"Just don't say anything you'll regret," warned Zelena. With the school day over, she and Regina were walking home from school. Regina had initially stormed off to the front office to confront her mother, but had been refused entry. It seemed that Mrs Mills knew what to expect from her daughter, but she couldn't avoid Regina at home.
"She can't keep getting away with this!" Regina replied, seething. "In a few months, I'll be eighteen years old. I can't her continue to control my life, or I'll go insane!"
"So what, then?" Zelena said. "What are you going to say? You know you won't be able to change her mind."
Regina hesitated for a moment. "I don't know. I'll decide when I see her."
"Right. Sounds like a plan," said Zelena with a sigh.
When they arrived at the Mills household, Regina pushed open the front door and Zelena followed. Inside, they walked down the hallway that led into the kitchen and living room area. Zelena never tired of the large rooms that Regina's house offered. It was such a change from the small, cramped rooms at the house she used to live in with her dad. Regina's mom was sitting in the living room on one of the luxury sofas adjacent to the large plasma-screen television that hung from the wall above an extravagant fireplace.
"Hello, girls," Mrs Mills said, not looking up from her laptop.
"Hello," Zelena responded in a polite tone. Regina turned to glare at her, before returning to face her mother.
"How could you?!" she shouted. Mrs Mills continued to type on her laptop for a few moments, then closed it and put it aside. Only then did she make eye contact with her daughter.
"You're upset that I expelled the Locksley boy," said Mrs Mills. It was a statement, not a question.
"Upset?" scoffed Regina. "Try, 'furious'. Why do you have to take everything that makes me happy, and destroy it?"
"He may have made you happy," Mrs Mills replied, "but only for a while. Men are only useful in that regard for a while, until they disappoint you. Were you under the delusion that you loved him and he loved you? I would have hoped that I'd raised my daughter to be smarter than that."
"I do love him!" Regina growled.
Mrs Mills chuckled dryly. "And I suppose you loved that other boy. Daniel, was it? He left... and you survived without him. Even moved on. How can you throw around the word 'love' so easily, when you barely know these boys?"
"I only had to deal with Daniel not being around because you had him expelled and forced him to move out of town!" screamed Regina. "Just like you're doing to Robin! If you make him leave Storybrooke, I swear I'll–"
"You'll what?" her mom interrupted. "I'm curious. What will you do? You have nothing without me. No money. No home. No future."
Regina looked down at the floor, and Zelena could see tears starting to roll down her cheeks. Mrs Mills rose from her seat and walked over to them.
"I just want to be happy..." Regina sobbed. Mrs Mills put her hands on Regina's shoulders.
"You can be," said Mrs Mills. "All you need to do is forget about Robin and listen to me. Love is weakness. It's better you know that now, then later on when you're stuck in a miserable marriage with no way out. All that should matter to you is your education. Finish the rest of this year, then finish next year with the best grades possible, and then you'll be free."
Regina looked up at her mom. "Free?"
"Well," Mrs Mills shrugged, "free to pursue a successful career by studying somewhere that I approve of."
For a moment, Regina could only looked shocked. Then, she tore away from her mother's grip. "I can't believe you! I can't... I can't do this anymore! You're not going to control me, you know! You can't!"
"Zelena," said Mrs Mills, looking as though she were on the verge of losing her cool. "Please go upstairs. I need to speak with my daughter."
Zelena didn't hesitate. She nodded, then turned and left the two Mills women to their argument, going upstairs and into Regina's bedroom. She was glad that she did. As soon as she closed the bedroom door behind her, Zelena – for the first time – heard the anger in Cora Mills's voice. She was unable to clearly make out the words that were being exchanged by Regina and her mom, but they sounded vicious. After a while, the shouting stopped, and the bedroom door flung open. Regina, face wet with tears, threw her schoolbag to the floor, then opened her drawers and started fishing out clothes and underwear, before jamming them into the bag. Then, she scooped up her makeup items from the desk and did the same thing.
"Regina, what are you doing?" Zelena asked, although she knew full well what Regina was up to. After all, Zelena had done the same thing only not too long ago. She recognized the frantic packing that accompanied the idea of leaving home in an emotional fury.
"I'm getting out of this hell-hole," said Regina, her voice still brimming with rage. "I can't live with that woman anymore!"
This concerned Zelena. If Regina leaves home, Mrs Mills might force me to leave as well. Then where will I go?
"Then where will you go?" Zelena wanted to know. If Regina's mother were to force her to leave as well, then Zelena supposed that she could accompany Regina to wherever she was going.
