Angelina pulled the arrow back taught and aimed at a self-made target hanging no more than a hundred feet away from her on a large tree trunk. Today was the day that marked her path to revenge. Today she would begin her training to assassinate the Queen. She would kill her if it was the last thing she did. Daniel was dead because of her. Angelina's parents had long departed from the multitude of wars the Queen had waged against other kingdoms. Her father had been drafted to fight; her mother had died of a broken heart. After the disappearance of her son, the death of her husband was too much for Angelina's mother to take. She had died, leaving Angelina in a cold world all by herself. Of course, she had also died without the knowledge that her son was also dead.
Angelina often wondered if her family was reunited in some distant realm. Mother, father, son, living together, watching over her as she carried on in misery and despair, driven by rage and determination. At times, Angelina hated her family for leaving her alone. What had she done to deserve this, living off the fat of the land in the Enchanted Forest, forcing herself to survive despite the overwhelming desire to cut her life short? It wasn't fair! And it was all the Evil Queen's fault.
With all this on her mind, Angelina took a deep breath before releasing the arrow. This was her first stab at archery. And that sole fact was reflected in the result of her release. The arrow did nothing more than drop directly to the ground no more than a few yards in front of her. Instantly frustrated, Angelina released a sharp breath and went to bend and pick up the sharpened arrow. How was she supposed to assassinate the queen with this weak skill set?
"Looks like I'm going to need a lot of work."
…
"Where have you been?" Lina called from the living room as she read her copy of a required reading for school.
"With Emma," Henry responded as if it was obvious, plopping down on the couch beside Lina.
"Ah," Lina mused knowingly. "More Operation Cobra stuff?"
Henry nodded shortly, then gazed about the room. "Where's Mom?" he questioned.
"Who knows?" Lina shrugged carelessly, flipping to the next page in her book.
"Hey, thanks for getting the book back," Henry said, making Lina look up from the sentence she was reading.
"That wasn't me, squirt," Lina laughed. "Mom was the one who agreed to give it back."
"Yeah, but she wouldn't have given it back without your persuading," Henry shot back.
Lina looked at him oddly for a few seconds. First, Regina is the Evil Queen, and now she's incapable of doing good? "No problem, Henry," she finally accepted the gratitude. "Speaking of which," Lina continued, "When do you want to start reading me this book of fairytales that are supposedly true?"
"Whenever you're ready," Henry shrugged.
"How about now?" Lina suggested, placing a ribbon in her book to mark her place.
"Can't," Henry frowned regretfully. "It's with Mary Margaret."
"And just what in the world is she doing with it?" Lina narrowed her eyes, sensing Henry's scheming being involved.
"She's going to read it to the John Doe patient in the hospital. You know, the one in a coma?" Henry prompted.
"Oh yeah!" Lina remembered. "The one no one has claimed. But, why does Mary Margaret need to read to him? How did you convince her to?"
"Emma's working on that," Henry admitted. "But John Doe is Prince Charming."
"How can you be so sure?" Lina asked, baffled at Henry's certainty in the matter.
"I just know," Henry sighed. "You would too if you read the book."
"And who's fault is it that I haven't?" Lina retorted challengingly.
"Anyway," Henry continued in a borderline annoyed tone. "I'm meeting Emma and Miss Blanchard at Granny's tomorrow morning. She's going to give a report on how the reading went." Henry eyed Lina from the corner of his eye. "You should come," he decided in a tone that left no room for argument.
Why in the world would Emma agree to this? She didn't believe Henry's theory. So why encourage this well thought out figment of Henry's imagination? Maybe the meeting would turn into a reasoning session to prove to Henry that fairytales don't exist. That's what it had to be. When Mary Margaret showed up and said nothing had happened, they could all show Henry the impossibility of his theory.
"And I'm assuming mother isn't to know about this little gathering?" Lina mused aloud, already knowing the answer.
"She's the Evil Queen," Henry reminded. "Everything we do for Operation Cobra has to be a secret."
"Right," Lina sighed. She hated it when Henry referred to Regina as the Evil Queen. Yeah, she was strict, sometimes a bit brash, and many people in Storybrooke feared her, but Lina refused to think of her as pure evil. Not after all the woman had done for her…
Lina was about to turn down the offer, but stopped upon seeing the childlike gleam of hope and delight in Henry's eyes. She didn't feel it was right to deny him of a simple joy, considering how much he truly believed his life sucked.
