Okay, I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter! I don't know how often I'll be able to write, considering I'm starting up school again and I have work. I won't forget about this story though! Enjoy~ xoxo
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Once characters.
Chapter 2- Meeting the Mills
A delicious voice purred into my ear, "Welcome, dear".
Regina stood in the doorway, a blood – red smirk across her face. I couldn't make out much of what she looked like, since the only illumination on her was the moonlight. From what I could see, the Mayor was breathtaking. Her chocolate eyes gleamed lustfully at me. She wore a steel-colored pencil skirt with a matching blazer, and a red V-neck underneath, which accentuated her curves awfully nicely. My eyes scaled her figure multiple times before I returned back to reality.
I shook my head before I struggled to produce the words, "Y-you were expecting me, ma'am?"
"It's Madame Mayor to you. Yes, Miss Cameron, your parents notified me of your arrival," never leaving my gaze, the woman sauntered towards me. Her hand cupped my chin, her fingers grazing my jaw lightly. I attempted to force down the lump in my throat. My over exaggerated gulp wasn't even enough to rid the annoyance. "Hmm, what a charming young woman we have here," her eyes scanned my face thoroughly, "You look very much like…"
"Mom!" Thudding from the steps could be heard from inside the manor, "Is she here yet?!" Regina immediately lost her focus on me, and her face softened as she peered behind her.
"Yes, Henry, she's here," Regina's eyes shifted to the truck behind me, "Thank you, gnomes, I can handle it from here," the Mayor's voice snarled as her upper lip curled slightly.
"Gnomes?! What the f-… You know what, Sneeze? She's not even worth our time," the cantankerous man from before growled back, and the truck doors slammed.
Startled, and almost forgetting that they were still behind me, I turned on the balls of my feet and waved, "Oh, thank you ever so much!"
"If you ever need to get out of this place, come find me," the gruff voice rang out towards me. A middle finger floated down the road and into the distance.
With a roll of her eyes, Regina turned away, "Come," the older woman ordered.
Bouncing on the balls of his feet, an adolescent boy with a goofy grin waited until I made my way inside behind Regina. "Hi! My name is Henry. Yes, I know yours, your name is Cameron- you don't even have to say it. It's nice to meet you," unable to control his eagerness, Henry practically skipped towards me and flung his arms over my shoulders.
"Oh!" My arms wrapped around his thin frame lightly, "It's so nice to meet you," a smile broadened on my face.
"I'm so glad you're here. Now, I'll have someone to talk to when mom's gone".
I glanced up at Regina from above her son's shoulder; she was beaming. I don't know whether it was from sheer love for her son, or if it was because he seemed so excited to have a companion- maybe it was both. Though, all I could tell was that he was her entire world. The way that woman proudly displayed her affection for him almost made me envious. Her eyes were lit up with so much passion, her whole world seemed to stop around this boy. It reminded me of how it was something that I never had - a mother that glowed at the idea that I was God's perfect creation. In a split second, the caramel eyes locked into mine, and almost as if she could read my thoughts, I could sense the feeling of sympathy in her gaze. Unknowing of what was happening, it took a few moments for me to gather that Henry had pulled away and spoken to me.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say, Henry?" My cheeks flooded with warmth.
"Would you like me to show you to your room?!" His hand clasped around my wrist, and my body jerked forward. I guess I had no choice, not that I minded. Giggles could be heard coming from behind me during the time of being dragged like a doll up the stairs.
We entered the room, and I was surprised, yet unimpressed at the same time. Unwillingly stepping my heavy feet into the room, I took note of the surrounding. It was dreary, to be honest - too much black and white for my taste. The bed, however, was twice the size of the one at my old "home". I hopped onto it, eager to feel its comfort. There must have been a feather topper on the mattress beneath my body because it felt as if I were sleeping on what I would envision a cloud to feel like. My eyes wandered between the walls, furniture, and overall surrounding. New ideas for the dreary room bubbled an excitement within my chest. Maybe I can make a happy start here.
"So, this is my room, am I correct?" unable to withhold my avidity, my right eyebrow raised as a retort to Regina's quizzical expression.
"Yes, dear, this is your room," she retorted with the same smug expression of tone as I did.
"I can make any changes to it that I would like?"
"I suppose I can arrange for that," she seemed reluctant to admit it, but it is my room now, after all.
My hands clasped together, "Oh, yay! This should be fun," a grin grew on my facet, making the numerous, unrelated questions that soared in and out of my brain.
Henry seemed as eager as me, and he definitely showed it, "Mom, we can all work on it together!"
"Yes, darling, if that's what you both would like," Regina, bracing herself for what was going to be planned, shifted on her feet and crossed her arms.
"Lighten up a little. It's always fun to make some changes".
"Yes, Madame Mayor, I think we all can have a good experience from this," my evil smirk directed towards Regina. Her facial features screamed unhappiness for change to her perfect home, but it was obvious she wanted to make my stay more comfortable.
"All right, we can make some changes, but it's time for bed, Henry,"
"I'm not a kid anymore," he slumped as he made his way towards the hallway.
