"I'll be back at ten o'clock sharp." The mayor swipes her dark lipstick over her lips, the heavy layers bringing out her dark eyes. "I expect a full report on Henry's progress when I return." She gazes at her reflection in the golden framed mirror before twisting around and pinning me with a business-like stare. "His grades dropped when that teacher of his was granted her job back."
I cringe at the cold note of her tone, all too aware of the controversy of Miss Blanchard being accused of killing an innocent woman. "I promise I'll try my best to help him." I say, fighting the urge not to cower under those piercing eyes. No wonder no one else took the job.
She gives me a brief nod before calling to her son from her rounded staircase. "Henry! Your tutor is here!"
I shuffle from foot to foot, eager to meet her son, and desperate for her to leave.
Upstairs, a door clicks closed, and a young boy emerges from around the corner. He smiles kindly at me as he stomps his way down the carpeted steps. I've seen him before, walking around town with the blonde sheriff, who is supposedly his real mother.
"Hi, Henry!" I smile warmly at him. "I'm Selena."
"Hi, it's nice to meet you." He twirls around the end of the rail and nods welcomingly to me.
Regina heaves her purse higher up along her shoulder, ruffling her son's hair as she opens the front door. "I really appreciate this, Miss Silver." She says, catching me off guard as she uses my last name. "I do hope you will be able to help my son with his schooling."
Before I can reply, she closes the door behind her, without uttering a goodbye to either of us.
"Well, then." I mumble, turning to face Henry. "So, your mom tells me you've been struggling with math. Why don't you get it out and we can take a look at it." I motion to the dining room table, where all his school work is unceremoniously piled.
He just stares at me, squinting with a tiny hint of a smile.
"Henry?" I take an uncertain step toward the table, gesturing for him to follow.
He just tilts his head, letting his light brown hair shape around his face.
A twinge of fear bubbles inside me. "What's wrong?"
He finally speaks, his voice carrying around the giant foyer. "I'm just trying to figure out who you are."
"Excuse me?" I narrow my eyes at him, not sure what he's getting at.
Instead of answer, he pads way into another room, checking over his shoulder to make sure I'm following. Confused, I trail after him into a little living room, which is uncharacteristically decorated. This mayor is just too formal, even in her own home.
Henry walks over to the leather couch, sliding his hands underneath the gray cushion and lifting it upright. I barely catch the sigh of relief that escapes his mouth.
"What are you doing?" I ask, pausing in the doorway.
"It's still here." He replies, mainly to himself. He reaches below the couch and lifts up what looks like a heavy book.
"What's that?" I ask, walking to his side.
The book he's holding his looks to be over one hundreds years old, the brown cover fading and many pages inside yellowing. "Once Upon A Time" is embroidered in medieval, golden letters. Gold patterns surround border the cover, giving me a small hint of it's age.
"Is that a book on fairytales?" I sit next to him as he pushes the cushion back down and plops onto the couch, the book resting in his lap.
He nods, flipping it open to a random page. "I keep it at Emma's office, but I brought it home just for tonight." Quietly, he adds, "Every story in this book actually happened."
Taken by surprise, I fight back to urge to laugh, thinking this is some kiddish joke. "What are you talking about?"
Without hesitation, he launches into a story, one so twisted and dark, I start to reconsider who I'm tutoring. He explains a collaboration of fairytales, sometimes reading stories out of the book and describing the ideas behind the pictures, other times setting the book aside and letting the words come from his mind. I listen without once interrupting, letting the stories sink into my mind. I almost laugh when he delves into the explanation of everyone in town being a fairytale character. He doesn't notice, just excitedly continues his monologue like his life depends on it. It takes up almost an hour, but finally he finishes and leans back against the satin couch, satisfied.
"Wow." I fold my hands on my lap, nodding with comprehension. "That was quite the story, Henry."
He doesn't answer me, just smiles at me with a deep look of warmth in this eyes.
"If everyone in town is a fairytale character, then who am I?" I go on, curious.
He shrugs, pursing his lips smugly. "I don't know. It's too soon to tell."
I smile and shake my head. "You're cute, Henry." Rising to my feet, I cast a glance down at the green, emerald embedded watch secured around my wrist. "Shoot! We need to get started on your math!"
We finish Henry's homework just before ten, with fifteen minutes to spare before Regina returns. Henry takes that time to prepare himself for bed, claiming that both of us will be in deep trouble with her if he's not 'asleep' when she comes home.