"Alright," Lina agreed. "I'll go. But I don't know what you're expecting Mary Margaret to say happened."
"Something has to," Henry said with certainty. "Snow White and Prince Charming will always find each other."
Lina paused at the revelation. So that's who Henry thought Mary Margaret was. Snow White. And if Mary Margaret was Snow White, and Regina the Evil Queen, that might explain why Regina hated her so much...
But what was Lina thinking? This was all some made up scenario concocted in Henry's brain.
"Hey Lina," Henry started cautiously, drawing her out of her thoughts. "I need your help with something."
"You always need help," Lina rolled her eyes in feigned semi irritation. "But how can I be of assistance?" she put on an overly dramatized smile.
"You're a girl," Henry stated as if to confirm an internal justification to himself. "Do you think Emma and Mom wear the same shirt size?"
…
Angelina crouched behind the trees and bushes as to not be seen. She watched as the Evil Queen's carriage approached, gripping onto her bow and arrows so tightly that is was amazing they didn't snap in two. It took everything within Angelina to not leap at the opportunity to kill. All the muscles, tendons and joints in her body fought vigorously against her will. She seethed and shook in anger.
"Today's not the day," she whispered calmly to herself. "You've just learned how to properly shoot a bow and arrow. There's no way you're ready to take on five armed guards AND the queen." The words were meant to soothe her, but they only made her feel more weak and vulnerable.
Angelina vaguely wondered what Daniel would do in this situation. But who was Angelina kidding? Daniel would NEVER even think to harm someone, no matter what they'd done or who they'd hurt. Daniel had been far too much of an angel. But not Angelina. Angelina had gone off the deep end, constantly descending deeper into the great abyss.
So, miraculously, Angelina restrained herself from launching an attack against the Queen's armed forces. She watched as the carriage disappeared behind the trees of the next turn, then stood and cautiously went back to hunting for food.
The day would come in due time. Angelina would get her vengeance. The Queen would die at her hands. Angelina had lost so much, been through so much. She would not rest until Queen Regina was dead.
…
"Thanks for the shirt," Emma said as she returned to the booth she, Henry and Lina occupied at the diner. "Hey, is this your mother's?"
"She'll never notice," Lina and Henry responded in unison.
"It's not a problem," Lina reassured as she saw Emma's worried expression. "I made sure to take one that she hardly ever wears. Besides, you need it more than she does," Lina finished, surveying how the shirt fit on Emma. As expected, it fit like a glove. "And it looks good on you," she added, mentally giving herself a pat on the back for that one.
"Where does she think you guys are anyway?" Emma asked.
"Playing Wack-a-Mole," Henry pipped up. His answer was met by an odd silence.
"And she bought that?" Emma frowned, speaking exactly what was on Lina's mind.
"She wants to believe it, so she does," Henry explained.
"Oh, imagine that!" Emma laughed sarcastically.
"I thought I told you to make up a good excuse for leaving the house! I wouldn't be caught dead at the arcade!" Lina chastised.
"Like you could have come up with anything better!" Henry retorted. "What else could I have said?"
"Oh, believe me," Lina scoffed. "I could have thought of something much more reasonable than wack-a-mole."
"She's here!" Henry whispered fervently, ignoring Lina's comment as he watched Mary Margaret approach them.
"Hey, don't get your hopes up," Emma murmured softly to Henry in hopes of calming him down. "We're just getting started, ok?"
Lina, Henry and Emma waited patiently for Mary Margaret to take a seat beside Emma. They sat in silence as they waited in anticipation for her to say something. Lina sensed that something was wrong, as did everyone else. Miss Blanchard hesitated slightly before opening her mouth.
"He woke up," she said in a voice that sounded as surprised as everyone else felt. It took everything inside Lina to not gasp or choke on her water.
"What?" Emma snapped.
"I knew it," Henry smiled in triumph.
"He didn't wake up, wake up," Mary continued in a rush, "but he grabbed my hand."
"He's remembering!" Henry exclaimed.
"What did the doctor say?" Emma asked skeptically.
"That I imagined it, but I'm not crazy. I know it happened."
