This place was looking more and more like Pleasantville over time I walked down the streets, trying to kill some time there since I had nothing else to do that day. The citizens there were still trying to get used to me, and it's only been a couple of days since I've arrived and I've tried to be friendly, but it was never really my forte. Thank God I had people like Will Scarlett and August who would vouch for me and let me know that I was fine being there in the town. It was just the rest of the people there that looked at me like I was a villain.
I looked like one to be fair.
I had my grunge look going with the leather jacket, a band t-shirt with my skinny jeans along with boots and a beanie to cover my almost neon red hair from flowing freely in the wind now. I wondered if I should head back to the apartment that I was staying in at the town, the high apartment complex at the bed and breakfast that happened to be on the top floor in the circular room that looked like a tower from the outside. It was the only room that I wanted and the elderly woman who owned the place looked at me with curiosity as she handed me over the keys. She told me that hardly anyone stayed in that area of the bed and breakfast since it was hardly maintained and taken care of.
I didn't mind it.
August was talking to Emma that day, who was still kind enough to me since she knew August could trust me, and her parents trusted me enough as well. I was still shocked to hear that Emma was, in fact, the Savior, and her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming. He went by the name of David now in this world, in this town to be precise, and he worked with his daughter at the Sherriff's department. August and I were going to have dinner together that night at the diner to catch up some more, and I was just glad to have at least one friend there within that town even though I had two.
I woke up that morning with another dream of that same hill in front of the large yellow moon, the hill that looked so massive in size and yet made me feel so tall as I was standing there on top of the hill and hearing some sort of tune in the background, a first for me in that dream. The ones before were just of me on the hill, overlooking some kind of town that was hidden in the shadows and only small glimmers of orange lights were seen scattered around in the windows. But now, I was hearing a tune that somehow felt familiar to me and haunting at the same time. It almost felt like a romantic kind of song, but also sad at the same time. It rang in the air like who snow would fall to the ground with ease. But before I could even try to find out where the song was taking place and how it was affecting me, I woke up and was back in the bed and breakfast bed that I was in for now.
"Oi, Dinah!" I heard my name being called and I saw Will outside the library, waving his hand at me to flag me down and I grinned, walking over to him now and having a pep in my step from seeing my friend there. He looked like he was having a good day thus far, and I only could see that it might get better since it was only about 11 in the morning.
"Hello, Will," I replied to him as we both stood in front of the Storybrooke library, "I never took you for a reader."
"My ladyfriend is in there, she's the librarian and I want you to meet her! Come on," He said to me as he grabbed my jacket sleeve and opened the door. We both walked inside, having me breathe in all the books there and see how it did look like a library, but more like a school one than anything really. I didn't mind it, it felt more peaceful than anything.
"I hope you don't mind the smell of rotting books, she's been wanting to get rid some of the old ones for awhile and give them to the school," Will commented to me as we were weaving our way through the lobby and to the main front desk. I was about to comment back to him now how nice she seemed when I spotted her and I felt like my tongue was stuck to the top of my roof. I instantly knew who she was as Will left my side and walked over to him, enrapturing her in a hug and a kiss on the lips that was so sweet. She giggled against his lips now as I was standing there, seeing her once again and thinking of a time when I saw her last and she had no idea it was me.
But I knew it was her. Belle.
Woods outside the Castle
I watched from behind one of the massive pines trees as Belle made her way into the castle now with sheer curiosity about her, her cloak whipping in the wind and her hand on the doorknob now. I really hoped that she made her way in there and I pressed my hands into the trunk of the pine tree, my backpack that I was wearing that I doubled as a saddle when I was her horse pirated on my back, having me sigh and open the flap with my hand without taking my eyes off of Belle now. I could hear Enchantress's voice now, speaking from the backpack and I saw the front door that was massive open slowly and with a creak behind it.
"Is she in the castle now?" Enchantress asked me now in earnest, having me watch her disappear into the castle now and the door close behind her, a thump was heard within the area from the sound of the door closing.
"She's inside, and I got her there like you said," I replied back to her now over my shoulder as I tore my eyes away from the castle now and shrugged off my backpack for me to get the mirror out to hold in my hands. I was feeling a bit old there with the cool winds coming through in the night, but the mirror was in front of me and giving off a war blow about it now as I was seeing Enchantress in front of me once again with the mirror, "Why was it important for me to bring her here."
