Emily ' s POV
Sixteen. I was finally sixteen. Old enough to take care of myself and finally leave this place that's like hell. What if he came after me ?
He'd kill me.
"Emily! " I heard Bill yell as he slammed the door shut. Oh no, he's home and he's drunk. No not again I can't go down there.
"Emily!" He yelled again.
"I'm going" I yelled as I started to go down the stairs from my so called room. I was full of fear. Not knowing what Bill will do this time. "Yes Bil-"
He slapped me right across my face with a great force that was sure to leave a bruise.
"What did I tell you about yelling at me!"He yelled as he rose his hand up about to give me another beat. I rose my hands to my face trying to shield myself from him. He grabbed me by my wrists and jerked me up to face him.
"I'm sorry Bill, I - just-"I stuttered trying to let the words come out of my mouth.
"Oh no. You just nothing. You need a punishment." He said gripping my wrists tighter."a punishment that will teach you a lesson" He said shoving me against the wall and starting to move his hands around my body.
"No please , stop!" I pleaded my eyes full or tears and fear in my voice."Stop please" I continued trying to push him off of me but he was too strong."stop! STOP!" I yelled as I sent him flying across the room hitting the wall and falling.
I walked over , having no idea of what I just did, to look at him. He was still breathing but unconscious. Now was the time I could escape. Without a thought, I ran up to my room grabbed a bag and stuffed in the little amounts of belongings I had. I put on my boots and grabbed my cloak. I saw that there was a bag full of coins and took them. I made my way to where Bill was laying.
"I hope you rot in hell." I gritted my teeth as I ran out of the house. I had no idea where I was going, but somewhere else Is better than that house.
I ran through the woods as fast as my legs could take me. Trying to get as far as i could from that man's house, finally being free. I ran until I could no more. I ran for about two hours, yet I had the smallest Idea of where I was. I sat on a rock, trying to grasp some air and calm my heart rate when I saw a little house about half a mile away. I got up at walked towards the house. I could see that there was a chimney with smoke coming out of it. The house was small but Seemed warm. I walked up and knocked on the door. To my surprise an old woman opens the door with a younger woman, a few years older than me pointing an arrow right to my face.
I gasped raising my hands up." Please mam, I-I mean no harm. Just , need a place to stay for the night. Please."
"Are you alone?" Asked the younger woman eyeing me down intensely.
"Yes, please I have no where else to go, I-I'm lost." I answered putting my arms down to the side.
The old woman signaled the younger woman to put the arrow down. She looked at me carefully. Observing my eyes with quite attention.
"Oh you poor child. Come in ,you're freezing."the old woman said slightly grabbing my arm to lead me into the house.
I looked back to see the younger woman closing the door and locking it secure. I turned back to follow the old woman who signaled me to sit down in one or the chairs in what seemed to be a lovely living room.
"please child have a seat, tell me your name?" The old woman said sitting besides me.
"My name is Emily, but please to tell anyone I'm here, I-I ran away."I muttered looking away down to the ground.
"Oh honey look and me" She said cupping my face and turning to the side. "My goodness child, who did this to you?"
I lifted my hand to touch my cheekbone and felt a big bump.
"It's a long story.. please don't tell anyone, you know me, he's an evil person. I don't want to cause problems. " I began to tear up.
"No child don't cry, we don't want those pretty little eyes of yours to get ugly." She said giving me a soft cloth.
"You think my eyes are pretty?" I asked her. All my life I've been teased about my eyes and called ugly.
"Of course child! They're beautiful! Now child , I now you must be hungry" the old woman began to say as she got up and made some tea and brought my a toast with butter."So here take this."
I devoured the toast and almost chugged down the tea. It was the best I've had in weeks. After I finished I looked around the house. There was a small kitchen with a table with four chairs. There was two other doors which seemed to be two other rooms.
"So Emily right? " the younger woman asked me. I nodded. "I'm Rebecca but you can call me Red." Red said as she extended her hand out to me. I shook her hand. Then drew my hand back slowly observing it. I looked at both my hands and remembered what I had done earlier, they began to shake.
"Oh are you cold? "Red asked me bringing me back to what was happening.
"N-no it's just that, I did something but I don't know what it was. Magic?" I questioned myself.
"Are you a fairy? " Red asked me with an interested look upon her face.
"A fairy? No i can't be , I'm not anything special. My hands they just did something unusual. " I began to shake , afraid of what was going on.
"No no here calm down put these on." Red said handing me a pair of black leather gloves.
I carefully put them on and relaxed a little." Thank you, this helps so much." I told Red.
