Zelena looked down at the local newspaper that lay before her on the kitchen bench. The front page was almost completely covered by a photograph of Leota, who had been missing for some time. She had been last seen leaving the school ball but never returned home, according to the police. Regina entered the kitchen suddenly, prompting Zelena to tear her eyes away from the newspaper.
"Morning," said Regina as she walked over to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk.
"Hey," Zelena replied, only barely noticing the scar that now lingered on the upper lip of Regina's mouth which she had acquired from that Gale girl's savage pet. Cora had phoned the Sheriff's department and demanded that the dog be taken away and put down, and the Sheriff had obliged. No matter who they were, the people who lived in Storybrooke generally knew better than to get on the Mills family's bad side. While Regina's formidable mom was only the principal of Storybrooke High, she had numerous 'friends' - Regina once quipped that they were more akin to 'pawns' - who had positions on the local council. Regina's dad had a comfortable and high-ranking job working for a globally recognized corporation which accounted for many of the jobs in Storybrooke, therefore allowing Mr. Mills to exude as much power as he wanted to over the other townsfolk. Zelena, however, had noticed more than once the differences between Regina's parents. While Cora was cold and ruthless, Regina's dad was significantly more humble and down-to-earth. He was generous when it came to Regina, and polite (although somewhat distant) towards Zelena. When compared to Zelena's own dad, it made for a welcome change.
"What are you reading?" Regina wanted to know.
"Hmm?" Zelena looked back down at the newspaper, and picked it up to show her. "Just this. It's yesterday's news, but I couldn't find anything else to read."
Curiously, Regina seemed to shy away from the front cover. "So, Leota... she's still missing."
"Yeah," said Zelena. "Can't say I'm overly distraught that she's gone, but it's a bit worrying to think that there might be someone out there wanting to abduct teenage girls."
Regina gave a small smile at that. "Well, we won't be teenagers for much longer. Just this year and next year, then we'll never have to step foot in Storybrooke High ever again."
"I'm looking forward to that," Zelena lied, smiling at Regina. In truth, the prospect of finishing high school had served as a source of anxiety for Zelena. In the past, she had always considered high school to be just another stepping stone for her to use in order to secure a bright future and successful career, but when high school came to an end for them, so did all the power Zelena wielded. The lines she had crossed to get herself into the Gold classes, and then onto the student council as president... had all of it ultimately been for nothing?
She heard Regina's voice. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Zelena replied automatically, forcing herself to snap out of it. "We should probably go soon, or we'll be late to first period."
Regina glanced upwards at the clock on the wall, and her brown eyes grew large.
"Oh, shit! I haven't even brushed my hair yet!"
Zelena watched as she whirled and ran out of the kitchen, down the hallway leading to the stairs. After giving a light chuckle, Zelena folded the newspaper and threw it in the bin, then rose from her seat and grabbed her schoolbag. Regina's dad stepped into the kitchen, in the middle of a phone call.
"Yes, yes, cancel the appointment and make it for next Tuesday instead," he was saying. When Zelena caught his eye, Mr. Mills gave her a small smile which she reciprocated before he turned away and walked over to the cupboard, continuing his conversation. A few moments passed, and then Regina returned to the kitchen, her hair looking much more organized than it had been minutes ago. She gave her dad a quick peck on the cheek before leaving through the front door, with Zelena following her. Closing the door behind them, Zelena briefly tried to imagine a world where she would even want to go near her father, let alone kiss him. The very thought repulsed her. Zelena's dad was a pathetic and miserable drunk, and swapping him out of her life to be replaced by the Mills family had been one of the easiest decisions she had ever made.
"Do you know if Glinda's going to be at school today?" Regina asked.
Zelena thought for a few seconds. "Now that I think about it, she was pretty quiet last night when I was texting her about her ex-boyfriend. I guess the fact that Greg's moved on with that girl Tamara has really gotten to her."
"I guess so," said Regina. "I hope she gets over it soon. She's been acting weird lately. You know, shifty and stuff."
It was true. Glinda had been acting differently as of late. Zelena had been hoping that it was only because of her relationship problems and nothing else.
Nothing that could incriminate or bring me down anyway, she thought.
For some reason, Mrs. Mills had neglected to turn the heater on, so the principal's office was rather cold. In fact, while she had been waiting outside the office, Glinda had felt the need to pull out a sweater from her schoolbag and put it on. Sitting across from Glinda behind the large wooden desk was Mrs. Mills, who wasn't looking particularly pleased.
"What do you mean, 'not much'?" the principal demanded. "I thought I had made myself clear."
"You did," Glinda replied. "It's just that–"
"You spend time with Zelena and Regina every day," Mrs. Mills went on, "and you're telling me that there is nothing you think is worthy enough to be reported to me?"
