It was over. After months of hard work and perseverance, it was over. The cast and crew of Sue's play stood hand in hand along the long wooden stage as they smiled upon the crowd. Friends, family, and their classmates and teachers stood with thunderous applause. Some whistled, others tossed roses, David even called for an encore. The accolades poured in as McCain pulled a lever off stage. The large velvet curtains of the school's stage came down with a thud, hiding the actors from view. Mike sighed with relief. He'd never been in a play before, so it had been a little nerve wracking. His head still hurt from all those pebbles that had been tossed at him.

"Okay people! That's a wrap!" Sue called over the now muffled applause and murmur of the crowd. "Great work everybody! Seriously, what a performance!" Sue was even more relieved than Mike was, though she was saved from having to deal with airborne rocks. Mike noticed him and Lucy were still holding hands, and she jerked hers away from him with an angry look. She too was happy the play was over. Now she could stop pretending everything was okay.

Lucy stormed off towards the dressing rooms as Sue came up behind Mike with a friendly hand on his back. "Mike, you didn't do half bad…" she said with a smile, but Mike wasn't really listening. He was fixated on the white cat headed to be by herself.

Mike lifted up his baby brother and shoved him in the burmese's arms. "Can you watch Chris for a moment?" Sue was a little taken aback but she accepted the small child and let Mike go. Mike slipped through the other crew members and cast to chase down Lucy. "Hey, wait up!" He called.

Lucy looked around, visibly tired. "What do you want?"

It was a difficult conversation, but it needed to be said. "I just…" Mike began, but it was hard to hear over all the chatter.

Lucy cupped a hand to her ear. "I can't hear you."

Mike grabbed her hand, which took Lucy by surprise, and opened the door to her dressing room. He pulled her inside and shut the door, and though you could still hear the excitement beyond it, things were much quieter. Lucy walked a few feet away. "I… didn't need to yell at you like that. " Mike began again. "Back at my place. That wasn't the right thing to say."

Lucy stood, stunned. She never expected Mike to try to reconcile for his angry words, especially since it had come off the back of weeks of him avoiding and ignoring her. Mike, though spurred on by Sandy, did mean every word of it, too. There was a great shame deep within himself, as though a nasty monster were eating away at his insides. He didn't like being mean, and he hated hurting others. "There's still a lot to talk about." The korat continued. "It's not like everything is okay."

He looked away, expecting Lucy to say something, but she didn't. "But…" he said slowly, now unsure of his words. Did he deserve her forgiveness? He didn't feel like it. "You know… if you're interested… we could start things over."

The room remained quiet. Lucy turned around to lean on the makeup table to keep herself steady. Was she okay with letting Mike back into her life? Would he hurt her again? She looked into the mirror, and past herself to see the pitiful look on Mike's face. She smiled. "That'd be nice."

Mike smiled a little, too. "I'm glad." He looked back to the door. "They're doing a reception now. Did you want to join?"

Lucy gripped the table and said nothing for a moment. Her mind and heart were running a mile a minute. Mike opened his mouth to speak again, but Lucy answered. "Let me get changed first. I wouldn't hear the end of it from Sue if this dress got dirty."

"Ah. I'll see you out there in a bit, then?" He said quietly. Lucy nodded. "Okay." And with that, Mike left the room.

Lucy gripped the table harder, breathing becoming steadily more intense as the situation sunk in. Mike was talking to her again. He WANTED to talk to her again. He wanted to apologize. Lucy looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't know what to feel. It was so overwhelming. Then the realization of her move hit her. She wouldn't be able to see Mike for so long. It wasn't fair! After all this time, she was being forced away! Lucy pulled off her dress. No, she had to get out of there.

The blue puffy dress was discarded on the floor and Lucy left the room. She didn't want to be seen, she just wanted to be gone.

She wanted to die.

The khao manee made a beeline to the backstage doors and headed out them. Just as she was disappearing out of sight, Mike was walking back up to her room to check up on her. Everyone was gone from the stage, leaving it dimly lit. Odd shadows painted the walls, and it was almost a little creepy. Mike nearly jumped out his fur when he heard the heavy metal stage doors creak open. He spun around just in time to see a large white tail slip out between them and out of sight. Mike squinted. "Lucy?" He asked. He didn't get a response. He ran to the doors himself and shoved them open, looking for his friend. He shivered, the temperature had dropped dramatically over the course of the evening and into the night. Snow had also begun to fall.

