California. The 31st state is commonly known as the Golden Girl of the West. She's- Hey! What are you-

"Yoink!"

"Cali! That's my laptop! Give it back! Stop! Cali!"

"Can't catch me!" *Blows a raspberry*

"Get back here damn it!"

Ba-Da-Ba-Da-Ba-Da-Ba-Da-Ba-Da! Slam! Click! "Bwahahaha! Too slow!"

Knock! Knock! Knock! "Seriously Cali! Open this door!" Knock! Knock! Knock! "Cali! I swear if you don't give my laptop back I'll-"

"Relax, Author-senpai. I'm just going to borrow this laptop and type in my own intro."

"I won't allow it! Hurry up and open this door before I call America and tell on ya!"

"Pfft! Whatever. In the meantime, let's spice this intro with a bit of my famous celebrity charm."

"Cali! Cali, open up! Sigh..." (Author walks away defeated...)

Woohoo! What's up my fabulous followers! I bet after seeing my brief appearances throughout this fanfic you're freakin' ecstatic to see me. As you know, California is totally the best state in all of America. Don't deny it! I'm gorgeously beautiful, fabulously talented, athletically fit, and extremely smart. No matter what Texas says, I'm a gazillion leagues better than her!

Even though I'm hella awesome nowadays, you have no idea how freakin' lame my past was. Before Hollywood and the Gold Rush, I was an underdeveloped wasteland, lost without a purpose in this vast world. Like, you couldn't imagine how boring my life was. Being the poor, little girl I was back then, I dreamed of a miracle that I would one day be rich and famous. And luckily for little me, this miracle took the form of a small, gold nugget I found in a river during one chilly morning.

☆☆☆☆☆

I wondered how Baja was doing.

Despite being separated, we were still close. She and I didn't like Mexico, notably after he started acting like a dick. When we heard the news of Tejas becoming a republic, we, too, thought about becoming free from Mexico. She didn't think she was strong enough to becoming independent, even after I offered to protect her. Nevertheless, she wished me luck in my endeavors. I was confident with my plans until America declared war on Mexico.

My plans for freedom were put on hold once the first American troops stepped foot in my home. I was forced to cooperate with them, putting up little resistance to their arrival. Initially, I didn't have a problem with this. The few Americans I met always talked about America like he was the best husband in the world. Nice place... Financially stable... Not a piece of shit like Mexico... Plus, I heard Tejas was taking a liking to him. I hadn't met him yet, but he sounded like the coolest guy I could get along with.

While some of the Americans were nice to me, others were not as nice as I wanted them to be. Unfortunately for me, some of these mean Americans put me to work as a laborer. Like, what the fuck?! How dare they put me, a little girl, to work?! If this was America's punishment for being Mexican, I swear by the Virgin Mary I was going to kick him in el pito (the whistle/dick).

You guys wouldn't believe how bad it was to be a laborer at Sutter's Fort. While Mr. Sutter gloated his plans to build an agriculture empire, his Native American "employees" and I were forced to work the fields for twelve hours straight from dawn to dusk. Food- I mean, mushy slop was served in troughs for us to eat. Like pigs, the natives didn't mind, but I wasn't going to eat slop. Nuh-uh! I had standards! There was no fucking way I was going to be treated worse than a pig. A pig!

I tried to escape. My second and third days ended with me getting hunted down by hounds before one of the hired workers dragged me back to Mr. Sutter. The whooping he gave me wasn't as bad the dog bites. Still, the way he humiliated me pissed me off. After the third day was when I decided to stay, at least until I found a way to safely and successfully escape from his lousy colony.

If it weren't for Mr. Marshall, I would've probably been in much worse condition. He recognized me at the Bear Flag Revolt and was quite sympathetic toward me. As it turned out, his cattle disappeared from his property, leaving him broke without a dime on him. He ended up finding employment under Mr. Sutter, tasked to build a sawmill as a part of Sutter's empire or whatever stupid plan he had. Poor him working for an asshole. But lucky for me, he sneaked me the good food. I would've probably died from starvation if it weren't for him.

During one morning, I was hanging around the American River where the sawmill was being built. The weather was chilly, but I didn't mind. The sun was out to warm my grimy skin as I basked in its glowing rays like a collared lizard laying on a sandstone rock. If only it was spring. I would've picked a few golden poppies and woven them into a flower crown, perhaps making one for Mr. Marshall as well. With nothing else to do, I started whistling to myself. Again, I wished it was spring. The song birds would've been happy to join me.

