Chapter 3

Emma had just put her small amount of clothing in the wardrobe, when Ms Lucas came knocking upon her door.

"Come in", Emma said unsurely, hoping it wasn't Ms Mills. Something about the woman unsettled her.

"Ms Mills requires your presence in the dinning room".

"Okay". Emma steps forward, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. She wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing the stern woman again, but she follows Ms Lucas down the corridor.

They then enter a room, which Emma now knows, for sure, is the dining room.

"Ms Mills", Ms Lucas says softly and the woman looks up, from the dark oak table and looks straight at Emma.

"Please sit down, Emma", Ms Mills says firmly. "That will be all for now, Ms Lucas". With that, Ms Lucas nodded and left the room.

Emma makes her way slowly to the chair, next to Ms Mills, and sits down.

"Now, have you been told of your duties?", Ms Mills asks.

"Yes".

"Any questions?"

"Um, no I don't think so".

"Good".

The door then opens, revealing Miss Mills in a long wine coloured dress and her long dark brown hair is down and flowing over her shoulders.

She then walks to the table, not looking at her mother or Emma until she reaches her chair, and then locks eyes with the blonde maid.

Who is staring at her with such soft eyes.

"Regina, this is your new maid, Emma", Ms Mills tells her daughter whilst watching her sit in the chair opposite Emma.

The brunette, who is still looking at the new maid, unconsciously lets a smile appear upon her face.

"Hello Miss Mills". Emma then says and smiles at Regina, who thinks, that the room has suddenly gotten a little brighter from that smile.

"Hello", Regina says back and looks to her mother.

"She has been told of her duties, dear, so you shouldn't have any problems".

"I understand, mother".

Emma tilts her head, looking between the pair, and finds it a bit strange that mother and daughter seem so formal with each other.

"Now, Emma, you shall go to the kitchens where you shall eat, and then you shall accompany Regina to her room".

Emma nods and begins to stand, noticing that Regina is watching her curiously. She then gives a small smile, before leaving and looking for the kitchen.


Moments later, Emma enters the medium sized kitchen and sees Ms Lucas sitting at the wooden table.

"Um, hey" Emma mumbles, gaining Ms Lucas's attention and she stands up.

"Come sit down, Emma", she tells her and Emma walks over and sits on a hard chair.

"I have a stew cooking. It should be ready now", she tells the blonde who nods.

"Sounds nice. Back home, I rarely had a proper meal. It was always a sandwich or fruit".

Ms Lucas frowns.

"Where have you come from exactly?" she then asks curiously.

"Grant Street, twenty minutes away from here".

There's a pause as Ms Lucas gets a bowl and begins to put stew into it.

"I should think you are glad to be out of there", she then says and Emma shrugs.

"I guess...it seems much better here", she says softly and looks around at the utensils hanging upon the walls.

"Did your parents bring you here?", Ms Lucas then asks.

"Yeah, they're not my actual parents. They're my foster parents".

"Oh".

Ms Lucas goes to put the bowl in-front of Emma and there was a comfortable silence until Emma asks, "How many maids does Ms Mills have?"

"I believe there is four of us, now".

Emma picks up the spoon and puts it in the bowl, as she listens to Ms Lucas continue.

"There is a woman called Belle and a boy called Henry. You will meet them soon enough".

Emma swallows and closes her eyes at the bliss of a hot meal, before reopening them and quickly scooping up some more of her stew.

"I am glad to see that you seem to be enjoying my stew". Ms Lucas then says.

"Yeah, its the best meal I've had in...well ever", Emma says as she looks up at her.

Ms Lucas chuckles at the blonde's amazement. She then stares at the blonde for a moment, saying nothing.


Half an hour later, Emma is called back to the dining room to meet Regina. She walks next to the brunette in silence, up to Regina's room, neither knowing what to exactly say to each other. Finally, Regina opens the door and says "Come inside". Emma nods and follows, instantly noticing that Regina's room is very similar to her own and that she has few items upon her dresser.

Emma continues to look around, expecting Regina to have the finest items, but is surprised to find very little.

As if Regina had read her thoughts, she says "My mother doesn't allow me to have many items, but I am not materialistic anyway".

Emma turns and looks to Regina who is standing, a little awkwardly, near her dresser.

"It's nice", Emma says lowly, then clears her throat. "So... Do you want me to do anything for you right now?".

Regina sighs and sits dejectedly upon her dresser stool.

"You may brush my hair", she says with little effort, and turns herself around to look into the mirror of her dresser.

"Sure", Emma replies sweetly. She steps forward and reaches for the brush, upon the dresser, and then proceeds to brush the brunette's hair.

A long moment later, Regina fiddles with her hands in her lap and wonders what to say. She hates being socially awkward and she slightly resents her mother for not allowing her to have any friends. Although, she thinks, maybe she could call Henry a friend as he has taken a shine to her.

Emma meanwhile, was getting lost in how relaxing it seemed to brush someone else's hair. It smelt of apple, which she found very pleasant indeed.

"How old are you, Em-ma?", Regina asks out of curiosity, breaking Emma out of her concentration.

"Oh, I'm twenty-one, Miss Mills".

There's a pause.

"You're only a year younger than me... where did you live before coming here?", Regina asks.

"In one of the towns about twenty minutes from here".

"I am surprised your parents would let you come here", Regina says a little lowly as she continues to look at Emma through the mirror. Emma shakes her head, knowing that Miss Mills is watching her.

"Surely, they would need you there", Regina then adds, seriously, but Emma shrugs.

"They have three other foster kids" she then says casually and Regina blinks a dozen a times.

"You were fostered?", Regina asks in a disbelieving voice as she continues to stare, through the mirror, at Emma.

"Yeah, it's no big deal", Emma replies as if the fact doesn't bother her. She then looks back at Regina, through the mirror, and they lock eyes and stare at one another for a long moment.

Both feel something that they cannot yet explain but its definitely there...