I know that this chapter is very short, but I'm going to make them longer. And I'm going to able to get this story going, I'm pretty confident in that.

I really hope you guys will review and tell me what you thought of it, because that really makes my day. Without further ado, let us begin.

Hello.

Before this story starts, I would like to introduce myself a little. If you want to judge me, that is fine, but you should at least know what happened to me to make me this way.

My name is Lucas Enfield. I was eighteen years old when the tragedy struck me and my girlfriend.

Now, was it really a tragedy? After all, one could argue that ir was what needed to happen in order to save the world. Therefore, any suffering it might have caused has to have been worth it, right?

Well, truth be told, I'm not so sure that I buy that argument. Moreover, even if I did, it would seem to excuse the way I was treated.

So, when it all comes down to it, am I angry? You bet. I'm so angry as I write this that I can hardly see straight.

But I do think that this is a story that needs to be told. If not for me, then for someone else. So please, read at your own risk, because this is quite a wild ride.

This story starts as I was taking the train home from school one day.

I live in the suburbs of Pastoria City, in a small town called Gardenia that is roughly 45 minutes by train from the downtown area.

For the most part, I like it there. It's quite pretty, especially the forests that surround the metropolitan area of Pastoria City. There are the seedier parts of the city, but then, there are seedy parts of just about any city you can name.

I'm lucky enough to live in Gardenia, which has great schools, a low crime rate, and many good employment opportunities. Therefore, it's frequently considered a good place to raise a family.

As the train made its way towards the stop that was located in my hometown, I prepared to disembark. Looking out the window, I soon saw downtown Gardenia for itself, and, let me tell you, it was gorgeous.

It was the last day of school before Christmas vacation was to begin, and I couldn't have been more excited. After vacation, I only had half a year left until I was done with high school, and then I could go to college. I was looking forward to college, because it sounded like something I wanted to be a part of.

Little did I know, my life was about to be rocked to a degree that even I could never have imagined. I quite liked the simple suburban life, but that was about to change.

I got off the train and waited for it to move out of the way before I crossed the tracks. None of the other students at my school who took the commuter rail to and from school lived in Gardenia, so I didn't have anyone to talk to on my walk home.

It was just as well, really. I didn't have too many friends at school, and there was only one person my own age that I considered myself close to.

Her name was Angelina Hawley, and she was my best friend. We'd gone to elementary school and middle school together, and then we'd sort of drifted apart. She'd decided to attend the local public high school, while I'd gone to the private school in the city.

As a result, we didn't see each other as much as we'd used to. That wasn't a particularly welcome development, nor was it one I particularly hated; it had just happened. We were growing apart, and that was fine. Some things are meant to be, but maybe not forever.

However, after ninth grade was over, we'd talked to each other more and more. After a year of living in practically different worlds, we were growing together once more.

It had taken me two and a half years, but only now did I think I was ready to ask her out on a date. And, fortunately for both of us, I saw an opportunity.

As I walked up the front steps and saw the two small Ursaring statues that were placed on either side of our front door, I pondered whether this was a good idea or not.

On the one hand, we knew each other very well, and she might have been thinking the same thing as me. On the other hand...what if she wasn't? In that case, asking her out could end up backfiring severely on me.

Nobody was at my house, which wasn't surprising. I was an only child, and both of my parents were still at work, doing some office task that I wasn't particularly interested in. I had no desire to have the same occupation as my parents when I moved out of the nest, and I was pretty sure they knew that.

I entered the house using the key that was taped to the bottom of the couch on the porch, and then I looked at my fireplace. On top of the mantle, there was a wireless phone.

Okay, Lucas, you know what to do.

I grabbed the phone and typed in the number for Angelina Hawley. I waited. And waited. And waited.

Finally, there was a voice on the other end of the line. "Is this Lucas Enfield?"

"Yes" I replied, trying to conceal my excitement. I didn't want to give away the game too early in the call, because...I just didn't. Call me a master of the arts, I guess.

I could tell that it was Angelina on the other end of the line. It was too young a voice to be her mother, and her father was away on business in Kanto. She'd told me that, but that he'd be home by Christmas.

"What's up? Why did you call me?" Angelina asked me.

Good, I thought. We're getting to the point.

I normally wasn't one for long, drawn-out conversations. I wanted to get right to the point, because I found extended social interactions physically exhausting. I didn't know why, I just did.

Since she seemed to want a swift answer, I decided to give it to her.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Pastoria Winter Ball with me" I replied. "I know that it's really formal, but it just sounds like something that would be fun, you know?"

Angelina chuckled. "You sure say, 'you know' a lot, Lucas".

I smiled, then remembered that she couldn't see me do so. "Yeah, I do say that a lot. Sorry about that".

"You also apologize a lot".

"Whatever. Anyway, do you want to go with me or not?"

There was a slight hesitation, and then she said, "Of course I will".

I was practically over the moon at this point. I'd wanted to get a date, and, sure enough, I had gotten it.

This is going to be awesome, I thought. Am I amazingly lucky or what?

I looked outside the window, and I noticed that a light snow was beginning to fall, adding to the two or three inches that clung to the ground already. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas, that's for sure.

"All right" I replied. "Thanks".

"Sure thing. I was looking for someone to go with as well. Tickets are really expensive, though, right?"

"Don't worry about that. What matters is the experience".

She laughed. "You're certainly right about that".

It was true, what I'd said about the expensive tickets. It cost five hundred dollars to buy just one ticket, just because the event was so coveted.

Clearly, however, I'd made Angelina an offer she just couldn't refuse. And I was determined to show her exactly why she hadn't refused it.