Up ahead he could see a figure heading away into the darkness. Mike knew Lucy's silhouette anywhere. There was no time to waste, no time to grab his jacket. With a deep breath, the boy left the warmth of the school and ventured into the dark and cold. Lucy hugged herself against the wind, though her natural thick coat served her well against the frigid air. 'Right when I have to transfer..' she thought bitterly. 'He wants to talk about it with me…' A lump formed in her throat.

Mike did his best to keep up, but the air was biting and the snow was getting deeper. "Lucy!" He called, but the howling wind threw her name back into his face. The girl did not know of her follower. She continued to run out into the night, terrible thoughts twisting her mind.

'Why did this have to happen… why do I have to leave…' Lucy beat herself up internally, lump growing larger. 'Why did I let them DO that…' The first tears formed in her eyes, stinging from the cold. 'What does it matter?' A dark part of her mind asked, the one that brought her to her destination weeks before. 'What's even the point. I'm a parasite… that's what I am. Nothing.'

Mike still kept up the pursuit, fighting the urge to run back and get warm. He hugged himself, rubbing his arms, trying to keep himself together. "Lucy, come back!" He yelled, but the grieving girl didn't hear his cries. "Where are you going?" Mike soon got his answer.

They came upon a large, abandoned warehouse at the edge of town. It stood as a monolith in the icy snow, leering over them. Lucy's negative thoughts swirled in her mind as the snow did around her. 'I'll push him away eventually. I'll push everyone away eventually.' She opened the door to the empty building, not caring to shut it behind her. 'What's the point of a new school. Nobody will know me.' Despair was gripping Lucy's heart. She climbed up the ancient rusting stairs that lead to the roof.

Mike made it to the door of the old warehouse and peered inside. He was utterly confused by her behavior. "Lucy?" He whispered. The darkness swallowed everything, even his voice it seemed. There was no time to be afraid, Lucy was clearly in distress. Mike took a deep breath and sally forthed into the decaying architecture.

Lucy was still climbing the stairs to the roof. 'Nobody will care about me. Nobody cares about me.' The tears that stung Lucy's eyes now streamed freely from them. She'd never felt more alone in her life. 'Nobody likes me.' She reached the top and with some difficulty, she pushed open the decrepit door to the roof. 'Why do I bother?' Lucy slowly walked across the snowy roof to stand at the edge. Beneath her was a black void, only broken up by snowflakes. It looked like a vast starfield into the heavens. One last thought crossed her mind as she stared into the inky blackness. 'Everything would be better if I…' She sniffled and smiled through the tears. 'Everything will be better without me.'

Mike huffed and puffed as he made the arduous climb to the top, and he was absolutely wiped. He saw the door was open, and what awaited him on the other side sent a chill up his spine that had nothing to do with the snow. Lucy, on the edge of nothingness, poised to jump. Adrenaline shot through the korat, and without a moment's hesitation, he launched forward, running faster than he'd ever run in his life. Snow kicked up underfoot, threatening to slip the cat up, but he pushed through to get to the girl.

"LUCY!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, and this time she heard him. With just a small hesitation in her jump, it gave Mike time to reach her, taking her hand and pulling her back to him with such force they both tumbled to the ground on top of each other.

There was a great deal of confusion on both their parts as they reeled from the sudden impact. Lucy sat up and shook the snow off her to see Mike wiping the snow off himself as well. "Mike?! What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked, bewildered. "Were you going to jump?!"

The words got caught in Lucy's throat, but she forced them out. "What do you care?" She threw a snowball into the already freezing cat's face. Mike shivered, still covered in snow.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself! Or… worse…" Mike frowned. The khao manee was in quite the state. He could still see tears on her cheek, glinting in the moonlight.

"It's not any of your business!" Lucy stood up, and Mike jumped to his feet, taking her hand.

"I'm not gonna let you throw your life away! Why are you doing this?" He demanded to know.

"I have to m-move away!" Lucy choked. "Just when y-you want to be friends…"

Mike softened. "You're moving away?" The thought of it felt so strange. Lucy, gone? She had been a constant in his life since he was a toddler, for better or for worse. "I don't understand…"

"It doesn't matter anymore!" Lucy yelled. "I'm over this! I'M OVER ALL OF THIS!" She yanked her hand away and headed for the edge of the roof again, but Mike was faster. He hugged her from behind, just on the precipice of doom. "Ugh! Let go of m-me!" She squirmed.

"No!" Mike cried, holding her close. "If you jump, I jump! That's the deal!"

"Stop it!" Lucy wrenched one of her hands free and used it to push him back. "Don't!"

