Sweat stained Autumn's uniform as they finished polishing the floors of the main lobby. They made sure not to stop until they could see the shine of the chandelier dangling overhead.

Their arms felt like a million tons as they threw the sponge they had used to scrub the white tiled floor into the bucket of sudsy water now turned from a pristine blue to a sickening brown. They ran their arm over the soaking wet forehead before shakily getting to their feet and lifting the bucket as best they could before immediately setting it down again.

Autumn was far from strong. In fact, they were what many would consider a stick. They thought that after years of using their physical strength to clean an entire mansion alone would build up some muscle, but it was beginning to prove Autumn's thoughts wrong. Instead, all the manual labor they put in day in and day out was only turning their arms into agonizing noodles after hours of working on cleaning a house they didn't even live in. They didn't even like the Brighten Estate, cleaning it was merely a means to an end to pay the bills and get food. In fact, the only good memories Autumn had of the house were playing video games with Chet or playing the piano for Mrs. Brighten when she wanted their help to practice her singing before a show.

They looked down at their drying and cracking fingers from hours of cleaning. Their mother had signed them up for piano lessons long ago, hoping they'd use it to become a musician working for people like Mrs. Brighten who sang for concert halls where even richer people would go and listen to them tickle the ivory-like an angel. That dream for their child had never come true. Autumn had never felt that big a connection to the instrument, even when they got good at it enough to play for Mrs. Brighten who Autumn had to admit was a wonderful singer. They had never really felt a connection to anything that they were good at. Drawing was always fun, but it wasn't like they had time to enjoy it when they had to go from place to place without getting a chance to catch their breath.

Maybe when they finally left this city they'd take art lessons.

"Need help, little buddy?"

The familiar voice of someone behind them made Autumn nearly jump out of their skin. They spun around to see the sweet smile of Chet that Autumn had loved since middle school. Chet stood at the end of the main staircase, looking down at Autumn from the banister where Autumn had been leaning against to rest their arms. Their arms still hung limply at their sides, continuing to ache even after a moment's rest from using them.

Chet would always offer to help Autumn when he could avoid his father's stern eye. Mr. Brighten refused to allow any of his sons to do work meant solely for the help. The work the people he hired within his home were beneath the Brighten family and he wouldn't allow any of them to be caught dead cleaning the house when they had people for that. The youngest of the Brighten brothers, however, seemed to take more after his kind mother than his power-hungry father. While Mrs. Brighten couldn't seem to find time on her own to offer her help without her husband popping into existence near her and demand she leaves the help to their work, she did give people like Autumn food and drinks to enjoy when she felt a break was needed.

She was even the one who argued with her husband to allow Autumn to use one of their unused guest rooms to rest before they had to go to their classes. She probably would have ordered Autumn to stay in the Brighten home, but Mr. Brighten had ended the argument with a furious wave of a hand to silence his wife and ordering Mrs. Hartfield to prepare a room for Autumn before he stormed out the room. That was probably the only time Autumn thanked Rayphalyn that one of the many fights that broke out between Mr. and Mrs. Brighten ended in Mr. Brighten stomping out in a huff like a child. While it was a kind thought, Autumn did not want to live in the Brighten Estate. They hated this mansion. They hated all homes owned by the rich. They didn't want their pity. They wanted their respect.

Autumn waved a painful hand at their friend with a weak smile. "No, no," they laughed, "I've got it, pal, just needed to rest my limbs for a second."

Plus, if Mrs. Hartfield saw you helping me, she'd break something even more expensive than a plant. They didn't say it aloud, but the thought made Autumn shudder with aggravation at the memory of the old maid knocking over the pot in the dining room for them to clean up just for asking a simple question. Mrs. Hartfield wouldn't do something like that in front of the Brightens, but the moment she and her "subordinate" were alone, she'd throw something against the wall just barely missing Autumn and order them to clean it up while she walked off to do whatever she did when she wasn't working. Probably finding ways to kiss Mr. Brighten's ass until she could get in his pants. Autumn thought disgusted. Thank Rayphalyn that will only happen in her dreams. Autumn hated Mr. Brighten and they believed that Mrs. Brighten could've done far better, but they had to admit that he was devoted to his wife and her alone.