"Not only to help her father from being imprisoned by the beast but for her to break the spell that was placed over him…the spell I placed." I froze when she said this, having me do a double take to the castle once more. She hardly talked to me about what she did in the past, whom she helped and how she did it. But now it was somehow making sense, and I had to look back at the mirror within my hands.
"You were the one who changed him, turned him into a beast? You were the older beggar woman…like how I saw you in the forest…" I trailed off, not knowing what to think anymore.
"Unlike yourself, the Prince there within that castle refused me and wanted nothing to do with me because of my appliance, he was a vain young man who in return was transformed into the form that reflects his very heart and soul." She explained to me now, "You were never like that to me when we first met, but I wish to have this prince go back to his normal self."
"How?" I asked her.
"He must earn the love of another, someone must fall in love with him before his 21st year." She informed me, having me then suddenly hear a roar from inside the castle that almost shook the woods around the whole building. I shot a look back at the castle now, hoping and wondering where the girl was and if she was alright.
"And you think this girl is going to be the answer to that?" I asked her now, sounding a bit skeptical about it really given the circumstances.
"I have faith in this one," Enchantress merely replied.
"Hello Belle, I want you to meet an ol' friend of mine who I met back in the day," Will explained to her as she then looked over at me now with her sincere smile. I remembered her being beautiful when I saw her last, back at the castle when she was being held her against her will by the beast. I knew only a little bit of her, but enough to believe that she was a good person and wanted to help others. Sparing her life for her fathers so that he might be able to live and she would be a prisoner in the enchanted castle. I could only smile back at her as she cocked her head to the side.
"Is she the one you were talking about last night, the girl who helped you in Wonderland?" She asked Will now and stared at him as I was slowly reaching up tot touch my pendant around my neck, to have some kind of anchor instead of the anxiety I was feeling.
"The very one. My lovely friend, Dinah. Dinah, this is Belle, a true beauty in this dull of a place and who happens to be the librarian. Now, tell me this is the perfect librarian fantasy that other blokes would dream about from time to time, eh, Dinah?" he asked me, not really seeing that I was having a bit of a flashback myself and I just smiled. I didn't want to give that away in front of him and freak him out, or Belle since I would doubt she knew about me and what I could do.
"I'm sure you're right, Will," I replied to him now as Belle moved away from him and over to me with a warm hospitality about her as she stood in front of me. I analyzed her, seeing that she hasn't changed a bit since I saw her last.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Dinah. Will has been talking about you since you came in town a couple of days ago. I would have come by to say hello, but I was busy here in the library and all," She gestured to the books on the shelves all around her and I waved her off.
"It's okay, I'm not that great to meet anyways," I tried to reason with her, seeing Will shake his head and walk over to me.
"Nonsense Dinah! You're a good friend of mine, don't make yourself less than that!" He reassured me now as I grinned at him. Leave it to Will to bring out the best in people, and the mischievous sides too.
"So, I hear you're staying in the attic room at the bed and breakfast," Belle said to me, trying to make small talk as she looked at me in surprise, "No one has stayed in that room for years. I bet it's worn down a bit."
"I don't mind it, I prefer to be alone sometimes really. Plus, I like things that are ancient," I explained to her now as I was placing my hand back down from my necklace and back into my jacket pocket now since I was feeling a bit better with this conversation.
"Never took you as the ancient type, Dinah. More of a grudge goth queen than anything," Will said back to me, then seeing Belle swat him across the chest with her hand as more like a scolding than anything.
"Be nice to her, honestly Will!" Belle said to him and Will chuckled. He then shrugged his shoulders a bit now as he looked over at me with the curious look in his eye again, the same look I saw him in before he wanted to go on an adventure.
"You fancy on a trip to the docks to meet up with Robin and Hook?" He asked me, having me shift a bit in surprise to the two people he mentioned, namely the latter.
"Hook?" I asked.
"Yeah, his ship down there and he likes to work on it for time to time when he's not with Emma, maybe I can introduce you to him," He suggested to me, Belle grinning.
"You should go, I think you would like it and Hook since he's nice…a bit rough around the edges…but nice none the less." She agreed with him. I nodded with them since I had nothing else to do until later that night with my dinner date with August.
"Sounds fine with me."
