Author's Notes: Hey guys! So here's a little something I've been working on all summer. It was part of the Swan Queen Big Bang ( .com). I suggest checking out the beautiful art done by Jayke over on my ao3 account, the username is the same! I hope you all enjoy the story and please, comment/review if you like!
Life in Storybrooke, Maine was a dull and dreary thing. Regina could already tell that nothing exciting ever happened in this tiny town. A multi-colored row of small cottages passed by in a blur, unnoticed by the brunette, as the lone black Mercedes drove down the quiet street. The car slowed as the driver turned onto a different street, waking Regina from her reverie. Her eyes focused on the foreign houses before coming to land on the old Victorian two-story that loomed above her. The Mercedes pulled into the driveway and stopped abruptly.
A sharp knock against the window brought the girl to her senses once again, her body jolting in surprise. She stepped out of the car just in time to see the bright orange and white moving van pull in behind the car. She turned away from the van to stare back up at the house. It was by no means a mansion, but it was bigger than what the girl's family needed. The white walls were in need of a new coat of paint and a few of the dark window shutters were starting to fall but, other than that, the new home seemed relatively comfortable. In the front yard, an old oak tree supported a wooden swing that swayed gently in the breeze and the girl wondered how long that would last before it was removed.
Her feet led her up the creaking steps of the front porch and through the whining screen door and brought her into the foyer. The bare walls were faded but the brunette didn't seem to notice. She continued her journey down the main hallway, passing several doors before she came to a set of stairs. Fingers glided along the smooth wood as she climbed the steps to the second floor. Walking down the new hallway, she made her way down to the last door on the left and let herself into the room. The girl moved to the center, turning in a circle and taking the whole sight in, memorizing it. The dark chestnut wood floors groaned under her weight as she twisted her body to gaze at the large bay window. Something about this room called out to her; like a soft sigh caught on the tendrils of a breeze.
"Regina," a voice broke the trance-like state the girl had been in and she turned back towards the bedroom door. "Why are you not downstairs helping with the boxes? Get your things and start unpacking. I expect your room to be spotless by tomorrow."
"Yes, Mother" Regina politely answered but Cora, her mother, was already gone, her heels could be heard clacking back down the steps, presumably to go manage the movers and to make sure they didn't damage any of her precious cargo. Regina took one last look at the room, still unsure as to what was making her feel… off, before exiting herself.
Several curses and many stubbed toes later, most of her furniture was now installed. Boxes filled most of the large room and Regina sat on her bare mattress, unsure of where to even begin. It was one thing to get her old life packed up but it was another to get everything back to the way it was in a new house. Huffing out a breath, Regina continued to lounge around and gaze at the boxes, as if they'd unpack themselves.
Not one second later, she was off her bed, pretending to look busy as her door was shoved open by her mother. "Need I remind you again, Regina, that I expect this done by tomorrow? We have a whole house to unpack and I'm not doing it by myself."
"I know, Mother, I'm sorry. I'm working on it." Regina randomly started pulling objects out of the nearest box, desperate to not have her mother's wrath come down on her for not doing her job.
"See that it continues, dear. And remember, you need to be ready for school on Monday. I won't let you sit around the house just because you're nervous about being in a new town. You need to make a name for yourself, establish yourself as a 'Mills'."
Cora paused for a minute, waiting for her daughter to respond. When the young girl remained silent, she continued, "I have one other piece of news for you, Regina. I called the school to fine tune your schedule for the remainder of the semester. I informed the office that you will be joining the Debate Club, they have meetings a couple times a week and-"
"But Mother! I'm already in journalism, isn't that enough?" Regina took a chance at standing up for self, hoping she had gauged Cora's mood accurately. Unfortunately, the fates were not on her side and there was a resounding 'crack' as palm met cheek. Regina's head swung to the side and she brought her hand up to soothe her stinging face.
"Don't you dare talk back to me, young lady. Just because it's your senior year, doesn't mean you get to take it lightly. You're about to enter college and I will not have your transcript looked down upon because you were too lazy to push yourself. You'll participate in debate and that's the end of the discussion." Cora spared her daughter one last look before pivoting and walking out of the room.
Regina continued to stare after her mother, hand remaining on her reddened skin as she fought back the tears that were trying to break free. Desperate for some space, she quickly grabbed an old sweater she had flung on her bed earlier, and followed after her mother. Once she reached the top of the stairs she stood silently, listening for any noise that would alert her to her mother's position. Further down the hallway, away from the front door, Regina heard the sound of a box being ripped open and without delay, she tiptoed down the steps and ran for the front door.
