Their scuttle didn't last too long. Utah and Idaho got the victory they were hoping for, because while California and Arizona had the best defense, the two forgot about Nevada, who was throwing things at everyone as a third party. Somewhere between hasty glances at each other, Nevada decided to be Utah and Idaho's ally by knocking the table over while everyone was distracted. Japan watched in shock as everything on the table flipped backwards, including Arizona and California. When their hoots and hollers died down, there was nothing left but a messy house and Idaho's complaints. Needless to say, the states ended up having to clean the house up, all while Russia glanced over Nevada's notes, and Japan fiddled his phone in his pocket, worrying for the other nations.

California groaned as she dumped a pile of broken glass into the garbage can with a plastic dust pan, "Come on, it's not like I meant to land on a vase on my way down, why do I have to clean it up?"

Arizona nodded, "Yeah we shouldn't have to do anything since we're the ones who were knocked off a table!"

Idaho pointed a stray candlestick at her, "If you didn't want to fall off the table, then what were you doing on it in the first place?"

"I dunno, how about we were dodging what you three were throwing at us! We were on defense!" California closed the lid to the garbage, and strode to the living room, where she collected thrown silverware.

Nevada snorted, "Defense? I call bull. You two were trying to deflect what we were throwing back at our heads with those damn couch cushions. Speaking of which..." He walked across the dining room and grabbed the two cushions, one leaned against the glass sliding door to the backyard, the other landed on a pile of spilled soil from a potted plant.

He tossed the cushions to Utah, who jolted, and barely caught them. "Well, I think that cleaning up the mess we made is the very least we can do." He placed the cushions in the couch and pressed them in to fit, "Not only did we make a mess of our fellow state's home, but we did it in front of nations!"

Russia looked up from the stack of paper resting on his lap, "So are you one of those 'Isolationists?'"

Every state in the room paused, "What?" Utah croaked.

Japan joined in, he didn't have to know what the exact symbolism was behind the label, the term itself was enough to speculate. "It means you're not open to being around nations, right?" He felt a small amount of pride in being able to figure it out, it seemed that he wasn't as unfocused as he initially thought. Either that or he became more focused as time spanned on.

Nevada's gaze was scrutinizing, "You're right, but you're only scratching the bare surface with that definition." He returned to picking up objects from the ground, but Japan could see the way his muscles tensed up.

Utah wore an apologetic smile, "Don't mind him, Isolationists tend to get offended easily. Just don't push them on and they won't bite." Nevada rolled his eyes, but didn't object to his statement. "To correct you, I'm Neutral."

Japan paused, if there was neutral side, then there was a side opposing the Isolationists, "So what's the other one?" He decided to ask directly.

"Internationalist," California beamed with a hint of pride gleaming in her blue eyes. "We're promoting letting the other nations know about us. Who knows, maybe we can work together in the future!"

Nevada pretended to gag, and Arizona playfully pushed his shoulder while walking the metal vase back to its rightful place. "Those two sides can never go a day without debate, I was very surprised there were no fights at the party, but then again everyone was trying to keep a low profile."

A wooden chair dropped from Idaho's grasp as she let out a loud unexpected gasp. Everyone in the room stopped mid-conversation and waited for her to recover. She placed a hand over her mouth with widened eyes, then rushed to her desk where a large phone sat on top, "We have to contact the rest of the states! They think the party's still happening, we have to stall them before they board their flights."

"What?" Russia asked.

California looked at him, "The joke. Remember how everyone flies to their homes after the party and then flies to D.C.? Well this is around the time when everyone starts to fly over in the West."

Nevada groaned, "This is not what we need. Now we're going to have to call them, and use some bullshit excuse that will make them cancel all their flights. I bet they won't be getting many refunds as well. Even more money we're throwing down the drain."

California rolled her eyes, "Relax, New York said he's covering all flights, so even if we have to pay from our own pockets he's going to pay us back."

"It doesn't matter how we're paying for it," Arizona cut in, "The question is what's going to be our reason for keeping them?"

The states went silent, and Idaho cursed under her breath. Utah glanced towards Japan, "Why don't we tell them the truth?"

Russia perked up, "That sounds fun!"

"No it does not!" California called, "The whole reason for doing this is specifically so that none of them know before we reach them!"

"Perhaps you should only tell them a half truth?" Japan asked, trying to be helpful.

Idaho pointed at him, "Yeah! Alright so what do we say exactly?"

Nevada snatched his pile of papers from Russia, "So the number one thing we can say to stop them is that the nations know about us. Then what? They'd want more information. How did it happen? Who did they find? What are America's plans? If we don't do this right, they'll think the Southern prank war expanded West."

