Artemis paused. He saw the thin tendril of foggy breath puff out in front of him and wind its way upwards through the trees of the forest. Why am I here? he thought. What was I thinking? She could never love me back. He still remembered the look on Holly's face when he had told her. The look was one of horror, shock, surprise, fear... But it lacked the one emotion he was hoping it would show. His love was not reciprocated.

"I'm so sorry, Arty. It won't work out. We're not even the same species," she had said.

"But it will work out. Don't you see? Don't think so hard about it. Just-"

"Artemis!" He noticed that she hadn't used his pet name this time. He doubted she ever would again. "You're always the one who's thinking! And now, the one time you decide to stop thinking, I have to think for both of us. Right now, I'm thinking you had better stop if you want to salvage any relationship that we have left."

"But Holly...". He reached out his hand to put it on her arm.

"Don't touch me!" she said, jumping away from him. Her tone softened. "Don't encourage yourself for something that can never be." She turned and left him standing there. "I have to go back to Haven."

He had stood there, in stunned silence. He wasn't sure how she would react, but this was definitely not what he had been expecting. He had stayed there, stupefied, for several minutes. Then he went down the stairs, grabbed his coat, and started to leave.

"Where are you going, Artemis?" asked Butler.

"Out."

Butler frowned, but he knew better than to question his master when he was in this kind of a mood.

Artemis had started walking. He wasn't sure where he was going, only that he would know when he reached it. "It" turned out to be a small pond. Artemis looked around. He did not recognize any of his surroundings. He must have been walking for a very long time.

He sat down on a smooth, flat stone by the edge of the pond and stared at its placid surface. It was getting awfully cold now. He shivered and pulled his coat tighter around him. He looked up at the sky and felt something hit him directly between the eyes. It was a large, wet snowflake. He laughed. It was a bitter laugh, a laugh that let out all his pain, all his misery, all his pent-up anger. He looked down at the smooth surface of the lake again. A thin layer of ice was beginning to form over it.

The snow was falling harder.

Artemis stared into the water. It was interesting how his mismatched eyes flickered in his reflection. He shook his mop of raven black hair so that it was out of his eyes. There it was. A little spark in each eye. If only he looked like that in real life. If only he had a flame burning in each eye, entrancing whoever looked at him. His thin, pale lips curled up in a rueful smile. But he could be like that. Didn't he see?

He slid down from the rock, onto the bank of the pond now. He could be like that Artemis in the water. He laughed again, but this laugh was different. It was so simple, really.

Ice crystals began to form over the skin of ice on the lake above Artemis' serene countenance, and the snow continued to fall.

A/N- I hope that wasn't too depressing. Please review. This is my first story on the site. Constructive criticism is appreciated.