The others know me as Envoy, and being the weak link made me the strongest player in the game.

I never went to sleep that night. It wasn't hard to stay awake since I had plenty to think about. Capital wanted to host a meeting tonight, and I was one of the few who was obligated to attend. His orders were clear; If you don't think you can sneak out without getting caught, then don't come. The exceptions were Tie-Up and Gust of course, but I was never told why I had to go as well. Maybe it was a test to see if I could meet with the others without getting caught. If I were noticed by the nations, would Capital care? If I ended up in a bad situation, I'd probably have to save myself, because like hell Capital would.

I slowly brought myself out of bed, cringing with every noise I made. My gaze darted to the light lining my bedroom door. Last night the nations kept the lights on in the upstairs halls so that they could see any state trying to sneak out. I squinted at the clock sitting on my nightstand, using the dim glow from my star to read the time. 1:34 AM. Capital wanted us to meet at the edge of the woods at 1:50. I had 16 minutes to try to make it there unnoticed.

I studied the ground as if it could come alive and eat me, then glanced towards the door one more time. There was a chance I could reach the stairs without detection, but what if I ran into another one of Capital's followers? I was much better off finding a way there alone, so I had another option to explore. I silently walked across the room, and stopped before the window. I unlocked the window and slid open the pane. For once I was thankful for our bedrooms having no window screens. I reached into my dresser and retrieved a pair of socks, then quickly stuffed it in my mouth to silence possible screams. I peeked my head out the window, and stared at the grass below. It was only on the second floor, but I haven't done anything like this in a while. I eased myself onto the window sill, dangling my legs into the breezy summer night air. I glanced over my shoulder one last time, quickly reviewing my options and whether or not this was the best one. It probably wasn't, but I was already halfway out the window. I took a deep breath, then pushed myself forward.

Feet down. Knees bent. Roll. That was the plan, but the ground was rushing up to meet me far too quickly to prepare for a clean landing. I heard a sharp crack in my ankle and threw myself forward instead of rolled. I landed on my chest, and something dug into my right arm. Winded and disoriented, I let out a muffled groan and tried to push myself up. Ow. My forearm pulsed with a stinging pain. I forced my star to brighten, and shined it at my right arm. There was a deep cut on my inner forearm. Blood steamed down my skin and dripped off my hand. This pair of socks was getting useful, because the sight alone was enough for have a startled yell escape my mouth.

I glanced up at my window, no one seemed to have heard me. I slowly pushed myself up, and searched the ground for anything that could have possibly sliced my skin that badly. Lying next to where I fell was a long steel garden shovel, the rusted edge now stained with my blood. I narrowed my eyes, and quickly looked behind me. The garden supplies were supposed to be in the shed. There was no reason for a shovel to be lying on the ground here. I decided to study the situation more in depth after the meeting, because I was running out of time.

I ripped the socks out of my mouth, threw it on the ground next to the shovel, and limped across the backyard. Crickets chirped loudly, and fireflies littered the air. I peered past their moving yellow lights, and caught sight of a still white one. It was a light that seemed to glow brighter the closer I got to it, then disappeared behind a tree. I quickly rubbed my blood soaked arm against my shirt. I straightened my back and tried to normalize my pace. It didn't make my limp unnoticeable, but it at least made it seem less severe.

I only made it a few more paces before a voice called through the darkness, "Envy, what happened? You look like hell."

Tie-Up. "It's Envoy," I answered more harshly than I should have, "and it's nothing."

I studied Tie-Up carefully. He wore a devious smirk, an expression that no one would usually expect him to wear, but he wore perfectly. His eyes had a dangerous gleam to them, "Are you sure you're not Envy? From the way you always speak against Capital, it seems that you think you could do better."

I leaned against the tree, and tried to remain stoic, "You seem much more eager to walk in his shoes than I do. There's a reason why you're doing all his dirty work. How many eagles did you gut again?"

Tie-Up didn't even flinch, "Everything I did was necessary to help us remain a step ahead of the nations." He sneered at me, "and what have you been doing?"

I smirked at him and narrowed my eyes, "I hope you haven't forgotten, but I can help in a way none of you can't. Remember why I'm called Envoy?"

