She stared into darkness afraid of making a single noise. All her senses are on high alert and she can feel her skin making Goosebumps. He can't find me, he can't find me. She keeps repeating in her head like a mantra. She can hear footsteps coming closer and she finds herself holding her breath. The cracking of wood makes her shiver down her spine. She takes a hold of the knife she had kept hidden. Her knuckles turning white because of the force she uses to hold on to it.
The door of the closet opens and the veil man looks down. "Did you really thought I wouldn't find you?" He grabs a hand full of golden locks and drags her across the room slamming her against the wall. "Why do you even try? There is no escaping me. No one will come and rescue you! No one cares, you're worthless." She holds back the tears that are threating the spill. She had heard these words before and this time the person who says them was going to pay.
Emma wakes up feeling sweat sticking to her forehead. She rubes her temples trying to calm down. She knows it's over now. Every night she has this dream. The same dream and when it's over she wakes up and the dream doesn't return until the next night. She sit's up taking the bottle of water that is standing on her nightstand. She wishes the dreams would just stop. She doesn't need to be reminded about it every night she knows how it ends, she knows that is the reason why she is in this hell hole. She throws her legs over the edge of bed and stands up. The room is small and dark but she has been living here long enough to know where everything is. She walks towards the door and looks out of the small window.
The hall is empty everyone is sleeping except for the night guard who is watching television with one of the educators.
An educator in this place is not something like a teacher, there more like a guard but they know how to handle difficult girls. Difficult girls just like me. Emma thinks. She walks back to her bed and lays down again. She has to think about something else, something happy or fun.
There is the rumour that there would be a new educator tomorrow. One who will be fresh out of school and with a lot of spirit too help difficult girls with their difficult life's. Emma already knows that she's going to kick some sense in this girl.
"7 o'clock! Wake up girls!" A loud voice is calling. Emma opens her eyes and waits until the first educator opens the door. She can hear a click which means the door isn't locked anymore. A brunette opens the door greeting Emma with a smile. "Good morning Emma did you have a good night sleep?"
"Just fine, Ms Lucas. How was your evening?" Emma asks sweetly.
"It was lovely, thank you for asking."
"You're welcome." Emma smiles.
"Okay, you know the drill Emma. Take your toiletry and shower supply and get to the bathrooms." Emma does as she is told and within seconds she is making her way towards the showers.
It's Monday so this means that H block gets to shower. The other time in the week they get to shower is on Thursday. She walks passes Belle's room. Belle French is Emma's best friend, they get along very well. Of all the girls in the institution she is the one who is the less crazy in Emma's eyes. The girl was socially awkward but who wouldn't be after being held isolated by her father for so long and not seeing a way to escape but to stab him and run.
"Hey girl!" Emma cries enthusiastic.
"Hey." Bell says with a small voice.
"You ready to take a shower?" Bell shakes her head and stares at her things in her closet. Emma walks further in the room.
"What's the problem?" Emma asks while looking in the closet. She can't see Belle's shower supply.
"Were are your things?"
"I don't know, everything was here yesterday."
Emma walks back out of the room and in to the next room, Stefanie's room. The girl jumps when she sees Emma and Emma backs her up against the wall next to the bed.
"Who took Belle's things?" She asks with venom in her voice. Stefanie regains some of her confident and tills up her chin.
"I don't know what you are talking about!" She says with a grin.
Emma looks back at the door not seeing any educator. She grabs Stefanie and twists her arm which makes the girl squirm and fall on her knees.
"AA! Stop, you're breaking my arm!" She yells.
"Tell me were Belle's things are!" Emma asks again. "I know Belle accidentally bump into you which causes you to let go of the scissors you were trying to take to your room. I know that Ms Blanchard saw it and confiscated them, I get you're pissed at Belle for that but if you don't give her stuff back I will make sure you don't need to cut yourself, I will do it for you and I will make sure you bleed to dead." The girls lip starts the quiver and Emma knows she just one this battle. She is not proud of using the girls weaknesses against them but sometimes it's necessary.
"I'll get them just give me a second." Stefanie says while wiping away the tears that had dared to escape her eyes.
Emma makes it her business to know every girl's weaknesses in the institution, it gives her power to know all the dirty little secrets.
