Chapter One

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The wind blew as the mist brewed amongst the forest planes. Something wasn't right. But then again nothing was ever right in Storybrooke. It was like fantasy always hitting the brink of this reality.

My feet felt the mushy, green moss once again as I slipped off my moccasins that walked on the paved road and my eyes closed. I liked just walking on my own two feet. I inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet, minty aroma of the forest air as I find my way back home.

"Matoaka!" I heard my father call out. I smiled and ran into his arms as he takes in my appearance, "Why aren't you wearing your shoes? You can get sick! Come on, let's go inside. There's a storm coming, I can feel it."

"Yes, Father." I obeyed and stepped inside.

"So, how was your day, Matoaka?" Father asked. I flinched by the sound of my name.

In all honesty, I never really liked my name. It really brought out my ethnicity and that's how people automatically knew my race. Not that that was a bad thing, but I never liked to be racially identified in any group activity. Or anything at all. I managed a small grin at him.

"It was good. I fetched you the newspaper as always and coffee from Granny's," I said handing him the sealed cup and planting a kiss on his cheek, "Just how you like it."

"Were you there to witness it?" Father asked.

I cocked an eyebrow, "Witness what?"

"The Sheriff in town is dead. He died."

My eyes glazed over a little bit, "What? How?"

"I'm not sure," Father replied, "I received a call from Mr. Gold. Turns out his new deputy collapsed while talking to her. The question is, what caused it?"

I meekly nodded, not wanting to discuss this topic any further. The Sheriff? Dead? I thought.

I hated to think of death. But, that was part of the cycle of life. It was going to happen someday. Heck, it was going to happen to me at some point in my life! But as for the Sheriff, why today?

Don't get me wrong, there are no special feelings protruding from me towards the Sheriff. In fact, I've only seen him a few times when I would be around town and once while I was at work when a kid fell off a horse at the stables. He seemed nice, but he deemed himself to be one with barely a soul.

He was more… robotic. It was like the only things he did in life was go to extents to make sure this town was safe. But even then it was like he never really had a care for Storybrooke. It was more like he did everything just so he won't get his ass bitten by the mayor, Regina.

A tug was felt inside in my heart all of a sudden but I decided to ignore the pain. Instead, I let my head fall back onto my pillow and let my eyes glaze over a book before going to sleep.

The next day I woke up early to prepare for work. Father always said to go outside and get fresh air. He was right, and I did love the outdoors, but from his words, he meant fresh air somewhere in town. Especially today.

Today was Mother's birthday. Every year, on this day, I always made sure I pay a visit and stay longer than usual. Also, I always go separately. Both Father and I thought it was best to go separately to avoid those deep sorrowful moments. They're never pretty.

I planted my usual seat near the corner with the windows surrounding me and wait for Ruby to take my usual order. I bring out a newspaper that was planted neatly in the stack next to the door. The first thing I see on the front was the Sheriff's face. I grimaced and placed the paper down.

"Sad isn't it?" Ruby asked as she placed an empty white mug in front of me and poured coffee. She reached a can of whipped cream from her back and placed it next to the mug.

I nodded, "I don't even know the guy, yet I feel mercy for him."

"That's normal," Ruby says as she waits for me to finish pouring milk and sugar in my drink just the way I like it. Once I finished, Ruby squirted whipped cream on top perfectly and poured drizzles of chocolate over it. She continued, "It's sad how there's no memorial for him, no funeral, nothing. It just proves how no one really knows each other in this town, and we're just.. lonely. All we have is each other."

"You're never wrong, Ruby." I stated with a small smile. She may be the party-type of girl, but she always has her side of wisdom. This was one of the reasons why she was my best friend and I loved her to death.

"Hey, how about we go out and have a girls night? It's Sunday so you mustn't be working at the stables!" Ruby asks with excitement.

I narrowed my eyes and she immediately caught on. She grimaced with regret.

"Oh wait, shoot, I promised I had this scheduled in my calendar," She noted to herself, "It's May 18, isn't it?"

I nodded my head and sighed. Ruby placed a hand on my shoulder and rubbed it lightly, "Your mother is at peace, Madge. She'll always be."

I managed a smile, a sad one but still a smile. What made it even better was that Ruby happened to use my nickname instead of my full name. She always knew when to brighten the mood.

"Do you happen to know how the Sheriff died?" I asked, changing subjects.

She shook her head, "All I know was that he collapsed in front of the new deputy, Emma. I think it was all from natural causes. It should say in the paper!"

She rose from the booth and saluted me a goodbye before waiting anymore tables. My eyes averted back to the paper and I read while I sipped on my coffee. Ruby was right, he did die from natural causes. It just deemed to be an outrageous heart attack since he had been having heart problems from the start of Storybrooke.

