Chapter 1

10 Months and 28 Days After

"I'm not some crazy person, you can't just lock me up!", Emma yelled and tried to free herself from the hand that was holding on tightly to her arm. She had always hated police officers with a passion. She hated how they thought they were better than others. And they never helped. Never. They were just as useless as mushrooms on pizza.
"In fact, we can, Madam." The police officer politely pushed Emma towards the front desk, where a middle aged woman was trying to solve a crossword puzzle. Emma clearly wasn't the first today. The woman didn't even look at her when she passed her the clipboard. "Fill that in", she said.
Emma didn't even think about it. There was no way she would give these people any information. Maybe then they would let her go again. The police officer rolled his eyes and took the clipboard. "Name?", he said, certainly not amused.
"Emma", Emma replied, fiddling with the drenched sleeve of her sweater. She was cold and really needed to use the bathroom, but she was not going to ask these people for anything.
"… and?"
"Nothing. Just Emma."
"Come on." He was losing his patience. "Listen, we will find out anyway. We will find out your name, your address, your criminal record - we will find out everything about you. Do you want us to start digging or will you just give me your name?"
It was quiet in the waiting room. Apparently Emma was the only patient on this Wednesday night. She never planned to end up here. She had barely anything with her, only the clothes she was wearing and her book she was holding onto when they told her that she had to come with them.
"Alright, then you're in luck because you won't have to stay here. You will come with me and you will spend the night behind bars, how about that?"
"Enough, George." Emma hadn't seen the woman approaching. She was wearing a white coat, so she was probably a doctor. Her chin-long, super straight hair made her look kind of mean.
"I'm just doing my job", the police officer tried to defend himself. He was probably scared of her as well.
"Do it elsewhere. You're done here."
He shook his head. "Good luck", he said and handed the clipboard to the doctor before he went through the door.
"So, your name is Emma?", the woman asked and Emma nodded. "My name is Dr. Belfrey. Seems like you're going to stay with us for a while."
"For how long? I really don't want to stay here."
"Why is that?"
"I don't like to be locked up. And I don't have any problems."
"How about you give us a chance? What do you have to lose?"
Dr. Belfrey had a point there. Emma had absolutely nothing to lose. She had nothing. It didn't matter where she slept.
"You know, the people who walk through this door usually also walk out again", she said and pointed towards the door through which Emma had been dragged in.
Emma nodded and followed the doctor into a room where they drew her blood and checked her blood pressure. Dr. Belfrey explained to her that this was their standard procedure to make sure that their patients were physically healthy and didn't belong in a hospital. She also asked if Emma was on any medication, but apart from sleeping pills Emma wasn't a fan of chemicals.
"So, Emma, did something happen today?", the doctor asked while checking Emma's pupils and declared her physically healthy. "Anything that made you feel anxious or sad?"
Emma shook her head. "No."
"Since you didn't give us any information about you I assume you don't want us to contact your family or friends?"
"There's no family. And no friends."
The doctor didn't believe her, but Emma appreciated that she respected her enough not to dig any deeper. "Do you have anything on you besides the book?"
Emma shook her head again.
"Good, then I will only need your shoe laces and we're good to go."
After Emma was allowed to use the bathroom, she followed the doctor along the hallways. Everything was quiet; everyone was asleep. She only saw a few nurses walk past them, but no patients whatsoever. Emma held onto her book for dear life. She wanted to leave this place and to be alone. They stopped in front of a door that said "Room 223". Almost like a hotel, just… cleaner.
"Sorry to wake you, Robin, but you have a new roommate. This is Emma", the doctor introduced her briefly.
Robin looked at Emma for a brief second, only to turn around again. Emma would've reacted the same way if someone had waken her up for no reason. She looked younger than Emma, maybe not even eighteen.
"I'll see you tomorrow for your first session. Sleep well." That sounded kind of ironic. The beds looked everything but comfortable.
Emma walked over to the bed on the other side of the room. It was indeed hard, but Emma was so tired and exhausted from everything she'd been through that she just curled up and pressed her book against her chest. She just wanted to sleep and never wake up again.