"We have to go back!" Henry urged. "You have to read to him again!"
Mary Margaret seemed to mull it over for a few brief seconds. Without a moment's hesitation, she gave a curt, enthusiastic nod and smiled. "Let's go!"
Henry and Mary Margaret leaped from the table and began to leave the diner, leaving Emma and Lina dumbfoundedly looking at each other.
Emma blinked rapidly in confusion. "Wait. Wait. What?" she called after them, hauling herself up. Lina followed suit, just as confused as Emma.
"If I got through to him, if we made a connection," Mary Margaret spoke as Emma stopped her.
"You don't believe-" Emma protested frantically.
"That he's Prince Charming? Of course not!" she reassured. "But, somehow, someway, I touched him!" And with that, Mary Margaret rushed out after Henry.
Emma stood beside Lina, staring after Miss Blanchard, still absorbing the aftermath of shock of the events that had played out. "Are we going to follow them out?" Lina sighed regretfully.
"Do we have a choice?" Emma mumbled. "C'mon."
It didn't take long to catch up with the two. And it really didn't take much time to arrive at the hospital, being that all were practically sprinting to get a glance at the supposed "Prince Charming."
"We must look crazy," Lina thought as they busted through the doors of the hospital. "If only mother could see us now..."
No one asked any questions as they ran, following Miss Blanchard to the back of the facility. They were met by a small crowd of doctors and Sherriff Graham. What was he doing here?
"You're right!" Henry exclaimed excitedly, running at the lead of the pack. Lina hurried after him to keep him out of the commotion. "He's waking up!"
Sherriff Graham stepped calmly in front of Henry's path, slowing him down. "Henry, Lina, you should stand back," he instructed.
"What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked worriedly, pushing through to the front of the crowd. "Is it John Doe? Is he ok?"
"He's...missing," Graham managed to get out. Emma, Mary Margret, Lina and Henry were at a loss of words. How in the world...? Graham then turned to face the doorway to the missing patient's room, revealing the one and only Regina Mills standing amidst the chaos of the room. Her angered, intimidating gaze was set on Emma, Henry, Mary Margret and Lina, but mostly Emma. Regina's defiant look only intimidated Lina into rubbing her temple and biting her lip.
"Dammit," she thought bitterly to herself. "Busted."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina snapped at Emma as she emerged from the room. She then turned her attention to Henry and Lina. "And you two," she lurched forward and pulled on both their arms forcefully. "I thought you were at the arcade," Regina looked more to Henry than Lina. "Now you're lying to me?!"
"Seems to be a new trend in this family," Lina sighed dramatically, though no one heard it apart from Regina. She had wanted to stop herself from saying it. She really had. But the words tumbled out as if they had a mind of their own. She regretted saying it as soon as Regina gave her a look full of steaming anger. Regina hid the emotion pretty well as she straightened her posture and tried to look unaffected by Lina's comment.
"What happened to John Doe?" Mary Margret questioned. "Did someone take him?"
"We don't know yet," Sheriff Graham admitted. "His IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there's a struggle."
"What did you do?!" Henry accused, staring Regina in the eyes furiously.
Lina instantly responded to Henry's hostility by nudging him sharply. "Not now," she hissed in a low whisper.
Regina's expression contorted into hurt, betrayal and confusion. She eyed Lina for a brief moment before turning her attention back to Henry. "You think I had something to do with this?"
"It is curious that the mayor is here," Emma pointed out before Henry could answer. Lina rolled her eyes. Oh great. Why don't we make things worse Emma?!
"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact," Regina answered defensively, voice rising.
"You know him?" Mary Margaret interjected.
"I found him on the side of the road years ago with no ID," Regina explained. "I brought him here."
"Mayor Mills saved his life," Doctor Whale said as he entered the conversation, clipboard in tow.
"Will he be ok?" Miss Blanchard appealed to Doctor Whale in worry.
"Ok?" Dr. Whale scoffed. "The man's been on feeding tubes for years under constant supervision. He needs to get back here right away or, quite honestly, ok might be a pipe trip." Lina watched as Mary Margret's usually rosy cheeks paled considerably.
"Well, then let's quit yappin' and start looking," Emma suggested as she began to depart the room.
