The end of an age.
The last box was taped, and it was done. Her whole life at Nix's was over, and Key was the cleanup crew, packing everything neatly together for moving out. And it wasn't any sort of surprise-- ever since Nix died and returned, she'd more or less known she'd be leaving eventually-- but it was still sad. She was leaving the only home she'd ever had. It was tough.
She was moving, of course, because the former Unreal apartment was conveniently across the hall from Greg, in whose universe she'd be attending college. And she'd get to stay with Dawnie and JP, which would be... unique. No, it'd be fun, to get to see her friends everyday and those sorts of things. It'd be harder to keep her secret, though.
Her secret. The one thing she can't even tell Spider-man, can't even tell Shawn about. The thing that's been preventing her sleep, the thing that she lies to cover up, the thing that she's not sure she even understands yet. This thing, this tiny thing, and she's not clear on why she's keeping it a secret. But it's hers, and it's painful, and it's confusing, and...
And she thinks she likes it.
But she'll be moving to Greg's world now. Where people don't rail against the mutant menace on the news. Where people in tights don't swing in to save the city from giant robot monsters. Where tiny 19-year-old girls don't glow in the dark. She thinks she'll be able to act normal and escape any kind of undue attention. She was always good at passing, and besides, her secret can take care of the rest.
Pushing the hair from her eyes, Key lays down on her bare mattress and hugs a caseless pillow to her chest. Here's to the night, she thinks. Tomorrow will be coming soon.