"Cali. What in the world are you doing out here?" Mr. Marshall spoke behind me.

I ceased my whistling, my eyes still on my reflection in the clear water. "Minding my business, sir," I muttered.

I heard him heave out a heavy sigh. "Aren't you supposed to be helping out in Mr. Sutter's kitchen?"

"Nooo..." I glanced to the side.

"Cali."

I rolled my eyes as I turned my head toward the man in his late thirties. "He already has ten people working in there. What's the point on peeling carrots and potatoes and not eat any of the good food?" I pouted.

"When Mr. Sutter finds out you've been absent from your chores, I guarantee your butt will be as red as a baboon after he's done with you."

I frowned. "Do you plan on telling on me?" I said in a doting voice, giving him the most innocent puppy eyes I could give him. I also added a few sniffles in order to sound convincing.

Like any man, Mr. Marshall fell for my cuteness in a heartbeat. He hesitated with a rosy blush, awkwardly rubbing the back of his sore neck while I waited for his reply. "Tell you what. Help me work on the water mill, and if Mr. Sutter's asks I'll say you were helping me," he suggested.

Not a bad deal...however...

"I want quail for tomorrow's dinner," I added.

He gave me a stink eye. "Getting away from your chores scot-free is already good enough."

I made a short guffaw. "Do you really want me to get punished again?" I smirked.

He shook his head. "Young lady. Mr. Sutter is already suspicious of my eating habits. If he were to find out I was sneaking you food, I could be put out of a job."

"I want quail!" I insisted.

He sighed. "... I'll see what I can do."

I beamed. "Good!" I stood up from the ground and skipped to my feet. "Take me to this water wheel of yours!" I giggled.

Mr. Marshall led me to his horse as we rode to Sutter's Mill upriver. When we got there, I was slightly confused by the sight of men and no mill.

"Where's the mill?"

"We're still working on it," he said as he helped me off his horse. "Don't do anything stupid or get yourself hurt."

"I can only do one of them."

He gave me a look. "Don't be a smart-ass."

I giggled. "Okay!"

While Mr. Marshall worked on constructing the water wheel, I helped dig the tailrace. By dig, I was twirling the shovel around like a baton. I wasn't keen on working for Mr. Sutter. I was a child after all. I should be having fun instead of digging a trench all day.

I lifted the shovel and plunged it into the water. I splashed the water's surface with the spade, pretending I was a graceful water dancer. The workers nearby chuckled as I proudly showed off my moves. After playing in the water for a while, I looked up to see if Mr. Marshall was watching me. He worked nearby at a wooden bench, sawing some pinewood. Seeing his back turned away from me brought a naughty smirk on my face.

Carefully, I scooped some water onto the shovel. I slowly and quietly got out of the stream, climbing out of the trench as I snuck up on the busy man. About three yards away, the man still unaware of my mischievous intentions, I lobbed freezing water at his back. Mr. Marshall gave a surprised jolt and spouted a series of curses as he quickly turned around with a burning red face. The men who were doing the construction couldn't help but giggle at the situation.

"Cali! What did I say?"

"At least I didn't get hurt," I chuckled.

"Do that again and I'll take you back to the fort."

I pouted. "You're no fun," I grumbled as I lifted the shovel over my shoulder.

Mr. Marshall went back to work while I went back to play in the channel. At some point in the day, my arm got sore from lifting the shoveling around. I must've taken a nap because the next thing I saw was Mr. Marshall standing over me with half a loaf of bread in hand.

"Lunch time, kiddo." He sat down next to me. I was about to grab the loaf, but he pulled it away from me. "What do you say?"

I scowled. "I'm hungry." I snatched the loaf and took a bite out of it.

He sighed. "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

"I don't have parents." I took another bite out of the bread.

"Then, who did you live with before coming here?"

"I lived with my siblings... One of them got beaten up by one of my brothers. That brother then got beaten up by an American. Because of him, I'm stuck here." I frowned.

"Geez..."

"This bread's stale," I complained.

"No, it's not."

"Yeah, it is." I threw what's left of the bread into the stream.

"Why did you do that?"

"The fish can have it."

"There are no fish in the channel."

"Well, I'll feed it to the ants then." I got up and went to pick up the soggy, wet bread.

