Alaska's P.O.V
I sighed, as I sunk deeper into my pillow.
A sneer on my face was directed at the blistering sun which pierced through the glass of my window. It snuffed out any hope of getting more rest from my brain, and replaced it with disdain.
Each new day felt like waking up in a frozen pond filled with piranhas. Not only was I drowning, but I was also being eaten alive. The horrific feeling only doubled in size due to my worsening mental state.
I frowned, I really missed Hawaii. She was so light-hearted, wholesome, and hopeful during these trying times. However, now that she was gone, so was her persistent happiness.
The rest of us states were devoid of any real emotion, and anything we did express was a masked version of our thoughts. Not one of us liked it here anymore. It had all become too controlling, it wasn't like when dad was here...
I missed him. Ever since his death, we all regretted that we pushed him away, because he was gone for good. We, inadvertently, caused him to die.
My legs shifted over my bed, as an unruly grunt followed my actions. Over the last three years, I have thought about our past a lot. I used to be so untrustworthy; cold if anything. Slowly but surely, I thawed out, and we became close. Really close. I practically clung onto him at every opportunity that I got.
However, then Hawaii came along. I was originally jealous of my little sister, since I was sure that she was dad's favorite. But, as soon as he assured me that she wasn't and that he still loved me, the two of us started to get along. That evolved into being like best friends as well as sisters.
Now, Mexico took her and Delaware away. I was worried for my sisters, but I knew that Delaware would go to the ends of the Earth to protect Hawaii, and Hawaii would do the same.
A knock on my bedroom door tore me away from my thoughts, and I whipped my head to the wooden frame, "Yeah?"
It cracked open and a new light illuminated my room. The shadow of another state cast down onto my floor, as they stepped in, "Hey, Alaska."
"Wyoming, what do you need?" I asked the boy. The other states didn't often come into my room, because it was sort of out of the way, so this was unusual.
"Sorry to bother you so early..." He mumbled, as he shut the door closed. "I just, this has been on my mind for a while, and I know that the others wouldn't care as much as you would, so yeah."
His speech was fast and fragmented, as if he had trouble getting the words out of his mouth. I patted the space next to me on my bed, "C'mon, sit down and tell me."
He graciously accepted my offer, as he plopped down and started to sputter out his thoughts.
"Well, um, yesterday in the late evening, I overheard a lot of things...First, there was some yelling from downstairs. I think that there was an escape plan that got interrupted, because there was a lot of ruckus. After that, I got scared and ran into my room. Then, when I thought it was safe to come out again to get a glass of water, I did. However, when I went down, I heard Cabi talking to herself in her office. I heard so much..."
I was starting to worry for my brother. His hands were wobbly, his eyes spasmed in every direction, and his talking was fast, almost to the point of incoherent ranting.
"Hey, hey...slow down. So, some of us were caught trying to escape , you were scared off, you went back down after a while, and you overheard Cabi talking. What was she talking about?" I questioned, after I had relayed the information.
"It was about dad..."
I raised one of my eyebrows, "What specifically about dad?"
Cabinet had never mentioned dad after his death. She liked to focus on the future, not drone on the past. She was looking for ways to last forever, or at least that's what she told us. And that meant finding out ways for this world to live long enough until we could travel throughout the universe.
But, this puzzled me. Why keep dad in mind if he wasn't a part of our future?
"He's alive, Alaska. He's out there somewhere in the world."
"What?" I was stunned. I mean, of course I knew that possibility existed, Mexico's wings were there for a reason, but I didn't think anyone would want dad back. "How'd he get back?"
Wyoming shrugged, "I don't know, probably uncle Canada, Massachusetts, and maybe some of dad's other friends."
"Do you think that Hawaii and Delaware helped?" I questioned, because if they were with dad, then I could finally let my fears rest.
He repeated his previous motion, "That depends on when dad came back, as well as Mexico's reasoning for taking them away in the first place. If dad came back after they left, then yeah. However, if he came back before, then I'm not so sure...but we can always talk about this with the others. I have some news for you."
My confusion returned, and I signaled him to go on.
"Okay...how do I say this? Um, well, basically your land is going to be used as a launching point for an attack against a country over in the east-"
"Please tell me that it's against the idiot for killing our father." I craved. Ever since we had learned of the man who caused our dad extreme pain, suffering, and agony in his final moments, we had wished nothing but suffering upon that person.
"What? Why would Cabi make plans to attack herself?" Wyoming asked, with a genuine sense of conflict hidden in his voice.
"I'm not saying that. Oh, please tell me that I'm not the only one who caught onto this..." My brother groaned, as he buried his head into his hands. "Listen, I, I think that, um, she lied. Remember about three years ago in March, when dad came back from his super secret business?"
I nodded, "Yeah, what does that have to do with anything? Cabi wasn't even near dad when he died."
"I know, I know, but this is strange to me. A bit before that, like maybe one to two days earlier, Cabi told us about her faults, and how she blew up the UN building, which killed three people. However, in the first speech she gave to the people here, she blamed all of it on Russia, his men, and his organisations."
