with twilight as my guide.

rating ; t.
genre ; adventure/drama/romance
pairings ; iceland/liechtenstein and america/lithuania, with an array of different side pairings.
warnings ; au, language.
summary ; three students are picked to attend an academic fair just a few states over. when things take a turn for the worst and they end up lost, they must work together along with a kind stranger to find their way back home. if they can even make it out alive.

disclaimer ; i don't own shit.

001.

"Just promise me you'll be careful, alright?"

A tall man no younger than twenty stood by a much smaller girl - one could only assume they were related due to their strikingly similar appearances. One tiny hand clutched the handle of her suitcase, and the other was clinging to her brother's; she was obviously nervous. But the girl smiled brightly as if to reassure the man hovering over her.

"I promise, Vash! I will be fine. Please don't worry about me."

The man, whose name was revealed to be Vash, muttered slightly. It was hard letting her go. She was still so small, so fragile… She wasn't ready to grow up.

(Or was it he who was not ready for her to?)

"Oh! The train is here!"

Vash gulped, not yet ready to let go of his little sister's shoulders. "Elise, I… Uh… B-be safe! And uh, I… what I mean to say is…" But he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

The girl - Elise - smiled knowingly. "I love you too, Vash!" She giggled, before standing on her tippy-toes to kiss his cheek. And with one last hand squeeze and a wave, she ran towards her train.

He watch her as she got on. He had wanted to go with her; just for a moment, to see that she was comfortable and alright. But Elise insisted that she would be fine. She would be with two other companions - school mates of hers. She would not be alone.

It was time to let go.

Emil trudged towards the train, exhausted from the long walk. It was a good two miles from his apartment to the train station, but his older brother had no intention of driving him to his destination. He wasn't that surprised, though. The two were never that close. They lived together, along with his brother's boyfriend and two other roommates, but they acted more like strangers than family. Emil was completely on his own.

He, like three others from his school, had been hand picked to represent their school at an academic fair two states over.

Emil had no actual intention of going. Until he discovered who his companions would be.

Actually, he didn't give a shit about the other guy. Just Elise. Beautiful, wonderful, amazing Elise.

And the more he thought of it, this event didn't sound so bad. A weekend with the prettiest girl in the world, and a chance to escape his asshole of a brother and that disgusting man that lived with them with his disgusting laugh and the disgusting sex noises he made late at night while fucking his stupid older brother when Emil was trying so, so hard to sleep.

Yeah.

It wouldn't be so bad.

Right?

Right.

will i ever update this? of course. will i finish it? i really hope. i'm only posting this now because hopefully, knowing that i've got even just one chapter published might motivate me to continue. you know, like it's a real responsibility. welp.

this fanfic is heavily inspired by a yu-gi-oh fanfic called 'a train of thoughts'. it's absolutely wonderful, and i suggest you check it out when you have the time.

(the title of this fanfic has nothing to do with anything. i just really like the mars volta. huehuehue.)