Chapter 4
In the coming weeks Emma grew more a more distracted, her mind just kept running away from her, seeing everyone in the town as fairy-tale characters was starting to make her get lost in a world of magic.
She's worked out who most people were, the one she was struggling with most was trying to figure out who Regina was, I mean she wasn't snow white, Ms Blanchard was, so she couldn't be her mother, She hopped she would figure it out soon.
Even people had started to see how distracted she was becoming, well everyone apart from Regina and that was most likely because Emma tried really hard not to show it around her knowing that her 'mother' would get angry and probably send her to Archie.
Ms Blanchard even noticed, the little girls work began to slip not too drastically but still enough for Mary Margaret to know the girl had something on her mind.
"Emma can I speak to you after class?" Ms Blanchard asked as the bell for the end of the school day rang.
"Sure" Emma nodded, stopping putting her books in her bag and walking over to the teacher's desk.
"Is everything ok Emma, at home, with friends?" The teachers asked with her ever so warm smile.
"Yeah I'm fine" the blond assured her but didn't sound so convinced.
Mary Margaret watched the girl for a moment "You can ask or tell me anything" she prodded hoping the ten year old would open up.
"Well…." Emma began but stopped to take a breath "I've been thinking about my parents, my real parents"
"Ok" Mary nodded.
"It's silly really" Emma shrugged her shoulders "I just wish I knew who they were, why they gave me away, It just feels like there is part of me missing"
"Maybe one day you'll find them and get to ask them" The teacher assured her "But for now" she said standing up from her place behind her desk "You have Regina, your mother who loves you very much and if you ever need anything, I'm always here"
"Thank you" Emma gave her a smile, one which Mary couldn't help but shake off as familiar, I was almost a charming smile, if that was even possible. "Bye Ms Blanchard" Emma then ran out of the room, not wanting to miss the bus.
…
After the short bus journey Emma decided to get off at an earlier stop.
During the short bus ride she'd decided to prove to herself that she was crazy, that the people of the town hadn't been brought there by an evil curse, that they were not fairy-tale characters.
So there she stood outside Mr Gold's Pawn shop, trying to build up the courage to go in there and talk to him, she knew he had a soft spot for children which had would have fit with Rumpelstiltskin's story of losing his son, but she was still a little afraid of him.
She closed her eyes for a moment before reaching for the door handle and walking into the shop, making the bell ding above the door before closing it behind her.
Emma slowly made her way over to the desk with the cash register as she heard someone walking around in the office out back, she hopped it was Mr Gold.
And as she had expected he came round the corner, hobbling with his cane to stand behind the desk, "Emma, what can I do for you?" he asked her politely.
"I'm doing a project at school and I was wondering if you could help me?" she asked him, using the excuse she'd come up with on the bus,
"I'll try my best, what is it about, antiques?" he asked her.
"No" Emma shook her head. "It's about gold" she informed him and watched him closely, his eyes had flickers of emotion at first there was anger and worry but then there came a flash of relief, now that confused her.
"Now why would I know anything about that?" he asked her trying the intimidate her but Emma found some more courage and found that he didn't intimidate her at all.
"You have a lot of gold things in your shop, wondered if you knew how it was made" she sighed.
"Well I don't" Gold answered but the little girl could easily tell that he was lying "So you'd better get on your way" he continued.
"Thanks anyway" Emma told him before turning around and heading to the door, when she was almost there something caught her eye, it was a baby mobile, it was white, clear and blue glass unicorns, Emma reached out to touch it but Gold's voice stopped her.
"Beautiful isn't it" he said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Yeah" Emma said pulling her hand back and then heading back out of the door.
As she walked down the street she couldn't help but smile, it really was true, talking to Mr Gold had proven that, the way he'd lied, he did know, so he was Rumpelstiltskin which meant that Mary Margaret and that man in the coma were her parents, so somehow she needed to get him to wake up and get them together and maybe that would break the curse, or at least she hopped it would.
Walking down the street she felt the sudden urge for a grannies hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon on top.
So there she sat happily in a booth slurping her drink and reading another story from the 'once upon a time' book.
That was how Mary Margaret found her thirty minutes later when she walked into Grannies, she smiled at the blond girl before going over to sit opposite her in the booth "Emma shouldn't you be home by now?" she asked her.
Emma shrugged her shoulders and closed the book "Mum's at work, she won't know as long as I get home before her" she explained, "I actually wanted to talk to you" she said her hazel eyes meeting her teachers brown.
"Really what about?" Mary asked just as Ruby came over and placed a hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon in front of her. Emma smiled, they had to be related, hardly anyone liked cinnamon on their hot chocolate.
"I was wondering if we could visit the hospital again to cheer up the patients, it was really fun, I liked seeing them smile" Emma explained.
Mary nodded as she took a sip of her hot chocolate "I think that would be a great idea" she smiled.
….
Meanwhile Regina sat behind her desk signing off on things to do with the town, planning permission, budgets etc.
She was halfway through writing something when her office doors flew open making her jump and scribble on what she was writing.
"Mr Gold, how nice of you to knock" she glared at him as he walked into the room, his cane clicking on the hard dark floor.
"We have a problem" he informed her, now that got her attention.
TBC…
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