Minecraft Story Mode: A Heroine's Journey

Chapter 7: Orphans

"Children!," Nancy hollered from within the dining room. "Children, please come to the dining room for an important announcement! I know that it's very late, but you will not want to miss this!" Alex stood next to her, shuffling her feet nervously. The sounds of numerous footsteps filled the entire building as about a dozen children filed out of their rooms, mumbling sleepily while rubbing their eyes. It was understandable, considering that they had just been woken up in the middle of the night. Alex shivered with anticipation upon seeing how many children were filing into the dining room and taking their seats. Nancy noticed how nervous Alex was and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze.

"It'll be alright," she whispered into the girl's ear. After all the children had entered the dining room and were obediently sitting on their chairs, Nancy cleared her throat. "Children," she announced. "I apologize for having to wake you all up so late in the night, but I have some special news for all of you." The children murmured amongst themselves. None of them noticed Alex silently standing just behind their caretaker. Said caretaker cleared her throat again to silence the children. "Everyone, I would like you all to meet our newest member of the family, Alexandra. You may call her Alex for short." The children finally noticed a new kid hiding behind Nancy. Nancy stepped aside and gently pushed her forward.

Alex stared at the children. The children stared back. After an awkward silence, Alex slowly waved her hand with a small smile. "Hi, I'm Alex," she said, wincing at how loud her voice sounded as it echoed across the dining room. "It's nice to meet all of you. I hope we can all be friends." Then, she put her hand down and waited for their reaction nervously.

If Alex was worried that they were the type of children to gang up on the new kid, she was instantly proven wrong when everyone at the dining table got up from their seats and crowded around her, asking numerous questions like, "What's your favorite food or color?" or "Are you an alien?" Alex was both surprised by how friendly the children were and afraid of all the attention she was getting. Nancy noticed this and let out a sharp whistle, causing everyone in the room to go still. "I'm glad that you are all so eager to make a new friend," she said, "but the fastest way to scare someone off is to overcrowd them." At that moment, the children realized their mistake and smiled sheepishly, apologizing for their behavior and going back to their seats. Alex blinked in surprise. The children here are VERY friendly.

"As you all know, Alex is new here," said Nancy, "so make sure to treat her respectfully. I will not tolerate any bullying under my roof, understand?" She gave the children a stern glare, causing them to wilt and nod. Alex couldn't help but be in awe of her. Nancy was friendly and kind to all the children but was also not afraid to be stern with them. "Good," said Nancy, smiling. "You can all go back to bed now. Tomorrow, make sure to welcome her in the dining room during breakfast time." "Yes, Nancy," the children chorused, then got up from their chairs and neatly filed out of the room instead of pushing and shoving like most other children. After everyone besides Alex and Nancy were back in bed, Nancy smiled down at Alex. "Let's get you a new room, okay?" Alex smiled back and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Nancy."

Nancy chuckled. "Please, just call me Nancy," she said. "Everyone calls me that, even the children. I don't want our relationship to be hindered by formalities." Alex slowly nodded, though she had no idea what Nancy just said. Nancy took Alex by the hand and led her down some corridors before coming across an empty room. Inside the room was a small bed, a chest, and various toys. "This is where you'll be sleeping," said Nancy. "If you ever need anything, I'll be in my office." Giving her one last smile, Nancy left the room and walked back to her office, leaving Alex to get accustomed to her new room. The girl picked a ball off the floor and tossed it into the air a few times. Then, she walked up to the bed and jumped on it a little.