She did wake up. And she wasn't the first one to be awake. Robin was sitting on her bed, her hair already messily braided into a side pony tail. She held her knees and seemed to be waiting for something. Emma figured that she looked a little older than Emma had assumed, but the girl definitely couldn't be older than 20. She might have been even younger. What could've happened to her that she ended up here?
Emma rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. She kind of missed a mirror. Not that she particularly cared about her appearance these days, but it was strange. Maybe there were mirrors in the washing room. "Morning", Emma said, even though she herself wasn't the talkative type anymore these days.
Robin didn't respond. Instead, she focused harder on biting her nails. She jumped a little when a nurse came in without any warning, telling them to go to breakfast. But Robin made no attempt to get up from her bed.
"You're not going to breakfast?", Emma asked, but the girl slipped under the covers again without even looking at her.

Emma felt kind of disgusting showing up for breakfast wearing the same clothes she arrived with yesterday. And she wasn't even hungry. She just wanted to cooperate so they would release her again. The breakfast room reminded her a lot of the cafeteria in High School, but she pushed away that thought immediately before it could cause any damage. She grabbed a tray like everyone else, and sat down on a free table. Looking around the room was a bit weird. For some people it was easy to tell why there were here, others seemed completely healthy. Some were Emma's age, some were younger, some were older. It was mix of different people, but they all had something in common: life had given them lemons, and they failed to make lemonade.

Suddenly someone took the seat in front of Emma. Robin didn't look at her, and just like Emma she didn't even touch her food. But they sat there together alone in silence.4 Years, 2 Months, and 3 Days Before

"Emmy? Are you awake? Emmy?" Tiny hands where squeezing Emma's shoulders in an attempt to wake her up. It worked, and Emma chose to avoid looking at the clock. When she was starting to count the hours of sleep she would be getting there was no way she could fall back to sleep. "T's wrong, buddy?", she mumbled sleepily and lifted her blanket so Henry could crawl under the covers.
"I think he's killing Mommy", the boy whispered. He was probably scared to say the words out loud.
Emma put her arms around her brother to comfort him. The only noise that came from the living room was their stepdad yelling things Emma couldn't understand as it was more like a big long slur. "Don't be silly, close your eyes and think about the adventures of the pig and the bear, just like I told you to. It will be over soon." Emma covered Henry's ear with her hand so the noise wouldn't distract him from falling back to sleep. When Emma had been a kid she had two stuffed animals, a pig and a bear. The bear had been missing an ear, and her mother had told her that he needed a home because no one else had wanted him. And since this all had started Emma had begun inventing stories about the pig and the bear to distract Henry from what was happening around him. It was working most of the time.
Suddenly something smashed against the wall, so loudly that Emma and Henry were wide awake again. Her heart dropped into her stomach, but she knew she had to stay calm.
"What was that?", Henry whispered.
"I don't know. Maybe he knocked something over. Don't worry." She tried to rock him back to sleep but there was no chance.
"Can you go look if Mommy's okay?"
That had been Emma's plan all along, but after Henry went back to sleep. "Stay in the room", she ordered and crawled out of the bed. Trying to make as little noise as possible, she tip-toed toward the door and opened it just enough for her to take a peak. Her mother was sitting on the sofa with a cigarette resting in her hand. Next to her on the floor there was a pile of shards and Emma couldn't identify what this used to be. Maybe a vase or something. She opened the door a little wider because it made her nervous that her stepfather was no where to be seen. He was standing in front of the fridge, complaining about something. "Is she alive?" Of course Henry didn't stay behind. He saw too many things an eight year old shouldn't have seen, so he was constantly worried that something bad might happen to his mother. Even worse than a black eye or a broken arm.
"Yes, go back to bed", she whispered, knowing that if her stepfather heard that she was awake things would get ugly. Henry did as he was told, but he didn't went into his bed. Instead, he lied down on the bottom bed, indicating that he wanted to stay with Emma for the night. She tucked him and also herself in and hoped that this was it for tonight.