"So, how do you like it here in town?" Will asked me as we were walking side by side now along the sidewalk that was leading us to over to the bay now. I was still drinking in that meeting I had with Belle and now I was so scared to just look at her in fear that she would know who I am and that I helped her decide her fate.
"Kind of slow, but fine none the less," I replied.
"I know, took me a bit to calm down with the times. And you, the adventurous one between the both of us, it's gonna be harder on you since you're used to running around and having a fuss." he joked, having me grin at him now and walk in step with him, "But since I saw you last, before you came on my turf now, how have you been?"
"You know how I am, same ol' same ol'," I answered him now as we turned the corner and my nose was filled with the smell of raw fish and the ocean there, "Running around for Enchantress and trying to piece my own past back together from where it was."
"Can't find anything else you yet can ya?" He asked me, a bit more serious now with the subject manner.
"Nothing concrete. I keep having the same dreams over and over again of the same Goddamn hill and the darkness around it," I explained to him some more, seeing it in my head,"But last night something else happened in the dream. I heard something…kind of like a song that was…familiar to me."
"You've heard it before?" He pondered.
"Not until last night, not clearly. I don't know it sounded like something I would have known in the past, I had the feel like I've known this song for years and years, you know what I mean?" I asked him, feeling a bit silly about it now since it made me sound more crazy and more of a lunatic than anything. Will thought to himself as we were walking along the sidewalk that was near the ocean and the boats docked there.
"Maybe we can have Belle look into it at the library?" He suggested.
"Can she find something for me?" I asked him, thinking of how that can be a possibility.
"She's helped plenty of people here with their past, some of the books she has back there can be a clue since she has some access to other worlds that are known." He explained, having me sigh and shake my head.
"But Will, the realm that I'm from can't be accessible. Enchantress has tried: whoever has power and control from my world made it so that no one can get in or out. She can't even find it herself," I explained to him in almost a pathetic moan now since it still sounded so out of reach for myself. It still felt like a dream that close enough for me to grab but far away for me to just watch from a distance.
"Hey, listen, Dinah," Will and I stopped walked now and he faced me with his hands on my shoulders now and he was giving me the look of determination in his eye, "We'll figure this whole thing out with you, okay? For some reason, this town has helped plenty of people who were lost find their way again, and it's going to happen with you, I guarantee it." I had to believe him, I had to believe that somehow I was going to find more clues to the past I thought I lost from the moment I woke up in the forest. I had to smile at him, given him a sign that I knew what he was saying.
"Come on, and I have the perfect person than can brighten your day," he said to me, placing an arm around my neck and pulling me to walk with him. I went along with it as he talked some more, "Ever wanted to meet a pirate?"
"A pirate?" I questioned.
"One of the most famous pirates that ever graced the seven seas?" He persuaded me even more as he then pointed over to what looked to be a huge pirate ship, having me gasp from seeing how big it looked in the water and anchored along the side. I was amazing at how old it looked, and yet how much upkeep there was to make it look successful.
"Wow," I said in a smooth tone now as Will chuckled, guiding me over to the side where I saw someone on deck, walking along the edge with one hand seen placing the fingertips on the wood there where the railing was and a curious look to his eye. I knew he saw us, and I wondered if he knew who I was.
"I didn't expect you to be coming around my ship anytime soon, Will Scarlett." He said to Will now with a smooth tone to his voice as we approached the ramp that would take us to the ship now.
"Well, I thought I would show my good friend here around and see if she has a fancy interest in a ship like yours, so play nice," He replied back to the man now who just grinned at me, "Can we come onto your ship?"
"I don't see why not, I don't want to argue with your boss any who, come on up." he answered to Will and I we both were walking onto the ship, having me look around in such wonder and with an open mouth now, "Welcome aboard miss…"
"Dinah," I replied to him giving him my hand to shake and he gave me his smooth grin that I kind of had the feeling he was using that voice on the ladies that were around in his past.
"Dinah…a lovely name," he said to me as he then shook my hand with one hand there. I noticed that the other hand was not there, but a hook was placed there instead. It clicked within seconds, having me look at him in shock now since I would never put that face to the name that was already coming out of my mouth.
"Hook?" I asked him now, seeing him grin at me from ear to ear, "You're Captain Hook?"
"I see my reputation has been going outside of Storybrooke." He said in a grin now as Will rolled his eyes.
