Can't Catch a Shadow

Hetalia was dragged by the arm after her tattoo was finished. She whimpered in pain as she stared at the red skin of her forearm.

The man who had done the numbers threw her in to a cage of sorts, a room with bars on all four sides, and closed the gate behind him. "Welcome to The Cage," he muttered, peering in through the bars.

Hetalia, near tears, stared back until he finally decided to leave her alone.

"The Cage," a female voice hissed from the dark. "What an interesting name for a place such as this."

"Hello?" the Russian called out hesitantly. "Who's there?"

"'Who's there,' she asks. Should we tell her, Amy?"

Hetalia took a step forward, only to jump back in shock as the owner of the voice leaned forward off her bunk. "Funny lookin' thing, aren't ya?"

"Are you..." Hetalia started. "Are you...Amy?"

The girl threw her head back and laughed, almost maniacally. "Am I Amy?! Don't be so silly!"

"I don't understand," the eight year old admitted.

"Amy, she's Russian!" the girl exclaimed. "A Russian! Should we trust her?" The girl stared at the ceiling for a little while, nodding her head slightly. "That doesn't sound like such a good idea, Amy. I mean, no offense, but it seems a bit forward."

"Who are you talking to?" Hetalia asked, unconsciously looking up at the bars above her.

"My name is Kari," the girl said confidently, as if Hetalia had not asked another question. "I live here in The Cage. I've been here for quite a long while."

"My name is Hetalia," she said quietly. "Who were you talking to earlier?"

"Amy," she breathed, seeming like she was dreaming. "She's an angel!"

"Amy...the angel?"

Kari nodded, smiling brightly. "She is the daughter of Castiel, the angel of Thursday, and his consort."

Hetalia stared at Kari as she beamed up at the ceiling, as if smiling to a suitor. "I don't think I've heard of Castiel."

"Of course not!" Kari snapped, glaring at Hetalia. "He does not concern himself with the likes of disciples! He finds all that fame to be...distracting."

"And Amy?"

"Amy!" Kari repeated like a toddler learning his first word. "Yes! She is beautiful and all powerful! All shall bow to her will!" Kari cringed and held up her hands. "I'm sorry, Amy! I didn't mean to make you sound so ill favoured!"

Hetalia took a step towards Kari. "Are you okay?"

"Get away from me!" Kari snapped, standing up off her bunk. "You don't know the joys of this world! You couldn't possibly understand! You are a sinner and you deserve to be punished!"

Kari lunged towards Hetalia who screamed and curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing as she waited for Kari's strike to come.

She peeked up when no blows were landed. Kari stood there calmly, as if none of that came to pass. "Forgive my consort," she said with a whole new tone. "She does not understand the workings of human behavior."

"K..Kari?"

Kari shook her head, still standing in the same position as before. "No," she replied. "I am Amy, daughter of Castiel. Queen of the known universe."

Hetalia backed away from the teen in front of her. "Kari, I think you're very sick."

"Have care how you speak!" Kari snapped. "This is my consort you speak of!"

Kari lunged for Hetalia, actually making contact with the small girl and pinned her against a set of the bars. "You will beg for forgiveness. You will plea for your life!"

"Help!" Hetalia shouted through her tears. "Please! Someone! Help me!"

****

Hetalia sat on her bunk, fiddling with the laces on her Cage-issued boots. Kari was sound asleep on her own, as if nothing had happened.

The young girl was afraid that the tank top and cargo pants that the guard had given her wouldn't keep her warm enough, but in all honesty, she was sweating. The air here was humid and stifling and not a single breeze blew through the place. The Cage was underground, for the most part, with a small facility topside. Hetalia marveled over how much they gave her. She wore a plain brown tank top, grey cargo pants, and unisex black boots. They tattooed her number on her forearm, which was finally starting to lose a little bit of feeling, and gave her a set of dog tags with the word 'Trainee' engraved in the metal.

Hetalia's hair had been pulled back in a pony tail. With the sweat pouring off her body, all she really wanted was shower.

A man walked by her cell. He wasn't a prisoner, but he also wasn't a guard. None of his clothes matched the uniform descriptions given to her.

"Excuse me?" Hetalia said quietly, getting as close as she could to the bars without getting close enough for him to grab her. "Is there a shower or something around here?"

The man chuckled slightly, hanging back in the shadows so as not to be seen. "No, but there's an underground stream that runs through here," he replied with a smooth, English accent. "Go through your back door. That's where the prisoners are allowed to roam. Nobody goes there because nobody here terribly cares about personal hygiene. You'll be alone and perfectly safe."

The man walked away, leaving Hetalia alone once again.

****

Hetalia walked on the dirt path, just waiting for a guard to jump her and drag her back to her cell. She encountered multiple guards, but nobody did anything to hinder her journey.

It took a little wandering around, but she eventually found the stream. What the man forgot to mention was that the stream pooled into a small lake.

Hetalia looked around, seeing nobody around, and slipped off her boots. She moved to take off her tank top when a voice startled her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."