CHAPTER 3, Day 6

Once again Kyle woke up to the same day all over again. She'd gotten good at her timing and making sure when and when not to show up at Granny's in order to avoid running into Regina. Literally. She knew it was the same day because she would stand back and watch the woman walk through the door, down the steps and down the street. Then and only then would she enter the restaurant for breakfast. She'd gotten good at avoiding talking to people in order to explore and figure out how things worked in this cursed town. Or maybe she was cursed. Kyle had yet to figure that one out too. And for the most part people seemed to ignore her presence which worked out to her advantage.

Kyle still had yet to figure out why Regina was either returning to Granny's or walking past Granny's a second time every day. But this morning she decided to wait it out and find out what exactly the woman was doing. So instead of leaving the diner, Kyle remained on the bar stool, playing with her phone and talking to her friends and watching the time.

Catherine. I'm in hell. I'm literally stuck in hell. I don't know what the fuck this town wants from me and why I'm trapped here. I've laid low and checked things out. It seems for all intents and purposes like a nice quaint little town. But there has to be something I'm missing…

Message sent, Kyle dropped her head onto her arm and shoved her phone aside. She still had about 10 minutes before the Mayor would be turning up again. Her phone buzzed.

Sugar plum, I really do feel sorry for you and wish there was something more I could do to help you figure it out. Maybe it has something to do with the Mayor? Or the Sheriff?

Kyle read the message more than once before replying. At this point, she was willing to entertain any possibility.

You're probably right. I'm still sitting in the diner right now waiting to see if the Mayor turns up again.

She sent the message and watched the time. She still had about 5 minutes. So she waited. Her phone buzzed again.

Those are the two you've had to interact with the most, right? And maybe you could just stop one of them, probably the Sheriff because she seems like the more reasonable of the two and tell them you're living an eternal groundhog day! What's the worst that could happen? You get thrown in jail for being a complete nutter and when you wake up, you'll be back at the Inn and you can try it all over again.

Kyle laughed to herself and just as she was about to reply she heard the bell above the diner door jingle and turned to see the Mayor walking back through the door. She hadn't been paying attention and if the Mayor hadn't brushed by she would have missed her completely. So she comes back in? Kyle wondered. She kept her head down as the Mayor walked past her and down to the end of the counter where Ruby was standing near the register. She saw their mouths moving, but couldn't hear a word either of them was saying. Damnit… Kyle considered, for a moment, waiting until Regina was gone and simply asking Ruby what the exchange was about. Then she saw Regina slide a ten across the counter to Ruby and walk away.

Kyle entertained the idea that maybe the Mayor had simply forgotten to tip the waitress, but she knew better. She'd had one too many unfriendly run-ins with the woman to believe she'd tip anyone ten dollars. And least of all for a cup of coffee. Unless it's just me she despises on sight? For all I know, those two are good friends. Kyle shook her head. Unlikely. She probably doesn't even have any friends. Kyle thought to herself and immediately felt bad for it. Tomorrow she would just have to sit at the other end of the bar. She glanced over her shoulder and watched as the brunette walked out the door and picked up her phone again.

Another clue to the puzzle. Or maybe I should call it a crumb. It's definitely a crumb. The second time I keep running into the Mayor it's because she's coming back to the diner. She talked to Ruby (the waitress) and slipped her some money. Didn't hear a word of it. Stay tuned.

Kyle slid off the stool and made her way to where Ruby remained standing. She, unfortunately, answered the same questions as she did the day before as she paid for her meal. All she wanted was to get the hell out of the diner and follow the Mayor. What else better did she have to do? She tried to nonchalantly haul ass out the door and just as she reached the sidewalk she could see the Mayor much further down the street. And out of the corner of her eye, she saw her truck and remembered she needed to check back into the Inn. She waited a moment and continued to watch the other woman walking further and further. Just as she was about to turn away, Kyle watched a young boy, more like a teenage boy, running across the street to catch up to the Mayor.

