Once Upon Another Time…..
Chapter 1- pilot
I must be a very terrible big sister, after all I had just let my 10 years old brother go on a crazy goal mission outside town, all alone, to find his birth mother and convince her to come to town with him. The funny part is that I'm not even sorry, I would do anything to make my little brother happy, even if that means to play along with him in his make-believe game.
The not funny part is that I'm probably grounded for the rest of my life. I know she's going to be pissed, after all my mother is always pissed with everything and everyone, except with Henry, I guess. But she made it very clear that I'm not an exception, I guess that is because I'm a 16 years old with no chill and a totally absent-minded big sister. And I blame her.
So, there I was, sitting on the roof, which was my favorite place of the entire house, gladly I didn't have to climb up the walls to get there, my window was placed just right, I was on my own world, drinking soda, eating popcorn and playing the guitar when my mother started hitting my door as if it was a punch bag. And no, I was not going to give a proper answer, much less open the door, she must be used to it, I usually don't.
"Olivia, have you seen Henry after school?!" She sounded almost desperate.
"Uh… No..?" I replied as I totally didn't give a fuck about it, and I guess that what gave me up… because she knows that I totally care about him.
"Olivia, open up now!" I was totally screwed.
I just sat there for a while until I got the impression that I had pissed her enough to blow an atomic bomb at me.
She was banging on my door as if it was a 'piñata' when I opened it up with the most 'I don't give a fuck' face that I could manage. I had to give Henry the most time that I could, and I was doing a very poor job apparently.
"I hope you know that you're already grounded, but that's not the point now, where is your brother?" I kinda expected that…
"have you checked his room?" I must be really annoying.
"Do you know where he is or not?" she's apparently trying to not get angrier with me, that's cool.
"I have no idea, have you talked to Archie? He could be with him… but if you'd excuse me, I've got a few things to do up here…" time to trail off… or not.
"Wait for me downstairs" I'm totally screwed.
"but mom…"
"Wait for me, downstairs" she just left me there like that, and I had two options, either I stay here, or I go down to try to clean up my name from her blacklist.
I chose to go down so I could keep her occupied, but it seemed that she didn't want to talk to me anymore, apparently she just wanted me to get out of my room, because after all she had already called sheriff Graham, so now I was hoping to not get scolded by both my mother and my "boss/friend". I had the bad luck that today was my day off at the station, it's not exactly a job, I just kinda give Graham a hand over there sometimes, but as I stayed the entire afternoon at home, my mother probably knew I had something to do with Henry's disappearing.
So I just made my way to the living room, they were talking very quietly in the office so that was my chance. Apparently my mom was trying to convince Graham to fill up a missing person's report for her, but he was trying to calm her down because Henry hadn't been missing for not even 8 hours. It was about 10 when I saw a yellow bug park right in front of my house. It was Henry, I think I won't be so screwed after all.
I run outside and crushed him with my 'not so tall and big bear hug'.
"I'm getting grounded because of you, this better be worth it!" he laughed at that, I guess he's the only one that never takes me seriously.
"Uh… Hi…" a tall blonde woman behind him tried to get along with the situation, I can't refuse a friendly introduction. I held out my hand for her.
"Hello, I'm Olivia, Henry's big sister" she chuckled a bit, probably it was because of my totally unusual accent, and shook my hand.
"Hi.. I'm Emma…"
That when my mother decided to stop talking to the handsome sheriff at the office and finally realized that Henry had already came back.
"Henry!" She was doing that weird walk-run, and went for a hug with him, "are you okay? Where have you been?"
I just rolled my eyes, I was pretty sure that she'd go from 'oh my god are you safe?' to 'get the hell away from here' as soon as she realized who that tall blonde woman right beside her son was.
"What happened?" That was when Henry went to the point quickly, I should say.
"I found my real mom!" he just ran into the house while I stood between the two mothers of my little brother, and I really didn't want to get even more screwed with my mother.
"So.. Uh… if both of you excuse me, I'll check up on him…" I really didn't want to be in the middle of a cat-fight right now…
Before I could reach up the stairs, Graham grabbed my arm, stopping me on my tracks.
"Hey liv, did you have anything to do with this?" he knew me only too well…
"you know I did… but I just wanted to see him happy, you know that"
"I got it, well, you'll be better company for him than me, see you at the station tomorrow?" apparently even with a family crisis I had to 'work'.
"yeap, see ya" he laughed and went to the living room, I think we still wanted to talk with my mother, while I went upstairs. I made my way to Henry's room and knocked on his door.
"Hey kiddo, it's just me, open up!"
"I'm fine, no need to worry" if he said that, he was totally not fine.
"I think you didn't hear the part that I want to get in, I don't care if you're okay or not" actually I care, but I just needed him to open the door.
He opened the door very slowly and sat at the edge of his bed. Apparently he was reading his story book that started all of this.
"what's going on Henry?" I sat there with him, tried to keep up with what he was reading, apparently it was something that looked like snow white…
"I don't understand, she's here, she's the savior, why doesn't it change anything?!" he was apparently angry with the fact that everything didn't change at the moment that his birth mother crossed the town line… kids…
"Hey, she's just a person and you should give her a bit of time, she's been here for like, 30 minutes? Ask her to stay, she's right down the hall…" I tried my best to make him light up a bit. And apparently it worked.
"could you talk to her for me? I've got the impression that mom wouldn't let me…" and because he probably didn't want to talk to her…
"okay, try to rest a bit okay?"
"Ok, I love you liv" oh dear lord, I would do anything for this amazing kid.
"I love you too Henry, good night" I kissed his forehead and stood up.
"good night" he went to the window and I just stood there watching him a bit, then I made my way to the hall, after all, I still had to chat with 'the savior'.
I was getting down the stairs when I realized that my mother and Graham were nowhere to be found and Emma was already leaving.
"Emma, wait!" she was almost at the little front gate when she turned to look at me.
"Hey kid, what is it?" I think I was the last person she expected to stop her.
"Henry wants you to stay" I was trying to not say much, I'm quite shy sometimes…
"look, I don't want to crush his feelings or something from the sort but I really have got to go…" she turned around again, I was about to let her go when something crossed my mind.
"I know what he's feeling, you should give him a chance" I couldn't keep it to myself.
"What do you mean?"
"I think that is quite obvious that I'm adopted too…"it's wasn't a lie, I am quite small, I have blue eyes, curly and dark orange hair, almost chestnut, freckles, a weird accent and all, it's impossible she hadn't noticed yet.
"did you ever meet your parents?"
"no, but I want Henry to live that, even if it's just for a while…" she looked quite sad.
After my little exposure she just nodded and headed to her yellow bug, and I've got to admit, that bug was cool.
All I had left to do was watch her bug turn around the block and hope that she would at least give my little brother a bit of satisfaction...