"It's almost three in the morning," Chet pointed out as he climbed down to stand next to Autumn, "have you been cleaning the entire mansion by yourself?"

Autumn suppressed a nervous gulp. They had two options that they hated being given. They could either lie to their best friend, which even the thought of made them cringe or tell the truth about Mrs. Hartfield leaving Autumn to do both their jobs after purposefully breaking something. The second option wouldn't make life any easier if they simply lied to Chet. Nothing about this job would change. Autumn would still be pushed around by everyone except Chet and Mrs. Brighten within the mansion. They'd get very little sleep before having to go to their classes and their bookstore job and repeat the cycle by returning to the mansion for the night. They'd still be paid very little, still live in one of their mortal enemy's apartments, still be a disappointment to their family, and still be alone.

"Mrs. Hartfield isn't feeling too well," Autumn lied as they turned to look away from Chet, feeling their heart stab itself with a dull dagger, "so, I'm just doing what I can until I drop." they then turned back to flash their best smile at their tall friend, having to tilt their head up to see how "happy" they were. "But I totally got this! Nothing like some extra work to build up these arms!"

Chet didn't seem fully convinced but smiled anyway. "If you say so, buddy," he replied, letting the situation go. "How about you take a break and we can have a snack or two and play some video games?"

The offer was tempting. More so than Autumn thought it would. They had been working so hard that night and it wasn't until they had stopped to rest their arms that they realized their stomach was growling like a hungry wolf who had just spotted its prey. A few minutes of eating a quick snack with their best friend and enjoying some time kicking his butt in one of his many video games wouldn't hurt anyone. Sure, Mrs. Hartfield would get a little butt hurt at being forced to hold her tongue for a while as she watched the two relax and play as they enjoyed the youth she had long lost many winters ago. While Autumn had to admit they were rather harsh for taking pleasure in an old woman's rise in age as she watched a man who still held his youthful look at age sixty and turns to a woman of forty who looked thirty and probably would to her dying day, but she had treated Autumn like a slave since they were hired. It didn't fill Autumn with too much guilt when they thought of the horrible woman's tragic old life and crack a smile at her fury when Autumn was treated with such warmth from someone whose life cost more than a mountain of gold.

Still, the fear of walking in a room full of broken items worth more than Autumn's own life made them hesitate at accepting their friend's invite. It wasn't that cleaning it with their bare hands as Mrs. Hartfield would hide the broom and pan from them to make it harder that made Autumn shake with a mixture of anger and the threat of tears rolling down their face, but the thought of being blamed for the crime scene of murdered statues, plants, and other items that Autumn couldn't even name that made them fearful of having to deal with Mrs. Hartfield's wrath. Mr. Brighten would sooner believe her than Autumn and would find ways to punish them without leaving any bruises for Mrs. Brighten and Chet to see and confront him on. The last time Mrs. Hartfield had made a room look like a tornado had gone through it, Mr. Brighten had forced Autumn to go outside in the freezing snow and throw hot water down on the iced porch. Autumn had to deal with frostbite for days before they could feel their toes again. Whenever asked what the matter was by Mrs. Brighten and Chet, Autumn would lie and say that they just spent too much time playing in the snow because of how much they loved the cold. Mr. Brighten would just stand in silence as Autumn explained away their limping to his none-the-wiser family.

It was then that Autumn's anger made their blood boil. It wasn't their fault Mrs. Hartfield wanted to take out her anger of mortality on them. Autumn had nothing to do with looking like a twelve-year-old at twenty-three while Mrs. Hartfield continued to look like an ancient artifact with each passing year. Autumn wasn't afraid of growing old and even if they were they wouldn't take it out on the youngsters of this God-forsaken city. Instead, they'd just be the stereotypical granny and ramble to the youth about how they should stay children for as long as the Lord would allow and appreciate their childhoods because it would be gone in a flash. In fact, that's just what they were going to do. Being offered to play like they used to by their boss's son wasn't something they were just going to refuse because some crazy lady wanted to make their life a living hell. They were going to be a child for as long as the Lord would allow and they were going to spend it with their closest friend in all the world.