Russia played with the hem of his scarf, "So you have to pretend that we figured out your little secret without telling them America was attacked by one of you."

"Exactly!" California said, with a devious grin. "God, now I see why Maryland lied as long as he did. Making this all up is going to be so much fun!" She rubbed her hands together, wearing a large grin.

"No, I see why he stopped," Utah muttered. "This is going to be a lot of work, we basically have to create this whole alternate universe, and try to do it through the eyes of America."

Determination flickered in Nevada's eyes, "We can accomplish that as long as we plan this out accordingly." He glanced towards Japan and Russia, "You found New York in the apartment, right? We can keep that." He viciously scrawled all over the sheet of paper, "You were all touring New York, when you got lost. You decided to circle back to America's apartment, and ask America for directions to... Times Square? Yeah, let's go with that. Anyway, you saw New York through the window, and became curious. After he realized there were nations, he freaked out, not too different from the original."

Japan nodded, "So what would America do after he found out we discovered New York?"

"Easy!" California loudly declared. "The whole reason that there's the whole debate between the Isolationists and Internationalists is because America leaves it up to us to decide whether we share our secret or not. America would stall you, and make you keep your silence somehow until we can all figure this out."

"Really?" Japan asked, then lingered on the thought, "Actually, I can see America doing that."

"Of course," Russia said, folding his arms. "During the Cold War he loved to use delay and aversion. It's his favorite tactic."

Arizona grinned, "You bet it is. So what would be the key to stopping everyone from flying to D.C.?

Utah started redecorating the table, "Well, if America's in New York, and the nations are in New York, and New York is in New York, then why would they go to D.C.? The party? News flash, the party's cancelled."

Nevada snorted, and flipped the sheet over to continue writing. One side was now covered in ink. "So America's calling us all to New York, huh? That'd be something. You know, I wish that it actually went like this. This whole journey would be much more interesting if exposing our secret was the worst of our troubles." His smile was bitter, "Who knows, if it were that way, maybe I'd actually switch to Internationalist. But since it's not... we have a lot of work to do. Let's lie to some states." He stared at his paper, "We have to call Oregon, Washington, and Montana. You girls can do that, Utah and I will finish cleaning up."

"You better," Idaho said, crossing her arms. "Ashley is supposed to arrive here soon, she's watering my plants while I'm away. What would she say if she saw this mess we made?"

"She'll probably talk behind your back to her mother, Sue." Nevada smirked mockingly, "Then she'd contact her BFFs: Deborah, Helen, and Margaret. Just watch, your unorganized home will be the juiciest gossip while waiting in line at the supermarket."

California snickered, and Idaho glared at the two, "Stop making fun of the suburbs! Her mother's name isn't Sue, it's Cindy."

"Pffffffft," Nevada covered his mouth, and moved to the side when a pencil flew in his direction. He threw his hands up defensibly, "Alright, alright. I'll leave you alone only because we have a flight to catch after this." He placed his hand on Utah's shoulder, and the two continued cleaning.

"I will help," Japan said, trying to find something to distract himself with. He walked over to the kitchen to place condiments back in the fridge.

"Can I observe your conversations?" Russia asked, leaning over Idaho's desk.

She sat at the desk chair and picked up her house phone, "Of course, it's not like we have anything to hide."

Russia placed his hands behind his back, "But that's obviously not true, is it? If it were, then we would have known about you centuries ago."

California clapped him on the shoulder, the gesture was hard enough to nearly put off Russia's balance, "The Isolationists don't tend to make reasonable arguments during debates, but they have a point when it comes to our security. The aspect to our conflict that usually leads to their victory is how risky it is to involve ourselves with other nations."

Japan couldn't see their expressions from where he stood by the fridge, but he pictured Russia's disturbing smile, and California's easy-going grin. "That is making sense, if you states are so vulnerable to attacking America for some sort of gain, then there could be a lot of problems." Utah and Nevada stopped cleaning, and stared at Russia with emotion burning in their eyes. What emotion that was Japan couldn't tell, but he knew based on their reactions that Russia couldn't be far off. "If the rest of the world heard of your greedy weakness, and they knew how to manipulate it, America would be in this kind of trouble much more often, da?"

"That's not true!" Nevada said, crossing his arms, "You don't know anything about us."

"Do I need to?" Russia asked, "I only need to look at this from a nation's perspective. If I was America's enemy, and I knew there were personifications that could destroy him from the inside, I would want to team up with them and have us both benefit from it."

