A/N

Hello, ! How are you all, this fine... Err... Morning... Afternoon... Evening... Well, whatever time it is where you are, I hope you are doing well. :D

This is my very first FanFic. I'm pretty new at this whole writers thing, but I've been told I have quite a way with words, so I think I have something to offer writing community. This doesn't mean I'm perfect though, ha ha, no. I'm a perfectly imperfect being, just like the rest of the human race, so some constructive criticism would go along way in helping my writing skills.

So without further ado, I present to you chapter one of Magic Within. Hope you enjoy!

Magic Within

Chapter 1

The last few weeks were absolutely heaven for Emma Swan. For the first time in her life, she is going to have a family. When she fiirst heard about Ingrid's plan to adopt her, she was pretty skeptical. She had long ago resigned herself to the fact that she was just never going to be adopted. She was too old and no family would want to adopt a snippy, jaded teenager like herself. She was just waiting for the moment where it will all go wrong and the cloud she was currently floating on would evaporate out from under her. But, in the weeks since the arcade, where Ingrid told her she was adopting her, everything remained perfect. Emma finally allowed herself something she thought was stomped out her her, hope.

Ingrid and Emma were on their way home from a late night at the movies. As the two stood at a bus stop about to head home, Emma was smiling. It was the same smile that hadn't left her face all week, even when she was asleep and Ingrid was same.

Emma shivered as a late winters breeze blew over them. Then to top it all off, a car raced and sprayed water at them, but even that didn't dower Emma's joy.

"It's nights like this I wish I just had the power to poof home like Harry Potter. If I was like him, I could be standing here in the cold one minute, and home soaking in the tub the next."

"That would be something, wouldn't it" Ingrid replied.

For no particular reason, Emma chuckled in delight. That seemed to be happening a lot the last few days.

"Emma," Ingrid said. Emma looked up and saw a wistful expression on her soon-to-be-mothers face, "do you remember how much fun we had at the arcade last week?"

"Of course. Best day I had in a long time. How could I forget?"

"And do you remember how the lights in the game flickered right before you won?"

Emma certainly remembered that, but at the time, she brushed it of, "yeah, weird."

Emma had no idea where Ingrid was going with this, but Emma sensed there was more to this, and the expression Ingrid gave her next confirmed this. She was now very serious about something.

"What if it was more than just weird?" She said, "what if it meant you were on the cusp of a great self-revelation?"

Emma stared at Ingrid, confused. She looked deadly serious, but what she said had to be a joke. As Ingrid turned to look at something on the road, Emma waited for her to just start laughing, but a gut feeling told her that wasn't going to happen. Emma wanted to say something but before she could, Ingrid suddenly grabbed her hand.

"I think its time," she declared and started pulling Emma onto the road.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked feeling fear start to bubble up from her gut.

Ingrid came to a stop right in the middle of the road. Emma's eyes zeroed in on the blinding headlight of the car barreling toward them.

"Stop the car," Ingrid commanded.

"WHAT?!" Emma shrieked. In the span of a few sentences, Emma's cloud had finally imploded and she had slammed violently back to earth. The only thing that mattered too her now was survival.

"Trust your instincts." Emma fought against Ingrid's grip, "Do it. Stop the car,"

"Let go of me!" Emma demanded. She fought harder as the car drew closer, and she almost managed to break free, but Ingrid then latched her other hand on to Emma's and prevented her escape. The car was now only a few feet away. Emma knew it was over. How cruel was fate to give her hope, only to kill her for daring to wish she could have a family. To give her what she wanted her whole life, but have her would-be-mother turn out to be a suicidal nut job. Emma slammed her eyes closed so she wouldn't have to see her death coming, and she wished; wished with all her heart, that she was somewhere else. Anywhere but here.

Emma felt a strange tingle in her chest, but paid it no mind. She just waited and wished. A few seconds past, then a few more. Emma then wished the car would hurry up and hit her already, this waiting was more painful then she thought it would be. As the seconds ticked by Emma got more and more confused. Did the car swerve and miss her? Slowly, Emma open one eye and what she saw shocked her more than her mothers attempted joint suicide. Right in front of her was a tub. Not the car she was staring down just a few second ago, but the tub in Ingrid's bathroom.

