Lily Flower

Pure Vanilla: Origins

"I must confess. I must confess all of the sins I've ever committed in the face of everyone who has ever been kind to me so they know. So that they have the right to choose to love me. I won't take it. I won't take love that's not mine."

Janelleslocket

Prologue?

A flower was blooming before him, its petals pearly white. The person who had cast the spell had disappeared, but the still-glowing imprint of a circle was left before him. The young boy bent down and gently uprooted the flower. It latched onto him, a small and delicate, but giving the sense of having infinite wisdom.

He then studied the spell circle left before him, this wondrous magic that allowed him the gift of sight. It was the first thing he had ever seen, and he would imprint it into his psyche. He traced this spell into the dirt with his foot, copying it until it had been burned into his memory.

...

"Too early. He isn't around here."

Healer carefully put his first seeing aid back where Pomegranate had picked it from. "Be careful with the flowers, please. They are very fragile when uprooted."

She had already moved on to the next object of interest. The priestess dug around in the sand and picked out a small blue cloak. She snapped the cloth around his upper arm since it was too small for him to properly wear.

...

Two children were hanging out in a glass dome within their secret corner of a garden. The boy was humming as he did his homework and the girl was holding a book, though it was obvious that she wasn't really reading. She just sat there with the book open and not a single page turned.

"What do you want to be in the future?" she asked her friend.

The other child answered quickly. "I want to be a person everyone loves and admires."

"That's a bit dumb."

The healer shook his head. "No, it isn't!"

"There's nothing wrong with your goal, but a 'well-liked person' isn't a job that can support anyone. Unless you mean something like a famous researcher or celebrity?"

The boy thought about the options for a moment. "...that's not quite what I meant." He poked the girl. "What about you? Have you ever considered the fantasy of being admired by everyone?"

"I've never cared about what others thought, at least to the extent that you do. I don't need anyone's approval or praise." The girl picked at her finger, feeling a bit vulnerable about the topic of conversation. "I just need someone around- one person would be enough."

The boy grinned. "I can help you snatch a good-looking and reasonably pathetic man."

"Eww, come on!" She waved him off. "It doesn't have to be marriage. That's such a narrow perspective."

"I'm joking..." he whined. "But I understand what you mean. You don't want to go through life by yourself. I'm sure that many other people will feel the same way. I, too, often feel lonely- even while being surrounded by people."

She kicked him lightly, laughing. "You're horrible. What if those other friends of yours heard us? They would be devastated!"

"My relationship with them is different from what we have."

"Heh..."

There was a moment of comfortable silence.

"Hey, _____. If we don't have anyone else to stand by our side, let's be there for each other, okay?"