Shelby laid on her side in her bed, her sheets and blankets cocooning her as she slept. The morning light seeped in from her room's window, but it only barely affected the dimness of the room. She didn't stir- in fact, she hadn't moved from that exact position all night, because yesterday had sapped all the energy from her.

America and Canada had taken her on what was supposed to be a short hike through the woods. However, it ended up taking the trio all day. Alfred used the map to catch a spider, and put it on Matthew. Matthew, in his panic, shredded the map, and they had quite the struggle finding their way back. Alfred walked straight into a patch of poison ivy, Matthew got chased by a flock of wild turkeys, and Alfred shoved Shelby into a river. By the time they got back to the cabin, the sun had set, and they were dirty, tired, and hungry. Shelby, being the clean freak she was, chose a shower over dinner, but she didn't mind, since she got to go to bed clean.

As she slept peacefully, her door knob jingled slightly, rotating slowly and carefully before the door creaked open. A dark figure stepped in softly, approaching Shelby with small, quiet steps. Within moments, however, the figure stood over the teen, and it raised its arms, snatching the blankets and pulling them over Shelby's head. By the time she was awake and was able to fully comprehend what was happening, the figure had completely encased her in the blankets, and they had the sheets draped over their shoulder, trapping her in a sort of sack.

"What the hell?" She demanded, thrashing in the blankets as she attempted to free herself. "Let me go! I'll rip your throat out! Just wait until I get out of these sheets- YOU'LL BE SORRY!" She screamed, before landing a hard kick on her captor's back, causing him to suck in a sharp breath in pain and let go of blankets.

Shelby fell to the ground, her head smacking against the floor with a sickening thud. Reflexively, she curled in a ball and gritted her teeth as nausea swept over her. Within seconds, her captor recovered, and he scooped her up, continuing on his quest.

Shelby blinked as she was set down on a wooden chair. Her vision was blurred slightly, and she could feel warm blood trickling down her head. She went to wipe it away, when she realized she couldn't move her arm. She looked down in panic, and saw that, during her daze, her arms and legs had been tied to the chair, restraining her movements. She glared up at her captor, squinting slightly, before her eyes widened in surprise.

"... Matthew?"

Canada offered her a nervous smile, running his fingers through his wavy, blonde hair. "Hello, Shelby. Sorry aboot the rude awakening, but I knew you wouldn't come if I just woke you up." He explained.

"You're crazy! You just gave me a concussion!" Shelby yelled. The bump on her head seemed to contain its own pulse as it throbbed with every word she spoke.

"Listen," he whispered, turning to the counter and grabbing a plate. As he swung it into view, Shelby's stomach twisted uncomfortably at the sight of syrupy pancakes. "I just need you to eat these."

"I'm not eating the pancakes, Matthew!" She protested, turning her face away from them, trying to avoid the sickeningly sweet smell of the syrup.

Matthew sighed, his shoulders falling slightly. "I knew you would say that. So I brought something that will persuade you." He explained. "Something that makes Americans extremely uncomfortable, stemming from generations of brainwashing propaganda and the dislike of any opinions different than yours."

Shelby's eyes widened slightly. "You don't mean..."

She trailed off as a huge figure stepped into the room, his presence daunting and terrifying. His hair was a beige blonde, his nose was pronounced, and his lips were stretched in a gentle smile, although his violet eyes made Shelby uneasy. "Hello, American. I am Russia." He said kindly.

"No!" Shelby cried, struggling against her restraints. "Matthew, please! Don't do this!"

"I'll ask him to leave if you eat these pancakes." He insisted, holding the plate out to her.

"For the last freaking time, I'm not eating those! I don't eat syrup on my pancakes!" She exclaimed.

"Then, I guess it is story time!" Ivan stated happily, standing behind Shelby as he placed gloved hands on her shoulders. "I will now educate you on the foreign and domestic policies of Mother Russia."

"What? I don't want to hear about your fake demo-" Before Shelby could even finish her sentence, Ivan's light pink scarf wrapped itself around her mouth, and she let out a muffled shout in surprise.

