Her dreams were filled with past scars.
The sudden changes had opened up old wounds.
It left her terrorized by vicious bullies and drunk foster parents.
When she awoke, her back reminded her of her reality.
She winces at the throbbing ache as she stretches her body.
Her eyes drift to the small windows in curiosity.
Almost sunrise.
A chime alerts her of someone's presence.
Soon, Mr. Gold limps in with a yellow duffle bag.
Her duffle bag.
"Here, dearie. Off to school you go."
He drops the bag before swiftly exiting with a look of distaste.
She quickly searches her bag for a comfortable pair of clothes.
As soon as she's dressed, her eyes drift to her bed.
It had felt hollow when she had slept on it the night before.
A knock affirms her suspicions and she easily opens the secret compartment.
She bits her lip in hesitance at the sight of cobwebs.
Her mind is reminded of Mr. Gold's uptightness and cruel nature. She'd rather have spiders than take a beating from Gold. Quickly, she zipped her duffle bag and shoves it in the opening.
Hopefully, no spiders find a hole in her old bag.
She smooth out the blanket before snatching her backpack. It had been previously slumped against the bench for easy access.
As fast as she can, she scatters out of the shop with the bag slung over her shoulders.
A light breeze greets her and she replies with a smile.
Her pace quickens with thought and soon she has a steady jog. The familiar rhythm is enough for her to ignore her hitting backpack.
It's quiet outside.
"Hey, Lemur!"
At least it was.
Soon, Ruby is keeping up her pace beside her.
"You run?"
The accusation tumbles out of her mouth before she can register.
She scolds herself internally, worry building inside hear when she hears Ruby's laugh.
"Yup!"
She's beginning to realize Ruby is chillaxed when it comes to her unfiltered brain.
A peaceful silence settles between them.
She's lost in her thoughts when Ruby's voice calls her back.
"Wanna race to Granny's?"
The challenge is evident in her tone and it ignites a fire within her.
They both fight for a lead as they sprint down the street. Her hearts pumping wildly once they've skidded to a stop in front of Granny's.
"How," she pants and struggles to catch a breath, "How did you-"
Ruby flashes her a wolfish grin as she calms her breathing, "Do what?"
She resists her urge to pout, choosing to roll her eyes.
"Funny."
A shit-eating grin appears on the tall brunette's face, "I know right."
They share a laugh.
"Well, I need to get to school."
She stumbles her excuse, cringing at her obvious awkwardness.
Ruby nods in understanding, "You know where it is, right?"
Once Ruby's informed her of the school's location, she heads out.
She decides to walk instead of running to cool down.
The Sun has risen and the streets are alive.
If it had been out before, she would've been sticky with sweat.
Luckily for her, it was a familiar cold sweat.
As she walks, nerves begin to fill the pit of her stomach.
Despite her tolerance to constantly being the new kid, she still felt first-day jitters.
She spots a sign as she approaches the high school, "Storybrooke High, home of the Knights."
The courtyard is packed with rowdy teenagers.
A few boys are tossing around a football as some cheerleaders ogle at them.
Same old, same old.
Her attention drifts to a group of sneering boys.
Some blur in the crowd must be the target of their attention.
Douchebags.
She forced herself to ignore her Savior complex and pushed her way through the crowd.
There's a mosh pit of moving bodies as she makes her way to the front doors.
It isn't a surprise when she's suddenly shoved.
"Sorry!"
A squeak of an apology disperses her anger.
If she hadn't been at risk for being trampled, she'd find the embarrassed shove-r. Instead, she maneuvers her way into the building.
She finds the office quickly to obtain her class schedule.
Her eyes the list while her eyes flicker to find her first class.
English 1.
Great.
"Room 205. Room 2-0-5."
She mumbles under her breath, checking for the room numbers above the doors. It had to be around here somewhere.
A sudden bell rang throughout the school to signal the beginning of class.
There's a swarm of migrating students, and she manages to ask about her class location.
"It's, like, two doors down."
An annoyance edges at her mind, that's 10 feet away.
This new information in mind, she slips into the classroom. Some students are already seated or claimed their seat so she slumps down at the seat closest to the door.
The remainder of students trickles in, side-eyeing her with curiosity.
Looks like she's the new kid once again.
"Alright class, today we will be writing persuasive essays!"
A man with a scruffy beard stood at the front of the class.
The words 'August Booth' was printed on a shiny nameplate.
She narrows her eyes at the man with puppet-like movement.
His attention diverts to her.
He squints before a look of realization washes over his face.
"Uh, class. We have a new student joining us."
He waves her over to stand near him which she does with some hesitance.
His hands clamp on her shoulders, and she tenses, "This is Emma!"
She flashes a nervous grin, watching the class erupt in hushed whispers.
The man quiets the class before dropping his hand from her with a sigh, "That's enough."
She retakes her seat and watches him ramble on about essays.
This is going to be a long day.
Her classes followed the same routine.
She met Ruby sometime during the day with a girl named Belle French.
It was agreed that they would have lunch together.
When she sat down for lunch, she was immediately greeted with an eager smile.
"Hey, Lemur!"
Ruby ignores the quizzical look she receives from Belle, "Your classes kicking your ass yet?"
She laughs, a faint blushing spreading across her face at the term of endearment.
Ruby finds it hilarious.
Luckily, Belle takes pity on her, "Are you joining any after-school activities?"
The escape is something she takes gratefully, and shrugs, "Probably. I don't want to be hanging out with Gold."
Ruby and Belle blanch, Belle's nose scrunching up in disgust, "He is creepy."
Ruby nods in agreement, a tone of protectiveness in her statement, "Yeah, that old perve is always checking Belle out."
She pockets the information anyway as she listens to them talk about random things.
The rest of the school day is uneventful.
She meets a senior, Mary Margaret, who had apologized repeatedly for shoving her.
Her mind accepts the apology, glad to know who the apologetic shove-r was.
"Uh, it's no problem really."
She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly as Mary Margaret begs her to meet her boyfriend, David.
She's dragged to the football field with some embarrassment.
The team is currently having tryouts for any newcomers.
"David!"
Mary Margaret shrieks, waving him over frantically.
The teen flashes her a charming smile as he jogs to them.
They kiss deeply before they remember her presence.
"Oh, this is Emma! She's new."
David greets her with a warm smile while Mary Margaret dangles off his arms.
"Welcome to Storybrooke High, home of the undefeated Knights."
He puffs out his chest proudly at his statement.
She grins, raising her eyebrow in suggestion, "Undefeated uh?"
David laughs, ignoring her challenge, "Yup!"
His female counterpart isn't as dense and squeals with glee, "Yes, Emma you should definitely try-out!"
She starts to shake her head when David eyes her uneasily.
He opens his mouth, a look of hesitance overtaking him before he nods, "We welcome all, so if you want to."
The doubt must show on her since he attempts a reassuring smile. She returns the gesture, shifting her weight nervously.
"I'm not really a sportsman type-"
Her excuse is cut off by a strangled cry, "That's not what Ruby said. She said you were incredibly fast when you guys went running this morning."
Mary Margaret adopts an innocent look.
There's a stab of betrayal.
Of course, it was too good to be true. Her discomfort goes unnoticed by the pair as David grins, "I'll introduce you to the team!"
She was given a encouraging shove by MM as she trails after David.
This was going to go terribly.