"That's what we're doing," Regina stopped her in an annoyed tone. "Just stay out of this dear," she advised. "And since I clearly can't keep you away from my children," she continued with a darker edge to her voice, "I guess I'm just going to have to keep them away from you," Regina finished, grabbing Henry by the hand and guiding him away. "Come along Angelina," she commanded in a way that left no room for argument.
As the trio neared closer to the door, closer to Emma, Angelina watched as Regina leaned close to Henry's birth mother. "Enjoy my shirt," Regina spoke softly, but clear enough to hear. "Because that's all you're getting." Emma glared at Regina, eyes narrowed furiously. Regina only but smirked to her reaction with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Henry and Lina shared a "caught red handed" look. So much for never noticing.
"We stand corrected," Lina murmured as she passed Emma. Despite the circumstances, Emma gave the girl a small grin.
Before Henry, Lina and Mayor Mills left the room, Regina made one final comment. "Sheriff, find John Doe. You heard Doctor Whale. Time is precious."
The ride home was the most excruciatingly painful thing Angelina had experienced in a while. The lack of conversation, the silence, was so evident that it consumed every inch of the car. Henry sat in the backseat and was, thankfully, smart enough to not bring out the book or speak. Regina's knuckles were white from clenching on to the steering wheel so tightly. Lina had resorted to twiddling her thumbs.
It was no surprise that when the car stopped in front of the Mills residence, Henry was the first to depart. Regina closed her eyes and sighed harrowingly. After a moment's hesitation, Lina followed Henry, sending a withering look in Regina's direction.
Lina heard her mother fall in step behind her as she walked up the concrete pathway leading to the house. The clicking of her heels grew closer and closer, oddly making Lina's anxiety level rise. There was something about the way Regina walked that struck a vague sense of fear into Lina's heart. She could almost hear the woman's emotions surface with each strike her heels made onto the pavement, regardless of if the emotions were positive or negative.
Lina swept through the entry and began to make her way upstairs to her room. If Lina knew Henry at all, it was only a matter of time before the kid snuck out once again. And Lina was planning on joining him. Not that Lina wanted to deliberately disobey Regina. She just felt that the only way to ensure his safety was by being in his presence at all times. Good thing Henry didn't think poorly of Lina as he did Regina.
Lina was halfway up the staircase when her mother called to her.
"Angelina, can I talk to you for a minute?" Regina asked, shedding her coat and hanging it on the coat rack.
Lina paused and glanced over her shoulder at Regina. "Something tells me I don't have a choice," she sighed, trudging her way back down to her mom's level.
"No, you don't," Regina agreed bluntly. She then gestured for Lina to follow her into the living room area, as to not have this conversation in a place where Henry could easily eavesdrop.
"Now," Regina started, taking a seat on the couch. "I need you to be honest with me."
"That might be hard," Lina replied sarcastically before she could stop herself, taking a seat in the chair opposite of Regina. "Since I haven't been very open with you lately."
"This is precisely why I need to speak with you, dear," Regina sighed grudgingly, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger as she closed her eyes to clear her thoughts. Lina decided to keep her mouth shut and wait for her to continue.
"Is there something I should know about?" Regina stated simply, staring into Lina's soul with a penetrating gaze.
"No," Lina shrugged with a frown.
"Have I done something wrong?" Regina pressed, leaning onto her knees with her elbows, arms crossed. "Something that's turned you and your brother away from me? Because Henry has come to believe that I'm some Evil character in his book."
"The Evil Queen, I know," Lina rolled her eyes. "Just like Archie is Jiminy Cricket, Mary Margaret is Snow White, the John Doe patient is Prince Charming, etc ,etc. And I know what you're going to say," Lina stopped Regina as she opened her mouth to speak. "I shouldn't be encouraging him, but what am I supposed to do? Look him in the eye and say you're wrong? You're insane? Believe me I've tried to talk some sense into him, but the kid's got this fairytale thing drilled into his mind. I can't tell him what and what not to believe."
"And you don't believe it?" Regina narrowed her eyes with an underlying glint of dismay.
"Me?" Lina scoffed. "Of course not!"
"So, you haven't been feeding him these ideas?" Regina continued skeptically.
"What?!" Lina shrieked. "Is that what this conversation is about? You think that I'm telling him that you're the Evil Queen? That this town is under a curse and no one can remember who they are?"
