"You must be the new person in town?"
I turn to the woman, Mary Margaret. She is still next to me, a friendly smile on her face.
"Uh, just got in last night?"
"People hardly every come here" she says, her smile disarmingly sweet, "So, word travels quickly. I bumped into Ruby last night, and she mentioned last night that someone had stopped by the inn"
"Yeah, here for a week"
"I'm Mary Margaret. what's your name?"
"Uh, Jenna" I say clumsily as she somehow manages to get even closer to me.
"So, what made you pick Storybrooke? How did you hear about us?"
"I was just passing by and needed a place to stay for a few days"
"Where are you going?" the woman is persistent, and I can't help but begin to feel annoyed. This is the most anyone's tried talking to me since…well, a while now. Most people leave after a few attempts.
"Well, I'm coming from Boston, and was thinking about driving to Arizona"
"Oh my goodness!" Mary Margaret's eyes widen, 'That's, that's quite a way to go!"
"Yep" I nod at her.
"That's so cool!" she says happily. She really isn't going to give up trying to start a conversation. "I've never left Storybrooke!"
I had been hoping she'd eventually go away, and the thought suddenly saddens me. She has an unbelievably kind face, and it's hard to harden my heart. I then notice she's tugging on my shirt, noticing the small tear on the side.
"There's holes all over your shirt! And your jeans! There full of holes! There spots that have been bleached too!"
I feel like I'm being scolded by my mother. "Yep" I say, sticking to my sparkling vocabulary, "Whenever I get a decent paycheck, I'll replace these"
"Are all of your clothes like this?" she is looking at me with such an intense look that I can't bring myself to lie to her.
I give her a shrug. "Look, it's not that big of deal, I mean, the holes aren't noticeable until you point them out-'
"Oh, no, no, NO! Absolutely not!" this not only got my attention, but also Granny's, and surprisingly, Leroy's. "Get up! You're coming home with me!"
"Excuse me!" I snap at her.
"Listen, you look about my size, and I have some extra clothes I've been meaning to get rid of anyways! Come on! You can't go around like that!"
"Listen lady, I am not some charity case!" my face is beat red and I can feel myself growing angry. Leroy makes a noise that sounds a cross between a grunt and a chuckle.
"Oh! No, no, that is not what I meant!" Mary Margaret puts a hand on her chest and gives a small laugh, "Listen, I'm a teacher, so don't mind me. Just don't think you should have to walk around in torn clothes, and I have extra clothes that need a home"
Granny gives a smile from the counter. I am starting to feel as if there's a practical joke going on, and I'm just not picking up on it. My heart is racing in my chest, and she's obviously waiting for a response. I don't give her one, so she continues on.
"I'm not taking no for an answer" her smile seems sincere, and once again, I can't help but not like her. Her hand darts into her purse and she pulls out a pen and paper and begins scribbling furiously before handing it off to me. "Here's my address. Tomorrow is Thursday and is early release day, so, I will be home before two. Stop by if you want"
There is another cling of the diner bell.
"How do you think you did?" Granny says over the counter to the new person. I'm afraid to look behind me, lest it start a whole new round of questions.
"Starting tomorrow, I will be officially appointed Sheriff" a soft Irish accent replied.
Mary Margaret now turns away from me. "Congratulations Graham!"
I turn around to see a tall man with a lean build behind me. He has on a black jacket and a pair of jeans and sneakers. He has curly brown hair and brown eyes. Also, like Mary Margaret, he had a very kind face. He is also very good looking. Looking up at me, he smiled. Face burning, I nodded and turned back around in my seat.
"Are you the new person in town?" the man, Graham I guess, suddenly appears at my side, "I was talking to Dr. Hopper and he said we had a newcomer"
'Jeez, just put it on a newspaper already' I think to myself. As if hearing my thoughts, Leroy snorts again.
"Yes" I say. Graham is now dangerously close to me, and I begin to feel over crowded. "Just making a pit stop"
"We were just talking about her trip here" Mary Margaret is again at my side.
"Well, I hope you have a good stay" he gives me a soft smile, "Storybrooke is a quiet little town, but its full of good people"
After a few more pleasantries, Graham turns to leave, but not without a quick wave at me. Soon, Mary Margaret decides to leave to him. Pushing the paper with her address at me, him waves.
"Honey! You've barely touched your food!" Granny is now glowering at me.
I give her a nod and beginning picking at my now cold sandwich. Looking pleased with herself, she beams at me and turns to attend another customer. Leroy has begun a new round of snickering.
"Shut up!" I hiss at him, feeling childish.
Hands shaking, I nervously walk over to Mary Margaret's apartment the next day. It wasn't hard to find, and Granny had given me directions. Had even ordered me to go, or else she would up my room charge. Ruby had giggled at this. Face flushing from the memory, I made sure to go through my suitcase to make sure nothing had any rip or tear in it. I stifle a yawn. I hadn't slept much the night before. Too many nightmares. Knocking on Mary Margaret's apartment door, I silently prayed she wasn't there. No such luck.
"Oh good!" came the happy chirp as the door opened. "Come on in!"
"I'm fine really" I give her a small smile as she brings out a bag of what I'm assuming to be clothes. "Why are you doing this? I'm a complete stranger"
"You look like you need to talk" she says kindly as she gently pushed me towards the bag, "I'm a teacher. I know these things"
"I'm fine" I tell her again. "Just can't afford nice clothes while moving"
"I understand" she nods and turns back to her kitchen.
