Beyond the Illusion Part 5/?
Title: Beyond the Illusion
Characters/Pairings: America, England, France, Japan, Canada, Russia, various others
Word Count: 1,325
Rating: PG
Summary: When a nation feels stressed, overworked, and backed into a corner, he has the option to let it all go for awhile. Start a new life as a human, with no memories of the past. It happens automatically, as if by magic. But nobody knew this could happen until one day, America mysteriously disappeared after running out of a meeting. After two and a half weeks of searching the country, they finally found the right Alfred F. Jones in the form of a 10 year old boy. But how can they get him to remember that he was once the United States of America? How will they change him back? And, more importantly, does he even want to be changed back?
Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4:
Alfred was unsure of how to respond to what Arthur had just told him. “I’m… America?” he asked, clearly confused.
“You don’t remember it yet, but you will,” Francis assured him. “We’re working on a way to change you back.”
“Back to what?”
“A country.” Alfred shook his head.
“But… that’s not possible… It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know it doesn’t, but you have to believe that we’re not making this up.” Alfred looked from Francis to Arthur, and then back again.
“Why should I trust you?” he said finally.
“Because we’re nations too. We’ve known you your whole life…”
“I raised you,” Arthur cut in. “I know almost everything there is to know about you.” Alfred’s eyes widened.
“N-no you don’t!” he argued. “Prove it!”
“All right,” Arthur said, pausing to think. “Let’s see… Your birthday is July 4th.”
“Lucky guess! What else have you got?” he challenged. Arthur rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed.
“All right, Alfred… If you insist. Your favorite sport is baseball, your favorite colors are red and blue, your favorite subject is gym- you don’t really like school. Your favorite foods are hamburgers and ice cream, and your favorite drink is coke.”
“S-so? That’s easy stuff! Anybody c-could figure that out,” Alfred reasoned. But it was obvious by the shaking in his voice that he was becoming more and more frightened. How did they know all this stuff about him?
“All right; you want harder stuff? Ok. You’re optimistic and cheerful. You love to help others because you like being needed. You’re hero obsessed. You watch superhero movies, play superhero videogames… You even draw comics when you’re supposed to be doing your homework. Also, you have at least seven pairs of Superhero boxers because you think they are your good luck charms…” This time, it was Francis who interrupted Arthur.
“Wait, Arthur, how do you know that?” Arthur shrugged.
“I was on a business trip with him, and I was helping him unpack… Don’t give me that look! Anyway, Alfred… You’re secretly a little claustrophobic, even though you say you’re not afraid of anything. You’re also afraid of-”
“Okokok that’s enough!” he exclaimed. Alfred could feel his cheeks turning red with embarrassment and anxiousness. “How- how do you know all this stuff about me?
“I told you- you’re the United States of America. Just because you were turned into a human, doesn’t mean that anything about you has changed, other than the fact that you’re mortal. You ate 12 donuts in one sitting this morning. Did you think that was normal?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Well it’s not normal for an average 10 year old child. But the America I know has an insatiable appetite, so it’s very normal for him. Tell me something, Alfred… Are you still hungry?”
“A little,” he admitted.
“Exactly. If you were just a normal kid with an appetite like that, you would be fat by now. But you’re not, so obviously-”
“I have a fast metabolism? That’s what my mom says. By the way, what does metabolism mean?” Arthur groaned.
“Francis! Help me out, please.” Francis nodded and took a few steps towards Alfred.
“You see,” he started, “the reason why we can tell you so much about your life is because when you were changed into a human, your new life was made to match up with your old life as much as possible. I’ll bet you I can name some of the people you know, if you’ll let me try.”
“All right,” he agreed. “Sure. Go ahead.”
“Hmm… well, there’s a boy at school that you don’t really like. He’s bigger and taller than you, and he intimidates you a bit. His name is Ivan; am I correct?”
“Yes. But how did you-”
“You also have a really good friend, perhaps even a best friend who is a bit shy, but he’s very smart. His name is Kiku.” Alfred gasped.
“That’s right!”
“And you probably have a French mother and a British father!” Arthur said in a matter of fact tone of voice.
“Actually… My dad is French, and my mom is British,” Alfred corrected.
“WHAT?! HOW COULD I- I ME- I’M NOT THE-“ A huge grin spread across Francis’s face.
“You always did have the motherly instincts, Cher,” he laughed.
“Oh, shut up!” Arthur growled. “You’re more high maintenance than any woman I’ve ever met! There’s no way you’re the father!”
“Well, maybe I should be the mother… The mother can cook, has a sense of style, and is usually the better parent- None of which are qualities you possess!” Francis shot back.
