CHAPTER 3
(DMITRI)
(PRESENT DAY)
"Damn it!" Addyson slammed his hands down on the table, sending papers flying everywhere.
"Well that was helpful," Kjell commented, before laying his head back down in an attempt to drown out the arguing.
Like all our meetings since The Incident nothing much got accomplished. I spun around in my chair while my sister Yaryna, who was the main focus of the meeting, sat at the end of the table looking pale and sick. It wasn't surprising and I felt awful for my little sister. I was angry that I was unable to do anything to help her.
"That's enough," Erikúr screamed.
The arguing suddenly stopped and everyone looked towards the normally silent defender of Iceland. Kjell raised his head and looked at his best friend with piqued interest.
"We aren't here to argue! Yaryna's country is at war with itself and Russia."
Everyone looked at me and I suddenly wished I wasn't the defender of Russia. I shifted in my chair, hoping that it would swallow me whole.
"We are here," Erikúr continued, "to make a plan for our Guardians to help Ukraine." He gestured to Yaryna, "we are here to help her, not to argue."
With that sentence hanging in the air, and everyone's mind for that matter, he sat down. Kjell smirks at Erikúr who blushes in return, suddenly very self-conscious.
From that point on the meeting went smoothly and professionally, something that hadn't happened for over half a century, and ended with us submitting a useful report to the Guardians.
All us European defenders live in the same stupidly large house, so after the meeting we are all still stuck with each other and, as was typical, fighting broke out. Addyson almost always starts the fights and they are usually with Liva. Ever since The Incident Addyson and Liva have made alcohol their best friends and spend most of their time drunk as an attempt to rid themselves of their constant guilt. We all feel the guilt and can barely look each other in the eyes anymore but Addyson and Liva are the only ones who have turned to alcohol.
As I walk to my room I can hear them shouting and know it won't end well. Addyson is shouting something about how Liva is a murderer and Liva is yelling about how Addyson is one just as much as she was. I have my hand on my doorknob when I hear it.
"You should be dead! Why are you still here? Your country died decades ago and you should have gone with it! No one wants you here!"
There is a loud crack and suddenly Liva crashes into my bedroom door, nose bleeding, unconscious. I look over at Addyson, who's hand is covered in Liva's blood. He is tearing up, and I watch as he runs to his room.
Addyson is, or was, the defender of Prussia and, for some reason, he didn't die when Prussia was dissolved. Neither did his Guardian for that matter. None of us understand why or how he survived, since our life comes from our countries, but we all basically assume it's because Prussia joined with Germany.
I look at the unconscious defender of Denmark lying in a sad heap, blocking me from entering my room and sigh. Kjell walks over and, after some effort, manages to get Liva slung over his shoulder and walks away. I can't help the surge of jealousy I feel over the fact that the Nordic siblings are still so close to each other when both of my siblings hate me. I close my door, lean up against it and slide down to the floor. The lights are off, I like it that way. I look at the walls, scorched after several fires and feel at peace. I am relived to be away from the others. Away from the people I hate.