Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 3

Alfred lay in his bed, trembling. He was thinking about the story that Marcello had told them, and the rain and wind and thunder and lightning didn't make him feel better. And then there was a scratching against his window.

"It's just a branch," Alfred told himself. "There's nothing to worry about."

Alfred flinched when the thunder cracked again. He should have convinced Matthew and Jason that they needed to share a room. Not because he was scared, of course, but because, as the oldest brother, it was his job to make sure that they were safe. And if the weather was affecting him, then he could only imagine what it must have been doing to his younger brothers.

There was a particularly loud crash of thunder, and Alfred jumped. The branch was scratching even harder on the window, and Alfred jumped out of the bed. He stormed towards the window. Surely, the Vargases wouldn't mind if he just snapped off a few twigs. The scratching was really starting to get to him, and while he couldn't do anything about the weather, he could at least deal with that.

He opened the curtain. It was still dark outside, and the scratches continued. He was searching for the window's latch when lightning flashed again, illuminating the surroundings. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough for Alfred to see that there wasn't a single tree close to the window.

And then there came knocking.

Alfred yelped and took a step back. Something was knocking on the window now. Whispers surrounded him, but he couldn't make out what the voices were saying, if they were even saying anything.

He twirled around and ran to Matthew's room. He barely had a moment to even process the fact that the door was open when he burst in.

"Mattie!" Alfred said. "I need to…"

He stopped when he saw that Matthew wasn't in the bed. He looked around the room, as though expecting that his brother was just hiding, and considering the darkness, it was possible. But that was something that Alfred would have done, not Matthew. He went towards the bed and confirmed that it was empty. Matthew wasn't in his room, in this creepy house.

And so he ran to Jason's room instead. He could see movement on the bed when he ran in, and he stormed towards his youngest brother.

"Jay!" Alfred called out. "The ghosts got Mattie!"

Jason yelped when Alfred tackled him on the bed, and a moment later, Alfred received an elbow in the ribs.

"Al, get off!" Jason sputtered. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Mattie isn't in his bed!" Alfred exclaimed. "The ghosts got him!"

"…Okay, first, what were you doing in Matt's room? Second, are you sure that he didn't go to the bathroom or something?"

Alfred opened his mouth, but then it dawned on him that it was possible. Matthew could have just as easily gone to the bathroom. Which… was where, exactly? Alfred realised that he didn't know that.

"You didn't think about it, did you?" Jason asked. "When I find that guy… He shouldn't have told you any ghost stories before bed."

"Hey, I was just worried about you two," Alfred lied.

"Right… Go back to bed, Al. And please, stop it with this ghost business."

Alfred opened his mouth to add something, but then the sound of a clock echoed around the room. Alfred couldn't help but count the chimes, and Jason also sat up. Alfred counted twelve chimes. And then came a thirteenth chime.

"Thirteen," Alfred said. "Please tell me you counted thirteen too."

"I wasn't counting," Jason said. "All I know is, it's the middle of the night, and I'd like to get back to bed."

"Well, that's not going to happen now."

Both brothers jumped at the sound of the voice. Someone giggled, and Marcello appeared at the foot of the bed. He was glowing, and there was a huge red stain on his shirt. Alfred screamed and moved back, while Jason started cursing up a storm.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jason exclaimed. "This is not cool!"

"Dude…" Alfred hissed. "He's a ghost! Don't insult the ghost."

"He's just pranking us. There are no such things as ghosts, remember?"

"Actually…" Marcello said. "Your older brother is right. If you don't believe me, then hold out your hand."

Jason huffed, but he did it. Marcello took it, and Jason almost rose up with the way he tensed. He pulled his hand back.

"Why the fuck are you so cold?" he demanded.

"I've been dead for a hundred years," Marcello said. "What were you expecting?"

"And… did my hand go through yours?"

"Yes. We can make ourselves solid, but we can also take that away. So, do you believe me now?"

"W-what do you want?" Alfred asked. "What did you do to Mattie?"

Marcello's smile fell, and he turned to Alfred.

"It's about him why I came," Marcello said. "Also, just so you know, he went to the kitchen to get water. But the clock chimed, so… I have no idea where he would be now. When the clock chimes thirteen… It's like, we can be in the same room, but no one else would know. There are these… layers. And it's hard for us to find anyone when the clock strikes thirteen."

"Did you just come to tell us all that?" Jason demanded.

"And I need to ask you for help. We've all been cursed, because of what happened to the servant. And that curse… Only the living can undo the curse."

"What curse?" Alfred asked.

"We're trapped here, stuck with the person who killed us. He holds power over us, and he… He completely snapped before killing us all."

"The middle son," Jason said. "Wait… is your father even the master of the house?"

"When we were alive, yes. After we died… this house became his."

"Whose?" Alfred asked.