"Y'know, you drive a hard bargain, Brighten," Autumn smiled genuinely this time, "let's shove some unhealthy college student snacks down our throats and get your butt kicked in some old-school Bustle Barrel Bros.!"

"In your dreams, DuPond!" Chet beamed back as he began leading them to the kitchen and to the cabinet where he hid their secret stash.

///////////////////////////

A loud burp erupted from Chet as he and Autumn ascended the main staircase to his gaming room. Autumn let out the first laugh they've allowed to escape their lips in a long time. Back in high school, it was Chet's very earthquake-inducing burps that kept others from sitting with them at lunch. Autumn didn't care. For the first three years of that time it was just them, Chet, and Grace, and, back then, that was all Autumn ever wanted. Then Grace abandoned her friends for some rich pretty boy who was rich in money, but poor in personality. Unlike Chet who was rich in money, but was richer than the richest king in kindness. Autumn was unsure how their individual lives would be going had Grace never stabbed them and Chet in the back, but those thoughts went away as soon as they came. High school was over and while Autumn missed those days, they didn't miss Grace's treachery just to make a quick buck with someone who wasn't Chet.

There were times Autumn began to wonder if Chet still thought of those days too. Did he still have feelings for Grace even after what she did? Did he ever wonder what life would be like if he and Grace ever ended up together? Would they both still be friends with a, seemingly forever, single Autumn? Would Autumn be with someone if they hadn't spent their entire high school career on comforting a heart-broken Chet?

Now that they thought about it, Autumn never really found anyone in high school or life for that matter attractive or at the very least interesting enough to enter into a real relationship with. There was a time when they got into a... Something with one of Chet's older brothers out of high school, but that ended in Autumn immediately ending it before it ever really became anything when an "anonymous"- though they were almost positive it was Grace trying to be friends with Autumn again- source sent them photos of Heinrich Brighten with a bunch of different girls in his own personal hotel room that his father bought him when he began dating. He had invited Autumn to this infamous private hotel room several times when they were "together" but Autumn turned each one down. They liked Heinrich, at least they thought they did, to saying yes to dating him, but Autumn wasn't sure what it was that kept them from letting him touch them. They had assumed they just weren't comfortable enough with their body to allow him to see them naked, but Autumn was perfectly fine allowing Grace and Chet seeing them without their normally baggy clothing. In fact, they'd prefer if Chet saw them without their clothing. Allowing Grace to see them just always seemed to hit Autumn differently than when Chet saw them. They could never explain why this was, but they never questioned it. Why would they waste their time when it was obvious this world was more focused on sex than personality and actually getting to know someone and build that bond of trust? Sure, they seemed to be more interested in men, but they never thought about ripping their clothes off and allowing whatever man gave them attention to just take them right there. They just found the majority of the male population more attractive than the female and preferred just being friends with males more than just letting them screw their brains out.

Once the two friends had made it to Chet's gaming room, Autumn immediately flopped down on the bed that was placed within it in case the Brighten brothers accidentally passed out in the room after their many hours of playing. Their feet sang with happiness at the feeling of all the pressure they had been taking all day get the rest they so desperately needed. Autumn let out joyful groan as they flipped over to lie on their back and stretch it out in a blissful pain as it popped back into a perfect straight line in contrast to the bent mess it was forming into. If Mrs. Hartfield's plan was to add years to Autumn's life so they'd look older, she was going to be successful by the time Autumn turned twenty-five.

Chet chuckled as he went over to his TV that sat atop a cabinet where he kept all of his games. The rainbow wall of perfectly preserved cases that were home to the disks within always impressed Autumn as it was a huge difference from the mess of Chet's room just across the hall. It was a wonder how he could keep every last video game and console he'd ever owned perfectly organized while his room was more clothing than carpet.

"You know you can always come here to rest when you need," Chet repeated for the millionth time since Autumn began working for his dad, "we can just say my mom threw you in here and my dad wouldn't do anything."

Autumn smiled but quickly frowned, hiding their face from Chet though his back was turned as he began setting up whichever random game he grabbed from the cabinet shelf.