Stefanie Peterson for example is a self-harm girl, angry with the world and the people who live in it. She was 14 when she was send to this place. She had set fire to her old school building while people were inside. She didn't run she just stared at the building and smiled when she saw several girls from her class trying to get out but couldn't because she had locked to doors.
No one got hurt, fire men had come in time to rescue them. It had been Stefanie's luck, that no one had died. Because if someone had she would be in a whole other and much worse place.
The thing about Stefanie people didn't know was that she was being bullied for three years. She didn't have any friends no one to talk to her and no one who stud up for her. She felt worthless and stupid and ugly. The cutting helps her, because the cuts were a reminder that the cuts hurt more than the words.
But that day of the fire something just snapped inside Stefanie's head. She couldn't remember how the cuts fell the only thing she could remember were those girls who called her ugly and stupid and who told her that no one would care if she was dead.
Stefanie walks towards her toilet and opens the lit giving Emma the things. Emma takes them and looks in Stefanie's eyes, they are red and puffy. "Don't take Belle's things!" Emma says but her voice is much warmer than before. She takes a hold of Stefanie's arm and looks at her scars. "You know you don't need to do that anymore or is there someone who is bullying you?" Stefanie shakes her head and pulls her arm back. She covers her arm with her sleeve. Emma takes a step further and holds Stefanie in a tight embrace. "You are a beautiful, smart, fantastic girl. You don't need to hurt yourself anymore." Emma says, she can feel Stefanie holding her a bit tighter. Emma let the embrace linger a bit longer knowing Stefanie needs it.
"I'm sorry for so getting mad at you like that but you know I have a reputation to up hold." Emma smiles and Stefanie nods in understanding.
Emma walks back to Belles room. "You ready to hit the showers?"
Showering was one of the favourite things in Emma world. The stream of warm water hits her back and she can feel her muscles starting to relax. "Hey Emma you in here?" A voice calls out for her. "Yes just a second I'm almost done." She switches off the stream and covers herself up with a towel.
"Yes what's up?" She asks looking at the small blond standing who looks very excited.
"She has arrived! The new educator!" Emma smiles and starts drying her hair. The blond is looking at Emma with a lot of enthusiasm. "So? What are you going to do?" She asks.
"Well my little Tinkerbelle, why would I spoil the surprise?" Emma grins. Tinkerbelle whose real name is Elfie pouts. "Please! Can you make an exception just this one's!" Emma shakes her head. "No, I'm sorry but don't worry it's worth the waiting." Tinkerbelle accepts the fact that Emma isn't going to spoil and walks back to her unit.
Emma couldn't help but smile. She knows everyone loves the way she welcomes new staff to this crazy house. But it was Tinkerbelle's highlight and Emma knows to girl could use some excitement in her life.
Tinkerbell or Elfie was an adrenaline junky but not in the legal kind of way. She didn't go skydiving or anything no she was a speed junky and needed the kick of every shot. One night the police showed up at her boyfriend's apartment and she was so out of her mind that she had hit several police men. She even broke one's nose.
Emma dresses herself and waits for Belle to finish her shower and get dressed too. "So are you ready." Emma grins looking at Belle who nods.
"Did you tell Lily and Mulan what they need to do, good! It's ShowTime, don't forget the soap!" They walk out of the shower in unit H ready to set the plan in motion.
Regina was patiently waiting in the office of Mrs. Eugenia Lucas the director of Edmonton correctional centrum for young girls. Regina looks around the stuffy old room and wasn't impressed with what she had seen so far. The minute she walked in the building everything looked like it was built years ago. Old wooden doors, creaking floors and no sign of modern electronica yet.
And now She was getting cold shivers by just looking at this painting which was placed right behind the old wooden desk, It was looking straight at her. It was a painting of an old man with grey hair and hamster cheeks. Regina gets up and walks behind the desk to take a better look at the painting. 'Director Edward Burgondin 1935-2007'. This guy out lived the war. Regina thought to herself.
She is startled by a door opening and closing. Regina turns around and sees an old, short woman with grey hair in a bun walking towards her with a smile on her face.