My hatred for the Russian still lingered, even when I was confronted with evidence, "Still, he was the only one around dad when he died-"
"But why did Cabi lie to the public? She told us the truth, since I'm certain that she wouldn't put herself out to be a villain. And, because of dad's, erm...state...we have no idea what killed him!" He stressed, as he stood to his feet and looked at me. "There's only one reason to lie, Alaska, and that is to cover up the truth. The truth is that she killed dad, whether it be indirect or direct, she killed him."
The doubt in my mind fizzled out quickly. I knew how Cabi behaved, and she's killed others for personal gain before, so it wasn't exactly a far stretch to say that she killed dad.
"Everything was perfectly fine before she came along. Sure we didn't know some things, but he would've told us eventually. He wouldn't even have to go to that damn meeting, because there would be no threat!" He screamed, though he tried to hush himself since it was still early in the morning.
It really was all her fault, was it...
Hawaii's P.O.V
"Thank you, Mr.nice magic food man!" I squealed, as I was handed a mug filled with hot chocolate.
My eyes were large, as I stared intently at the ivory-colored mug with small brown drizzles running down the side. I took a large sip of the drink, but it was too hot! I stuck my tongue out to help cool my mouth down.
I heard the man who took good care of my Papi chuckle, "Be careful, I don't want you to burn yourself. Why don't you go find America and have him cool it off for you?"
That was a great idea, because Papi could do anything!
A large grin spread across my face, and I sprinted off to go find my dad. I spun in a few circles, before I spotted him. He was sitting in a pile of blankets near the fireplace, but he wasn't too close. He was in a lot of blankets, and I mean a lot. There was this really fluffy one that I wanted to jump into, yet I couldn't; my hot chocolate was too important!
"Papi!" I called out. His head turned to me, and I saw a smile take over his mouth. I always loved Papi's smile, it made me happy that he was happy. "Can you cool my hot chocolate down? It's too hot."
I handed him my cup, and he laughed a bit, "Okay, Hawaii. Let's do this together, okay? On the count of three, blow with all your might. One, two, three!"
My lips pushed together like a fishy's would, and I blew really hard on it. I tried so much that I had to close my eyes! When they opened again, I saw a smattering of whipped cream all over Papi's face. He was surprised, and the face that he was making made me burst out in a fit of giggles.
"Dad, you got something on your face." My sister, Massachusetts, pointed out, while she took a seat next to us.
"I know." Papi responded, as he started to wipe the stuff off his face and ate it. "This little rascal blew a bit too hard on her hot chocolate."
I grinned up at him, while I swiped my drink back. I took another drink, but it was perfect this time, "Sorry, Papi. Do you want some of my hot coco?"
"No no, I'm good, but thanks for the offer." He replied, as he kissed my head.
I smiled, more for me then!
After a little bit, Papi's boyfriend and Delaware came over to join us. The red, blue, and white man sat behind my dad, while he hugged him from behind, and laid his head on dad's shoulder. My sister took a seat next to my other sister.
Mr.nice magic food man handed Papi his own cup of hot chocolate, "Aww, thank you, Russia."
"It's nothing, America." The guy stated, while he kissed Papi's cheek. I shut my eyes tightly, because I did not want to see that. That was something old people did!
"How's the hot chocolate, girls?" Papi asked, as he took a drink of his own.
I looked down into my cup, only to realize that it was empty. That made me sad. It went by so fast, and now it is gone. My other sisters responded by saying that it was good, or something like that, but I stayed quiet.
Papi shook my shoulder, "How was yours?"
I showed him my empty cup, and his face shifted into a saddened one, "Oh no...it's all gone already."
"Yeah, can I have some of yours, Papi?" I questioned, while my eyes peered at his nearly full cup of deliciousness.
My dad chuckled and swayed his head from side to side, "Okay, but only one sip. No more."
I grinned, for that was all I needed. I took Papi's mug out of his ginormous hands, brought it to my face, and stuffed as much of the desert into my cheeks as I could. When I was done, I felt like a chipmunk that was gathering nuts. I swallowed it, and handed the cup back to my dad.
He was laughing, which made me laugh, "You are so funny sometimes."
Word count 2041
Well, um, this chapter was certainly full of mixed emotions.
I really tried to write like a child for the second half of this chapter, and I hope that it comes across.
Question time!
Earlier in this chapter, it was implied that several other states tried to escape, but were stopped. How do you think this is affecting Cabi, knowing that her 'family' is falling apart?
How is Alaska doing without Hawaii VS how Hawaii is doing without Alaska?
And, lastly, This chapter was about comparing and contrasting. So, what is different and similar about America and Cabi?
Also, additional question for my attentive readers, you will have noticed that Cabi was exhibiting some weird behaviors that were not in line with what her character is like. What are those behaviors?
Have a great day/night/morning/evening/noon/midnight/any time!
-Amaura
(P.S I have no idea what to draw, requests?)