(Daniella's POV)

Our grade had to participate in a school trip into the forest of Storybrooke. The purpose of this little 'adventure' was supposed to be an activity that combined sport and science, two of my most detested subjects. I was not interested in any physical exercise other than horseriding...and I haven't been on a horse in a long time. Other than the time when Henry and I were thrown into the twisted version of the past of course. As for science, it's obvious why I didn't like it; the cuffs that restricted my magic worked partly because of science. In the Enchanted Forest, it's always been known as something dangerous, and nothing in Storybrooke can take that perspective away from me.

We ventured into the forest as a class, but our teacher let us roam around for five minutes in groups. We were supposed to return immediately after that, for the fear that someone would get lost. Our task was to collect samples of vegetation that we saw, so that we could identify them when we returned to class tomorrow. The other challenge, was to find a rare mushroom that only grew in the forests of Maine.

Maria and I became a group of two. We were quickly able to find that species of fungi and as I was cutting off some of the mushroom from the log of a fallen tree, I heard a sound behind us. I turned around and saw that it was Henry's group.

They said something to each other but it was inaudible. However, one of them came over in a rush. He was coming at me in such rapidity that I had no idea what he wanted.

"You've found it already?"

Maria replied for me. "Yeah. So?"

Jason looked at me for a second before saying bluntly, "You used magic didn't you? It's impossible to have found the mushroom within 5 minutes. You heard what the teacher said. It's rare to even find it on a full day's walk!"

I rolled my eyes. "I promise you, I did not use my magic to get this mushroom. I'm not that motivated-"

Before I could continue, he snatched the fungi right from my hands. I angrily shouted, "Hey! Give that back!"

Jason shook his head, "I'll tell the teacher that you were cheating."

Maria stood up and moved herself between Jason and I. "I swear that Daniella hasn't used her powers to find the mushroom. I literally pointed it out because I was curious at the red stain on that log!"

"And are you sure that she hasn't lead you here purposefully?"

Maria crossed her arms and bit out, "You're dumb."

The rest of Henry's friends surrounded us so I had to put my hand on Maria to tell her to calm down. Henry spoke up, "Stop questioning them. And Jason, I know we wanted to win this, but just give it back."

There was a hesitation on Jason's face. Then, he roughly stretched out the mushroom towards me. I plucked it from his hands quickly, in case he changed his mind. I wanted to leave but Maria made one last remark, "I bet you were a lowly thief in the Enchanted Forest, stealing from the nobles."

For some reason, that triggered Jason as he gave my friend a hard shove. Caught offtguard, she collided into me. I too, was stunned to react. I tripped over a tree root and fell. Unfortunately, I landed on the same side where Henry's heart was positioned in my pocket. I winced and watched in horror as Henry bent over suddenly, with his hand on his chest. The heart must have been squished, for he groaned out in pain.

Henry's friends surrounded him with concern. At the corner of my eyes, I saw Maria give me a worried glance. Then, all of my brother's companions turned their heads to glare at me. I barely sat up before Jason approached me. "You've taken his heart!"

I shook my head and was about to reply when someone shouted, "Henry bent over in pain when you fell! The heart's in your pocket somewhere. Show us that they're empty, and we'll leave you alone!"

My cheeks reddened. "No, I'm not going to do that-"

"That means you have it!"

I growled, "Of course not! But you have no right to demand me to turn out my pockets."

Jason scoffed. "Rights?! You've lost it ever since the curse broke, witch."

My eyes widened in anger as I stood up with a fireball in hand. Everyone except Maria stepped back from me. However, Jason must have known that I was reluctant to hurt anyone for he came forth and dug his hand into my pocket. With horror, I watched as he drew out Henry's beating heart. There were gasps and quiet whispers of disbelief. I glared at him as he began, "She does have it!" Turning to Maria, he confirmed, "I guess you were right, I was a thief. But perhaps if the Evil Queen hadn't terrorised the land and burnt village after village, I wouldn't have turned out the way I am."

I growled angrily, "Shut up."

Now that Henry's heart was in the hand of Jason, he no longer kept silent as I wished him to. He came up to me and spoke, "See? I told you that someone would find out. And now, you're going to be in trouble-"

"Henry! I was going to return it but-"

A girl by the name of Stephanie interupted me and demanded, "How could you take the heart of your brother?!"

I opened my mouth to reply but someone else intervened. "'Cos she's evil, just like her mom!"

I turned in the direction of the voice and screamed, "I'm not evil!"

Behind me, Jason added, "Of course you are, witch. You cheated and used magic to find the mushroom, and thanks to that, we've discovered your secret."