Arizona sighed and put her hand up, "Look, can we save the arguments for America's house? This time shouldn't be spent with yelling and accusations. Why don't we calm down, and do what you suggested in the first place, Nevada? We must move forward if we're going to meet up with the others."

California laughed, this time her cheerfulness almost seemed forced, "I agree! We have states to call and flights to take, we can answer any questions you ask once we're not running all over the country."

I see what Russia meant when he mentioned delay and aversion. The conversation dropped, Japan, Utah, and Nevada cleaned around the kitchen. The only noise throughout the house was sweeping, mopping, objects clanking together while putting them away, and the girls' voices trying to calm down the states on the other lines. Thirty minutes later, the house was clean, and no other phone calls were necessary.

"I'm running up to pack!" Idaho called, rushing up the stairs.

California ran a hand through her hair, "That was rough, for someone as laid back as Washington, I didn't expect her to ask so many questions. Then again she has Alaska and Hawaii with her, and they were most likely telling her to ask those questions." Japan turned his attention to her, suddenly interested at the mention of those two states, alright, maybe he was a little more interested in one state over the other.

He opened his mouth to ask about the two, but Arizona spoke first, promptly cutting his opportunity short, "Oregon asked why we were flying to them individually. I told her it's because we want to head there together so that we can come up with a game plan on the way, is that alright?"

Utah nodded, "I don't see a problem with that exclamation. Did you mention why they can't talk with any of the other states?"

California plopped onto the couch, "Yup; America's personal orders. He doesn't want us to build any hysteria, so he assigned a few of us to spread the news in a calm and orderly manner."

"Whatever works," Nevada said, sitting at the table and jotting down some notes. "We should be leaving soon, or else we won't have enough time to go through security."

Arizona sighed, "I'll try to help Idaho speed up the process." She ran up the stairs as well. California closed her eyes, Utah leaned against the wall fiddling with a loose string hanging from the drapes, and Nevada hunched over his stack of papers writing whatever theory he could think of.

Japan and Russia looked at each other, Russia's purple eyes gleamed with curiosity, was he wondering about the two states as well? Certainty he was at least wondering about Alaska, did he know him before he was sold to America? Maybe Japan knew Hawaii without knowing it. He shook his head, and broke eye contact first. "I- Someone should watch Idaho and Arizona." He turned away, and bounded up the carpeted stairs.

XXX

Japan was certain that this was not real Chinese food.

"Of course it is!" California insisted, shoving another forkful of Orange Chicken in her mouth. She pointed the fork towards the Panda Express they sat in front of in the airport, "I don't understand what isn't authentic about this."

Japan stared at her baffled, "What do you mean you don't understand? This is not Asian food. I would know, I live in Asia." Why he agreed to eat here with them, he had no idea. He stared down at his box of white rice, it was the only thing he would order. The rice wasn't bad enough to not eat, but he still missed his cooking at home.

The other states sat around Portland Airport's food court holding back laughter, even Russia's lips tugged upwards at the corners. California crossed her arms, "Why don't we ask China? It's Chinese food we're talking about after all, not Japanese."

Japan sighed, "Alright. Fine." He retrieved his phone and took a picture of the Panda Express, he opened his messages.

Nevada covered his mouth with his hands in an attempt to stifle his laughter. Utah slammed his head against the table, almost knocking over his honey walnut shrimp. "This is so stupid. Cali, please admit that he's right already."

"Nope," California grinned at him. "I started the argument, it's too late to back down now!" Japan's thumbs danced across his touch screen as he sent a brief message to China.

[New Image]

Is this real Chinese food? -Japan

He put the phone down and stared at California. She smirked at him, a satisfied gleam in her eyes. Nevada shook his head, "I honestly didn't think you were going to text him."

"Think he's going to call you?" California asked.

Russia leaned forward in his seat, "Do you want him to call Japan? It seems you had a goal in mind while arguing."

Japan stared at his phone, then looked at California. She tilted her head back and let out a melodic laugh, "We don't always have some devious plan thought out before engaging in conversation, y'know. However, now that you mention it... I would be interested if he called. I would love to meet China someday."

"If so many of you are so interested about the world, then why don't you at least visit the country itself?" Japan asked. If they couldn't meet the personifications, he didn't see why they couldn't visit their lands.

"Can't do that," Nevada said without looking up from his egg roll.

"Why not?" Japan asked, "Is it prohibited?"

Nevada hesitated, pondering on the question. He then shrugged, "Yeah, I guess you could say it is."

"What you you mean by-"

Japan was cut off when a tall woman dragged a chair over to their table and sat down between Idaho and Utah. She wore white jeans and a navy blue tee-shirt. Her pixie cut was made of thick dark brown hair, and she glared at Arizona with wide eyes, one a forest green, and the other their infamous star, "You lied!"