"Oh please, don't be that cocky. She's an old friend of mine who got me out of a jam back in Wonderland." Will explained as I pulled my hand away from him and looked around the ship once more, "She's magical, like you and me?"
"Is she from Wonderland?" Hook asked him now as I walked along the deck and stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets.
"She has no clue where she's from," Will explained, "She woke up one morning in the forest with no idea where she came from and where her home is."
"You think Belle can help, maybe Regina?" Hook asked him under this breath now as I looked back at the two of them now, since I knew they were questioning where I came from.
"If Enchantress can't find my own home, I doubt Belle and Regina can," I advised them both.
"What you don't think either them can find it?" Hook asked me now with a raised eyebrow now.
"No, it's just that my boss is one of the more powerful ones when it comes to magic," I replied back with a shrug of my shoulders.
"Doesn't hurt to get other opinions, trust me. Even in this town, you get help from the most unlucky people, believe me." Hook informed me with a serious tone in his voice, walking over towards me and gesturing to the ship that we were on, "I never thought I would have my own ship again when I was with my own troubles with magic, but the people here in this town helped me get it back in my possession. I think we can find your home in no time."
"But this is a ship," I countered back with him, "My problem is a whole world, not just a simple ship."
"It's like I said, have some faith here," Will reassured me again with his hope back in his tone now. I had to give it to him, it sounded really tempting to give my faith there within that town to find out where I came from.
It would be hard to leave it up to chance or faith, but I had to since I had no other options left on my side of the court.
"So how was meeting Hook today?" August asked me as we were sitting across from each other and having our dinner at Grannie's diner. It was rather busy that night and we were in the booth that was a bit towards the back near the pastry area where we both were eating some of the pie that was there in the display.
"He was not how I expecting him to be," I replied back to him, seeing hum chuckle before he was cutting himself off a piece of the pie that was on the center plate.
"He tends to have that treat about him, but he's very good to Emma and that is very fine with me," August explained to me now as I took one bite from my own pie and grinned at him, "She really likes him."
"He's a bit nice for a pirate, isn't he?" I asked him now in wonder as he took his bite and nodded in agreement.
"Some of the people here in town are more than just what we think they are from their stories and their tales," August replied, having me look right at him.
"Just like you," I added, seeing him grin at me and I chuckled, "Oh come on, August. You've grown up plenty since I saw you as a small boy."
"It still baffles me that you have seen me grown up," He voiced in a shocked manner and I nodded in agreement.
"Well, If I knew how Enchantress did it for me to get through different worlds, I'll let you know. But I don't think I have any of my own shit together, you know?" I questioned him as I then passed and looked down at my own pie and let out a sigh of discontent now.
"What is it?" August asked me now as I fiddled a bit with my pie and the fork there.
"I've never felt this lost about my own past..ever since I got here something's really blocking me from seeing where I came from and I don't know how to fix it," I explained to him softly and almost in a groan now as I placed the fork down on the table and folded my hands on top of the table, seeing the faint scars there along my skin and my own imagination was getting the best of me now.
"I was kind of in your same position, not completely but the same," I looked up when August said that to me now, having me look at him in confusion as he sighed too and looked behind him at most of the people there in the diner and how they talked to each other, "I think we've all felt lost and not being able to know where we came from, before Emma came and broke the curse. But it's a hard feeling to have, a very hard feeling since everything seems blank and unreachable, you know?"
"Exactly." I agreed.
"But I think you can find something here in this town, something crucial and important for your past to make sense," August explained to me as he was gesturing to the diner now, "We've all found our past here within these walls and in this town."
"That's what Hook said," I informed him.
"And do you believe him?" He asked me now with a cock of his eyebrow at me and a tilt of his head. I had to give ti to August, he knew how to talk and how to make me think. I was trying to find some kind of positive thing to come out of being here in this town, where other characters magic beings found their way and were happy where they were here. I wanted to be like them, having no fear of worries abut my past or what it was and just focus on the future. I was about to answer him now when we were interrupted by the door opening and closing in a fast pace, the both of us looking over to see who it was that came in at a fast pace.
"Little John, what's going on?" Granny asked him now as I then realized it was one of the merry men that worked for and alongside Robin Hood. He looked like he saw a ghost, it was seen all over his face as no on else in the diner moved to hear what he was about to say.
"We found something in the woods while we were on patrol, something that's….I don't know how else to describe it," he explained in a gasp of breath now.