As I was picking the bread out of the river, I noticed something shiny in the channel bed. I tossed the bread over my shoulder before crouching down, getting a better look at what I saw. Amidst the pebbles and the coarse sand, there was a shiny, yellow rock no bigger than the tip of my pinkie. I picked it up out of the channel and took a closer look at it.

"Found something interesting?" Mr. Marshall questioned.

 I turned around and showed him the shiny rock. "It doesn't look like an ordinary rock..." I mumbled.

He raised his hand out. "May I see it?"

I handed him the shiny, lumpy rock. I looked back at the river and saw there were more shiny rocks that looked exactly like the one I found. I picked two more up out of the river and showed them to Mr. Marshall who was still busy looking at the yellow pebble.

"I..." He didn't finish his sentence. He got up and walked over to a large, flat stone that sat close by. He picked up a rock the size of his fist and began smashing the rock on the small, yellow pebble.

I looked at him wide-eyed like he was crazy. "What are you doing?" I went over to him.

The shiny pebble I gave him was flattened out, nearly thin like a piece of paper. He looked at me in amazement, still unable to say anything. Impatiently, I asked again, "What is it, Mr. Marshall? Aren't you going to tell me?"

"I... I think... I think you found gold," he said in disbelief.

I gasped. "Gold? Really?!" I grinned. "Eureka! I'm rich!" I went back to the river and started plucking more shiny pebbles out of the river.

"Now hang on," Mr. Marshall interrupted my celebration, "this may be iron pyrite."

I stopped picking gold out of the river. "What?" I went over to him. "What do you mean?"

"This supposed speck of gold may actually be worthless," he clarified. "We need to do further tests to see if this is really gold." He picked up the flattened speck and put it in his pocket. He turned to me and held out his hand. "Give me the rocks."

I shook my head. "It's mine! I found them first!"

"I need to see if they're actually gold. You could be holding Fool's Gold for all I know."

I pouted. "Fine," I handed him the gold, "but I better have them back once you confirm it really is gold."

"Alright." I followed him back to the mill.

For the next four days, Mr. Marshall and his coworkers tested the shiny rocks while I returned to working at Sutter's Fort. The labor I did sucked balls, but the thought of finding gold kept me from fleeing that wretched place. I kept asking Mr. Marshall whenever I saw whether the rocks I found were really gold. He kept telling me to wait, and I was getting annoyed after asking him thirty times.

But finally on the fifth day, I finally got my answer. Indeed, the pebbles I found were gold nuggets. Mr. Marshall gave me back my gold as promised, however, I was disappointed he only kept half his promise.

"Hey! Where's the rest of it?" I raised my only nugget at him in anger.

"I plan to give the rest to Mr. Sutter."

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "You can't do that!"

"Cali, this is Mr. Sutter's land. He has the right to know."

He was about to leave, but I blocked his way. "H-Hang on! How about we keep this discovery to ourselves?"

"Cali. What did I tell you about finding something that doesn't belong to you?"

"Finders keepers, losers weepers."

"No. Try again."

I pouted. "They not around, it's mine now."

"Come on. I taught you better than this."

I groaned. "Fine. Always tell them before taking it for myself."

"Good." He patted my shoulder.

"Do we really have to tell, Mr. Sutter?" I asked again.

"Yes, we have to. Although..."

"Although what?"

"I don't think Mr. Sutter's going to be pleased with this discovery."

I cocked my head. "I thought everyone likes gold?"

He chuckled. "True, however, Mr. Sutter's more focused on building empire than a speck of gold. If everyone got word of gold being on his land, his plans would surely be ruined."

"Really?" A devious demon crawled onto my left shoulder, whispering sweet, conniving plans of revenge and ruin. I forced an innocent smile on my face.

"Yeah. The workers I showed the gold to were starting to pan gold out of the river. If anyone else outside the territory got wind of this discovery, this land would be crowded with inspectors and no one would want to work Mr. Sutter's land."

"I see." I secretly giggled to myself. "Well, then! You should go and tell Mr. Sutter about the gold we found." I started walking away from him.

He quirked a brow. "What's with a change of heart?"

I look back at him, looking innocent as usual. "Well, your wise words convinced me."

"Yeah right," he scoffed.

"I'm serious!"

"Well, I better get going now." He started to leave.

"Don't forget about my quail dinner!"