I observed Henry with panic. He gave me no sympathy as he said to Jason and his friends, "Give me my heart. I don't know how to put it back into my chest but I'll get the saviour to do it."

I rolled my eyes. "Emma only has light magic, she can't return your heart. Give it to me. I promise I'll put it back right now-"

Stephanie shouted, "No way! Henry, don't give it to her. She'll keep it and harm us all to get out of here!"

I huffed when Henry listened to her and ignored my words. He took the heart from Jason and put it into his own pocket. I tried convincing him again, "Listen to me, Henry. Emma has light magic, she can't put your heart back in as it requires dark magic. Take it to mother if you don't trust me. She'll do it for you-"

"You think I still want to be near you two after you've taken my heart? Actually...you probably did this because she told you to didn't she? So that she could place some sort of enchantment on my heart so that I'd love her."

"What?!" I replied incredously. "No! She doesn't know, Henry! I mean, if she knew I'd be in trouble-"

Henry shook his head, ignoring me again. Then, someone mentioned, "I believe the saviour can do this. Afterall, my parents always tell me that light magic is more powerful than dark-"

I scoffed.

"Your mom's curse got broken by the Saviour, she's more powerful than you or her," taunted Jason.

I glared at him in response. "Emma's not the only one born of true love. You don't need to praise her magic so much," I murmured under my breath.

"And you're trying to tell me that you're a product of true love? Wow, you're telling lies again! The Evil Queen can't love, you're probably born from a nice looking guy your mom forced into bed with her-"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled as I threw a bolt of magic at him. Then, my anger took control of my powers as I raised him up against a tree with my magic, whilst chocking him. He gagged and clawed at his throat.

"Dani! Stop it! It was just a mistake, set him down!" Henry yelled in panic as he walked between Jason and myself. However, I kept my eyes on his stupid friend as I tightened my grip. When his eyes widened in fear, I felt the side of my mouth lift into a smirk.

His friends continued shouting words at me to tell me to stop. However, they smartly decided not to come closer. I shoved Henry to one side and walked closer to Jason. When I was right under him, I seethed, "How dare you assume who my father was? If mother was here, she'd kill you but despite what you may think, I'm not her."

Then, I set him down, letting him thud onto the forest ground. As he gasped for breath, I too, panted because of the magic and anger pulsing through my body. I huffed and turned around, to take Maria away from the group. However, I underestimated what Jason could do back to me. I screamed as he pushed me over, onto the ground. Then, something collided with my face. I was so stunned that it took a few seconds for me to realize what was happening.

There were screams around us. "Stop it! Both of you! It's not worth it!" the voices seemed to cry.

I struggled against Jason but now that he had attacked me, I was not thinking of consequences anymore. I flung him off with my magic and as he rolled over on the ground, I touched my face. I winced and to my horror, my hand came away bloody. I crawled over to him and stuck my hand right into his chest. Pulling his heart out, I immediately squeezed it for control. Jason tried to stand up but he bent over. That allowed me to get up from the ground.

I screamed, "You dare attack me?! I let you go for those disrespectful words you've said, and you came back at me?!"

I only saw red at this point. I have no idea what compelled me, but my fingers closed so easily on the beating organ in my hand. I soon no longer felt a beat in the palm of my hand. My mouth dried up. I suddenly felt dizzy and the last thing I heard was Maria's screams as I collapsed onto the ground with a pounding headache.

I woke up feeling as if I was enclosed in thick cotton. With my eyes still closed, I reached for my head, and felt a bandage around it. I opened my eyes in fear. Immediately, I recognised the ceiling too easily. I was back in the hospital. Then, my memories rushed back to me. I skipped a breath when I remembered that I had killed Jason.

No...how could I let myself do that?! I didn't want to do that! I'm not evil!

One of the nurses in the ward noticed that I was awake and came over to me. "Your highness, your head will feel a little sore, but all is well. Yesterday, we've performed surgery on it-"

"Surgery?!" I exclaimed.

The nurse gave me a reassuring smile and replied, "Your skull was fractured when you were brought in. Details were were given on what had happened are limited, but it seems like you were lucky to have escaped a nasty blow. Your head may feel a little thick for the next few weeks, but we've given your mother instructions on the painkillers that we've prescribed for you."

"My mother? Where is she now?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm not sure, but she was by your side the whole time, ever since you were brought in. She left with the sheriffs about two hours ago."

The blood in my face drained as I started panicking, "What will they do with her, me? I...I did something I shouldn't have and now they're gonna lock me away wouldn't they? Or they'll put that cuff back onto me again and I don't-"

"Calm down, Daniella. You don't know what the outcome is yet, but I'm sure your mother will defend your actions," the nurse replied with her hands on my shoulders.

