I hear a knock on my window. I jolt up from my slumber and roll over to face a unfamiliar woman peering in at me. I climb up into the driver's seat and roll down the window.
"Morning" I say, letting out a yawn.
"Can I ask what you're doing here?" the woman says.
She has long blonde hair that reaches over her shoulders. Her eyes are green and has fair skin. She has on a brown jacket over a white t-shirt. I see a gun hanging from her hip and sheriff's badge. I put together the pieces and sit up a bit straighter knowing she's part of the law. I gather my bearings and turn to face her.
I suddenly blink. My vision becomes weird. The woman's face fades and becomes almost completely white, no eyes nothing, just pure whiteness. Her entire body seems to glow white, a soft white and I...can I see her heart beating? Her heart is red, a deep red, but with hints of black along the edges. The muscle blinks with every heart beat. I blink hard again and rub my eyes, but the illusion remains.
"What the matter?" she asks.
I swallow, clenching my fists slightly, I take a deep breath and turn back, everything is normal... sort of. I can feel my powers acting up, my body has become warm and the familiar flow of powerful energy is back. It's as if this woman's presence is activating something inside me. This is strangely familiar like the similar energy I felt just after my mom died and the golden human shape that drifted up into the sky. It feels...weird, but right.
"Nothing... thought I... saw something..." I lie.
"What are you doing here?" she repeats.
"Would you believe that I got lost?" I offer.
"People don't just 'get lost' around here."
"Where exactly is 'around here' ?" I ask.
"You're in Storybrooke, Maine."
"Maine, Sheesh, this isn't some Stephan King inspired run down small town haunted by a demon clown that looks like Tim Curry is there?"
"No...no demons or clowns or Tim Curry." she says.
"Damn, I really wanted his autograph." I mutter with a smirk.
"Your license plate says your from New York." the woman says.
"Yeah the Big Apple what about it?" I ask.
"How did you even find this place?" she says to me, mystified.
"Why is it hard to find?"
"Very, unless you're..."
"I'm what?" I ask.
"Nothing. Are you planning to stay?" she asks.
"I...guess so. I wasn't really planning that far ahead to be honest."
"You're running from something aren't you?" She says, her eyes lasering as if she can see right through me like I could a couple minutes ago.
I bite my lip and deciding to be completely honest with this woman.
"Yes...yes I am. How could you tell?"
"I can read people... It's my gift."
"Thought so..." I say. "So do you know any good places to stay?"
"There's Granny's restaurant and motel just up the street."
"Thanks...?"
"Emma...Emma Swan."
"Swan..." I say, hovering over the word. "Like from the Twilight franchise?"
"I guess, I never read those books."
"Good, don't read them unless you're into romance." I smirk.
"And you are...?"
"Crystal...Crystal Miller."
"Crystal... pretty name." Emma says.
"Why thank you." I smirk again. "I'll just park over here so you don't give me a ticket."
"That would be preferable." Emma nods.
"Thanks, I just need to time to think things through."
"We all need that, well if you're ever looking for a familiar face, I'm Emma."
"Thank you... Emma"
I start my engine and pull up and over into a nearby parking lot. I can see that she's staring at me in my rear view mirror. I guess this small town doesn't get many visitors. Which isn't that weird, it is in the middle of nowhere, in fact, I'm surprised I managed to find this place.
Once I park in a legal spot. I get out to stretch my limbs.
The town is really quite beautiful. Simple but elegant. In the center of the town is large clock tower showing the hour. The shops are mashed together side by side, each displaying a different display in their large windows. There's a psychiatrist's office as well as a club nearby. I continue walking along towards where Emma directed me to and I see a few kids run by on their way to school I suppose. A man with short ginger hair that is receding slowly with age is walking a Dalmatian on his way along.
"Good Morning" he says in a cheerful voice, nodding to acknowledge my presence.
"Morning..." I say softly.
I rub my eyes, was he glowing just like Emma was? I can't tell anymore, I think I need something to eat before I do anything else. A light green...I think. I shake the thoughts from my head and continue walking.
What is wrong with me? Why am I seeing these lights? This has never happened before, but if it is part of my powers, why is it showing now? Why with all these people? Is there something about this town...?