I take a minute to scan the place. It's very cozy with a lot of bright colors. Gingerly, I begin poking through the bag of clothes. Why not, I'll probably need them if I ever hope to find a decent job in Arizona. In a few minutes, Mary Margaret is back with a plate full of cookies and sets them down. I find myself relaxing in her company as she makes some clothing suggests for me. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but I feel like I'm…home. Time passes pleasantly for a little while longer when abruptly, there is a knock on the door, making the both of us jump. Brushing her skirt, Mary Margaret grabs her purse and heads towards the door.
"Good evening Miss Blanchard" it's the same voice of the man who collected rent from Granny the other night.
Mary Margaret has an envelope in her hand and I make my way towards the door, curiosity again taking over. Today, he is dressed in an all black, very expensive looking suit, but with a blue tie. He sees me and he smiles. Its not a real smile, and I shiver, immediately on alert as his eyes flick to Mary Margaret, back to me, and back to Mary Margaret again. Hand outstretched with the envelope he takes it from her before turning back to me.
"Well if it isn't our visitor, Miss Jenna" he finally says, his Scottish accent more pronounced then it was the night before. "I'm Mr. Gold. You might not remember, but we met briefly the other night-"
"I remember" I cut him off.
He smiles again, this time, a real one. In the light, he looks almost kind "Good. Have you decided how long you will be with us?"
"A week" I say, my posture going ridged.
"Of course you will be" he curls his lip when he says this, almost sneering at me.
His eyes flicker between me and Mary Margaret again before he turns and leaves. Feeling awkward for the rest of the time, I excuse myself soon after from Mary Margaret's, but only after I promise to meet her after her classes end for dinner so she can drop off the bag of clothes. Before I leave, I stop in the restroom, and I frown as I see the roots of my hair. It's only been two weeks and you can already see the blonde coming in the black dye.
As I walk out the door, Mary Margaret quickly hands me a newspaper, the classified section highlight.
"In case you decide to stay a little bit longer with us" she says with another smile when she sees my dumbfounded face.
'Why the hell is this town so friendly?' I think to myself as I fumble through the classified add. Thinking about how much my savings has shrunk in the last two weeks, I entertain the idea of actually staying here for a bit longer then intended to.
It's starting to get dark out. I walk into the nearby convenience store, and the first thing I hear is a loud sneeze. The man at the register is now furiously blowing his nose. He looks up and tries to smile, but it comes out as more of grimace as he sneezes again. I make my way to the back of the store and grab some more black hair dye, and a small bottle of whiskey, to help me sleep.
There are a few customers in front of me, so shuffling the dye and whiskey in one hand, I look through the classified magazine with a pen I grabbed off the counter and search the 'Help Wanted' section. One in particular catches my eye and I circle it a few times so I don't forget it's place as I make my way to the register.
"Got your ID there Miss…" the clerk, whose name tag reads Mr. Clark, asks.
"Yes!" I say as I fumble for my wallet, frowning again as I notice again how much my savings have dwindled, "And I'm Jenna"
He looks at my ID for second and then back at me. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-two" I don't miss a beat.
"Twenty-two" comes a voice behind me, and I jump, dropping the paper in my hand. I turn around to find none other than Mr. Gold behind me. "A tender age for a little white dove whose just stretching her wings. Such a complicated time"
"Um, it's no big deal" I stutter, getting the strong urge to run.
I hadn't heard him even come up. Brow furrowing, I try to figure this out, noting the cane and how heavy it looks. Remembering my dropped newspaper, I sink to the floor and grab it.
"Thinking of staying, are we?" he gives me another grin. He's obviously seen that I have the 'Help Wanted' section. "But you've only just arrived"
Once again, I don't know how to respond to this comment. Mr. Gold is smirking at me, and I don't like it. Mr. Clark rings me up, and I quickly reach out to collect my bag. I turn excuse myself, but I am stopped as Mr. Gold puts a hand on my arm.
"Miss Black, if you have but a moment of your time, there's something I'd like to discuss with you"
"What?" I say flatly as he dumps some cloth, a roll of yarn, and thread onto the counter. He then follows me outside. I am tired, and wondering why I ended up bumping into him twice in a two hour time frame.
"I just couldn't help but notice you circled a few things on the help wanted list" Mr. Gold said as he began to limp down the sidewalk next to me, "Tell me, what has caught your eye?"
I hear the heavy clicking of the cane next to me, which only makes me more aggravated. How did he manage to sneak up on me twice?
"Nothing really. Maybe I just want some extra cash" I have no idea where this is going. It's suddenly chilly outside, and I shiver.
"Is that so" he stops and turns to face me. "I own the pawnshop not far from here. Are you familiar with it yet?"
That creepy pawnshop with those yellow eyes in the mirror belongs to him? Somehow, I'm not surprised by this.
"I passed by it" I try and keep my tone as neutral as possible to hide how nervous I am.
"I'm sure you did" I can't help but notice that his whole body seems to move when he talks. Every word is accented by his posture.
"What's your point?"
"Mmm, very direct, aren't you?" he narrows his eyes, "How charming. If you need assistance in your job search, stop by the shop and let me know what in the ad caught your eye"
"What!" I blurt this out. "Why?"
"I have a theory about you" he points a gloved hand at me, "And well, I believe you passed. Now its rare that we get outsiders here, and I think you're just what this town needs"
I am speechless. I can't even form a coherent sentence. This was not what I had been expecting.
"My offer is on the table if you're interested" he says as he moves to the other side of me, "Stop by when you're willing to accept it"
With that, he walks past me, leaving me stunned on the sidewalk.