Awakened by the sun's rays, Natalia yawned heartily and rubbed her eyes. Briefly disoriented, she leaned on her hands and pushed herself into a sitting position.
"Oh yes, I'm stuck here in this little fairy tale town," she remembered. Last night she had been on her way home after an unsuccessful job interview. Unfortunately, she had gotten lost and the weather had made it impossible for her to return.
But that was yesterday, and today was a new day. A day full of new possibilities.
Natalia sighed deeply. Oh, who was she kidding? She didn't know what to do next. Yesterday was just one of many blows. Too many. And she had only herself to blame for most of them.
It didn't help. She couldn't be pitying herself. At home, maybe. But not here, not in this room, and certainly not in this strange town.
The young woman threw back the covers and swung her legs out of bed. Plans! First, she would take a refreshing shower, then go downstairs and hopefully eat some breakfast before heading home. It sounded promising in her head. She got up quickly and went to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth. Brown-blue eyes looked back at her in the mirror. Her dark blonde, slightly reddish shimmering hair was a mess from the night and she would struggle to tame it.
After repacking her toothbrush, she took a refreshing shower. With a towel wrapped around her body, she returned to her suitcase. Taking out a pair of jeans, sweater and underwear, she carefully packed her clothes from yesterday.
After getting dressed and putting most of her things safely in her purse and suitcase, she took the clunky room key and went downstairs.
The diner was already bustling with activity. Some had breakfast, others grabbed a hot beverage.
As she entered the large dining room, Granny nodded to her. Even this morning, Natalia found the name rather unusual. But who was she to judge other people's names? She returned the curt greeting and sat down on one of the thickly padded sofas.
Before one of the waitresses could get to her, a young man approached her. His chocolate brown hair was in his face and his broad smile did not leave Natalia unaffected.
He sat down across from her and rested his arms on the table. "I'm Henry, and you? I've never seen you here before," he said.
A clever boy, Natalia thought to herself and looked around the room. Was he alone here? "I am Natalia. Nice to meet you. You never got to see me here because I just got here tonight. I'm just passing through."
"Passing through? That's strange."
"Why?" asked Natalia, but secretly suspected why no one came here voluntarily. A sleepy little town without a hotel. There were plenty of them around.
"Not many people come here and leave. They often stay." Henry, who had seemed thoughtful at first, turned his attention back to her. "Like my mom. She was only going to stay a few days, but now she lives here."
"Things always turn out differently than you think," Natalia quoted, winking at him.
Before Henry could reply, he was interrupted by a tall blonde woman. "Henry, you have to go to school and I have to go to the police station."
"Mom, may I introduce you to Natalia? She's just passing through," Henry got up and stood next to the woman. Natalia didn't miss the mixed look Henry gave his mother when he said the word 'passing through'.
"Oh, the stranger who was looking for a hotel during the storm yesterday? Granny told us about you last night. I'm Emma." Henry's mother stared at her, and Natalia shifted restlessly on the bench.
"That's what I call town talk," she remarked with a smile, forcing herself not to sound too snarky. Her prejudices against small towns were directly confirmed. At least one item on the list. The gossip. Everybody talks about everybody and everybody knows everything about each other. Wonderful. She preferred the anonymity of the big city.
"This was a coincidence. My husband and I met Granny yesterday. A new guest in Storybrooke is worth telling. Especially to the local sheriff." Natalia noticed that Emma continued to stare at her, looking her up and down.
"Sheriff? That's impressive. But let me reassure you. As soon as I've had breakfast, I'll be on the road again."
"Of course, if you need any help, you'll find me at the station. Just ask for Sheriff Swan." The woman extended her hand to Natalia.
A brown-haired waitress pushed in before she could take it. "Excuse me, Emma. There's a lot going on here and I've been keeping our guest waiting."
"No problem, Ruby. Welcome to Storybrooke," the sheriff said and left the diner with her son.
Natalia took a quick look at the menu and gave Ruby her order. As the waitress made her way to the kitchen, Natalia had time to think about the encounter.
It was nice that in this provincial little town in Maine, progress was making waves just like in the big cities, and a woman was sheriff. And according to what she had learned from the owner of the diner yesterday, the mayor was also a woman. That sounded promising. But that wasn't enough for Natalia to extend her stay here. She just wanted to go home.
