard a few states groan and complain, but not many wanted to speak against the strung up nation.

We decided to split up and spread ourselves throughout the table. I sat next to the end seat beside Rhode Island, "Three times? This is really stupid, how paranoid are they?" She asked.

I shook my head, "They have good reason after what they saw in America's room."

Rhode Island slumped in her chair, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean they have to take it out on us through repetitive head counts."

Missouri who sat in the end chair tipped his seat backward and placed his hands behind his head, "I bet somethin' happened."

"Huh?"

He glanced at Rhode Island, "Prussia took Germany and Italy aside to talk 'bout somethin', then he leaves with Italy. An' ya hear how stressed Germany sounded? Somethin' definitely happened."

Rhode Island shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe, but what could it be?"

"Whatever it is, it must be important," I said passively.

"This count is going to be a bit different, so be quiet and listen up," Germany said, sending a glare in our direction before moving on. "I'm going to take attendance by calling your state name, so when I call your name please announce your presence."

If he decided to do that for the last two counts I would have worried, but then again before Wyoming's attack, the count was just precaution. Now it was priority. I zoned out for most of the role call, only paying attention when my own name was called. The count went without problem, until the end, when Germany paced around the room holding a stack of papers, then stopped in front of the chair Colorado was sitting at, "You. You never said anything throughout the entire role call."

Colorado stared at him with wide eyes, "It's because you didn't call my name, Sir."

Germany knit his eyebrows together, "What's your name?"

"I'm Colorado."

Germany gawked, "W-What? You're a Western state!"

"I told you you should have said something!" Maine called out next to her.

"How many of you are here?" Germany asked. "Did you come here with Romano?" So Prussia did come to them because of Romano. Germany wouldn't have known that Romano was in the house if Prussia didn't talk to them. It looked like Prussia forgot to mention the states he came with, that was one bad informant they sent.

"Yeah, I came here with Romano, New Mexico, and Wyoming."

"New Mexico and Wyoming?" Germany asked, then he scanned the room.

Wyoming stood from her seat, "I'm sorry! I thought you already knew! My name is Wyoming."

I wish I could have took a picture of Germany's face, I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him with such a confused expression ever again. "Then where is New Mexico?"

Every state turned their heads, searching for her familiar face, "New Mexico's here?"

"Oh-ho-ho, I bet whoever's behind this is threatened now!"

"Unless she's the one behind it."

"If she's not here, then she's probably taking over the world or something."

"Is she in the lab? I bet she was even researching while traveling!"

"EVERYONE QUIET!" Germany said. "The count is over, but I want to talk to Colorado and Wyoming." This time the states seemed reluctant to leave the table, they were curious, I'd be the same if I didn't know exactly what was going on.

I was one of the first to stand from the table, Rhode Island gave me an odd glance, "What? We're not going to know what happens until they speak to Germany, so we might as well get it over with, and wait for the info to trickle down." I strode to the far end of the room to make the point, then sat on the floor cross-legged.

It took a while for the other states to follow my lead, a few more out-spoken states decided to stay and demand answers from the three personifications until Colorado yelled at them herself to leave. Gust sat down next to me, and blew on her nails, "Germany has great timing, I just finished the second coat when all that went down. Tie-Up's across the room with a couple of his neighbors, he said it'd be weird if he left them or somethin' like that, I dunno."

I nodded along, "Well they'd wonder why he'd leave them in the middle of a conversation, I'll catch him later. I have a feeling that our setting is going to change very soon."

"Why?" Gust asked.

I tapped my finger on my chin, "Well after the stunt we pulled on Romano, they're going to split us up. Because obviously even with Germany watching us, we're fairly difficult to control if we're all grouped up in one room."

Gust rolled her eyes, "Duh, so anyway, when am I going to get to do somethin' fun?" I raised an eyebrow, and she continued, "You barely give me any action! I've been on your side since the very beginning. Hell, I was the first state you told, yet you give all the fun stuff to crying Void and timid Tie-Up."

"Oh come on, you know why I didn't take you to Alfred's ambush, and involving Wyoming into any plans today was a last minute decision." I glanced at her, while I picked my ear piece out of my pocket and placed it in my ear, "Trust me, later on you're leading plans much more interesting than gutting an eagle and sharing with a nation."

She smirked, "Good."

A little more than half an hour passed before they split us up. Not much happened to us, Gust chattered while I listened to the nations. Italy carried Romano to New Mexico's room and agreed to watch over him for a while. Spain arrived with the rest of the states in New Mexico's region. England told him to unpack with the states and keep them in the same hallway until Romano woke up. Canada and New Mexico went to the lab with the evidence they collected, it wouldn't take long for them to decode my name. Meanwhile Prussia, England, and France took some time to debate on how to handle us. They decided to split us in three groups, two groups went in the two mini theaters that France stumbled upon the first hour in the house, and a third group in the kitchen making food.

