It was meant to be a joke. Or something like that. When Lucy beat that edgy cat to the bus he rode, she merely meant to be a mild nuisance to him for her own amusement. Augustus wasn't even going to let it go that far. Lucy grinned smugly at him when he walked onto the bus, but he ignored her and moved on to the back. Lucy, grumpy that her antics didn't grab his attention, followed him to the back and pouted the whole way to his stop.

It was a long trip to his house, too. An uncomfortable one. Even after they reached the end of the line, they had a long walk ahead of them. Most of the time Augustus pretended Lucy wasn't there, opting to keep his eyes forward. Around Lucy were run down buildings, boarded up and broken. The grass was unkempt, weeds grew everywhere, and it felt like she was being constantly watched… even though no one was there. It was now that Lucy began to regret her decision to follow him. It was all meant to be fun and games, but the reality of Augustus's situation was very grim.

It got even worse when two random guys outside an alleyway started harassing her. Lucy tried her best to move on, but she couldn't stop the creeping sensation going up her spine. She was scared - really scared. What was worse was there was no way for her to get home from there that night, and Augustus wasn't exactly being warm and fuzzy toward her plight. He wasn't Lucy's keeper. It was true, he had warned her there was no going back… so why hadn't Lucy just believed him? Was she so sheltered that she thought things couldn't be so bad?

After a quick stop at a convenience store for dinner (which just consisted of some small snacks for Lucy) and Lucy deriding Augustus for stealing (he didn't care), they both arrived at an abandoned house. At least, Lucy assumed it was abandoned. It LOOKED abandoned. The grass was just as overgrown here as with the rest of the houses, and trash littered the yard. It smelled funny, too. Was it coming from the house? Yet, Augustus walked straight up to the door and opened it.

The funny smell did indeed come from within. There was trash scattered along the floor as Augustus and Lucy walked to his room. Lucy could have sworn she was a few roaches. On the couch, laid out in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position, laid a woman who reeked of alcohol. She was out cold, soft snores coming from her mouth. Lucy was mindful to be quiet, but Augustus didn't seem to care about that, either. He led her down a hallway to a room at the end, and the door swung open with a terrible squeak.

The room was bare. Like, bare bare. It looked like someone hadn't finished packing, or perhaps they had packed everything up and left nothing but a mattress to sleep on. There were no lamps. There was no fan, or desk, or chair. Just carpet and a mattress, with a thin blanket on top. The mattress didn't even have a sheet. Lucy was horrified. She couldn't even have perceived such an awful place to call a home. It was cold. Lonely. Uninviting.

Augustus had to leave to run some errands, and when Lucy figured out who for, the knot that had been slowly tightening in the pit of her stomach got even tighter. With that little chestnut, she was left on her own, in a strange room, in a strange house, with strange people in a strange part of town she didn't even know existed. And now she was in… HIS… territory. None of her other friends were there to comfort her or protect her. Lucy stared terrified at the empty doorway, not knowing what to even do next. She didn't even have a way to contact home.

Then the yelling began. Presumably, Augustus's father had come home from work, and demanded dinner. This started a screaming match between the two adults, and Lucy sank onto the mattress. Her mom and dad never even raised their voices at each other, let alone yelled. Things were thrown, glass was smashed, and Lucy prayed they wouldn't find out she was there. She could only imagine what they'd do to her. What if they threw her out? Where would she go? It was dark now.

With nothing to do, and with all the stress, Lucy tired out and took a nap. She was awoken by the siamese boy, who was holding out a cell phone. He let her use it to call anyone she wanted, a small gesture that showed he really did care under all that apathetic exterior. There was nothing else to do but get ready for bed. Augustus let Lucy have the mattress and blanket, while he slept off to the side. Another small gesture, but it meant a lot, and Lucy greatly appreciated what small comfort these everyday items she always took for granted brought.

They both went to dreamland, but Lucy's took her to one of the darkest nights of her life. She was trapped, stuck to the cold, hard ground, looking up to the sky. Over her were her friends, all looking down their noses. They insulted her, lusted after her, abandoned her, all the while she cried out for their help, but it fell on deaf ears. And then HE entered her vision, blocking the stars, telling her that she would always have him…

Lucy jerked away, sitting straight up. It was like her body had been hit by a surge of adrenaline, and there was a brief calm before the storm. In her mind was a cascade of fear and doubt. She was alone. He would find her. Nobody would save her. Lucy began hyperventilating, tears forming in her eyes. She tried covering her mouth to keep in her gasps for air, but the feeling of despair was overwhelming. He was coming for her. He would take her away. She would be lost forever. She was going to die.

Lucy's sobs had now awakened Augustus, and he tried to get a pin on the situation in his groggy state. "Huh? Lucy?" He asked, trying to keep his voice down, lest he awaken the wrath of his father. It wouldn't matter. The khao manee was falling headfirst into a full blown panic attack, and she began to bawl her eyes out. Augustus had to shut her tears down before it was too late. "What's wrong with you?" He demanded to know. "Stop crying!"

This, of course, didn't help. Lucy cried loudly and uncontrollably, and just as he feared, his father woke up and was very unhappy about it. Augustus could hear the furious footsteps coming down the hall. He looked at the door and then back to Lucy. "Shhh! Lucy, you've gotta be quiet before-"

There was a loud slamming at his door, and it made them both jump, and even if for a brief moment, Lucy's sobs were caught in her throat. "YOU SHUT THAT BITCH'S MOUTH UP BEFORE I TOSS YOU BOTH OUT ON THE STREET, YOU HEAR ME?!" The voice boomed from the other side of the thin door.

