Homeless (a Hetalia Fanfic, Book Three)

The Week of Farewells

When I opened my eyes, I didn't see the ceiling of that old and abandoned barn. Instead, I saw a vast blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds far above me, and around me were stalks of what looked like wheat or barley. They were a pretty yellow color, and dry. It felt like summer to me with the sun shining down so warmly on my face.

I sat up and glanced around only to see rolling hills densely packed with more and more of the wheat. "Amber waves of grain..." I murmured, one corner of my lips pulling up in a smile. A quick glance down at myself revealed that I was wearing a plain white slip with wide straps, and a straight neckline with a teeny wine-colored bow in the center of it. The hem fell to my knees. "So... What happens next?"

"Uh... hi," a small girl's voice said, and I turned about 90 degrees to look behind me. My eyes promptly widened, and I turned completely around so I was facing her.

Her dress was a childish version of my own, with a bigger bow of the same color at her throat. The girl's long, red-brown hair was in two braids behind her, and I noted that she had a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones. A few more decorated her forehead with constellations. But what struck me the most were her bright, soulful blue eyes rimmed with dark lashes; they held boundless curiosity, and probably more than enough untapped mischief and potential.

I smiled at her, and she smiled back, revealing the fact that her two front teeth overlapped just the littlest bit like mine did. "Hi," was my gentle answer. "What's your name?"

"It's your name: Oregon," she replied shyly, holding her hands together behind her back while she toed at the crushed wheat stalks beneath the two of us.

"Right, right," I giggled. "I guess this means that you're gonna take my place in the world, huh?"

Oregon nodded, looking unsure of what to do or say. "Do you... know what it's like out there?"

"I do, and I think you're going to love it," I said, hoping that she would have the bright outlook on life that I had always tried to have. "You have so many family members who are gonna love you, Oregon. Really, you're a very lucky girl."

"Really?" she asked me with hope glistening in her eyes. "I have a family?"

"Yup! And it's one of the biggest ones in the whole world." I grinned. "Some of them aren't even related by blood to you, but that doesn't mean they aren't your family."

"Wow... How many?" Oregon inquired curiously, and sat down right in front of me with the bottoms of her adorably small feet touching together.

I had to chortle a little bit. "Gosh, I honestly couldn't say! There are just too many to keep track of."

She smiled up at me, leaning back on her hands. "So... do you have any, uh... any... advice?"

"Advice?" I echoed, and put a hand on my chin so I could think it over a bit. It didn't take long for the perfect thing to pop into my head. "You know, a long time ago I met a really smart man, and he gave me a lot of great advice that I wish I had followed more. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did, so I'm gonna tell you what he told me:

"Don't be afraid to ask for help, okay?"

"Don't be afraid to ask for help?" Oregon repeated. "Okay... Who told you that?"

"His name's Tino, and I'm sure you'll meet him sometime soon. He's really nice, too." I was sure a melancholic expression passed over my face for a brief moment, but it was gone as soon as it arrived. "You should definitely listen to what he tells you."

Oregon nodded her head, making her braids swing. "I will. Promise."

"Good, that makes me glad," I said with a bright smile aimed her way. "As for some more advice, you should never judge a person by what you see, okay? Never ever. And you ought to take extra good care of the environment, because there are a lot of people out there who want to do bad things to it."