The first light of morning to hit my bedroom walls sent me up and out of bed with the rising sun. The familiar chill of early February hung in the air the moment my feet hit the floor, so as soon as I had climbed out of bed, I was already off to pick out a warm set of clothes for the day. A brief search through the closet propped up on the back wall earned me the decision of a long-sleeved dress the color of honey, which I quickly slipped into in preparation to begin the day.

As I smoothed down my dress after tugging it over my head, it was then that the thought finally occurred to me of how quiet the house was this morning. My brother, Digby, was not always out of bed at this hour of the morning, but my parents were usually up and moving around before I even woke up. I let this wonder linger in the back of my mind to bring myself back across the room to the window, which was set into the same wall that the headboard of my bed was propped up against. I could never fully wake myself up without letting some natural light in first.

Yanking open the white curtains to allow some more light to enter the room, the first sight that I was greeted with was the glare of the morning sunlight reflecting off of a fresh blanket of snow over what used to be frozen grass. Dwindling clouds of a soft gray sprinkled down tiny snowflakes, drifting slowly down to the ground before settling invisibly in the existing coat of snow. It had been a while since the island had been under snow, possibly almost two weeks, and I had thought that had been the final snowfall of the season. Maybe it was a sign of things to come, but whether good or bad, I could not tell.

I tore my gaze away from the elegantly sparkling snow to send a brief glance around my bedroom. It was a rather modest-sized room and wasn't exactly the cleanest that I had seen, either. Dirty clothes lay scattered across the floor along the base of the walls, previously kicked away to the side from a number of nights where I wouldn't bother putting them away before bedtime. Boxes piled up in the corners of my belongings that I didn't quite know where to put, leaving them packed away until I had to dig something out. At the very least, seeing the floorspace that was still open bathed in sunlight lifted the weight of guilt ever so slightly. If I cleaned it right then, I would have been done in less than an hour.

No, that was much too long first thing in the morning. Deciding against the idea as usual, I went to take my leave from the bedroom in search of the reason that made the house so quiet at this point in the day.

I emerged into the dining room to the sound of shuffling paws and pouring liquid, though it was not my mother or father that I found there, but Digby. He was standing at the dark wood table when I entered, setting down a tall pitcher of iced tea that he had just poured into a glass for himself beside an empty glass that could have been for me. As I stepped into the room, he quickly glanced up to look at me and a kind smile rose to his face.

"Good morning," Digby greeted me politely, moving the pitcher closer to my glass to take my serving. Like me, he was already dressed for the day in plain black pants and a white t-shirt. "You look tired."

"I don't feel very tired," I admitted, strolling to stand beside him and reach for the handle of the pitcher.

As I carefully poured myself a glass of iced tea, Digby withdrew a chair from the table and took a seat. I finished my pour without a word, putting the pitcher back down on the table beside a basket of various fruits that showed up on the table every morning, before a thought sneaking through my mind brought my focus back to Digby.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" I asked curiously, lifting my glass to take a long sip. A burst of flavor was brought to life from the single sip, an equal mix of lemon and sweet tea. Nobody could make iced tea better than my parents.

"They're out shoveling the sidewalk," Digby told me, resting his elbows on the table to address me casually. "It snowed today. Did you know?"

"Yeah, I saw it from my window," I replied.

Digby nodded slightly in acknowledgment, allowing himself a drink of his own tea while there was nothing left to say. I noticed that the fruit at the closest reach in the basket was an orange sitting atop the rest of the fruits, so I reached out and took hold of it in my paws, avoiding the hassle of trying to find something different underneath.

I balanced the orange on the table beside my glass and sunk my claws into the peel, preparing to start tearing it apart, but Digby evidently had other plans. As I began to split the peel, revealing the fruit inside, Digby sent a brief glance over his shoulder at the front door behind him before shifting his gaze back to me.

"Isabelle, can you go out and check the mailbox?" he requested. "You might as well do it before we get snowed in again."

I nodded, pulling back from my partly-peeled orange to leave it where it sat on the table. "Good point," I agreed. "I'll do that now."

"Thank you," Digby said, sipping at his tea another time in a nonverbal but polite way of dismissing me.

