Alexus's Point of View

I slept better that night. In the morning, Axel was the one who woke me up. "Good morning, Alexus," He greeted.

"Good morning, Axel. What are we doing today?" I wondered as I got out of bed.

"We're going to a world today with lots of space for us to run around and play. I thought maybe you would like to play with a frisbee. How does that sound?" Axel asked.

"That sounds fun. Do you think we'll have more time to play video games?" I questioned.

Axel chuckled. "Sure. We'll make some time for that. Let's go down to breakfast, and then we'll get going."

"Okay," I smiled.

"I'll let you get dressed. I'll be outside the room if you need me," Axel said before leaving the room. I got changed and met him outside my door, and we went to the dining room together.

We passed a few Dusks on the way to breakfast. Every time I saw one, I went closer to Axel. When we got to the dining room, there were already plates of waffles in front of my and Axel's seats. Mr. Xemnas, Mr. Vexen, Mr. Xigbar, and Zexion were all there. I sat down and ate quickly, eager to go on an adventure with Axel. "Slow down. You're eating too fast," Mr. Xemnas warned. I didn't want to cause any more friction between him and me, so I forced myself to eat slower. Mr. Xemnas started asking Axel questions. "What are you doing with her today?"

"I bought a frisbee that we're going to play with. I'm going to take her to a meadow in Dwarf Woodlands. Is that all right with you, sir?" Axel inquired.

"Yes. That sounds fine. Just be careful with her," Mr. Xemnas agreed.

I lost my appetite again, thinking about what Mr. Xemnas had said the night before. I knew that I had to ask, or it would bother me indefinitely. "What happens if he's not careful?" I questioned.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Xemnas replied.

"If I get hurt. What happens then?" I clarified.

"It is exactly as I said yesterday. His existence is on the line," Mr. Xemnas stated.

"And by that, you mean?" I asked.

"Alexus, drop it," Axel warned with clenched teeth.

"If you haven't figured it out yet, then there's no need for me to explain it," Mr. Xemnas sighed.

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wanted to run, but I was afraid. I was nearly convinced that Mr. Xemnas threatened to kill whoever was in charge of me if I got hurt. I knew very little about Mr. Xemnas and had no idea if he would kill or not, but I didn't want to find out. I wanted to leave, and I knew that the safest way to do that was to finish my breakfast, so I forced myself to swallow the rest of my food. "I'm done. Can we go now? Please?" I requested.

Axel looked at his own plate, which was still half full with waffles, and then looked back at me. I turned to him and tried to convey silently that I was scared. It seemed to work because Axel answered, "Yeah. We can go. Come on." He got out of his seat and left the room, and I followed him. We went into the room with the walls that were windows. He opened a dark corridor, and we went through. When we got to the other side, we were in a meadow with flowers. Axel sat down. "We should talk."

"Agreed," I added.

"I thought that we were done with this conversation yesterday. You can't just keep asking about it. This doesn't involve you," Axel stated.

"But, Axel, it does involve me. What if I get hurt? Is he going to kill you?" I asked.

"That's not what he meant," Axel replied.

"Then what did he mean? He seemed very clear to me," I remarked.

"Come on, Alexus, drop it already," Axel groaned.

"How can you be so calm about this?! Are death threats normal to you?!" I exclaimed.

"It wasn't a death threat!" Axel snapped. I flinched. There was a moment of silence as Axel regained his composure. "Hey, I'm sorry I yelled. We can keep arguing over this, or let it go for now and have some fun. I'll let you decide. What do you say?"

It was clear that Axel would not tell me anything other than what he had already told me. "We can stop talking about it," I sighed.

"I thought you might say that." He grabbed a frisbee from his coat. "Do you know how to throw a frisbee?"

"Yes. My friend Joe and I would play with his frisbee some. I'm not very good," I admitted.

"We'll fix that. Next time you see Joe, you'll be so good. He won't even be in the same league as you," Axel smirked. We spent much of the day playing with the frisbee. Axel and I made a short trip back to my new home, which he told me was called The Castle That Never Was, to eat lunch before going back to the meadow to play some more.

When we got home for the evening, I opened another of Mama's letters before dinner.

Dear Alexus,

I wanted you to know that I love you very much in this letter. I wish I could see you now. I know that you are still hurting. That hurt won't go away for a long time. I never told you this, but my mother died when I was very young. I was just a little bit older than you. I wish that you never had to experience that pain, but it is necessary for the cycle of life.

Perhaps one day we will see each other again. Hopefully later rather than sooner. Enjoy the freedom of the worlds, Alexus. One day, you may not have that freedom.

With all my love, Mama

I didn't know that Mama had lost her Mama when she was young. Mama never talked about her family. The only family she spoke to me about was my father, and even then, she didn't say much. Most of what she told me about my father was that he wasn't around and would come back for me someday. After hearing some town gossip about my mother that I wasn't supposed to, I learned that my father was selfish and hated him for it. Mama was so disappointed when I told her that my father wasn't coming back because he was rotten, no-good scum, and she didn't have to lie to me anymore. I had just repeated what I heard the ladies around town say.

I still believed that my father was rotten, no-good scum for leaving us in the first place, but when I thought about that memory, I realized that I was wrong. He did come back for me. It was just too late. I wished that I hadn't said anything to Mama back then, but I did. It hurt her so much.

I turned toward my door to go to dinner, but I didn't have any strength left in me. I didn't even feel up to eating. Axel came to my room. "Hey, dinner's ready. Do you need me to help you to the dining room?" He asked. I shook my head because I didn't want to leave my room. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Do I have to? I don't want to eat," I shuddered.

"Well, I guess you don't have to, but I think you should," Axel recommended.

"If I don't go, will you or me get in trouble?" I wondered.

"No, I don't think so. You really don't want to eat?" Axel questioned.

"No," I answered.

"Okay. Do you still want to play a video game tonight?" Axel wondered.

"No, thank you," I replied.

"Alright. I get it. I'll see you around." Axel left.