Chapter 2: Underneath

The alarm went off; a guitar riff pierced through the speakers of the phone and broke the silence in the bedroom.

Emma cursed loudly and slammed her hand down on the nightstand, grabbed the phone and pressed the snooze button.

Just a few more minutes she told herself. The bed was just too comfortable.

Emma pulled the covers tighter around herself and buried her head in the pillow. She hated Thursdays; it was the only day of the week when her classes began at eight.

Fuck!

The birds were chirping happily outside, causing Emma to grit her teeth in annoyance. One day she would probably lose it, open the window and shoot every one of those fuckers who dared to interrupt her sleep. Oh, she would laugh!

Emma's alarm went off again. She repeated the lyrics in her head, knowing every word by heart.

"Thor! Odin's son
Protector of mankind
Ride to meet your fate
Your destiny awaits"

Oh yeah, there is nothing like Death Metal in the morning! Emma thought while she got out of bed and turned the alarm off. She stretched her stiff muscles and went to her wardrobe to pick the outfit for the day. Quickly deciding for a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt with Within Temptation's logo on it, she quickly dressed and later applied her makeup. She let her trademark golden curls flow down her shoulders. Emma checked the time on her phone and saw that it was already 7:50, which meant that she was going to be late for school.

Oh well, my teachers are pretty used to me being late anyway.

Emma opened the door to her bedroom and made her way through the apartment she shared with her older brother. She quickly made herself some coffee in the kitchen and decided to skip breakfast. After drinking the coffee, she put the mug in the sink, grabbed her shoulder bag, keys and iPod before closing the front door, prepared for another day of school.

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The long walk always seemed to calm her. It was therapeutic somehow. Emma always enjoyed mornings like this. The stroll through the town and the music coming from the earbuds distracted her from thinking about her chaotic life.

Being abandoned by her real parents when she was a baby and being thrown out of four foster homes had left a cold emptiness in her heart. The rejection and the feeling of not belonging anywhere suffocated her. Luckily, music had saved her life.

Before she was forced to leave her second foster home, her older foster brother gave her a CD. The cover showed a boy on his knees, with a scroll in front of him, and several swans flying away from him. Emma had traced her finger over the Nightwish logo and silently admired the beautiful image.

Swan

She decided to call herself that. Emma Swan.

Even though she would be given a new last name in every family that she ended up in, deep down, she would always be a Swan.

That CD changed her life.

Emma crossed the main road and saw the school building ahead. She had a strange feeling that something big was going to happen today. The feeling tingled in her fingertips and caused her steps to quicken.

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Emma opened her locker and threw in her bag and jacket, grabbing her civics book.

Or is it history? Fuck, I do not know! No wonder my teachers think I am hopeless, I cannot even remember my own schedule. Ah well, just smile!

Emma closed her locker and went to the door. She saw Belle standing by the whiteboard.

Just walk in casually.

Stepping over the threshold, Emma could feel that everyone's eyes were on her. Her eyes found Belle's.

"Sorry I am late…my….my… cat was on fire this morning." Emma managed to blurt out without thinking twice.

Laughter erupted in the room and caused Emma's cheeks to turn into a deep, red color.

Way to go Emma, now everyone will think that you are crazy.

She saw how Belle bit her lip, trying very hard not to laugh. The teacher cleared her throat.

"Okay…well then… just do not be late next time."

"I promise!"

Well, that was embarrassing!

"Emma." a girl in the back of the classroom whispered.

Emma looked in the direction the voice came from and spotted Ruby. The red color still remained on her cheeks as she made her way towards her friend and sat down beside her.

"Your excuses are getting better and better."

"I certainly try."

"So why are you late?"

"The snooze button was just too tempting."

Ruby chuckled and turned her face towards the front of the classroom.

"Belle was just introducing a newcomer."

Emma's eyes landed on the back of the person that Ruby meant.

"Damn"was all that Emma managed to whisper when her eyes travelled over the brunette's hair and down to her shoulders.

This is very big news indeed.

If anyone is interested, the song that Emma uses as her alarm is called "Twilight of the Thunder God" by Amon Amarth. And the album that has changed her life is called "Wishmaster" by Nightwish. Nightwish pretty much changed my life too ^^

Thank you so much for the reviews/favorites/follows! I really appreciate it :)

And I'm really an animal friend, I promise. I just thought that the incident with the birds and the cat sounded funny. I have a really bad sense of humor...