Must be her son. Kyle watched them interact for a moment before she kissed him on the cheek and they both went their separate ways. Kyle went about digging her things out of the back of her truck, this time, only grabbing her duffle because she would need her clothes. Clothes she was going to have to wash at some point and made a mental note to ask Ruby if there was a place she could do just that. She let the back hatch drop shut and as she scooped up the bag and stood to toss it over her shoulder, Kyle realized the teenager was approaching the diner. She hung back and let him walk through the arbor ahead of her, but not before receiving a subtle but strange look from the kid. He tugged the strap of his backpack further up his shoulder and kept walking. He clearly hadn't meant for Kyle to notice, but Kyle had noticed. Great. Something else to figure out.

Kyle dropped her duffle on one of the outdoor tables when she felt her phone buzz. Digging her phone back out of her pocket she checked the message only to find a simple 'Patiently waiting!' message from Catherine. She wasn't in any hurry so she took a moment to scroll through her group chat only to find 100 plus missed messages. She'd have to read them all later. Maybe while she was doing her laundry.

The girls seemed to think Kyle was screwing with them about being stuck in the same day and had been jokingly playing along. Kyle had no way to prove the fact, so she continued to keep them updated whether they believed her or not. She had, at one point, sent them the picture she'd snapped of the Mayor and everyone got a good laugh at the fact that Kyle had actually stuck her phone in this woman's face. They had all agreed she was hot and had gone on and on about her, in very colorful ways. Yep…those were her girls. Kyle laughed to herself as she shoved the phone back in her pocket.

Kyle grabbed her bag and turned to head into the diner, just in time to bump into another person. Why in the hell do I keep walking into people? Jesus! Kyle righted herself and stepped back. The teenager. The son of the fucking Mayor. Assumed son. Kyle corrected herself. But why the hell else would she have kissed the kid if he wasn't hers?

"Hey, kid…I'm so sorry!" Kyle immediately apologized. "We good? You didn't spill your..."

"Cocoa. It's just hot chocolate." The teen smiled. "And yeah, I'm good. No spills. And uh, sorry about not paying attention."

Kyle leaned over to grab her bag once again. "It was my-" The kid was already walking away. "-bad."

Kyle was heading to the door when she heard the voice of the Sheriff from out on the sidewalk.

"Hey Kid! Wait up!" Emma jogged passed entrance of the diner to where the teenager had stopped.

"Hi ma…" the kid leaned into a hug the Sheriff had initiated and Kyle wondered if she'd just heard him right. "I'm 14 ma. You still want to walk me to school?"

"Well yeah, unless you're too cool for that now?" Emma teased the kid as they walked away.

Kyle needed to rent her room for the night and focus on her laundry. Shit just kept getting more complicated. Did the kid belong to the Sheriff or the Mayor? The Mayor had gotten all kinds of bent out of shape the day Kyle had asked if Emma was her girlfriend. Maybe she should ask the Sheriff if the Mayor was her girlfriend. And the Sheriff could throw you in jail instead of just out of her office like Regina had. Kyle shrugged to herself. Tomorrow's always a new day! She thought sarcastically.

Day 7

The next morning Kyle promptly took a seat at the end of the bar, close to where she'd seen Regina talking to Ruby the previous day. She'd managed to miss the Mayor leaving the first time and now she sat with her breakfast in front of her, patiently waiting for the woman to return. And just like clockwork, thanks to the day that never ends, Regina returned and promptly walked to the end of the bar. Kyle kept her head down and continued to eat while eavesdropping.

"Hey Regina! Change your mind about breakfast?" Ruby asked in her usual bubbly tone.

"No. But I do need you to do me a favor." Regina reached in her wallet as she continued to talk. "Around lunchtime, could you send Miss Swan's usual over to the Sheriff's office?"

"Sure, no problem." Ruby smiled and took the ten Regina slid across the counter before she walked away. And once again, Kyle glanced over her shoulder to watch the infuriating yet intriguing woman walk out the door.

Lunch? For the Sheriff? Kyle sat up straight as an idea suddenly popped into her head. Maybe she likes the Sheriff? Or maybe they're secretly dating? Maybe that's why she shoved me out of her office… Pulling out her phone, Kyle sent two messages. Both the same message but one went to the girls and one to Catherine.

Status update. Day 7 and still stuck in Storyhell. The Mayor has a kid but the kid called the Sheriff 'ma'. The Mayor just came in and paid to have lunch sent over to the Sheriff later today. But she got pissed and shoved me out the door the other day when I asked if they were dating.

