Never Should Have Let You Go

The Heart

Well one thing stopped them..

As the four teens walked to their car, they heard a song. A simple song. A beautiful sweet song.

The four stopped. And they felt something in their hearts.

It felt.... so so familiar. So comforting.

Kuma noticed the quadruplets freeze. He tilted his head, he wondered why they stopped moving.

"Wh-where is that coming from?" Maria asked softly.

And the voice singing it sounded so familiar.

She had to hear more. She wanted to hear more. She needed to hear more.

Her heart was aching for more.

Kumaijiaro got Amelia to put him down and he started to make his way to whoever was singing. The girls followed.

Diega suddenly started singing softly. She was singing along with the voice. She was singing the lullaby?

Wait. How did she know the words?

It was in Spanish. Was it a popular lullaby in Spanish speaking countries? She had never heard it before-

Wait. Scratch that.... her heart wouldn't let  her say she'd never heard it before.  Because she has.

She has. And it looked like her sisters had too.

The North Americans paused when they turned the corner of the building. There was an area for nations to sit and enjoy the scenery or play any sports if they wanted.

They saw..... who was that actually?

It looked like Indonesia, Singapore, and...... Philippines?

Philippines was singing.

How did she know that song though?

"Should we go up to her?" Madeleine whispered to sisters. They were unsure. But Diega didn't answer and was the one to walk up to the three female nations.

Kuma followed her. The remaining three North Americans looked at each other but followed their sister anyway.

Mahalia (Philippines) was leaning against a tree as she sang her mother's lullaby. It honestly filled her with comfort and was a special song she kept close to her heart.

She wasn't even sure if a good amount of her siblings remembered it. Their mama had always sang it to them when they were young. When they were colonies. Apparently it was a song that her mama, Mahalia's abuela, sung to her.

It was a very intimate thing.

But anyway. Being outside is what Mahalia needed. After all that yelling in the meeting. She just needed some fresh air. She loved nature. Maybe it was because her place was tropical, but she honestly had a bond with nature. It calmed her.

The yelling had reminded her of what her mother had gone through when the adults had come to the conclusion that it was best for North America to be given to Native America. Philippines swore to this day that during that time, and even after, when her younger sisters had left...

She had been slowly watching her mother's mentality deteriorate.

Her mama had tried to act like everything was alright. But as the oldest child and daughter, Philippines knew better. Plus, her mama opened up to her more.  So she truly saw how stressed and heartbroken Carmen had become.

Even if her siblings didn't remember it. She did.

A lot of parents didn't realize how observant children were and how things could stick with then.