"Yeah, yeah." He waved me off without a clue of my secret intentions.

For once in my life, I felt powerful. Spain, Mexico, Mr. Sutter, and possibly America, I was forced to serve them without a choice on the matter. Anything I did was easily suppressed or not taken seriously. I always wanted to prove them wrong, prove I was a force to be reckoned with. With this gold nugget found, I finally found a way to prove my worth.

~ Two Months Later ~

I was minding my business, working the soil, when I was dragged by the arm. I honestly didn't know what I did wrong until I was forced to stand in front of Mr. Sutter who stood in front of the shed I was living in. The shed's door was wide open, revealing a ten by ten foot of cramp space. The bed of straw I was sleeping on was gone. Instead, it was replaced with a hole in the dirt that revealed the tin pans and small shovels I originally kept hidden. Mr. Sutter held a burlap sack, shaking the bag slightly that caused the silver coins to jingle inside.

"Well, fuck," was all I could mutter.

"Care to explain this?" Mr. Sutter questioned unimpressed.

I tried to pretend I knew nothing. "Oh! My! God!" I gasped. "Was that underneath the dirt all this time? Holy cow!" I slowly turned around. "I better tell my friends-" 

"Don't play coy with me!" I flinched. "I told you and the others to keep this gold discovery under wraps! And look!" He pointed to the tents and fat-looking, burly men along the nearby river. "Not only did you let the secret out, you were profiting off it behind my back! He slammed the bag on the ground.

"... I swear that's not mine."

"You think I'm that stupid?"

"Yes."

The mustachioed, White man furiously shook his head. "You think I wouldn't notice the missing pans from the kitchen? I even saw you selling a pan to one of those fatasses. Admit it, you sneaky rat."

I raised a finger. "To be fair, this Brannan guy was the cause of the flocks."

I mean, I only thought about telling a few people about the gold. It wasn't until I heard of this man selling pans and shovels to prospectors did I decided to do the same thing. Smart move on his part. I figured the money I made would come in handy in my escape from this hellhole. Of course, they were ruined before I could try.

"I only told a few people. It's no big deal."

"No big deal?! Most of my workers quit on me in search for gold! Now I have a bunch of bums intruding on my land!"

"Could you blame them?" I shrugged.

His mustache twitched in annoyance. "For disobeying my orders and lying to me, I'm putting you to work."

"I mean, I'm already working..." I grumbled.

"Fourteen hours instead of ten!"

"Aw, what?! You can't do that!"

"I'm also confiscating the tools and the money you made." He picked up the sack of silver. "If I see you do something like this again, I'll have something worse for you. Consider this your warning." He turned to a couple of his workers and had them carry the pans and shovels. "Be sure to fill that hole up before you head back to work." He left without batting an eye.

I scowled. "He didn't even give me a shovel. That motherfucker," I grumbled.

Without much of a choice, I proceeded to cover the hole with my bare hands. Once again, I was suppressed and humiliated, treated like trash once again. Despite this, I was glad to see my plans to ruin Mr. Sutter were beginning to take fruit. Soon, this place was going to be filled with greedy bums looking for gold. It was only a matter of time.

~ Five Months Later ~

I had some good news and some bad news. The good news: Mr. Sutter was having trouble paying off his debt now that his workers ditched him for finding gold. The bad news: Mr. Sutter stole my idea and decided to sell supplies to gold prospectors. In addition to that, I was still working fourteen hours a day, still treated like dirt under his ownership.

I couldn't help but wonder whether this was deserved or not, whether this was my fate. Sleeping on dirt floors, eating out of a trough, working fourteen hours a day no matter the weather or whether I was sick or not, I hated it. And it was all because of Mr. Sutter.

No, not just him. It was also Mexico's fault. He should've been here to protect me from Americans like him. Yet, I hadn't seen in months. The war was over five months ago. He could've at least checked up on me to see if I was safe. He could've at least send me a letter. Or, maybe that letter got lost on its way to me... B-But that wasn't an excuse for his absence! He promised he would be there for me, but, no, he lied! Just like Spain, I shouldn't have expected much from that tequila-drinking bastard.

Besides Mexico, a part me hated America for putting me in this mess. Where was my freedom? My rights? I thought he was a country who granted these wonderful things. Yet, I was a slave to an American who treated the Native Americans worse than his hounds. And like Mexico, I hadn't seen him these past months. Now that I became a part of America, I was afraid of what would happen to me. Another Mexico or Spain... I couldn't bare the thought of being a slave for the rest of life.

