"Did Regina tell you about my offer?"

"Yes." I annoyingly answered. I was still in the doorway, and was fed up with her haughty tone.

"I assume I will see you tonight, then." She answered, dismissing me.

"No you won't, I'm not invited."

Her eyebrows rose.

"And why is that?" she disbelievingly asked her daughter.

"Because I turned down your very generous offer, Ma'am." I answered.

I did not wait for her reply, and quietly shut the door.

Chapter 6. Power.

I walked through the corridors, still angry with what had just happened. First, Cora had stopped me from kissing Regina. Second, she had rudely dismissed me. Third, Graham was once again with her, when I was not. I just could not process everything that had occurred. I had a lesson in less than an hour time with Regina. I was not sure if I would be able to survive that. Ruby was waiting for me in front of our building. I explained to her everything. She did not know what to advise me, she knew how much complicated the situation was. But she was positively astonished by my audacity with our new ruler. We decided not to go back to our flat, but to wait in Regina's class instead. And Ruby wanted to train me, again. So we did. A part of me wanted my teacher to come in and participate to our practice. I wanted her to see my progresses. Another part just wanted to slap her in the face and never see her again, for she had not defended me when her mother entered, nor said that she was indeed interrupting us. Fucking kiss-blocker…

So I transformed a table into a tiger, then back in a table. I elevated a chair in the air, dissembling it, and then reassembling it. I froze multiple items, and ejected them on the wall, destroying them to fix them afterwards.

"Ok, now fight me without your powers." Ruby suddenly said.

"Wait, what? I don't know how to fight Rubes!"

"Then, how will you do if you need to in the real world? You won't be able to use your powers, there!" she exclaimed.

"Oh please, I never needed it before! I know how to protect myself, that should be enough, honey." I tried to reassure her.

"Please! I want to train you! I'm a really good fighter, and it won't kill you to learn some of my stuff!"

I could not refuse her that. So I agreed. She slowly and methodically explained many moves of self-protection, and attack ones. She showed me where I needed to hit to hurt hard. She advised me on how to be faster.

"You should picture a real fighter now, and we could try to beat him!" she suggested.

"You know I never tried to picture a human being before" I said.

"So? I'm sure you can do it, anyways!"

A cold voice I recognized right away interrupted her:

"I would not be so sure. It is a really high advanced form of magic which even some of the most experienced taleners do not master."

Cora was approaching, followed by Regina and Graham. They were all looking at us, but Regina was back at avoiding eye-contact with me. It was really becoming infuriating. And I felt the rage running once again in my veins. I closed my eyes, picturing a samurai, focusing on my anger to create him. In my head, he was a little like Jet Li, and fought as a ninja. I was so focused I could almost hear his scream. Actually I could hear his scream.

"Oh my God" Ruby exclaimed.

I opened my eyes, and here he was, running to me. I was so shocked I did not know what to do, when Ruby appeared in front of me and began to fight against him. My surprise overcome, I joined her and tried to do as she had taught me moments before. Ruby was a true fighter. She had that in her blood. Her every movement was so fluid, and beautiful, so confident it was disturbing. Even if "Jet Li" was incredible, he did not stand a chance against her. Suddenly, as if choreographed, our fists hit at the exact same time the man's plexus. He was thrown in the air at the strength of the impact, and I watched him disappear as if in slow motion.

Ruby turned to me and laughed. The adrenaline, the surprise, or maybe the credibility gap of it all made me laugh as well. The laughs only grew harder and harder, especially when we noticed our three spectators watching us, flabbergasted. Cora seemed to be the first to recover, and in a very cold and authoritative tone, she said:

"Ladies?"

I noticed she was not talking to me as a child anymore. We stopped laughing right away and looked at her.

"This was truly… interesting. What is your name?" she asked, looking at Ruby.

"Ruby Lucas"

"And what are your powers?"

"I don't have any. I'm a werewolf."

She looked at her, appreciatively.

"Not every werewolf fight as well as you do, Miss Lucas. Am I not right, Graham?"