The morning came far to quickly. Emma dragged herself and also Henry out of bed, trying her very best to motivate him to go to the bathroom and brush his teeth. Before she let him out of the room she checked if anyone was awake, but the living room was empty and the only evidence of last night's incident was the pile of shards. Sometimes she would find her mother being asleep on the couch and she always tried her best to bring her into the bedroom before Henry would see her like that. But this morning was almost peaceful.
While Henry was in the bathroom Emma prepared a bowl of cereal and put in on the table, before making sandwich and putting the lunch box in Henry's school bag. It was their routine, though this morning they had to do this about half an hour earlier. That was probably the reason why Henry was a little bit grumpier than usual. For the past year Emma had been working at a bar every night, which meant she never had to be anywhere this early. She only woke up to make sure Henry had breakfast and lunch and would leave the house in time to go to school. Her grades had always been good and she never really hated school, but at this point in her life earning money had been more important than getting an education.
But then her friends had convinced her to apply for a program that allowed Highschool drop outs to finish Highschool, and not just at any Highschool, at one of the best Highschools in New York City. One of those schools rich parents sent their kids to in order to make sure that they would attend rich universities and lived rich, successful lives. After yet another super exhausting shift where Emma had been touched inappropriately by male costumers who couldn't contain themselves, she had decided that she couldn't do this any longer, at least not seven days a week. And she really needed a better job when she wanted to move out and take Henry with her, and for a good job she needed to at least graduate from Highschool. She had applied for the program, and to her surprise, they had accepted her. Her boss hadn't been thrilled and fired her immediately, which left Emma with no income. The school was in the city, which meant Emma had time to do at least some of her reading and her homework on the ferry. But it also meant getting up super early because taking the ferry from Staten Island to the city wasn't really a ten minute trip. At least the program covered all the expenses, so Emma wouldn't have to worry about that.
While Henry was eating his breakfast, Emma was getting ready for school herself. She jumped in a pair of jeans and put on a white tanktop that would go well with her favorite red leather jacket. She debated whether or not to put her blonde wavy hair into a pony tail or not, but she decided against it. She was gonna need to wear a beanie today as it was not that warm outside and it sure would be even more chilly on the ferry. She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth while Henry got dressed, more or less successfully. Emma had to force him to put on another sweater because his favourite Superman sweater had a food stain on it. "What are you gonna do when you come home from school?", Emma asked while zipping Henry's jacket.
"My homework", he answered rolling his eyes.
"I will check when I come home." Sometimes the boy needed a little pressure in order to do his school work.
"When are you coming home?", he asked hopefully and it was hard for Emma to let him down.
"I don't know, I don't have my timetable yet. But it won't be that late, I promise." It was the first day of school, how long could the day be.
"But who's gonna watch my cartoon with me then." Henry frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Emma really didn't have the time for a tantrum right now, even though she understood that this was quite a big change for him. Usually Emma would help him with his homework, and then either watch his cartoon with him, go with him to the park or take him with her to her friends. Whatever they did, Emma spent the afternoon with her brother. When she had told Henry about going back to school he had started to cry because he had been scared that she wouldn't come home anymore. He had only calmed down when Emma had explained to him that she would do this for them, so that Henry could have his own room in a few years. Of course the boy had been excited about that, although he hadn't really understood what it meant, that Emma was planning on leaving home with him and that Henry wouldn't be living with his mother anymore. But it had been good enough for then. "You're a big boy now, aren't you? Do your homework, watch your cartoon and by then I will be home and make us dinner." Apparently that worked. "What's for dinner?", he asked. "How about you pick today?" Emma picked up his school bag and gave it to him so he wouldn't forget it at home.
"I want pizza!"
Emma chuckled and shoved him and herself out the door. "Okay then."

When Emma was alone on the ferry with her and the music in her ears she realized how nervous she actually was. She would be the outsider. Not that this hadn't always been the case, but this time it wasn't only because she was loner, but also because she was the oldest, and on top of that probably the only one who wasn't living in a huge mansion with a mom, a dad, and a dog somewhere in Manhattan. She would be the outsider for so many reasons, and there was no way for her to fit in. Who would want to be friends with a twenty year old Highschool drop out from Staten Island who had absolutely no sense of fashion whatsoever? When Emma arrived in the city she was overwhelmed for a second. It wasn't like she went there every day. Once a month maybe. Not even that. But she quickly figured out what subway to take to get to school, and she panicked when she realized that she was already ten minutes late. Great. Now she wouldn't even have the chance to pick a good seat in the back of the class so everyone would hopefully forget that she was even there.