In the blink of an eye, Tie-Up's star blackened. Instead of a bright light, His left eye was an empty black pit shaped like a star, and I was sure my eye was the same. "Stop that," he snapped angrily. I unraveled my focus on him, and he sent me a glare as his star returned to a bright white light. My own star brightened, and I lifted my chin, silently daring him to question me again.

Footsteps crushed twigs and pushed around brambles. We both froze, holding our breath. "So, are you two actually here for the meeting? Or are you just going to stand there and glare at each other? Don't we have enough games going on already without you starting your own?"

Tie-Up visibly relaxed at the sound of Gust's voice. I couldn't do the same, "Hello, Gust."

She smiled at me, "Hey, Envoy. Capital's waiting. What took you so long? Was sneaking out so hard?"

"I got out of the house within seconds," well, it wasn't a lie. "Lead us to Capital." Gust shrugged, and turned around to walk deeper into the wood. Tie-Up followed her effortlessly, I felt him watching me struggle to keep up with her. My limp worsened. I carefully stepped over rocks and fallen branches, grabbing a hold of anything I could to keep me up.

Gust glanced over her shoulder once to see if I was falling behind, when she noticed I wasn't she didn't look back again. It was one thing I appreciated about her, she expected us to carry our own weight. If one of us couldn't keep up with Capital, then she was the one willing to distance them from future plans. I was thankful that she didn't bother to offer a helping hand. If she thought I needed it then I'd know something was wrong.

We entered a small clearing made of cut down trees, some tree stumps were almost as flat as the floor, others were taller than me. Capital stood with his hands behind his back, and offered me a cold smile, "Envoy, glad to see you made it. Did you run into any trouble on the way?"

I put all my effort into making my walk as natural as possible, and quickly took a seat at a nearby tree stump. I realized then that blood was still trickling from my arm. I folded my hands in my lap and sent him a neutral look, silently hoping he wouldn't push the topic like Tie-Up tried to, "No, I didn't."

He sent me a quick nod, "It doesn't seem like any more states are coming, so let's begin."

I quickly glanced around the clearing. Besides those required to come to this meeting, only two were willing to escape the house. While Gust stayed back leaning against a tree, Tie-Up sat next to the state we called Audemus. From what I remember Audemus thought of his name himself, which was rare since usually Gust handed out most of our nicknames. Besides him, only Capital chose his own name. Audemus was one of Capital's close followers, believing that this was a just cause. He was apart of the group that attacked America, and not even then did his loyalty waver.

My gaze flickered to the other state, Cuff. She wasn't one of Capital's closest, but she was still close enough to listen to every word he had to say. Almost everyone following Capital was that way. I wanted to talk to her, but she was sitting closest to Capital. I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was giving Capital her full attention. What would I say to Cuff even if I did have a moment alone with her? We were neighbors, how did we both end up here? There were so many of us that I wish weren't involved in all of this. However, wishing got me nowhere. If I wanted to keep those close to me away from Capital's plans, I'd have to do it on my own.

"I called this meeting because some of us felt we weren't on the same page since the nations became involved in our plan," Capital began. His gaze quickly cast over Tie-Up before continuing, "I want to make sure that all of us support what we've been doing so far and will continue to support us in the future."

I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes, of course it was Tie-Up who influenced Capital to call this meeting. He's the one who should have been called Envy. He hasn't had one nice thing to say to me since he found out I played a bigger role than he did. He was more than happy to show how nice and caring he was around other people.

Capital nodded towards me, "I had Envoy contact you all to inform you of the new plan once the nations came into the picture." I sat straighter and kept my chin up when I felt Tie-Up glaring at me.

Gust pushed herself off from a tree and sat at the tree stump next to me. She looked over and sent me a grin almost as bright as her star, "Good job, Envoy, that must have took a lot of energy."

I felt my face heating up, "It wasn't too trying. I can easily do it again if I have to." This was no place to be humble, and I said exactly what she wanted to hear. Gust leaned forward and once again directed her attention to Capital.