I frowned, "What do you mean...?"

The nurse lowered her voice and whispered, "A boy has been brought into the hospital the same time as you. However, he has been pronounced dead." I suddenly wanted to shrink away from the nurse but she seemed to have read my thoughts as she said, "Relax. I'm only here to make sure that you can leave the hospital relatively healthy after that blow to your head."

I nodded before realising for the first time how familiar this nurse looked. I couldn't help but voice that as I began, "I feel like I've seen you before..."

"Perhaps in Storybrooke, but I don't think it was possible in the Enchanted Forest, unless you could have looked back in time."

That gave me a hint and I immediately exclaimed, "You were my mother's handmaiden weren't you?" She looked a little shocked as I said those words but nonetheless, confirmed it as she nodded. "Yes, but only up to a few years after King Leopold's reign. How did you know?"

I shook my head and stammered, "I uh, I saw it somewhere." She chuckled, "Mmm, I think I've learnt by now that magic allows you to know things others don't."

I murmured quietly in response, "I guess so...But anyway, do you know if Mama's mad at me? Was she upset?"

"More or less very concerned and worried when she saw you, or so I've been told. The entire left side of your face was covered in blood and your friend told us that you've been hit by a rock."

My brain slowly caught up with what had happened. I nodded slowly, "What happened afterwards? Jason, his parents..." The nurse took my hands and said in a low voice, "Everything will be taken care of."

I crumbled into tears, horrified at how I could have possibly caused the death of someone's son. When I looked at my hands, that have once held the heart, I let out a strangled sob. Luckily, the hospital had put me into a private room, as I feared that sooner or later, word would spread and the whole town will have knowledge that I have killed someone. The nurse tried to calm me down, but I couldn't stop. My vision blurred as tears fogged up the hospital. I was completely oblivious to what was occurring, so it gave me a surprise when a pair of arms gripped me tight, and pulled me into a hug. Even through my blocked nose, I could smell my mother's perfume. It made me cry even more.

"Dear, mama's here. I've got you darling. Mama's got you," she repeated over and over again in whispers.

I sobbed into her shoulder and murmured, "They're going to come after me, won't they? I killed someone...I-"

"Shhh," mother said. It instantly silenced my confused mind. She continued softly, "We've taken care of that dear. Please don't burden yourself with your guilt, you'll need to move on, firefly."

I looked at her and croaked, "Move on?! How about his parents?! How about my classmates? They've seen it happen! They'll never move on!"

"Yes they will. Listen, Snow and her precious prince decided that the best way to handle the situation is if memories were erased. That'll include Jason's parents."

I thought for a moment. "Did Snow really agree to this?" Mother chuckled, "Not really, they thought that his parents had a right to remember their son. However, I insisted for their memories to be wiped, as I didn't want you to fear repercussions."

I sighed. "But..." Then, I quickly finished, "It's not fair that they should forget their son because of me. I mean, its not fair that they lost him because of what I did, but they should remember everything, right?"

Mother put her hand on my cheek. She thought for a while before answering quietly, "I'm doing this to protect you. I don't want your classmates, or Jason's parents to remember you with his death. You're too young for that."

"But it's my mistake-"

"And once you've acknowledged it inside you, that's all you need to do. If you let others remember you for murdering someone, you'll feel the deepest regret, and let that feeling destroy you. Besides, by letting everyone convince you that you are adept at murder, you might be comfortable to do it again, and that doesn't come without consequences."

"Mama? Do you remember your second kill?" I asked quietly.

She sighed. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"I'm curious."

She glanced towards the door of the room before lowering her voice and replying, "It was a prisoner of Rumple's actually. Maybe a year or two before I had the king killed, Rumple brought her along to a lesson."

"Did you hesitate, when he told you to kill her?"

"Yes." After a pause, she changed the topic, "Firefly, I don't know what you're thinking, but I don't want your heart to turn dark because of the example I've set. You have to use your magic wisely, unlike me. I don't want you to suffer, or be feared as I am."

Sensing that she wanted to change the topic, I touched my bandaged head and asked, "How long till I can leave?"

"The doctors told me that you are to rest here for another night so I suppose we can leave tomorrow."

"Wait, so when I go back to school, will everyone's memories be wiped away?"

Mother nodded. "Except those of Henry's and Maria's. I thought that you wouldn't want to keep such a big secret from her. Besides, hopefully you can build her trust. Should we return to the Enchanted Forest, you must remember that her family is important to the governing of the kingdom; you'll be working with her when you're queen."