Ivan's smile intensified in satisfaction. "Let us begin, da?"

~~ 30 minutes later ~~

"And that is why the homosexual marriage is illegal in Russia." Russia finished his sixth story. His facial expression was content, but Shelby's countenance was quite different than his. Her eyes were glazed over and her back and limbs were bent at odd angles from her failed, tiring attempts to escape the ropes. Every-so-often, she tried to yell out muffled protests to Ivan's story, but every time her mouth moved or her head pulled away, the scarf tightened its grip on the teen.

Canada, standing only a few feet away, was becoming quite disturbed, and spoke up. "Shelby... All you have to do is eat pancakes." He whispered in distress, his hands clasped together and fidgeting nervously. Shelby responded with only a glare in Matthew's direction.

Suddenly, a new voice sounded from the hall as footsteps approached. "Hey, Canada. You got any idea where I put that itch cream last night? This poison ivy is really givin' it to me." America explained, before turning into the kitchen. He froze in the doorway at the sight of the events unfolding before him. "WHY THE HELL DO I ALWAYS WALK INTO THIS CRAP?" He yelled, his eyes wide with horror.

"I think the better question may be how you managed to sleep through it." Ivan pointed out.

"Alfred, before you freak out, I can expl-"

"IF THIS IS ABOUT THOSE DAMN PANCAKES, MATTHEW, I SWEAR TO GOD!"

"Okay, then I don't really need to explain." Canada trembled, shrinking away slightly.

Alfred marched forward, his glare like daggers as he stood in front of Ivan and Shelby, glaring up at the larger country. "Let go of her before I rip that precious scarf of your's off of the both of you."

Ivan's face hardened at the threat. "I did not come here for trouble, friend America. I was only doing a favor for Canada."

"I don't care what kind of favor it is, back off!" Alfred yelled, unraveling the scarf from Shelby's face. There was little resistance, seeing as Ivan wasn't interested in starting a fight. "I won't stand for one of my citizens being strangled by anyone, especially you!"

Ivan shrugged. "Very well, America, I will go." He stated, before his gaze shifted to Canada. "For making so much trouble, I request an extra bottle of vodka for payment." He smiled. "Goodbye, comrades. It was much fun." With that, he ruffled Shelby's hair on the top of her head, causing her to flinch, before he walked away, his strides long and graceful.

Alfred untied Shelby, grabbing her wrists gently as he helped her to her feet. "I think you owe Shelby an apology." He stated to his brother, his face set in a stern manner.

Matthew seemed to be on the brink of tears. "I-I'm sorry. I just-" He paused, sniffling as he looked to the floor, "I just wanted you to try my maple syrup. I took it too far." He whispered, grabbing a stool and sitting on it, sinking into a hunched posture.

"Aw, Matthew." Shelby sighed, walking forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I forgive you. Just... Can we just drop this whole syrup thing? I don't think I can take much more of it." She let out a harsh chuckle.

Matthew looked up at her, his violet eyes watering. "You... You forgive me?" He whispered.

Shelby nodded. "Yeah, you're impossible to stay mad at. Now... I'm gonna go take some ibuprofen." She stated, placing a hand on the scabbed-over bump on her head as she left the room.

Silence settled over the two brothers for a second, before Canada spoke. "I'm sorry aboot that, Alfred. I wasn't expecting her to get hurt, or to hold out that long with Russia talking." He explained nervously.

"It's cool, Matthew. I forgive you. Besides, did you see how I saved her back there? I really am the hero!" He said, placing his hands on his hips as he struck a superhero pose. "I don't think she'll ever be able to look at me the same way again."

"ALFRED!" Shelby screamed, before she appeared in the doorway. "What's this?" She demanded, holding up her wrist, which was beginning to turn red with a rash.

Alfred blinked, before flashing an awkward smile. "Well, it kinda looks like a poison ivy rash, but poison ivy isn't contagious!"

She didn't seem any happier. "Did you take a shower to get rid of the plant oil on your skin?" She seethed.

"... If I said yes, would you believe it?" Alfred asked hopefully.

"I'm gonna kick your ass."