The State Files

1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi

The talking went in one ear and out the other.

You couldn't ask Jackson what was being said during that meeting. A lightning bug would have flown out from his ear if you had.

Alabama wished there were lightning bugs around, at least that would have been entertaining. But no, this meeting just had to be in Philadelphia in the middle of December. He let out a heavy groan and leaned back into his seat. Not registering the amount of yelling that was coming from New Jersey.

His eyes swept across the table, catching subtle signs of tension and aggression. The American flag was proudly displayed vertically on the wall, right next to the Pennsylvania flag. A little state flag on a stick was stuck on every chair, the fabric hanging limply from every top rail. This time, the meeting was set up in alphabetical order, meaning Alabama wasn't near any of his siblings (The ones that he liked). Instead, he was wedged next to Alaska and Wyoming.

After observing the room for a bit, his eyes finally landed on Magnolia, who was sitting between Minnesota and Missouri.

She sensed his blue eyes on her, looking up at him as they made eye contact. Given how their state borders matched together like a puzzle piece, they had a strong twintuition, even if they weren't actually twins.

Just looking at her, an idea popped into his head. Magnolia...the state of Mississippi...that's a long name. He had never thought about that before...why is it so long? It takes up a whole gap in any sentence! Hm...Mississippi.

He grinned at her at glanced toward the door. The idea fully popped into his immortal mind. No, he wouldn't sit here doing nothing! He had rights, the right to be entertained.

Waiting for New Jersey to be as loud as an eighteen-wheeler, he slipped away and left the conference room, Magnolia following close by.

The hotel's hallway was well-decorated with various animals, presidents, and other American symbols. The building was well placed in the city near the government building, though again, you wouldn't be able to ask Jackson where exactly or even the name of it. He made his way toward an area with a sofa and flopped down, looking up at Magnolia with a grin.

She crossed her arms and smiled back. "Im gonna win this time."

"Yeah? Sure you are," He smirked.

"No kiddin! Ima find you in 10 seconds flat!"

"Mhm. Well, let's just see." He hummed.

"First off. We need to place rules."

"Rules? For what?"

"Rules for the game. Like, you can only stay on this floor, we can't go outside, and we can't get help from anybody else."

"Psh. Of course, a girl would place rules. It don't matter, I can win with any rules you throw my way," He huffed.

She huffed back at him. "Fine! Well, let's get hiding!"

"Right on." He stood up. Both of them walking in opposite directions, waiting to find out who would win this time.

...

After about 30 minutes, they both made their way back to the sofa.

"I thought you were gonna be the seeker?" Magnolia raised her eyebrow.

"Um, no, we were gonna see who can hide the longest! We hide at the same time," He mumbled, "Girls..."

"Oh, okay...But if we hide at the same time, no one will come and find us!"

"Oh, yeah..." Jackson replied. He hadn't thought about that.

He took a look toward the conference room, another idea popping into his mind.