Arizona cringed, "Hey, Oregon. How are you?"

She crossed her arms, her skin was pale and her muscles were toned. "I was doing just fine until you gave me a call! Now you're going to explain what the hell Russia and Japan are doing here. I thought everyone was in New York!"

California leaned back in her chair and snorted, "Great lie, wasn't it?" Oregon gave her a frustrated glare.

Utah sighed, "Stop trying to anger her further!" He looked at Oregon and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll explain everything as truthfully as we can. First we have to leave the airport and find an area with a limited amount of electricity being used." Oregon's eyebrows shot up and she glanced at Japan and Russia. When she saw none of the other states were fazed by Utah announcing their abilities in front of nations, she settled.

Nevada muttered under his breath, "Oh shit, I forgot to explain that." He turned his head to Utah, "Yeah, we don't have to do that."

"Don't have to do what?" He asked.

Nevada massaged his temple, "New Mexico and I conducted an experiment. We noticed that over the years whenever we shared we always caused some sort of electrical issue, so we decided to investigate."

Utah leaned forward and nodded, "We all know that, you've been researching the stars for nearly a century now. Most of us got pulled into your tests one way or another."

He waved his hand dismissively and gestured to Japan and Russia, "Just clarifying for them. Anyway a few weeks ago we found out that the closer you are to the person you're sharing with, the less our surroundings are effected by our stars."

Arizona looked at him, "Seriously? That's an amazing discovery! How close do you have to be to have no effect."

"As close as you can," Nevada explained. "You'd have to keep your star aligned with theirs, and make the path as straight as possible."

California almost spit out her orange chicken, "Wait! Hey genius, why didn't you tell us that earlier?"

He sent her an unmeaning glare, "Did I look like I was in the condition to recall that information? I was a little out of it if you couldn't tell."

"Oh, I think we all could tell," Arizona said, earning a high five from Idaho.

He rolled his eyes, and California scooted her seat over to Oregon, "Let's try this out!"

Oregon's wide eyes darted around the food court, "Woah woah, I know I came over here demanding answers and everything, but in an airport? Really?"

California placed her hands on her hips, "Relax! I am the most capable sharer after all, I'm the only one who can share with two states at the same time. Who else would you trust to deliver the answers to all of your questions?"

"How about anyone else?"

"Ouch!" Oregon smirked at her reaction, while every state at the table laughed. Japan almost smiled. They reminded him of nations when they argued, he wondered if those meetings would be different if they knew about the states. He doubted it, actually there was a good chance these states would add onto the chaos if they were known.

Nevada took a large bite of his fried rice, "Just let her share with you already." Japan leaned away from him when he spoke with his mouth full, "She's not going to drop it until you let her have her way."

Oregon sighed, "Fine. But don't try anything fancy like you did to Washington!" She looked at Japan and jabbed a thumb at the golden blonde, "Once she sent Washington an entire month's worth of memory!"

She beamed at her, "I wanted to see if I could do it! I'm still proud of that fact, and it just proves my point that I'm the best state to do this!" She got up from her seat and leaned over Oregon, who at first recoiled, but then shook her head and let California look into her eyes. She stretched her neck until her face was so close to Oregon's that their noses were touching. From Japan's angle, he could see only California's star become brighter until it was glowing as its own light source. Then her eye released that light in a straight line that shot towards Oregon.

The lights flickered, and Oregon's head whipped backwards. Her chair would have been knocked over if Utah didn't hold it in place. Nevada flinched and looked up at the ceiling, "Next time get closer!"

California gave him a sheepish smile, "My bad. On the bright side I didn't cause much damage." Japan looked around the food court, citizens glanced towards the ceiling and murmured to each other. Some checked their weather apps to see if a storm caused the flickering, while most dismissed it, claiming this building was old and that it wasn't very surprising.

Utah patted Oregon's back, "Are you alright?"

Oregon's eyes blinked back into focus, and she looked at them with confusion. "America's gone?"

Arizona nodded, "We know how heavy this situation is, and that it's a lot to take in. We're sorry we lied, we just had to find a way to keep you here so you didn't arrive at the house alone!"

She knit her eyebrows together, and rested her elbows on the table. "That doesn't make any sense," She muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Japan asked. She was the first state to react this way as far as Japan knew. He has mostly seen anger and sadness expressed by these states with different variations, but no state has ever claimed it didn't make sense. Unless she knew something that he didn't.

