Chapter 2: Sweet home Storybrook
"Come on Emma granny is already waiting for us." Ruby says throwing Emma an irritated glance. Ruby was irritated because she hadn't been able to sleep the whole flight and Emma had slept from the moment the flight took off.
"Hey, don't be crumpy at me because you couldn't sleep." Emma says taking her backpack of the pick-up carousel. Ruby huffs and takes her phone out.
"Granny is standing with the car at exit G." The girls walk through the airport to exit G. The moment they are outside they can hear someone shouting.
"RUBY!" A old plump woman shouts standing next to the most perfect car Emma has ever seen, a yellow beetle. Ruby walks to the woman and is immediately engulfed in a embrace.
"Hallo granny, I missed you so much." Granny gives Ruby a kiss on the cheek before letting her go and turning to Emma.
"You must be Emma. I'm Eugenia but please call me granny." Granny says pulling Emma in a tight embrace and giving her a kiss as well.
"You girls must be tired." Granny walks around the car and opens the trunk of the little car. "Put your backpacks in the trunk and we can hit the road." The girls do as granny says, squeezing their backpacks in the trunk and entering the car.
"You're going to love Storybrook Emma, it's quiet, everyone knows everyone and there is enough to do, to have a real summer adventure." Granny says making conversation.
"Yeah, Ruby has been making me jealous for the past three years. Every time she came back home she would tell me all about her adventure with the gang." Granny laughs.
"Oh, yes the gang. Will the gang of four will soon change in the gang of five." Granny says looking at Emma.
"Oh and Ruby! Graham has been asking about you." Granny looks in her rear-view mirror at Ruby. Emma turns to look at Ruby seeing the blush on the brunette's cheeks.
"Wait is this THE Graham?" Emma asks.
"Yes it is." Granny answers before Ruby can say anything.
"Granny!" Ruby squeals.
"What? Don't be ashamed Ruby! He's a real catch." Granny says winking at Emma.
"What about you Emma? Do you want a summer romance because August is a catch as well." Granny grins already planning to set the girl up.
"Granny! Emma has a boyfriend, she's only here for the adventure not the romance." Granny shrugs and rolls her eyes.
"You can't possible know what can happen Ruby. And Storybrook as the same saying as Las Vegas, What happens in Storybrook stays in Storybrook."
Granny knew what she was talking about. She had have a few love affairs over the years and if she wanted she could still have some more but her age was holding her back.
"Granny!" Ruby squeals again and Emma can't help but laugh at how the two interact with each other. Emma wondered how she would interact with was a grandparent. She didn't have any grandparents they died before she got adopted but if she would have them, she wished they would be like granny.
An hour passes before they enter the town line and Emma can finally see why Ruby loves to spend her summer here. While the car puffs further in to the town, people watch them pass and Emma can immediately see how small the town is. Granny has to stop several times to greet people who pass them. It gives Emma time to look at everything.
The old clock tower, the little bakery and ice shop. Children are running around and playing in the park. Old men and women are sitting outside their homes watching people and talking. It's something so surreal for Emma, like something you can only see in movies but in this town it's real. They pass the town hall and post office and drive to a more 'Granny's words' calmer neighbourhood. Emma didn't know why she would call it a more calmer neighbourhood, the whole town is like the most calmest place Emma has ever been. Back home they lived in a big apartment in the middle of the city, close to her parents workplaces and close to her school.
When they arrive at the granny's home Emma can't help but smile. It's perfect, the front garden is covered with different flowers, there is a light blue mailbox with a drawing of a wolf on and Emma can see a white swing bench on the white porch.
"Home sweet home!" Ruby says taking her backpack out of the trunk. "Come I'll show you your room Emma." Ruby says walking up the porch and into the house.
"Dinner will be ready at six Ruby! I expect your bags to be unpacked by then." Granny tells them before the girls go upstairs. Emma let her hands wonder over the soft wallpaper with the flower pattern. There are frames everywhere with the most adorable pictures. There's one with a younger granny standing proud next to a building called granny's diner, Emma remember passing a little diner place that looks exactly like the one in the picture.