"You must be Regina Mills." The woman says and shaking Regina's hand. "My name is Eugenia Lucas but please call me Mrs. Lucas. She gestures to the chair and Regina takes a seat.
"So Regina Mills, graduated from Oxford with honours and now you are going to work here as an educator and counsellor. I must say Edmonton correctional centrum for young girls isn't the first place someone wants to work when they first come out of school."
She looks Regina up and down trying to measure if she was going to make it through the first week. Regina could guess what the woman was thinking. Yes she was small and she had never been in a fight her whole live but she could do this.
"I like the challenge." She says putting on a fake smile.
"Well a challenge you will get. Come I will show you around."
They leave the office and walk down a long corridor at the end of the corridor there is a glass door which is closed off to anyone who doesn't have a key card.
"There are camera's hanging on both sides and a guard checks everyone who passes through this door. This is your key card don't lose it." Mrs. Lucas explains. They walk further and come into an open space were girls are sitting on a couch watching TV, some are playing, some are reading. When they see Mrs Lucas they all smile and greet her. "Good morning Granny!"
"Granny?" Regina asks. Mrs Lucas can't help but smile. "It's there nickname for me, they see me as a granny who gives them treats and good advice."
"They must really like you." Mrs. Lucas doesn't respond she just nods.
"As you can see this is the main area were everyone spends their day. To the left of the main area is the kitchen/cafeteria and to the right we have a few class rooms, one for each unit. This is your block and there are four units. E and F are on the ground floor and H and G on the second floor. Next to unit H there is a break room for the educators with a small kitchen, couch, toilets and showers. During the day the girls can walk around freely accept for the break room of the educators there are not allowed to go there. In the evening they are locked in their cells until morning 7 o'clock. Do you have any question so far?" Regina shakes her head and follows Mrs. Lucas in to the break room.
There are four other people in the break room and they all look up when Regina and Mrs. Lucas walk in. "Good morning everyone, this is Miss Regina Mills she is the new educator. Miss Mills can I introduce you to my lovely granddaughter Ruby Lucas." Ruby gets up and shakes Regina's hand. "This fine young man is Graham Hubert. The other one sipping his coffee is August Booth." Graham shakes Regina's hand and gives August a little friendly push as he does the same. "And we have left Mary Margaret Blanchard." The woman smiles a white smile and gives Regina a hug instead of a handshake.
"So now that you have met everyone, I can leave you in the good care of my granddaughter." She says while pushing Ruby forward who rolls her eyes and granny leaves the room.
"So welcome to the team Regina. If you have any questions feel free to ask them." Ruby sits back down and grabs a cookie and continues sipping her coffee. Regina does the same and pours herself some water.
"How many girls are in here?" She asks.
"24! Six in every unit." Mary Margaret says before Ruby has a chance.
"And just five educators? Is that low."
"Yes it is." Graham says. "Budget cuts, but don't worry. There are four guards who also keep an eye on things."
Their conversation is cut short as they can hear the loud ringing of a bell. Graham and Mary Margaret make their way out of the door.
"The sound of the bell let the girls know that classes are starting for units H and G. Units E and F are free to do what they want until this afternoon that's when me and August teach them." Ruby says. Regina nods in understanding.
"You were also hired as a counsellor?" Regina nods again. "Well than I probably should show you to the counsellor room." Ruby gets up and Regina follows.
It's a small room with a desk, a closet for files, a sof and a comfortable looking chair.
"I don't know if a lot of girls will come. They don't like to talk about stuff but if they do you should help them in here, so they have more privacy. The rest of the day is filled with watching the girls and if there are problems you will have to intervene. Alright I think that's all, any information about the girls are in those fills." Ruby points to the closet. She turns and is about to leave when she freezes and turns around. "Oh I almost forgot, watch out for Emma Swan today. She like to give each new member of staff a lovely welcome." Ruby grins and Regina can make out of that look that it will not be a pleasant welcome.
Regina is sitting in her little office looking over different files, making out how she was going to help these girls. Some of them had been through so much.
She can hear someone knocking and looks up when the door to the office s opened. "Excuse me ma'am are you the new educator Ms. Mills?" An Asian looking girl asks.
"Yes I am, how can I help you?"