Oregon glanced at Arizona with a sense of urgency in her tone, "A while after you told me the news, Washington called asking if a state got to me yet, which I answered 'yes.' She then said that something was off with your exclamations, so she tried to call America. He sent her a text saying he couldn't call right now, but he still answered a few of her questions over messaging. She said he seemed off as well, and his answers didn't match up with yours at all. That's how I assumed you were lying, and when I saw Russia and Japan I knew for sure." The states glanced at each other with uncertainty. Japan could hear his heartbeat thudding

Russia leaned forward, "Washington talked to America? How could she when he was kidnapped by a group of states?"

"That's what's so confusing about this!" Oregon called out, slamming a fist against the table. California's orange chicken fell onto the floor, and she pouted at the state.

Japan and Russia's eyes met, "Washington wasn't messaging America," He said slowly. Russia nodded along to what he was saying. Japan stared into Oregon's round eyes, "Did she say why he wouldn't talk on the phone?"

"No, but she said even through text message he sounded weird. Washington told me she'd show me their conversation when I got to her place." She shook her head, "What do you mean she wasn't messaging America?

Nevada uncapped his pen and narrowed his eyes at his stack of paper, "There is no possible way America has access to any form of communication. Which means the most probable case would be whoever texted Washington is an imposture."

"England received a text message from America's phone. They referred to themself as 'The winner of the game,'" California and Nevada glanced at each other, fidgeting in their seats. "I don't think that phone left their possession." Japan pressed his lips together, "Washington didn't message America. Instead she messaged his kidnapper."

XXX

"Surprise surprise, it's raining in Seattle," Nevada muttered, hunching over himself to shield his dwindling blank sheets of paper. He reluctantly placed his used sheets in his suitcase, to avoid them getting ruined.

"It doesn't always rain up here," Oregon said, wiping her wet phone screen on her jeans, which were wet as well, not helping her situation. The rain was only a light drizzle, but given the deep puddles that lined the streets it was raining all morning, and maybe during the late night. They have only been walking for forty minutes, and he could feel the rain begin to soak through his light jacket. He felt a chill run through him, and everyone besides Russia shivered. Maybe he looked crazy in Las Vegas with that winter coat on, but here it was thick enough to keep the rain at bay. Japan tried to keep up with the states, otherwise he'd become lost in the sea of moving umbrellas that swarmed the streets. Japan often bumped elbows and grazed shoulders with passerbyers.

"Well, I certainty wouldn't use today as an example to prove your case," Arizona said. Her teeth chattered, "This is freezing compared to my home!"

Utah held her hand and pressed closer to her, "Maybe that's because at your home during the summer the asphalt melts from the blazing heat."

California tilted her head back and let out a frustrated groan, "Are we there yet?"

"Shouldn't be too far away," Oregon said. She squinted and pressed her phone to her face, "Washington said all we have to do from here is turn onto Pike Street, and then make a left at 7th Avenue.

The group stopped at the base of a crosswalk and so did Japan. While waiting for the light to change he looked around. Tall and narrow towers surrounded him, along with rows of crowded stores pressed together. Oddly enough, Japan rarely met America in his country anywhere but New York or D.C. It would have made sense to at least meet along the Western Coast since it's closer to him. Was it because New York was such a strong Isolationist? If Japan met America in California instead, would she have tried to run into him? Japan forced himself to stop musing and looked at Oregon, "Why wasn't Washington more specific about which Starbucks she wanted you to meet her at?"

Oregon shook her head, "I have no idea. Probably because she's so used to this city that she just expects everyone to know where everything is. Granted she should have been more specific, do you know how many Starbucks there are in Seattle? There's a lot." He was beginning to like Oregon as a state. He was sitting next to her during the plane ride, and learned that she was a very laid back and reasonable person. She seemed to get along with her neighbors, though she and California constantly got on each other's nerves.

"Why would she choose a Starbucks out of all places to meet her at?" Russia asked.

Oregon shook droplets from her short hair, "Well she said she's already packed, and that they were just walking around the city waiting for time to pass, so they wanted something to drink. As far as I know they've been sitting there for two hours now, which doesn't surprise me. Washington's probably blogging while Alaska and Hawaii are making conversation."

"What are they like?" The words blurted out of Japan's mouth before he could help himself. The statement was much louder than he would have preferred it to be. The states turned to look at him, not even noticing the light changed until Russia pointed it out. "Hawaii and Alaska I mean," He said in a quieter tone as they carefully crossed the street.

When they reached the other side, California put her hand on her chin, thinking, "They're... different than us. They're the only states who are actually natives. They look different too. If you haven't caught on, our looks are reflected by our geography and a few other things, but their looks are almost a perfect representation of their land. I don't know why that is."