"I don't know yet," was Regina's answer, however, and Zelena knew that there was no chance of joining her. When Regina had finished packing her things, she gave Zelena a quick hug, before leaving the room with her bags. Zelena stood there, alone in Regina's bedroom, hearing Mrs Mills downstairs demand to know where Regina was going. She didn't hear Regina's voice reply. Only the slamming of the front door.
"Shit..." muttered Zelena to herself, as she sat down on Regina's bed, head in her hands.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

When she heard the familiar blaring of the school bell signaling that it was time to go to their first class of the day, it seemed as though the holidays had never happened. Although it was the beginning of a new school year, it seemed as though nothing had changed – apart from Regina no longer being there. Ever since Regina had stormed out of her house with a packed bag, nobody in Storybrooke had admitted to seeing her at all. It was a safe bet to assume that Regina had left town, but Zelena didn't know that for sure. Shortly after the argument between Regina and her mom had ended with the slamming of the front door, Zelena had been approached by Mrs Mills. She said that Zelena was allowed to stay at the Mills residence for as long as she wanted, before asking for a favor.
"You're friendly with that hacker, aren't you?"
Zelena had feigned confusion at first, before giving in. "You mean Hades."
"Yes, Hades," Mrs Mills had replied. "I've never met him personally, but he's made his presence known throughout Storybrooke. Do you know where he lives?"
"I know where he works," had been Zelena's answer. Somehow, she felt reluctant to say too much about him. She had always thought that he was her secret weapon to use whenever she needed him.
"Then perhaps you can persuade him to find Regina."
Zelena had agreed. "I'll see what I can do."
Since that day, Zelena had visited the hideout of the hacker who called himself 'Hades' once a week. However, she now knew his real name, which was a weapon in its own right. In the four months following Regina's departure, Chad hadn't been able to find her. He had claimed that Regina must have destroyed her phone so that she couldn't be tracked down, but Zelena was starting to suspect that he was stalling only so that she would have to keep visiting him.
I never should have slept with him at that party, Zelena reflected as she arrived at her first class of the day.
Glinda was standing outside the classroom, talking to a dark-haired girl who had her back to Zelena. For a moment, Zelena thought it might have been Regina, and nearly tripped over. Then Glinda saw Zelena approached and waved to her, and the other girl turned around.
"Oh," Zelena said. "Hello Dorothy."
Dorothy Gale, who both Zelena and Glinda had already met some time ago, had become a student at Storybrooke High not too long after arriving in town, but Zelena had been sure to steer clear of her. Zelena's arm still tingled whenever she saw her. Avoiding her had been easy enough, since Dorothy was only in Silver classes.
So then why is she standing here with Glinda? Zelena wondered. Surely she hasn't joined Gold classes.
"Hey Z," Dorothy replied. Zelena almost felt one of her eyes twitch. Only close friends were allowed to refer to Zelena as 'Z', and even then, Zelena didn't particularly like being called that by her friends either.
"So, you're in Gold this year, are you?" asked Zelena.
"Hm? Oh, no," said Dorothy. "I was just chatting with Glinda."
"Well, the bell's gone. You don't want to be late for your first class of the year."
"Good point," Dorothy replied. "See you later, girls!"
She gave Zelena and Glinda a smile, which Zelena did not return, before turning around and walking off. When Dorothy was out of sight, Zelena turned to face Glinda.
"Why on earth would you want to talk to her?"
"Oh come on," replied Glinda. "She's not that bad, really."
"Not that bad?" Zelena said, shocked by Glinda's words. "Have you forgotten that she nearly let her stupid dog bite Regina's face off?"
Glinda rolled her eyes. "It was an accident. You know that as well as I do."
At that moment, the classroom door opened and Mrs. Nolan – formerly known as Miss Blanchard – poked her head out.
"Are you two girls coming in?" she wanted to know.
"Sorry," said Zelena and Glinda at the same time. They entered the classroom and found two seats near the front.
"So what were you and Dorothy chatting about, then?" Zelena asked as she sat down.
"Well," Glinda said, "we were discussing the possibility of her joining the student council."
Zelena nearly fell out of her chair.
"What?" she hissed at Glinda.
"What?" Glinda echoed, frowning.
"Dorothy? On the student council? What are you thinking?"
Glinda shrugged. "You're the one who said that we need to consider replacing Regina's seat on the council with someone else."
"Someone else, yes," said Zelena, "but not Dorothy Gale. She's in the Silver classes, and student council–"
"Council members can only be in Gold classes," said Glinda. "Is that even an official rule? Or was it just made up by the students in the Gold classes so that they're the only ones who can join the council? Look, you may not like her, but she has some good ideas about what we should be changing about the school. Besides, it's good to have a variety. If we only have Gold students, then our interests will only focus on the Gold classes. It might be nice to have someone on the council who knows what it's like to be in Silver classes."
