A sign greeted her entrance of Storybrooke.
She cringes internally at the strange name. Her eyes scan the surroundings as the car rolls through town.
A number of onlookers watch the unfamiliar car.
"We're meeting them after we get a bite to eat."
She nods, staring down the old fashion buildings. "Okay."
Jamona parks in front of the diner with a sign 'Granny's' hung above it.
She's hesitant to exit the car but has no choice as Jamona leaves her behind.
A sound of the diner door closing reminds her to hurry up.
Once she enters, the bell chimes, and she's unable to find Jamona. Some hints of a panic build up inside her. There's a flood of irrational thoughts but she drowns it out with a logical reason. She's probably gone to the restroom. Her body is tensed still at the realization at the attention of the whole diner.
"Enough glaring, Leroy." A waitress with a red streak and red everything calls out.
A scruffy looking man glares at her, "I wasn't glaring, that was my surprised face."
This causes a laugh among the diner before the residents return to their meal.
The tension diminishes as she mumbles thanks under her breath.
"No probably, lemur."
She furrows her brows in confusion, unable to tell if it was an insult.
The girl grins, beckoning her over to the counter, before providing an explanation, "You seemed alert when everyone was looking at you."
She bits her lip in embarrassment, still unsure if that's a good thing, and walks closer.
"What can I get you?"
Her mind races in a panic once again. "Oh, um, I don't have any money, err, I mean, my, um-" She's silence by the girl's shushing after she laughs. A nametag catches her eye which reads 'Ruby'.
"Calm down, Lemur."
She nods, a grin itching on her face, "Is that my new name now?"
The girl returns the grin with a nod, "Yup. I've officially bestowed it upon you."
A laugh emits her.
"Making friends already, huh?"
Jamona enters the conversation, a tight smile on her face.
Her mood slightly falters at her presence.
Ruby is called away by an older woman, Granny, as Jamona turns to her with a regretful expression, "I've just got a call that I'm needed. You think you can find your way around."
She nods and mumbles a goodbye once Jamona hands her a slip of paper with an address on it before running off. Her eyes skim the address and conclude she could probably find it without help.
This sets her on her task to find whoever she's housing with for a while.
She wandered around for a bit before she stood outside 'Mr. Gold's' pawnshop.
A sigh slips from her lips. The shop's address corresponding to the slip frustrated her.
Jamona must've given her the wrong place in her rush to leave.
She releases a muttered curse which gains her curious looks.
If she hadn't been loitering, they would've received the bird. Ever since she had begun her search, she's felt the watchful eye of the town. This forced her to ignore her suspicions of the owner, and open the door.
She had assumed by the alarmed stares she earned that the owner would be a perverted senile old man.
A new sense of determination filled her as she strolled into the shop.
"Hello?"
Her voice drifts off into a pathetic whisper. A bell had chime at her entrance.
She shivers at the eeriness of the shop, goosebumps forming on her arm.
Her eyes scan the room, eyeing a pair of wooden puppets. Creepy.
A scratchy voice fills the room, "May I be of any assistance, dearie?"
Her head snaps to the man limping through a rundown curtain.
"I'm- I'm looking for a place, uh, 3480."
The man's fist curl tightly around his cane as does his smile, "Is this some sort of joke?"
His face hardens with a menacing glare as limps forward threateningly.
"No. No- my foster parents!"
He halts at her outburst so she stumbles back to continue at a safe distance.
"I'm trying to find my new foster parents."
The man adopts a fake demeanor, a too innocent smile.
"Is that all?"
She nods, still frightened at his previous anger.
He flashes a cruel smile accompanied with a knowing look as he points his cane. She manages to withhold a flinch.
"Em-ma isn't it. I'm Mr. Gold," a familiar dread fills her stomach, "Your new foster parent."
The confirmation perishes her remaining hope.
He grins evilly and beckons her closer, gesturing to behind the curtain.
"You'll find a bed in the back."
She nods, remembering her previous foster homes.
The supposed bed is a blanket thrown over a wooden bench. Her back aches in fear at the thought.
"You've already enrolled."
The tone of his voice chills her, soon to be sore, spine. He must've done something to torment her school year.
A threat is mentioned before he limps past the curtains, "Touch anything, and you'll regret it, dearie."
The sound of a lock is followed after the door slams shut.
A sigh escapes her.
She remembers a previous foster mother locking her in a room every night. She could do this. It was both a power play and reminder to stay here until tomorrow. If she believed Mr. Gold wouldn't hunt her down, she would've escaped. However, Mr. Gold seemed like the type to use excessive force.
She sighed, apparently it was time for bed.
Maybe she'll meet someone who doesn't want to beat her to a pulp soon.
She let out a dryly laugh, with her track record, she might get punched right away.