"It's just so outlandish that surely someone had to-" Regina protested.
"Oh, get real, mom!" Lina spat. "Why would I go and paint a picture of you as the bad guy? Obviously, your relationship with Henry isn't the best right now, so why would you assume that I would try to damage it even more? Do you think that poorly of me?"
"No!" Regina snapped in irritated. "Of course not, Lina. I'm just trying to understand where this madness came from!"
Lina sighed upon realizing that she had flustered her mother. "Believe me...I am too..."
A small silence pursued.
"I'm sorry," Lina apologized, biting her lip in guilt.
"I'm sorry too," Regina admitted. "I didn't mean to imply anything."
"It's ok," Lina reassured. "It was only a logical conclusion." It was at times like these that Lina really did love Regina. Regina could appear as cold hearted to anyone who didn't know her. But there was something more beneath the hollow, tough exterior she always held up. Something real and human.
"You know," Lina smiled lightly, "There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for everything you've done for me."
Regina, whose eyes had drifted about the room lazily, snapped to give full attention to Lina. Her expression softened as she watched the girl shyly stare at the floor as she continued to speak.
"And what I said in the kitchen the other day, when Henry was gone," Lina paused and met Regina's dark, enticing eyes. "You didn't deserve that," she concluded. "I apologize for my behavior. Nothing I ever say or do is to intentionally hurt you. And just to make things clear, I haven't turned away from you."
Regina had nothing to say to that. She couldn't remember the last time Angelina had been so overly gentle and kind, handling Regina's emotions like glass. I truly hope you find your happiness. Regina shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"I know," she found herself speaking softly. "I accept your apology." Lina grinned slightly. Regina leaned over to place her hand on Angelina's knee in a loving gesture, responding with her own sincere smile. There was something so intriguing, enticing and intense about this woman. Lina supposed that it was the reason she lived with her, related to her and called her 'mom.'
"Well," Regina broke the silence, removing her hand from Lina's knee, "I have to go."
"Mayor-ly business to attend to?" Lina chuckled, mirroring Regina by standing up.
"Something like that," Regina answered with her own short laugh. She took a few steps closer to Lina and cupped her chin with her palm. "I trust you'll take care of Henry until I'm back," she said, searching Lina's crystal blue eyes for any sign of the Angelina she once knew. The one who had hated her with a passion. The one who had, in the end, given her approval of the curse, a miracle within itself.
"You can count on it," Lina confirmed.
Regina smiled her thanks, brushing a strand of hair away from Lina's face, then took her leave. Lina stood glued to the spot until she heard the front door open and close. After replaying the conversation that had just taken place a few times, Lina took a deep breath and left the room.
"Henry?!" she called loudly, holding her forehead with her hand while resting her other hand on her hips. "Henry, come down! Mom's gone!" No response. "Henry?" Lina called again, loosing some of the edge to her voice. She quickly swept up the stairs and approached Henry's door.
"Henry?" Lina asked softly, gently easing the door open. She was met with an empty room. An empty room with the back window thrown wide open.
"Dammit," Lina grumbled, poking her head out the window in hopes of seeing Henry climbing down. No such luck.
"At least give it a while before you leave!" Lina cried to no one but herself, exasperated. "What if mom would've come looking for you? Good lord..."
It was only a matter of seconds before Lina had descended the stairs, pulled on a coat and run out the front door, jogging to the hospital in hopes of finding Henry there.
But, as Lina had expected while approaching the hospital, Henry wasn't there. Nor was Emma, Mary Margaret or Sheriff Graham. Which meant that Henry was probably with them searching for John Doe... Perfect!
Completely giving up on having any influence whatsoever in Henry's decision making, Lina left the hospital and decided to take a stroll under the setting sun. She was confident that by the end of the night, everyone would return to the hospital with either good or bad news. Lina hoped it would be good news regarding John Doe, but in this town...who knew?
Lina had a vague sense of awareness of where her feet carried her. Quite frankly, she didn't care. She needed time alone anyway. As she walked, she tried to remember the dream she'd had the night previous. It had been one of those dreams that, while experiencing it, she'd known it was important, but instantly upon waking up, it had disappeared into the locked file cabinets of her brain. It was just frustrating.
