Axel.....and Roxas

Let me tell you a story. This is a story of a forbidden love, in a forbidden land. Two teenagers seek the truth, and a way out of their corrupt society. But enough of my rambling. Let us begin.
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It was a cold and blustery day. Axel, now formerly of the 13th organizational orphanage, raised the hood of his long black coat. This was his thirtieth time running away, and this time he wasn’t going back. All of the other times he went back, they didn’t drag him back, he had returned on his own. They had grown complacent with him and he was taking advantage of it. He had spent ten years planning for this day, gathering supplies and information. He had learned how to live on the street, how to steal, and most important, he had learned how to use his birth-gift. A birth-gift he was not supposed to have. In fact, that was one of the reasons he was turned over to the orphanage. The lack of a birth-gift, and, well, he was born of incest. Apparently. The records had been modified, so that fact about him could be false.


Axel looked about him. There was no one about, and there were no windows on this part of the street. Axel knelt down and pulled up a manhole cover. Double-checking to make sure no one was watching, axel slipped into the sewers and put the manhole cover back in place. Phase one: complete. Phase two: find the sub-sewers. The upper sewer systems had lain unused for countless decades. However, they were in perfect condition. Probably because of the birth-gift of someone who worked on the sewer systems when they were first made. Almost everyone had a birth-gift, and each one was different. Axel could control fire. He could make it start burning, or extinguish it, with just a thought. He could make it burn without consuming fuel, without giving off light, or without giving off heat. The fires he started would stay lit until he extinguished them. For example, he was using a baby food jar filled with green flames as a flashlight. As the light hit the wall, an arrow made of orange flames appeared on the wall. Axel smiled. He had put the arrows there four years ago when he was exploring the sewer system. It was a short, but highly convoluted, walk to the access ladders. Probably because of another birth-gift. Axel slid down one ladder after another. Soon, he was at the level just above the subway system. Pulling out his makeshift flashlight again, Axel looked around. This time, the arrows were purple.

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Roxas sat in the cold, empty palace that was his home. Yes, there were many objects d’art, and servants galore, but it was still cold. His father didn’t care for him, especially since his mother died. That’s not to say his father didn’t provide for him, he did, with the finest foods, clothing and tutors as befitted his family’s status. But, there was no affection, no love. Roxas sighed. He didn’t even have any friends. Roxas looked out the window toward the forest. He wanted to leave, but wasn’t allowed past the edge of the property. He sighed. It was raining. The rain running down the bay window in his bedroom warped the view of the forest a few dozen yards away. He frowned and squinted. It looked like there was someone just inside the forest. That shouldn’t be possible, no one was allowed into the forest, and there were many guard dogs trained to capture any one going into or out of the forest. He stood up, and something crashed into the back of his head.


Three hours later, a ransom note arrived. It read: NOT ONLY DO YOU ABUSE YOUR PEOPLE, BUT YOU ABUSE YOUR SON AS WELL. YOU HAVE NINETY DAYS TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT, OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR SON AGAIN.

END CHAPTER