Once outside, she took a deep breath and let the cool evening air relax her. The sun was just starting to set, sending the surrounding view into a bath of pinks and oranges. Being outside, away from her mother, instantly set her at ease. It was as if her mother's suffocating grip was no longer able to choke her. Regina followed in the footsteps of her shadow as it led her to the backyard. She made her way to a dying, old tree and sat against its trunk, the dead grass around it prickling her bare legs. Leaning her head against the bark, she let her eyes slip closed, allowing the stress to fade from her body.
The sky continued to grow darker, its fiery hue evolving into a deep blue. There was a chill in the air and Regina pulled her sweater closer to her body. A breeze brushed over her exposed skin when she felt it. The hairs on her arm raised and a tingling on her neck spread down her spine. Regina's eyes popped open and she tried to take in her darkened surroundings. Leaves rustled in the distance but she couldn't see anything, or anyone. Despite not catching sight of anyone, though, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her heart began to race in her chest, her breathing picking up its pace. She licked her lips and called out, "Who's there?!" Regina didn't know what would be worse, someone answering or it remain silent, but the only answer she received was the continuous swish of the dying leaves. Not taking any chances, Regina quickly stood up, running back around the house and slipping inside. She slammed the door shut and leaned against its sturdy frame for support.
As her heart rate slowed to a normal pace, Regina stepped away from the door and quietly climbed back up to her room. The brunette made it to her bed and collapsed in a heap, too focused on what she had felt outside to even think about what her mother would say about behaving in such an unlady like fashion. Regina couldn't make sense of what had just happened. She didn't feel particularly threatened but it had spooked her nonetheless. It was probably just an animal, a raccoon or squirrel; nothing to be worried about. The one thing Regina couldn't get out of her mind, though, was that if it had just been an animal, surely it shouldn't feel so much like someone was watching her. Thinking she was just paranoid, she shook the feeling from her mind and sat up on her bed. The new room was still a mess and Regina knew she'd have to help her mother with other things tomorrow so she gathered her strength and got back to work.
Boxes slowly disappeared as more of Regina's possessions got put in their proper place. The young girl paused in her unpacking to take in the sight. It was finally starting to look lived in, a warm glow from her lamp filled the space and the inviting scent from one of her candles made her feel like she was still at her old home. She picked up one of the boxes marked "childhood" and went to place it on one of the upper shelves of her closet when she heard a dull thud hit the back wall. The box wasn't that big so she set it on the floor and grabbed her desk chair to get a better look at the high ledge. Squinting into the darkness, she made out an outline of a book and pulled it towards her into the light.
The book had a worn out red leather cover but no other distinguishing marks on the outside. She quickly thumbed through the pages and realized that it must be someone's old diary. The pages were creased and torn but it looked well loved, most of the pages were filled except for a few left at the back. Regina turned back to the front, looking for a name, hoping that she could return it to the owner but there was nothing, at least not written clearly visible.
Regina turned the page to the first entry, dated back a couple years, when she heard the click of heels coming down the hallway and she quickly shoved the journal underneath her bed so her mother wouldn't see it. Just as she was getting back to her feet, Cora barged into the room, not bothering to knock first.
"Regina, go to bed, you have to be up early in the morning." Cora's voice was cold, devoid of caring.
"Yes, mother, I'll go soon. I'm just finishing up." Regina dusted off her clothes and watched as her mother left again, not bothering to say goodnight.
The next morning, Regina was woken up by her alarm earlier than she'd like, but Cora wasn't one for sleeping in so she forced herself out of bed and into the bathroom across the hall to get ready for the day. As soon as she was put together, she went downstairs and greeted her mother in the kitchen.
"How did you sleep last night, Regina?" Cora asked, if Regina didn't know better, she'd think her mother was actually curious.
"I slept well. I must have been tired from the busy day. And yourself, Mother?"
"Fine, fine," Cora batted her hand in the air, as if shooing away a pesky fly, and absentmindedly sipped her coffee, not looking up from the morning newspaper. "Hurry up and eat breakfast, we still have more to unpack. Meet me in the living room when you're finished."
Before Regina could say another word, Cora was up, setting her dirty coffee mug in the sink and striding out of the room. Regina poured her own cup of coffee and put together a simple breakfast, not really focusing on what she was eating. Once the food had disappeared from the plate, she got up and left the kitchen in search of her mother. She hadn't looked around the house at all so she wasn't sure which door led to the living room. She found the laundry and study rooms and on the third try she finally found what she was looking for.
The living room was cozy with a large brick fireplace and huge windows that faced the street. Cora was seated on a plush black leather sofa, digging through a box that held picture frames; but these frames were not filled with family photos, instead containing the many awards that both Cora and Regina had won for work and school, respectively. Cora looked up from her work to gaze at her daughter.