Just as he finishes brushing his teeth and climbs into bed, I wander away from his room, curiosity urging me to explore this house. I know it isn't the brightest idea, but it's not everyday I get a chance to learn about our mayor's living environment. Besides, she promised to be home at exactly ten o'clock. I still got time.
Most of her doors are closed, except for a couple, which lead into vacant rooms that don't look the least bit exciting. Some of them are probably locked, and breaking in is obviously out of the question.
I shake my head, clearing these dumb thoughts from my mind, and randomly pick a tall door across from what looks like Regina' s bedroom. The silver doorknob twists easily, and the door thankfully doesn't squeak as I hesitantly push it open. Taking a cautious step forward, I survey the dark room, taking in the mahogany desk and boxes piled around it. This must a little home office or something.
I pace around the tiny room, bored with the stacks of papers and books along the walls. The desk is littered with pens and papers, scattered around in an unprofessional way. Looks like this room hasn't been used in a while.
Turning to leave, I grip the door handle and begin to pull it closed behind me, but something buried on the desk catches my attention.
A tiny stack of papers, yellowing and scribbled on with majestic letters, hangs off the corner of the desk. A brief view of a watercolor picture is visible on the top page. I shuffle back into the room, carefully sliding the pages out from under a miniature wooden box. Though the room is dark, I can barely make out from the familiar lettering and torn edges that these are pages from Henry's book.
The sound of a car door closing doesn't register in my mind. I scan the top page, studying the bright picture painted on top. It shows a woman in bed, cradling a newborn baby. Probably a girl, from the light pink blanket she is bundled in. Another woman stands at the edge of the bed, her face depicted of fear and sadness. The auburn color of her hair and shape of her face strike me as utterly familiar, though I can't place the name.
Flipping over to the next page, I move closer to the hallway, letting the light leak in and brighten the faded paper. Another picture is painted on this one; a man and a young woman. They seem to be seated in a giant, enclosed room, surround by what looks like... hats. Hats of every color and shape, some stacked neatly, others just thrown aside into useless piles.
The man has a crazed look in his eyes, while the girl watches him with care and compassion. Their ages are hard to distinguish, but both have to be over twenty and under forty. They gaze at each other with a look of longing, almost as if they have feelings for one another.
Bringing the page closer to my face, I squint at the girl's profile, suspicion crawling along my spine. Her dark hair is hauntingly familiar as it curls around her shoulders and back, the paint making it almost black. Her eyes are darkened, but I can make out tiny brown flecks outlining them. Her facial features are hard to decipher, but I'd recognize this face anywhere. I see it every time I look in the mirror.
A squeal catches in my throat as my heart pounds mercilessly against my rib cage. I nervously run my fingers through my hair, repeating to myself that this has to be some kind of sick joke. Theories poor into my head as to what a plausible explanation could be, but none do me justice. I cannot think of a reasonable idea as to why I'm in a picture in some children's storybook, or why the pages have been ripped out and thrown into a storage room.
"What do you think you're doing?"
I whip around, unconsciously crushing the pages into my back, and meet the burning gaze of the mayor.
"Miss Silver, are you snooping in my house?" She places her hand on her hip, her eyes boring into me.
"No, I-" The words barely fall out of my mouth before I catch myself, reminding myself that her accusations are true. I have been snooping. But she wasn't supposed to be home so soon! "I was just-"
"Miss Silver, if I can't trust you to respect me or my property, then I can't trust you with my son." The authority of her voice seems to scorch me to the bone. She steps away from the door, pointing to the staircase with a defiant glare. "I want you out of my house. You're fired."
I step-side out of the room, keeping the pages hidden behind me and praying she won't question me about them. But she has already turned away, heading in the direction of Henry's room. I silently make my way to the staircase, keeping the pages glued to my side. She pays no notice of me as she opens Henry's door and sticks her head inside.
I dash down the stairs, picking up my bag next to the front door and swing it over my shoulder. This tutoring session might have failed, but I got an interesting mystery out of it.
Outside, the wind howls relentlessly, clouds billowing in the night sky. The smell of rain is carried in the cold breeze. I huddle in my coat and fiddle around my bag for my car keys. A tree thrashes violently in Regina's lawn, apples being thrown to the ground by the force. I shudder at the sight and loop my key ring around my fingers, halting next to the car parked to the side of the house.
The key is jammed into the lock a little too forcefully. I frown at myself as I open the door, hoping this hasn't damaged it in some way. Climbing inside, I shut the door and sigh, letting it finally sink it that I failed at this job. All I had to do tutor a ten year old. Easiest job ever. But I screwed up, and now I have to go through the stress of looking elsewhere.
