Emma could tell this was going to be a bit more challenging than first anticipated. Regina was just so observant. They arrived after about three hours driving. It had soon become clear that they were going up in the mountain where there was no other people. Emma's body was itching after sitting still for so long. She couldn't wait to get out of the car, stretch her legs and perhaps even go for a run.

"How long are we staying?" Emma asked as they pulled up to their temporary accommodation.

Regina found a place to park the car and turned it off.

"Until I say we can go home. Maybe some days, maybe some weeks. However long it takes."

"However long what takes? Seriously Regina, what is your goal with this?" Emma took off her seatbelt and got ready to leave if the conversation got too much.

"You'll see," was all Regina said as she got out of the car, got their luggage and headed towards the front door.

Apparently Regina owned properties everywhere which did not surprise Emma in the slightest. It would best be described as a cabin but could also easily be big enough to be someone's house. There was a quite spacious porch with an outdoor fireplace and seating area to the left of the front door. To the right there was another door which looked like it led straight into the master bedroom.

Emma followed Regina inside and looked around. There was a big open space kitchen, dining and living area. The master bedroom was on the other side and a bit bigger than Emma had expected.

"Uhh, is this the only bedroom here?" she asked Regina, making it sound as casual as she could.

Regina raised an eyebrow and gave Emma a little smile.

"What, afraid I'm going to strangle you in your sleep?"

Emma opened her mouth to answer but her voice didn't seem to want to work with her at the moment. Or maybe it was her brain that didn't know what to say in response. Whatever the reason it felt like forever before Regina continued.

"I'm just kidding, dear. There are three more bedrooms upstairs. You can choose whatever room you want except from this one, it's mine," Regina pointed toward the stairs outside the bedroom they were in right now before she started to unpack her things.

Could Regina possibly know that Emma had hoped she could have the master bedroom? Emma had thought so the second she saw the door leading outside directly from the bedroom. She could sneak out during the night and go running without waking Regina. Having one of the bedrooms upstairs meant sneaking down the stairs that went directly past Regina's bedroom. This would mean greatly increasing the risk of Regina waking up and catching her.

No, Emma concluded, there was no way Regina could have known that was her plan. Regina might be observant and extremely sharp, but she didn't read minds. Did she?

Emma realized she was still standing in Regina's bedroom. She grabbed her luggage and started to climb the stairs. There was a door directly on her left when she got to the top which she opened. Emma didn't bother to check the other bedrooms, just threw her stuff onto the bed before heading downstairs again.

She found the couch and sat down waiting for Regina to finish unpacking.

It didn't take long before Regina came out form her bedroom.

"I need to go to the local store and get us some groceries. You want to come?"

"No thanks, I'll stay here and go for a walk outside or something."

Regina looked as if she was going to say something on the subject but ended up nodding.

"Alright. Anything you want me to buy?"

Emma did some quick thinking. She had to appear as she was eating like a normal person to get Regina off her ass. Normal people bought normal food. And not only one thing but a variety of foods.

"Uh, yeah. Carrots?" Emma tried. She saw Regina looking at her like she was expecting her to continue.

"And maybe… I don't know, I can't really think of anything right now. Just buy something, I'll have whatever you're having," she finished and left the room before Regina could say anything else.

She got to her room and could hear Regina closing the door and starting the car. After couldn't hear the car anymore she quickly unpacking everything and grabbed her workout clothes before heading to the bathroom.

Her clothes were on the floor in an instant and there she was in front of the full-length mirror in only her underwear.

Emma wasn't stupid, she knew she was too thin. Her hip bones looked as if they were threatening to break the skin at any moment. The skin on her ribs hugged them so tight she could easily count them all. She was so pale that seeing her ribs like that reminded her of piano keys. Her hands started stroking them as if on autopilot. Not long after they found her collarbones. They felt sharp to the touch and stuck out so much that Emma could place her fingers around them and imagined pulling them out. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she let go and imagined how stupid she would look without collarbones.

Her gaze wandered to her thighs. They were thin and firm to the touch. Her fingers gripped around them to see if she could still get her fingers to touch. A feeling of relief flooded through her hen they did. Emma let go of her thigh and just stood there for a moment staring at herself in the mirror before pulling her clothes on.

She couldn't find a key to lock the front door with before she left but figured it didn't matter as they literally were the only people for miles. This was going to be refreshing, running in a new place. She started with a light jog and quickly found a pathway into the forest.

They were not high enough up in the mountain so that the trees didn't grow anymore. It fit Emma perfectly because she much preferred running amongst the trees. She sped up and continued down the path, remembering to notice where she was so that she wouldn't get lost on the way home.

Emma had been running for a while when she suddenly felt her body stopping to cooperate. She hated when this happened. No matter how hard she pushed she could not get her legs to move any faster than a walking pace. It felt like every cell in her body was depleted of energy and just couldn't function anymore. She had no other choice than to turn around and continue in that embarrassingly slow pace.

It hurt to breathe. The air felt like it was turning to ice in her lungs and not getting her blood the oxygen it needed. Soon her body felt like it was on fire and everything got so heavy. Even holding up her arms seemed impossible. Her vision started to fail her as she slowly but surely mad her way back to the cabin.

Emma had no idea how long she had been going for when she got back. She only knew that it was starting to get dark and Regina was sure to be home by now. She could finally glimpse the cabin some hundred meters ahead. Even if she tried to get her legs to speed up it was just impossible to get them to move any faster. She was gasping for air now, like a person who had been underwater too long.

When she reached the cabin she saw, as expected, Regina's car parked in the back. Emma knew that hoping Regina wouldn't say anything when she came inside was hoping a bit too much. She braced herself as she made her way to the front door.