The huge, almost ancient building was completely silent when Emma entered, completely out of breath as she had been running the minute she got out of the subway. All the doors were already closed and Emma could hear the sound of her own boots when she walked up the stairs. Room 303. That was where she was supposed to be twenty minutes ago. She was supposed to meet Mrs. Blanchard there, the teacher who apparently was in charge of her and the program. How come there was no one in the hallways? At Emma's old Highschool half her course was late for class, everyday. The other half didn't even bother to show up. But she could already tell that this was way different. Everything looked so fancy. The high windows and the paintings on the walls made it look more like a museum than a school. It felt like a place she didn't belong. Emma passed a few lockers, wondering which one would be her's. At her old school those were always covered in scribbles and little drawings, but here they were polished and dirt-free. She was walking along the corridor, nervously checking the numbers on the doors, when she finally found a door that was wide open. She peaked in, hoping there would be someone who could tell her where the freaking room was. There was a woman sitting at the teacher's desk, glasses resting on the tip of her nose, writing something in the notebook in front of her. She was wearing a blouse and had probably forgotten to button it all the way up. There was something about her that was super bossy and strict, so Emma made a mental note not to choose the classes that woman was teaching. Her hair was dark and wavy, and she elegantly pushed it back after raising and eyebrow and shaking her head a little. Whatever she was reading surely wasn't making her happy. Emma was taken aback for a moment. This was not what teachers looked like, at least not in real life.
Apparently Emma had exhaled audible, because that woman suddenly looked up. "Can I help you, Dear?", she asked with a sultry voice.
"Yeah, uh, I'm looking for room 303?" It took Emma a moment to fell back into her rather chill attitude.
"Down the hall to the left", she replied and turned back to the paper in front of her.
The way she had looked at Emma told her that she was definitely judging her for not being in class even though class had started half an hour ago. A woman like her was probably never late. Emma took a last glance at her and chuckled a little at the sight. The woman was barefoot, black high heels placed next to her chair waiting to be put on again. It was funny because it was such a contrast to that refined person.
"Is there something else I can I help you with, Miss…?" The woman toyed with the pen in her hands while trying to stare Emma down. Apparently that was her method. It was intimidating, like she was trying to stare into Emma's soul, but it didn't silence her in the slightest. "Swan. And no, thanks. Hope you won't catch a cold", she said jokingly and left the room before she would get herself into trouble.