Lina played with the silver chain she wore around her neck. The copper hued ring attached dangled lazily as he twirled the chain around her fingers idly. She couldn't remember where the trinket had come from. She had always had it. Always wore it around her neck. She even remembered the time Regina had asked her about it. Lina hadn't had a response to how or when she'd acquired it. The necklace had just always...been there.
Lina milled about Storybrooke until it was dark outside, doing what she did best. Blending in. Unnoticeable. Unrecognizable. A chameleon. When she decided it was about time to mosey on back to the hospital, she was only a block from its location.
Thankfully, when she entered the hospital this time, Henry, Mary Margret, and Emma had all returned...with the John Doe patient...with a wide awake John Doe patient.
"Oh my god," Lina breathed. "What happened?"
"Lina!" Henry exclaimed happily, gesturing for her to come sit in the chair next to the one he occupied. "Where have you been?" he continued.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Lina scoffed. "Where have you been. You're the one who snuck out."
"You don't seem too worried about me though," Henry pointed out.
"I knew you were in good hands," Lina responded with a shrug, sending a smile to Emma. "So... what happened?" she asked Henry.
Henry hesitantly leaned closer to Lina and whispered, "John Doe had wandered off into the forest. When we found him he was unconscious. And then Mary Margret woke him up with a kiss."
"A kiss?" Lina raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure it wasn't just mouth to mouth?"
"I'm sure," Henry responded with a mischievous grin.
"Has he said anything, or explained who he is?" Lina continued.
"He can't remember," Mary Margaret interjected sullenly, still watching the patient through the glass windows.
"Can't remember...anything? Not even his name?"
Henry shook his head. "But we already know who he is," he added as an afterthought.
"Right," Lina said through gritted teeth. "Prince Charming." Lina looked around at the lack of action then patted Henry on the shoulder. "Mission accomplished Henry. He's awake. He's safe. He's alive. But I won't be able to say the same for us unless we get home pronto."
"Yeah," Henry sighed tiredly. "Ok."
Lina and Henry were about to stand, say their goodbyes and depart when a blonde woman, tall, fairly striking and flustered, entered the room.
"David?" she called as she approached the glass windows hesitantly. "David!" she cried in relief. "David!" The woman rushed into the hospital room and embraced the man lying down in the hospital bed in relief and happiness.
"Well, guess his name's David," Lina stated bluntly.
"Who is that?" Mary Margaret asked, dumbfounded at what was unfolding before her eyes.
Before anyone else could respond, another voice spoke, entering the room from the shadows of the hospital.
"His wife," she spoke. While everyone jumped at the voice, Lina closed her eyes in dismay, wanting to scream at the top of her lungs. Regina. Lina looked to Henry and saw that he was calm, not at all worried about her presence. How could Henry not realize how much trouble they were in?
"His name is David Nolan," Regina continued, entering the full light of the room. "And that's his wife, Katherine. The joy on her face, well," she paused. "It's put me in quite the forgiving mood." Regina turned her attention to her children and Lina winced under her penetrating glare.
"We'll talk about your insubordination later," she said. "Do you know what insubordination means?" Regina asked them in a voice that belittled their intelligence. Henry shook his head indifferently.
Lina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it means we're screwed," she grimaced.
"It means you two are grounded," Regina confirmed.
With a huff, Lina turned her attention away from the scene unfolding as Katherine entered the room, expressing her gratitude to Mary Margaret and Emma for saving her beloved. She ignored everything around her, every voice, movement and person. Suddenly and uncharacteristically, the only thing she acknowledged was the burning rage building within her, directed toward the very woman who had taken her in and raised her.
She hated Regina. She hated her scheming, scrutinizing and combative wittiness. She hated the way her words belittled one into thinking they were nothing but specks of dirt. Lina's body tensed and her nails dug into the wood of her chair's arms as her vision glazed over.
Angelina sharped the arrowhead with the blade of her knife. Her hands were cut and scabbed over from the harshness of the new lifestyle she'd adopted in the wilderness. But Angelina didn't mind. There was a greater purpose to the hardships she endured. The death of the Evil Queen.