The latter, slowly nodded, his gaze focused on my best friend. Ruby just shrugged and explained:

"I took many lessons of fight before".

"I see. Miss Lucas, would you be interested in working for your Government?"

"I couldn't say I am, Ma'am."

This time, Cora seemed so stupefied, her mouth fell. She did not say anything for several seconds. It was the second time she had heard students refusing her offers in the same day. And I was so proud of Ruby for rejecting it, as well. It made me smile. I looked at Regina, who was finally looking back at me. What shocked me the most was that she also seemed proud. It confused me beyond imaginable, but she averted her gaze right away and the pride vanished from her eyes as fast as it had appeared.

"May I ask the reason of your… rejections?" Cora slowly asked to both of us.

Ruby looked at me, waiting for me to answer, allowing me to speak in her name. But I could not simply tell her that we did not like her discriminatory ruling… so I did not exactly know what to answer.

"I'm sure you will be able to find much more experienced and talented employees" I calmly offered her.

She stared back, lost in her thoughts. She seemed angry, and annoyed with our attitudes.

"And I'm sure this is not your place to question my beliefs, dear."

"Cora, if I may, the main problem seems to be about your position towards the wanderers", Graham intervened.

I looked at him, furious. How dared him?

"What are you referring to, Graham?" Cora replied, surprised.

"Earlier today, we witnessed a fight. Some taleners bullied a wanderer… Swan and Lucas interfered."

"And this is praiseworthy, ladies. I do not wish wanderers to be attacked. We are all equals"

"Then, I'd say that it is high time you've realized the consequences of your debatable decisions" I angrily said. "Wanderers are being more and more bullied because of the law you announced".

"Is that so, Miss Swan?" Cora coldly replied. "Let me guess. Your boyfriend is a wanderer?"

Regina violently coughed at that. Her eyes were shouting daggers at Cora's back.

"This is highly inappropriate, Mrs. Mills" Ruby growled.

"I agree" added Regina.

"Come on, Rubes. This is a fair question" I threateningly smiled, ignoring Regina's intervention. "Let me guess. You assume I have boyfriends because I'm a woman, Mrs. Mills. I'm sorry to disappoint, but I don't… appreciate men's company as much as women's. And before you ask, my girlfriend is not a wanderer."

Cora looked pointedly at Ruby and smiled. I ignored her assumptions, and provocatively stared at Regina. She stared back, impassively. And her gaze made me die inside. I could not stand being apart from her anymore.

"I see…" Cora answered.

"I highly doubt that, Your Highness" I laughed.

Before she could reply, the first students entered the classroom. Regina cleared her throat, and went to her desk. Cora looked one more time at us, and went at the back of the room, Graham following her. I could not stand being so close to Regina and pretend that nothing was going on between us. I needed to think.

"I need to be alone" I said to Ruby.

She nodded, understanding. So I left. And as I walked, I found myself not being relieved in any possible way. Barely few months ago, I was a bounty hunter, beaten by my foster dad. And now, I had powers, friends and… a kind of love. This was all so fucked up. It made me want to cry and laugh at the same time. Me, the lonely child, fighting against the world every single day of my life: I was wanted. Two guys pined for me, a real friend got my back, and even our President wanted me to work for her. It was overwhelming. But now that I had met Regina, everything else seemed to come second. Even Rubes.

I needed to see the real world, find my roots again… make sense of all the craziness surrounding me. So this is where I teleported myself. In my old room, the last I had left few months ago. Nothing had changed. Except for one thing: a little girl was sitting at my old desk, drawing. I did not want to scare her, so I pictured myself invisible. And as I looked to my hand, I did not see anything… it had worked.