After a brief stop at my closet again and a pause to clothe myself in a snug pale pink sweater over my yellow dress, I was finally ready to venture outside into the cold of morning. A brisk gust of air immediately swept over me as soon as I stepped through the doorway, causing a shiver to run down my spine while I yanked the door shut after me.

My mother and father had already started clearing out the snow on the pathway moving back towards the house from the mailbox, leaving me a long segment of flattened snow for a few yards before I could walk on the path. My paws crunched over the snow as I made my way along the unseen path, a faint shower of snowflakes falling around me with every step. I offered a cheerful wave to my parents as I passed by, mindfully sauntering past their hard work, and reached the mailbox to be able to take a peek inside.

There was a light dust of snow sprinkled like sugar over the faded red coloration of the mailbox, which implied that it had only started snowing soon before I had woken up, possibly after my mother and father had started shoveling the path. With slightly trembling paws from the biting air nipping at me, I carefully unlatched and opened the mailbox, already half expecting to find it empty as I did most days, but there were two envelopes waiting for me.

Well, that's interesting, I thought. I reached into the mailbox and withdrew the two envelopes to figure out who sent them and to whom they were addressed, only for the fact to be instantly thrown in my face that both the envelopes were labeled with a very familiar stamp. From the pink and purple display of colors and the symbol of a house, it was easy to tell that someone was sending us mail from Happy Home Designer and Academy.

This business, informally known as HH for short and more formally as the HHDA, was a business run by an otter who had been a friend of mine and Digby's for as long as I could remember. Her name was Lottie, and she had been working as an instructor at HH since she was fifteen or sixteen, which would have made me thirteen or fourteen. As I closely examined both of the envelopes in my paws, I couldn't help but notice that one was addressed to Digby and one to me. Not only that, but I could recognize the handwriting on the back without much of a thought as Lottie's own.

I was gradually sinking further and further into a deep confusion by what I was seeing. It wasn't uncommon for Digby and me to receive a letter or two from Lottie every once in a while, but the fact that she was writing from her place of work hinted that she was writing of something much more formal.

Puzzled, I lifted my head to glance inquiringly at my mother and father, but they were already back at work, heads ducked down and shovels thrust deep into the snow, almost halfway done by now. They wouldn't have time for questions, let alone know what the entire situation was about. For a moment, I had nothing left to do but stand and ponder my next step before deciding it best to bring the envelopes inside to Digby to see what he thought of them.

I shut the mailbox again, trod my way back towards the house with another friendly smile as I walked past my parents, and let myself in through the door, restless to finally sit down and open my envelope. Digby was still sitting at the table when I inched through the doorway, shuddering to expel the chill that had come over me in the time that I had been outside.

As I tugged the door shut with my free paw, Digby twisted around in his seat to look at me. "There was something?" he asked, noticing the pair of envelopes in my paw.

"Something for both of us," I told him, approaching the table to drop his envelope in front of him.

Just as I had drawn out my chair and taken a seat, faced with the partly-peeled orange that I had left for myself, Digby leaned forward to pluck his letter from the table, seeming as eager as I felt. I did not follow this action as I set down my own letter in the middle of the table, setting breakfast as my first priority, and continued to rip the peel off of my orange.

"It's from Lottie," Digby announced after a few seconds. He was staring down at the writing on the back of the envelope, observing it as I had done outside. "I recognize the handwriting."

"So did I," I agreed. "Why do you think she's writing to us from her work?"

"I don't know. Let's find out," Digby replied, tearing open the envelope and slipping the single sheet of paper out from inside, cautiously unfolding it to scan the contents.

I didn't pay attention for any longer. I kept unraveling the peel of the orange in front of me, strip by strip until it had been completely removed. Digby continued to read silently beside me as I broke apart the slices of the orange, preparing to begin my meal, but the silence in the room didn't last for much longer. As soon as I had broken apart the fruit and was reaching for the first chunk, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest when Digby's paw shot out to grip my arm and stop me.

"Get Mom and Dad," Digby urged when my gaze snapped to meet his. In the short time that I hadn't been watching him, his expression had shifted completely; his eyes had gone wide and a crystal clear look of shock and excitement had fallen over his face.

"What? Why?" I asked hastily.

"Lottie is offering us jobs," Digby announced.