"I will! I swear I will!" He said firmly, though he wasn't sure if he would hold true to that. He was just hoping he wouldn't have to find out.

"Why do you care anyway!" Lucy smacked Mike upside his head, but the korat only closed his eyes and held onto the girl for dear life. "You avoided me! You yelled at me! Why do that just to turn around and make things right!" Lucy was punching him now, but Mike didn't relent. "WHY!"

"BECAUSE I WAS SCARED!" Mike bellowed.

Lucy stopped struggling. "Wh-what?"

"P-please… let's step b-back from the ledge." The cold was starting to get to Mike, and each snowflake bit at him. The tunic was no help at all.

"Let go of me first." Lucy said.

Mike shook his head. "N-not until w-we're on the g-ground."

Lucy sighed and leaned into Mike. "Fine, pull me back."

Mike did so, and the two sat a few feet away from the edge. "After you confessed… I still really liked you. I pretended like I didn't because… it just felt wrong." Mike huddled up with himself. "I was supposed to like Sandy and only Sandy. I thought that… if I avoided you… thought about only the bad things to hate you… it would help. But that wasn't fair to you."

Lucy wiped her eyes, thinking about his words. She was a little shell shocked, all this time, this was the truth. Mike sniffled, though it was a mixture of his own sorrow and the fightful cold. "I've been a h-horrible person. T-to everyone." Mike lowered his head. "If anyone deserves to jump, it's me."

Lucy scooched a little closer. "Mike…" She put a hand on his arm and recoiled. "Mike, you're freezing!"

"I-I'm fine." He shivered. Mike's body screamed from the frigid temperatures. If it wasn't freezing yet, it would be soon. "I j-just want you to b-b-be okay."

Lucy sighed and hunched over. "I'll be fine. We should probably get back to school."

They picked themselves up and headed down the precarious stairway to the bottom. Everything was quiet that night. People were at home, cozying up to fires or getting into bed. Mike and Lucy trudged through the snow, like two strangers in an endless snowy wasteland. They needn't wait for traffic, there was none. The traffic lights projected their signals, lifted up by the thick air and snow around it. It was eerie for both of them, and they made a point of staying close to each other. The tracks they made on the way to the warehouse had been covered by a fresh layer of snow. Lucy could feel Mike shaking beside her. She felt bad for him. If she had a coat, she'd offer it. They would be back at school anyway.

However, before long Mike started stumbling and lagging behind. His teeth chattered as his body shook in a desperate attempt to keep warm. "Ss-ss-sso c-cold…" he stuttered.

Lucy squinted, she could make out the lights of the school in the distance. "We're almost there, Mike. Then you can warm up." There was no response from her korat companion. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Mike?" She looked behind her. A few feet away, Mikes' body lay face first in the snow. "Michael!" Lucy gasped, and ran over to him. She kneeled down and shook him. "Mike?!"

The korat groaned and tried to roll himself over. Lucy helped him. "I c-can't…" he murmured, barely able to speak at a whisper, eyes nearly closed. For Mike the world was a blur, his head was feeling light, and his body was weak.

Fear gripped Lucy for the second time that night. "Michael… please… we're almost there!" The khao manee tried to help him up, and though small as he was, he was still heavy. She dug deep and tried to drag him with all her might, but she only managed a foot or two before collapsing in a heap of heavy breathing.

"Juss-sst g-g…go…" Mike wheezed, trying to curl up to preserve what little body heat he had left.

"I'm not leaving you!" Lucy huffed. She pulled Mike close to her, and tried her best to share her warmth. Her tail wrapped around him, too, like a little impromptu blanket. Mike wrapped his arms around her, too. Mike shivered and shook, but his shaking was slowing down, and not because he was warming up. The school was so close, yet so far. She couldn't leave Mike out here, with the snow piling up who knows if she could find him again. It was a dire situation, and while she was able to give him some comfort, it wouldn't be sustainable.

"I'm s-s-so sorry, L-Lucy." Mike whispered. He coughed a little as he inhaled the cold, night air. "I'm sorry I-I was ss-such a-an ass… You d-deserve b-better." He could feel his consciousness slipping, but he wasn't afraid. He could hear Lucy's heartbeat, feel her warmth, as though she were radiating with love for him. If he died now, he was okay with that, at least he was able to save her life. His arms started to go limp, breaking his embrace.

"N-no! Mike!" Lucy cried. She looked up at the school. There was only one thing she could think to do. She inhaled as deeply as she could, lungs stinging from the sudden intake of freezing air, and yelled as loud as she could. "H-HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" She squinted to see if anyone was coming. Nothing. She went for another volley. "PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP! MIKE IS FREEZING! HELP!"