Responses from the girls started popping up immediately. Speculating about all the possibilities and all of them urging Kyle to find out what was up. After a week they were fully invested and always asking for progress updates. Catherine was a different story. Catherine was…well, she was Catherine and she absolutely understood Kyle's brand of weird.

You're stuck in a wonky time paradox and you're questioning if it's possible these two women share a kid? That's seriously the weirdest thing you're dealing with right now?

Kyle hated when her friend made sense. But also loved her rationality. It kept Kyle grounded and put her mind back on track.

No, okay. No it's not the weirdest thing. I just want this crazy shit to stop and I don't know how to make it! I'm questioning everything I see! Hell, I'm even questioning whether or not I should be drinking and eating the food here!

Catherine responded immediately.

You really probably shouldn't be eating the food or drinking anything there. But you're stuck there. So you're basically out of options. And I need you not to die because I like having you as a friend! Also, if those two are married or shagging or whatever, I guess that means even your cocky self won't be charming the pants off of the Mayor OR the Sheriff.

Kyle laughed out loud before remembering that she was still sitting in the diner and covered her mouth. She shoved the plate away and shot back a quick response.

Well I guess it's a good thing I've actually found someone else who'ss been keeping much of my attention lately! It's starting to feel like a really good thing is happening there, too, btw! I'll have to update you on that later!

Breakfast paid for, Kyle was headed to the door when the teenager from the day before walked in. She almost apologized to him again for bumping into him the previous day when she quickly remembered that he wouldn't remember. But as the two crossed paths, the teen quickly glanced at Kyle before looking straight ahead and walking up to the bar. Kyle knew the moment was weird. No one else in the last seven days had given her a second look. But this kid. This kid and his body language left Kyle feeling unsettled. Like maybe he recognized her. Surely she was just imagining it and there was definitely one way to test the theory.

Once she was outside, Kyle stepped off to the side and waited for the kid to walk back out the door. And just like before, the bell rang when the door opened and out walked the kid. The only difference was that Kyle wasn't there to bump into him. She watched him take a left on the sidewalk and just like before, Kyle heard the sound of the Sheriff yelling after the kid to wait up. No. Nothing has changed and you were crazy for thinking so. Kyle was too busy mentally kicking herself to listen to the boy's response and missed his half of the conversation being completely different than it had been the day before.

After that whole fiasco Kyle decided to wonder through town again. She needed a break from all the insanity and opted to take her camera out again and go for a hike. She still didn't know the town very well and knew she shouldn't stray far. Maybe she would stay out long enough to get back into town for lunch. And there were still plenty of streets left to wander and explore. She'd long since given up on trying to get her truck fixed. The truck clearly wasn't the problem and luckily the town was small enough that she could walk anywhere she needed to go.

Kyle checked the time on her phone as she rounded the corner onto a new street. On her way back in from hiking, she'd finally picked a different restaurant to get some food before she was out walking the streets again. By now, she'd been up and down so many streets they were all starting to look the same, so she made sure to check the names in order to mentally map her way back to main street.

"Mifflin." Kyle mumbled to herself. There were some nice houses on Mifflin. And it was that exact thought that made the old yellow Volkswagen up the street stick out like a sore thumb. Kyle kept walking and despite the fact that nothing should be surprising her at this point, she was in fact surprised when she saw the car pull over in front of the biggest house on the street. After a moment the passenger door opened and the teenager she'd met the day before stepped out.

Day 8

Kyle waited patiently at the counter to see if the teenager would show up. She finished off her breakfast and paid, but continued to procrastinate until she heard the bell above the door jingling and saw the kid walking in out of the corner of her eye. Once he was past her, she glanced over, only to find him turning around and glancing at her. The kid quickly turned back around albeit not so subtly and Kyle laughed to herself. There is definitely something up with this kid, she thought.

She waited until he was busy placing his order and quickly rushed outside to hopefully catch him on his way to school. Hopefully without the Sheriff in tow. It seemed like forever before she finally heard the Sheriffs voice yelling for the kid to wait up and she stood there around the corner, trying to listen to the exchange.

"Hey Kid! Wait up!" Kyle heard the Sheriff say.

"Ma... you're out early." Kyle listened to the kid replying and as she suspected, his half of the interaction was completely different. "Don't you have Pongo to chase or something? You don't have to walk me to school. I'm 14, remember?"