She'd been stocking up for the past few weeks, effectively molding each stone she found into lethal, sharp weapons. She'd even found a discarded set of arrows and a bow not any more than a few days ago. But she had made a promise to herself to save the luxurious set of arrows for the Queen. For when she raided the Queen's fortress. She wouldn't use Daniel's set of arrows to have a more ironic, symbolic message, but those arrows were dulling down, not as accurate nor as effective.
Angelina had improved vastly in the target sessions she'd created for herself. She had gotten to the point where she could hunt for food. A few months ago, it wouldn't have even been possible for her to shoot an arrow. But Angelina's heart had hardened. She'd had enough.
The time was growing near... find her... kill her... revenge... death... redemption... despair... triumph... disaster…
Henry noticed that something was wrong with Lina the moment she'd undergone a strange trance- like state. He'd wanted to shake her out of it, or ask her what was wrong, but at the same time, he didn't want to draw attention to the problem. Regina had also noticed Lina's odd submissiveness from afar. She watched Angelina curiously, knowing that something was wrong.
"His first instinct was to go find something, I guess," Dr. Whale was saying when Lina blinked and snapped out of her daze.
"Someone," Henry corrected, turning his attention away from Lina, implying that that someone was Mary Margaret. Lina nudged him to silence his input. A small, awkward silence pursued.
"Henry, Lina, let's go," Regina commanded. Lina didn't have to be told twice. Still a tad woozy, confused and disoriented from her small doze off, Lina brushed past Regina, avoiding eye contact with anyone, and exited the building as swiftly as possible.
When Lina reached the car, she found it to be locked. With a groan, she began pacing about it hastily. What was that? Oh, right...it was her dream from the night before. What did it mean? As Lina mulled it over silently, she waited for her mom and Henry to arrive. It took a few minutes for Henry to show up, but Regina wasn't with him.
"Where's mom?" Lina asked as he stopped at the car.
"Talking to Emma," Henry shrugged.
"Bet that's going well," Lina grumbled. "And what took you so long?"
"I was talking to Miss Blanchard."
"About?"
"She can't believe what's going on in there. She is Snow White. David loves her. Not Katherine," Henry explained. There was a pause as brother and sister both leaned against the car, waiting for Regina to show.
"What was going on with you back there?" Henry questioned.
"Hm?" Lina responded, acting like she hadn't heard him.
"What happened to you in the hospital?" Henry repeated.
"Nothing," Lina shrugged.
"I'm not stupid," Henry whined. "You completely zoned out. Why?"
"I was just...thinking about a dream I had last night," Lina shrugged. And that wasn't a lie...technically.
"A dream?" Henry's ears perked. "What kind of dream? What happened?"
"Oh I don't know," Lina brushed it aside. "I was...sharpening an arrow and...It was just a dream I had last night, Henry. No big deal."
"Arrows? Like bow and arrows?" Henry asked, getting a little too excited for Lina's liking. She nodded. "Was there a forest in your dreams?" he continued.
"Now that you mention it," Lina thought inquisitively. "Yeah, there was."
"Have you had more than one?"
"Everyone has more than one dream when they're sleeping, Henry," Lina replied uneasily. Where was he going with this?
"You're remembering!" Henry exclaimed happily.
"Woah! Remembering what?" Lina jumped at his sudden outburst.
"Your fairytale life!" Henry laughed happily. "This is amazing! Do you remember any of your other dreams?"
"Henry, calm down!" Lina instructed. But she couldn't stop him. He was gushing, knowing that all his accusations and theories were 100% correct.
"You're breaking the rules of the curse! You're remembering! You're an exception!" Words tumbled out of Henry's mouth.
"An exception to what?" Regina interrupted, eyebrows raised in a questioning arch at her two children.
"Nothing," Lina responded, perhaps a bit too quickly. She gave Henry a warning look, as if he would start talking in the presence of the Evil Queen. Something inside Lina stirred at that thought. Regina gave Lina a look that clearly said she didn't believe them, which is why Lina avoided her gaze at all costs, focusing on Henry and his backpack.
"Let's just...go home," Lina suggested, opening the car door and quickly seating herself in the passenger's seat. It was going to be a long ride home.
A/N: Thank you to those that have taken an interest in the story. This chapter goes along with episode 1x03, so a lot of the dialogue is taken directly from the episode. Let me know what you thought! Until next time!