To guest reviewer, Rena, I have read The Selection and it's one of my favourite series. Let me know about the crossover idea you had.

It was Lunar New Year two weeks ago and I'm ashamed of myself for not acknowledging it in this story so here.

To Ask For the Crescent Moon: Part Nine

Cress walks down the stairs in her school uniform. She heads into the kitchen where she sees her father reading the paper and having a morning coffee. Cress only had ten minutes before she has to leave for school. It would've been thirty but she had to factor in the snow and morning traffic. Usually, she would've asked for a ride but needed her car since she was tutoring at the downtown public library after school until the evening.

"Crescent," her father says.

Cress stops since his tone is sombre. He wants to tell her something important. It could probably wait but won't. She doesn't remember the last time she heard his voice like that.

"I shouldn't break doctor-patient confidentiality," Sage starts, "but Thorne is a good kid."

Cress's heart skips as she smiles. "You think so?"

Sage nods, lowering his paper to face her. "Now, I know I didn't have to when you reached that certain age since I was never concerned but you know where to kick him if he does something you don't like and he doesn't listen to your refusal."

Cress should've left before this conversation started. Her face burns and she'll never get this conversation out of her head unless she got a lobotomy. "Dad."

"I'm not saying Thorne's that type but it's a precaution, especially at school dances and events like that. Anything goes."

"Speaking of going…" Cress mutters. "I'm going to school now."

"Fine, we'll continue this talk later."

"I'm tutoring later."

"After that."

"Spades, Dad, please no."

-o-

After gym class, halfway through the day, Cinder leaves the change room following gym class out of her school uniform. She wears the simple clothes she'd usually wear to work but she has to act fast since she's still on school premises. Cinder just had to get to her locker and find Winter before she gets caught by any teachers or faculty, and factor in commuting time.

Since it's between class, Cinder thinks she could blend in with the students but she'll stand out like a sore thumb in her civvies. She should've brought her winter coat and boots to the change room and text Winter, but Cinder knows she should run into Winter since she'll be heading down this hallway to her next class.

Cinder arrives at her locker and opens it up, throwing her jacket on hoping that it would cover her civvies. Her jacket would still make her stand out but not as much. Cinder's backpack keeps falling off her shoulder and she gives up on putting it back as she kicks her black sneakers in her locker and puts on her boots.

As she closes her locker, Cinder jumps when she sees a confused Winter on the other side.

"Where are you going?" Winter asks.

"Uh," Cinder hesitates, "look, I'll tell you later but can you catch a ride with someone else? I need the car."

Winter hesitates. "You'll tell me I shouldn't worry but - hic - I'll be worried because you told me not to worry. Cinder-"

"Winter, relax, I promise to tell you later. I'm not doing any dangerous spades or anything close. Just trust me."

Winter crosses her arms over her chest and her face doesn't budge. "I can't stop you but if you get into trouble, it's not me you'll have to deal with."

"Don't worry, I told Levana."

"That doesn't make things better. We could tell Levana we're going to the moon and she'll - hic - leave us on read."

"Exactly."

Cinder grins as she spins on her heel and heads outside as the bell rings.

-o-

"Have any of you seen Cinder this - hic - afternoon?" Winter asks.

After school, Winter got a ride with Kai and they went back to her place with Scarlet, Wolf, and Thorne. Eventually, Cress joined them after her tutoring shift and they sat around the kitchen island with their homework and some snacks, more food than assignments.

None of them have heard from Cinder, most not knowing she disappeared halfway through the day until the end. Winter has tried texting Cinder with no response. Not even the others are getting answers but they're not as concerned as her.

Winter distracted herself with her faint hiccups and trigonometry, looking up when she sees Cinder walk through the front door as if she was casually coming home from work. She tosses her bag on the ground, throws her jacket on top, and kicks her boots off.

"I have a way to cure your hiccups for good," Cinder states, brushing away the hairs that fell out of her ponytail.

"Poking around my larynx with a screwdriver?" Winter suggests.

"No," Cinder says, thinking that over for a second, "but we should've tried that."

"Is that why you left school? Because of my hiccups that would've been gone by tomorrow?"

Cinder nods. "And more."

Before Winter could ask, the door opens again and Jacin walks in, cussing out the snow and for Cinder for leaving him out there since he almost slipping in the driveway and his pants are now wet from the snow. As he brushes off, Winter screams, almost not believing her eyes. To think she was nearly avoiding him and now he's here, dusted with snow like a pastry in icing sugar. She looks at the others to see their faces to make sure they're seeing Jacin too, and their shocked smiles, Cinder's proud nod, and Jacin still annoyed with the snow.

Not only does she feel liberated from her school dance worries, but she thinks her hiccups have disappeared for good.

"I came to cure your hiccups and dance the night away," Jacin announces.

Winter runs over and leaps in Jacin's arms as he closes the front door. He hugs her tightly, Winter warming him up as she kisses him all over his face. Jacin would usually squirm away from PDA but he lets her kiss him until she stops. She feels one of his hands release from her back but that's probably to flip off Thorne and Cinder who exaggerate their gushing.

Winter parts and points right at Cinder with a frown. "I knew you weren't on the phone with the garage!"

Cinder shrugs. "I never want to be seen on the phone with Jacin."

"Feeling's mutual," Jacin says, removing his coat and hanging it on the coat rack.

Cress lightly sobs to herself, closing her notebook since she won't work on history notes while this romance show is happening in front of her and Thorne has his arm wrapped around her. "Aces, this is so cute."

"I've completed my work," Cinder says. She walks over to their hangout on the kitchen island and grabs a handful of pretzels only to notice Kai staring at her with a hopeful grin. She doesn't bother to finish chewing. "What? You trying to ask me to the dance again?"

"C'mon, Cinder, you brought Jacin," Kai says.

"That's an incentive for me not to go," Cinder snorts a laugh. "I really brought him for my own benefit."

"Dancing is a communal experience."

"Alright. I'll go."

"And furthermore," Kai pauses, studying Cinder's face to make sure he heard her right or that she wasn't kidding but her calm smile remains, eyebrows raising to get him to continue talking but he's flustered. He didn't see this coming let alone so quickly. "Wait, really? What happened to your no dance policy."

"I changed my mind."

"I memorized all these arguments for nothing."

Cinder shrugs as Kai leans closer and kisses her on the cheek. Thorne and Cress cheer that Cinder is finally going. Winter would too but she's too preoccupied with Jacin. Little do they know that Jacin said he'd go to the dance if Cinder went, but Cinder knew she would cave eventually. She was just waiting for Wolf to crumble first so she'd win the bet.

"Maybe I'll wear a dress for you," Cinder teases.

"You don't have to," Kai says. "You'll look beautiful, don't get me wrong, but don't force yourself."

"Please force her," Jacin pipes in, "make her suffer."

"Shut your spades," Cinder tells him. She digs into her pocket for 20 univs and slides them across the counter for Wolf, who was smiling the whole time for monetary reasons when Cinder agreed to attend the dance.

Scarlet glares at them. "You two were betting?"

"Not anymore," Wolf pockets the cash. He looks at Cinder. "We'll race cars another time."

"After the dance?" Cinder jokes.

"I hate both of you," Scarlet says.

"But we're going to the dance now!" Wolf exclaims, shaking his girl a little to excite. Her curls bounce everywhere. "And I have 20 univs."

"Such a gentleman."

Cinder and Wolf will be racing cars in the next season. I have it planned.

This chapter may have seemed like an ending for the arc but the next chapter is actually something a lot of you, myself included, love.