"I need to have a discussion with Cameron, alone. At least go do something, preferably chores,"
"No, that's okay; I'll read some comics until I fall asleep. Good night, Cameron,"
"Night, Henry," I raised my fist out towards him.
"Uh… What?"
"It's a fist bump…"
"Oh, right!" He sprang over and bumped his knuckles against mine.
Regina closed the door behind Henry, and made her way over to me. Her heels made a prominent click-click-click on the hardwood.
"So, Miss Cameron, please tell me why I am making your acquaintance tonight," the older woman's eyes scrutinized mine.
"I- well… Uh," My hands instinctively clutched the bottom of my sweatshirt.
"Sweetheart," placing a hand atop of mine as a source of comfort, "Whatever has happened for your parents to send you to me, you can tell me."
Trying to avoid contact, I forced myself to give her an explanation, "Well, there's something wrong with me," My body, especially my face, began to flush with anxiety.
"Ouch!" Regina yanked her hand away. It was almost as if a light bulb went off in her head. She knew immediately what was wrong with me. At first, the Mayor looked at me with horror, but then her expression softened. This made me even more anxious.
"Regina, I…" Holes burned into my jeans where my hands were placed on my thighs.
"Cameron! Quick, go to the shower," her hand grabbed mine, and after wincing, she led me to the bathroom connecting to my bedroom.
"I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you," Tears flooded out of my eyes. All of this happening while my clothes were singeing off of my body. She rapidly turned on the cold water to the shower, and led me in.
"You didn't hurt me, dear. I'm sorry, I don't know exactly how to control a situation like this at the moment, so could you please try to relax for me?"
I tried to calm down, except the tears only escaped my eyes faster.
"Regina, what's wrong with me…?"
I could feel that Regina was at a loss for words. She leaned her body against the wall and stared at the ground, defeated.
"Regina!" Even more frightened, my body heat became even more intense. Although there was cool water running over me, the flames only grew stronger, and they engulfed my clothes.
Seeing the turn of events, the woman regained her composure, and looked right into my pleading eyes. "You need to come to terms with your emotions. I know things are really crazy right now. You will- no, we will learn how to control this. You're not alone, okay, dear? I am here to help you, and so is Henry. We are here to guide you through this storm of emotions. You're not a monster. I am just like you; I have magic too, and I am able to control it. I can teach you. Cameron, calm down."
Something in the urgency of her voice snapped me. I need to get it together. She doesn't see me as a monster… For the first time in my life, I'm normal to someone else…The flames covering my body began to subside as I felt my emotions become more stable. I can learn how to control this… and think of how awesome that would be to have magic, real, controlled magic. The thought of being able to control my life-destroying flames was overwhelmingly calming. Before long, my body began to shiver underneath the chilly shower water. A concerned smile grew across Regina's cheeks and she gripped my hand between hers.
"You did it," a sigh escaped her lips.
"Yeah, I did," I mustered, feeling proud of myself. That is, until I realized I was naked in front of her, "Ohmygosh. Wait, I'm naked," I could feel my cheeks redden as I attempted to cover my privates.
That snapped Regina's attention back to the situation entirely, "It seems that you are," returning the shower curtains to their proper closed position, she managed to get out, "You get dressed. I'll be right outside of your room," and with that, the Mayor, somehow collectively, exited the room, leaving me with an empty feeling inside.
Quickly drying myself and throwing on baggy clothes, my mind reminded itself that I would do anything not to be alone. A tear slid down my cheek at the thought of it. My whole life I've been cast aside. I've never really had a parental figure, and now's the chance to have one. It terrified me, but elated me all at once. I finally have a chance to have a normal family, but there's the possibility that even they won't be able to handle me. Thoughts regarding my future swirled around my brain.
"Is everything okay in there?" a muffled voice interrupted my train of thought.
"Yes," I replied, wiping the seemingly never ending tears from my face. Maybe she heard me sniffing or something...
"May I come back in?"
"Of course," I strode over towards the bed, and flopped back onto it.
Regina stood in the doorway for a moment, gazing down at me. Her complexion was one that projected jealousy, and it made me curious about what her brain was discerning.
"Uh, why are you looking at me like that?"
A sigh escaped her lips before she made her way towards the edge of my bed, "well, dear, it's complicated to explain".
"You can tell me, Reg- Madame Mayor,"
"You would only look at me as if I'm a monster," brown orbs glowered in my general vicinity, but not directly at me, "There was a point in my life where…" a wave of sadness washed upon her features, drowning the jealousy that once burned in her eyes.
She thought for another moment, recovered, and then spoke to me in a direct tone, "Cameron, I highly advise that you seek counseling. It's difficult to control magic if you have none over your emotions, which is an area that I am unable to facilitate you with. Almost all forms of magic are based upon emotion, and without its management, you could put yourself in danger".
"Are you going to teach me magic?"
"Yes, that's what you're here for," her arms crossed as she became more impatient with the conversation.
I couldn't handle her stare any longer- it kept slashing at my insides, "alright, well, I'm exhausted. I guess we can finish this conversation tomorrow".
"Alright, dear, good night," she turned away, and closed the door behind her. The clicking of her heels grew quieter. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, for a hole dug deeper and deeper into my chest the more the footsteps faded down the hallway. Why do I feel so empty…?