"Well yeah, unless you're too cool for that now?" she heard Emma teasing as they slowly grew closer to where Kyle was currently hiding.

Kyle found it curious that the Sheriff was repeating herself like the day before without missing a beat, yet the kid was answering in a completely different way. She suddenly found herself hoping the kid would lose the woman he'd called "ma", so she could try to strike up a conversation. She had questions and Kyle had a suspicious feeling that this kid would have some answers.

"I'm not too cool. You know better." Kyle suddenly couldn't hear them getting closer and wondered what was going on. Risking a glance from around the tree she was leaning against, she saw the kid reaching up and patting the Sheriff reassuringly on the shoulder. "But I'm sure you have work to do." He held a to go cup in one hand and readjusted the strap of his backpack while shifting his feet. "Hey, how about you pick me up from school and give me a ride home? Now that would be great!"

"Yeah, sure Kid. No problem." Kyle watched as the Sheriff leaned over and quickly kissed the kid on the cheek before ruffling his hair and walking away in the opposite direction. He stood there watching as she got further away and rounded the corner of the block. When he turned back, Kyle was standing directly in front of him and the kid let out out a yelp and his cup went flying to the right, out of his hand and splattered all over the sidewalk. "Damnit!"

Kyle's eyebrows crawled up her forehead in amusement. Like mother, like son...maybe? She laughed to herself. The teenager ignored her and went about picking up the useless cup, so as to not leave trash on the ground. When he stood up, he stared at Kyle with a curious eye and took a deep breath. "Who are you? What do you want? My moms the Sheriff, you know? Well...one of them is." He stuck his chin out defiantly and puffed out his 14 year old chest as much as he could and Kyle laughed out loud this time.

"Let me guess... The other is the Mayor?" She smirked as she watched his stance falter slightly. "Relax kid. I'm not gonna hurt you. Name's Kyle."

Henry stared at the hand Kyle had offered and instead of taking it, he took a moment to consider it before shoving the now empty to go cup in her hand. "Thanks for nothing." he huffed. "That was a perfectly good hot chocolate. You're gonna owe me another one."

Kyle returned the favor and regarded him carefully before choosing her next words. Did she risk saying something about the repeating days and sounding crazy? Or go with her instincts and take a chance that this kid knew something she didn't. "Don't worry. This day is just gonna repeat itself and tomorrow you'll have a new one and I won't creep up and scare it out of your hand."

"What are you talking about?" Henry cocked his head to the side and Kyle heard the crack in his voice and knew instantly that the kid was playing dumb. "And who are you? I've never seen you around here before. New people don't just show up here."

"Now why is that?" Kyle raised a curious eyebrow. And the teen realized he'd said something he probably shouldn't have. He continued to stand there and didn't respond. "Look kid. I'm gonna level with you. Something weird is going on in this town and I didn't mean to, but somehow I got stuck in the middle of it. Literally. And I have this absolutely crazy feeling that you might know exactly what I'm talking about."

The kid stood there staring at her and she could tell he was clearly fighting some internal battle.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. And I don't know you." He shifted his backpack once again and started to walk away. "I have to get to school. And you should leave town."

"I wish I could..." Kyle mumbled to herself after the teenager was long gone.

Day 9

Kyle had spent the rest of the day wondering the town again, eventually ending up back in her room at the Inn. She couldn't stop thinking about the kid's awkward suggestion that she should leave town. She'd eventually gone back to the Inn and retired for the rest of the night, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable reset the morning would bring. And of course when she woke up, Kyle knew the day was repeating itself again without even leaving the room. Now she just needed to find out why. One thing she did know for sure was that she had to get up and get going so she could catch the kid again before he went to school. The question, though... Where's the school?

Turns out, the school wasn't at all hard to find. Kyle had simply walked in the direction the kid had gone and after a couple of streets, there it was. She knew it was still early but the kid had also been on his way the day before a little earlier than what she would deem normal. So she found a bench and she waited, taking out her phone to kill the time. It seemed like forever before Kyle noticed a random kid here and there starting to trickle into the schoolyard. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the teenager she was looking for, heading in her general direction. So she stood, watching him as he got closer and just as he was within speaking distance, the kid walked right past Kyle without so much as speaking to or looking at her.