"Marcello's brother," Jason said. "Marcello is the youngest son, and Lovino's the oldest. That means… the one that killed everyone was Feliciano."

"Seriously? But… He was a lot nicer than his dad and brother. How could he be the evil killer?"

"I wouldn't say he's evil," Marcello said. "When my father found out about Feliciano's relationship with the servant… He punished Feliciano. Badly. He beat him, and then locked him in his room. He was only allowed to eat enough to not starve to death. And he made sure that his lover was kept away from him. He got punished just as badly, if not worse. My father got the other servants to make his life hell. And then came the party. The first time Feliciano was allowed to leave his room since the discovery, and the first time he could see the person he loved again. And then…"

"The lover died."

Alfred had always believed that there was good and there was bad, and that bad people did bad things. But, after hearing what Feliciano went through, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him, and if the part of Marcello's story from earlier was true, then he snapped after realising just how worthless other people thought the best person in his life was. What would Alfred have done if anyone said those kinds of things about his brothers after they were murdered?

"Feliciano is a bit… unstable," Marcello said. "He wants to find out who killed the servant, but…"

"Hold on," Jason said. "Why do you keep referring to him as 'the servant'? He had a name, right? Why do you insist on dehumanising him after everything that happened? Isn't that what caused this whole thing in the first place? People laughing at the murder?"

Marcello flinched.

"You're right," he said. "But part of the curse is that we can't use his name. None of us… deserve to speak it. Only Feliciano can say his name. I know, after everything that happened, it looks bad, but we can't say his name. We can only refer to him as 'the servant' or 'Feliciano's lover'."

"Did Feliciano make that rule?" Alfred asked.

"The thing about the curse is, I don't think that he had any intention for most of it. Anyway, we're all stuck here. We're… I think you should look at some of us. You'll understand it better then. And we need a living person to undo the curse. The dead are stagnant, but the living can still change things. But we don't exactly get a lot of people here. And the people who do come here… They usually end up getting killed, sometimes by Feliciano, sometimes by one of the others who… Let's just say, the state we're in isn't good for the sanity. So, if my father and Lovino seemed rude, it's because they wanted you to get out of here before the clock struck thirteen and everyone is awake."

"So… The stuff they said was because they wanted to save us?"

Marcello nodded.

"Okay," Alfred said. "You need us to undo the curse. How?"

"You need to find out who killed Feliciano's lover."

…

Matthew opened the door, and his jaw dropped when he saw the ballroom on the other side. A soft light came from the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. In one corner of the ballroom, he could see a piano, with someone playing it.

He knew that he should probably have gone back, and that it was rude of him to stay there. But he needed to know more about the song. He knew that he'd heard it somewhere before, but his memories were nothing more than smoke, and he couldn't grab hold of them. And so, Matthew went into the ballroom and started to inch closer to the piano.

When he was close enough, he could see that it was Feliciano playing. His eyes were closed, and he swayed slightly to the rhythm. His fingers flew over the keys, a melody that Feliciano knew by heart. Matthew continued to watch him, and then he saw something sparkling along Feliciano's cheek. Why was he crying?

The song came to a close, and Feliciano continued to sit like that for a long moment. Eventually, he opened his eyes and turned to Matthew with a smile. Matthew jumped.

"I-I'm sorry," he said. "I-I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's fine," Feliciano said. "I heard you come in, by the way. So, what did you think of the song?"

"It's beautiful. What's the name of the song? I know I've heard it somewhere before, but I can't put my finger on it."

Feliciano blinked before his smile widened.

"It's called Lover's Lullaby," Feliciano said.

"I can't think that I ever heard the name before," Matthew said. "But it's very pretty. It's haunting, but whoever composed the song must have loved the person they composed it for very much."

"Their lover was taken away from them," Feliciano whispered. "It was so cruel. They weren't allowed to be together. The people around them were selfish."

Matthew recalled the story that Marcello had told them about the two lovers. He wanted to ask Feliciano about it, but a sound caught his attention. It sounded like laughter. Feliciano tensed.

"The clock struck thirteen," Feliciano said. He stood up and held out his hand. "I suggest that we stay together, Matteo. When the house gets like this… you never know what could happen."

Matthew took Feliciano's hand, only to be tugged towards the middle of the ballroom.

"Dance with me," Feliciano said.

"But… I don't know how to dance," Matthew sputtered.

"Don't worry. I'll lead, you can just follow."

Feliciano stopped. He pulled Matthew closer, the fingers of their intertwined hands lacing together. Feliciano took Matthew's free hand and placed it on his shoulder, while Feliciano's hand went to Matthew's waist.

"I-isn't this the woman's position?" Matthew asked.

"Ve, it doesn't have to be," Feliciano said. "I lead, you follow. This is what it's supposed to be."

Feliciano started to glide along the floor, dragging Matthew along. He stumbled a little at first, but eventually he was able to fall into Feliciano's rhythm, and he laughed along with Feliciano. Now that he had gotten a bit more comfortable, it was pretty fun.

