Empire

Chapter 44

Niue's POV:

"What do you want?" I muttered, noticing Madi walked in.

"You guys are arguing again. It's not helping the Empire at all. You know what NZE says," Madagascar sighed.

"Every second counts to a new future, there is no need to waste seconds on arguments," I recited. I had been told that so many times.

"That's right,"

"It's not my fault I did the right thing!! We shouldn't even be arguing! Nothing happened," I snapped.

"Hey, I'm not accusing you. NZE agrees you did the right thing, but that doesn't mean you need to argue it,"

"Cook is the one who is arguing! And why are you saying 'NZE'? His name is New Zealand..." I felt myself well with emotions.

"Niue, you need to let go. I know it's hard to come to terms with what has happened, but it's important for the growth of our Empire. You need to stop being selfish,"

"Selfish? How am I being selfish?!" I shouted.

"New Zealand is dead. Your dad is dead. Whether you like it or not. So stop acting like his son. You know he doesn't see us as family, even if you were born with his blood. But it's for the best. Personal relationships cause interference. You know, maybe it's time you stop seeing Cook as your brother and as an annoying co-worker."

"You are one to talk." I scoffed.

"My relationship with Mali is different. Romantic relationships are supported, but only if they can produce off-spring. I understand this and don't intend on violating any rules," She defended herself. I still rolled my eyes.

"Yeah whatever. Just leave..." I grumbled, pointing towards the door. She shrugged and left.

Everything she told me, I had heard before. Not everyone was happy about our Empire, but I had been put in charge of a particular program which technically, I wouldn't say brainwashed, explained the rules to anyone who didn't like it.

I have since been promoted.

I sat in the kitchen quietly. I looked at the cookies that were sitting on the bench. Cook's own recipe he claims. He always stole things. He acted so much like uncle Aus. A complete a$$hole, but quick witted.

I left the kitchen, walking back to my bedroom. It's not like I was safe from Cook, we shared a room, but at least he had 'business' to attend too.

Just as I was about to go into my room, I noticed one of the vents was open. I looked around the hallway to see if someone had been working on it, but no one was there. It seemed strange.

I gave into temptation and looked inside to see if anyone was there. Nope. But, I heard the faint sound of someone humming. Curious, I crawled inside. Towards the noise.

The song that was being hummed sounded familiar. I couldn't pin-point where I knew the tune from, but I kept crawling after it.

I eventually came to an opening and saw someone in the vents. He was just sitting and humming.

"It's been a while," The man stopped humming.

Papua New Guinea's POV:

"Heh, I figured we were related," America smiled.

"Yeah... Long time no see, I guess," I mumbled.

"So, niece. You are telling me that your dad wants you back?"

"Yeah. But he isn't in the right mind. There is no telling what might happen if I go back," I tried to explain.

"Having you in my empire makes you a valuable asset, considering New Zealand was initially using you to tease Aussie." I could tell what he was thinking.

"Please! You can't tell anyone! I'm not bait! I don't want to die!" I could feel my emotions start to surface.

"Die? No one is going to kill you," America tried to reassure me. But it was too late for me to bury my emotions again. America gave me a big hug, patting me on the back.

"Hey. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. You are under my protection. Let your good ol' Uncle Meri look after you,"

"Uncle Meri? You know that sounds like a girl's name," I joked, wiping away some of my tears.

"Are you making fun of me? I didn't think you were still in middle school." He joked back.

"No really. I have no idea how old you are," He said seriously.

"I have kind of forgotten myself. I think I'm around the 200 mark though." I shrugged.

"Oh, good for you." He smiled.

I felt better after that. We talked for a bit longer until America decided to give me a proper room, one all to myself that would be protected. He told me I would still go under the name 'Gray' though. I did still have enemies.

My room was mainly empty except for the basics which were all covered in a layer of dust. I got my own bathroom as well.

"This is your place now. I can't remember who used to live here, but it's been empty for a while so you should be fine," America smiled. I nodded politely and he left.

It didn't take me long to clean the room and when I was cleaning under the bed, I found a suspicious looking box. I opened it obviously, and inside I found several books and photos. I couldn't understand the writing in the books, but I would guess that it was Russian. The photos only confirmed my suspicions.

Amongst the photos there were pictures of Russia and his siblings and at one point there was a picture of America. Well, actually, there were quite a few pictures of America. There was writing underneath all of the photos but I still had no idea what it meant. However, I do know that there was some kind of interesting tension between them.

I wouldn't be surprised if the books were his diaries. It was kind of cute in a weird stalker kind of way. But, what were they doing in this room? Russia has been in the Canadian Empire this whole time.