Down the hall to the left. Emma rushed, trying not to be even later than necessary. The door was closed, so Emma knocked and slowly opened it when she couldn't hear an answer. To her surprise it was an office instead of a classroom.
"Ah, Emma Swan? I was expecting you!", a woman with long ice blonde hair said and greeted Emma with a welcoming smile. "I'm Mrs. Fisher, principal and head of the program."
Emma was relieved that Mrs. Fisher didn't seem to be mad at her. "Sorry for being late, I think I underestimated the distance…"
"It's quite a way, isn't it?", she said and pointed towards the chair in front of her desk. "I can still move you in one of the dorms. You know the program would pay for everything, you wouldn't have anything to worry about." Emma took the seat and put her backpack onto her lap. "No, thank you. I can't move out." She couldn't possibly tell her that she had a little brother that she had to take care of because her mother wasn't really able to. "I won't be late again, I promise."
"Very well then. So, are you nervous on your first day of school? This place can be a little intimidating."
"A little I guess." Emma wondered if Mrs. Fisher had read all these books that were sorted in the big book shelf behind her or if they were only supposed to make her look intelligent. Given her position and the way she spoke she probably had read them all though. "There's no need to worry. Our students are very friendly and I'm sure you will make friends who can help you out a little. And if you need anything, really, feel free to step by my office anytime. I know how hard it can be to go back to Highschool."
"Thanks. Yeah it's a little weird. I mean, I'm twenty years old, I really shouldn't be in Highschool anymore." Her age had probably become one of her biggest insecurities recently. She never really cared much about it but when she saw all these successful people on TV who owned entire companies at her age she felt a little sad looking back at her own life.
"Oh, you're still so young, and definitely not the oldest student here. Also, it's never too late to change your life and get an education."
"I'm not the oldest?" The principal was nice and indeed made Emma believe that she could actually enjoy her time here. Maybe even find new friends so she wouldn't always hang out with the same people in Staten Island.
Mrs. Fisher laughed a little. "No, you're not. We have plenty of students around your age. And I find it very reasonable and brave that you decided to go back to school."
It really did calm Emma down a bit. There was nothing to be ashamed of. She wanted a degree, so she had the chance of a career where she would make enough money for her and Henry. It would be difficult to keep up, though. Emma felt like he had forgotten everything she had learned at school.
"So, here's your timetable. We were very impressed with your test results", Mrs. Fisher said and gave Emma a piece of paper with all the information. She explained to her that she had chosen Emma's classes based on the test she had taken to get into the program. Advanced maths and physics, of course. These had always been Emma's best subjects. She sucked at literature, though. She just wasn't a big fan of reading as she found it rather boring. And writing endless pages about characters and interpretations of storylines had never been her thing.
Afterwards Mrs. Fisher showed Emma her locker and gave her a quick tour around school so Emma knew where the classrooms, the cafeteria and the gym were located. The school was actually bigger than expected, but Emma had a good sense of direction so getting lost wouldn't become a habit. Even the toilets were clean here. At her old school Emma avoided using the toilets at all costs because they were rather gross, but maybe now she wouldn't have to hold her pee until she was back home. Lastly, she got like a dozen school books and put half of them into her locker so she wouldn't have to carry them around all day. Mrs. Fisher walked her to her first class to inform Emma's math teacher, Mr. Hopper, that she was a new student and late for a reason. He seemed friendly and a little quirky with his round glasses and his old-fashioned clothes, but at least he gave Emma some space instead of letting her tell her life story to the class. Everyone was staring at her like she had something on her face while she was looking for an empty seat. She found one in the back of the class, which would never have happened at her old school where the first row was usually the one being empty. She immediately knew for a fact now that she didn't fit in, at all. The girls looked like they had spend three hours getting ready for school, with their perfectly styled hair and fashionable, expensive clothes. Some boys were wearing loose ties. When Emma took her seat everyone turned around again, and Emma couldn't be more thankful. Except for the girl next to her who was smiling politely.
"Hey, I'm Ruby", she whispered.
She looked nice and not as overdressed as the others. Instead of a skirt she was wearing black jeans and a black tee. Her fingernails were painted black as well, and the only colourful item Emma could find were the red strains in her hair and her lipstick. "I'm Emma."
"You haven't missed much, we've only discussed the formalities. Here, copy it if you want", she said and gave Emma her notes.
"Thanks." Emma searched her backpack for a pencil and a paper and eventually found some. "What classes do you have beside advanced maths?"
"Let me see your timetable", Ruby said and Emma gave it to her.
"Oh, we have lots of classes together. Literature, French, Biology, Algebra II… nice! Do you have plans for lunch yet?"
Emma was more than relieved that Ruby wanted to spend lunch with her. "Not yet."
"Well, now you do."