I wasn't surprised when England walked through the dining room and pulled Germany aside to explain everything. Germany left to watch Romano, he told England he'd send Italy to the kitchen. The nations split us up equally and sent us on our way. I was placed in Prussia's group along with Tie-Up. Gust was in England's group, and Wyoming went to the kitchen with Colorado.

XXX

Prussia announced that he was putting in a movie until we were allowed to leave the media room. It was a long and loud debate before we finally decided to watch fight club. The speakers clashed with my ear piece, not that it was offering me much information anyway. England's group was a complete mess, states yelled questions at him while he tried to answer, only to be bombarded with more questions.

Tie-Up tapped my shoulder, "You alright? You look stressed." I glanced towards the front of the room, while Prussia was laid back enough to have us watch a movie, I noticed that he watched us like we watched the screen. I shook my head and pointed to my ear, "Huh, that bad? I could take the hit and keep it in my ear for a bit if you want."

I sighed and handed him my ear piece, Tie-Up jolted the first time he placed the device in his ear, but resisted the pain in silence. I stared at the large projection of the movie in a daze. The reduced distractions left my mind running. What will happen once Romano wakes up? I was excited for tomorrow, but at the same time I had to make it through today first. I gave away some information, but it was for the best. After a few more minutes of brewing possibilities, I decided to leave the questions and focus on the movie.

XXX

"Pssssssssst. Cap, we have a serious problem," Tie-Up hissed. His eyes darted left and right, and his right hand clenched over his ear.

I turned to him, "What is it?"

"Void's going to get caught."

I read his eyes, trying to tell if he was kidding or not, "What?"

Tie-Up ripped the earpiece out of his ear and placed it in my hand, "Romano figured it out, Italy dragged England from the states and told him to see Romano in the lab. He's heading there right now."

I paused, I felt my blood run cold and something clogged my throat, "She can't get caught." I grabbed the electronic and shoved it in my ear.

"Romano, this better be good. I have to get back there soon or those states will tear Italy apart." England's voice dragged me further into the reality that there was a good chance Wyoming would be in that nations' grasp before the hour's up.

I stared at Tie-Up, I was sure the look in my eyes matched his paranoia, because he seemed even more afraid, "What are we going to do?"

"Anyways, I'll try to make this quick so we can figure out what to do, because Italy and I might have figured something out." The longer Romano discussed his suspicions, the more certain I became that there was nothing we could do.

Tie-Up's wide eyes were still waiting for an answer, an order, an instruction, anything that would ease his nerves. I snarled and gave him a determined glare, "We're going to do everything, after we win I'll make sure the word 'state' strikes fear into their hearts."

"What about Wyoming?" He asked.

I pressed my lips together and shook my head, "We can't face them head on, not yet. Today they're taking Wyoming, but I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. She's not going to expose us, and she won't be in their custody for long."

Tie-Up raised an eyebrow, "What do you have in mind?"

I leaned back in the theater chair, "Nothing yet, but let's just say that our schedule for the next couple of weeks is very flexible, as long as we follow the basic rules."

"Don't give away your identity, don't cross any borders, and don't get caught," the words flowed out of his mouth without much effort. The phrase was familiar, and brought comfort. It reminded me of when those were the only rules, back then the world was black and white, good or bad, but now I've learned that I have a very colorful eyesight.

"Exactly," I took the earpiece out of my ear. They were almost done discussing how to handle this situation, but their decisions were predictable, and I didn't need to hear it. That's what I told myself, but I knew the real reason why I stopped listening. I knew what was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be pretty. I'll accept the loss, but that didn't mean I could stand listening to Wyoming's reaction to the nations' accusations. It was best to remain as unattached to the situation as possible, so that I could think of a solution with a clear mind. "We'll get her back, but first I want to see how well they can enforce their policies."

"Don't take too long studying them, Void's strong, but every state can crack if put under enough pressure." Tie-Up's eyes gleamed with disgust, but I knew his glare was only at his own memories.

"Will do," I said nodding to myself.

The conversation fell, and we returned to pretending to pay attention to the movie. Almost every state knew Fight Club by heart, so instead of silently watching it, most of us were reciting the lines. I joined the chorus, letting my voice rise to the room's volume. Prussia's shoulders shook lightly, chuckling to himself. I glanced down at the electronic in my hand, it was heavy in my grasp, I could have sworn it was lighter before I started using it. I knew that I'd have to listen to the nations soon, because I needed to find out what was to come, but I could wait just a little more until then, couldn't I?

XXX

"I'd expect such from her, I don't think she'll say much right away. We have to show her we're not giving up until she gives us some more information. We have to know who helped her plan this, it couldn't have been just her."

I sighed as I pressed my palm against my ear as I stared at the movie with an empty stare. It took a while for me to bring myself to once again listen to England with the damn bug. I was listening to him for the past fifteen minutes, and I didn't receive much other than static and muttering. What was he doing? Pacing maybe? I couldn't think of anything else he could do to produce such horrible audio. That was until New Mexico, Romano, and Canada arrived, now they were discussing what to do with Wyoming, and I was thankful that I didn't miss too much.