Ruby came back once again with my usual breakfast order, so usual that she didn't need to ask me for it. I continued reading the newspaper, interested in what's going on around this town now and ate my breakfast sandwich– egg and cheese croissant with extra cheese. I moaned at the delicious flavor bursting in my mouth.

Once the clock hit 8 o' clock, I paid for my meal and exited out the door after waving goodbye to Ruby. My feet hit the pavement and I started my way towards the flower shop to buy my mom's favorite flowers, peonies with a lilac sitting on top.

I had to admit, those were my favorite too but I never really liked the lilac just standing by itself in the bouquet. It was a waste to plant a bunch of lilacs and only have to use one in a pretty bunch of other flowers. I headed my way to the cemetery, searching for my usual spot.

Once I reached my destination, I sat myself next to her grave and placed the flowers gently in front of the stone. Then, I let silence invade my space as I closed my eyes, pretending that Mother was actually there next to me.

'How have you been?' I figured she would ask me.

I've been great, I would answer.

'Do you miss me?'

Not a single day goes by without me thinking of you. Well, maybe one day, but I still think of you.

'How was work?'

It's good! I like what I do. It's an interaction with kids and animals near the woods, where I find my freedom.

"Who is that?"

My eyes pop open and I look at the sight before me. It was a man in black leather and brown leather. He looked like he came from a medieval festival, likes the ones held just next door to Storybrooke. I always pass by it, but it didn't seem like my type to enter. He had a sheath of arrows strapped behind his back and a bow in front of him. Immediately, I flinched.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" He says with caution, approaching me warily. When he came close enough to me, he sat down in front of me in a lotus position like me and pursed his lips, "Is she your grandmother?"

"Mother." I corrected him.

"Oh."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is John, but I prefer to just go by my job name."

"Which is…?"

John sighed and pursed his lips one again. He licked them before answering, "The Huntsman."

I cocked an eyebrow and scoffed, "What? The Huntsman? What is this, Snow White?"

He chuckled along with me and shook his head, "You wouldn't understand…"

"I'm a naturist," I told him, "A huntsman in that book is a hunter of animals. Is that what you do?"

For a minute he was overcome with thought. He was so still but finally, he nodded. He closed his eyes tightly and shook his head, "I'm not proud of it, though. I love animals."

"Me too." I said, "If you don't like your job, then why do you do it?"

John contemplated for a moment before shrugging, "I guess I've just been doing it for so long, I never thought of leaving."

"You can always work with me! I work at the stables at the brink of Storybrooke, and I can probably use a little help around there. Do you like placing children on top of horses?"

John scoffed, "I'd love to, but I can't."

I nonchalantly brushed it off, "Well, you can always stop by any day. Places here in Storybrooke are never hard to spot."

John chuckled once more and extended his hand out. His eyebrows furrowed, "You know, I never caught your name!"

"That's because I never gave it to you!" I retorted. Although I teased around him, I gladly took the offer of his gloved hand and shook it. I added, "My name is Madge."

"Madge," He repeated slowly, as if he was sinking that into his brain, "I'll remember that the next time I see you."

I tried to hide a blush that I knew was coming onto my cheeks. He smiled, finding satisfaction into the temptation. He asked, "When can I see you again, Madge?"

I rose from the ground with him, concluding my meditation with Mother. I shrugged and told him my most honest answer, "I try to avoid coming here. My father comes here a lot and we both felt it was bets to try not to bump into each other here. We always end up breaking down, and I hate seeing my dad like that. Maybe we should see each other outside of this place? And maybe you, outside of this costume?"

"You really think this is a costume?" He asked, masking some fake hurt on his face as he places a hand on his heart. We both laughed it off lightly, "Well, I suppose this suit is not up-to-date with this modern fashion. Well, what about you, you dress like a… fairy! You look so gentle and graceful. Like a princess."

I smiled, "I'm no princess but a hippie with the spirits."

John's eyebrows rose. I laughed and shook my head, "I'm just kidding, I'm not really a hippie! My fashion style is just really bohemian."

"Well, it suits you very well." He commented with a small bow. I laugh and curtsy along with him. Then, I finally felt it was time for me to head back to town.

"It was very nice to meet you, John." I shook his hand. He stopped the handshake and rose my hand to his lips, planting a small kiss on it. He said, "It was very nice meeting you too, Madge."

I waved goodbye to him and departed ways. My stomach felt so queasy, but not in a bad way. It was like it was filled with multiple butterflies and I welcomed the feeling so easily. For once, something different happened, again! I actually did not spend my mother's birthday in the cemetery alone, but with someone– John.

But something was also different, yet similar. John actually kind of looked like the Sheriff.

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A/N

are any of you still confused? just wait for the next chapter, maybe it will give you some insight. Favorite and Follow!