Disclaimer: Nothing in the Once universe belongs to me. It's all ABC's.
Age Seven
"Emma?"
Linda Rowe poked her head around the doorway of the kitchen. Emma was sitting at the table, enjoying a large slice of her birthday cake.
"Yes?" the now-seven year old asked.
"Mrs. Johnson is here to see you."
Slipping out of the chair, Emma walked into the sitting room, where the social worker was waiting.
"Hello Emma," she greeted. Then she asked the routine questions – was Emma happy here? Was anything bothering her?
Emma answered all questions honestly. Linda and her husband, Mark, were very nice to her. Emma even showed off the new silver and blue dress they had bought for her birthday.
"Very pretty," Mrs. Johnson said, in that caring manner of hers. She reached into the black briefcase by her side and pulled out a rectangular package.
"This arrived for you yesterday," she explained. "Somebody sent you a birthday present."
Eagerly, Emma tore into the package, revealing the gift. It was a book bound in blue and entitled Classic Fairy Tales.
"Wow!" Emma exclaimed. She flipped through the book, enjoying all the beautiful illustrations.
In following years, this book remained Emma's favorite, the pages becoming well worn from her constant reading. Out of all the fairy tales, the one she loved most was the first – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
Age Ten
Emma sat on the bed, staring at the small box lying on the covers.
It was her tenth birthday, the special day when she entered double digits. There should have been balloons, cake, presents – great things. Happy things.
Instead, her birthday had gone unnoticed by the Hartley family. No "Happy Birthday, Emma". No smiles. No presents with silver ribbons on top.
Earlier, when Mrs. Johnson had come, Emma was in no mood for pleasantries. She had answered the routine questions in a terse and surly manner. Before leaving, the social worker had handed Emma the package. Another mysterious gift form an equally mysterious giver.
Now, as Emma opened the package, she thought that at least somebody cared. Even if she didn't know whom that somebody was.
The paper fell away, and Emma gasped. It was the figurine of a lemur, carved from dark wood and looking like it could bound away at any moment.
It was beautiful, and it was one of the few things – other than her baby blanket and book of fairy tales – that was totally and completely hers.
Age Fourteen
The third gift from the mysterious stranger did not come in a large package like the other two. In fact, this gift was no bigger than her fist.
She unwrapped it, and beheld the tiny velvet box in her hand. It was jewelry, then. Nothing else came in those types of boxes.
Pushing open the lid, she stared in awe at the ring resting inside. It was two silver bands twisted together, with a small pink sapphire in the middle. Slipping it onto her finger, she marveled at how perfectly it fit.
"Emma!" Rachel Ortega called from downstairs. "Dinner!"
Emma left her rom, admiring the simple ring adorning her finger. Even though she didn't know this gift-giver, she felt some sort of connection with him.
Something like friendship.
Age Eighteen
Marie Loxley knocked on the door to Emma's room. The newly turned adult was packing her things, readying for her departure in a few hours.
"Yes?" Emma stood up from the floor, her hand going to her stomach. She was five months pregnant, and the baby bump was just beginning to show.
"This arrived for you, " Marie said. "I think it's a birthday gift."
She handed Emma the gift, which wasn't a package, merely a small envelope. Emma's name was typed across the front.
Emma sat down, grateful for the chance to rest her aching feet. She split open the envelope, thinking that maybe it was a check inside, or something else that could be useful.
It was just a piece of paper.
She took it out of the envelope, reading the single word typed on the page.
Believe.
She scoffed. Was this some type of joke, a fortune cookie instead of a present? Believe. What was she supposed to believe in? Believe that her life would be all nice and easy now? Believe that Scott would suddenly reappear into her life, even though she hadn't seen him since he knocked her up at prom?
No, she had stopped believing in fairy tales, magic, and happy endings a long time ago.
She let the paper flutter into the trash and resumed packing. She did not see the word scribbled in pencil on the back, a spur-of-the-moment act of desperation.
Please.
A/N: I know some things might not be completely accurate, so I apologize. Anyways, tell me what you think!