1. The Necklace
The night was dark and long. After a seven hour trek to keep distance between the group and Hook, they had finally decided to make camp in a wide open clearing. Emma was grateful for the break.
Though she was exhausted she couldn't bring herself to sleep. Her mind was still rattled and not just from her quest to get the compass, which was secured in her jacket pocket, but from memories that Hook had managed to bring to the surface. He had managed to see straight through her and Emma had always thought she was good at hiding herself.
Hook was a like-minded soul and that's what had scared her about him. That was why she couldn't trust herself or him to return together. That was why she had left the giant to guard him until she and her group could get a safe distance. She couldn't risk him breaking down walls which he had all ready managed to create cracks through.
Mulan and Aurora now slept under the canopy that they had erected half an hour ago. Emma and Snow had agreed to keep first watch.
Sitting alone, ten feet from the group but within watching distance, her legs up, Emma held her swan necklace in her hands.
She thought back to when she had first put it on. A young girl, Ashley, had reminded Emma so much about herself and what she went through. Emma hadn't worn the charm in years but in a way it gave her strength to find the girl she was looking for and strength to deal with the situation. As much pain as the necklace brought, the charm also became a symbol of strength over time.
The memory of when she got it was still fresh in her mind. Though some of the memories she could look back on and smile, with those came also the painful ones and there were moments such as now when she had a love/hate relationship with her swan but at the same time it was something she could never rid herself of.
And she had certainly tried much like she had with her car. Several times Emma had found herself going into a pawn shop or a car dealership more than once and each time she always came back out with the charm and the car, never being able to fully rid herself of either.
