Alexus's Point of View

I woke up and went downstairs. I didn't see Mr. Xemnas anywhere. The thought occurred to me that he may have left me. Abandoned me, just like he did to Mama. I went back upstairs and paused at the door to Mama's room. I became fearful because I couldn't fathom the idea of Mama's bed being tainted by him.

Nonetheless, I slowly opened the door and found Mr. Xemnas sleeping inside. I began to cry. I wanted to scream at him, but nothing came out when I opened my mouth to say something. All I could do was cry in silence. I entered the room, shaking worse than I ever had before. Breathing became harder, and I gasped for air. Mr. Xemnas heard me and woke up. When he saw the state I was in, he rushed out of bed and kneeled before me. "Alexus, what's wrong?" I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. "Alexus, please talk to me. You're scaring me."

I worked up all my strength to use my words. "That's Mama's bed," I rasped. Another fit of sobs overcame me.

"I didn't realize it would bother you. I won't sleep there again. I didn't think. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Mr. Xemnas promised. I regained control over my breathing, and I took deep breaths to calm down the rest of the way. I couldn't bring myself to look at Mr. Xemnas. I tried blinking my tears away, but more kept coming. I finally couldn't even take being in Mama's room any longer, so I went back to my room to cry. I sat alone on my bed for a long time. Somewhere along the way, I had used up all my tears for the day. Mr. Xemnas came to my room a while after I stopped crying. "Are you feeling better?"

"No," I stated.

"I have so much to learn," Mr. Xemnas sighed.

"I do too. I think I overreacted. I know that parents will often share the same bed. I just wasn't expecting you to- It was a shock," I explained.

"It must have been. I didn't even think twice about it. There was an empty bed, and I went to sleep on it. I won't do that in the future. I didn't think about how it would upset you," Mr. Xemnas mentioned.

"May I go to Joe's house?" I requested.

Mr. Xemnas chuckled. "Always so polite. When I was your age, I would have snuck off by now. You may. Would you like breakfast first?"

"No, thank you. Aunt Dulcie will have something for me," I replied.

"Alright. Stay out of the forest today. If you're not home by sunset, I'll come to you," Mr. Xemnas warned.

"Yes, sir," I agreed. I all but ran out of the house. Though I realized it made sense, I was still appalled that he had slept in Mama's bed. I wanted to be as far away from him as I possibly could for the time being.

My footsteps quickened the closer I got to Joe's house. I was eager to see him and his family. When his house was in view, I saw Aunt Myka standing outside. "Good morning, Alexus. Are you looking for Joe?" She greeted.

"Yes, Aunt Myka. Is he here?" I questioned.

"Yes. He's baking with Dulcie. Before you go inside to see him, might I have a word with you?" Aunt Myka asked.

"Of course," I answered, walking to her the rest of the way.

"Dear, I'm worried about you. You and Joe are usually so responsible, but last night, you both were very reckless," Aunt Myka mentioned.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Myka. I didn't mean to lose track of time. It just sort of happened, and I-" I started.

Aunt Myka cut me off. "You're not in trouble. All things considered, I understand. I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I am… I guess," I sighed.

"That doesn't sound very convincing," Aunt Myka pointed out.

"It's been really hard. Even this morning. I found him-" I took a deep breath and stopped myself from crying again.

"You found him, what, Alexus?" Aunt Myka pressed.

"I found him sleeping in Mama's bed this morning. It was awful, Aunt Myka!" I began bawling.

Aunt Myka put her arms around me. "It's going to be okay, Alexus. You know that things are going to be okay," She assured me.

Joe came outside. "Mama, is that Alexus?"

"Go back inside, now, Joseph," Aunt Myka snapped.

"Yes, Ma'am," Joe replied.

I kept crying until I didn't have any tears left for the time being. "Feeling better?" Aunt Myka asked.

"A little," I admitted.

"Why don't you go inside. I'm sure Dulcie has something yummy for you to eat. We can talk more about what happened once you have some food in your body," Aunt Myka suggested.

"Okay," I agreed.