alex hasn't been okay since he turned 14. it's a whole thing.

and no he doesn't, actually. i modeled his false history in pines pretty closely with the books themselves. basically he lived with his uncle and housekeeper. but then his uncle died and he was just living with his housekeeper. at some unidentified point said housekeeper's visa ran out and she had to move back home and alex has been living alone in his big old house for awhile now, apparently having slipped through the cracks.