I rolled my eyes. "Mama, seriously? You're thinking about the future whilst there's a bandage on my head, a dead king running around town, and some kind of issue with the curse that's preventing us from returning home?"

She chuckled, "To be a queen, or any type of leader is to look beyond the obstacles in front of your face. Remember that, firefly. Oh, and before I forget to mention, you don't have school for a week."

"A week?! Why?" I exclaimed in an excited tone.

"Well, given the events that have occurred, the principal thought that you might have liked to take a break from being surrounded by your peers. She also wants you to 'think about your uses of magic in the future'. And firefly, I can't say that I disagree with her."

Even though I was ecstatic that I didn't have to go to school, I couldn't help but ponder over how everyone would think of me if they knew what I had done.

(3 days later, Daniella's POV)

Ironically, Snow found it difficult to manage her occupation as mayor of Storybrooke. Therefore, starting from this Monday, mother had been called in to be her assistant. I knew that she resented the very sound of her job title. However, she took it as a method to regain some power over the town. Because she was working again, I had to be taken to Maria's mother so that she could look after me whilst Mama was at work. Afterwards, we would go to the school to pick up Maria.

I occupied myself with the homework that Maria brought back from class for me to complete. Surprisingly, I found her sympathetic of my situation. But then again, I suppose she was the one who triggered Jason. I didn't blame her, but I secretly wished that she wouldn't have done that. She felt guilty for it as she was apparently crying when the sheriffs interrogated her about what had triggered the 'attack'.

In the car, Maria's mother spoke up, "I have to get some groceries this afternoon and I know its a tedious and boring activity. So, I was wondering if you'd like to walk around Main Street with Maria instead? You may go into the arcade should you wish. Just meet me back in front of the clock tower at 4:30 alright?"

I nodded, "That sounds great."

The car soon stopped behind the bus stop on Main Street. I spotted Maria getting off the bus that was parked in front of us. Perfect timing.

"Thank you Mrs Durbonne," I said as I got off the car.

I ran up to Maria and gave her a surprise hug from behind. She jumped, exclaming, "Dani! You have to stop scaring me like that!"

I grinned as she turned around. "It's payback for the first time you did it to me."

"Alright fine, umm where's mom going?" She asked, seeing the car turn away.

"She's going grocery shopping so she said that we could walk around Main Street or the arcade until 4:30. We have to meet her back here at that time."

"Ooooh, that's great! But do you have money we can spend?"

I dug into the shoulder bag I carried. "Your mom gave me $30 to share between us. Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Yeah sure. Granny's?"

I shrugged, "Ok. I'm craving her desserts right now."

"Me too."

As we were making our way across the street to Granny's, I glanced up at the clock tower to look at the time. However, there was a peculiar shadow on the matte white glass panels. I stopped in my tracks, touching Maria on the shoulder. She turned around with a confused expression. I pointed to the clock and whispered, "There's a strange shadow behind there. Can you see?"

Maria squinted and gasped. "Oh yeah. Who is-"

Before she got to finished her sentence, the glass suddenly broke. A figure wearing a pink knitted sweater fell out and collided onto the concrete road below. Two cars coming in the direction of the fallen woman abruptly screeched to a stop. I looked back up at the tower to see the king's face behind the iron framework of the clock. Oh my gosh. He did it. He killed Johanna.

I didn't know how to feel in the moment, but Maria dragged me out of my thoughts. As a crowd gathered, she whispered frantically to me, "Did you see him?"

"The king?"

"Yeah, he was up there, I saw a glimpse of him but now he's gone."

I looked up at the clock and indeed, he's nowhere to be seen. I nodded in response, for I didn't want my voice to give away the fact that Johanna's death was expected.

"Dani, we should get out of this situation. Come on, let's go to Granny's." Maria said quickly as she tugged on my sleeve.

I was about to let her lead me off the scene but at the corner of my eye, I saw something else shift up at the clock tower. I gave Maria a quick glance, "Wait!"

As soon as I turned back, the next thing I saw was the King falling out of the tower. My mouth gaped open as he hit the concrete. For a few seconds, I stood dumbfounded at what had just occured. Maria gave a little shriek as she exclaimed with a shaky finger pointed towards the tower, "Dani- Dani...look up there!"

I did, and my breath froze. As we were standing on the opposite side of the street unlike the other onlookers, I briefly caught a visage of someone I'd never expect to see alive and running around town. However, his face looked so sinister, as it slid back into the shadows. I took a step forward and murmured under my breath, "No, its not possible..."

"What isn't possible?" Maria asked carefully.