"No, I couldn't," Autumn chuckled disingenuously, their voice almost muffled by their sleeves, "Mr. Brighten might leave me alone, but Mrs. Hartfield would shove that stick that's up her ass even deeper up there and make life even harder."

Chet was silent as he put the game in one of his consoles and set up the controls. Worry wriggled in Autumn's stomach, concerned they may have overstepped their joke and revealed just how much Mrs. Hartfield was upsetting them. They hated the old woman, but not enough to get her fired just because they complained to their boss.

"Autumn," Chet began hesitantly as if wanting to choose his words carefully, though Autumn already knew what he was going to say as they had had this conversation before, "you don't have to deal with this, we can help you without all this humiliation," Chet told them as he turned to face them with his usual worried face, "we can reference you to one of my dad's companies, you can get better pay and more respect."

Autumn hated getting into these discussions with Chet. They had made up their mind years ago that they wouldn't use their connections to the Brighten family for their own goal in life. Grace had already used Chet to get to Marley, Autumn would never forgive themselves for using his family to get a job.

"It's fine, buddy," Autumn replied sharply, "I'm doing just fine, I don't mind."

"Well at the very least let me tell dad about Mrs. Hartfield," Chet sighed, "he can talk to her and get her off your-"

"No!" Autumn interrupted as they shot up on the bed. They immediately regretted snapping at Chet as he flinched under their glare, but remained standing defensively being taller than him for once. "I'm fine," they said more calmly as they softened their stance, "I really appreciate your help and all buddy, but my goals can't be your goals." they slowly sat back down on the bed and looked down at their hands, now completely cracked and calloused from the work they had done that night.

"You know how much I want to leave this city and I know how much you have to lose because of me," explained Autumn as they fumbled with their fingers, "if I start using my connections to your family it will be like using you and getting in the way of your goals to go into film without your dad's help. I'd be the biggest hypocrite if I started relying on those richer than me to get anywhere in life and I'd be setting an example that it's okay to use those richer than you, good or bad, to just be handed things. It's not fair to you if I start asking for your help in something I can easily get on my own."

Autumn then let out a frustrated sigh and pressed their hands to their face before falling back on the bed. After a moments silence, the bed creaked as Chet climbed in next to Autumn and lied back to lay next to them. They could feel the heat from his body by their side and Autumn couldn't help but to blush. Why did they have to be so weird?

"I'm sorry," Chet finally spoke, "I know how much you hate it when I try to talk you into allowing us to help you. I just don't like seeing you struggle because of people... People like me."

Autumn took their hands off their face and set their hands down beside them. "You're nothing like your dad or Mrs. Hartfield, you're the farthest thing from it," they soothed, "do you think I'd have this conversation with them or your bothers?"

Chet let out an embarrassed giggle. "No, I guess not."

"You're sweet and kind," Autumn went on, "you'd never be the reason I would be suffering even if I was. It's just my lot in life to be pushed around by others, but the only reason I deal with it is because I know the end goal will be worth it and it'll give me immense satisfaction to show everyone whose ever brought me down how far I've made it after dealing with all their bullshit!"

Chet smiled, but frowned rather quickly as he turned his gaze to stare up at the ceiling. "I know your goal is to leave and I would never want to get in your way, but... It wasn't that bad living here was it?" he asked almost nervously. "I mean, I know you've been mistreated by a lot of your bosses and working as a housekeeper isn't exactly the highlight of your life, but... You've had some good memories here, right? You won't just leave and forget it like every memory you've made here was just bad? You won't forget us, will you?"

Autumn's heart broke at the sudden realization that they had been talking for years about leaving this city behind them for a better life and hadn't even considered how the people they cared about would feel about them leaving. They didn't want to leave Chet behind, but at the same time, they didn't want him to uproot the life that he was creating in the city just to go with them. They didn't know what was on the other side of the world and they didn't want Chet to give up on his dreams when they found that there was nothing else out there but fire.

"No, no, of course not," Autumn assured, "no matter how far away I go, this city will always be my home! I've made some bad memories here, but those are all superceded by all the good ones. My family is here, my sister is getting married here, you're here, and no matter what's out there it'll never keep me from coming back here to my real home and spending time with my best friend!"