It took her a moment before she regained her composure and opened her mouth. "Kid! I know you saw me. And I know you remember me! I just wanna talk..."

He took a couple more steps before he stopped and let his head fall back, knowing he wasn't going to be able to fool her. Slowly turning around, he faced the stranger. Kyle wearily took a few steps closer, but still remained far enough out of reach so as to not make the kid feel threatened. After nine days of being stuck reliving the same day over and over, Kyle had finally found someone else who was fully aware of the situation. And if someone else knew, that meant her chances of putting an end to it had to be better. It had to. Right? The kid had told her she should leave and honestly Kyle wanted nothing more than to do just that.

"Listen. I know you have to get to class, but I needed to know that I'm not crazy! Because somehow I stumbled into this town nine days ago and all I wanted to do was stop for breakfast and get the hell down the road." Kyle stood there explaining as the kid just stared at her, his face emotionless. "I got back into my truck and the thing wouldn't start. So I got a room. Woke up the next morning, my truck was sitting where I left it, even though that mechanic said he was going to fix it and suddenly, the key to my truck was back on my key ring. And next thing I know, I realize that I'm reliving the same day over and over again. And everyone is oblivious. Until I ran into you."

"That's ridiculous." was the kid's only response.

"You're right. It is ridiculous." Kyle exclaimed in frustration.

"You've got a problem..."

"Yeah. I do! And you're gonna help me fix it!" Kyle took a deep breath, trying not to get upset. "You're the only person in this god forsaken town that knows something isn't right. So unless magic exists...there is something really fucking weird going on here, kid!"

"I have a name." he said. "It's Henry."

"Well...Henry. Do you have any idea what's happening?"

"It does exist." He said, shuffling his foot and kicking at the ground, looking down as he spoke.

"What exists?" Kyle was confused.

"Magic." Henry huffed. "It exists. But it's not like you're gonna believe that."

Kyle laughed to herself before rubbing her face with both hands. "Look. If you're gonna be a smart ass, then I'll figure this out on my own."

"I told you you weren't going to believe me!" Henry was getting defensive. "If you don't want the truth, then why are you bothering me?"

"So you seriously expect me to believe that magic exists?" Kyle looked at the boy in disbelief.

"Only here." he explained. "How did you even find us? No one else can see the town. To everyone else, it's just a long winding road through the forest. But everything here...it's magic. The town is made of magic."

"Say I believe you." Kyle crossed her arms, eyeing him skeptically. "Where does it come from?"

"The Enchanted Forest." Henry answered without missing a beat.

"Fuck my life." Kyle rolled her eyes and turned to look around. "I'm in hell. I'm in hell." she mumbled to herself before she began to laugh hysterically. "So what? Your mom, the Mayor is Snow White and the Sheriff? No wait. Let me guess. Cinderella?"

And then it was Henry's turn to laugh hysterically. The kid was laughing so hard he was doubled over, dropping his backpack. "Oh my god. Don't ever say that in front of my mom!"

"Henry?" A woman's concerned voice came from the side. "Is everything okay here?"

Kyle immediately stood up straight, cramming her hands into her front pockets as Henry tossed a hand up at the approaching woman. The woman was short, with a round face and short black hair, wearing a simple dress with a belt around the waist and a cardigan sweater.

"Yeah, grandma." Henry's laughing came to a slow halt. His face red. He bent down to pick up his bag and started to walk towards her. Grandma? Kyle thought to herself. Grandma? What the actual fuck? The woman didn't look any older than Kyle was herself. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm late. I was just talking to- What's your name again?"

"Kyle. Kyle Parker."

"Yeah. I was talking to Kyle and didn't hear the bell ring."

"You should get inside, Henry. I'll be right behind you." The woman watched him make his way toward the building, intent on questioning Kyle about exactly who she was and what she'd been discussing with Henry. But Kyle wasn't taking any chances, so she took off around the corner before the woman he'd called grandma could turn around and see her.

As she rounded the corner of the block, Kyle pulled her phone out of her front pocket and unlocked the screen. There were notifications from multiple people. Her friend Catherine, messages from the group chat and more importantly, messages from the woman she'd recently started talking to. Thought she hadn't told the woman what had been happening to her for the last nine days. Kyle didn't want her to think she was crazy and scare her away. Things were going too good. Now if she could just get herself out of the town that time forgot.