"What are you talking about?" At once, my paw dove onto the table to snatch up my own letter. A tremble had slowly started to rise in me again with the burst of adrenaline the news was forming.

"It's all in the letter. You'll see. Just read it," Digby told me, distractedly rushing to climb to his feet as he was certainly thrilled by the letter he had read. "I'll get Mom and Dad."

Speechlessly, I gazed down at the envelope in my paw as Digby scrambled to leave the room, letting the front door slam shut in his abrupt departure. My name was written clearly and neatly on the back, but it still didn't feel like it was meant to be for me. Why was Lottie offering us work?

Hesitantly, I tore open the envelope and slid out the letter from inside. I dropped the torn envelope onto the table next to my unfinished orange and cautiously unfolded the sheet of paper, completely unsure what to expect of what I was just about to read.

Dear Isabelle,

I sincerely hope that your day is well and that you have been in good health. I do apologize for the lack of communication over the past few months, as I have been exceptionally busy at work with my duty as an instructor, though I must confess that I write to you today of a much different matter than any other discussed previously. I understand that the sudden news may come as a bit of a surprise, but I hope that it does not cause intimidation.

A few weeks before this present date, I was made aware that you currently do not attend a place of business or involve yourself in some type of work. If the information I have received about the situation is correct, you have been in search of a form of work for quite some time. I have taken this information into consideration and have discovered a fitting solution to the problem at hand.

In order to change your current situation of unemployment, I would like to offer you a position of work as an instructor at the Happy Home Designer and Academy. We have been seeking new workers to fill openings in the instructor positions and would like you to consider attending work at this location. In the event of your potential acceptance, I advise that you start attending work before the day of March 1. I will arrive personally at your home to teach you any directions that you require the knowledge of.

Please contact me or any other instructor by the day of February 19 with your response. Failure to do so will result in the immediate withdrawal of the offer and the positions of work will be made unavailable. I look forward to hearing from you and hope that we can soon begin our collaboration.

Sincerely,

Lottie

Happy Home Designer and Academy

By the time that my gaze had reached the bottom of the page, I was already starting to hear footsteps approaching the front door, implying that Digby had returned with Mom and Dad. My eyes were still glued to the writing as the door was unlatched from the outside, and I raised my head just in time to see Digby, Mom, and Dad all file through the doorway.

"Digby is telling us that you both just received offers for jobs," Mom pointed out as soon as the door had shut again. She and my father each looked equally startled yet hopeful for the news.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied, struggling to process the situation we had stumbled into as I stepped forward to extend the letter out to her. "It's from Lottie. She wants us to work at Happy Home."

"From Lottie?" Mom repeated as she carefully took the letter from my paw and glanced down to read it.

For a few seconds, Mom continued to examine the letter in silence before she held it out for Dad to read as well. Digby was standing beside them, the bright smile on his face implying that he felt no less thrill than earlier. I couldn't recall the last time that I had seen him so excited, but for some reason, I found it very difficult to share in that excitement. Something about the situation wasn't sitting right with me, almost like my intuition was warning me that accepting wasn't the best thing to do.

After Mom and Dad had finished reading the letter, they both raised their heads again to show beaming smiles at Digby and me. "Well, this is wonderful news," Mom announced cheerfully. "Are you going to accept?"

"Absolutely!" Digby replied. "I think it's a great idea. This way, Lottie will be able to show us everything that we need to know."

"I think you're right," Dad agreed, and then he and my mother turned their focus to me. "Isabelle?"

My words were snatched from me in a single instant. Now that Digby had already accepted so quickly, how could I possibly find the words to explain that I wasn't sure that this was the right decision for me? I had never once predicted my first opportunity to work would just be handed to me so effortlessly without any attempt to work for something bigger.

"I... need some time to think," I stammered hesitantly.

Fortunately, Mom and Dad didn't seem upset at all by the answer. "That's all right. It's a big decision to be made," Dad assured me, extending the letter back to me, which I took gently. "But one of you needs to write back to Lottie before you forget."

"I can do that. I'll get started right now," Digby offered eagerly.

"Good. I think that's a very responsible thing to do," Dad agreed, reaching back to set his paw on the doorknob in preparation to leave again. "Once we're finished working outside, we'll come back in to check up on your progress. How does that sound?"

