Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time.

Chapter Three

Lily watched as the car she was in drove slowly towards the new foster home she'd be staying in. She knew there was no chance of Emma finding her now, she had no way of telling Emma where she had gone. As the car pulled to a halt outside the foster home, Lily turned her attention to the woman who had just exited the house.

She had blond hair, so light in colour it could pass as white. She almost reminded Lily of the Snow Queen she'd seen a picture of in an old storybook, full of fairy-tales. Only this woman didn't have a flowing white gown made of ice, or a crown made from icicles or a sledge pulled by wolves, or was it reindeer? Shaking her head, Lily got out the car as the door was opened for her by the driver.

The blond woman smiled, "Hello, my dear, I'm Ingrid."

"Lily," Lily replied.

The woman smiled wider, "I know."

A shiver ran down Lily's spine. There was something about this woman, something that made her feel slightly on edge.

As Ingrid turned to thank the driver, Lily looked up at the house. This was her new foster home. It didn't look much different to any other foster home she had stayed in, but just like Ingrid something about this place made her feel on edge.

"Well, don't just stand there," Ingrid said, appearing beside her. "You'll catch a cold standing out here all day."

Lily nodded and picked up her suitcase which the driver had placed on the ground beside her. Following Ingrid, they make their way into the house. As they enter the hall Ingrid stopped and turned towards the stairs.

"Emma, sweetheart, there's someone here I think you should meet," Ingrid called up the stairs.

Lily gaze snapped towards Ingrid.

Emma.

She just said, Emma.

Lily shook her head. The chances of the 'Emma' Ingrid just called being the 'Emma', Lily knew, was unlikely.

Suddenly there was a yell and the sound of shattering glass from upstairs, shortly followed by someone running.

"Emma!" Ingrid called, slightly panicked.

)o(

Emma stood staring at the broken light for a moment, the exposed wires sparking and cracking every couple of seconds. By some miracle, the accident hadn't shorted out the whole house. Looking down at the broken glass on the floor, Emma didn't hear Ingrid walking up the stairs and approaching.

"What happened?" Ingrid asked softly.

Emma jumped and looked up, "The light bulb. It exploded!"

Walking forward, Ingrid looked up at the broken light, then down at broken glass. Sighing slightly, she turned to Emma and reached for the light switch, flicking it the electric stopped sparking from the exposed wires.

"You not the first child to break a light in this house Emma," Ingrid explained. "Accidents happen. The amount of vases, decorative china, plates, bowls, cups and light bulbs that have been broken in this house..."

"But I didn't do anything!" Emma exclaimed.

Ingrid smiled, "I'm not blaming you Emma."

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Emma yelled.

A light bulb in Emma's room behind her suddenly exploded, showering glass all over the floor and causing the electric to cut out. The house was plunged into near darkness, the only light coming through the windows from outside.

Ingrid stared at Emma for a moment, before smiling.

"Why don't you go downstairs," Ingrid spoke. "There's someone I think you'll enjoying seeing."

Emma glanced over her shoulder into her room, gulping slightly.

"Don't worry, I'll clean up the glass. Now go, quickly." Ingrid shooed Emma towards the stairs.

Emma simply nodded and made her way towards the stairs. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Ingrid smiling, before she shook her head and moved towards the closest further down the hall.

Frowning, Emma walked down the stairs. Both the light bulbs had exploded when she yelled... It was like she had the super powers she read about in books and comics.

Rolling her eyes, Emma almost laughed, it was just some weird coincidence. But it would be cool to have a super power... Or magic. Emma grinned, if only magic was real! Kevin would most definitely be a toad by now!

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Emma watched the girl standing in the hallway. Her back was turned towards her as she studied one of the pictures on the wall.

She had dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and a couple of hair pins holding the lose strands in place. She was wearing a slightly faded blue denim jacket, with a dark hoodie underneath. Leggings and a pair of combat boots, stood out against the knee length flora patterned dress she was wearing.

"Lily?" Emma questioned.

)o(

Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997.