Chapter 5
"Please come back soon to the wonderland", the robotic voice of the machine hooked to my brain talks as I regain consciousness and I open my eyes.
Two memories come back to me like a strike of lighting the first one is a name and the second is a phone number, my heart starts racing when I focus enough on the information in my brain.
Regina Mills.
Did this mean I somehow acquired her phone number? I find that idea to be quite impossible, but then I remember the déjà-vu I had the day before when I was with Ruby, it that was indeed Regina Mills. Was it possible that somehow I met Regina in the dreamland? Highly unlikely. But then who did this phone number belong to—? I probably should just dial the number and get it over with. The worse thing that could happen is that it isn't her who answers or that nobody answers at all.
I save the contact on my phone, afraid that I will forget the right combinación of digits that I can see clearly in my mind right now. I know it's virtually impossible to forget something you paid for crossing the threshold, and I must have paid a good amount of credits for this information because it's carved with fire in my mind. I wonder for a moment where did I get the credits from to pay for this and why did I spend them on these two pieces of information. Surely not to make me believe I met the woman of my dreams and then be disappointed when finding out it was just a joke, I must have known or at least be convinced that this was accurate information or I wouldn't have paid for it.
I look at the screen of my phone for several minutes until I decide I won't be able to dial it on my own, I need Ruby to be that brave finger that taps on the green button, so I check the hour on my phone. The diner will be open in about half an hour, so I jump in the bathroom for a quick shower and dress up in my favorite sweatshirt and a pair of jeans.
I put on my rollerblades to get to the diner as quickly as possible. I bought this pair of inline skates some weeks ago, the urge to have them came out of nowhere, but I don't regret my decision they are a great way to get to places quick and they are so much fun, even when I'm not the best skater out there and I'm not.
S.O.S. Will be in the diner in five, need you A.S.A.P
I text ruby before I leave my apartment, thinking I might have overreacted with the message, but then I remember what is it all about and deem it to not sound urgent enough.
"Got the message—, who's dying?", She questions me when I enter the diner still wearing my skates.
"No one is dying", I roll my eyes, grabbing her hand to drag her to one of the booths, she has to make little jumps to keep up the pace of my rollerblades.
"So who do I have to kill?", She asks just to bother me because she loves that.
"Shut up and listen, I have something very important to tell you—," I start and my attitude while I tell her this, makes her go silent instantly, "I had a dream about Regina Mills".
"Did you fall asleep unhooked to the machine and dreamt that you married her again?" She asks and this time is her who rolls her eyes blank.
"No idiot, I'm telling you—, that I honestly believe I met her in wonderland", I say and her eyes widen a little.
"Seriously, that machine could have a different name so that people don't sound mad as a hatter every time they talk about the dreamland," she complains.
"That's all you have to say when I tell you I met Regina Mills? You don't even know the other news", this time is me who complains.
"Well, don't mind my complaints and pray tell the other news".
"Do you remember yesterday when I left in a hurry?" She nods her head and her expression turns into a frown for a fraction of a second, "well, I had a déjà-vu triggered by something you said, it was Regina Mills who was talking and I had to find out why there was a memory of her leaking from my subconscious, so I left".
"And did you find out?" She asks, suddenly interested in what I was telling her.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure, but when I woke up this morning I had a phone number and her name carved in my memory", I tell her.
"You paid for that kind of information Emma, that's worth your rent for a month!", Ruby scolds me, "nevermind, that's not important right now, what is important is what she said when you called her... Because you called her to find out it was truthful information, right?" I shake my head and guilt seeps into my eyes, I see that in Ruby's frown, "phone—", she demands with her hand palm up in front of me over the table.
I have a mixture of feelings in my gut and I try to ignore it as I pull my mobile from my pocket. Regret from telling Ruby that now will force me to call, but also gratitude to my friend for forcing me to do so, a whole lot of fear to find out who is the person on the other end of the line, and a tiny pinch of excitement when I dare to entertain the idea that it might be indeed Regina Mills who answers the call.
Ruby starts scrolling down my contact list and I decide I'm not brave enough to see what's she's gonna do next so I bury my face in my crossed arms over the table.
Ruby drops the phone beside my ear on the table and I can hear the first dial tone on the speaker and then the distinctive sound of someone answering.
"Hello?" Comes the answer and I honestly can't tell if it is her from that simple word.
"Hello, I'm sorry who is this?", I ask, pulling my head away from my arms just enough for my voice to come out unmuffled by my clothes, I can feel Ruby's finger repeatedly poking my shoulder.
"Why don't you pick up your phone and find out?", The woman answers and I automatically straighten my back, firstly because it sounds exactly like her and secondly because I just found out that Ruby not only called the number, she made a Facetime call. Seeing that I'm not moving Ruby picks up the phone and holds it in from of my shocked face, "So it's actually you, now tell me—. What the hell took you so long to make the call Emma Swan and is that your real name?"
Shocked wouldn't describe the state I'm in right now, no. I can feel my eyes drying from how wide they are open apart, my breathing is faltering and my heart is pounding so hard my ears are ringing.