"That's fine with me. I might be done by then," Digby told him.

Dad nodded in acknowledgment, pulling open the door to leave and silently stepping back through the doorway. Mom followed close behind, sending Digby and me one last proud smile before shutting the door after her.

After the door had closed in my parents' departure, Digby turned to face me again. The smile from moments ago still lingered on his face, but a hint of curiosity had begun to creep into sight.

"Why did you hesitate?" Digby inquired.

"I don't really know what to make of this, to be honest," I admitted.

"I think this is a great opportunity for us to start working. We already know Lottie, so we won't even have to go in blind," Digby pointed out. "You agree, don't you?"

"I don't know," I told him.

"You don't know?" Digby echoed, watching me carefully.

He couldn't quite see the situation the way I could, that much I saw. For a moment, this caused me to shy away from the idea of sharing my point of view before I remembered that it was just Digby I was speaking to. He had never once judged me for having conflicting ideals and I could only hope that this would remain the same today.

"I just don't think this is the best option for me," I confessed. "I'm not trying to influence your choice, but I don't think that I'll be able to go through with it. We got this job so easily and didn't even have to work for it. I just feel like there's something bigger waiting for me. Something that hits closer to my dreams of really getting somewhere in this world."

"Lottie didn't have to offer us these jobs. I think we should show her that we're grateful," Digby explained. While his words were not the most polite, his tone was gentle.

"I am grateful," I insisted. "Really, I am. I just don't want to settle for something I won't be satisfied with."

"Does that mean you're declining her offer?" Digby asked me.

The concerned expression that had fallen over Digby's face left guilt to tug slightly on my heart, but I forced a nod. "I am," I said.

Digby watched me in silence for a few seconds, processing my answer before he managed a nod as well. "I suppose I can't control your decision, but I do still think that this is a good opportunity for both of us," he explained. "That's okay. I'll let her know that you don't think you'll be attending."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"No, don't apologize. You have the right to make your own decision," Digby reminded me, showing me another kind smile. "I'm going to grab some paper and a pen to start writing."

"Go ahead," I replied. The image of Lottie's disappointed face when she found out that I had declined her thoughtful offer was invading my mind, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

"Thank you," Digby said. He stood to watch me for another moment as if to make sure that I didn't need anything else before moving past me and taking his leave from the room.

Having nothing else to do, I took a seat in my chair at the table again, finally ready to begin eating the split orange slices that lay untouched in front of me. Feeling noticeably less cheerful than I had when I first retrieved it, I took hold of the first slice and popped it into my mouth to begin the meal.

I was three slices through my orange when Digby emerged into the room again. As he walked inside, he carried with him a blank sheet of paper, an envelope, and a pen, which he set down to begin working once he had reached the table again. When all of his work was laid out for him, he plopped down into his chair again and reached for his pen.

"If you think of anything that you want me to say to her, let me know," Digby told me, pausing with his pen hovering over the empty paper.

My mouth was already full, so I could only manage to nod in response to this. "Mm-hmm," I replied.

Having his answer, Digby ducked his head and began to write. The scratching sound of his pen on the paper seemed to fill the room as I continued to chew, glancing back at all the words I said and the decisions I made this morning alone.

Was Lottie going to be angry that I hadn't accepted? Should I have phrased my ideas a little bit better to make them sound less harsh? Maybe it really was harsh, selfish even, for me to be putting my own dreams first before Lottie's needs. Maybe I should have done a bit more to help her. She had never asked much of Digby and me before this, yet still, I couldn't deny the desire to stray from her request.

I had just picked up the very last slice of my orange when Digby spoke up again. "I just mentioned the fact that you declined the offer," he pointed out, lifting his head again to address me. "Would you like me to tell her why, or would you like to keep that information private?"

"Do I have that choice?" I asked.

"Well, sure," Digby replied. "Theoretically, you don't need to tell anyone anything."

"Oh," I murmured. I was sure that Lottie wouldn't be very happy to hear that I was declining her offer at all, but hearing why could hurt her worse. I didn't want to put her through that after she was so kind to me. "I don't think I want you to tell her."

"That's fine. I won't go into detail," Digby promised before he bowed his head again to keep writing.

We didn't say another word to each other for the rest of my meal. I could only finish my breakfast in silence as Digby scribbled down a letter that I wished didn't have to be delivered. Even after my fruit was eaten and the strips of the peel remained on the table in front of me, I struggled to find the motivation to get up from my chair as the morning's events slowly sank in.

It wasn't until the entire conversation was over and done that it occurred to me that I hadn't been fully honest with Digby about how I was feeling. Everything I had told him was indeed true, but there were still some details that I left out of the discussion, something I didn't quite know how to explain to him, Lottie, or anyone else.

If I got myself into a situation anywhere but the path that I had set for myself, I would never be able to get out.

Digby's first day of work was set to be the twenty-first of February, which left less than two weeks of time with him during the day. The date was suggested by Lottie in a second letter following up the discussion after it had arrived two days after the first one. From the moment we sent off the letter accepting his offer of work, I was already painfully aware that I was losing him, and yet there was nothing I could do about it.

Mom and Dad were absolutely thrilled that Digby had found himself a job and excitedly counted down the days until he would start. Digby seemed proud of himself as well, confidently sporting the fact like it was some sort of badge or medal. As the days rolled by, I wanted nothing more than to convince myself that I was happy for him like everyone else, but every time I tried, I couldn't help remembering the promise we made to stick together and the knowledge that the promise now meant nothing.

The next several days passed me by like any others, though it seemed like the pace of time had quickened and was gradually slipping away from me. Most hours that came and went seemed like they used to before the news, almost like nothing had happened at all, but the thought of Digby leaving was looming over my mind almost every minute that I spent with him. I wasn't ready for what was to come. But unfortunately, time stopped for no one.

It was February 16th when the uniform arrived, five days before the dreaded day, and Digby was never happier about it. The uniform had been ordered by Lottie personally and sent directly to our house once it was ready. While Digby was eager to finally take the first step into his new future, I was still wishing that the situation could be over. As soon as the box that carried the uniform showed up beside the mailbox shortly after lunch on the 16th, Digby had brought it inside to test how well it would fit. I stopped by his bedroom to check on the results once he was dressed.

As Digby stood in front of the full-length mirror propped up against the wall beside his door to examine the uniform he had dressed himself in, I had taken a seat on his neatly made bed across the room. The uniform consisted of dark blue pants, a plain white long-sleeved shirt, and a yellow tie, though there was also an additional red suit jacket still folded in the box at my side that hadn't been tried on yet. While Digby continued to inspect the uniform in the mirror, I sat in silence, since he was already aware of my thoughts on the situation.

"I'm going to be wearing this uniform every day that I go to work," Digby explained to me. He was still so enthusiastic about the idea of attending an official job, even though it had been longer than a week since we had first heard the news. "They have a strict dress code over at Happy Home. I can't wear any casual clothes."

"Oh, really?" I asked. I didn't quite feel as passionately about the situation, but I still tried to make conversation where I could.

"Yes. In fact," Digby replied, briefly and distractedly searching the room around him before he glanced back at me. "Can you get me the jacket that's in the box?"

"Sure," I said, reaching into the box on my left and carefully withdrawing the folded red suit jacket before holding it out for Digby to take.

"Thank you," Digby said to me, grabbing the jacket from my paw and slipping his arms into the sleeves.

While Digby proceeded to carefully button up the jacket, I was nearly startled to catch a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror at which he stood. Dark eyes stared back at me on a round, pale yellow face painted in worry under a short ponytail pulled up tight on the top of my head in hair of a light amber. Digby was a Shih Tzu like me, but he had hair and fur in a light brown instead.

Once Digby had put on the red jacket, he turned to face me again. "This is how the uniform looks with the jacket," he announced, tearing my focus away from my nervous reflection. "What do you think?"

"I like it," I told him, forcing a smile onto my face to try and wash away my previous expression.

"I'm glad," Digby replied cheerfully, turning back to glance at the mirror again.

For a long pause, neither of us had anything to say. Digby had begun to fidget with the jacket; tugging the sleeves further down his arms, adjusting the hem, and smoothing down the fabric. As the silence grew longer, I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about.

At the end of a lengthy pause, Digby finally spoke up again, but was still facing the mirror to observe his appearance. "You know, if you change your mind, we can still work something out," he told me gently. "I'm sure that Lottie will make an exception for you."

"I don't think I'll be changing my mind," I admitted.

"I know, but just in case you do, that option is available for you," Digby said, evidently finished at the mirror as he stepped away to approach the bed where I sat. "While it would be nice for the three of us to be working together, I won't stop you from making your own choice."

"Thank you," I replied as he moved the box aside to take a seat on the bed beside me.

"I think..." Digby began, his words faltering as he seemed to be struggling to find the right ones. "I think this is going to be a big change for us. I won't be here all the time. Just remember, this is a good change. We're moving forward into the future."

"Right," I agreed, leaping at the opportunity to try and smile, though my thoughts finished the sentence I could not say. But I thought we were going to do this together.

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page," Digby said. "What I'm trying to say is, even though things will be a little different now, it doesn't mean things have to change completely. We can adapt to the changes and live life as we always have."

"Yeah, that makes sense," I told him.

"Great," Digby replied lightheartedly, pushing himself up from the bed again. "At least, now that I know my uniform fits well, I'll be all set to begin working when the time comes."

My heart sank slightly at the reminder of how soon the day would come, but I found it best not to mention it. "That's right," I said instead. "I can't wait."

. . .

When the ring of my alarm clock jolted me from a deep sleep, my bedroom was conquered by a thick darkness, implying that I had woken up somewhere in the night. Struck by a mild disorientation from breaking out of sleep so abruptly, I fumbled for the alarm to make it stop ringing, drowsily and half-heartedly wondering why it was waking me up at this hour. Once I had managed to silence the alarm, I rolled over in bed to fall back into sleep, but a thought crept into my mind before I had the chance.

I had set my alarm last night for six o'clock in the morning. It was the day of February 21st, otherwise known as Digby's first day of work, and I had decided the night before to wake myself early in the morning to be able to say goodbye to him before he left with Lottie. Surely he must have already been up by now, since his working hours were eight to six, if I remembered correctly.

Willing my eyes to stay open despite the heavy sleepiness settling over me, I slowly climbed out of bed to prepare to leave. I wasn't going to be leaving the house, so I was certain that it wouldn't be a problem if I said goodbye in my nightgown. In the dark, I slipped on a pair of thin slippers that I had left beside my bed before I had gone to sleep and stepped out of my bedroom to find Digby.

The hallway lights were already on as I stepped through the doorway, instantly narrowing my eyes to a squint. Digby's bedroom door a few yards down the hall from mine was hanging open, revealing more lights and quiet footsteps from inside, implying that Digby had gotten up before I did.

Quietly, I shut my bedroom door behind me and wandered forward with silent footsteps to peer into the doorway. As I inched into sight of the doorway, I could see Digby standing in the middle of the room, already fully dressed and rushing to put on his suit jacket. Since his back was to me, I could only assume that he didn't know I was there.

"Digby?" I prompted softly and he whirled around to face me.

"Isabelle, why are you awake?" Digby whispered, buttoning up his jacket as he spoke. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"I set an alarm to get up early and say goodbye," I explained.

"Well, that's very kind of you, but you didn't need to do that," Digby told me, ducking down to retrieve a black briefcase that had been sitting beside his bed. "Besides, I'm not leaving quite yet."

"What do you need to do?" I inquired curiously.

"I still need to get some breakfast," Digby pointed out as he straightened up again. "As long as you're up, you can join me."

"Sure," I replied with a nod.

Digby was already heading towards the door, holding his briefcase with his paw, and moved past me to enter the hallway. I followed him down the hall and through the doorway to the dining room, trying my best not to step too heavily.

The dining room was empty when we emerged, yet the basket of fruit still sat on the table for breakfast like any other morning. Without a word, Digby set his briefcase down onto the table and lowered into a seat to reach for an apple that sat on the top of the fruit.

"Are Mom and Dad awake yet?" I asked delicately, seating myself in the chair next to Digby's, but I did not engage in a meal. After all, I would probably just want to go back to sleep once Digby was gone for the day and could eat later.

"No. They said their goodbyes and good lucks last night," Digby told me before taking the first bite of his apple.

I kept quiet and let him eat. Since this was the very last moment of freedom I had with him, I didn't mind the silence as long as I could spend it with him. For a while, we sat with nothing to say while he continued to eat, and for the moment, I was content.

