Hidden Truths

Chapter Twenty ~ Balls

"Where are we?" Al managed to ask after a while, and Santiago didn't bother answer his question properly and just told him to sleep. "Santi, tell me!" that sure drained him.
"We're in Spain is for sure. Just rest man okay?" Carlos explained, looking out the window.
"Right..."

~
"We're going to get him back. Come," Antonio was more determined than ever to find his little tomato than ever. The first letter he'd written shouldn't have been to his guardian about his captor! This wasn't fair. He'd have to kill Arthur again or something else like that.
~

"Hey, Maria you alone?" it was Phara. She didn't want to interrupt Maria, in case she was with Lai or something.
"Why wouldn't I be? Whatever, just come in," she shook her head.
"So what's up with you lately? You've barely been at home," she sat down on the younger nation's bed.
"I was out. Well you know how I was with the South East Asians, and other than that I've just been out in the fields."
"With?"
"Stop it. It's nothing I swear," she plopped down face first into the bed.
"All I'm here to tell you is to not give up on Al okay? He's alive. I'm sure."
"I'm not giving up on him! I'm just...you know one day none of this will count right? You guys are all the way over there and I'm gonna be the other way. When we go to our own countries I'm the only one who doesn't go west- unless someone decides to go the long way."
"It's not about then Maria it's about now. Making bonds and memories that you won't forget."
"What will I do then? Sit back and think about all that happened before..? And mope? I don't want to do that Phara...I don't know what I want to do."
"Do what I'm gonna do," her voice was surprisingly quiet.
"What do you mean? You're not independent are you?"
"Someone bought me."
"WHO?!"
"France...it doesn't matter. Just I don't want to see things end up badly with you when I leave."
"I- I didn't know, I'm sorry it's just that uh... they'll forget me you know that. I have to think about tomorrow too. Maybe though, maybe it would feel better if I stayed in the past for a while. My thoughts are a mess. I'm gonna? Uh? Go," she shook her head and left the room.
She started waiting for Alejandro.

~

"Okay so we should be there soon hermano, just uh, don't die again," Carlos tried to assure him it would be okay. Truth be told, they were lost.

"Pedro's so nice guys," he slurred, "he gave me food and Gabe, but I scared Gabe away," he frowned.

"Oh how is he!" Daniel chirped in, not knowing Alejandro was long gone. In his dreams he'd gotten all the way back home. "Al? Did he say anything about me?" He paused for a moment and then smiled sheepishly, "oh, okay amigo, rest then, heh."

The conscious boys took shifts trying to stay conscious. Once Carlos' shift was over and Santiago was supposed to go and take watch, he stayed up so they could talk.

"I like it here don't you? Open skies, riding by bull, friends sleeping so we can chat. You think it'll be like this? When we're free?" Carlos didn't understand what the modern world had in store for him and his football loving friend.

"It might. Or we may never see independence, who knows. Maybe the nights won't be as calm, and we'll fight among ourselves. Maybe instead of guns we'll fight with our balls," he shrugged, "I mean footballs. But you get it. Life would be so much better don't you think?"

"I'd like to fight with balls, that would be, interesting; both ways I mean. Tell you what, let's bet."

"On?"

"Who'll be independent first," Carlos smiled genuinely, "I'm sure it'll be you," that was a surprise, "not me. I'm like, I can't even agree with myself sometimes," he chuckled.

"Okay fine then, I bet it will be you. You like the fight and the thought of it all better than I do, so."

"Okay bet. If I win though you have to get independence right after me okay? Don't wait around and be the last one standing," he explained, hoping he'd amount to something more than a colony one day, and soon.

"Of course not, because it's not fair that the loud one gets to be free and I don't, who'll chase me around with my blanket? Alejandro?" He chuckled, taking a glance at the boy with blood running down the side of his face.

"You'd like that wouldn't you though?" It was a simple question but it make a heavy silence between the pair.

"I would've, but right now I'm not so sure. Maybe everything I needed was right in front of me? Or beside me, I dunno."

"I live for the day when you get confident enough to do what I can't and whatever else you secretly want to do. This is progress Santiago, you've got this," Carlos laughed a bit, setting the mood back to a happier one.

"Me too."

~

"So you promise to remember me? When you leave to learn French? And all the uh...other stuff?" Maria asked the taller girl.

"Yes of course. Only if you remember me though, okay?"

Their long talk could've been reduced to those five sentences.

"So uh is it weird that we look five and I'm seeing someone?" Maria chuckled a bit.

"I mean if I saw you guys in public it would be questioning, but I'd get over it. How's that going by the way? I heard it's been a wreck since we got separate rooms," Phara couldn't help but notice.

"Uh I think it's going well. He still hates the other Asian people but I don't care about that. He also trade food though, like the ocean from my place to his isn't too hard and long to cross. I give him weird fruits and I get avocados and well a bunch of other things," she shrugged.

"Other stuff huh?" The black-haired girl blushed a bit and shook her head, "I meeean like there's this place named after him. It's a quiet little place, calm and sweet. New Mexico," she explained, "that's not too much right? If that is I can rename it."

"I think that's sweet, see? How could he forget about you? After all you've been through. A few hundred kilometres won't make too much of a difference."

"I hope so. I really do."

~

"Carlos is that another plane—" another crash? That was so rare he thought he was dreaming about crazy things due to the lack of sleep. But no no, there was a Portuguese plane on the ground. There was also a man inside it, but he wasn't injured like Alejandro; he actually landed the thing! Santiago was fascinated to say the least, and jumped off the bull to see if the boy was alright. It turned out to be Gabe. Huh. "What are you doing here?"

"Peds said I could go. So I was wondering if Dani was here. I brought my ball and thought we'd kick it around— oh and Al. Heh, sorry about that, he's probably back home by now no?"

"No. He's in there; but football?"

"Of course."

"Oh it's been so long," Argentina caught a glimpse of the ball and suddenly felt more competitive. "If you play Dani, can I play the winner?"

"I mean if you want to volunteer, Dani doesn't really like playing me," he smirked a bit, "if you know what I mean."

"I don't know that I do. But I take that as a yes?  I'm not the worst," he was modest but had a slight smirk on as well.

Thus began the rivalry— well actually it started after the first match. Hm.