Slavery... Who were the monsters who came up with this idea? Who in their right mind would want to support it? Everything about it was wrong. No, it was worse than wrong. It was despicable. To know there were humans who take pleasure on controlling and manipulating those like them without showing any empathy of their plight was...just...sad... I swore this kind of treatment would never happen. Not in a billion years would I allow such inhumanity to prosper. If only I had a voice... If only I was free...

I stirred awake from the morning heat. I curled my body up like a roly poly, wanting to be protected from the outside world. My eyes were too dry not to shed tears. I already wasted them months before. I wanted to cry some more. I knew it wouldn't change anything. Still, it was kinda my way of coping with the abuse.

Once again, I reminded myself with words of encouragement. By encouragement, I meant the days Mr. Sutter would yell at me for not waking up on time. Not wanting to hear his ratchet voice, I slowly sat up from the flattened hay. As usual, I picked the straws out of my golden brown hair, making sure I looked somewhat decent. When that was done, I waited for the door to unlock for me to leave and start working on tasks fourteen hours straight before getting forced back into my cabin. That was the typical day I knew deep down was horrid. Yet, I gotten used to it. Rather, I grew numb to that disappointing feeling.

I counted for thirty minutes until I heard Mr. Sutter's voice behind the door. The keys jingled from his pockets, jingling once again as he sorted through a dozen of them before finding the one that unlocked the sheds. The lock clicked, and the door became unlocked. I placed my hand over my eyes as light shed through the doorway. My eyes were locked down on a pair of boots that were too small to be Mr. Sutter's. I thought it was one of his hired workers until I saw their face.

Was I still dreaming? I mean, the person standing in front of me looked somewhat familiar considering I hadn't seen in her in years. I recognized her short, tomboyish, black hair and the glasses she wore. I also noticed she grew since the last time I saw her as a little kid. Other than that, everything else about her looked foreign. She was now dressed like a Westerner, sporting a pair of boots, jeans, a leather vest over a cotton shirt, and a funnily shaped hat. Once my eyes adjusted to the daylight, I got a better look of her face. Her eyes... They were supposed to be a vivid green, yet one of them was blue like my eyes. Not only did the color of her eyes set me off, the way she looked at me was startling. She looked as shocked as me when we saw each other for the first time in a while.

"Cali...?" she muttered unsure.

I got up on my feet. I wobbled over to her, wanting to get a closer look of her. She took a step back as I reached out to touch her. I was a bit disappointed, yet I was also excited. I knew she wasn't the most sociable person, but seeing her here gave me some hope, the assurance that I wasn't alone. She came for me. My sister. She was here to save me from this place.

"Tejas!" I lunged at her and held her tightly without a care in the world for my hideous, smelly appearance.

She nearly fell over as she grabbed a hold of me. "Cali! What in tarnation are you doing living in a hobo shack?"

I couldn't help but spew waterfalls out of my eyes. "You have to get me outta here! Mr. Sutter is a demonic slaveholder who treats me worse than bitches! He's terrible! He's the absolute worst! Please, Tejas! Don't leave me here!" After saying that out loud, I remembered Mr. Sutter being nearby. I flinched and got ready for him to curse at me. As I was turning my eyes to meet him, I noticed he wasn't paying attention to me and my sister. Rather, he was busy talking with a man I never seen before.

At first, I thought the stranger he was talking to was one of his more recent hired workers, perhaps a young prospector wanting to buy supplies off him. However, there was something about the man I saw that was different from any man I knew. Without a doubt, he was an American with his crystal blue eyes and his golden blond hair. But when I watched him closely, I saw his glasses. They looked exactly like Tejas's and Mexico's.

I looked at Tejas. I looked at him. I looked at my hermana (sister). I looked at him... I also noticed he and her wore similar Western outfits. ... I wondered if the two planned on dressing in the same clothes. That would be pretty cute of them if they did.

Tejas forced myself off her. "First off, the name's Texas," she said. "Second, I don't know what you've been through, and I honestly couldn't give less of a damn."

I glowered. "You should give a damn! Being a slave is the worst!"

"Well, that's what you get for siding with Mexico."

"I didn't even side with him!"