Chet laughed happily, showing off that dopey grin Autumn loved about the big lug. "But I'm not letting you leave without treating you to dinner with the family at that pasta restaurant you like! I will not take no for an answer!"

Autumn chuckled at the normal, overly enthusiastic Chet. This was what Autumn wanted, to hear Chet be excited for anything, even a cheap dinner that was basically a goodbye for Autumn. "Thanks Chetty-Chetty-Bang-Bang," they replied, using one of the nicknames they had given him back in elementary school, "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

"What are friends for?" Chet beamed.

Autumn smiled, but deep down they felt like screaming. They felt their cheeks flush at how nonchalantly Chet would say something without realizing how much it really meant to Autumn. They enjoyed every second they spent with the big guy with his messy brown hair and stupid gorgeous blue eyes. They could never understand why at certain moments they'd see Chet in a completely different light at the most awkward of moments. They never felt this way when they and Grace spent time like this. They never once thought what it'd be like... If they and Grace were more than just friends.

Just then a loud shout of two voices shook the house before the door swung open with a loud bang against the wall.

"Dog pile!"

Heart racing, Autumn spun away from Chet off the bed as he went the opposite way just before two large bodies dropped themselves heavily down on the bed. Their combined weight caused Autumn's body to go bouncing high off the mattress and face-planted to the floor with a sickening thud. They let out a groan of more annoyance than pain, their face pressing down into the carpet of the floor. Like always, Chet's older brothers had to ruin a good moment between Autumn and Chet with their nosey, obnoxious selves.

The sound of synchronized laughter filled the room as Autumn jumped up to their feet to glare at their attackers. Bear Brighten laid in a relaxed position where Chet had been lying while Heinrich laid where Autumn was, his body turned toward them with his hand on his cheek and the other on his hip. The two may have looked different, but they could've shared a brain with how alike they were in how they acted.

Bear was huge, not fat, but huge. His muscles were bigger than his head and he wore shirts tight enough for people to see his pex and abs poking through. Chet was a rather big guy, but no one could match Bears muscular strength and height. Heinrich was more scrawny, though he did have muscle enough to see when he bent his arms and while Bear relied on strength, Heinrich relied on his looks and charm. For a Brighten it was important to use your natural born gifts to intimidate and talk your way into anything you wanted and the two oldest sons were always ready to use theirs to get what they wanted. Autumn knew all too well.

"So what are you two homos talking about?" Heinrich smiled as he looked Autumn up and down. Chet sighed in frustration as he clambered to his feet to glare at Heinrich for his insult which was more meant for Autumn than him. Ever since Autumn had dumped Heinrich upon discovering his rendezvous with a sleuth of different women, Heinrich liked to remind Autumn how different they really were to the rest of the world. Autumn couldn't remember exactly when they started feeling odd in their own body, but they knew it had to be before their time with Heinrich.

Before anyone could answer, which was probably lucky as Autumn was sure they'd be fired immediately for what they had planned to say, a earth shattering shriek filled the house. It was a familiar woman's scream and everyone in the room shuddered at her cry as if she were being murdered.

"Mom!" Chet cried out as he jumped over his older brothers to run out the room, accidentally stomping down on Bear's stomach, causing the body builder to gasp in sudden pain.

Autumn ran out after their friend and was soon followed by the older Brighten brothers. The scream was coming from Mr. and Mrs. Brighten's room and there were sounds of crashing followed by Mrs. Brighten's bloody murder of screams that could have woken the entire city up. Mr. Brighten shot out from his office as the young people passed, he shoving past his sons and housekeeper to run ahead, calling out to his wife. Mrs. Hartfield had been running up to the room door as the five newcomers approached.

"Christine," Mr. Brighten exclaimed as he pushed his room door open, "what's happened!"

Autumn peaked in along with others from behind Mr. Brighten to find Mrs. Brighten standing on the stool of her vanity in her nightgown, running in place as she snatched a hairbrush from her vanity and threw it down at the floor. Autumn followed where Mrs. Brighten was throwing and spotted a small ball of fur cower away from the attack and to another side of the room where several other beauty products had been scattered. From what they could tell, the tiny creature looked to be that of a mix between a squirrel, bat, and rat. It's medium sized, lithe body looked twice as big as it really was with its fur fluffed out in fear, it's rubbery looking wings were glued to their arched back, and it's long pink tail was high in alert.