I go over to the restaurant, passing by a small patio. The bell greets my entrance as well as many staring eyes. I guess visitors aren't that common in this town, which isn't surprising. I stare back at them, feeling completely on display. Haven't I been considered the freak long enough?
I find my way to a booth and slide in. I busy myself with finding a menu and pretending to read it. I can still feel their eyes on me, like they're burning holes into my body.
I do my best to ignore them. I just want to be the stranger right now. With my powers unstable
A boy comes up to me and sits in the booth across from me.
"Hi." The boy says.
"Hi" I say looking up from the menu.
He's a cute boy, about 14-15 at most, with a sort of awkward disposition, but a cheerful smile. I'm a little surprised he's being so forward, up and coming. You'd think most people would be wary of strangers, especially in such a small town.
"I've never seen you here before." he says.
"I just got into town." I answer. "What's good on this menu?"
"Uh, Granny's cheeseburger is pretty good, but my favourite is the double bacon cheeseburger."
"Right well, I guess I'll have that then."
"I'll get Ruby over here." he says, raising his hand to a tall girl with dark black hair, streaked with crimson locks, dressed in exposing clothing and a waitress's apron.
"Ruby..." I chew on the name, committing it memory. Another gemstone name, they aren't that common.
She comes up to us, pad of paper and pencil ready.
"New face." she says, looking over me.
"Yes." the boy answers. "She just came into town." He turns back to me. "Are you visiting someone?"
"No." I say. "I sort of...kind of passing by and decided to stop here"
"Well welcome, hope you enjoy your stay. If you want, my grandmother also manages a motel."
"I'll think about it." I say, smiling as earnestly as I can. "I'll have a strawberry milkshake, chocolate for the gentleman here and the bacon cheese burger."
"Coming up." she says, writing down.
As she walks away my vision begins to blur over again. A different coloured light engulfs her body...a crimson colour. Her heart looks normal, but beats irregularly, as if almost like a different species would. A silhouette appears inside her outline...an animal... a wolf. I tuck the information away and look back at the kid. A glowing aura appears around the boy that melds into his body. His light is a bright yellow, but with a strong beating heart. His heart is something special, bigger and brighter than any of the others that I've seen today... I think. His silhouette suddenly is filled with cursive words. I rub my eyes again and shake my head out. Eventually, his face comes into focus again and everything is normal...for now.
"How did you know I liked chocolate?" the kid asks.
"Doesn't everybody?" I shrug. I look across at him.
He's a curious kid, special but I can't really say how... not yet at least.
"Where are you from?" he asks.
"New York." I answer. "Before that I lived in Chicago, Connecticut, Colorado, Canada."
"So basically any place that starts with C."
"Pretty much." I sigh.
"I'm Henry by the way." he says, offering his hand out.
I take it and shake it. "Crystal, Crystal Miller. Nice to meet you"
"Crystal, nice name."
"Thank you, my mom picked it out."
"Thanks my mom named me after her dad."
I look carefully at him. His smile and disposition is just like...
"Is Emma your mom?" I ask randomly.
Henry's eyes go wide.
"Uh yay, she's my birth mom. How did you...?"
"Wild guess, your smiles are quite similar and you have the same shape of face."
"When did you meet my mom? You said you just got into town."
"She's actually the one who found me asleep in my car. She's the one who told me where I was."
"Did you get lost last night in the rain?"
"I think so...it more like escaping?"
"What did you download?" Henry jokes. I smile.
"Nothing...uh complications at work and I just got dumped." My face flushes in embarrassment.
"Ah...emotional road trip?" he offers.
"Pretty much, you mind we don't get into it too much, I'm still processing it."
"Sure...So you're from Canada?"
"Born there and raised until I was about four. Then we moved all over with my mom's job?"
"Must be hard, I've lived here my whole life."
"I wish I had that..." I say, almost staring out the window in wonder. "Establish roots, get to know everyone, but it never worked out that way." I pause. "Doesn't it get boring?"
"Not around here...things change like crazy."
"You get a lot of visitors?"
"More than you would believe." he mutters.
Ruby comes up with the milkshakes.
"Chocolate and strawberry. And the bacon burger is on the way."
"Thanks a lot." I say politely. I take a long sip, happy to re-hydrate since I didn't eat anything yesterday, after the... fiasco. I take another look at him.
"So you have a girlfriend?" I ask.