"Good, you're here. Start with those boxes over there." Cora pointed to a few boxes by the windows before continuing her own work.
They worked in silence for a while before Cora cleared her throat. Regina knew what was coming must not be good; Cora didn't bother with small talk so whatever she had to say must be important. "Regina, have you started looking into colleges yet?"
"A little, I'm not sure exactly what I want to do yet but I've been thinking about it," said Regina.
"You should be doing more than 'a little'. Openings fill up fast and I will not tolerate my daughter going to some hillbilly state school. One of my colleague's son's went to Harvard to study law. I've already talked to him about putting in a good word for you. He owes me a favor so I would say to expect an acceptance letter within a short time once you turn in your application."
Regina was silent for minute, eyes downcast. "Mother," Regina paused. "I was thinking of going to Columbia to study-"
Cora cut her daughter off before she could say another word. "To study what? Your precious journalism? That is preposterous! No daughter of mine will get a degree in such a frivolous field. That's out of the question."
"But, Mother-"
"Do NOT question me, Regina! I have worked my entire life to give you everything I can, and I will not have you throw it away on such an asinine degree. I could have had so much in life and yet I gave everything for you, you ungrateful child!" Cora shrieked, standing quickly and moving to where Regina was crouched on the floor. Regina saw the blow before it came, she tensed in preparation for the smack but that did not soften the pain. Regina ducked her head, hoping that would protect her from another attack. Cora grabbed the young girl's hair and pulled, forcing Regina's eyes to lock with her mother's. Cora leaned down, a mere few inches from her daughters face, and hissed, "You will not ruin this for me; do you hear me?" Cora waited for Regina to nod, her daughter's eyes wide with fear. "Now get out of my sight, I don't want to look at you."
Regina scrambled on all fours to get away from her mother before she tried to stand and ran for the door. Instead of going to her room, she turned the other way and rushed outside. She flung herself down the porch steps and over to the old swing. She grabbed the ropes to hold the seat steady and sat down, not caring if the old ropes could even take her weight.
Ragged breaths ripped from her throat as hot tears escaped down her cheeks. A sob broke free before she could stop it, her mind replayed the last few minutes over and over in her mind. For not the first time, Regina wished her father was here to defend her. Even if he couldn't outright stand up to Cora, he was at least always there afterword to comfort her but after the accident, she lost her only support system and her protector. Henry Mills had been driving home from a late night at work when he was hit by a drunk driver that had run a red light. He died upon impact and the Mills family hasn't been the same since. After Henry died, Cora became even more vicious. She took out all of her anger on her daughter, nothing was ever good enough.
Regina was lost in thought when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. The brunette hadn't noticed right away but another girl, around the same age, was walking towards her house. She had bouncy blonde curls that she tried to contain in a hair band, but wisps had broken free and framed her cheekbones. The blonde seemed just as lost in thought as Regina had been, seemingly unaware that she had stopped in front of Regina's house and was staring up at it, a confused look on her face. She couldn't deny that the girl had a strange beauty about her. The blonde locks almost made her look angelic, despite the grubby clothes she wore. If thick black-rimmed glasses didn't block her view, she would have guessed her eyes were just as pretty.
Regina continued to watch the girl as she just stood there, not saying anything and not continuing on her walk either. The brunette's eyebrows furrowed as she grew annoyed. She wondered why this girl was acting so strange. She just wanted to be left alone to think about her father and not have to worry about someone seeing her tear stained face.
"Hey!" Regina called out to the girl, no longer content to just watch. However, it would appear that the blonde hadn't heard her. "Hey, you!"
Regina tried to capture the other girl's attention without luck and her patience was wearing thin. Finally, all traces of tears gone, Regina got up from the swing and marched over to the stranger. "HELLO!" Regina snapped her fingers in the blonde's face and that finally got a reaction.
The blonde jumped out of her skin and turned to face Regina. The brunette was finally able to tell what color her eyes were, a beautiful blue-green. They stared at each other for a split second before the blonde's eyes widened in realization of another person next to her. Just as Regina opened her mouth to reproach the girl for ignoring her, the blonde let out a squeak before quickly running back the way she'd come. Regina was left standing there, a curious look on her face, mouth wide open. A moment passed before Regina shook her head and closed her lips.
"What the... whispered the brunette. "What just happened?"
Regina thought briefly about going after the girl but just shook her head and went back to her swing.
Throughout the whole rest of the day, Regina couldn't stop thinking about that blonde. The scenario kept passing through her mind. She wondered what had startled the girl so badly. Surely it hadn't been something she did? She hadn't been mean to the girl, so what had warranted her to run away? These thoughts kept her occupied until it was time for bed, and even the prospect of starting at a new school tomorrow couldn't keep those haunting green eyes out of her head.