I could have swore Capital gave her a slight nod of approval, but I couldn't dwell on the thought for long. He pressed the tips of his fingers together and gave us an even stare, "I know that it has been hard travelling while under nations' constant supervision. Now that we're all in the house we have more opportunities to defeat them, while ensuring the other states that what we're doing is a good thing. However..." Capital clenched his fists and glared at the ground, "these same opportunities could go wrong if we're not careful enough. As you all know, Wyoming was caught after she taped the escorts' rooms. She's currently being held in America's office, and they're going to question her if they haven't already."

"Why did she get caught?" I asked, deciding to cut into the heavy atmosphere with sharp criticism. "In my opinion it could have easily been avoided. How exactly did you get separated again?"

Capital's melancholy demeanor flickered, and morphed into something much more enraged. if I wasn't looking for it then I wouldn't have noticed, because a moment later it was gone. "We split up because I had to return the notebook to Canada's room," he responded with a low voice.

"Why didn't you return to her after you brought the notebook back?" I questioned. I knew I stepped over the line the moment I accused Capital of being anything but the selfless leader he pretended to be, but something about strengthening our moral by using Wyoming's capture made me throw all caution out the window. Probably because if Capital was willing to throw Wyoming under the bus and play it off as a tragedy, then he was willing to do it to any of us.

Tie-Up was the first to jump to his defense, "Envoy, do you know what you're implying? If you're trying to say that Capital left Wyoming to get caught, then you don't know your leader as well as you think you do."

Capital isn't my leader. I pushed down the reply that could have gotten me killed. Instead I said, "I should question if you know what I'm implying. I'm not saying he'd leave her on purpose. I'm saying that if he stayed with her then he could have helped cover her tracks." It was time to start easing myself out of the hole I threw myself into.

"It wasn't that she couldn't cover her tracks," Capital said, meeting my critical gaze. "It was Germany's role call that made the nations figure out who was missing. I wasn't planning on having Wyoming involved with any of this, but because she came here early I decided she could help. The plan would have worked perfectly if Germany didn't call for a third role call."

No, the plan would have worked perfectly if you didn't send her out to blind a nation. I hesitated, trying to look like I was weighing his words. Then I eventually nodded, "I suppose you're right, and I apologize. I just don't want to lose anyone else."

"I understand, it's a shame Wyoming is in their captivity," I studied the ground gravely to hide the silent sigh of relief I let out. The spotlight was no longer on me. Capital slammed a fist against a nearby tree stump, and looked at each of his followers with fire burning in his glowing star, "but we didn't lose her. As long as she's still fighting for us, we didn't lose anyone. I'm planning on getting her back."

My head shot up, and I scanned the clearing with wide eyes. Everyone listening seemed just as surprised, "You mean, we're going on a rescue mission?" Gust asked, leaning forward in interest. An excited grin tugged at her lips.

"I don't have all the details quite yet," Capital said, now resting his hand on his chin and staring past us, "but yes, we're rescuing Wyoming."

"What if she already talked? She could have gave away all of our secrets for all we know," Cuff spoke for the first time that night. While her voice held an unquestionable confidence, she fidgeted in her seat and avoided eye contact with her leader. I silently thanked her for asking the question no one wanted to.

Capital clasped his hands behind him and held his head up higher, "If she gave away any valuable information, then it's even more reason to rescue her. We'd need her back so that she could tell us what she gave away, and we could work around it in case the nations are planning a trap."

"When are we rescuing her?" Audemus asked, watching him carefully. "We can't afford any mistakes in this plan, what you're talking about is dangerous especially since it's so early in their investigation. They're going to keep an eye on her."

"So what, Audemus?" Gust cut in, "If there's no risk to what we're doing then we wouldn't be the first states to come this far." She narrowed her eyes, and sent him a look that burned with determination, "We're going to rescue Wyoming, and we're going to do it right."

He glowered at her sharp tone, but then nodded in agreement, "That's what I wanted to hear."

Capital cleared his throat, drawing our attention back to him. "Audemus and Gust, I'm glad you brought that up, because I can assure you that we won't act until we create a strategy with a strong foundation. As to when we are rescuing her, it will certainly be soon. I'll have Envoy announce the plan to you when I have all the details worked out."

I saw that one coming, I was Capital's only way of reaching the rest of his followers without the possibility of being caught. "Is that all we had to discuss?" Tie-Up asked.