“The- t-the better parent?!” Arthur sputtered. “There is no way in hell that YOU were the better parent!” Alfred watched their bickering, not having a clue what was going on. What were they fighting about? He tried to figure it out, but in the end, he gave up and just decided that he must have been kidnapped by two nut jobs. Two nut jobs who had somehow found him, kidnapped him, and broke into the White House. And they were both distracted, so now was the perfect time to make his escape… Quietly, Alfred slid out of his chair and headed for the door. He had just about made it when Arthur turned around and noticed that the chair was empty.
“Hey! We’re not done with you yet!” he shouted. Alfred backed up against the door, his hand on the knob, ready to open it and bolt at any moment.
“Arthur!” scolded Francis. “You’re only making him more scared than he already is!” He then looked over to Alfred, who was still debating whether he should just run and take the chance of being caught. He could probably outrun those two…after all, Francis was in heels. “You can go, Alfred, if you really want to,” Francis said gently.”
“I can?” he asked, surprised at this new attitude coming from his captors. This seemed too easy.
“He CAN?”
“Sure. I’m not going to stop you,” Francis continued, ignoring Arthur’s outburst. “But then you’ll miss seeing your brother…”
“What did you do with Mattie?!” he asked angrily. “Where is he?” Francis smiled.
“He is in the room next door, and if you come in and sit down, I’ll go get him for you. Can you do that for me?” Alfred nodded. He couldn’t run away now, knowing that they had his brother too. That wouldn’t be very brave.
“Yeah,” he answered as he walked slowly back to his chair.
“Good. I’ll be right back.” After Francis left the room, Arthur seemed to have calmed down a bit. He quit pacing and sat down next to Alfred, glancing over at him every few seconds to make sure he wouldn’t try and run again. This was making Alfred nervous, but luckily, he didn’t have to be nervous for long because Francis returned less than 2 minutes later. “Are you ready to see your brother?” he asked.
“Yes!” he answered.
“All right then… Matthew, come on in.” Alfred was so shocked by what he saw, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. For there, standing in front of him, was definitely his brother. He had the same wavy blonde hair with the exact same single curl on one side. He had the exact same blue eyes, and even though they were hidden behind glasses, Alfred could tell that there was a hint of violet in them, just like his brother’s eyes. He had the same timid smile on his face that he always wore whenever he was nervous or in an uncomfortable situation. So he was Matthew. He had to be Matthew. But he was six feet tall, and he looked like he was at least 10 years older than Alfred.
“Hey… Al,” said Matthew quietly after a brief period of silence. He even sounded about the same as Mattie.
“Ok,” Alfred said, turning to look at Francis. “I believe you.”
Characters/Pairings: America, England, France, Japan, Canada, Russia, various others
Word Count: 1,325
Rating: PG
Summary: When a nation feels stressed, overworked, and backed into a corner, he has the option to let it all go for awhile. Start a new life as a human, with no memories of the past. It happens automatically, as if by magic. But nobody knew this could happen until one day, America mysteriously disappeared after running out of a meeting. After two and a half weeks of searching the country, they finally found the right Alfred F. Jones in the form of a 10 year old boy. But how can they get him to remember that he was once the United States of America? How will they change him back? And, more importantly, does he even want to be changed back?
Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4:
Alfred was unsure of how to respond to what Arthur had just told him. “I’m… America?” he asked, clearly confused.
“You don’t remember it yet, but you will,” Francis assured him. “We’re working on a way to change you back.”
“Back to what?”
“A country.” Alfred shook his head.
“But… that’s not possible… It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know it doesn’t, but you have to believe that we’re not making this up.” Alfred looked from Francis to Arthur, and then back again.
“Why should I trust you?” he said finally.
“Because we’re nations too. We’ve known you your whole life…”
“I raised you,” Arthur cut in. “I know almost everything there is to know about you.” Alfred’s eyes widened.
“N-no you don’t!” he argued. “Prove it!”
“All right,” Arthur said, pausing to think. “Let’s see… Your birthday is July 4th.”
“Lucky guess! What else have you got?” he challenged. Arthur rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed.
“All right, Alfred… If you insist. Your favorite sport is baseball, your favorite colors are red and blue, your favorite subject is gym- you don’t really like school. Your favorite foods are hamburgers and ice cream, and your favorite drink is coke.”
“S-so? That’s easy stuff! Anybody c-could figure that out,” Alfred reasoned. But it was obvious by the shaking in his voice that he was becoming more and more frightened. How did they know all this stuff about him?
“All right; you want harder stuff? Ok. You’re optimistic and cheerful. You love to help others because you like being needed. You’re hero obsessed. You watch superhero movies, play superhero videogames… You even draw comics when you’re supposed to be doing your homework. Also, you have at least seven pairs of Superhero boxers because you think they are your good luck charms…” This time, it was Francis who interrupted Arthur.
“Wait, Arthur, how do you know that?” Arthur shrugged.
