• “YES!!!! I HAVE WON YET AGAIN!!!!” I jumped up and down on the street in victory and laughing at my best friend who, at the moment, was laying back first on the concrete breathing heavily. “How can you jump up and down?” He asked as he finally gained enough breath to speak, “it’s quite simple, I run for a living you don’t” I held out my hand for him and he gladly took it, “Do you accept defeat?” I asked as he stood upright, “Never” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him, “Axel, do you really want to go at this again?” He looked at me for a minute or so before sighing in defeat, “That a boy” I rubbed his head and laughed at him as he tried to shoo me away. “Let’s go home” I linked my arm with his and we started parading down the street trying to sing a very good song, though it seemed the other people on the street completely disagreed with our voices, but we didn’t care.

    The very next day I burst into Axels’ room demanding an explanation as to why he didn’t greet me at school that day and why he didn’t race with me like we always did. The only problem was that he wasn’t around. I examined his whole house and not a speck of red spiky hair was visible, “Hmmmm…. Ah, the forest” I grabbed my bag and bolted out the door towards the forest. It was said that that forest led to an old mansion that was supposed to be haunted. I for one did not believe in ghosts. I finally reached the entrance to the forest and walked right on through without a worry in the world it took me a few minutes before I finally reached the house, but he wasn’t there either. “Where could he be?” I thought aloud, “Maybe the tower?” I contemplated my question for a moment before I finally turned and bolted towards the clock tower.

    Somewhere along the way I suddenly forgot what I was doing and for some reason I was surprised when I found that I was on top of the clock tower just scanning over all of twilight Town for no reason at all. “Wasn’t I looking for someone?’ I asked myself, my mind said no, my heart said yes, and my father said to always follow your heart no matter what, but I didn’t know who I was looking for. I tried to remember yesterday because it seemed like I did something with someone then, but I just couldn’t remember what. “I went to school, made my usual run through town, and went home and I did it all alone. Didn’t I?” I thought for a moment but when I couldn’t remember anything I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder and began to exit the tower to go home.

    “Axel” I stopped in my tracks and thought about the name for a moment, it sounded familiar but I couldn’t pinpoint where I heard it. “Axel” I tried it; the name sounded so normal like I said a thousand times before, “Eh, I’ll think about it later” I shook my head and went home.

    For so many years I wanted to believe that, I wanted to believe I had a family, friends, a life. But it was nothing but lies I told to myself so much I believed it and I always relived those memories so that I wouldn’t feel so empty like the rest of my colleagues. I made myself believe that I actually lived a good life, but in truth I was a Nobody living in lies and deceit created by myself. It was sickening and yet one of the best things I could have ever done for myself. “Hey Celia!” I broke out of my reverie, spun around, and drew my sword, “It’s just me, it’s just me” I humphed and re-sheathed my sword, “Axel, the next time you want to say hi, make sure you warn me from far away, else one of these days I will kill you” “I’ll remember that.”

    I looked at him again and let my mind wander to the source of my oh-so-believable lie, it was because of him that I conjured it up and believed it so much, I wanted to feel that Axel and I knew each other at one point in time. I wanted to think that we were such good friends but then he disappeared and I soon found him again in this place, but I never really knew him until we met during training. I couldn’t bear to think what it would be like if I lost him. “Celia?” He sounded worried, “Hmm?” “You’re crying” my hand flew up to my cheek and as he said I was crying, I guess I let my mind wander too far. “Oh,” I knew he didn’t like it when I cried so I let him place his arms around me and pull me close, I buried my head against his chest and closed my eyes, “Promise me you’ll never leave.”

    I knew my words were muffled but he knew what I meant, I felt him clench his jaw against my hair and remain silent, sometimes I liked to think that he did want to promise me that, but he couldn’t, with the way our organization was going nobody could be sure of anything, let alone make a promise. He held me tighter and we both succumbed to the silence.