Out of the Snow

Chapter 9

Canada's POV

Canada quickly dressed, and the two made their way back to the dining room, where a nice lunch of steaming soup awaited them. No other of the house's residents were present, and the two sat themselves down. It was, as Canada was getting accustomed to, fairly quiet as they ate their meal. When they were finished, Russia stood suddenly.

"I forgot I have some things to take care of before the party. I must go for now, and if you need anything while I am gone. Do not be fearful to ask for help from anyone." He told her, "I will see you later."

He paused for a moment, as if wanting to do something else, but ultimately hurried out of the room. Canada watched him leave and, even knowing he had to go and that he said he would return later, silently worried that he wouldn't. And then, I'll have to deal with Belarus by myself.

She sat for a while in the dining room, thinking about the party, Russia, Belarus, and the large amounts of snow that were packed against the windows. At one point, she wondered how her brother was doing, but mostly her thoughts drifted towards Russia. Not being accustomed to relationships in general, Canada found herself blushing at the thought of being around Russia again.

The chair scratched softly on the wood floor, as she stood and left the dining room, deciding to wander around for a while before dressing for the party. She felt the day go on, but it was almost like time taunted her in slow motion. Canada wandered the halls, trying not to get lost again and also resisting going back to the room of dresses. It was too early to get ready, and surely if she did then the inevitability of her having to redo her work would come calling. At long last, she deemed it suitable to go and ready herself for the party.

She retrieved the dress and shoes from the dress room, where she'd left it hanging, then proceeded back to the room she'd occupied the last few days. The zipper on the dress proved quite stubborn and she battled with it for a minute, before it finally zipped up. Next she went to the bathroom with a brush and brushed through her blonde strands, before braiding it and then pinning it up in a braided bun. She had never really dabbled in the art of makeup before, but Canada deemed the party a nice enough occasion to attempt something. She found some black eyeliner, and a silvery gray eye shadow to compliment her silver shoes. Is it even sensible to match your shoes with your make-up? She thought to herself, but shrugged, I suppose it won't really matter. Besides, I think I remember France telling me gray brought out the blue in my eyes, and I suppose if there was any time to actually take heed to his advice, it'd be now. Canada also applied some black mascara and only realized after she'd done so that now her eyelashes were too long to wear her glasses without getting smudges everywhere.

It made her a little apprehensive, to leave her glasses on the counter especially since she didn't have any contacts, but she did so. I can survive one night with terrible far sight. She peered closely at her reflection, double checking her make-up and hair. Everything needs to be perfect.

Canada decided that her appearance wouldn't get any better staring at it, or at the mercy of her beauty skills, so she exited the bathroom and headed in the direction of the dining room. She hoped to run into Russia, since she didn't know which room the party would be in.

The soft click of her heels against the wood echoed through the empty hallway, serving as a constant reminder of how alone she was, at the moment. There was no one in the dining room, or kitchen, but when Canada stumbled on the front door, she found Ukraine standing there. The other country was wearing a lightly colored gray dress, with white trimming. It was knee length and had two thick straps over the shoulders, crossing in the back. A blue and white ribbon was tied in a knot around her waist. Canada noted that the other looked quite excited, and pretty in the simple dress. It accentuated her eyes and figure.