The two glided over the dancefloor, and Matthew could have sworn that he heard the faint echoes of a song. It was strange, how he could feel so comfortable with Feliciano. He was warm, and he had a rich scent that calmed Matthew.

But then he realised that he was dancing with a stranger, and his feet stumbled again, enough to send them both to the ground. Feliciano chuckled as he pushed himself up, and Matthew blushed when he realised that he was pinned under Feliciano.

"I think that's enough for now," Feliciano said. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"Um, I-I think that I should get back to bed," Matthew said. "It's probably going to be a difficult day with the mechanic tomorrow, and Al and Jay aren't the best when it comes to negotiation."

Feliciano pouted. He jumped to his feet, before he held out his hand to Matthew again.

"Then I'll help you find your room," Feliciano said. "When the clock strikes thirteen, the house gets a mind of its own, and it becomes impossible to find anything."

Matthew took Feliciano's hand, allowing him to pull him upwards. He didn't know if Feliciano was joking or not about the clock striking thirteen, or the house getting a life of its own. But it would be rude to turn down the help.

…

"Are you kidding?" Jason asked. "After all this time, you didn't manage to figure out who the bastard was that killed him?"

"Oh, we've tried," Marcello said. "No one would admit to the crime, even when we return to a loop."

"Loop?" Alfred asked.

"In other words, we get to relive that night, again and again. It happened more frequently when we were still new, but now it almost never happens. Whoever committed the crime has it embedded in them, and whenever one of us tries to find out what happened, something happens with the house. We eventually found out that, since we're dead, our discovery would have no power. The dead are stagnant, and can't move forward. So, we need a living person to find out what happened that night, and the best time for that is after the clock struck thirteen. When everyone is awake, but also dangerous."

"…I want to see those rules," Jason said. "Because something is seriously fucked up."

Alfred couldn't help but agree. These rules seemed ridiculous.

"Why should we be forced to help you, anyway?" Alfred asked. "I mean, what's stopping us from getting out of the house and running back to our car?"

A flash of lightning and a crack of thunder seemed to provide the answer. Marcello shrugged.

"It sounds pretty close," he said. "Close enough that you might actually get hit by lightning. Plus, all the doors are locked right now, and the windows can't break. There is literally no way for you to leave the house. Well, unless one of the doors leads you outside, and that's random, but then you won't be able to leave the grounds."

"…Damn," Jason said.

"There's also something else you'd like to know," Marcello continued. "Your other brother is with Feliciano right now."

"What?" Alfred demanded, jumping out of the bed. "We need to save Mattie!"

"I thought you said you didn't know where he is," Jason said.

"I don't, but I could tell that he's with Feliciano. They were close to each other when the clock chimed. Anyway, the best way to save him is to find out who killed the servant. I don't think Feli's going to hurt him right now. He's… A lot saner than he's been in a long time. But you may want to hurry. I have no idea how long Feliciano can hold out."

"…You said that Feliciano killed some of the people that came since that night," Jason said. "How can you say that he won't hurt Matt?"

"He likes him. It hasn't happened in a long time. Your brother… he has a certain similarity to his lover. Feliciano won't hurt him, I'm sure. But, just in case, you may want to hurry. I mean, Feli might not hurt him, but there's always the risk if he stays too long in Feliciano's company."

Alfred knew that Marcello was right. Feliciano had killed dozens of people in a single night. What would stop him from killing Matthew, or them, for that matter? And another thought occurred to him.

"You say that Feli likes Mattie," Alfred said. "Would he like him enough that he'd want to keep him?"

"That's a possibility, yes," Marcello admitted.

"Then that's why we should help! We're going to save Mattie before Feliciano decides to keep him. So, where do we start?"

"Are we really doing this?" Jason asked.

"Yeah."

"…Fine. Marcello, what can you tell us about that night?"

"I already told you everything," Marcello said.

"And before that? I mean, you had to have seen or heard something, right? It couldn't have just been a thing about a party and then death. There had to be other things that happened, especially with Feliciano and his lover."

Marcello frowned, and after a while, he nodded.

"There was something," Marcello said. "I remember… My father called him to his study. He told Arthur to make sure that no one else should go near that. And there were other people that went inside too. Business associates of my father. Some of them I've met before that night, others were strangers."

"Who did your dad call?" Alfred asked. "You said he called 'him'. Who's the 'him'?"

"The servant."

"That couldn't have been good," Jason said. "So, should we ask Arthur about what he knows? You said that he was keeping an eye on things."

"I don't know if Arthur would actually know anything," Marcello admitted. "He wasn't allowed to go inside either. But… There is someone else we can ask. Someone who's going to be a lot easier to convince to tell us what happened than my father."

"Who?" Alfred asked.

"Lovino. He went into the room with them."