"Y-yes! S-sorry, sir!" Augustus called back, thanking everything that he hadn't just ripped the door off its rusted hinges and made good on his promise. His father wasn't the type to give warnings. The heavy footsteps faded off into the distance and the boy turned his attention back to Lucy. She was still sobbing, but at least now it was into the pillow which muffled it a bit.

"You have GOT to be quiet now!" Augustus whispered harshly to her. "He's serious, he will do it!" Lucy nodded into the pillow, still sobbing, but trying to make an effort to get it under control. With great effort, Lucy managed to tone it down, but she was still trembling, and every so often a sharp gasp would escape her. Truth be told, she looked a mess, and Augustus, as hard on her as he was being, understood the feeling. He had spent enough time around Alejandro to see the same tears in another girl. It wasn't like he didn't care, either. It sucked, but right then her options were to suck it up or get them both kicked out of the house, and while Augustus could crash at Alejandro's place at least, Lucy would have to fend for herself.

And as annoyed as Augustus was with the white cat for following him out there and causing all these problems, there was no way he was going to do her like that.

Lucy laid back down, shivering and shaking, still gasping, desperately trying to keep the pain inside. Everything was just too overwhelming. She'd pushed Mike away. She felt like she had no friends. She was stranded in an unfamiliar place and was in imminent danger, and now she was being threatened by someone she didn't even know. This was all just supposed to be a funny little prank, how could things get so fucked up so fast?

Augustus laid his head down, watching the girl panic in the darkness. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling, and the mattress shook with her. It took Augustus back to darker times, times where he was in deeper with Alejandro than he was now. Times when Melanie was still around. Countless nights she would come to him, crying after a massive fight with Alejandro. He would bruise and batter her, hurling all manner of insults her way before throwing her to the ground and going out drinking with Toby. Augustus wasn't allowed to intervene, lest he too face the thug's wrath.

Once they were alone, Melanie would crawl to wherever he was and curl up next to him and cry, just as Lucy was. At first, Augustus didn't know what to do or how to react. He'd never had to deal with someone crying like that, or coming to him for comfort. Most people avoided him, as though he were carrying a disease. But not Melanie. Never Melanie. She saw him as something greater, even greater than he believed himself to be. He would sit awkwardly as she did her thing, crying until her eyes ran dry and she was tuckered out.

Over time, he got better with handling it, and discovered that a few soft words and a gentle hand, sometimes a cool, wet rag in case she was bleeding, would go a long way in sobering her up. The girl would sniffle and lay her head in his lap as he stroked her hair, telling her how wonderful she was, how bright her future was going to be, and other kind things. Occasionally, if they figured they might have the time for it, they would put on an old movie from one of the VHS tapes Alejandro would swipe from the local donation bin and cuddle under a blanket. Then Alejandro would come home plastered, held up only by Toby, and things would go back to business as usual. But for a brief hour or so, the two would find respite, and Augustus would get to see a beautiful, yet teary, smile on Melanie's face.

But Lucy was no Melanie, and she didn't know how to handle affection. But, if they were going to get any sleep, and not risk getting thrown out on their asses in the middle of the cold night, Augustus had to try something. With a sigh, he pulled himself up onto the mattress. Lucy looked his way. "Wh-what-"

"Scoot over." Augustus said plainly.

"I… wh-what?" Lucy stammered.

"Just… scoot over." He repeated. Lucy did as she was told, it was his… bed… after all. There was just enough room for the both of them, but it was a snug fit. Augustus pulled the blanket over himself and lifted the side closest to Lucy. "C'mon, then. We need to get some sleep."

Lucy looked from the open blanket to the boy. "I… I d-d-don't kn-know…"

Augustus frowned. "You trust me, right?" Lucy nodded. "Then come on over."

Lucy was hesitant. This was new… she'd shared a bed before, but that was at girly slumber parties. This was a boy… in HIS bed… what did this mean? Was this what others meant when they talked about 'sleeping together'? Augustus could feel her hesitancy. "I'm not gonna try and take advantage of you, okay? I'm not like that… anymore… I just want you to be okay."

With but a moment's more of hesitation, Lucy scooted over to the siamese under the blanket, and Augustus dropped it, letting it fall over her. He was taller than her, and her head rested under his chin. Augustus put his free arm over her to hold her close. Lucy tensed up, as the boy expected she would. "It's okay… you're safe now…" He said softly to her. "He can't hurt you… I promise…"

Lucy relaxed a bit and allowed herself to snuggle up to him a little more naturally. Augustus petted her back, and it gave Lucy a calming sensation she liked a lot. "H-hah! B-bet you're loving th-this…" Lucy said between little sniffles.

Augustus rolled his eyes. Mike might buy into that sort of thing, but he wasn't going to. "Knock it off. I know you're scared. Just accept the help for once without trying to act like you don't need it."

This shut Lucy up. He had her number. "N-now what?" She asked.

"We go to sleep, hopefully." He murmured, already feeling it taking him once more.

"But what if I-" Lucy started, but Augustus cut her off.

"Don't think like that." He whispered, still gently rubbing her back. "You're safe, right here, right now. He's miles away, asleep, probably very drunk. He can't hurt you. I will do what I can to keep it that way."

It was reassuring to the girl. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him like a child would hug a stuffed animal, face buried in his chest fur. "Th-thank you…"

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep."