It was a chilly January morning, and Millie was on her way to volunteer at Monroeville. She was going to meet up with her best friend and roommate before she went in for her shift. The cold was nipping at Millie's tanned fingers as she rubbed her hands together, allowing the friction to heat up her hands. Millie was used to the heat of Hawaii. They were in their bathing suits during Christmas there, which Millie currently missed. She made her way towards a local cafe, needing something warm to help warm up her insides. She ordered a hot chocolate, having them add a few pumps of peppermint. She also ordered a hot chocolate for Mary, leaving the peppermint out. She figured if she needed warmth and chocolate, Mary probably did, too. That was how Millie was: always thinking about others. She would drain her savings, emotions, physical energy in order to make sure others were well taken care of. If someone needed her shirt in the cold weather, she wouldn't have hesitated. 

She thanked the barista as she handed her the two hot chocolates, slowly turning around. That's when she saw a site that haunted her. A site that chilled her to her core in more than one way. The petite redheaded girl who had made Millie beg Declan to transfer her to Phalanx: Lyric. Millie had no idea what she had done to the other girl, but one thing was for sure: she was not well received when she had arrived at Primrose. She had been relentlessly picked on for everything she did. She was mocked for her love of singing. She was mocked for her love of life. She was mocked because she had to rely on her aunt and uncle for tuition money. Millie's parents were not rich by any means, but her aunt and uncle (and cousin) were loaded. The family was very close, which meant Millie could ride on their coattails and attend the best school for people with abilities. 

Millie froze, only breaking her doe-eyed stare when she heard the paper cup hit the linoleum. She quickly realized she had dropped her own hot chocolate, though Mary's was still in her hand. She bent down to scoop the cup up, hearing the baristas chatter about who was going to have to clean that up. She placed Mary's hot chocolate on a table, quickly grabbing napkins. She bent down to clean up the mess she had made, cheeks red with anger and embarrassment. There was no way Lyric didn't see or hear what had just happened. There was no way Lyric was going to let Millie rush out of the cafe and be on her merry way.