Glinda stared into the dark, accusing eyes of Cora Mills for what felt like minutes, before looking down at the desk and shaking her head.
"No. Nothing."
"I don't believe you," said the principal. "Regina is hiding something from me. I know she is."
Glinda lifted her gaze to meet hers again. "How do you know?"
"Because she's my daughter, and I know her," Mrs. Mills replied. "I know when she's being secretive... and I think you know what I'm talking about. You're going to tell me what Regina is hiding from me, or I'll cancel your exam with Miss Blanchard, and you'll fail the class. Do I now make myself clear?"
"Y-Yes..." Glinda said, trying her hardest not to cry. She didn't want to cry in front of Mrs. Mills.
"I'm glad to hear it," Mrs. Mills said, although she didn't look glad. "Your exam is at the end of the day. I'll give you until the end of today's lunch break to tell me Regina's secret. Unless, of course, you wish to tell me now and get it over with."
Eager to leave the front office, Glinda's thoughts were racing as she made her way down a dimly lit corridor. She knew what Mrs. Mills had been referring to. Regina had spent a lot of effort trying to make sure that her mom didn't know that she and Robin were together. The principal was a complete and utter elitist who would not tolerate Regina having a boyfriend who was anything less than rich, handsome, and intelligent - the classic mix for a future of wealth and success. Robin had at least one of those three features, and even that was debatable. After all, Glinda had heard it said that beauty was subjective, and she agreed wholeheartedly. For instance, Glinda could never understand why Greg, her ex, would ever settle for an ugly bitch like Tamara. She had told herself more than once that Greg was only doing it to make her jealous, but he hadn't even so much as looked in Glinda's direction for over a month.
She had almost reached the end of the corridor when Glinda felt hot tears trickling down her face. She quickly started running in the direction of the nearest girls' bathroom, only to turn a corner and slam into something.
No, Glinda thought as she hit the floor, someone.
"Oh my god. Are you okay?"
Glinda sat up and examined her grazed elbows and knees, before looking up to see Miss Blanchard looming over her with an arm outstretched towards her. There was a large brown stain seeping through Miss Blanchard's snow-white blouse. Glinda noticed the broken coffee mug on the floor in front of her. She reached out and grabbed Miss Blanchard's arm, getting back onto her feet.
"Thanks," Glinda said with a sniff. "Thank you. I, uhh... I'm sorry about..."
Miss Blanchard looked down at her stained blouse, then at the shattered mug.
"Don't worry about it," said Miss Blanchard, kneeling down to collect the pieces of mug. Glinda joined her, and they both walked over to a nearby bin to dispose of the shards. "Maybe in future, it would be a good idea to not run down these corridors."
Glinda nodded quickly. "Yeah."
"Alright. I'll see you at the end of the day, right?"
"End of the day?" said Glinda, frowning slightly.
"For the exam," Miss Blanchard said. "Mrs. Mills is still alright with you sitting the exam today, isn't she?"
Glinda silently scolded herself for being so forgetful. "Yeah, yeah... actually, I think... well, the thing is..."
The last thing she - and probably Miss Blanchard - expected was for Glinda to suddenly burst into tears.
"Hey, what's the matter?" asked Miss Blanchard, putting a hand on Glinda's shoulder. "What's going on, Glinda?"
All Glinda had wanted was for somebody to ask how she was. All of this had been building up inside her for so long, polluting her mind and body like poison. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and was grateful when Miss Blanchard offered a tissue.
"It's Mrs. Mills," Glinda sobbed. "She's threatening to stop me from taking the exam and letting me fail the whole class, if... if I don't tell her about Regina and Robin. But I can't do it! Regina's my friend, and I can't do–"
"Shh, shh, shh," Miss Blanchard responded. "It's alright. It's going to be alright. Tell you what, how about we go up to the office and have a chat with Mrs. Mills, so we can get this all sorted out?"
Glinda shook her head. "No, no, I can't. I've just come from a meeting with her... I can't face her again, she's too..."
"Don't worry, I get it," said Miss Blanchard. "Okay then. You go to the girls' bathroom and wash your face, get yourself cleaned up. I'll go and talk with her myself, and I'll make sure you get to do that exam today."
"O-Okay," said Glinda, turning and making her way to the girls' bathroom. Miss Blanchard's words were soothing to her, and she desperately wanted to believe them. Still sobbing and shaking, Glinda pushed past the heavy door to the bathroom and let her schoolbag slump onto the tiles. Glinda walked over to the nearest mirror and looked at her face. She hated the way her face became all red and splotchy after crying. Taking a few deep breaths, Glinda tried to calm herself down.
