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“Amelia?” 10-year-old Matthew asked, unsure of where she was outside. He was looking for her 5-year-old little sister, Amelia. She hadn’t come outside to eat dinner with England and France, their parents, yet. “Hello, Amelia, are you there???” He looked around, confused about where his little sister was hiding, now. “Come on! It’s time for dinner, sis!” He grew worried now. Why and where did his only sister go now? “Try an’ catch me, lil’ kid!” A boy yelled from down a tree. “Oh, I will get you!!!” The other boy screamed from a branch. They looked like they were about 13 years old, about the same age as him, just slightly older. But then he heard familiar laughter from the big, local tree, where the kids were. They both looked up, their eyes widening. “WOAH! Kid, get down from there!” The first boy with white hair and purple eyes jumped for the kid, but she giggled. It was…
Amelia?!
“AMELIA, GET DOWN!!!” Matthew ran from his house quickly, shocked that his sister managed to jump up there. She might fall! Matthew panicked, hurrying over to the tree like a scared mother gaining maternal instinct for when their child is in danger. “Come and catch me, you guys!” Amelia smiled, climbing higher, even though she was already super high. No one laughed anymore, and fear came across their faces.
“Haha- I win- AAAAH!!!” Amelia immediately slipped on a branch, stumbling down. Matthew twisted his leg but ran forward to catch his small sister in his hands almost immediately. The two boys also came for him, and expectedly, the boy that looked really angry and had small hair sticking out and looked like Feliciano, who was 11 years old, caught her. “Gosh, kid! Don’t scare everyone with that! Go to the little park or somethin’!” The angry boy grumbled at the younger girl but secretly felt deep relief she was okay. He did not need to have someone so young die on him.
“I’m finally independent… YES!” 8-year-old Amelia Alfred cheered as he ran away from his hell of a house. His people were free, and so did he have his autonomy! Finally, he was a REAL boy!
Now what exactly is next for him? He was scared to think of what would happen to the little voices that fight to be heard, and where he would live, now.
He didn’t really have a place to stay now. Time for him to stay in the streets, he guessed?
No more 13-year-old Matthew Madeline to go cry in her arms. No more Francis to cheer with about victory, and definitely no more Arthur to have bossed around with taxes anymore. It was time to live alone in the road of… who knows? As long as its not Europe, he can sail where he yearns to with his bomber jacket and small badge that represented New York, where he would live at the streets of. Hopefully something new happens to make it so urban…
10-year-old Alfred seemed to have been running wild and WAY too free now. He had been playing with fire since he sailed to New York with some other sailors. He and one other old sailor made it, and the sailor died a year later. Now the civil war seemed to be an internal fight with his hallucination, and he was close to dying from it. Meanwhile, those fighting voices were at war with a split part of the USA.
They may as well win, and yet it feels like a whole new dream is happening by how quickly it was going. He owned an apartment in New York City now, and it was PACKED! He stayed there for 4 whole years, having a small, but impacting battle. He owned everything here, now, yet it still made him bleed. If only he could talk to Madeline, Arthur, Francis, or their cousins, Maria, Oliver, or François…
Maybe he just had to wait.
12-year-old Alfred seemed to have aged less, now. Guess it happens for new countries, now? He fought with the other people there in World War 2, which was breaking him slowly, but he never admitted it. All normal people fought, while him, a country, fought with them. He may as well explode, this was HURTING! If only he actually decided to strategize like a normal country. This was such a small problem, if only he wasn’t so naïve.
He wanted to see Madeline. The last time he saw his older sister was when she saw her own little brother through the window when he ran out of the house as quickly as he ever had done. If only he were kind enough to say one last goodbye and cry as he left. At least now in the future he would have felt slightly better that he actually said bye instead of leaving. Now, he has his stupid “hero” complex and burdens on his shoulders. If only he tried a little harder, he could chill with his family. He knows Madeline is probably almost in college, now, and that everyone moved on.
But he will be back. Just a few more years until he will get to talk to them. The world meetings he never attended will be enjoyment and pure happiness. He will come back. He will make an appearance once he can finally attend stupid high school. He will be back. Just wait until he stops being a burden for everyone and finally can share his issues.
“Haaah…” Alfred breathed and looked in the mirror, staring at his arms. How was he so stupid to do this again? Why does he bother to stop, if all he does is do it all over again?
No one is coming for him, anyway. Theres nothing in store for him… nothing.
Well, that’s what he had hoped.
He heard a loud bang from his door.
“ALFRED! OPEN THIS DOOR!” A loud sob seemed to have come. It seemed familiar, like a young girl mimicking a feminine voice and it works very well.
Wait…
“Please… please, Alfie…”
“MADDIE?!” He jumped from the sink and looked away from his arms. How was his older sister here? His new COLLEGE sister? Was she going to a college in New York???
He quietly unlocked the door, covering his arms out of shame and fear with his bomber jacket. Madeline slammed the door open, bringing his small, unwell little brother into a tight hug. “I promise to keep you safe! I’ll make sure you never need to do that again! I’ll feed you! Help you! Make sure the world doesn’t insult your weight! I… promise…” She cried, only tightening her grip on her precious younger brother. She could never let him go ever again. Not after he ran away.
He jumped straight into the hug, crying on her shoulder out of years of hiding those tears out of force.
Maybe this was okay. Maybe I could cry like this…
He didn’t think about it as he unconsciously sobbed more.