Exhaling, I drive the key into the ignition, more than ready to get back to our room at Granny's Bed and Breakfast and sleep my problems away.
But the car doesn't start.
"Oh, no." I whisper, twisting the key again and again. "Don't do this to me tonight."
The car screeches as it tries to start itself up, but my attempts are all in vain.
"No, no, no!" I shout, not wanting to deal with this right now. Seconds turn into a minute, and still I haven't had success.
I huff out a frustrated sigh, then pull my bag into my lap, digging for my cell phone. I'll have to call Aunt Leah and have her come pick me up.
My bag isn't too full or clustered, despite it's size. I shuffle around the things piled inside, searching various pockets and pouches for my phone. Panic rises as my search ticks on and my phone doesn't appear.
"You have to got to be kidding me." I mutter to myself, frantically tossing useless receipts and gum packages aside. Racking my mind for where I could have left it, I let out a cry of defeat as the memory of me tossing it onto my bed before heading to Regina's floods my brain.
I lost my new job, my car won't start, and I left my cell phone back at Granny's. Can this night get any worse?
As if by cue, thunder rumbles noisily from the sky. A storm is coming.
"Perfect." I mutter to no one in particular. "This is just what I need." I groan, letting my head fall weightlessly against the steering wheel. It honks in protest.
I immediately sit upright, uncertainly bubbling through my veins. I cast a glance back at the mayor's house, expecting a light to come on and her face to appear in one of the windows, furious that I have yet to leave her property. But after a few cautious seconds, nothing happens. I let the fear drain away and review my options to get home.
Asking Regina to borrow her phone is out of the question. After pissing her off, I don't want to risk getting on her bad side again. I could walk home, but it would take more than half an hour, and with the storm coming, it doesn't seem like the safest option. There is a shortcut I know of, one that cuts through the woods that will get me back to Granny's in about ten minutes. I frown, staring up at the blackened sky. Lightning flashes in the distance, and I merely catch the thunder that rumbles seconds later.
This might be my only choice. If I hurry, I might be able to make it to Granny's before the storm hits. Yeah, it's a dangerous idea, but it's better than being mauled by Regina in the middle of the night.
I reach over to the passenger seat and grab my bag, stuff the pages inside in the cluttered mess, and toss my keys in after them. Swinging out of the car, I pick my way around Regina's house and make a mad dash for the forest. The trees sway back and forth, foreshadowing the force of the oncoming storm.
Leaves and twigs crunch under my feet as I loop around the trees. An owl hoots somewhere above me, and a cry rings out into the night, sounding similar to a wolf. Shuddering, I quicken my pace, more than eager to curl up under my warm blankets.
Even though the moon and stars are hidden behind the clouds, I still have a tiny sense of light to lead me on. It's not much, but at least I can see where I'm going and know not to run into any trees. My heart beats rapidly, and I have to take slow and steady breaths to calm myself down. This may be one of the most fearful things I have done, but I haven't exactly been making the best choices lately.
A flash of lightning overhead illuminates the forest. I hold back a startled cry, blood pounding in my head. Too late, I catch a glimpse of the dip in the woods, sloping down to a sheltered ravine. I loose my footing and with a terrified yell, I plunge down the slope. Pain shoots through my head, arms, and legs as twigs snag at my skin. I reach out, trying to get a hold of anything to keep me from tumbling further, but gravity forbids it.
Rolling to the bottom of the hill, I squeeze my eyes shut, panic making me dizzy and head spinning relentlessly. Thunder follows the traitorous spout of lightning, rattling my head with it's booming noise.
I groan, rubbing my temples in a desperate need to keep the dizziness away. This was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea.
Somewhere not too far ahead, a twig snaps under weight. My eyes fly open, scanning the clearing for the culprit of the noise. The world is spinning, almost impossible for me to focus on. I blink of couple of times, chasing away the flurries that dance in front of my eyes, and search the undergrowth.
A tall, dark figure stands about five feet away from me. Obviously a guy, with his dark demeanor curves of his face. He has a long, black coat thrown on, and it almost seems as if his entire outfit is black.
He walks toward me, his face indecipherable of emotions. I feel myself freeze over with horror, too pained and scared to move away.
He crouches in front of me, his face mere inches from mine. I expect to see a murderous glare plastered on his face, but I'm taken by surprise when I notice disbelief, mixed in with love and hopefulness.
"Evangeline?" He whispers, his voice full of nothing but shock and relief.
"I'm Selena..." I barely manage to say before slipping away into darkness.