* = Authors Note at bottom

Emma sat in the back seat of her father's 2005 black Honda Accord. Her elbow rested against the door's handle as she looked out the window with furious eyes. She had made plans earlier that week to hang out with her friend Elsa. They were going to go to the Mall for some shopping fun and then proceed with a sleep over. They made sure to plan it out for this day due to the fact that Elsa was going to be leaving this summer break to visit some relatives up in Arendelle. Those plans that she had carefully made and kept everyone well informed, was wasted away with a single last minute decision by her father. Instead of having fun with her dear friend, she was now on her way to one of her father's lame and dull office holiday parties. She never liked to go to them but her parents just insisted that she must go. So Emma sat in her seat as she glared at the scenery outside her window, wishing more than ever that she was back at home in New York having the time of her life with her best friend.

Snow glanced up at the rear view mirror from her passenger seat. She saw how upset Emma looked and couldn't help the feeling of guilt that rode up within her. She knew it wasn't fair to force her daughter away from her plans but it couldn't be helped. By going to this party, there was a high chance that *James could get a promotion. "Cheer up, sweetie. You can see Elsa tomorrow." Snow gave her daughter a smile when Emma glanced up at the mirror but was only met with her glare.

Emma gave out a small "huff" as she turned her gaze back to the dark clouds. They blocked out the sun completely now and started a small dribble of rain.

She may have been acting childish, she decided. She couldn't help it though. She was mad at the whole situation. She had done everything that she was supposed to do when planing an evening with her dear friend. It was unfair. So she focused her anger on her parents. It was partially their fault to begin with. They could just go to this stupid party without her. She found no reason why she had to go. She could've stayed the night over at Elsa's house. An argument that she had brought up in one of their previous fights only to be shot down.

Snow turned to her husband for help. "James" she whispered. Her fights with Emma only seemed more and more often as of late. She wasn't even sure what she was doing wrong as a mother. Ever since her own mom died when she was little, she always wanted to be there for her own child. Emma just grew more distant as the days went by. Snow felt the dread that one day Emma would call her a bad mother. If she were to hear those words come from Emma's mouth she wasn't sure what she would do. It was most likely that she would cry for days in her room and never come out.

James glanced over at his wife before eyeing the road once again. He knew what she was thinking. She often told him of her nightmares as he gave her soothing words. He tried to convince her that these fears would never come to light. She was slowly starting to not listen to him.

"Be nice to your mother Emma." James gave his daughter the stern voice that only a parent can manage. "We have already apologized for the short notice. Now stop acting like a child."

Embarrassment as well as sorrow built up in Emma's chest when she heard the disappointment in her father's voice. She always tried so hard to make her father proud. It made her angry that the only thing that he acknowledged from her was all of her wrong doings. She was a human being. As a member of that race she was allowed to at least make a few mistakes. Her father did not seem to think so, as did her mother. She was forced to be prefect in every way. But no one was prefect in this world. It was simply not possible. For one to try was pure maddening.

"I'm thirteen years old, dad." Emma mumbled into her hand as she rested her chin against it.

Her father heard her words. It was unclear if he was supposed to since she had not said them clearly. Nevertheless, he did. "I understand that you're thirteen, Emma. But you're acting like you did when you were five with that temper tantrum you're having."

Emma redirected her glare to the back of her father's head. He could not see it for he kept his eyes on the road but she was sure that he could at least feel it. "I'm not having a fucking tantrum!"

Hearing Emma's choice of words, both of her parents flung their heads in Emma's direction. "Emma!" they yelled in sync. Never have they heard Emma cuss in front of them before. She had always been a perfect little angel. It was only recent that she started acting up. Perhaps Emma was hanging with the wrong crowd, they thought. Or maybe she was watching too much TV. Whatever it was, they had to fix the problem fast. They were not going to tolerate such behavior.

Normally, at this stage of their fight, Emma would be filled with mix feelings of self-depression. Her father looked so disappointed in her. She sometimes wondered if he wished that he had had that little boy he always wanted instead of her. Her mother's red rimmed eyes looked ready to burst with tears at any moment. Emma remembered all those nights that she would be kept awake by her mother's tears. She had always wanted the strength to get up and offer her shoulder to her mother. Instead she would put headphones on to block out the noise. If only she had gotten up those nights, maybe her relationship with her mother would have been better. She should have spoken up about her fear of never being enough to her father, perhaps she would have known just how much her father loved her.

Emma watched with terror as the car drove off the cliff that day. She heard her parents scream before they were silenced by the impact of the lake below. The glass from the windows cracked before bursting open from the pressure letting all the ice cold water inside. She felt the freezing water surround her as the car slowly sank to the bottom.

* Emma's father is NOT David's twin brother. He went by this name when we first met him so that's my reasoning for picking it. Mary-Margret and David will be a part of this story as Emma's friends that's why these names were not picked as her parent's names.

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