Once again - I'd like to thank SpicyDinosaur for being my BETA! Hope you all continue to enjoy this fic.
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Emma's POV
'What am I supposed to do?' I silently ask myself. 'What am I supposed to do with this girl? A girl who clearly has no interest in being here…' I can't just click my fingers to take the pain – whatever may be the cause - away from her. Was this why I was to show her around? Was she that damaged and broken that she had been pushed onto me? Given my social status in the school, I can somewhat understand. It may give her a fighting chance at surviving this whole sordid ordeal.
But everyone has issues right? Show me anyone who says they haven't and I will show you a liar. No one goes through life unscathed . We just try to get through the day still breathing at the end. If we manage that, it's a win.
"Ms Swan?" a soft, gentle, familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. Of course, Mrs. Lucas. Now I began to understand why I was asked to meet with the new girl. I walk over to her the elder woman with a soft smile, hoping that she would shed some light on the situation and how she wanted it handled.
"Thank you, Emma." She spoke in a hushed tone before I even came to a stop in front of her. The look of confusion must've been clear upon my face because I didn't even need to speak before she continued in her soft tone. 'This is Regina, her mother has requested that we take exceptional care of her. In return she has donated generously to the school." Something told me that Mrs Lucas wasn't supposed to be telling me this, but the way I saw it, was she was trying to emphasise the gravity of the situation, and just how important Regina was to the school. 'She isn't used to being around those of her age, so she may not be so sociable ." Mrs Lucas looked sadly down the hallway to where she sat. 'It's okay, Mrs Lucas," I replied assuredly. "I'll do my best to make sure she feels welcome and will make sure her time here is both pleasant and memorable. Everything will be okay. I'll see to it"
I said all of that with confidence, like I had a plan, something that will bring her out of her shell, so to speak. But the truth was, I didn't have a clue. Only thing I knew for certain was that I had to do what was asked of me. What the outcome would be, however that was anyone's guess.
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Regina's POV
'How much longer was this going to take? Haven't I suffered enough humiliation?' It seemed even my music couldn't drown out the thoughts or the humiliation that my mother had managed to inflict, even with the distance that was now between us.
I could feel them all looking at me, judging me. Even though I allowed the music to continue to play and avoided eye contact, I could feel their eyes on me. It was horrible, they were assessing me like I was a piece of meat for sale on a butcher's counter. I wanted nothing more than to just stand up and scream – just scream at them all. Say what was on my mind. But of course, mother didn't allow such actions. So, I knew better than to slip up and let that happen. I didn't want the school to have any reason to contact her.
If I could just keep my head down, just play the part that I always have and one that I know best, that was the role of the obedient daughter who was seen and not heard. There's a chance that I'd be left alone. After all, I'd been told many times 'No man wants a woman who speaks her mind. Of course they don't, men don't like to be challenged in the slightest. Their fragile egos can only take so much before they explode.
The school bell pierces through the dark cloud that was surrounding me. My hands reached up and covered my ears trying to protect them, but it was in vain. The ringing could still be heard even over the music in my ears and lingered minuets after. It was then I noticed a blonde dressed in uniform. Maybe not uniform, per se, but it was certainly not her everyday casual attire, that's for sure. She looked very uncomfortable, to say the least.
As she got closer, the realisation began to dawn on me that she was actually heading straight for me, and she was not heading to the office. Well, that was my guess, anyway, as I wasn't sure what else was to be found in that particular wing of the building.
I subtly slipped my AirPods out, not making it too obvious that I had noticed her cautious approach. But then, she took a seat two chairs over from where I sat, clearly not wanting to invade my personal space. "I'm Emma, welcome to Storybrooke Academy"