"Excuse my friend, lady, I think she is having a fangirl panic attack and she is probably wondering how the hell she managed to be lucky enough to meet you in the dreamland," Ruby intervenes, directing the camera to her face.
"Oh right, she doesn't remember", I hear the woman say like she is just realizing that I'm completely oblivious to anything that may have happened between us in the dreamland and that I merely woke up with her name, her phone number, and no other information in my mind, "Emma just breathe, we need to talk", she suggests when Ruby turns the phone around again.
"How do I know you?", I ask the woman on the screen when I calm down enough to form a coherent phrase.
"Long story short, you came to take a picture with one of the holograms promoting my new movie and I invited you to come and meet me later because you caught my eye", that sounded, quite honestly, ridiculous, but I could see it now in front of my eyes at the same time that she was mentioning it, the déjà-vu appeared.
"I forgot, but now I remember", I say with surprised eyes, "you wore a trench coat and sunglasses that couldn't fool nobody", I smile proudly of myself for remembering and she smiles back at me.
"Exactly".
"What happened next?", I ask wanting to know what else I had forgotten.
"Is your friend still listening?".
"Yeah, but I don't mind, whatever you say she's jealous already", I tell her and she laughs.
"Very well, I took you to a restaurant Slumber Party diner and breakfast it is called, do you remember?".
"Yes, the place with all the beds and the old people, I remember."
"And then you pointed out that the restaurant policies probably didn't approve all the things that you wanted to do to me if we were having a slumber party, so we left and went to my place", she continues and all the pieces come together in my mind.
"She lives in a mansion", I tell Ruby, "and you teased with phrases of my favorite show," I say and I start blushing, remembering all the foreplay.
"You wanted to go to my bedroom, not any room," she laughs, "and then we fucked and I told you that was certainly something else when we finished.
"We didn't even need the strap-on", I repeat the words I just remembered having answered her, this time in a whisper because there is a family with little kids walking through the diner's door. I see Ruby stand up to take the order of the incoming people.
"I want to hear the rest", she says before she walks off.
"Hmm, promises promises", Regina comments when I look back at her and I smile like an idiot, "after that, we talked, we took some pictures, I promised to find you and you woke up".
I bob my head repeatedly like an idiot and then talk when I decide she is not going to say anything else.
"I'm sorry, this is just so surreal," I let out, taking in her beauty, "unbelievable even".
"I can send you the photos if that makes it easier to believe", she offers and for a moment I don't get what she means, I see her moving her phone and tapping on the screen and the notification pops up in front of my eyes, "the pictures we took that night, I send them to my phone when I added my dreamland contact to your mobile that night and I paid for them when I crossed the threshold, I quite honestly paid for everything we lived that night, and last night, but that's a story for another day.
"You are absurdly rich", I comment because getting information out of the dreamland in your mind is one thing, but migrating dream memories like pictures to your real phone that's really fucking expensive.
"I'm absurdly famous", she retorts.
"By any chance, it was you who paid for the information I brought out this morning, your phone number and name?" She nods her head, "and did I let you?"
"I gave you no choice, and anyways I would have paid for more but you wouldn't allow me to", she replies and as she does I remember our conversation in the Ferris wheel, "you haven't answered my question. Don't think that I forgot! Is Emma Swan your real name?"
"It is".
"Then, how come you don't exist?"
"It's complicated".
"I think I can work it out".
"My name is Emma Swan, you can't find it online or anywhere else because I deleted myself from the grid, everyone I know now knows me as Emma Sparrow".
"You told me that was just your made-up name", she says and I nod because I just remembered assuring her that, "but that's not important—, what concerns me now is the reason why you would need to get off the grid", she adds and I remain silent for a moment.
"That's something I wouldn't like to discuss in a Facetime call", I tell her.
"Then tell me where you are and I'll meet you there", she offers and I give her an apologetic look because I know what comes next.
"I'm in my friend's diner 'The Wolf'—, in New York City", I see her face turn sad, "I know I told you I might live in Los Angeles, but I honestly thought I did."
"I understand, alright, this is what we are going to do," she starts, and a smile brights up her face again, "we start the promotional tour for my new movie in two days, we'll start on the west coast this week but we are visiting the east coast next week, and then Europe, well meet when I get to New York, deal?", she asks.
"Deal", I reply because I couldn't possibly deny anything to that smiley face.
"Great", I see her doubt for a moment and she bites her bottom lip before she makes her next question, "will you travel the rest of the tour with me Emma?".
"Really?", I ask her because it sounds crazy.
"You promised to let me show you the real world—," she reminds me.
"She will go then, I'll make sure she does," Ruby responds, taking a seat next to me in the booth and talking directly to Regina.
"Will I?"
"You will", Ruby looks at me, "she will", she repeats, looking at Regina.
"Alright, I will", I give in, who in their right mind would refuse such an invitation anyway.
"Perfect, see you next week then", she says, " and tonight", she adds and I know it's a date, a date I won't remember, not when I wake up the next morning at least.
AN/: What do you think is the reason why Emma is hiding? I wanna know what you all are thinking.