Capital nodded, "Yes, I don't want to keep you here for too long. You should all return to your bedrooms as safely as possible. Meeting dismissed." Pushing myself to my feet took an amount of effort. I turned away from the clearing and was about to head back to the house when I heard Capital's calm voice from behind me, "Envoy, may I have a word?"

I froze, and turned around. Capital was casually leaned against a tree, waiting for my answer, "Of course," I said.

He paused for a moment, listening for anyone else. The he asked, "Do you know why I said you had to come to this meeting?" I shook my head, "It's because I wanted to talk to you about the deal you proposed."

I stiffened, and quickly glanced around. The clearing was empty, and the sound of a group of footsteps was slowly fading away. Every state was halfway to the house by now. We were alone. I cleared my throat, and tried to make myself look taller, "Yes. Have you considered my terms?"

"I've considered them," Capital responded with a quip voice. He paused, and tapped his finger against his lip, "What are they again?"

I pushed down a growl in the back of my throat. If he was going to agree to my terms, he was making sure to give me a damn hard time about it. "First of all, I want America to be placed in an environment that doesn't violate any human rights. You left him in chains, and I won't tolerate it," I crossed my arms, hoping I looked assertive.

Capital inspected his fingernails and looked at me in the corner of his eye, "Who?"

"Alfred," I corrected resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "Even Tie-Up and Gust agree that your treatment towards him is too harsh. Take off the chains, and give him food and water once in a while." I never talked to the others about America's condition, but I could see the wariness in everyone's eyes when we discussed where and how we're keeping America captive.

"I'll see what I can do," Capital vaguely stated with an aloof tone. He eyed me carefully, "You had one other request, did you not?"

"Yes," I forced out. Defending America was the easy part, the second thing I wanted was a bit... personal. I didn't want to show any vulnerability in front of him, but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. It was either this or sit back and watch Capital destroy everything, and more importantly everyone. "You're not to harm a state. I don't care if they're in your way or if you believe hurting them could help move along your plans. Do what you want with the nations, but don't lay a finger on a state."

"Oh yeah," He said, his tone rising in interest. He circled me as if I were something he could devour, "I didn't want to play this game of repetition, however, I wanted you to repeat yourself in case you decided to alter any of your requests."

I knew that this was a warning. Capital wasn't willing to adapt his plans to mine, but it wasn't like he had a choice. I kept a careful eye on Capital's fluid movement, "I'm not changing anything, I already made myself clear," I said, keeping my posture stiff.

Capital stopped in front of me, and gave a dangerous smile, "Your terms would be... difficult to put into practice. Moving Alfred and giving him an opportunity to escape is a huge risk. Also you need to consider the possibility of us getting hurt by another state. If another state threatens us, I'd rather take their life than have them take one of my follower's. You should know that, Envoy."

I felt my face heating up from anger this time. I balled my hands into fists and snarled at him, "I don't care. America deserves more than what we're giving him, and there are other ways to deal with our enemies rather than killing them! You can't hurt her!"

"Her?" Capital's eyebrows shot up, and his smirk widened into something more savage. I gently placed the tips of my fingers over my mouth, instantly regretting the outburst. "I see, this is about her. Do you understand that she refused to join us?"

I nodded, trying to push down the panic swelling in my chest, "I'm aware."

"And why exactly would I have mercy on a traitor?"

My blood ran cold, and my eyes widened. She's not the traitor, you are. I stepped forward and met his gaze ferociously, "Because if you don't do what I say, then I'll let everyone know who you are. All your schemes, your objectives, and your followers would be done with. You. Would. Lose."

The air stilled, and Capital studied my intensity. I left no room to doubt I would openly betray him. "Envoy, this is a dangerous game you're playing," He said in a soft voice, "Maybe you should worry for yourself before trying to defend others." He grabbed my forearm, and a gasp escaped my lips. He shined his star against my new wound, the blood glistened from the white light, "You're hurt."

"I'm fine," I muttered, failing to sound certain.

I struggled against his hold around my right arm, but Capital only tightened his grip, digging his nails into my exposed flesh. "How did you get this wound?" He asked in a monotonous voice, "Did you jump out your window to escape the house? What a smart move, however, I really should have warned you that a few things were moved around while getting Alfred out of the house. I was wondering where I left that old shovel. At least that's what it looks like you landed on."