"Whatever. Either way, you should know the reason I came here was because this friends of mine wanted to see you and our other siblings who joined the Union." She looked at the stranger who was shaking hands with Mr. Sutter.

As Mr. Sutter walked away, the stranger walked over to us with a smile on his face. When he approached us, I realized he was taller than I originally expected, nearly twice as tall as me. I felt intimidated by his presence, resolving to hide behind Tejas.

"Relax, Cali." Tex stepped away from me, leaving me exposed to him. "This is America. He's the one who wanted to see you. Whether you want to come with him is up for you to decide." She turned her back and walked a distance away from us, probably to leave us alone and let us talk in private.

I stared up at the stranger that was America. It was...weird. Like, I was kinda upset he didn't come here sooner in addition for occupying me during the war. On the other hand, he was here. He was the nation who gave power to the common people, giving them a say in his decisions. Plus, Texas seemed to trust him. Maybe I could trust him, too. Perhaps he could turn my life around. Already, he was helping me get out of enslavement. Yet, I couldn't help but wonder what else he had planned for me.

America took his hat off and crouched down to my level, making it seem like he was looking up at me. "Howdy," he greeted. "It's pleasure meeting Tex's sister." He held out his hand.

I proceeded to shake it out of respect. "Nice to meet you, too, mister," I mumbled rather awkwardly. It had been a long time since I ever called an older man "mister". He didn't look like a mister. If anything, he looked sorta like an older brother.

"The name's America," he introduced. "I also go by Alfred. Either is fine."

I nodded. "My name's California or Cali for short. I also go by Aurelia although I rarely get called that..."

"Aurelia," he softly smiled, "what a pretty name."

A rosy warmth grew on my cheeks. "It means golden," I told him.

"Golden...like poppies."

I was a bit taken aback by his choice of words. "Poppies?"

"I noticed them as I was coming here."

I scowled. "Did you also come looking for gold?" I dared ask the question I most dread ever since Spain and Mexico first arrived in my home.

"Um...yeah?"

I sighed. I pointed to the river where the tents were along its banks. "It's right over there. Of course, you'll need tools if you plan on getting some yourself."

"I'll do that later. Right now, I need to get you cleaned up."

I blinked my eyes at him. "Cleaned up?"

"Yeah. You look malnourished." He grimaced as he looked at the shed. "He..." He looked behind him but no one was there. "... Come on. We should leave and get you somewhere safe." He grabbed my hand but I slapped it away. He looked at me in shock.

I crossed my arms and shook my head. "What would you do to me once we get out of here?" I glared.

He frowned. "I was planning on taking you to an inn. Let you bathe, give you a proper meal, provide a comfy bed, anything better than here..." He looked off to the side. "Once you looked well enough to travel, I was planning to take you back to D.C., my capital."

"Why?"

"Well, you're a part of me now," he chuckled. "It would make sense for you to become a state."

"But I'm already a state."

"You were but for Mexico. Being an American state is a bit different."

"Explain."

"Well..." he hesitated, "I don't know much about the Mexican states. From what I saw during my time in Mexico during the war, it didn't look...stable."

"You're not wrong. Mexico nor Spain didn't know what they were doing. It got worse when Mexico started acting like a dick." I confessed, "I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing you. I mean, you seem nice, but you could be just like him for all I know. Promising all these things only to ignore and use me. Why should I believe you?"

He pointed his finger behind me. "See Tex over there?" I turned my head and saw Texas talking with the prospectors by the river. "She was like you, too. She had some doubts joining me. But when she did, she smiled. I gave her everything she ever wanted. Freedom, rights, whatever she asked for I gave it to her." He softly smiled. "The same goes for all my states. Even though I'm their boss, I'm also their guardian. It's my job to see they're happy and secured. Without them, I would be weak and hopeless. It's thanks to them I'm able to stand and offer you a place within our Union."

I pondered over what he said for a moment. "... Would you also grant my demands?"

"To an extent, yes. Why?"

I breathed in and out. "I'll join you, however," I added, "I have a list of demands."

"I'm listening."

"First off, I want to get out of here."

"Of course."

"Second, the gold in the river is mine."

"Sure..."

"I expect to be compensated for the gold I give you."

"Fair."

"Third, I want you to promise me my rights and protections are guaranteed."

"As long as you're not doing anything illegal, I'm okay with that."

"Fourth, I want to immediately become a state."

