Winter slumped against the apartment door, trying to unlock it with closed eyes. She fumbled with her key as the lock got stuck—again—but she didn't have the energy to look at it properly. A moth was fluttering around one of the lamps in the abandoned hallway, tapping against the glass. It seemed to be the only thing awake at this time of night.

With a click!, the lock opened and the door gave away. Stumbling into the darkness of her apartment, she opened her eyes blearily.

It was too dark to see anything anyway, but Winter knew exactly where everything was. Not bothering with the light switch, she dropped her keys on the end table. Kicking off her heels and hanging her hat on its hook, Winter sighed deeply; it felt good to be home. It was too late to cook anything, but she wasn't really hungry. Maybe a nice hot bath before she went to sleep…

"Where were you?"

Winter almost jumped out of her skin. She didn't expect anyone would still be awake, but her boyfriend must have waited up for her. She could make out his figure in the dark, leaning against the wall. Biting her lip, she tried to judge his mood.

"Oh, you scared me," she said, bringing her hand to her chest. He didn't answer.

Damn it, he's mad.

"Sorry, I know I should've called," Winter said, giving him her best smile, "But I got hung up at work. And the traffic was pretty bad because there was an accident on the—"

"And you didn't think I would worry?"

Winter pressed her lips together, swallowing her excuses, "I really am sorry. I meant to call as soon as I could. It's just… by the time I had a moment to spare, I figured you'd already be sleeping."

He didn't say anything again. Winter suppressed a sigh. She shrugged off her coat, dropping it on the floor. Next, she carefully took off her earrings and bracelets, before moving closer to him. She hoped to lessen his temper. After the night she'd had, Winter didn't have the energy to deal with a moody boyfriend.

Moving her hand up his chest, Winter brought her lips to his ear. "I can make it up to you."

The darkness surrounded them, almost suffocating her. Carefully, Winter caressed his biceps, tracing the outline of his arm. After a moment, his shoulders gave into her and she grinned in victory.

"I just need to take a shower," she whispered, "And then I'm all yours."

He was leaning into her now, gently kissing the side of her head. She could feel his breath against her ear. "Don't be long."

Winter smiled, but could feel a pang of exhaustion in her chest. She chased it away with whatever energy she had left. "Anything for you, Aimery."

Stifling a yawn, Winter refilled the napkin dispenser. The diner bustled around her, noise levels picking up gradually, before dropping back down.

"You awake?"

Iko's face popped into her vision. Her eyes were wide with curiosity and the kind of sparkling energy Winter only ever dreamed of.

"Barely," Winter said, offering up a sleepy smile.

Iko grinned back. "Rough night, huh? And here, let me help."

Looking down, Winter blinked at the mess she'd made of the napkins. "Oh, thanks."

Iko took over, lining up the napkins into the dispenser in record time. Winter watched her in wonder, fascinated by the way Iko moved. Like Winter, she was juggling two part-time jobs while she tried to figure out her future. Unlike Winter, Iko seemed to have an endless supply of energy, sleeping only a few hours every night and never drinking coffee.

"How do you do it?" Winter asked, resting her head in her hands.

Iko raised an eyebrow. "The napkins?"

Winter laughed. "No! Of course not! I meant, um, everything, I guess."

Iko looked at her, puzzled. Then she glanced around the diner, mentally counting something, before dropping down in the seat in front of Winter. "Okay, what's going on?"

"What?" Winter asked, "Nothing. What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Winter," Iko said, playfully pushing her shoulder, "It's me. You know you can talk to me."

"I-I don't—" Winter stopped herself, flustered. That was another thing about Iko; she knew exactly when something was up. Which sometimes made her a dangerous person to be around.

Winter sighed, dropping her head on the table. "Just tired."

"That's it?" Iko asked, totally not believing her.

Winter stared at the grain of the wooden table. "Do you ever just feel like everything's too much? Like your life is going by way too quickly and you can't catch a break?"

"Winter!" Iko exclaimed, then laughed in disbelief, "You're only twenty-five! Babe, listen, your life's only starting. From here on out is where you make all the big decisions and find your path and all that stuff. Nothing's gone by because nothing has even had the chance to happen!"

Winter smiled, ruffling her hair self-consciously. Iko placed her hand of Winter's, squeezing it gently. "Honey, I know you've got great things coming your way. Don't give up just yet."

"Thanks, Iko," Winter said, "You're the best."

"Don't I know it," Iko replied, winking. Someone from the counter called out her name, bringing them both back to the present. With one last squeeze, Iko got up.

Winter watched her leave, feeling her enthusiasm draining with every step. Iko's optimism was infectious, always managing to bring out a smile from everyone. But Winter could never really make it last when she was by herself.

Was there something wrong with her? Besides the obvious, of course. But at the moment, she wasn't really thinking about being crazy or her broken childhood. What was worrying her was the fact that everyone around her seemed to know exactly where they were headed. And most of them were already there.

Was she being left behind? No, no, of course not. Winter banished the thought from her mind. She knew better than to give into her so-called "abandonment issues". Still, she couldn't help but feel frustrated with herself. She had worked so hard in the past and was continuing to do so now, but it was getting increasingly difficult to deal with the lack of results.

The bell sounded at the door, tinkling as Cress walked in. She took off her hat, shaking her hair out as Winter waved at her.

"Hey!" Cress called out as she approached, pulling off her jacket and stuffing her hat into one of the sleeves.

"Hey yourself," Winter grinned.

"I'm not too late, am I?" Cress asked, brow furrowed slightly, "Sorry Winter. The bus was early and I didn't make it."

"No worries," Winter said breezily, "If there's one thing to complain about in Artemisia, it's the public transportation."

"Well, I think of a few more things," Cress said, pulling a face that made Winter giggle. She linked her arm with Cress' and pulled her along into the back of the diner.

"Jeez, Winter, have you been getting any sleep? You look worse than I do. And I just had my finals."

Winter raised her eyebrows. "Gee, thanks."

Cress coloured slightly. "No, I didn't mean it like that. You could be on the front cover of Vogue running on no sleep and you know it. It's just, you look a little, um, dazed."

Winter have Cress her brightest smile. "The weather has been getting to me, I guess."

"Okay, I can understand that," Cress said, and they moved on to the subject of Cress' classes, much to Winter's relief. She appreciated her friends' concern, really. But there were a few things Winter preferred to keep close to her. Weather was easier to blame than nightmares or lost time. It didn't help that Aimery was being more difficult lately, making Winter use up all her energy to keep up with his moods.

There were times when it took all she had not to break down and spill out all her problems. But if there was one thing she knew, it was that some things could not be taken back.

Before the story continues, I would like to address a few things. First, this story is not finished and is not one that will ever be finished. So, before you dive in, there will be a few missing details and chapters and such. Unfortunately, I am out of time to finish it, but hopefully there's still enough to enjoy.

Secondly, it is rated M of variety of reasons, most to do with violence and abuse, as well as as some swearing that will appear throughout. This is a warning that if you are not comfortable with this, please do not continue reading. There will not, however, be any mature scenes, beyond some heavy kissing and connotations

And lastly, the Lunar Chronicles and all its characters belong to Marissa Meyer.