So this is my first story. Instead of lurking and reviewing, I thought I'd give it a try. Please read and review!

Disclaimer (because I had to include it): If I owned Spring Awakening, then Moritz and Ilse would be together and alive,but alas...

"Moritz?" said ten-year old Ilse as she approached their wigwam, trying to find her best friend. "Moritz? Are you here?" she whispered, tiptoeing in their hideout. When she saw that it was empty she ran to his house, her bare feet digging into the grass, her long brown hair flying behind her.

She tried her best to stay quiet and silently approach Moritz's window. She picked up a pebble and threw it against the window. "Moritz, are you there?"

The window opened, and out popped a head full of bushy hair that was sticking up in all the wrong places.

"Ilse?" said eleven-year old Moritz as he rubbed his eyes. "You frightened me."

"I thought that on Tuesdays we meet at our wigwam," replied Ilse as she walked closer to the window.

"I was going to meet you Ilse, I swear!" said Moritz in a stuffy voice as he stopped to sneeze into his pajama sleeve and lean out the window. "But I've been sick for the past few days." He sneezed again which caused Ilse to move out of the way of his projectile snot.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've brought the homemade soup Mama cooked yesterday."

"It's fine Ilse," sniffled Moritz. "Mama makes the best tea. Besides, that soup was meant for you and your Papa, not for me."

Ilse scowled a little at the mention of her Papa. The bruises on her arms were barely starting to heal. She shook it off, though, for Moritz.

"There must be something I can do..." said Ilse, wanting to help her friend. "Oh, I have an idea!"

"Ilse?" Moritz was confused. Ilse propped herself up on the windowsill and climbed through it to sit on the other side. He was scared now. He wasn't supposed to have girls, or any other friends, for that matter, in his room. "Ilse what are you doing?" he whispered, hoping Mama and Papa wouldn't notice.

"You don't have one. Great!" said Ilse and proceeded to hop out the window and run into the forest.

"Ilse?" he yelled out the window as the door started to open and a knock was heard.

"Moritz, how are you feeling?" said his Mama as he hurried to climb into bed, knowing she brought tea.

"Better..." replied Moritz, looking out the window to where Ilse had run off.

Ilse ran home, trying to avoid her father. As she stepped through the door and ran to her room, she heard her mother say, "Ilse? Why are you in such a rush? I'm almost done making dinner, but you can have the soup from last night for now."

Ilse was rummaging through her room, trying to find the thing she knew would cheer Moritz up, barely paying attention to what her mother was saying. "No thank you, Mama. I'm not hungry." She went through the closet and the space beneath her bed, until finally she found it, behind her old rocking chair. "Aha!" she smiled and ran out of her room as quickly as she could. But when she ran past the kitchen, her mother stopped her.

"Ilse? Where are you going, and why are you taking that?" her mother asked, curious as to why her daughter was in such a rush.

"I'm just going to play. It's still light out," Ilse said.

"Alright, just don't stay out so late this time. I'm almost finished with dinner and your father just got home and you know how he likes to eat as a family."

Ilse shuddered at the mention of that monster and hated that she mentioned family. He never treated her as his daughter.

"I promise I won't be out late, Mama. But may I please go now?"

Her mother smiled at her, knowing how active and imaginative Ilse could be.

"Sure, but be back soon!"

Ilse ran out the kitchen door, but bumped into the last person she wanted to see.

"Where are you going?" her father demanded.

Ilse mustered up as much confidence as she could. "Out."

All of a sudden a voice from the kitchen was heard. "Let her go, darling, she'll be back in time." said her mother.

He noticed Ilse trying to run to the door as her mother was talking. "Why are you taking that? Do you know how expensive that was?" he said as he pushed her against the door.

"You didn't buy it," she said quietly, looking away, hoping he wouldn't hit her. Anger came to his face again and was about to strike her, but decided against it.

"Fine. You may go. Just be sure to come home in time or you will pay. And you don't want to anger me," he angrily whispered in her ear.

She knew not to anger her father and opened the door as fast as she could. She leaned against the door, wiping the tears that were about to spill and ran. She wanted to run as far away from him as possible, but remembered her friend. He was the reason she ran back home anyway. So she ran to Moritz's house, a smile replacing the fear on her face.

Ilse came back about 20 minutes later, a toy in her hands. By now, Moritz was asleep again, sleeping off the tea his Mama made. She knocked on his window with her toy.

Moritz came to the window and saw a horse looking at him. "AHH!" he screamed as he saw an animal staring at him. Ilse's head popped out from behind the horse and looked at Moritz weird.

"Are you okay?" she asked as colour started to come back to Moritz's face.

"Yeah," he replied, noticing now that it wasn't a real horse. "What's that?" he asked.

Ilse smiled and said, "It's my hobbyhorse, but you can borrow it."

"Ilse…" Moritz started to say, but she cut him off.

"Don't say anything. You probably don't have a lot to do here while you're sick, so you can borrow this."

Moritz opened the window so Ilse could come in. "Ilse, you don't have to do this," he said, although Ilse noticed Moritz admiring the horse as they sat down on the bed and she handed it to him.

"Isn't it pretty? Mama bought it for me from those artists in Priapia when we were walking in town." It was pretty. It had beautiful, ornate designs printed on it that were very bohemian, but perfect in detail. "They said it would be perfect for a pretty little girl like me," she smiled.

"Ilse," Moritz started to ask. "Don't you think those artists are a little, you know, dangerous? Everyone says horrible things about them."

"I don't believe those silly rumours, Moritz. You don't even know them. Anyways, they make pretty things there, don't they?"

"They do," Moritz agreed. He smiled over at his best friend. "Thank you Ilse. You really didn't have to do this."

She held his gaze for a little longer than she thought and smiled back at him, patting his hand. "Don't worry about it. Just as long as you promise to bring it back to our wigwam if you're feeling better next Tuesday."

"Can it be Friday? I think I'll be better then and we need to make up for today."

She smiled her Ilse smile. "Of course! We'll dig up those tomahawks and play together!"

"And ride on your steed!" Moritz continued, holding up the toy. They laughed like only children could laugh, until Moritz started sneezing and coughing again.

"I'm sorry you're sick, Moritz. I would've brought the soup but I can't run with soup and a hobbyhorse in my hands."

"You don't even need to bother. I'll be better again soon."

Suddenly a knock came at the door. Ilse ducked behind Moritz as he tried to shield her away from the door. Luckily, no one came in. "Moritz, do you want some more tea?"

They breathed a small smile of relief and Moritz answered, "Yes please, Mama."

"Alright," Frau Stiefel replied, her footsteps echoing down the hall. Ilse sat upright again.

"I should probably go," she said, not wanting to return home to her father. Moritz nodded.

"Yes, I don't want Mama or Papa to catch us," he said, going to the closet so that his parents won't see it. "Thank you again, Ilse. It means a lot."

"Don't worry," she said as she was about to leave through the window. She ran and gave Moritz a fleeting hug, not caring if she got sick. "I hope you feel better and I'll see you on Friday."

He hugged her back, shocked, and watched her as she left. "Bye," was all he could say.

She smiled back at him as she ran towards her house. He watched her run, knowing he should probably get back in bed when his Mama came back. He saw her disappear from his line of sight, and then climbed into bed, seeing a little bit of her hobbyhorse and smiled.

"I should get her something, too. Maybe from Priapia," he said to himself, trying to think of an appropriate gift, remembering her running barefoot with no shoes or stockings. That was it, as soon as he was feeling better and those artists were still here, he knew what to get Ilse:

Sky blue stockings.

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