"W-What?"
"I can see it all over your face. My friend used to get that look when she first met her boyfriend and I guess I did to? So come on, what's her name?"
"V-Violet, She's...from out of town."
"Ah...big city girl?"
"Not exactly..."
"Good, I just wanted to clear the air and tell you that I'm not interested." I say with a wink.
Henry smiles at my joke and sips his milkshake.
Ruby puts the food and I offer Henry some fries. Just then a young couple come in with a stroller. I lean over to peer into the little seat. A bright eyed baby stares back at me. A strong light radiates off of him and it's a lot brighter than my previous hallucinations or... whatever these things are. His is pure yellow light with a tiny heart that beats rapidly. He clings to a toy and sucks on it frequently.
My background in ECE kicks in. The kid is about four months old, lively as ever and should be learning to roll over soon. He seems to be a rather happy child and is obviously loved by his parents.
The woman has short dark hair, cut into a bob, fairly pale skin and dark red lips. She is talking to Ruby at the counter and her silhouette image comes to me. Her energy is a warm cream colour, white and her heart contrasts it perfectly, the only flaw is the dark spot on her beating heart. Her husband and the baby's father is tall, quite handsome, rather unshaven and also wears a sheriff's badge on his belt. He has a sort of rugged look that I find quite appealing. I blink and his silhouette is a dark royal blue, but his heart is only half there?
"Oh Henry..." the woman says, noticing us. She seems focused on him and seems to ignore me. "Can you watch Neal tonight? Belle is busy tonight with Gold, Granny's buried in paperwork and Emma and Hook are..."
"Sorry Mary Margret I can't, Violet and I are going on a date." he interrupts.
"Oh gawd, I need a baby sitter, tonight there's an important town hall meeting tonight and it might go late."
I swallow some of my hamburger and clear my throat.
"I can do it for you if you'd like?" I offer.
The woman's eyes rotate to the other side where a complete stranger sits with a half eaten hamburger in front of her. She looks me up and down with her bright green eyes, probably confused of why someone would want to babysit a child she doesn't know at all.
"And you are?"
"She's Crystal, she just got into town." Henry explains.
"Well hello, Crystal, welcome to Storybrooke and I appreciate the offer but..."
"I understand it's just, if you really need someone, I've got a clear schedule and I've worked at day cares in the past."
"You have?" Henry says.
"Yes, it was my major in a two year college program...in fact I was the assistant supervisor at one of the most prestigious day cares in New York..."
The woman ,who I know now is Mary Margret looks at me with her head cocked to the side, as if trying to figure me out.
"How old are you?" she asks.
"Nineteen, almost twenty, but I'm older than I look."
"A lot more so." Henry adds.
Mary Margret continues to stare at me.
"I'm just saying if you need someone for your son, I can watch him for a few hours. I've got nothing going on right now."
I know it's a half lie, I have a lot of baggage on me right now and baby sitting isn't the best option, but I need to distract myself in some way. Why not something I'm passionate about?
"Where are you from?" she asks.
"New York." I answer. "I just got into town."
She's silent for a few moments and then turns to her husband. I lean from the booth and say hello to the little one in the stroller.
"Hello sweetie." I coo at him.
At first, the kid is a bit weary, but when I tickle his tiny foot, begins squealing and laughing. His parents look at me in slight confusion. Understandable to be weary of me since they know nothing about me and I know nothing about them, we're on the same wavelength at least.
"How old is he?" I ask.
"Four months." the father answers this time.
"He rolling over yet?"
"He's close...he really wants to be moving and be where the action is."
"As most babies do." I smile.
I tickle the little guy's stomach and his smile is even wider. I love working with young people, babies are especially precious, so innocent and sweet. They are so curious and really a miracle of life, soaking up everything and loving everyone they meet.
"He does seem to like you." the man says.
I just smile.
The couple lean into each other and even though they think they're whispering, they're really not.
"No David..."
"But Snow, she's just what we need...at least for tonight."
"No! she's a total stranger and who knows where's she's been or who might be following her. People don't just accidentally come to Storybrooke, she's hiding from something."
"We don't know that and it's only for a couple of hours..."
"David..."
"Snow it's fine, she's the most qualified I've ever met."
"And yet we know nothing about her. She's a perfect stranger, but she could be... you know...willing to steal him or..."