Inside, everyone was enjoying the great reception that had been laid out. Sue had long since relinquished Chris over to Mike's parents, and was happily taking in accolades for a job well done. The full bellies and cozy atmosphere made it all the more wonderful. "I may have a sequel in mind." The burmese told a crowd of students, one of which was on the school paper. "But you know what they say, the sequel is never as good, so we'll see."

Just then, Mike's family walked up to the crowd. "You guys haven't seen Mike, have you?" His mother asked. "We can't find him anywhere."

"Screw Mike, where's Lucy?" Paulo asked, coming back from his third round backstage. "I haven't seen her since the play."

Sue looked a little annoyed that once again Mike and Lucy's drama was stepping on everything, especially after she had spent so long trying to solve it. "I haven't seen either of them. They probably made up and left together or something."

The idea of Lucy going anywhere with Mike made Paulo's temperature rise. On the edge of the party, David leaned against the wall with a cheese platter, trying to see how many cheese cubes he could fit in his mouth. The faintest voice caught his ear. He squinted and looked left and right, but shrugged when he didn't see anyone. The voice came again, and he pressed his ear against the wall. It could just barely be made out, but there was definitely someone calling for help. It sounded a lot like Lucy. David gasped and dropped the plate of cheese. He ran over to the others. "Guys, Lucy-baby is in trouble!"

Everyone stared at him blankly. His mouth was full of cheese so all they heard was a garbled mess. David spit the cheese out everywhere to a collective 'Eww!'. "Ugh, David! Disgusting!" Sue groaned.

"Lucy-baby needs help! I heard her outside!" David said hurriedly, pointing at the wall. Everyone went quiet, and sure enough, they could hear Lucy yelling for help.

"Lucy! I'm coming!" Paulo yelled and booked it to the door. Everyone made chase.

Outside, Lucy's voice had grown hoarse and she fell on her side, hugging the korat to her body. He'd gone still, and Lucy cried as she tried to warm him. "Michael… oh Michael… please don't leave me…" She whispered. She closed her eyes, prepared to sleep out there if she had to, just to keep him warm, when the doors to the school burst open.

Paulo led the charge into the deep snow, followed by their other friends and family. It didn't take long for Paulo to spot the two cats laying in the snow. Seeing Lucy embracing Mike made Paulo's stomach churn, but he brushed it aside. "Lucy! Are you okay?" The somali asked urgently, kneeling down to her.

The khao manee looked at his orange and white face. "Help him, Paulo! He isn't going to last much longer out here."

Paulo frowned. "Fine." He said, annoyed. He wrapped his arms around Mike and lifted the unconscious teen. "David, can I get some help? Mike weighs a ton."

"Must be all that self pity." The dog joked, lifting up Mike's feet.

"Oh my goodness…" Mike's mom said to herself, seeing her son carried unconscious back to the school.

Jordan helped Lucy to her feet. "Where did you go?! We looked everywhere for you!"

"Don't… don't worry about it." She smiled at her brother. "Let's just get inside."

The party made their way inside to the warmth, with Sue and McCain holding the door open for everyone. They cleared off the reception table and gently lowered the korat onto it. Murmurs ran through the crowd. "Should we call an ambulance?" One asked.

"Is he dead or unconscious?" Another inquired.

"It is unlikely he would die from such little exposure to the cold." McCain observed. "Most likely he just needs to get some sleep."

"Shut up, McCain!" A few of them said.

Lucy hung around the back. Paulo sidled up next to her with two mugs of hot chocolate, rescued from the table before it was cleared. He offered one to her. "Lucy… what happened out there?"

The khao manee sighed and took the mug. It had been a long night, and she didn't feel much like getting into it. She did want to tell him, but now wasn't the time. "I got lost." She said, "He helped me find my way back."

Paulo looked at the unconscious korat. "I'm happy he did." He then smiled at her. "Lucy, I didn't get a chance to say it before the play, but…"

"I know." Lucy broke her gaze from Mike to look at the somali. "I think I should take some time to work on myself, though."

Paulo hunched a little, deflated. "Ah. Figures."

"Chin up, jerkhead. I didn't say no. I just need some time to sort things out." She grinned. "If you can keep it in your pants for that long."

"For you? Absolutely." He smiled and took a deep sip of the chocolate.

"Also I'm moving away for several months."

Paulo spit out his drink, burning himself.