Darkness greeted us with quiet warmth, enfolding us in a loose embrace, as we entered Pierre's shop. I hadn't realized how cold it was outside until nighttime's frosty touch was melted by the heat inside. I rubbed my hands together as I pressed closer to Sebastian. I would have to start wearing gloves soon. I was admittedly somewhat excited for my first winter in the valley. Back in Zuzu City, snow during winter was never a guarantee. Most years saw snow towards the end of the season, and even then, it only lasted for a couple weeks at most. Not being used to snow, the city came to a standstill as soon as the snow was thick enough to coat the ground. Somehow I doubted that the reaction to snow in the valley was very similar.

My eyes adjusted quickly to the black as the door shut behind us, and a cloud shifted, allowing a moonbeam to pierce a window that, like most of the windows here, had its curtains pushed aside. The inside of the shop illuminated with a pale, silvery light that cast a ghastliness over everything. It was fitting given this was Spirit's Eve, and accompanying the scene was an unsettling quality. With a strangely provocative certainty, Sebastian stepped forward, past the shelves, to the back corner of the store. I followed him, knowing from a single previous experience where he was going. Dread filled me with every subsequent step and I tried to keep my mind focused on keeping my footfalls inaudible. It didn't matter how much I wanted to hide, though. There was no point in lying to myself – this was going to be an uncomfortable and awkward meeting.

He rapped his knuckles on the door in front of him, but there was no reply or indication that he had been heard. Without a hint of hesitation, he turned the knob and entered Abigail's family's living area. Steeling myself with a moment of silence, I slinked in behind him.

I'd been in here once or twice before, having delivered randomly requested items to Abigail, her mother, and father. In the dusky shadows, the place looked a lot less warm and inviting. The air was still and the only sound – a medley of chiptunes and 8-bit sound effects – came from the closed door straight ahead of us. Though I didn't recall seeing Caroline out participating in the Spirit's Eve festivities, I had no doubt that the only one home right now was Abigail given how quiet it was here.

With practiced precision, Sebastian made a beeline for the closed door of Abigail's bedroom, and I couldn't help but feel a spear of jealousy at his confidence. The one major thing that Abigail had over me was all of the time she had had to build up a rapport with Sebastian. Time was a dimension that I had no control over.

Don't be silly, I reminded myself, he said that he's only ever been just friends with Abigail. Even though Sebastian had explained their friendship to me, only time would tell whether or not I would be able to rise above the wave of envy lurking just at the edge of my consciousness.

His mouth was set in a grimace as he knocked on the door to her room. "Abigail," he called, and I had a vision of him having done this in the past a few too many times for his liking, "it's me. Open up." His shoulders lifted as he sucked in a breath and we waited. The resultant exhale bordered on the edge of a growl or grunt of displeasure, and I knew that beyond my anxiety, a part of me was pleased that Abigail incited some negative feelings in him.

We continued to wait in the darkness, the sounds from behind the door becoming rhythmic and cyclical. A pool of moonlight lay just to the right of where I stood, and I stepped into it just as the door opened a crack.

I looked up and caught her eye. There was no friendliness glinting there now.

"What do you want?" she snarled at Sebastian. A weariness edged her tone, and as her eyes took me in, they narrowed. "What are you doing here?" she asked, though her tone now was more pained than angry.

"A certain someone came to apologize," Sebastian stated, taking a step closer. I caught the twitch of his hand that indicated for me to do the same and I obliged. I saw him tuck the toe of his boot into the crack between the door and its frame. "And before you shut the door on our faces, I just want to say that I really think you need to hear this."

The door opened an inch further. "An apology," she said with heavy deliberation, "is that all?"

"Abigail," he warned, and his frustration was obvious despite his efforts to contain it.

She stared at him, her eyebrows forming a severe vee. "Okay, fine," she huffed, and stepped back as she pulled the door open.

Sebastian cast a reassuring look back at me as he entered and I followed after him. I had never been in Abigail's room before, never having made the effort to get to know her beyond the aloof, purple-haired persona she presented at the town events. All of my interactions with her had been conducted through a haze of caution and resentment, and I was pleasantly surprised now to find that her room was not so dissimilar to mine back when I had lived at home with my parents. Sure, her room was bigger and she had an aquatic-themed wallpaper plastered into it, but her shelves were stuffed with books and knick-knacks that revealed some common interests. As we walked past her computer desk and entered the main area of the room, I realized that she must have been in the middle of a video game when we had interrupted her. Taking a precursory look at the screen, I realized with a start that I recognized the game she was playing.

Sebastian nudged me as Abigail stood before us, arms crossed over her chest. Her blue eyes were still narrowed, but most of the tension in her stance had left and her body sagged against the stiffness she tried to force into it.