I gave her a frown before sprinting off towards the library under the clock tower. I circled around the commotion and burst through the white doors. The library was empty but as I found the elevator that lead up to the tower, I heard a shuffle of steps amongst the books. At that moment, Maria came into the library behind me. I whipped around and put a finger to my lips. She frowned as she clamped her mouth shut. Then, I walked cautiously in the direction of the noise.

I saw something white shift between the shelves but to my surprise, it wasn't who I was looking for. "Belle!"

"Daniella, I thought it was someone else!"

"Uh, me too; umm what are you doing here? I mean, I thought you had died, in the Enchanted Forest before the curse was cast..." My voice trailed off as I recognised a familiar expression of pain on her face. I took a deep breath and said quietly, "Mother did something to you, didn't she?"

Belle nodded but quickly changed the subject by saying, "Yes, but I don't think you should hear from me first."

I felt Maria put her arm around me as I looked down, suddenly forgetting why I was in the library. Belle came up and said, "It's not your fault, and I don't blame you, Daniella."

At the moment, I felt really bad as Belle had tended to me when I was hit by the arrow in the assassination attempt back in the Enchanted Forest. I pressed on, "Were you hurt? What happened?"

Belle shook her head, "I'm alright, I really am. Just stay away from Rumple, I've tried to convince him but he's quite unhappy about what has happened."

My breath stopped. "He's not going to kill mother is he?"

Belle's eyes widened, "No no no! He knows that he'll lose me if he does. Don't worry, he won't act irrationally. Besides, I have a feeling that should he want to do something, he'd already have done so." As I didn't reply, Belle quickly added, "What are you doing here?"

I immediately remembered what drew me into the library. "Belle, you know what's happening outside right?"

She lead us to a window at the side of the library. Looking out, I could see that the sheriff's car had arrived. There was an ambulance too. However, I was fairly certain that the King and Johanna were both dead. Belle replied, "I was in the backroom cataloguing some books when I heard footsteps come into the library. It wasn't out of the ordinary of course, until I ceased to hear them. I came out here to have a look at things but there was no one in sight. I returned to the back and heard a louder bang. I realized that the individuals must have gone up to the clock tower. Next thing I know, there's now two fallen people in the middle of the road. I've just called the sheriff when you entered."

I gave Maria a glance and she came forth to ask, "But have you seen someone else? Other than the the two outside?"

"Well, I haven't seen anybody. I've only heard their footsteps. One the first time, another the second time."

I paled as my heart thumped harder. Then, I said shakily, "No, I think there is a third. And he's still up in the clock tower."

"He?!" Belle then quickly dragged Maria and I away from the window. When I saw that she was leading us to the backroom, I protested. "No! I have to investiagate-"

"Definately not! It's dangerous, you shouldn't even be here! Daniella, please take your friend and leave. Go back to somewhere safe-"

"How about you?" I blurted.

"I have to stay, to monitor the situation."

Maria added to my argument, "But you've got nothing to defend yourself with."

Belle replied quickly, "I'll be fine. You two, come back here with me, or leave."

There was a pause. I was about to reply when there was a noise from the elevator shaft. No one spoke as we listened to the sound of the metal bars giving way and opening. Belle pulled us behind some book shelves. Through the gaps, we peered at the space in the small lobby of the library. Then, he came into view, wearing the same clothes he had worn, for almost fifty years. I wanted to go out into the clear but when he turned around, I immediately hesitated. As his eyes scanned the room, I could tell that there was something wrong with them. They were hazy, and unforgiving. Even the way he chose to stance, put a fresh wave of fear into me. His legs and arms were positioned apart, as if he didn't know what to do with them. His mouth was open, in a series of sinister pants. I could clearly see the purple veins on his hands. Luckily, he didn't seem to spot us hiding behind the books. He turned around and strode towards the door. I stood up from my crouched position, to watch him exit the library.

Belle immediately fished her phone out of her pocket and started dialling some numbers. I stopped her with my hand. "Who are you calling?"

"Rumple of course-"

"No don't!" I exclaimed immediately. I received a confused look as a response. Belle regarded me quizzically and said, "Alright, maybe you're right. Let's go. I have to report to the sheriffs." She started to walking but I came up to her and put my hand on her arm. "Belle, leave this to me. I'll tell my mother what happened."

"Why?"

I looked uneasily at the door of the library before turning back to her to answer simply, "Because that man is supposed to be dead."

"Dead?!" Belle and Maria both exclaimed with fright. I nodded.

"Who is it?!"

I let a moment of silence fall between us. Then, I murmured quietly, "I think it's my father."