"Miss Blanchard will sort it all out," she assured her reflection. "Everything will be fine."
When she had heard the knock on the door, Cora had initially wondered if Glinda had come back to tell her what Regina was hiding. To her disappointment, however, when she responded for the knocker to come in, Miss Blanchard was one who entered instead.
"Mary Margaret," said Cora as a way of greeting. "Please, take a seat. What can I do for you?"
Miss Blanchard did not take a seat. "Don't worry, I won't be here long."
"Are you aware that you've got a rather large coffee stain?" Cora asked, pointing to Miss Blanchard's blouse, who looked down at it.
"Yes, it was–"
"Find a suitable replacement and change into it before class starts," said Cora authoritatively. "I won't have students thinking that their teachers are slobs."
"I'll get changed after I'm finished here," Miss Blanchard said. Cora was surprised to hear the irritation creeping into her tone.
"I'll ask again," Cora said, putting down her pen and leaning back into her comfortable chair. "What can I do for you?"
"Glinda bumped into me just a few minutes ago," replied Miss Blanchard. "Or, rather, crashed into me, hence the stain. She was pretty distressed. Bawling her eyes out, in fact. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that you were blackmailing her."
"Blackmailing her?" said Cora, giving her a look of confusion. "How, exactly?"
"She said you were threatening to cancel her exam unless she told you about Regina and Robin," Miss Blanchard answered, her face becoming somewhat stern. "I sent the poor girl to the girls' bathroom to clean herself up."
Cora lifted an eyebrow. "Unless she told me about Regina and... Robin? As in, Robin Locksley?"
"Yes. I wanted to make sure–" Miss Blanchard had started, but she froze suddenly, her eyes wide. Cora knew that she had only just realized what she had said. Miss Blanchard cleared her throat, avoiding Cora's eyes.
"Are you telling me, Mary Margaret, that my daughter has been... associating with this Robin boy?"
Miss Blanchard gave a sigh. "I can't say for sure. I thought I saw them kissing a while ago, but–"
"Kissing?" Cora wanted to know, leaning forward in her seat and resting her arms on the desk in front of her. "You saw my daughter and Robin Locksley kissing?"
"Well, I..." Miss Blanchard hesitated. "What does it matter? Did you blackmail Glinda or not?"
"Of course not," replied Cora, as if the question was ridiculous. "Now, leave my office and go change. Class starts soon. Oh, and tell Glinda that the exam will still be happening this afternoon. I have no intentions of cancelling it and putting her education at risk."
Miss Blanchard nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. Thank you for your time."
And then she hurried out of the principal's office, leaving Cora to contemplate the words that they had just exchanged. After several minutes had passed, Cora's phone started buzzing suddenly. She answered, holding the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
Jefferson's voice responded. "We need to talk."
"Do we?" Cora said. "I don't need your services at the moment."
"It's your services I want to discuss," replied Jefferson. "What you promised me, specifically. It's been over a month. Haven't you found anything?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure I said that I would call you when I found something important about your daughter's whereabouts."
"And, as I said, it's been over a month," Jefferson said. "Collectively, you and your husband practically own Storybrooke. I know for a fact that you have a police detective on your payroll. You're telling me that, in the past month, you have found nothing?"
Cora sighed. "Your daughter went missing years ago. You know as well as I do that the case has been cold for some time. That's why you came to me, remember? Look, what about this new girl that you have? Why don't you try and make her your daughter until your real one is found?"
For a moment, there was only silence on the other end. Cora was about to check and see if their call was still connected, when Jefferson spoke up.
"I've been trying, but... she only pretends, on the off chance that I'll become sentimental and let her go free. She's not my daughter, Cora, she's my prisoner."
"I have to go now, Jefferson. Don't call me again." Then Cora hung up.
In the darkness of the abandoned hospital, Leota couldn't tell what time it was. She didn't even know whether it was day or night, or how long she had even been there. All she knew was that, once a day, the man named Jefferson would show up. He would pull up a chair and sit in front of where she sat, tied to the chair. When he had first taken her, Jefferson had asked questions, but he was no longer interested in questions. Instead, he would talk to Leota about his daughter. Her name was Grace, and she had gone missing years ago. Jefferson told her that the police had long since put the investigation into Grace's disappearance at the bottom of their priorities, and had told Jefferson to make peace with the fact that his daughter was probably dead. When he had finished talking for the day, Jefferson would untie Leota and change the diaper that he forced her to wear. She had struggled during the first days, fighting to break free of his iron grip and flee, refusing to be an accomplice to her own degradation. As time passed, however, Leota had accepted it as a part of her new life. Nobody had found her. Nobody sought her out, apart from Jefferson. His face was the only one she saw.