I could almost hear the warning bells blaring in my ears. I wanted to run, and get as far away from this monster as I could. I shook my head, "You didn't-"

"Didn't what?" He asked, keeping his tone mockingly innocent, "It's not like I tried to give you an injury that could be easily noticed by the nations. It's a shame too, this one will take a while to heal. Do you think you'll get an infection? That was a rusty shovel after all. Perhaps I could help you clean your cut." He reached into his coat and pulled out a sharp knife. He held it against my arm, and I could barely suppress a scream as he started to apply pressure.

STOP! Darkness swept across the clearing as our stars turned black. Capital paused, and I used the distraction to yank my arm away. I stumbled backwards, and supported myself against a tree. Our stars began to slowly brighten again, but I sucked in a breath, and took the white energy away once again. When I used the black star, I was in control. My energy fed on my adrenaline, which was enough to send him a message of my own.

You'll do as I say because you can't afford not to. I'm the weak link, but I'm also the only one who can control the black star. Tell me, if I were to turn against you how long would it take for you to lose the game? Every state can control the memories they share, but only I can control the thoughts we share. Either agree to my terms or I'll give the nations a message of my own. And everything you built up will be taken from you in the blink of an eye.

Exhausted and barely able to finish the last sentence, I released my concentration. My muscles ached, but I still forced myself to stand as I watched Capital's reaction. His star slowly brightened, and he blinked a few times, slightly disoriented. When he focused on me, he sent me a glare that would have broken through my demeanor if I weren't so enraged. "I believe I made myself clear," I said, not daring to look away from him. "Unless you can speak to other states without saying a word, you should be thankful you have someone like me on your side." I turned away from him, "I'm going back to the house, there's nothing more to say."

"Be careful," Capital murmured. He closed the blade of his knife, and placed it in his pocket as if he never took it out in the first place, "You never know what could happen between now and our next meeting."

My jaw tightened, and I forced myself to continue walking, "I know what will happen if you don't apply to my terms. Good luck, Capital, you'll need it." I left him alone in the clearing, and blinked away tears as I rushed out of the woods.

A weight lifted off my shoulders when I entered the backyard once again. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and started to slowly limp towards where I landed. "Envoy," A voice called from beside me.

I jolted, and my gaze darted to the side. I exhaled when I saw it was only Cuff, "I figured you'd be back in your room by now."

She shook her head, "We're going in the same direction, so I figured that I could help you back to your room."

"I don't need-"

"You're not fooling me with that injury of yours," She interrupted. "You're hurt."

My eyes widened, as I remembered what could have happened if I didn't stop Capital from cutting into me. Cuff tilted her head, and I stared at the house, avoiding eye contact, "Fine, but I have to take care of something first."

She wrapped her arm around my uninjured one, steadying me, "What happened?"

"I jumped through a window and landed on a shovel," I grunted as we made our way across the backyard as quietly as possible. "It has my blood on it, I can't let it be found."

Cuff sent me a look that made me cringe. Worry shone in her eyes, "Will you be alright? That's going to take a while to heal."

"It could have been worse, I'll just hide it until then," Cuff tore the end of her sleeve, and wrapped it around the stinging cut. We stopped in front of the shovel, and I grabbed the pair of socks I left on the ground as well. "It was in case I didn't land right and screamed," I explained before she could ask. While I was here, I brightened my star and shined it against the grass. Metal glinted against the light, I let go of Cuff and carefully stepped around the shovel. Spread across the lawn in the range where I could've landed I began searching for anything else Capital planted. I eventually found a rake, a chisel, a wooden ladder, a trowel, a hammer, and handsaw. I suddenly was thankful that I just landed on the shovel.

"What is all of this?" Cuff asked, looking around as I started to pick up the lightest tools.

"Nothing to worry about, you know how we throw shit around and don't pick it up unless America tells us to," I paused, "I meant Alfred." I turned around, and she didn't look nearly as convinced as I wanted her to be, "Can I have a hand?"

Cuff ended up carrying most of the tools since I had enough trouble carrying my own weight. The silence between us lasted maybe thirty seconds before she asked the question I knew she wanted to ask, "What were you and Capital talking about?"