They had lunch in the cafeteria where Emma met Ruby's friend Belle who had a cute Australian accent and apparently was some sort of genius. She took all the advanced classes, and had already applied for the best universities in the country. Still, she was a nice girl and immediately offered Emma to help her in case she had difficulties keeping up. After she had finished her lunch Belle excused herself because she wanted to go to the library real quick before class started. Emma and Ruby shared a confused look but no one said anything. Before they went to class Emma stopped by her locker to get the books, as clicking heels were echoing through the halls. Emma looked up and recognized the teacher from earlier. She was wearing a pencil skirt and still hadn't fully buttoned up her shirt. Her glasses were gone, so Emma figured they must have been reading glasses.
"Who is that?", Emma asked as she was super curious. Intrigued even. "Oh, that's your worst nightmare. That's Miss Mills. But don't worry, you won't ever have her as your teacher." Ruby made it sound like it was a good thing.
And Emma was relieved as she should stick to the less strict teachers when she wanted to get good grades, but and the same time she was also a little disappointed. "Why?", she asked while putting the books in her backpack.
"Because only the top students make it into her classes, and half of them fail. She teaches advanced literature and poetry mostly. Belle worked the entire summer on her essay because she really wanted to attend her class and she didn't get in. She has straight As only. No idea what this woman's problem is."
"But like, can she do that? Not letting students attend her classes?" Ruby made it sound like Miss Mills was royalty or something.
"Of course. She can do whatever she wants here. She's overqualified and should be giving lectures at Yale or something, but rumor has it that she declined the offer. They also offered her the principal's job here, and even a spot on the board, but even that she declined."
"But why?" It was hard for Emma to understand that someone chose teaching at a Highschool with stupid teenagers over giving lectures at University or sitting on a school board committee.
"No idea, but I swear even the teachers are scared of her." Emma didn't get the chance to dig into this deeper, as a dark haired boy with a devilish grin suddenly put his arm around Ruby. "Hello ladies." His sweater looked more expensive than all of Emma's outfits combined. "Who are you?" He nodded into Emma's direction.
"Uh, I'm Emma." She struggled to close her backpack as it was just too full. Jeez, these books were heavy.
"Wrong. You're in luck, because you're about to be asked out by the most handsome guy in school. Killian Jones", he said and took Emma's hand to kiss the back of it.
She has never pulled away faster in her life. Ruby rolled his eyes. "Leave her alone, Killian."
"How about we let her decide on her own?", he said and his grin grew wider. "I'll pick you up Saturday at eight", he said and winked. His arrogance annoyed the hell out of Emma, and she was sure she wouldn't go out with him even if she were into boys. "No, thank you", she said, closed the locker and literally fled, followed by Ruby who found it more than funny how Emma rejected the guy.
"Oh come on, don't be shy", he called after her, and it took Emma lots of self-control not to turn around and show him the middle finger. At her old school she definitely would have, without any hesitation. But she wasn't at her old school.

"Where have you been?"
At first Emma was wondering why he cared, but then she realised that she hadn't been grocery shopping and that was probably the reason why anyone even noticed that she hadn't been at home the whole day.
"School", Emma mumbled and took off her shoes. She knew that he would throw a fit when she got dirt on the carpet.
"The fridge is empty", he said grumpily and took another sip of his beer. The way he was sitting on the dirty couch in his dirty shirt surrounded by this smell of alcohol and sweat made Emma sick to her stomach. She hated it here. "You could've gone grocery shopping yourself, you're home the whole day." Emma bit her tongue. She hadn't thought this through, and before anyone could've been warned he jumped up.
Suddenly Emma felt a strong hand grabbing her neck and forcing her on her knees. Emma gasped, hunching her shoulders to fight the pain. She hated how vulnerable she was when she was caught off guard. She hated how small he made her feel.
"Where do you think the money you spend on a daily basis comes from? Without me you wouldn't even have a fucking place to sleep." He came closer, so close that Emma could feel his breath on her skin. She turned away as far as he would let her. "I'm s- sorry. Let me go, please!"
"Look at me when I fucking talk to you. If it wasn't for your mother I would've kicked you out a long time ago. Ungrateful brat." "I'm sorry, please." Emma tried to keep calm and not to breathe too much, otherwise she would have his smell in her nose for the rest of the day.
"Fucking parasite." There was nothing that Emma wanted more than to leave. She would rather sleep under a bridge than spend another night in this apartment because she knew they didn't want her there, she wasn't stupid. But who would wake Henry up to go to school then? Make him lunch? Helping him with his homework? Making sure she wouldn't have to go to the park alone? Most certainly not her mother who was currently sound asleep in the bedroom.
"School, huh? Who is gonna fucking pay for that?"
"N-no one. It's a scholarship." Emma's neck really, really hurt. "Aren't you a little old for school? You should get a fucking job!" And with a last push that made Emma's face almost touch the linoleum ground he loosened his grip so she could get up again. "Fuck that, they will see soon enough that they're wasting their time with you. You're too stupid to learn."
Emma fled into the bathroom to take a look at her neck. It was a little red where his fingers had sank into her skin, but there weren't any bruises yet, so she was all good to face Henry. She was smiling when she entered the room so the boy wouldn't worry. He was sitting on the little desk apparently actually doing his homework. Before Emma could sit down next to him he already rushed towards her.
"You're back!", Henry said and greeted her with a big hug. That was also a friendly reminder that it didn't matter what he said to her, how much of a pain in the ass she was according to him. She was needed here, and she would never let her brother down. "Of course I am, I promised you it wouldn't be too late. How was school?" She sat down at the table and took a brief look at his homework. He was a smart kid, always the best reader in class, but he got distracted sometimes so it was always good when someone checked his work.
He shrugged. "Miss Kellerman is our teacher again, but Nicholas isn't in my class anymore. I have to sit next to a girl now." He rolled his eyes like this was the worst thing ever.
"Really? What's her name?" Emma found it funny because it reminded her of when she was a kid. Nicholas not being Henry's buddy at school was probably a good thing, as he was kind of a bully himself.
"Violet. I don't like her."
Emma chuckled. "And why is that?"
"She's new."
"Why don't you ask her about her hobbies tomorrow? She might surprise you." Emma had been the new kid multiple times in her life, and she didn't want Henry to be another bully just because he wanted to fit in.
Henry shook his head.
"Are you afraid that the others might be mean to you?" Of course Henry was already a little bit of an outsider, Emma was aware of that. They lived in a rather poor neighbourhood, but even for that they kind of stood out. Henry never went to school trips, simply because the family couldn't afford it. Their mom never made it to the teacher's office hours, and at first they hadn't accepted Emma as a replacement but over time they had changed their minds. So Emma understood that Henry wanted to fit in, but that shouldn't stop him for doing the right thing. "Imagine you were the new kid at school and no one would talk to you, how would you feel?"
He took some time to think about it, and Emma was already proud of herself because her words had an effect on him. "I could ask her if she likes comic books."
"Yes, do that. And maybe sit with her at lunch break. If anyone is mean to you tell them your big sister is gonna pay them a visit", Emma said, pulled Henry onto her lap and started tickling him until he bursted out laughing.
"You know what? You think about question three again and then we could go to the park and maybe get us some pizza, would you like that?", Emma suggested already knowing the answer.
"Yes pizza! What's wrong with my answer?"
"Nothing, but you forgot something." Maths had never been Henry's strength, but he was the best reader in his class. Emma explained it to him and he was surprisingly patient and willing to get it right. She was really proud of him.