Digby finished the apple within minutes, rising from the table and picking up the core with him. "I have to go throw this out," he announced, shifting his focus to me as I followed the action to climb to my feet. "You can wait outside for me and give me a shout if you see Lottie."

"I can do that," I replied. Digby nodded in acknowledgment, letting his eyes linger on me for another moment before starting off towards the kitchen door.

As soon as I had crept through the doorway to wait outside of the house, the fact was instantly clear to me that I should have grabbed some kind of sweater before stepping outside. Fortunately, there wasn't much wind except for the occasional icy breeze sweeping across the land, but the temperature had dropped so low that it felt as though my limbs had frozen the second I exited the house. I let the door fall shut after me and heard the snow crunch beneath my slippers as I strayed a few steps from the door to leave it some room to swing open.

The sky was a black dome hanging overhead, dotted with gleaming stars stretching as far as the eye could see. It was still snowing from the past few days but only slightly now, tiny snowflakes drifting down to a sea of white at my feet. Even the sidewalk, which had been shoveled a few weeks ago, had been completely coated with snow again. Maybe this time, I could offer my help in shoveling it.

The wait seemed longer without Digby's company, but I finally heard the door unlatch a few minutes after I had stepped outside. I turned around to see the door swing open again, giving way to Digby as he carried his briefcase with him. He appeared to have put on a dark gray coat in the time that I had been waiting outside, zipped up close to his chin. At least he would be a bit warmer than I was.

"She's not here yet?" Digby asked me, stepping to stand beside me.

"Not yet," I told him, tucking my paws into my sleeves to keep them warm as a faint shiver ran down my back. "What time did she say she was picking you up?"

"She said she would be here at about six-thirty, but I'm not sure what time it is right now," Digby admitted, turning his face away to scan the horizon.

When silence fell between us again, I found that my focus still lingered on his face, turned away to look beyond us. I couldn't read the emotion on his face as his gaze eventually went still, focusing on a single point in the distance. He seemed calm, but I had known him long enough to know how effortlessly he could hide his emotions.

"Are you scared?" I asked him after a moment, bringing his attention back to me.

"Of what?" Digby questioned in response.

"Well, I don't know. This is something you've never done before," I reminded him. "Going off on your own, starting a real job for the first time."

A gentle smile flooded over Digby's face when he understood what I was asking. "I have no reason to be scared, Isabelle," he told me. "I'll have you and Lottie to support me."

"I'm glad that we can be here for you, but I'm going to miss you," I pointed out. "We've never been apart for so long before. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"I told you," Digby said patiently. "Nothing has to change if we don't want it to. It's not like I'm going away forever. I will still be with you."

"That's true," I acknowledged, feeling the ache in my chest begin to loosen slightly.

"We're going to be okay," Digby assured me. "I'll be home by seven every night. It'll be just about eleven hours in each day that we'll be apart."

The number seemed a bit intimidating spoken aloud, but I understood where he was coming from, and so I nodded. "Right," I said.

"So, keep your paws off my shoes during those eleven hours, okay?" Digby joked, thrusting his elbow into my arm in a playful yet firm nudge, which earned a genuine laugh to rise from my throat. I had gotten myself into trouble more times than I could count as a little puppy trying to sink my teeth into different pairs of Digby's shoes, and it had become a sort of inside joke in our family ever since.

"You'd think after so many years, I'd be better about that," I joked with him.

"Yes, it would seem," Digby replied.

Both Digby and I managed a little chuckle at the memory, but mine faded quicker as a heavier thought took control of my mind. It wasn't until we had finally loosened the emotional tension between us that I could see how bittersweet the situation was. It was time to say goodbye, and yet we stood laughing about a memory that left us long ago in order to restore our connection. It was both beautiful and depressing just how many emotions could be felt from the cause of a single word.

Digby seemed to notice my shift in emotion and a hint of curiosity began to cross his face. "What about you?" he asked after a pause. "Are you scared?"

"Yes," I answered truthfully, seeing no reason to lie.

"Why?" Digby inquired.

"I just don't want anything to change," I told him.

Digby watched me thoughtfully for a moment, considering this answer, before he raised his head to gaze up at the stars above us. "Look up there," he said to me. "What do you see?"