Thankfully this street wasn't as busy as the one they were walking on before, so Japan could match their pace without issue. He glanced over his shoulder at Russia, who stared back, as if he were trying to read Japan the same was he was trying to read Russia. Either Russia actually didn't meet Alaska before, or he was good at hiding he did, because Japan sensed the same clueless curiosity he felt himself. Have you met one of them before? His icy purple eyes silently asked. Japan gave him the slightest shake of his head, and Russia returned the gesture. It was official then, these states were a mystery even with their most distant states. Have none of these states come into contact with a nation before?

Russia looked ahead of Japan and pointed at a large arced bridge ahead of him, "What is that?"

"That's part of the Washington State Convention Center," Oregon said. While they walked she continued to answer Russia's questions about certain buildings. Even through the annoyance of believing the states to be in three different Starbucks, and having to walk to each one in rain far colder than it should be in July, Japan had to admit that he was slightly enjoying their walk throughout the city. It was calming and a change from dark flights, crowded airports, quiet taxi rides, and dim apartments.

They turned onto a street that seemed much more narrow with towering buildings on each side. Oregon stopped them when they reached a Starbucks pressed between a bar and a large hotel. "This one has to be it. If it's not then Washington won't live to see the house." They crossed the street and rushed into the Starbucks.

California separated from the group instantly to order a drink at the counter. "I don't care if they're here or not, I'm getting something to drink!"

Oregon snorted, then straightened when she noticed a trio staring at California waiting in line. "There they are!" She rushed to them, dragging Nevada, Arizona, and Utah with her.

Russia and Japan stood to the side of the entrance. Russia stared at Japan, "This is going to be interesting, isn't it?" He asked.

Japan nodded, "I have to admit that I'm disappointed you never met Alaska, since you owned the state before America."

His disturbing smile grew, "I suppose it could be worse. It's not like I owned thirteen of them without knowing they existed. I almost feel bad for England. What about you? Didn't run into Hawaii or Alaska at all during World War Two?"

Japan's jaw tightened, "If I recognize them, I'll let you know. So let's meet them and find out." California gave them a wave from the lengthy line, and pointed towards a table in the corner. Japan and Russia walked in that direction until they saw everyone they recognized standing around a circular table, and sitting at said table were three states he didn't recognize.

One state looked up at us and gave us a grin, "So it is true. After all the lies these douche bags told us, I hardly believed two nations were meeting us in person. My name is Washington, it's nice to meet you, Japan and Russia." Her hair was a pastel pink, which made her forest green eye pop from her pale skin. She wore square glasses, a floral dress, and brown flats.

The other woman at the table stood from her seat and gave the two brief hugs, "Aloha! My name is Hawaii, it's amazing how we never saw each other before."

Japan studied her. Her skin was dark and her black hair draped down her back in thick waves. She wore jean shorts, and a red crop top. Her skin was dusted with freckles and birthmarks that Japan would have remembered if he met her before. When he looked into her slanted eyes, he saw her left was blue with a star in the center, and her right was almost glowing itself. He felt as if he was staring into a pool of lava when he looked at the bright orange that was her eye. "Yes, it's nice meeting you for the first time as well." He looked at Russia, who nodded at him in agreement.

She turned to the man at the table, who didn't introduce himself until she gestured to the two nations. "I'm Alaska," He said curtly. His skin was only a few tones lighter than Hawaii's. His shaggy hair was white, with thick streaks running through it that were the colors of oil, gold, and dirt. His eye was a dark grey, reminding Japan of clouds of smoke. He studied the two, and crossed his arms, but didn't say what was bothering him. Maybe he met one of them before? Japan doubted it, he didn't recognize him at all, and Russia would have mentioned it if he did. Or maybe he wouldn't. Then again, Japan couldn't think of a reason for withholding that information.

Russia nodded at him, "We could have met each other long ago, what a shame we didn't."

Alaska didn't meet his eyes, he only glared at his empty cup between his hands, "That isn't something I would consider a shame."

The state glanced up at Russia, carefully waiting for his reaction. Japan decided to cut in, "So do you know what's happening?"

"No," Hawaii said, returning to her seat. She gestured to California ordering at the counter, "All we know is that whatever Cali told us is a lie. Also we know you're here since everyone rushed in to warn us."

California ran up to them, "Hey! Find another table, I ordered us a bunch of stuff."

Nevada looked at her, "We just ate in Portland!"

"So? I mostly ordered us drinks, and a few muffins for the next couple of plane rides. Brb, everything will be ready in a few." She rushed back to the counter.