“I was on a business trip with him, and I was helping him unpack… Don’t give me that look! Anyway, Alfred… You’re secretly a little claustrophobic, even though you say you’re not afraid of anything. You’re also afraid of-”
“Okokok that’s enough!” he exclaimed. Alfred could feel his cheeks turning red with embarrassment and anxiousness. “How- how do you know all this stuff about me?
“I told you- you’re the United States of America. Just because you were turned into a human, doesn’t mean that anything about you has changed, other than the fact that you’re mortal. You ate 12 donuts in one sitting this morning. Did you think that was normal?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Well it’s not normal for an average 10 year old child. But the America I know has an insatiable appetite, so it’s very normal for him. Tell me something, Alfred… Are you still hungry?”
“A little,” he admitted.
“Exactly. If you were just a normal kid with an appetite like that, you would be fat by now. But you’re not, so obviously-”
“I have a fast metabolism? That’s what my mom says. By the way, what does metabolism mean?” Arthur groaned.
“Francis! Help me out, please.” Francis nodded and took a few steps towards Alfred.
“You see,” he started, “the reason why we can tell you so much about your life is because when you were changed into a human, your new life was made to match up with your old life as much as possible. I’ll bet you I can name some of the people you know, if you’ll let me try.”
“All right,” he agreed. “Sure. Go ahead.”
“Hmm… well, there’s a boy at school that you don’t really like. He’s bigger and taller than you, and he intimidates you a bit. His name is Ivan; am I correct?”
“Yes. But how did you-”
“You also have a really good friend, perhaps even a best friend who is a bit shy, but he’s very smart. His name is Kiku.” Alfred gasped.
“That’s right!”
“And you probably have a French mother and a British father!” Arthur said in a matter of fact tone of voice.
“Actually… My dad is French, and my mom is British,” Alfred corrected.
“WHAT?! HOW COULD I- I ME- I’M NOT THE-“ A huge grin spread across Francis’s face.
“You always did have the motherly instincts, Cher,” he laughed.
“Oh, shut up!” Arthur growled. “You’re more high maintenance than any woman I’ve ever met! There’s no way you’re the father!”
“Well, maybe I should be the mother… The mother can cook, has a sense of style, and is usually the better parent- None of which are qualities you possess!” Francis shot back.
“The- t-the better parent?!” Arthur sputtered. “There is no way in hell that YOU were the better parent!” Alfred watched their bickering, not having a clue what was going on. What were they fighting about? He tried to figure it out, but in the end, he gave up and just decided that he must have been kidnapped by two nut jobs. Two nut jobs who had somehow found him, kidnapped him, and broke into the White House. And they were both distracted, so now was the perfect time to make his escape… Quietly, Alfred slid out of his chair and headed for the door. He had just about made it when Arthur turned around and noticed that the chair was empty.
“Hey! We’re not done with you yet!” he shouted. Alfred backed up against the door, his hand on the knob, ready to open it and bolt at any moment.
“Arthur!” scolded Francis. “You’re only making him more scared than he already is!” He then looked over to Alfred, who was still debating whether he should just run and take the chance of being caught. He could probably outrun those two…after all, Francis was in heels. “You can go, Alfred, if you really want to,” Francis said gently.”
“I can?” he asked, surprised at this new attitude coming from his captors. This seemed too easy.
“He CAN?”
“Sure. I’m not going to stop you,” Francis continued, ignoring Arthur’s outburst. “But then you’ll miss seeing your brother…”
“What did you do with Mattie?!” he asked angrily. “Where is he?” Francis smiled.
“He is in the room next door, and if you come in and sit down, I’ll go get him for you. Can you do that for me?” Alfred nodded. He couldn’t run away now, knowing that they had his brother too. That wouldn’t be very brave.
“Yeah,” he answered as he walked slowly back to his chair.
“Good. I’ll be right back.” After Francis left the room, Arthur seemed to have calmed down a bit. He quit pacing and sat down next to Alfred, glancing over at him every few seconds to make sure he wouldn’t try and run again. This was making Alfred nervous, but luckily, he didn’t have to be nervous for long because Francis returned less than 2 minutes later. “Are you ready to see your brother?” he asked.
“Yes!” he answered.
“All right then… Matthew, come on in.” Alfred was so shocked by what he saw, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. For there, standing in front of him, was definitely his brother. He had the same wavy blonde hair with the exact same single curl on one side. He had the exact same blue eyes, and even though they were hidden behind glasses, Alfred could tell that there was a hint of violet in them, just like his brother’s eyes. He had the same timid smile on his face that he always wore whenever he was nervous or in an uncomfortable situation. So he was Matthew. He had to be Matthew. But he was six feet tall, and he looked like he was at least 10 years older than Alfred.
“Hey… Al,” said Matthew quietly after a brief period of silence. He even sounded about the same as Mattie.
“Ok,” Alfred said, turning to look at Francis. “I believe you.”