"No no don't worry about here let me take you to my room I could give you something to wear while you clean yourself up a little, Granny put some water to boil so you can take a warm bath. " She said as she walked me to her room which had a lovely little bed next to bigger bed, then to one side a dresser and mirror, and to the other was a curtain which covered a bath tub.
"Here you go child" Granny said walking Into the room with a bucket full of warm water . "There is soap and a sponge it there. "
"Thank you very much, I've never take a bath with warm water." I said as I walked over to the bathtub.
"Here I'll leave you clothes on the bed, you can leave your dirty clothes in the basket. " Red said walking out.
I quickly took my bath with warm water which felt so nice . I looked around the curtain to see if the door was closed before I changed and it was. I was so ashamed of my body, and the scars and bruises that I wished would disappear were highly visible in my naked status.
I put on the clothes that Red had left me and looked at myself in the mirror. I wore a teal long sleeve dress that was really baggy, so I looked around a saw a long strand of green fabric on the floor and used it as a belt. I combed my hair with my fingers and let the soft waves fall. I looked like if I was dead. So pale and skinny. My eyes were the only interesting thing about me, they seemed to glow. But the weren't glowing, they just looked like that compared to my dark brown wavy hair.
I kept on looking at myself in the mirror. I saw my bruised cheek and touched. I closed my eyes and remembered of what had happened. How I wish it would disappear.
Suddenly I felt a tingle on my cheek and opened my eyes and saw that it was heeling right before my eyes.
I couldn't believe what just had happened. I healed myself with just a touch. I started skating again. I was so afraid of what was happening to me. I looked for the gloves that Red had given to me and put them on. I felt a bit better, maybe the gloves calm me down. After a little while I went out the room to see what Granny and Red were doing.
"No there's just something about her that's special, maybe she can help me get him back-"
"Get who back? " I cut Red off. "Who are you talking about?
"Oh Emily , you're done. T-the dress looks very nice on you." Red said ignoring my question.
"Thank you but please tell me what you were talking about." I pleaded. Granny and Red looked at each other. Granny nodded.
"Well child you see, you are a magical person. Five years ago there was a boy who would come in the night and play these pipes. We couldn't hear anything but my dear Red's son did. He followed the music which lead him to the woods . Red stopped him twice, but the third time we had no idea until it was too late. He was gone, but no one knows where they went. People say that there is a man, I believe by the name of Rumpelstiltskin , who can help."
"But why don't you ask him?"I interrupted
"Because child, he tricks people and always wants something in return. But you child, your magic can help us, since Rumple is just like you." She continued.
"Like me? No you must be misunderstanding, I don't know how to control this magic you're talking about, how do you expect me to help you? I'm sorry about your son , I really am but, I can't help you. I could barely help myself."
"But I can help you, I'll help you learn to defend yourself. If there's something I know is how to fight. I'll teach how to fight and you could use your magic to bring Jimmy back to me." Red advised.
"I'd love to help you but, you see , I just found out I had magic today, I've never used it in my life so I don't know how to control it-"
"Rumple. He can help you, I-I know he can't be trusted but once he sees that you're like him, never want you to leave. You are powerful ,I can see it in your eyes. Please help me get my son back."Red pleaded.
How could I say no to these people who have helped me very much in such little time. Maybe if I go to this Rumple guy, he can explain to me about this magic I have. Then i could help Red get her son back. But what if Bill finds me? I should've killed him when I had the chance.
"When do those fighting lessons start?" I asked. Red's face seemed to light up with a smile once I asked that question.
"Tomorrow. Tomorrow morning. Now you need to rest here you can stay in my room. Here's your bag. I think you need it." Red said handing my bag to me.
"Thank you." I said walking away.
Once I got in the room I left my bag in the floor next to me. I was thinking of taking off my gloves but I decided not to. I fell fast asleep once my head touched the pillow.
"On the night of her sixteenth birthday, her powers with blossom and they will grow much more powerful that anyone else's. She will be a great threat to you. She will defeat you-" said a voice of a man.
"What can I do to prevent this? There has to be a way, I can't bear to kill her. She's my daughter please. " said a voice of a woman.
"Send her away. Then you will have to go away from here. Your memories and everyone else's will be erased . But you will have a hole in your heart that could only be filled with the love of a child, you are to have a son. But if you fail to this she will find you, little will you know that's it's her. That is all I can say. "
I woke up the next morning for fighting lessons. We practiced every day until what felt to be twelve years that passed but I didn't change at all. I was still sixteen. But I now I mastered fighting. I could bring down anything that came to hurt me. Except I wasn't good at surprises. I learned that the only way to control my magic was to keep my gloves on and to not think about it. I was well prepared for this day. Today I will set out to look for Rumple then, find my way to where this piper boy took Jimmy. Hopefully this will also help me find where I belong.