"I do know what it's like to be in Silver classes," snapped Zelena. "Remember?"
"Alright," Mrs. Nolan interrupted. "Welcome back, everyone. I hope you're all revitalized and ready to begin your last year of high school."
Like I need reminding that this is our last year, Zelena thought bitterly as she flicked opened one of her Math textbooks.

The first day of school went surprisingly fast, and before Zelena knew it, the last period of the day was over. She was walking towards the school gates when she saw Glinda and Dorothy walking together. Zelena's eyes narrowed, and then the pair noticed her.
"Zelena!" Glinda called out. Zelena tried to walk faster, but they ended up reaching her anyway.
"Oh, hello," Zelena said dully, as the three of them passed the gates.
"We were just about to go to Granny's," said Glinda. "Did you want to join us?"
Zelena let out a sigh. "I'm afraid I can't. I have somewhere to be."
"Where?" asked Dorothy. Zelena felt like screaming at her that it was none of her damn business. Instead, she gave a poisonously sweet smile.
"Somewhere important," she said, before parting ways with the two of them.
Zelena had grown so used to walking down the 'wrong' side of town that she barely felt anxious as she crossed the streets and passed the clusters of unsavory-looking people. The only time she had ever been attacked was when some guy tried to steal her schoolbag and, even then, Zelena was fairly sure that the thief in question had just been one of Nick's friends.
No, she told herself. It's better if you don't think about Nick.
The hideout where Chad spent his days was at the end of a deserted alleyway, with the entrance consisting of a tin sheet that covered the doorway. As she scraped it open, the makeshift door screeched. Inside, the only thing illuminating the dark room that had once been a public restroom were a row of computer screens emanating a sickly glow. Sitting in front of the screens was Chad, who turned in his chair to face Zelena.
"Is it that time of the week already?" he asked with a smirk.
Zelena stepped into the dark room. "Do you have anything for me?"
"Unfortunately, no I don't," replied Chad. "Wherever she is, Regina is damn good at covering her tracks. Have you considered the possibility that she's in danger? Or maybe...?"
"Dead?" Zelena said. Admittedly, she had never considered that Regina might be dead. She didn't want to believe that it was possible, although Regina's mom had constantly talked about the danger she could be in. Missing posters had been put up all over Storybrooke with Regina's face printed on them, with a $2,000 reward for any information that proved to be useful.
"I mean, unless she really has destroyed her phone, and she isn't using any other electronic device," Chad said with a shrug, "I should have been able to track her down by now. Not even my contacts in the surrounding areas have seen or heard anything about her."
Zelena shook her head. "Regina's too smart to get herself in danger. The only thing I can think of is that she must have been lying to me when she said that she didn't know where she would be going. I'd say that Regina had a specific destination in mind."
"And you have no idea where that destination could be?" asked Chad.
Zelena took a few moments to think about it. She wasn't aware of any of Regina's extended family, apart from a paternal grandfather named Xavier who lived over in Washington. Even then, if there was even the slimmest of chances that Regina would be headed his way, her parents would have been onto it and contacted him immediately. Then, Zelena remembered something that Regina had said during the last time she'd seen her.
"I only had to deal with Daniel not being around because you had him expelled and forced him to move out of town!"
It was only then that Zelena realized where Regina wanted to go.
"Daniel Colter," she murmured.
"What?"
"Daniel," Zelena said. "Regina's ex boyfriend. The one that Mrs Mills expelled before Robin. He left Storybrooke afterwards."
"You think she's headed towards her ex?" Chad said, lifting an eyebrow. "What about Robin?"
"Robin is still living with Storybrooke," replied Zelena. "Maybe she asked him to leave with her, and he refused. So, she's going to the next best thing – her first love."
Chad nodded. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Love makes you do crazy things, after all."
"Do you know where Daniel is living now?" Zelena asked. "Will you be able to find him?"
"Of course I can find him," said Chad with confidence. "It's much easier to find people when they're not hiding. Uhh, it may take a couple of hours, though."
Zelena crossed her arms. "Well, I'm not waiting in your dingy lair for a couple of hours."
"I never asked you to," Chad replied. "How about you come over to my house this evening? I should have your information by that time. My mom won't be home. Shall we say, six? I'll be home by then."
"Why should I go all the way to your house when you can just text me the information?" said Zelena.
"Hmm..." Chad pretended to look thoughtful for a moment, and then grinned. "Well, I guess you don't really want to know where Daniel is after all."
Zelena scoffed. "Are you really trying to coerce me? I'm not sure that's such a good idea. After all, I'm guessing that there are lots of people around who would like to know that Hades the hacker's real name is Chad Gardener."