"Did you tell Emma and David?" Granny asked him as she moved from being on the other side of the counter now over to him.
"Not yet, but I was trying to find Robin and I thought he was in here." August got up when Little John replied to her in a fast pace. I got up too since I had no idea what August was going to do or would be thinking about.
"I think she's back at the Sheriff's station with David and Hook, we can go over there and I can take you," August explained to Little John now as he nodded in agreement.
"Thanks, August." He thanked him as August looked back at me now with a concerned look on his face.
"You should go back to the Bed and Breakfast and stay there," He advised and I shook my head.
"I'm coming with you," I replied back to him in a bolder manner to see him shake his head in disagreement.
"No, I don't think that's a good idea." He tried to reason with me.
"August, if I can handle someone like Stromboli, then I can handle anything that is out there in the woods. Trust me, I know how to take care of myself, now I'm coming with you whether you like it or not," I replied back to him smoothly now as I got my own jacket zipped up and almost to my neck now as August eyed me one more time to make sure I was going to be okay coming. He then sighed and we both walked over to Little John.
"Show us where you saw it."
The woods were deep and cold that night, having me shuffle into my jacket a bit more now as I was following Little John and August next to me. WE were going to meet with Emma, David and Hook out there in the woods when Granny called them from the diner phone and told them what was going on, having me feel a bit on the edge as to what we were going to see and how big of a problem it really was. But as we were getting closer to whatever it was, I could feel my breathing was getting thinner by the steps we were taking and it was getting harder for me to concentrate. It felt like something was trying to open up a certain place within my brain, almost like it was trying got unlock and open with me knowing.
"Over here," We all looked to see it was David, Emma, Robin and Hook there already talking to one another and in the middle of used to be another cluster of trees, but now it was a clearing and something made it so. Some kind of force knocked it all out of the way now and it made a huge gap within the forest and a clear circle on the grass. WE walked over there, seeing what they were talking about and looking at on the ground floor and I saw something carved onto the floor there like it was written in flames and the flames itself went away without a hitch.
"This is some kind of magic," David said to us now as we approached him.
"How do you know?" August asked him now as I walked around the edge of the marking a bit more with my eyes on the detail now to see what was there, my own head was feeling heavy and almost like it was being whacked a few times just from seeing this drawing on the ground.
"This wasn't a normal way to mark the ground, not by a regular fire or anything," Emma explained to him as the rest of the men were listening to her, "This was some sort of dark magic that carved this, and I doubt this was Rumplestiltskin. I don't know this kind of magic and I doubt Regina would either."
"So, it's a stranger of Dark Magic?" Hook asked her now as I crouched down onto my feet and looked at the drawing some more, immediately grabbing my small notepad that was in my jacket pocket and then my pencil to start drawing and copying the image I was seeing on the ground floor.
"What is she doing?" Robin asked, clearly talking about me now.
"Whenever I get the feeling that I know this drawing from somewhere, or if it's important, I jolt it down and hold onto it," I explained while not taking my eyes off the drawing itself and then I looked over at him from my crouching position, "Doesn't hurt to copy it in case it's worth something in the end."
"She's got a point, I don't know what this is," Emma replied as she took out her phone and took a picture of the mark. Once I placed the notepad and the pencil back into my jacket pocket, I reached out to touch the marking there on the grass to see if I could feel and maybe identify what made it that way. As soon as I made contact with the marking, the slightest touch on my skin now, it made me see a flashing image of something dark…very dark and very sinister. It was almost like it was a man, but it wasn't. I saw eyes there that were dark, beyond dark and it gave me a huge chill down my spine. Even touching the marking itself made me feel like I was punched in the chest and I flew back from the marking, landing on my back now and I was gasping for air. Something was in that making that made me not want to touch it.
It was trying to kill me.
"Cleo!" August rushed over to me now, going on his knees to help me up from the ground with the others following and looking concerned as I was looking back at the marking again with big eyes, "What happened? You okay?"
"I don't think so," I explained, breathing in shortly and out in a shiver, "Something's in that marking that shocked me like it was cursed for me not to touch it."
"Look at what it says," Emma said to me now from near me, pointing to the bottom of the marking and having the rest of us look too. I saw where she was pointing, two letters standing out at the bottom like it was some kind of signature. It made me more confused now since I felt like I knew who it was that did this, but it wasn't clicking yet.
O.B.
