World Academy Experience (Hetalia x Reader)

ch22: In The Woods Somewhere

    The woods at night were different than they were during the day.

    To start, it was colder. Within just the past few days, November had brought fog and frost, making it feel like winter. The moon was waning, and there was hardly enough light to follow the meager trail through the forest.

    The frigid air bit at my exposed cheeks, and my throat hurt from the dry coldness. I'd been smart enough to layer up, lacing up tall boots and putting on thin jeans with two dark-colored sweaters.

    The leafless trees loomed over us, and the back of my neck prickled, like there were invisible eyes watching me. I subconsciously sped up, trailing even closer behind Ludwig, who was setting a mean pace.

    "Do you think this is far enough?" I whispered to him after about half an hour of walking.

    He stopped, saying nothing. He was so still, the only way I knew he was alive was the gentle rising and falling of his shoulders as he breathed. I paused, waiting for him to answer, and when he didn't, I stepped closer, putting a soft hand on his back.

    "Ludwig? Are you alright?" I said.

    Silence. And then, he turned to me. Even in the dark of night, his eyes were a piercing icy blue, and they held a sharpness I wasn't expecting.

    Although his gaze held daggers, his voice was barely a murmur when he spoke. "Could you do me a favor?"

    "Yes. Of course. Anything."

    He sucked in a breath, expression steely. "Don't get hurt."

    I cocked my head at him, giving a quizzical look. "Hurt? What do you-"

    I stopped when I heard it—a whistle, high and sharp, ringing through the forest. Had it not been so quiet, I would have passed it off as the wind. But this I knew was human.

    Ludwig knew it, to. He put a finger to his lips, and wordlessly motioned for me to follow. With deft, agile steps, he pulled us into the cover of the nearest tree, pressed hard up against the scratchy bark. His stiff arm held me in place, and I could feel his whole body thrumming with silent tension, waiting for the moment to break.

    The whistle came again. We held our breaths. Then a third note, this time shorter, louder.

    Allen, I mouthed to him with urgent eyes.

    We don't know for sure, he replied. He brought his finger to his lips once more, and reluctantly, I stayed in place. Ludwig had a point—before leaving, we hadn't completely ruled out the idea of running into more unwelcome visitors during our trip. "To be safe, we have to assume the worst," Ludwig had said to me. "That whoever snuck into the party can come and go from the reformatory as they please. We need to be on our guard, especially while we're off campus."

    It felt like an eternity had passed, staying still, holding our breaths, waiting for a signal of any kind.

    Suddenly, we heard footsteps approaching, not even ten yards away. I tensed, readied myself to run.

    "Dollface?" A voice whispered, heavy with a Brooklyn accent. "That you?"

    I let out a sigh of relief, and leapt from the tree, back onto the trail. The metal of Allen's jacket zipper glinted in the moonlight, as did his golden tooth. He came up to me, fighting the urge to grin.

    "Jesus, Al," I said. "Couldn't you have been more specific in the letter."

    "No way," he replied. "I couldn't risk it falling into the wrong hands, and knowing exactly where to find me."