Alexus's Point of View

I grabbed a few of Mama's most special belongings, like her jewelry and the sewing project she had been working on, and we went back to The Castle That Never Was. I wasn't the same after losing Joe and my aunts, but I was determined to leave that behind and try to make the most of my new life. As soon as we got back, Axel was put in charge of me for the day. I was a little disappointed that Mr. Xemnas didn't want to spend time with me anymore, but I was happy to see Axel again. I recalled how nice he was to me, and I hoped he hadn't changed. Much to my relief, I found that he hadn't. "Have a good time?" He asked.

"It was… something. It had its ups and downs," I replied.

"Anything you want to do today?" Axel wondered.

"Video games!" I cheered.

Axel shushed me. "Not so loud. If the boss finds out I got you addicted to video games, I'm toast."

"Toast? What does that mean?" I questioned. I assumed he wasn't referring to bread or something you do with drinks at a party.

"It means I'll be in a lot of trouble," Axel explained.

"I'm sorry. I won't be so loud. Do you not want to play with me anymore," I shuddered.

"What? Don't be ridiculous. Of course, I'll play with you. Come on. I'll even get us a pizza and let your dad know we won't be eating dinner with the others today," Axel smiled.

"What's a pizza?" I inquired.

"Oh, you don't even know what a pizza is? I'll fix that. It's the best food ever, aside from ice cream. You have so much to learn. Let's get you to the hideout, and then so long as you can hang tight until I get back, we're going to have a lot of fun. And also, just a crazy idea, how about you don't disappear on my today," Axel teased, ruffling my hair.

"I won't. I'm sorry I didn't come back. Joe and I were fine. We just lost track of time," I apologized.

"It's okay, kid. No harm, no foul," Axel assured me.

"Was Mr. Xemnas really angry with you?" I asked as we started to walk toward the hideout.

"Meh. He said he would deal with me later. Later never came, so I guess we're good," Axel answered.

"Hey, Axel, are you a Nobody?" I questioned.

"Yeah. Do you know what that means?" Axel checked.

"Mr. Xemnas had told me. It means you don't have a heart and can't feel emotions, but you can still like and not like things," I replied.

"So he told you then. I wondered if he would," Axel mused.

"Do you like me, Axel?" I wondered.

"If I didn't like you, I wouldn't let you anywhere near the hideout," Axel said. We made it to the spiral staircase. Once we were inside the room, Axel lit the candle, turned on the T.V., and set up the same game that I had been playing before. "I'll be back. You can play the game while you wait; just don't go anywhere unless it's an emergency."

"Okay," I agreed, eager to start playing. My thoughts were lost in making it to level four when Axel returned with two thin square boxes and a bottle filled with clear bubbling liquid.

"Look at that. You're getting the hang of this," Axel commented.

I paused the game. "What's that smell?" I asked.

"That would be the pizza. You think the smell is good, wait until you taste it," Axel smiled. He opened a cupboard and took out two flimsy plates and two cups. "I take it you've never had soda either?"

"No," I answered.

"I figured as much." He opened the bottle, poured the clear bubbling liquid into the cups, and handed one to me. "You might not like it because of the fizz, but give it a try."

I held the cup to my lips and slowly tilted the contents toward me, but I could feel the liquid spattering on my face before I even took a drink. Instead of following through with drinking it, I set the cup down. "Is it supposed to come at me like that?" I checked.

"I promise you it's safe. I mean, mostly. So long as you don't have it too often," Axel assured me.

I cautiously took a sip of the soda. "It tastes really good, but it hurts my mouth. I don't think I like it."

"Yeah, I figured. You don't have to drink it. If you want to give it another try, it's there. In the meantime, you can try this pizza. I got a cheese pizza and a pepperoni pizza. They're the two most basic flavors, so I thought you might want to try both." He handed me a plate with two triangles of what I supposed was pizza on it. One had red circles on top while the other didn't.

"What's it made of?" I wondered.

"It's bread on the bottom, sauce in the middle, and cheese on top. The red spots are pepperoni, a type of meat," Axel explained before taking a bite of his own pizza. I watched how he ate it before tasting the cheese pizza on my plate. It was different but one of the most delicious foods I ever had. I gobbled the piece of pizza, soaking in every moment of its deliciousness. "Whoa, hey, slow down there. We've got plenty more."

I tried the other piece and grimaced. "It's spicy."

"That's okay. You don't have to eat it. Saix and I will finish off the pepperoni pizza. You can help yourself to whatever you want of the cheese," Axel offered.

I looked at the box and gasped. There was a whole circle of pizza, less the triangles that Axel took out for us. "So much pizza." I wondered how many more amazing things I would discover in my new home.

After a wonderful meal of pizza and playing more of the video game, someone entered. I was so startled that I jumped, and Axel's head turned sharply to the door. "It's okay. It's just Saix," Axel stated.

I turned to see Saix scowling at me. "What is she doing here?"

"What do you mean? Didn't I tell you I brought Alexus up here?" Axel asked.

"You most certainly did not," Saix growled.

"Oh, well, surprise!" Axel smiled.

"And how do we know she won't say anything to anyone. For goodness sakes, she's Lord Xemnas's daughter," Saix huffed.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that. Alexus already promised she wouldn't tell. She won't cause any trouble for us. She had never played a video game before she got here, and look at her now. She's becoming a real gaming pro. She's almost to level five. At least she was. Alexus, you just died," Axel mentioned.

I turned back to the T.V., realizing he was right. "Aw. I was so close that time," I sighed.

"You'll get it," Axel encouraged.

"How do you even think it's acceptable on any level to teach Lord Xemnas's daughter to play video games. I hardly think he would approve of such foolish activities," Saix groaned.

"You're not going to tell, are you?" I whimpered.

"Saix, buddy, relax, take it easy. Have some soda and pizza. You'll feel much better after," Axel suggested.

"Am I to believe that you fed Lord Xemnas's daughter pizza and soda?" Saix snapped.

"In my defense, he knew about that part. Maybe not the soda, but I really don't think he cares. Look at it this way, so long as Alexus is happy, Xemnas is happy, and so long as he's happy, we're all good. Hey Alexus, are you happy when I get to babysit you?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered. I felt nervous under Saix's glare.

Saix groaned. "I suppose what's done is done. If you get into a mess, you're on your own." He picked up a piece of pizza, which Axel told me was called a slice, and began to eat it.

"Go ahead and try again, Alexus," Axel prompted.

I didn't feel right playing when Saix was so against it. Axel had said that the hideout was for him and Saix. It occurred to me that I was intruding. I watched Saix for some sign that it was okay. "What?" Saix asked when he noticed my gaze. I wanted to ask him if it was okay for me to play, but I was too flustered. "Go on. Let's see if you can finish the level."

I smiled and went back to the game. Saix helped me with little secrets in the game as I went. The more Saix helped, the less scared I was of him. By the time I had finished for the day, I felt comfortable around Saix.