Soft blue skies (countryhumans revolutionary war)

star

The sight in the mirror was frightening.

One star floated above 13's left eye. He pressed a finger to it. It didn't move, or get rid of itself. Turning his head around seemed to be the only way to move it. It moved with him- like it was a part of him.

"Que se passe-t-il?" (what's going on)

 A female voice coated in a heavy french accent interrupted the examination of the star. 

"Acadia!" Canada seemed startled at the girl standing in front of the door. Her face was white in the centre, with the left side of her face coloured blue, and the right side coloured red. Above her left eye, a bright star floated, coloured yellow to match her eyes.

Yellow eyes. Just like Canada's. Just like France's.

"Acadia... cela ne vous regarde pas." (acadia... this is none of your buisness) 

Canada spoke firmly, but the girl defied his orders and moved closer into his room. The red fingers of her right hand moved up to touch the star floating above 13's face. 

"Une étoile. Vous avez une étoile!" (a star. you have a star!)

Acadia seemed joyous at the discovery. 

 "Do you know how I got it?" 13 asked Acadia. If he knew how he got it, he could get rid of it, and return to normal.

"Je suis désolé. Je ne parle anglais." (i'm sorry. i don't speak english.)

The two of them looked at each other with sadness. Acadia seemed to want to know that others had stars too, and she was not alone. 13 wanted to return to normal again.

"This is Acadia, my younger sister. Her mother is France, too. She doesn't speak any english. None at all."

"Wait- I have another sister? A half sister, too? How long have you kept this from me?!"

"Calm down, 13. She's your half-sister, and her territory is in the Maritimes. Or at least, was. Acadia was taken down eight years ago. She's lived with Nova Scotia until now."

"Nova Scotia had to take care of Quebec when he got sick. Acadia went to find my house, and when she got there, she found out that I was visiting you. So she arrived earlier today." 

13's heart sank. He needed to know how he had got the star.

"Could you translate for us, please?"

"Sure, 13."

"Please ask her how I got the star."

"Acadia."

The girl seemed focused on the star above 13's eye.

"Acadia!"

She snapped back to reality.

"Oui! Canada!"

"Comment a-t-il obtenu l'étoile?" (how did he get the star?)

She paused for a second, unsure how to answer his question.

"J'avais le mien à ma naissance. Son étoile est-elle nouvelle?" (i got mine at birth. is his new?)

"Oui."

13 had no idea what the two of them were talking about. 

"She got hers when she was born, 13." Canada answered his question.

"Son drapeau change. 13 pourrait être en train de faire une révolution." (his flag is changing. he's having a revolution.)

"Je vois. 13?" (i see. 13?)

"Yes?"

"You're having a revolution. You're going to have a new flag.

13 stepped back in horror. He didn't want a new flag! He loved having the union jack on his flag. It made him look like he was related to Canada, as the two looked almost nothing alike. 

He couldn't lose his stripes, either.  The red and white colours were very similar to the red and white of Spain's flag. He wanted to be like his mother more than anything. 

"No way." 13 shook his head. "No way! No way at all!" He stumbled away from his half-sister, who looked away sadly. "I'm not losing my flag! Not at all!" 

"13, wait!" Canada's panicked voice echoed in the halls as 13 rushed down the stairs. He almost trampled a maid polishing the mahogany banister. Confederate pressed against a wall to allow his brother to pass. 

He rushed out the door, and sprinted down the street, without the faintest idea of where he was going.  Anywhere would be nice. Anywhere he could stay until his flag got back to normal, he would.

The afternoon heat was quite intense. 13 was sweating quite a lot, and the shade of a nearby forest was beckoning him in. "It wouldn't hurt to stay in the shade for a while..." 

He strolled into the woodlands, and began looking for a decent shady patch to lie down in. Moss and grass squished under his weight.  

13 pressed up against a nearby tree. He yawned. The beating heat of the afternoon was making him feel sleepy.

"I could close my eyes, even for just a second..." His whispering voice trailed off as he sank down to the roots, and shut his blue eyes.

Blood. Screams. Gunshots.

He didn't like this dream. 

13 was horrified at the scene of it. He was dressed in a blue uniform, on a boat. France stood next to him, wearing a pink dress.

"Fire!"

Her voice commanded the cannons and troops, and cannons fired violently. 

"France! Regarde derrière toi, majesté!" (france! look behind you, your majesty!)

A voice called out in french, and the two of them turned their heads towards the boat that awaited behind them.

Britain stood beside Canada, on a large boat. Even larger than theirs. 

They both wore the red military of uniform British warfare. His father's face was twisted into a bloodthirsty grin, while his brother's was set into a look of pity. 

Canada's lips formed the words 'I'm sorry,' barely audible to them both. 

A cannonball crashed into the hull of their ship, sending 13 and France flying.

He woke up in a cold sweat. 13 was no longer surrounded by the leaves and moss, and sat up to find himself inside of a small cabin. Another country stood in the kitchen, and turned to face him.

She had the strangest flag he'd ever seen. It was divided into four sections. Two of the sections were yellow with black squares, and two of them were white with red crosses. Her eyes were also blue.

"You're awake!" Her voice seemed joyous. "You have a weird flag. It has two stars, and a faded union jack. So strange!"

"It's changing right now." He mumbled. "Did you say that my flag had two stars?"

The girl nodded. "Yep! I'm Maryland. I'm a state. Who are you?"

"My name is 13," He reached to shake her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maryland."

Maryland smiled. "Thanks! Rhode! Get over here! He's awake!"

Another countryhuman walked over. He had a white flag with a yellow anchor in the middle. 

And around his head, there floated two stars.

"You have them too." The one called Rhode spoke. "The stars."

Rhode's blue eyes went white for a second. The colour came back. There was third star floating, and a crash sounded outside of the cabin.