The girl seemed to be very young, 9 years old at most. She was blond, and very thin. I went near her to see what she was doing. Her drawing was breathtaking for such a little girl. A very dark forest seemed to surround a little blond girl. The rain was pouring, and the wind blowing. And the child was crying. It made me so sad to see such a thing. It scared me to death when I realized what my foster dad must have inflicted her. As I thought about him, I heard heavy footsteps coming. "Dad" was home. The child trembled, and then froze. He entered the room, brutally opening the door. He yelled at her (her name was Charlize), asking why she had not woken him up. She quickly turned to him, and I saw her face. She looked like a frightened angel. Her eyes were crystal blue. She apologized, and her voice was a whisper. It infuriated me. How could he do that to such a kid?

I wanted to help her, put her out of her misery by killing the monster. But it would do no good to her, for she probably would go back to foster care, and God knows what would wait for her there… my only option was to change his behavior. Make him a good man. But how could I do that? My picturing power most certainly could not help, but it was at least worth a try. So I tried to focus on my anger, and my desire to help the angel. I looked at her eyes, focused on his yelling, and tried to picture a real dad. A dad who would love her as she truly deserved. A dad who would comfort her when needed, who would dry her tears and soothe her deepest fears. A dad who would love her as much as she deserved… as much as I had been desperate to be. His screams stopped when we saw a single tear dropping from her eye. He came closer to her, and kneeled in front of her. She tried to put as much space as possible between them. But he did not step back. I was going to physically prevent him from hurting her, when he said:

"I'm sorry".

His raspy voice was full of remorse, and it was shaking. He caught one of her hand between his own, and gently kissed it.

"It was not your fault, and I promise you I will never yell at you again".

The eyes of the angel were wide open, she was shocked. She did not believe him. But I knew she would eventually. I had succeeded.

I went back to my own room and laid down on my bed. I could help so many people with that gift. So many lives I could save, so many souls I could appease. And they wanted me to work for the Government? I had never been so sure about anything else ever before. I would fight for human beings in need. I would stop the suffering, the wars, and the pain. I would change the world because I was no longer a random helpless child. I had the power to make a difference, a real one. And I would use it. Ruby entered my room, and I explained her my epiphany.

"We need to leave this place, Rubes. We need to help people!"

"How do you want me to help you? Every month I turn into a wolf! And trust me, you don't want humans anywhere near me at that time!"

"We will find a way! I will picture you human! It worked on Graham! You don't have to be a wolf if you don't want to!"

"I can't Ems… I will be of no help to you. It's useless… but you have to. You're right, you have the power to do it, so just do it! Go save the world!"

She seemed sad. We both knew my decision was made. The magical world was not my world. I had thrived my whole life to exist, to survive into the real world. No one should ever go through that kind of things.

"It's the first of February" I whispered.

"Yes, it is…" she answered.

"Every year, on this day, I will come to you, and take you away. You will explain me your world, and I'll explain you mine. I cannot lose you, Rubes"

She burst into tears, and I hugged her, crying too. We remained like this for hours, reassuring each other, making plans. I made her vow to never accept Cora's offers, and fight for what was right. She made me promise to come back. I packed my things, and kissed her goodbye. I was about to vanish, when she suddenly said:

"What about Regina?"

"If I stay, she'll destroy me. I cannot lose my sanity." I smiled to her. "It's better that way"

"Won't you say goodbye?"

"… No."

And I left.

Four months passed. I moved to San Francisco. I helped people as much as possible. Ant to do so, I needed to work somewhere I could find persons in need. And, of course, I also needed money. So, I created some (enough to be considered very wealthy), and worked as a social worker. I felt helpful. I had finally found my way and I was feeling complete, worthy. My house was big enough to welcome the homeless. I was never alone. Soon, my reputation grew, and people knew who to get in touch with if they needed anything. I was not helping the whole wide world yet, but at least I was useful.

Although I had agreed not to see Ruby again soon, we would call each other at least twice a week. At first, it was not planned, but I quickly realized how much I missed her. And unconsciously, I was dying to have news from Regina. All my dreams were about her, all my thoughts were for her. I could not get her out of my head. According to Rubes, Regina had been furious when she had learned about my desertion. And she became moody and bitter while the weeks passed. It tore my heart apart to know that. Not because I had not suspected as much, but because I missed her too.