I glanced up at the star-sprinkled sky, unsure what I was meant to be looking at. "Stars," I replied hesitantly.

"Do you remember what Mom and Dad used to tell us about stars?" Digby asked.

"Reach for the stars," I recited from memory. "And someday you will be able to hold them as your own. If you're patient enough, you could even count them."

"Do you know what it means?" Digby tore his gaze away from the sky to glance over at me.

"Not really," I admitted.

"You're not supposed to," Digby told me, raising his head to look up again. "That's something you find out at the end of your journey. You're only at the start. You don't have any stars to count, so to speak."

"Wow," I mumbled, considering this.

Digby continued to stare up at the stars for another moment before returning his focus to me, turning to fully face me. "I think I'm on my way to find my stars," he told me gently. "If there was no change, then I would never get any closer to my destination. I think that all we can do about it is accept that there will be change and that it will all be for the better."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course," Digby replied, but my ears were already starting to register another sound.

It was the nearing sound of shoes crunching over the snow, which meant that someone was approaching us. When I turned my head, I observed that there was a familiar pink otter shuffling across the snow towards Digby and me, dressed with no coat but wearing a very similar uniform to Digby's. In place of the tie, there was a thin yellow bow, as well as a skirt instead of pants. It hardly took a glance for me to realize that it must have been a very similar uniform to the one that I would have worn, had I accepted.

"Good morning!" Lottie called out cheerfully as she approached us, her breath leaving a misty cloud of frost in the air from the freezing temperatures. "I hope I'm not interrupting something."

"Lottie!" I exclaimed, bursting into a brisk walk towards her.

"Isabelle, I wasn't sure if you'd be awake yet," Lottie replied kindly, tossing her arms around me to pull me into a gentle hug. The sound of approaching footsteps from behind me implied that Digby was already strolling to join us. "It is good to see you."

"I wish that we could see each other more often, but I know you've got a lot of work to do," I said after she carefully withdrew again.

"I wish the same, but the call of business is always urgent," Lottie agreed as Digby stepped up beside me. Lottie glanced over at him almost instantly, hesitantly extending her paws slightly as if she couldn't decide if she wanted to hug him as well, before resorting to holding her paws in front of her and giving him a beaming smile. "Hello, Digby," she said shyly.

"Good morning, Lottie," Digby replied politely. "Have you been well?"

"Yes, I've been all right," Lottie said happily.

"Aren't you cold? You're not even wearing a coat," Digby pointed out.

"I am just fine, but it's thoughtful of you to be concerned," Lottie assured him.

"As long as you're fine, then I'm happy," Digby replied cheerfully, managing a bright smile as he tucked his free paw away into his pocket to keep it warm. "Should I leave my coat in the house as well?"

"No, no, you should keep it. I want you to be as warm as you can be," Lottie said. "Besides, I think you look cute."

"Well, thank you, Lottie. I try," Digby replied lightheartedly, evidently not thinking too much on the statement as he turned to face me again. "We're going to head out, Isabelle. I suppose this is goodbye for now."

"I suppose it is," I answered.

Digby gave me one last sad smile of farewell before he reached out and drew me closer into a firm hug. "I'll see you tonight," he promised, holding me tightly in his arms.

"See you later," I mumbled.

Digby held me in silence for a few long seconds before he pulled away again. Once he had stepped away again, he glanced over at Lottie beside him, who almost immediately caught the hint of wanting to leave. With one last cheerful wave goodbye for me, Lottie turned away to shuffle her way back over the snow where she had come from, leading Digby with her.

As I watched them walk away, my feet seemed to be latched onto the ground, standing in the very same place. I was going to watch them until they disappeared over the horizon, despite standing in the snow in the middle of winter in nothing but slippers and a nightgown. I wasn't sure when I would see Lottie again, but my concern fell mainly on Digby.

As soon as I had seen Lottie for the first time this morning, the fact was never clearer about how much things would change. I had run the situation in my head countless times before this moment, but imagining it was much different from when it was time for it to happen. Neither Digby nor I were going to be the same after this. The changes might not have been clear just yet, but I could see them coming from a mile away. And I wasn't ready.

And so I could only stand and stare as my brother was taken away from me.