Arizona and Idaho pushed a table close to theirs and collected chairs for everyone. Washington waited until everyone sat down before she began speaking, "So I know Cali told me not to, but I decided that I could at least text Oregon. I did, and she said you guys told her the same thing. With my level of patience, I wanted to hear the situation from America himself because I wanted some information first hand. The very first thing that threw me off was when he said he couldn't talk, but could text instead, because America only does that during meetings. I asked him about what everyone told me, and I could tell that he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, but for some reason he tried to play along. He then cut the conversation short, and afterwards I contacted Oregon and told her something's wrong."

Japan listened, growing more upset with every word that came out of her mouth. America didn't text her, but why did a state act like him? Were they trying to obtain information? "I'd like to see this conversation if you don't mind."

"Please," Nevada said, writing what she said on blank computer paper slightly damp from the rain.

California circled both tables, placing drinks in front of each state, most had chocolate chips in them, and whip cream with syrupy dribbles on top. Japan and Russia received plain iced coffee, "Sorry! I don't know what you like so I decided to keep it simple."

Japan accepted the plastic cup and gave her a slight bow, "This is fine, thank you."

"No prob!" She sat down, and glanced between the two tables, "Where were we?"

Nevada took a sip of his own, then winced and massaged his temple. "Washington's going to share her conversation with this so called 'America.' In the mean time, can you catch them up without causing any electrical damage?"

She grinned at the three and rubbed her hands together giddily, "Leave it to me, I did it once and I can definitely do it three more times!"

"You barely did it once," Oregon corrected with a roll of her eyes. Alaska and Hawaii glanced at each other nervously. The phone was passed to California, who passed it to Japan. He held it in front of him, Russia and Nevada leaned over his shoulders. He opened her messages, the only ones she contacted recently were Oregon and America. Japan clicked on America's contact and looked scrolled to the first texts sent that day.

Sorry dude, can't call. I'm a little busy preparing for the party! I can still text though, what is it? -USA

Nice try America. IDK why you want the news to spread so slowly, but CA just called telling me what's up. AK HI and I wanted to know if you'd tell us a bit more than she did. -WA

... -USA

How much did they tell you? Can't really tell you what she didn't if I don't know what she said. -USA

Why wouldn't you know what she told me? She said you told her to spread the word, remember? She told us the basic stuff, like how the nations found out about us and that you're holding them up in NY waiting for everyone to come here and decide what we're going to do about it. -WA

Did she say anything else? -USA

-_- -WA

Seriously? -WA

I came here to /ask/ the questions, not answer them -WA

Come on AK and HI are getting impatient -WA

My bad dude, ask away -USA

Finally -WA

Exactly how many nations know about this? -WA

A lot -USA

YOU'RE. KILLING. ME. CLARIFY. -WA

Ok so England was the first to find out, but he dragged France, Canada, Japan, Russia, Germany, Prussia, Italy, Romano, and Spain into it -USA

How did that happen? CA told me they saw NY through the window as a group -WA

Well England was the first to see him -USA

So how did you stop them from immediately telling the other nations? -WA

I promised I would answer all their questions after you show up. Whether I actually go through with that promise is up to you guys, but for now it's holding them here -USA

Ok. How's NY doing? -WA

How do you think he's doing -USA

Good point. One more question. Are you ok? You seem different. -WA

IDK if you noticed, but I'm under a lot of stress right now, but don't worry! I'm the Hero after all! I can handle anything! So you're not flying to D.C. right now, correct? And instead waiting for everyone to reach you. So are you flying to NY? -USA

Not at all! I'm just going to sit here and do FUCKING NOTHING. Of course I'm coming over. CA, NV, ID, Or, and the lovebirds are flying over here so we can go there together. -WA

Alright, ty. That at least clears up what they told you -USA

Hey, why did you try to play it off like the party was still on? -WA

Oh, that's not too important. I'm sure you'll understand when the others reach you -USA

I g2g talk to France about something. I'll see you l8er! ;D -USA

Ok. Ttyl. -WA

Japan read the conversation three times, and each time he felt anger surge through him. That was not America. There was no way that was him. This state was smart, so what made them continue to engage in a conversation with Washington?

Nevada seemed equally puzzled, "This conversation is pointless. Whichever state this is knew for a fact that Washington was going to find out America's gone. So why did they play along and try to answer her questions?"

"Maybe they were curious?" Russia suggested.

Japan looked at Nevada, "I think you threw them off."

The state perked up and his eyes widened, "Really?!"