It was June, and Ruby was on holydays, the school was over. She was planning to spend her summer with her grandmother. Regina was now working for her mother, at the Government, along with Graham, Peter and Belle. Ruby was afraid of the outcomes it would lead to. But I could not believe Regina would do bad things: despite the fact that she could act like a bitch, I was convinced that deep down, she was a good person. I trusted her.

"Hey Red!" I said, answering my best friend's call.

"Ems, we have a problem." She sounded alarmed.

"What's wrong, Rubes?" I urged her.

"Cora. She passed a bill. Every wanderer must be registered, and wear a sewn yellow star on their jacket. Remember the Nazis? Same here."

"What the hell? But doesn't Regina prevent that?" I was astonished.

"Prevent? She registers them… and she is supposed to arrest those who do not register…"

"It can't be, Rubes… it must be a huge misunderstanding… maybe they just need to do that to help us recognize one another!"

"Good explanation, Sherlock! What don't we wear red stars, then?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you would love to wear more red…" I tried to joke.

"Please, Ems, do not make fun of it. It's a serious matter. Remember when she created different schools for wanderers? It provoked a huge wave of discrimination. I let you guess how things are, now underworld."

"Look, there's nothing we can do right now. And I trust Regina. I know she won't do anything bad. She's a good person, she will confront her mother if things get out of hand."

"Yeah… probably the same she helped you, when those dickheads attacked Neal…" she bitterly answered.

I could not reply anything…. She had a point. But I could not think like this of Regina.

"Still there?" Ruby asked.

"Yes… I… Er… we need to wait and see. I'm sure things will work out. We just have to give it some time. But keep me posted. I will help if it gets ugly."

"Let's hope it doesn't. Thanks. Bye."

She sounded angry, and disappointed. She didn't even give me the time to answer her, and she hung up. Three other months passed, and the news I got from Ruby were more and more alarming. The bullying, and the discriminations did not stop. Wanderers and taleners could not share the same parks or toilets anymore. The attacks were frequenter and frequenter.

But still, I could not resolve to think that Regina was responsible of this. Nor that she would let things got bad. There had to be an explanation. I stayed at a distance, keeping in touch with Ruby, who was now beginning her second year. Her professors had changed, and they seemed awful. Regina's replacement was called Zelena and Red called her wicked. She was a talener, too (surprisingly, even professors were not wanderers anymore), and she was a pain in the ass. Neal and Killian were not in the same school anymore, so Ruby had no idea how they were.

And then, at the end of September, a bomb was dropped. A wanderer had been attacked by taleners. He had lost a hand. The worst of it was that when he had filed a suit, he had been the one to be arrested.

"People are becoming crazy… they fight in the streets for what happened. Wanderers attack taleners and vice versa. It's becoming a civil war…" Ruby had told me on the phone.

That night, I could not sleep. Ruby had mentioned a civil war. And I knew I could not ignore it any longer… I could not keep on defending Regina or finding her reasons. She had none. I knew I had been blinded, and did not do what I would have had to do. But I was scared. To leave my life, abandon the people who needed me… I was scared to confront her.

But the next day, I had taken my resolution. I could not wait any longer and do nothing. I packed my stuff, and took dispositions not to leave a mess behind me, in the real world. As I was about to go, Ruby called one last time.

"Ems… two things to tell you, and after that, you better bring back your sorry ass right away." She sounded hysterical.

"Rubes, please calm down. Fuck, what happened? I'm already on my way!"

"The man that got his hand snatched, it's Killian. He escaped his prison, and rallied many wanderers with him. They're hiding somewhere. To find them, Cora commanded to arrest suspects, who are obviously wanderers. They're being deported God knows where. And among the squad entitled to arrest and interrogate them, there are Belle, Peter and Graham… they're led by Regina."

And just like that, my world violently collapsed. Regina. It was a burning slap in my face, and I felt smashed by my anger, frustration, and regrets.