"Immediately?"

"Like, right now."

"Um... You need to satisfy some requirements as a territory-"

"No!" I shook my head. "I'm already a state. I'm not letting you downgrade me to a territory. I've already been through enough shit as it is."

"But-"

"Do you want my gold or not?"

"Okay, okay!" He calmed me down. "How about you prepare a state constitution for me to approve? If you do that, I'll immediately make you a state."

I thought about his suggestion. "How long would it take me?"

"If you put a lot of effort into your government, you could get it done in a year."

"... Deal!"

We shook hands.

"Hey!" We turned our heads and saw Tex walking back to us. "Did something happen?"

"Yep!" I nodded. "I'm going to become an American state!"

"Good luck with that. It's probably gonna take you quite a while getting ready for statehood-"

"I'll become a state within a year!"

"What? No."

"Uh-huh! America said I would become a state in about a year."

"Seriously, America?"

"I mean, she's already becoming popular."

"How come she gets to become a state in a year while it took me ten years?"

"You know I didn't want to declare a war on Mexico."

"Yet, you did in the end."

"Shut up! You should be happy I kicked Mexico's ass and got you more land."

"Yeah, I am!"

I giggled. "You two look so cute together."

"No, we don't," she quickly denied.

"You two even dressed alike."

"That's completely coincidental."

"Aw! You're blushing, sis! By chance do you have a cru-"

"No! No!" She turned red like a scarlet poppy. "That idiot nearly killed me!"

"I saved you!"

"You nearly shot my head off!"

"I was aiming at the rattlesnake!"

"And you nearly killed me!"

I laughed. "Don't worry, sis! I promise to work hard and be great state like you! Hahahahaha!" I nudged her arm with glee, earning more groans from her.

As promised, America gave me everything I asked for. I hadn't looked back since shaking his hand.

☆☆☆☆☆

California

Nickname: The Golden State

Human Name: Aurelia Goldwater (mostly nicknamed Cali)

Gender: Female

Age: 19

Foundation Date: Began to have Spanish settlements by the late 18th century. Permanently separated from Baja California, becoming Alta California in 1804. With Mexico, left Spain in 1821. Had a series of rebellions against Mexico, even becoming the short-lived California Republic in 1846 for about a month. After the Mexican-American War, she became a part of the United States as a territory until statehood.

Union Date: September 9, 1850 (31st)

Hair Color: Golden Blonde (originally a brunette)

Eye Color: Azure Blue

Notable Traits: "Sun-kissed skin". Slim, athletic body (obsessed in maintaining a healthy appearance). Normally wears her hair in a ponytail, however, she's known to try various styles and colors. This fashionista has thousands of clothes and accessories in various styles and colors in her closet to suit every occasion. Wears make-up about 80% of the time whenever going out.

Favorite Foods/Drinks: Sushi (notably California Rolls), Avocados, Cobb Salad, Fish Tacos, Wine, Cioppino (fish stew), Boba, Mission Burritos, Rocky Road Ice Cream, Fusion Cuisine

Favorites: Surfing, Shopping, Filming, Social Media, Technology

Personality: Outgoing and Chatty. The prime example of an extrovert, always socializing on any platform, even flirting with those she likes whether it be guys for girls. May be seen as annoying and insensitive due to her tendency to gossip and lack of responsibility, but she does care to an extent. Her bloated ego comes from her important status among the states, often irritating the others whenever bragging about her accomplishments. Despite the dumb things she has done, she can be intelligent and focused when she has to.

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Finally, I got my laptop back! Never again will I let Cali narrate the opening.

Regarding Cali in this story, she was still young and wasn't popular yet until later in the 20th century, thus she had yet to inherit most of her stereotypical traits. Like some of the more populous states, California has a lot of historical and cultural facts I can go into detail about, so I'm open to suggestions for her next chapter.

On a side note, the picture above is California's actual design. I heard another popular OC design of California would be giving the state two personifications: North and South. Honestly, I found the idea to be neat since I can understand both regions to be distinct much like the Italy Brothers. However, I have an issue with this concept for numerous reasons; one of them being my preference to have each state be represented by one OC. I'll do my best to make California represent both cultures, so hopefully in future chapters I'll be able to show more of her character.

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Feel free to vote or leave a comment on your thoughts of California or place suggestions for future chapters on California (history, facts, etc.)