I cleared my throat and felt my insides clench. "Abigail," I began, and I looked quickly at Sebastian. He tilted his chin expectantly and I forced myself to continue with an audible gulp, "I'm sorry for scaring you in the maze." I paused, overwhelmed by the heady rush of adrenaline that had kicked in. Fear gripped my heart, my lungs, my insides as I looked into Abigail's steady gaze. Sebastian leaned closer to me and placed his hand at the small of my back and somewhere in my subconscious, a voice cloaked in Sebastian's calming timbre reminded me to breathe. I took another breath. "It was mean of me to do that, and I hope you can forgive me. Maybe not today, maybe not soon, but someday." I sighed, the burden of guilt still weighing on me. I became very aware of my pulse. "I know you're deathly afraid of spiders and I wish I hadn't taken that information and hurt you with it."

She nodded slowly and I heard her release a breath. Her expression did not change.

Now came the hard part. My throat constricted and I felt my hands begin to shake. Digging my fingernails into my palms, I choked out my next words, "But I have to own up to why I did it."

She eyed me with a shot of suspicion, but gestured for me to continue.

I looked at Sebastian again, and he offered a smile. Though it was a small one, it was enough.

Drawing myself up to my full height, I spoke, "I have a confession to make, Abigail," I paused as she raised one nicely-shaped eyebrow. I took a deep breath and pressed my nails farther into my palms. "I was jealous of you."

Both of her eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yeah," I continued, as a growing fire consumed my face. "I thought that Sebastian was in love with you."

"Wait," she said, her expression changing, "you thought Sebastian was in love with me?"

I nodded. "I thought maybe you guys used to date and there were lingering feelings or something – I don't know, you two just seem so close, close in a way that's different from his friendship with Sam." My words died as she pressed a hand to her mouth.

Her eyes narrowed again, but this time there was mirth in the lines of her shoulders, a tension relieved of its tightness. Puzzled, I watched her struggle to compose herself. From behind her hand, the corners of her mouth quirked up, and she began to snicker.

"Oh gods," she chuckled, "I don't mean to laugh, but it's just so funny." Her hand dropped and a grin cracked her face. "I mean, yeah, we're good friends, we have inside jokes, and I know I can rely on him, but he's not exactly my type."

I stared at her as Sebastian nudged me reassuringly. "Told you she'd laugh," he said.

"So you don't like Sebastian in that way?" I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful or accusatory.

She shook her head vigorously, her violet locks swishing about her face. "He's a great friend and probably a good boyfriend, but he's too much of a homebody for me – no offense, Sebastian."

"None taken."

She nodded. "I want to go on adventures and fight monsters. There's an entire world of people out there, none of whom I've met yet, and some of them probably love adventuring as much as I do. Sometimes I feel like I can't stand to be still. I don't want to sit around inside unless it's to play a video game, and even then—" She made a face.

"But you have so many books," I said with a frown. "You have a ton of choices for what you can do inside."

She shrugged, her lips forming a pink curl of apathy. "I haven't read most of these. A lot of them were gifts. If I do reading these days, it's mostly about swordplay techniques or mysticism stuff, and that I can do online."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Oh," I said, drawing the syllable out as I glanced from him to her, "well, it seems I was jealous about nothing, then."

She giggled. "Oh, I can't believe you were jealous. That's why you've been so distant, and I guess that does explain the whole spider thing." She smirked and sent a curious gaze my way. "I mean, I guess I might've done something similar if it was me feeling jealous."

"That's a relief," I said with a small laugh.

"And don't worry," Abigail added with a bright smile, "Sebastian really likes you. We don't talk all that much anymore actually since he, like, never goes outside," she arched an eyebrow at him, "but when we do, he always talks about you."

I turned to give him a swift, piercing glance, but he refused to make eye contact and let out a small sigh. His face was growing redder and redder by the second.

Returning my gaze to her, I said, "Well, thank you. That's really sweet to hear." I cast Sebastian one last questioning look, but he continued to redden and avoid eye contact. "Anyway, it's getting late and we should let you get some rest."

Her head bobbed and she raised an arm to guide us towards her room door. "I'm most at peace during the night hours, but okay, I'm sure you're both tired," she paused, "and thank you for telling me. It must not have been easy, but I appreciate it. I feel like I know you a lot better now."

I nodded. "Again, I'm sorry. It was such a stupid thing for me to do."

Waving a hand absently, she followed us out of her room into the living room, and out into the storefront. "I get it now. Don't worry about it, you just might have to be careful about what sorts of fears you mention around me, though. I like a good prank war." She winked and I balked. "And you know, if you ever want to come play video games, you're welcome to."

An invisible weight seemed to lift off my chest, and I took an easy breath. "Thanks, Abigail."

"Have a good night, you two," she said as she opened the front door for us. In the moonlight, I could see the puffiness of fatigue in her face. I had made her cry, and nothing could take that act back. Her eyes glittered nonetheless, and somehow I felt guiltier than when I had first arrived at her doorstep.

"Goodnight," we murmured in a unified reply, and stepped outside into the cold.