"That's granny's diner, granny owns it but she isn't involved with the daily running anymore. It was too stressful not good for her heart." Ruby says pointing at the picture.
"We are going there tomorrow to meet the gang." Ruby says walking further upstairs.
"So this is my room." Ruby says putting her bag on the flowery bed with the iron headframe. "And this is your room." Ruby says passing Emma and pointing to the room next to hers.
Emma opens the door and the first thing she notice is the bright light shining through her window. Her room is located at the back of the house so Emma has a beautiful view of the back yard and the woods behind them. She puts her bag on the bed, it's the same like ruby's and it's creaks a little. Emma walks to the window and opens it to let some air inside. To her surprise she can hear birds singing which is a real difference with her life with her parents. The only thing she hears when she opens the window in her room is yelling or the trumping of cars.
The girls take their time to unpack there things before going downstairs where granny is stirring in a big pot on the stove.
"I hope you like chicken stew with white sauce." Granny asks turning and looking at Emma.
"Don't worry granny, Emma is like a food machine, she eats everything and she eats a lot." Granny laughs.
"I think we are going to get along just fine girl." Granny says starting to smash the potatoes. Ruby and Emma sit down at the table and wait for Granny to finish cooking.
"So what are you girls going to do tomorrow?" Granny asks pouring some milk through the potatoes.
"We are going to meet the gang at granny's for breakfast and we will discuss wat we are going to do for the rest of the summer there." Granny nods and puts the food on the table. They serve themselves and Emma can't help but moan at the delicious food.
"Mmm, granny this is wonderful." She says making granny smile.
"I know." Granny grins.
After dinner they help granny clean everything up before retreating to the living room. Ruby and Emma place themselves on the brown sofa while granny sits down in the armchair and starts knitting while the girls watch television.
An hour passes and Ruby can't help but fall asleep. Emma helps Ruby upstairs before deciding to get some rest herself. Emma's intentions were good but after an hour turning and making the bed creak she can't take it anymore and gets up. Granny who sees the light in Emma's room knocks on the door.
"Emma? Is everything alright?" Granny asks sticking her head through the door.
"Yeah, It's just I can't sleep. I think I slept to long on the flight." Granny nods in understanding.
"What do you normally do when you can't sleep?" Granny asks.
"Well I exercise, I try to make my body tired." Emma answers the question.
"Well why don't you go out for a run or something?" Granny says and Emma frowns at the suggestion.
"Go for a run in the evening? It's almost dark." Emma says looking outside.
Granny laughs. "This is Storybrook Emma, No need to worry. Go for a run, I think it will do you good."
Emma feeling reassured grabs a running short and top. She goes downstairs and puts her running shoes on.
When Emma is outside she can feel herself breath the evening air in making her muscles awake and ready for a good exercise. She starts running back to town past the post office and the town hall. She takes a turn and can see a furniture shop with a beautiful wooden music box in the window. She runs further passing granny diner noticing how it reflects granny's personality. She turns a left running through a neighbourhood with big and fancy houses when she realizes that she doesn't know how to get back to granny's place. She stops and looks around it can't be far because she can see the same woods that she can see from her window in her room. She walks further passing a house that takes her breath away for a minute, it's big a big white mansion and Emma thinks it's like the smaller version of the white house. While still staring Emma doesn't notice the door of the house opening and a brunette girl running out. When Emma sees her she takes a step back not wanting to look like creeper. The girl runs past her and Emma can sees tears blinking on the girl's cheeks. Emma wants to say something but the girl is already too far for her to hear Emma.
Emma runs further and finds a little passage from the rich neighbourhood to the one granny lives on. She can feel her muscles being tired when she climbs up the stairs trying not to wake granny or Ruby. She closes her door silently and let herself fall on the bed. The run did her good she stands back up and walks to the widow stretching her limbs and looking out of the window. Emma squeezes her eyes looking out in the distance she can see the big white mansion where she had saw the girl. Emma wonders why the girl looked so sad. She shrugs her shoulders. It's none of her business, she doesn't think about it anymore and gets herself ready for bed. Tomorrow she's going to meet the gang.