I let out a heavy sigh. I knew I could only lie to her for so long before she lost her patience, "It wasn't really something I would consider a talk. We were arguing about her."

Cuff sent me a sympathetic look, "You worry so much. I know that you don't completely trust Capital yet, but I can assure you that he wouldn't do anything to her. He's trying to be the best leader that he can be, he's not as cruel as you think he is."

"Maybe he's not as just as you think he is," I shot back. She frowned, and my shoulders slumped. We've known each other for centuries, it was hard to break the habit of always letting her know my opinion. "I'm sorry, maybe you're right," I said, just to drop the topic.

She offered me a small smile, "I know you're not as open to this as I am, but I promise that you won't regret helping us. We're going to change everything."

And maybe that's not entirely a good thing, "Thanks, Cuff." I pulled open the shed, and we started putting the tools back into its rightful place. When I finished putting away the few items I could actually carry, I studied Cuff in the corner of my eye. She examined the shovel, and then passed it to me, "Come on, we'll bury it and head back to the house. No one will notice a missing shovel in this chaos."

I gave her a thankful nod, and followed her out of the shed. I had to remember that I could trust her to help me to the house, but nothing beyond that. I couldn't tell her what I knew, she already stated her loyalties. The only reason Cuff tolerated my distrust was because she was my neighbor, and has known me long enough to believe that I'd eventually come around. If I didn't see through Capital's noble facade, I probably would have.

But her safety meant much more to me than my loyalty to Capital.

That was why I could see beyond what they were trying to portray. Tie-Up was cruel and unpredictable rather than friendly and laid back. Gust was observant and objective rather than funny and shallow. And Capital was single-minded and deadly rather than caring and purposeful.

As I helped Cuff bury the shovel I landed on, I was painfully reminded of the wound I'd have to hide. It was hard to tell who really had the upper hand during my conversation with Capital. It would have been me with no doubt if Capital didn't pull that stunt to mutilate my arm. However, my threat would last longer than the injury I received.

The nations were smart to start looking for a weak link in Capital's alliance, I'd tell them everything I knew if I could. But I had to keep my distance from the nations, because my capabilities weren't enough to delay him. I was an advantage, not a necessity. Capital could make do without a messenger, but he couldn't have someone leaking his plans to the enemy. Without my threat, half of us would already be dead by now.

With the shovel buried and the socks destroyed, we silently walked across the backyard, ready to sneak into the house. I probably could have scaled up the house and sneaked through my window if not for... I clutched my arm. The bleeding slowed thanks to Cuff's makeshift bandage, but I could tell an infection was on the way. I had to clean this wound as soon as possible, and then make it unnoticeable until it heals. If I were noticed, there was a good chance that I would be framed as Capital before I could explain anything.

I use to be Capital's greatest asset, now I'm his next target. I already made my move, now I can only wait for his retaliation.

XXX

Author's Note: Hello my beautiful readers! I hope everyone had a nice Veterans Day! I've been doing so much reading and writing lately. I read The Rose Society by Marie Lu, and it was amazing. Seriously read the Young Elites series it's insane. Also I'm almost finished reading Poet Anderson ...of Nightmares by Tom DeLonge and Suzanne Young. The plot is so unique I love it. Anyway NaNoWriMo is in full motion. My word count isn't half bad, even though I'm falling behind a little. I've been working on this and another story with my friend Izzy. I'm planning on writing a dystopian with her as well, which is going to be awesome because I'm a huge dystopian junkie. I created some really insane characters for the story, and I can't wait to write them. Speaking of insane characters, you got to love Capital, right?

I was really excited to write Envoy's chapter. Sorry if you don't like the change in narrative, but I decided to write this in first person because of Capital's chapter. And now you have the weak link! I really wanted to show more of Capital's group from someone who hasn't given him his full support. Who do you think Capital and Envoy were talking about? I'll let you know now that she's not among Capital's group. What do you think about Envoy's advantage? Who do you think Envoy is? I absolutely love reading all of your theories btw, It's amazing how detailed some of them are. I'm shocked and impressed with how much thought you all put into trying to figure out this mystery! Also to those who lost a good amount of sleep trying to read this in one sitting, I love you all. Go to sleep. But seriously thank you so much for reading!

Next chapter will be in Spain's POV! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to update soon!