"Snow keep it down... It's just one night Snow..."
"David, I'll stay home with him..."
"You're the mayor Snow, you can't..."
"David what's more important the town or our son?"
I decide to speak up in my own defense.
"If you guys want, we can get to know each other a bit like I'm doing with Henry here if it will put you at ease a little bit. I know leaving your child with someone is hard a stressful if you do have the time, we could get the introductions out of the way and a background check if you'd like?"
They both look at each other, seemingly embarrassed that their discussion was over heard by me.
I sit back into the booth and finish off my burger.
"Anyone up for a walk in the park?" I offer. "I need a tour of the place."
...
A little while later Henry, Mary Margret, Neal and David walk along with me, showing me the highlights of Storybrooke, Maine. The clock tower is the highlight of the town and they show me all the places to see. We eventually end up lose to the edge of town, close to the toll bridge, vandalized to say Troll Bridge.
"That's Mr. Gold's shop there." Henry says. "He's my grandfather."
"That's nice" I say, peering in the window. "Anything good?"
"Not unless you're willing to bargain a lot of your wallet." David answers.
I stop for a moment. The entire place seems to be...talking. I hear hushed voices behind the glass, as if beckoning to me. Partially resembling the voices I heard last night in the rain. I feel a strong energy behind it and it's tingling my body slightly.
"You okay?" Henry asks.
I snap back to attention. "Fine just... antique shops are always fascinating... but at the same time, they can be full of junk."
"I think Gold's shop is a little bit of both." Mary Margret says, continuing to push the stroller back and forth to soothe Neal.
"I'll have to stop by sometime." I say and we walk on.
We talk as we go. I learn that Mary Margret was a teacher at Henry's school until she won election and is technically the mayor of the town and she holds city council meetings, which she prefers to be recognized as Fire Side meetings. David is the loving a devoted father and Henry is home schooled and a comic book fan.
I tell them what I can about myself. The places I traveled and that includes with Mason to the Himalayas and where I've moved over the years. I tell them that my Dad walked out on me when I was young and I lost my mom a few years back. I tell them about my job...but not the reason why I left.
We eventually end up in front of what I learn is Mary Margret and David's loft apartment. It seems cozy enough for a small family and to my surprise I learn that Henry lives with them. They never told me but I could tell that Henry was their grandson. They must have had Emma when they were teenagers and she must have had Henry at a young age too. I don't judge because honestly, there are worse ways for families to be connected. My dad being Rumpelstiltskin.
Once we stop in front of the building I turn to face the family.
"So..." I say getting to the point. "Do you know me well enough to let me watch your son for a few hours?"
They look at each other. Mary Margret bites her lip hard and gazes down at her now sleeping son. David leans down to whisper in her ear and she nods slowly.
"If you can be here at around seven thirty?"
"Sure, I'll you then" I say, forcing a smile to my face. I hold my hand out and shake their hands with some re-assurance. I start walking back to Granny's. I go to my car and remove the stuff I need. I check my phone. 16 messages from Alisa and 5 from Bridges. I delete the ones from Bridges, knowing they're termination notices or asking me what happened. There's another 2 calls from my land lord, but I really don't want to deal with this right now. I send a single text to Alisa to let her know I'm alive, but then I shut my phone down.
I gather up some of the essentials, including a fresh pair of clothes and walk towards the motel.
An elderly woman with white hair, a crooked nose that house grandmother style glasses on a chain and a softly wrinkled face is working over the front desk of the motel. When she sees me, she's at first startled by my appearance, but forces a smile.
"Hello." she says in a soft voice.
"Hello." I say. "You must be Granny."
"How'd you guess?" she says with a sort of gleeful wink.
"I'd like a room please if available."
"Certainly." she turns the book around and hands me a pen. "Sign here and fill out this information here. I'll get you a room key."
I fill out the info while she searched or the appropriate key.
"How many nights will you be staying?" she asks.
I bite my lip.
"Uh-About a week or so." I answer.
"That will be fine, room's 50 dollars a night if that's suitable for you?"
"Absolutely" I say, finishing up the info.
I hand the pen back to her and she hands the key to me. It's a fancy and ornate golden key.
"Room 2A on your left."
"Thank you." I say with a small smile.
"Welcome to Storybrooke."
