Where Thou Art, That Is Home (Hetalia Fanfic, Part 2)

Chapter 152~!

RECAP:

"I wish I knew, aru," he answered. "It's a mystery. Maybe it's something the Darkness did a long time ago. The incense is supposed to give you practice with overcoming the instinct, you see. And, sadly, there's not enough time to give you too much more practice."

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Alice's POV~

"Wait... What do you mean?" I asked, my eyebrows drawing together and upward a little. "We're actually getting close to the deadline?"

The ancient in front of me nodded solemnly. "Yes... We are. We have about four days left, aru."

It was like time had stopped altogether. Well, it had stopped for everyone except for me. I stared at  Yao disbelievingly, my eyes round and fearful. I couldn't hear anything coming from outside, nor could I detect any movement from the wind or changes in light. The world was paused.

And then... it resumed. Everything started up again as if it had never stopped.

"Alice? Are you okay?" Yao asked with a concerned tone.

It was with shaky hands that I set down my water glass so it wouldn't tumble out of my grasp and shatter. I had to swallow several times before I could even hope to speak; despite having sipped water, my mouth was bone dry.

"Uhm... I,uh..." I stammered in a breathy whisper. "I... need to... take a walk."

"Alice..." Yao started to say, but trailed off. I was on my feet and heading out the door an instant later, and he didn't try to stop me. Maybe he understood what was going on in my head. If he did, then that was fine. Whatever.

No, I needed to be alone. Or maybe I really needed to be home. That would have been wonderful, actually. To be back home, and in Matthew's arms...

Of course, the instant I tried to step to the side and vanish from Nanjing, nothing happened. I stared down at the ground around me, then at my feet. Why wasn't I teleporting?

"Come on!" I yelled, trying again.

No dice.

Even so, it was madness that seemed to have settled inside me. I tried the same thing over and over again, but my results didn't change at all.

Some small, logically reasoning voice in my mind told me it was because my stress levels were all out of whack. Magic didn't cooperate with a troubled mind. Battle was one thing, especially when the adrenaline helped focus your mind rather than muddle it.

But right then I was so confused. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as if twelve tympani drums were arranged in a circle around me.

Everything was swirling around me like a miasma of bewilderment. Four days... Four days? No... No, that was too soon! Make it a week, a month, or even better yet, never! I wasn't ready to die, or to fight the Darkness. I wouldn't make it!

~

"Melina," a voice hissed in my ear. "Melina."

"I'm awake," I mumbled without turning onto my back or sitting up. My eyes, however, were open, and hadn't been closed ever since I heard the door to my room open.

Kadi put a hand on my shoulder, shaking me briefly. "Then get up. I have something to tell you."

"I already know," I answered in a bitter voice. "Four days left. More like three now."

"That's not it," she told me. "Now get up and get dressed. I want to talk to you about something serious."

The bed springs creaked quietly as I rolled out and sat up on the edge. The clock said it was almost two in the morning, and I had not yet even slept a wink. The idea of sleep was foreign to me at that point.