"Fine, fine," said Chad sulkily, as he slouched in his seat. "I'll text you when I've found him."
"Thank you," replied Zelena, trying not to sneer as she turned and left.

When she arrived at the Mills household, Zelena wasn't surprised to see Mrs Mills waiting for her. She was standing in the kitchen, slicing a green apple that had been plucked from the fruit bowl. There had been an abundance of red apples when Regina was living with them, but Zelena had always preferred green apples. Red apples were just too sickly sweet for her. Ever since Regina had left home, however, the red apples in the fruit bowl had been replaced by green ones.
"You're home later than I expected," said Mrs Mills, not looking up as she continued slicing the apple. "Does that mean the hacker had something useful to say this week?"
"Not exactly," said Zelena. "It was me who ended up being useful for once."
"Oh?" Mrs Mills scooped up the apple slices and put them in a bowl, which she slid towards the center of the kitchen apple.
"I only just realized where Regina could be going," Zelena explained. "Daniel Colter."
Mrs Mills looked somewhat irritated. "Well, I could have told you that. You mean you hadn't thought about it before?"
"You have?" asked Zelena, taken aback. "Well then, why do you still have me asking Hades to track her down?"
"For starters, I don't know where this Daniel boy is living at the moment," said Mrs Mills. "I'm guessing that now you've finally figured it out, your hacker friend will be able to find him."
Zelena nodded. "I should have that information tonight."
"He sounds efficient," Mrs Mills replied, sitting down. "That's a useful quality to have, Zelena. Make sure you keep him close."
Without warning, Zelena suddenly let out a harsh bark of laughter. When Mrs Mills looked at her, raising an eyebrow, Zelena felt the need to explain.
"It's just that... well, he invited me to go to his house tonight," she said. "I turned him down, of course."
"Why did you turn him down?"
Zelena frowned. "Going to his house just isn't necessary. All I want him to do is find Daniel Colter, so that we can find Regina. Anyway, love is weakness. You've said it yourself more than once."
"That's right. Love is weakness," replied Mrs Mills. "But it sounds like he is the one who has feelings for you. Those are feelings that you can exploit. You see, love can also be a weapon, if you are strong enough to use it. How else do you think my marriage with Henry has lasted so long?"
"You have a point," said Zelena, "but I already know Hades' true identity. I have that as a weapon to control him."
Mrs Mills nodded, picking up a slice of apple. "Fear is good, but devotion is better. After all, if he fears you too much, then it will soon fester into resentment. However, if you hold his heart in your hands–"
"Then he will never betray me," Zelena finished.
"Now you're getting it. You understand a lot, Zelena. Much more than Regina ever could."
Zelena tried not to smile. "So, then... what should I do?"
"Visit this boy Hades," said Mrs Mills. "Play him like a harp, and when you have the information I need, make sure to text me."
"I promise I will. Thank you." Without another word, Zelena left the kitchen and went upstairs so that she could get changed.

Zelena found herself feeling nervous of all things as she approached the Gardener household. The last thing she had been there was at the party, where shit had hit the fan. She still vividly remembered the fight between Regina and Eloise Gardener that had broken out after the latter had gotten her friend Leota to accuse Regina of being the one responsible for Mr. Walsh's suicide. Unbidden, another memory intruded Zelena's thoughts. The memory of Eloise's terrified face as Zelena drove towards her in Nick's car at full speed. Zelena shook her head in order to get rid of the disturbing memories, as she walked over to the front door and rang the doorbell. After nearly a full minute, the front door opened, and Zelena saw Chad. He looked at her in confusion, before his eyes moved down to the short black dress she was wearing.
"Zelena," he said. "Wow... what are you doing here?"
"Taking you up on your invitation," Zelena replied. "I'm guessing it still stands?"
For a moment, Chad seemed speechless. Then, he smiled. "Sure. Come on in."
When Zelena entered the house, she saw that it was dimly-lit, and empty aside from the two of them. Chad had been telling the truth.
"So, where is your mom?" asked Zelena. Chad's mother, Mrs Gardener, had been a teacher at Storybrooke High before...
"She's at the bar a few blocks down," Chad replied. "She spends a lot of time at the bar lately."
"I see," Zelena said, clearing her throat. "So, did you manage to find Daniel?"
Chad gave her a smile. "Yes. It seems that Daniel Colter has relocated to Odessa."
"Odessa? Where the hell is that?"
"Texas."
Zelena's eyes widened. "Texas? But... that's on the other side of the bloody country!"
"Almost," said Chad, "but not quite. It's still pretty far away, though."
"Shit," Zelena muttered.