"Check it out Katrina," Aurel boasted, showing Katrina his paper. "C+!"

"Really? You got a C+ on your paper?" Katrina replied as she pulled out a paper. "I got an A+ on mein."

"Vhat?! How did you get an A+?!"

"I just vorked hard. Besides ve're two grades apart."

Aurel crossed his arms and huffed out some air. "Ve vould be apart by four if you veren't so smart. Besides all the teachers like you."

Katrina smirked a little as she placed her paper back into her bag. She knew that her Father would be proud to see another great grade from her. Plus she got to humiliate her older cousin in the process. The 7-year old soon saw her home and smiled slightly as she ran towards it.

"Vait for me!" Aurel called out as he followed his cousin towards the house. As soon as they opened the door an aweful smell filled the air that made the two gag. "Vhat is that awful smell?"

Katrina sniffed the air. "It smells like beer," Katrina concluded. "Onkle Prussia must have friends over again."

The two walked inside and followed the smell until they reached the living room. There they found Germany passed out on the couch with beer bottles surrounding the couch. "Vhat the heck?" Aurel said. "Vhy vas Onkle Vest drinking beer?"

Katrina shook her head. She couldn't believe this. There was no way her Father would drink while she had been at school.

As the two stared at Germany, they noticed that the German was starting to wake-up. He started stretching from his position on the couch. As he sat up and rubbed his eyes Katrina approached her Father so she could get some answers. "Vati, vhy vere you drinking beer?" she asked in a stern voice. "You never drink beer vhile ve're at school."

"I vas just trying something different," Germany answered as he took out another beer bottle from the crate on the floor and began drinking it right in front of her.

Katrina looked absolutely flabbergasted. Her Father was acting like a deadbeat. She was about to yell at him again for acting the way he was when she noticed his eyes were violet instead of blue. She left the living room, acting as if she was angry, and then took Aurel by his hand and dragged him to the kitchen.

"Vhat are doing Katrina?" Aurel asked.

"Ve need to check something."

"Huh?"

"Just follow me." Katrina continued to drag Aurel around until they were outside.

"Katrina, vhy are ve out here?"

That's when the two noticed someone running around on the track. It definitely wasn't Germany but it couldn't have been who they thought it was. The person soon came to a stop and that's when the two realized it was Prussia.

"Vater?" Aurel asked as he walked over to his Father, who was drinking from a bottle of water.

"Ja Aurel?" Prussia asked, not seeming like his normal self.

"Vhat are you doing?"

"I vas training."

"Training?!" Aurel and Katrina said at the same time.

"You both are acting like I don't do it at all."

"You don't train at all!" Katrina shouted.

"Okay, nov I see vhat you mean," Aurel whispered to Katrina. "Something is very vrong vith Vater."

"Ja, I told you so," Katrina whispered back. "Come on, ve need to leave."

Aurel nodded.

The two cousins walked back towards the house and quietly tiptoed up the stairs towards one of the many vacant rooms that were in the house. After finding that the room was clear, Katrina gestured Aurel to come inside. They locked the door and then discussed what they were going to do;

"It's obvious that ve can't stay here," Katrain pointed out. "So ve need to sneak out of the house and find the other countries so that they know vhat's going on."

Aurel nodded, knowing Katrina's plan was going to work. Even though he was older, Aurel was more muscle than brain.

Just as the two were sneaking down the stairs again to go back outside, their path was blocked by "Germany".

"And vhere do you think you tvo are going?" he asked in a gruff voice.

"Ve vere just-" Katrina was cut off when she felt herself get pushed against the wall by the large man. She was so shocked and terrified that she couldn't react.

"You vill not be going anyvhere kind," Lutz growled at Katrina as he stared at her with his violet eyes full of malice.

Katrina could only shake in fear as she was held back by this stranger.

Aurel got over the shock that he was in and threw his shoe at Lutz, catching the German man's attention. "Let go of Katrina you dummkopf!" Aurel shouted at the man, not even thinking of the fear that was welling up inside of him.

Lutz growled at Aurel. "Stay out of this boy, this is none of your concern."

"Ja it is vhen you hurt my cousin."

Using the opportunity, Aurel gestured his head a bit to the side, trying to get Katrina to realize he was distracting Lutz so she could escape. Katrina nodded and then quickly slipped from Lutz' grasp and made a break for the door.

Lutz turned only to see Katrina run out the door. He then turned his attention back to Aurel, who was smirking. "You knov for a grovn-up you're not really that smart."

******************************

Katrina ran until she felt her legs collapse from underneath her. She crawled under a tree and placed herself against it as tears welled up in her eyes. "I know that man vasn't Vati, but he looked so much like him so......vhat am I suppose to think?" The tears soon rolled down her cheeks. She felt so powerless. I vish, Vati vas here, Katrina thought.

That's when Katrina heard rustling from the bushes. Katrina stood up from her spot on the ground and got in a fighting stance, wiping the tears from her eyes. Crying wasn't going to help her so she knew there was only one option; fight. That's when someone came out from the bushes. "Danke for vaiting for me Katrina," Aurel stated as he came out from the bushes.

Katrina sighed with relief before running towards her cousin, glad that he was okay. She had been worried that something had happened to him and started crying into his shirt, allowing her soft side to come out. Aurel was shocked at first but then placed an arm around her.

"It's okay Katrina, it's okay."

Katrina nodded before wiping her tears. She gave herself a moment to regain her composer before getting back her serious stature. "All right, ve need to go find the other nations quickly," Katrina stated before beginning to walk again. "Ve need to go to the nearest nation."

"Und vho vould that be?" Aurel asked.

"Italy."