A night glider. Autumn thought in deep intrigue rather than disgust. It was rare for them to see these nocturnal animals in the city, except when they went to the park. The little creatures never took too fondly to bright places like houses.

"It's a rodent!" Mrs. Brighten sobbed as she picked up another item from her brightly lit vanity and threw it at the creature, only to miss completely. "Get it out! Get it out!"

"That's what all that screaming was about?" Heinrich scoffed as he glared down at the terrified thing.

Bear cracked his knuckles. "Chill out, ma," he laughed as he stepped into the room, "I can get rid of this thing in a second!" he loomed over the night glider that had seemed to have frozen in terror at the towering predator above it. "This thing's gonna be tomorrow night's dinner!" Bear vowed as he lifted his booted foot.

Mrs. Brighten let out a disgusted scream as Autumn bolted in to the room, letting out a cry as they jumped before Bear and wrapped their arms around the night glider and rolled over to another corner of room away from Bear. Everyone had gone still in shock as they all turned their attention to Autumn, a shaking beast of the world's strange nature in their arms. Autumn themselves were rather surprised by their sudden call to action.

"D-Don't kill it!" Autumn demanded, shaking off their racing mind. "It's a living creature, it could have a family, it doesn't know any better!"

Mr. Brighten's eyes narrowed as Mrs. Brighten climbed down from her chair, both staring at Autumn albeit Mrs. Brighten's eyes softer and kinder than her husband's.

"How did it even get in here?" Mr. Brighten asked angrily.

"I may have a theory, sir," Mrs. Hartfield spoke up as she stepped a little closer to her boss, "when I went to the cellar to dust the shelves, I noticed that the window was opened and there were twigs and leaves scattered all over the floor."

Bullshit. Autumn thought as they stood up, still holding the night glider. I dusted the entire cellar and that window was shut.

"Poor thing must have scurried in to escape the cold," Mrs. Brighten pointed out as she looked sympathetically to the creature she had moments before been throwing stuff at.

"However or why ever it got in here, I don't really care," Mr. Brighten snapped, "DuPond, get that thing out of here! Leave it in the forest somewhere."

What!? Autumn thought, their mouth dropped, almost allowing the retort to be heard.

"Darling, it's freezing out there," Mrs. Brighten turned to her husband in disbelief, "just allow Autumn to care for it for the night in their room and-"

"I'm not allowing that animal to sleep under my roof," Mr. Brighten interrupted, "get rid of it this instant or I'll call animal control to eradicate that creature!"

Mrs. Brighten began to argue, but Autumn stopped her as they began stepping toward the exit. They spared a glare at Mrs. Hartfield who, with no one looking at her, was smiling evilly at them. She must have noticed Autumn take a break from their chores and wanted to get back at them worse than her usual breaking of material objects. She had to have known Mr. Brighten would send them out to the forest that sat just behind the Brighten Estate in this freezing cold, rainy night to get rid of the animal she had dragged in. If Autumn didn't hurry while they were out there, they could very easily freeze to death.

"It's fine, ma'am," Autumn assured, "I won't be long." they began to walk out before being stopped by Mr. Brighten let out a frustrated sigh.

"Take one of the coats and scarves in the closet by the back entrance with you," Mr. Brighten ordered with a wave of his hand, "and use one of the snow boots and leave them outside when you come back, I don't want you tracking snow in my home!"

"Yes, sir," Autumn bowed, but held back a smirk as they passed a disappointed looking Mrs. Hartfield.

"Hartfield, clean up this mess!" Mr. Brighten barked. "Come Chris, you may rest in the study until she can get this place sanitized."

A snort escaped Autumn just before they could leave the room completely and immediately began making a run for the downstairs before Mrs. Hartfield could take their rage out on them by blaming them for something stupid. Autumn was about to freeze their ass off outside, but Mrs. Hartfield was getting her karma with actual work.