"Possibly. You and everyone else made up those lies about something that didn't happen, and that state obviously had no clue what Washington was talking about until she told them what she thought had happened. So they naturally wanted to know what happened in our plan that caused us to make up facts," Japan finished his sentence thoughtfully. To him this state was the type that wants to know exactly what's happening that could apply to their scheme.

Nevada sipped his coffee and smirked, "Good. I'm pretty sure New Mexico already found a way to mess with this state, it's about time we do the same. I wonder why they continued talking to Washington after they got what information they wanted. By the end of the conversation they seemed to be playing around with her. It's kind of scary thinking about it."

Russia placed a hand on his chin, "Why France?"

"Huh?"

"Why did this state claim they were talking to France specifically?"

Nevada took the phone from Japan and studied the last part of the conversation, jotting some notes down without even looking at his paper. "That's a good question, and I don't think I like my train of thought when thinking of an answer."

"What do you mean?" Japan asked.

He ran a hand through his hair, "Well, there's no doubt that she was going to show us this conversation when we reached her, right?" Japan nodded, "but when this conversation was taking place, Washington just told them that we were on our way. So if they let her know something they're planning that will take place soon, then she wouldn't notice until we reached her, because before we arrived she didn't know America's missing."

Japan tightened his grip around his iced coffee, "What if it's just a coincidence, and they only used France as an excuse to end the conversation?" Even as he said it, something didn't feel right.

Nevada bit his lip and shook his head, "No." His gaze hardened, "That would be too random. This state is calculated enough to organize a wide scale attack against America, and hide it for who knows how long until it's too late to stop them. They know when they can give something away without effecting their plans."

"So this state is playing with us," Russia confirmed.

Japan read the text messages over again, "This state didn't mention any plans. All they said is they have to talk to France."

Nevada looked over at Washington, who was rubbing her eyes and talking to California in harsh whispers, "Hey! When did this conversation happen?"

She crossed her arms and glared at the table, "A few hours ago after Cali called me. America's been gone, which means I didn't talk to him, did I?" Nevada shook his head, she put her head down and let out a choked sob.

California pat her back and looked at him in confusion, "What did they even say?"

"Whatever they're implying with France, I think it already happened. Too much time passed since," Nevada muttered under his breath.

The two nations looked at each other, then Japan pulled out the phone he's kept near him for the entire trip. Russia followed his lead, "I will call France" He said.

Japan nodded, "I'll call England." He hastily dialed the Briton's number, the phone didn't even ring twice before England answered.

"Japan? I was talking to Romano not long ago and was just about to contact you, why did you call?"

He looked at Russia who hung up his phone and placed it in his coat pocket. They stood from their seats and walked to the other side of the Starbucks before putting the call on speaker. "England, this is important. I need to know if anything happened in the past couple hours that disrupted the plan."

There was a pause over the phone, "Actually that's what I was going to talk to you about. It happened to France."

XXX

Author's Note: Hey all of my lovely and beautiful patient readers! No one has to say it, I know how much time passed between the last update, and I'm sorry. A lot has happened and I've been very distracted, but I tried to get this finished as quickly as possible! My creative writing class took a portion of my time away, but I'm really proud with everything I wrote! One of my stories ended up being 39 pages long, which I wrote in less than two weeks... I'm pretty sure you noticed by now that I end up writing really long plots. By the end of the semester we had to read one of our stories out loud and I read this dystopian story I wrote that was 14 pages long and I think it went really well! Then there was prom and senior picnic which ended up being so much fun! My graduation is on the 26 and so is my birthday! I'm so excited! I'll make sure I post something on the 4th of July, because it is a must! I'll do my best to have the next chapter done by then, and if not then I'll post what I have and then repost when I finish.

Hawaii and Alaska have been introduced! What do you think of them so far? You'll get to learn more about them in the next couple of chapters. So we have met 49 states! Only Montana is left. I also finished my research on all the states! I'm not even kidding I have an entire document filled with notes about each state's nickname, motto, capital, largest city, history, culture, when they joined the union, their personality, their appearance, their relationship with the other personifications... name it I have it! The document is like 12,000 words long and it's kind of ridiculous but I DID IT. My friend in creative writing calls me a try hard for a reason I guess

So what do you think of this chapter? We got to see more of the states I introduced last chapter, and what happened in the West before France's lovely conversation with Capital. Isn't Capital a charmer? So next chapter the last group of states finally reaches the house! You'll be seeing more of Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington, and meet Montana! Also There's a good chance China will finally look at his messages. By the way half way through writing this chapter I accidentally wrote Wyoming every time I meant Washington so if Wyoming is in this chapter let me know, I'm fairly certain I corrected it all. I'll update again on the 4th!