Opening her eyes completely, Emma glanced around the room. There wasn't any doubt, she was in Ingrid's bathroom, and what's more the tub was full and steaming. How the hell...?!

A joyful laugh suddenly erupted from beside her; Ingrid, still in her street clothes, was standing there holding Emma's hand with both of hers with a joyful expression.

"You did it!" She beamed, "I knew it! I knew you could do it, Emma!"

Emma was then swept up in a whirling hug, but as soon as she put Ingrid put her down, Emma back as far away from the joyful woman as possible.

"Hold on, what the hell just happened." Emma demanded.

Ingrid just smiled down at her patently, "you've awakened your magic Emma, like I knew you would."

"Ok, whoa. Just hold up a second, you're telling me... That I poofed here? Like Harry friking Potter?"

Ingrid laughed, "well... Yes, essentially. But not like exactly like him. He is after all just fiction."

Emma stared at her foster mom in disbelief. She had to be crazy, that was the only thing that made logical sense. But then she looked around her and all arguments were crushed.

Emma's mind was a whirling mess and she couldn't get it to stop for even a second. This was all just too much for her to take in. Seeing Emma's distress, Ingrid guided the poor girl over to the toilet and sat her down, "I know this is a lot to take in Emma, but you are special. I've know this since the day I met you. You have magic, in a land that has none and you can use it. Not even I can do this." Ingrid explained in a soothing motherly tone, then wrapped the spiraling girl up in her arms.

"I am going to take care of you like I said I would. And also I'll teach you about your magic and how to use it. If you have any questions, you can ask me anything you want. That is if you're feeling up to it."

Emma stared at Ingrid, everything she's told her finally processed through her brain and she smiled, "Oh my god, this is real."

Ingrid nodded enthusiastically at Emma's mounting joy.

"So what can I do? Can I, like, shot fireballs out of my hands?"

Ingrid gave her a sideways look and said in a very cautious tone, "baby steps Emma. You can't learn that kind of magic overnight. It could take years, but yes you if you really worked at it, you could learn to wield fire."

"Awesome!" Was Emma's level headed reply.

"Yes, but I think this had been enough awesome for tonight. We should get some sleep."

"Wait, you can't just leave me hanging like this! I have so many questions!"

Ingrid smiled. "I know you do, but this topic will take a long time to get though and it's already late. Get some sleep and first thing in the morning, we'll talk, OK"

"What about school?" Emma asked, but Ingrid just waved her off.

"I'll call and say you're sick," and just like that, she had tomorrow off.

Ingrid stood up and headed for the door, so Emma followed. They split up and Emma headed for her room. Once she was at her door, however, the voice of her foster brother Kevin rang out behind her.

"Ingrid! Emma's wearing her shoes in the house!" Emma tensed and made a mental note to learn a spell to transform his bed sheets into a hoard of spiders.

Before she could turn around and threaten the insufferable boy, Ingrid appeared from around the corner. Still wearing her boots.

"Oh I know Kevin, Emma wasn't feeling well after the movie. She just made it to the bath room before she got sick."

Emma knew that tone. Ingrid was giving her more sage advice on annoying her foster brother. Feigning a sick groan, Emma stepped closer to Kevin who immediately leapt backward like she was carrying the plague.

"Eww, get away from me!" He exclaimed and shut himself in his room.

Casting a conspiratorial wink at Emma, Ingrid rounded the corner once again, to take off her coat and boots.

Emma quickly retreated into her room so her other siblings didn't bother her, took off her outer wear and flopped on the bed. Tonight had been a whirlwind for the young girl. First she thought Ingrid was trying to kill her, which Emma would definitely bring up tomorrow if only just to give the woman hell for scaring the ever living daylights out of her. Also she found out that magic was real! And she can use it! Emma closed her eyes as exhaustion washed over her. She still half expected to wake up in the morning and find that it was all a dream; but for now, she'd sleep, and pray that the morning light wouldn't dash her hopes like it had so many times before. Her last thoughts of the night were of spider spells and fireballs, but also strangely enough a woman with platinum blonde hair and a dress made of glittering ice.

The icy blonde slowly started to fade as the blackness of sleep crept around the image. Soon the woman was gone and Emma drifted away into sleep.