When he arrived and told her that he was letting her go, Leota could hardly believe her ears.
"Is this a trick?" Leota asked, her voice rasping as Jefferson untied her arms and legs.
"No," said Jefferson. "Stand up. Now, I want you to leave this place, go straight to the police station, and tell them Cora Mills paid me to kidnap you. Do you understand?"
It had been so long that Leota had been able to stand up for so long, and she felt her legs shaking.
"Cora... Mills paid you... to..."
"Repeat after me," he said. "Cora Mills, the principal, paid me to kidnap you."
When she managed to echo his words, Jefferson told her once again to leave. Leota didn't need to be told a third time. After her first attempt at running, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the floor. Leota struggled to get back up, but she did, and she ran. She ran through the empty corridors, hoping and praying that this was not some sick joke. She hoped that Jefferson wasn't chasing after her, as though it were a game. Leota didn't want to see his face again. When she finally left the hospital, the afternoon sun nearly blinded her, but Leota didn't care. Swallowing huge lungfuls of fresh air, Leota hurried down the long, winding road, hoping that she would see a car soon.
When a car finally came into view, Leota stood in the middle of the road and frantically waved her arms. The car stopped in front of her, and a man poked his head out the window.
"Are you alright, miss?" he wanted to know.
"Please, help me!" she replied. "My name is Crystal Ball! I need the police!"
The man's eyes widened. "I'm Detective Weaver. Get in. I'll take you to the station."
"Thank you," Leota said as she quickly entered the car and sat in the passenger seat. She could feel tears brimming her eyes. For a moment, she wondered if this was real. She desperately hoped this wasn't a dream.
"Tell me what happened," said Detective Weaver as they drove down the road.
"On my way home, I was taken by a man," she explained. "His name is Jefferson. He took me to the old hospital and kept me there for... I don't know how long..."
"You've been missing for over a month."
Leota put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god."
"What happened next? How did you escape?"
"He let me go," said Leota. "Told me to tell the cops that Cora Mills paid him."
"What? Cora Mills? The principal at Storybrooke High?"
Leota nodded, and Weaver's grip on the steering wheel tightened. Then, he stopped the car.
Zelena and Regina were walking to their next class of the day when they heard the voice of Mrs. Mills echo around the school grounds.
"Robin Locksley, please report to the principal's office immediately."
"Robin?" Regina said, looking at Zelena with wide eyes.
"I wonder what she wants with him," said Zelena.
"Let's find out."
"What?" Zelena said with a frown. "What about class?"
"Alright then, you go to class!" Regina snapped, and then she was walking away. Zelena watched her go for a few seconds, then scoffed and went to her next class. It wasn't until twenty minutes in that Regina entered the classroom looking furious, before taking a seat beside Zelena.
"What's happening?" Zelena whispered, so that Mr. Hyde wouldn't hear them.
"Oh, so now you're interested?" Regina said. Then she took a deep breath. "Robin's been expelled."
Zelena lifted an eyebrow. "Why?"
"One of the school laptops went missing. When they checked Robin's bag, they found the laptop... and a bag of weed."
"I knew he was a thief."
"He isn't," said Regina, her voice rising, "This is my mother. She set him up! This is Daniel all over again!"
"That's enough talking, Regina," Mr. Hyde scolded. Regina glared at him, then rose from her seat and stormed out of the classroom.
"Regina!" Zelena called, but she was already gone.
"What's her problem?" said Mr. Hyde.
Zelena let out a sigh, and then shrugged. "She's dating a criminal."
In her office, Cora Mills had just finished a phone call explaining to Robin Locksley's parents that their son would no longer be attending Storybrooke High, when her own phone started buzzing again. Hoping it wasn't Jefferson, she answered reluctantly.
"Hello?"
"It's Weaver."
Cora leaned back in her seat. "Good afternoon, Detective."
"Guess who I found wandering the street?"
"I don't like guessing games," said Cora.
"Crystal Ball."
Cora stiffened suddenly. "What? That's not possible."
"She told me that Jefferson let her go and instructed her to go to the police and tell him it was you who arranged her abduction," Weaver said.
"Do you have her? Where is she?"
"In a shallow grave out in the middle of the woods."
"Is that so?" Cora felt her heart rate calm down. "Well, I suggest we end this phone call. My husband's out of town. Will I see you tonight?"
"If that's what you want," Weaver replied. He didn't sound all too enthusiastic but, then again, he never did.
"I'll be at your house at nine sharp," said Cora. "And, Weaver?"
"Yes, Mrs. Mills?"
Cora felt herself smile slightly. "I'm so glad that I can rely on you."