"It's not me who needs help it's Miss Blachard. She in classroom one." The girl leaves the room without any other explanation, Regina frowns. Why would Miss Blachard need her help?
She makes her way to classroom 1 and knocks on the door. There is no answer and Regina decides to open the door and step in the room. Six heads turn in her direction but none of them is of miss Blachard.
"I'm sorry to disturb you all but where is miss Blachard."
"She's gone out for a minute but she will be right back. You can come in and wait for her." A blond girl with green eyes says. Regina closes the door and walks to the teacher's desk but she can feel her feet losing the grip they have on the floor as she takes a step. She falls with her back against the supply closet. She takes a second to register what just happen when a bucket of pink paint falls out of the closet and spills all over her.
She can heard laughter and applause of the girls who are enjoying the sight of the new educator all covered in the ugliest pink paint she has ever seen. The door of the classroom opens and a confused Mary Margaret steps in looking at her students. "What is so funny? Why are you all….." She follows the gaze of some of her students and her eyes fall on Regina. "Oh My! Regina what happened!" She helps Regina up.
"I fell! And my stumble against the closet made the paint to fall all over me."
"You poor soul, why don't you go to the break room and have a shower. You can ask Ruby were the spar clothes are." Regina nods and walks out of the closet with her head hell down.
The moment she walks across of the main hall all eyes are on her and everyone is laughing there asses off.
"She looks like a giant bubble-gum!" Someone yells.
"Ms. Mills that colour suits you!" Someone else yells. She makes it to the break room and as soon as Ruby sees her she can't help but laugh with a worried expression.
"Please stop laughing, it's not funny. Can you tell me where I can find the spar clothes, I need to take a shower."
"Yes I can, but what the hell happened. Did Emma do this?" Regina frowned. "No, I haven't met her yet. I was just clumsy, I fell." Ruby makes her way to the supply closet and pulls out a t-shirt and jeans.
"Here are the spar clothes but you are going to have to take a shower in one of the girls units cause our shower just broke down. It's all a mess, stinky water coming out of the sprays." Regina nods takes the clothes and walking towards the showers of the E unit. She feel her face getting red when she has to walk past the girls a second time.
As soon as the water hits her back she can relax just a little more. She can't believe how clumsy she was. She has never felt this embarrassed in her life, she hopes that the rest of the day will be uneventful.
Regina crused when a loud ringing is heard outside the hall. She shuts of the shower when she has washed away all of the paint and puts on a towel. She listens n to the noises outside. The ringing is still going on and she can heard footsteps passing the shower unit. She gets out of the shower and wants to put on the clothes but there are no clothes there even the ones covered in paint aren't even there anymore. "What's going on?" She asks herself when a metallic voice in heard through speakers.
"Please everyone, keep calm while the fire alarm is working and go to the main hall!"
The fire alarm? Is there a fire. Regina starts to panic a bit. If there really is a fire she can't stay here she needs to get out. She opens the door and makes her way towards the main hall. She can feel herself getting red, she must be looking like a tomato right now. The first person to see her starts laughing and soon the whole main hall is laughing at her expense. Ruby who can't control her laughter as well walks towards her and tries to shield her from the girls.
"What are you doing? Where are your clothes?" Regina pulls the towel closer to her skin. "They weren't there anymore, someone took them." Ruby takes of her sweater and hands it to Regina who gratefully accepts it.
The ringing of the fire alarm is shot off and the clicking of heels in heard. "Where are you all looking at?" Mrs. Lucas asks furious. There was no fire and someone had pulled the fire alarm and she was going to find out who did it. She sees Ruby taking of her sweater and then she sees Regina standing in only a towel shivering. She turn around and faces the girls using her most effecting gaze to stare them down one by one.
The laughter dies out and everyone waits for granny to speak.
"EMMA SWAN!"
Mrs. Lucas speak slowly but clear. A blond girl with green eyes and a cocky smile steps forward. Regina looks past Ruby and recognize the girl who told her to come in the classroom and wait for Miss Blanchard.
"Miss Mills put some clothes on and come to my office. Emma you follow me!" Granny makes her way through the crowd of girls and Emma follows.
The surprising thing which made Regina wonder that all of this wasn't because of her clumsiness is that all the girls started applauding and cheering for Emma.