She landed on her hands and knees, and winced for the scraping of her skin, the tearing of her jeans. Countless retellings of the same tales, and no one had prepared her for the pain of journey by portal.
Standing, she dusted off her coat and surveyed her surroundings. The clock tower read 8:15, and the neon sign at Granny's Diner glowed like a beacon in the fog.
"We did it." She laughed. "Guys, we—"
But in turning to either side, she saw that she was alone. The portal at her back remained open, pulsing like a tear in the fabric of Main Street. Had they simply not come through yet? She didn't think it was possible to get lost with these things, but she was still young in the ways of inter-world travel.
Attempting to step through to retrieve the ones who were meant to come with her, she met with an invisible force hindering her path—like running into a brick wall, only instead of brick, there was an idyllic scene of the Enchanted Forest, quilted like a patch onto another land. A second try propelled her backward, and the portal closed.
"No," she got to her feet, feeling around the air as though it were a solid structure—but it was, wasn't it? It had been only moments ago, "no, no, no! Come back!"
She closed her eyes and thought of her parents, just like Regina instructed. There was no shortage of emotion—panic counted in that respect, didn't it? Her hands fisted and unfurled at her sides; she licked her lips, refocused.
Nothing.
As terror swelled in her chest, she took off in a dead run toward the loft.
—
It was locked. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem—she was taught to carry her key with her, even when she was accompanied by an adult. But the circumstances surrounding their departure hadn't exactly been conducive to proper planning.
Her knocks were frantic, she knew. She couldn't help it.
"Daddy?" She cried.
Please, please, please be home.
When the door opened, it wasn't her father on the other side. "Henry!" She leapt forward, securing her arms around his waist. "I'm so glad you're here—wait—" she pulled back. "Why are you here? You were supposed to wait for us—you were supposed to—"
"Do we…" his laugh was the nervous sort her dad used during uncomfortable situations—like when she'd asked him how babies were made, "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"
"Henry, it's me. It's Beth."
He eyes were empty.
"Your sister. Beth."
"I...I'm sorry, but I don't have a sister."
"That's not funny." She pushed past him, into the apartment. "I can't find Dad or—"
Beth stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of a slender redhead seated on the couch, the first of a thousand alterations made to the only home she'd ever known. How had they rebuilt the whole thing so quickly?
"Who's this?" Asked the redhead, and Beth froze at the sound of her voice.
"I'm not sure."
"Henry," Beth whispered, "Where's Grandma?" Facing him, her tone found its full strength. "Why didn't you stay with her? What happened to this place? We were only gone three days, I don't…" she swallowed against the mounting emotion forming as a lump in her throat. "I don't understand."
After a shared glance with the redhead, Henry donned his coat, dropped his keys in its right pocket, and placed a gentle hand on Beth's shoulder. "Are you hungry? We can grab a bite at Granny's, and then I can take you to the sheriff's station, see if we can't sort this out. Find your parents."
She nodded as a tear trailed down her cheek, and followed him to the door.
The redhead met them there, and in a display that twisted Beth's stomach beyond anything in her short history, kissed her brother square on the mouth.
"Be back in a bit." Said Henry.
"Take as long as you need, Babe." The redhead ran her fingers through Henry's hair, smiling.
"I'm not hungry." Said Beth. "Maybe just the sheriff's station."
—
Unlike the apartment, everything at the station seemed in order. Nothing out of place, nothing altered. No red-haired demon spawn latching her claws into anyone.
Beth shuddered for the memory of her bright red lips inching towards—
Ugh.
During her next lesson, she needed to ask Regina about memory spells. But that seemed such a long way off. Once she figured out what was happening to Henry, once she found her parents, and everything was set right again—
A flash of gold in her periphery caught her attention. Down the hallway walked someone who would never fail to be the most beautiful person Beth had ever seen. She sighed with relief, thinking perhaps things weren't as dire as they appeared.
"Mom, I was so scared. I was all alone, and I couldn't find Dad, and—"
"Whoa, hey, kid," Emma looked to Henry then back at Beth, "slow down. Are you lost?"
Oh no.
Please, not her.
"You're Emma Jones, aren't you?"
I've only just found her.
"Uh, Swan, actually. I'm the sheriff. Mr. Mills, here, tells me you need help finding your parents. What are their names?"