Love is something I thought I could live without. I was wrong. No one can live without love, but no one can live with it, either. Love is a painful thing, and it comes at you when you least expect it.

"Lithriel, what is so interesting under your desk that you are not paying attention?"

My head snapped up. "Sorry, ma'am. The answer is ten squared, ma'am," I replied hastily.

"If you had been paying attention, Lithriel, you would know that you are supposed to be introducing yourself to this young gentleman," Mrs. Hill said, gesturing to a boy about my age who was standing next to her.

My cheeks colored, and I muttered, "My name is Lithriel Clark." By now everyone in the class was laughing at me, and my cheeks went from pink to bright red in a matter of seconds. I glared at my friend Marie, who shrugged as she giggled behind her hand.

"As I was saying," Mrs. Hill continued, glaring at me. "Isaac will be joining our class until the end of the year. Isaac, go ahead and take the seat to the left of Lithriel." She gestured to the said seat, and Isaac sat down gracefully.

I assumed that because he hadn't been laughing, he would be big on rule-following. Once Mrs. Hill had started up again, however, he started writing something on a piece of paper on his knee, then passed it to me. I saw, with some astonishment, that it was a note, addressed to me.

Hello. Lithriel is a beautiful name.

Is he flirting with me? I thought. I stared at him incredulously. He made a signal towards the paper, and understanding dawned on me. I wrote a note back to him, and he wrote back, and the cycle repeated, over and over.

Ummmmm… so is Isaac?

Haha. But for real, it is.

Ok, don't make fun of me, but I have to ask; are you flirting with me?

*blush* maybe.

;) that's ok, I guess.

Ok, don't make fun of me now, but…will you go out with me?

I stared at him like he had spoken a different language.

What?

Like, you know, go on a date? With me?

Yes…But why did you ask?

Well, I don't really know, but I guess inspiration struck, ya know?

Yes, I know what you mean. Give me the time, date, and place, and I'll meet you there.

Time: 6:30?

Date: today?

Place: I'll pick you up and surprise you, ok?

I think that's fine, just not your house.

What's your address?

135 NE 54 Ave, Spokane, WA, 99234

Cool. I'll pick you up at 6:25 ish.

Ok.

For the rest of the day, I wasn't paying the least bit of attention, just trying to figure out where Isaac would take me. Finally, the last bell rang, and as soon as I was home, I called Marie.

"Marie?"

"What?"

"Ok, so you know the new kid, Isaac?"

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He asked me out!"

"What! Why?"

"I dunno. Just 'cause, I guess."

"Ok, I'll be right there to help you get ready. Where are you guys going?"

"That's the thing. He said he'd pick me up at 6:25 ish, and he's going to surprise me."

"When did you even have this conversation?"

"During math, it was a note conversation thing, you know?"

"Ohhhh, one of those. Ok, I'm on my way over right now. I'll be right there."

Marie hung up on me, and I quickly grabbed seven choices of dresses, along with a few skirts and t-shirts. When she got to my house, she and I decided on a low-V-neck floral dress and blue heels. Marie picked out a silver necklace with a star charm, then helped me do my hair. She did a braid bun, then entwined flowers in it.

"You are so lucky," she sighed, pulling a few baby hairs out of the bun. "I have never been on a date before."

"Hey, this is my first one. Maybe you'll go next week," I suggested. My phone beeped, and I checked the time. 6:20. "He'll be here any minute now."

She stood next to me while I ate a small sandwich, in case we didn't go to dinner. When the doorbell rang, she went and opened it, letting Isaac in. I came into the entrance hall, and he smiled at me.

"Um… hi," I said, unsure of what to do.

He smiled, then said, "Have you eaten?" I nodded, and he replied, "Good. Ready to go?"

"Yep."

"Bye Lithriel!" Marie said as we walked away. "Have a good time!"

Once we were out of earshot, Isaac asked me, "What was so interesting under your desk this morning?"

"Truth be told, I was daydreaming."

"About what?" He laughed.

"Don't make fun of me, but… about love."

He frowned. "Whaddya mean?"

"Well, I was just thinking that people will sometimes meet, become enemies, then fall in love. It's just super strange, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, still frowning.

We walked in silence for a while, until I asked him, "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see," was his only response.

A little while later, he stopped, and pulled out a small jar full of what looked like liquid emerald, with a little bit of purple gel mixed in.

"This is the pollen of Bone Rye, mixed with some water from the Florf." Seeing my confusion, he frowned. "You should know these things…" He started mumbling into a small, box-looking thing about how I wasn't remembering anything. Finally, he looked up at me, and held out the jar. "Drink this. Not the whole thing, just a sip."

I followed his instructions. My eyes blurred with tears, and bile rose in my throat. I gagged and coughed, then everything went black.

When I woke, I saw a lot of emerald. Like, a lot. And a little bit of amethyst mixed in. A tug of recognition came in the back of my head, but before I could follow it, a woman came bursting into the room, and knelt beside my head.

"Oh, Lithriel! Lithriel! I missed you so much! Come on, let's go see everyone else!" She grabbed my arm and attempted to pull me to my feet, but I pushed her away.

"Who even are you? And how do you know my name?" I asked her. When I saw the hurt in her eyes, though, I instantly felt guilty. "Look, I don't know you, so if you want to hug me or anything, I'm gonna need an explanation first."

"I-I'm your mother," she stammered.