Emma rushed Henry out the door, gladly he was too busy watching TV to actually care about them leaving the house. They went to the park to practice some football as Henry always talked about how he wanted to play in a team when he would go to Middle School. Emma knew a bit about football actually. Her Dad went to games with her from time to time and she had always really enjoyed it. She had tried to save up for tickets to a football game so Henry could see one live, but then the fridge had died and he had taken her money to get a new one. Next season, she had said. They went to their favourite pizza place afterwards and shared a plain cheese pizza, because that's what they always did. On the way back they went to buy some groceries because Emma knew the consequences she would face otherwise.

Emma had to have a talk with Henry, though. She had to explain to him somehow that he had to spend his mornings alone, and making sure he would leave the house in time. "You know my school is in the city, right?", she asked after both of them had gotten ready for bed and Emma was supposed to read "Matilda" to him for the hundredth time. He loved that book as much as Emma did when she was a kid.
"Yes", he answered, not really knowing what she was implying.
"It's quite a long way."
"Are you leaving?", he asked, suddenly panicking. "Noo, of course not. But I need to leave a little earlier in the morning, otherwise I will be late." The people in charge at her school wouldn't tolerate that every day.
Henry looked like he was debating whether this was a good or a bad thing.
"Can you get up by yourself? I will set you an alarm." Henry could prepare his cereal by himself, that was not the issue. Emma was more worried about him leaving the house in time.
"You won't be there in the morning?" The boy didn't seem convinced.
"No, but I will be there every evening. I'm not going to the bar anymore. That's a good thing, right? I can read to you, and we can go to the park all the time." He had to be okay with this.
"What if he's awake?", he whispered, as if he could hear them.
Sometimes Emma forgot that even if she tried to keep Henry way from him, he was still here. "He won't, he's never up that early. Don't worry about that, okay? He won't hurt you." Normally he left Henry alone anyways and pretended he didn't exist. He was only important to him when he wanted to show him off to his colleagues or when he needed him for welfare. Emma was the target, and that was okay.
Henry seemed to be content with her answer and started reading the first chapter of his book. They took turns until he got so tired that he fell asleep.