Lili's Uncanny Undertaking (Belarus x Liechtenstein)

Chapter 5: In Which Things Get Worse Before They Get Better

~Lili's POV~

Elizabeta regarded the situation, malice in her eyes. "Umm, hi Elizabeta!" I grinned, desperate to diffuse the situation. "Don't you "Hi Elizabeta" me!" She snapped back, not having it "Everyone saw you talking to that-that animal. Isn't that right everyone?" The bystanders simply nodded, not wanting to be attacked by this very angry Hungarian. "Natalya is crazy! And she's turning Lili into a psychopath, too!" Elizabeta all but screamed. "There, there." soothed Francis "Let's give Lili here a chance. This may not be what it looks like, honhonhon!" Elizabeta considered his statement. Finally, she turned to me. "Very well, Lili. I will give you a chance to explain yourself. But make it good." I remained silent, paralyzed by fear. "Just what I thought." Elizabeta cackled, turning to Natalya "And your little friend has been hanging out with me, by the way."

Natalya's eyes widened in shock. "Why did I ever trust you?" she snarled at me, tears in her eyes. "I-" I began, only to be cut off by Natalya. "Don't apologize, you've done enough." she spat, before running off. I tried to chase after her, but Antonio and Gilbert grabbed my arms and dragged me to class.

~Time Skip Brought To You By "Characters Fight" cliche~

It was lunch, and I sat down at my usual table. However, only Ludwig and Feliciano were there. "Hey, have you guys seen Natalya?" I inquired. Feliciano looked up. "She went to the library, what's it to you?" I sighed. She probably didn't want to see me right now. I decided to temporarily get my mind off the situation. "So, Feliciano, umm, your lip piercings are cool." A slight smile appeared on Feliciano's face. "You wanna hear how I got em'?" I nodded. "Sure." We spent the rest of lunch telling stories, and even Ludwig joined our conversation.

~Time Skip Brought To You By The Library~

It was seventh period, and things weren't very interesting. Since the teacher had given us time to complete work I had already finished, my mind began to wander to questions that had been bugging me lately. Like why I got a strange feeling in my stomach whenever I talked to Natalya. Why I was always caught up in drama. And the newest addition to the mountain of queries, how I could get Natalya to talk to me, since she had been avoiding me all day and had blocked my phone number. Suddenly, a bunch of Post-Its fell out of my pencil case, whose zipper I had been playing with only moments before. As I regarded the small yellow slips of paper, thinking about how to contact Natalya, my brain began to form a tangible plan. I would slip a piece of paper into her locker asking her to meet me at the park tonight. Although she may ignore it, there is a small chance she could show up, and a small chance is better than no chance. I quickly wrote the note as the bell rang: Meet me at the park at 11. I need to explain myself. I quickly folded the note, sped to Natalya's locker, and pushed it through the vents. As I hurried away to 8th period, I desperately hoped that Natalya would show up.

~Time Skip Brought To You By Pencil Case Ex Machina~

I looked at my clock. 10:50. I should probably get going. I quickly checked to make sure Vash had fallen asleep. I laughed to myself at the fact that the T.V was still on. I arranged my bed in a way that made it look like I was still in it, should Big Brother wake up and decide to check on me. Finally, I checked to make sure that the alarm was off and that Big Brother hadn't done his nightly security checks yet. I returned to my bedroom, satisfied that it was safe for me to leave. I began to open my window, when it decided to squeak. Loudly. I froze, afraid that Vash had heard. Fortunately, the sound of his snoring told a different tale. I quickly shoved the window open and began to climb onto the tree that grew outside my window. As I scurried across the branch, a crack sounded through the air, prompting me to shoot down the tree. I collapsed to the floor, thankful to be back on the ground. As I looked up in awe of where I came from, I noticed at the twinkling stars of the night sky. Their bright shining reminded me of Natalya's eyes. I set off towards the park, wondering if I would gaze into those sparkling eyes tonight.

It was a short walk to the park, only about 10 minutes. I arrived, and sat down on the nearest bench and checked my watch. As I did, as voice sounded behind me: "So, you really came." Natalya stepped into the streetlight, her hair glistening. I nodded. "Yes, I wanted to explain what happened with Elizabeta." Natalya frowned. "Okay, but make it good." I flinched at her harsh tone. "Well" I began, anxious "Elizabeta asked me to become one of her minions. I refused, so she brainwashed Big Bruder into thinking that you were the evil one. If I disobeyed her, she would tell him. I basically had no choice!" The last part came out a little louder than expected. Natalya only looked at me with a blank expression. "I believe every word of it." I simply looked at her in shock. "I said" she repeated, a hint of annoyance in her voice, "I find your story believable." I sighed. "So you're not mad at me?" She shook her head. "No. Elizabeta's been doing stuff like that forever." Natalya sighed. "Brother tried to protect me from bullies back in Russia. There was this one boy, Feliks." A look of pain flashed across her face. "He would always bully me. One day, he punched me, and I came home with a bruise on my face. After that, Brother took things too far." she stopped, the trauma evident in her eyes. I touched her shoulder. "It's okay, you don't need to continue." Natalya shook her head. " No, I must finish. Anyway, he attacked Feliks one day while he was going to the store. Beat him with a pipe." She sniffled. "As I mentioned before, this was in a public place, so he was promptly arrested and given a sentence of three years. Five days after his sentencing, Katyusha moved with me here." A tear trailed down her cheek. I wiped it away for her. "I'm sorry that happened to you." Natalya shook her head. "It's not your fault." she said, tears threatening to spill. Natalya let out another sob, and placed her head on my shoulder. "I-I just d-don't know why everyone h-hates me!" I began to stroke her hair, as Vash used when I woke up from a nightmare as a toddler. "I don't hate you, Nat. You're so loyal and brave. And if someone can't see that, they're no worth your time." Cliche, I know. But it worked. Natalya stopped sniffling. "You're right. I'm glad to have a friend like you." Suddenly, my hand creeped towards hers, and grabbed onto it. I tried to stop it, but my hand evidently had a mind of its own. Eek! I thought, I'm holding hands with another girl! What would Brother think of this?! But in the moment, I didn't care. We just sat there, holding hands, for what seemed like forever. Finally, Natalya spoke. "Um, it's 1:00 AM, we should go home." I drew my hand back disappointedly. Natalya sensed my sadness at having to leave. "I'm just afraid Vash might wake up, realize that you aren't at home, and burn down a bridge. Besides, we'll see each other tomorrow." I softened at her logic. "Righto. See you tomorrow." Natalya waved. "да пабачэння." I waved back and walked home, feeling one hundred pounds lighter.

~A/N~

Chapter 5 is here! Sorry for the long wait. Just as a note, Poland is only used as the bully because I couldn't think of anyone else, and I don't like to use 2p!s in stories not centered around them. And as always, Remember to Vote!

Appendix:

Names:

Feliks-Poland

Translation:

да пабачэння-Goodbye