"We should install live video cameras and bugs in that room. That way we all know what's happening and we can replay footage if we need to." Canada said. I twitched at the suggestion, that'd make it much more difficult to save Wyoming.

There was a brief silence among them that brought static to my ear. Then Romano spoke. "Bugs..." I bit my lip, there was no way he was thinking... "Bugs! That's how the state knew where France was, and why the clues started to change! You and France are bugged!"

Oh. My. God.

My teeth dug deeper into my bottom lip, slicing the soft skin open for the second time today. My fingers moved like thick wire as I twisted them into a fist, and at first I didn't notice the violent tremble of my arms until Tie-Up's cold hand wrapped around my wrist, "Cap?" I ignored him, an enraged scream threatened to sneak past my throat, but I forced it down with a hard swallow.

"Capital," the name dragged me back to the perspective my earpiece gave me. It was New Mexico's voice, telling me that they learned my name, "this is New Mexico. You shouldn't have dragged Wyoming into this, even if she volunteered it was your fault for causing this mess in the first place. Return America, we don't need just any leader. It's either Alfred. F. Jones or nobody at all, because no one else can lead this country. Surrender before you start a civil war. It's never too late to switch sides, I'll be looking forward to the moment you change your mind.

There was a clack, similar to the sound a phone makes when someone hangs up a phone, then all noise from my earpiece was gone. No voices, no static, no screeching, the only noise I could hear was the noise made in this room. New Mexico crushed the bug.

I sat rigid while Tie-Up continued to try to get my attention, "Cap, what the hell happened?"

I looked at him, I opened my mouth, then closed it. I shook my head and looked away, I couldn't properly put my experience into words, so I waited. I sat forward and let my mind run until I calmed down enough to face him. I released my fists and rested my hands on my knees. Tie-Up looked me up and down, then his face fell into recognition. Before he saw an angry state, but I knew that he realized his collected leader returned. "Tie-Up, I want you to let Gust know that these recent events haven't changed our plans for tomorrow night. We have to discuss how we're going to defeat the nations."

Tie-Up straightened his back and his eyes were enlivened, "What do you have in mind?"

I wiped the metallic blood from my lip with the back of my wrist and grinned, "We have to destroy their advantages. I believe that there's a certain ally of their's who's too smart for her own good."

Tie-Up smirked, "I think we can make that work, besides if they take down one of our states, I don't see why we can't do the same." I retrieved the now dead earpiece and shoved it in my pocket for safe keeping. Maybe it was dysfunctional, but that didn't mean it wasn't completely useless to me. Tomorrow night was going to be the first meeting since America's capture, and a lot happened since then. I had to prepare for every situation that could possibly happen, some states might even be caught if they aren't careful enough. I was planning to use England's bug to find out how they were keeping watch, but now I had to find another way. Tomorrow was the start of revolution, and anything could happen. I was unsure of the outcome of the upcoming meeting, but I knew one fact was definite.

New Mexico, you're going down along with every pathetic personification that gets in my way.

XXX

Author's Note: Remember when I said that I was going to write a short little snippet from Capital's POV? Well turns out that after 10,000 words, it's not that short... I'm bad at this whole short little snippet thing. Anyways here it is! This chapter's name reminded me of "Rebel Without a Cause" by musicalbasics, he's a piano god, and his youtube channel is amazing! I decided write this chapter to offer more perspective other than from a nation's POV. Besides, I really needed to introduce Capital, Tie-Up, and Gust. I hope you liked it and the change from 3rd to 1st person didn't throw you off too much! We have reached the section of the author's note where I ask you a million questions, What do you thing of Capital, Tie-Up, and Gust? Do you have any ideas about their true identities? The nicknames might help, but some are more vague than others. More chapters will appear from Capital's POV, but it won't be too often. Maybe three or four more in this story, but who knows, this is coming from Ms. ThisChapterWon'tBeAsLongAsTheOthers.

This new semester is going pretty well so far! I'm in four new classes, I finished Public Speaking, Macro Economics, Journalism, and Algebra 2 Trig. I'm both sad and happy that they're over depending on the class. Public Speaking was one of the best classes I've ever taken, while Macro was horrible, mostly my fault since I slacked near the end of the semester. Now I have Sociology, Senior Lounge, Creative Writing, and Participation in Government! I love these classes so far, they're so intriguing and my teachers are awesome! Also in Senior Lounge I sit with a bunch of my friends and it's fun, so it's the perfect schedule to end high school with. I hope all of you are having a nice semester so far! And if not then hang in there, there's always breaks to look forward to.

Omg we're going to the West Coast next chapter! I'm so excited for this section, it's going to be a ton of fun to write! But sadly, when it comes to Japan and Russia, I'm always torn as to who's POV it should be told from. I'm leaning towards one POV, but I'm not certain, so I want your opinion, Russia or Japan? By the way let me mention that I'm going to try to do a better job when it comes to replying to reviews, because I almost cry from happiness every time one of you beautiful reviewers review, and sometimes I forget to reply, so from now on I'll try to give you the proper response that you deserve! Until next chapter, thanks for reading I hope to update soon!