After breakfast, Natalia picked up her suitcase, put her room key on the table and went to her car. She had already paid and was ready to go. She put her luggage in the trunk and got in after throwing her trench coat on the back seat. Relieved that she would soon be home, she started the engine and steered the vehicle onto the main road towards the town's borders. She would be back on a familiar road, taking the same route she had come. She was sure of it.
She had barely left downtown when she reached the sign with the town's name on it. The streets were still wet and there was a light drizzle, but it was nothing like yesterday. By Natalia's estimate, she still had two and a half hours of driving ahead of her. Just before the sign, she accelerated slightly, and a touch of anticipation filled her.
Suddenly, Natalia was blinded by a bright light and squeezed her eyes shut. Fortunately, she was still on the road, driving along a small paved road, when she opened them again. The houses to her left and right became more and more numerous and Natalia slowed down. Houses? She hadn't seen any last night on her way. On the other hand, she had to admit that one could miss many things in the rain.
Natalia looked around for a street sign. But none came into sight. There were more and more houses and it seemed as if she was entering another small town.
The young woman decided to stay on the road and just drive through this town as well. Eventually, she had to come to a sign.
But wait!
"I don't believe this," Natalia groaned, letting her head fall back against the headrest.
The clock tower looked familiar and before she realized she was back outside the restaurant she had left 45 minutes before.
"I was driving in circles!" she grumbled. "But how? I didn't even turn off, and I didn't make a big turn."
Natalia drove past the diner, determined to pay more attention to her surroundings and the course of the road this time. It wouldn't happen again.
She stepped on the gas again as soon as she left the houses behind her and the town sign came into view. As before, the young woman was blinded by something bright and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
"But now," she told herself, staring down the street. Again, there was no sign, and the houses along the road became more and more crowded.
After half an hour of driving, she caught sight of the big clock tower.
"No! How can this be?" she cried in the car. Desperate, she pulled over to the side of the road and leaned her forehead against the steering wheel. It was stupid to make the same mistake twice. And she wasn't stupid. She banged her head lightly against the wheel and looked back up.
"It won't happen a third time," she swore to herself and drove off. She would find her way.
But the same thing happened this time and the next. She drove towards the town sign, something blinded her, and she inevitably drove past the clock tower again.
Exhausted, desperate and angry, she stopped in front of the diner and got out. For better or worse, she had to ask for directions. Especially since the GPS in her cell phone and car hadn't worked properly since last night. According to the devices, she must be somewhere in the Pacific.
Ashamed, she climbed the stairs and went inside. It was quiet, with a few people sitting at the tables. The lunch rush was over and Ruby, the waitress, was putting the afternoon cake in the display case.
"Still here?" Granny asked her and Natalia joined her at the counter.
"Yes, unfortunately. My GPS in my phone and car is going crazy and I've tried four times now to find a highway. I just can't seem to get out of town," the young woman complained, dropping discouragedly onto one of the barstools.
Ruby joined her and poured her a cup of hot coffee. "You didn't leave? Just follow the road, there's a turnoff to the highway in twenty miles. You can't miss it." She pushed the full cup toward Natalia.
"Thanks. Yeah, I've tried that. Four times. And every damn time I come right back here. It's maddening. It's like this day is cursed," she groaned, dropping her head on the counter.
"Cursed?" whispered Ruby. Natalia saw Granny nudge her with her elbow and shoo her away, but thought nothing of it.
"You're probably just exhausted and your subconscious is playing tricks on you," Granny tried to explain.
"Yeah, I'm sure it is. That's probably it. I'm exhausted." Natalia thought back to the sleepless nights of the last few weeks. She hadn't slept for months. Her body was exhausted and her mind was wandering. Perhaps she should get some rest. Another good night's sleep. Yes, that would be it. "Can I stay another night? I'll leave the money on the table. Is that possible?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course, dear. Get some rest and tomorrow Ruby will show you the way." Granny, who had a warm smile on her face, patted her hand lightly on the counter and then followed Ruby into the kitchen.
That was where the name Granny came from. It was more of a character trait than a name, Natalia thought. This wasn't the grumpy woman from yesterday. In fact, she liked this person better, she admitted to herself.
Before she could finish her coffee and get her room key, a man approached her. The few glimpses Natalia caught of him before he approached her were enough for her. He was handsome, with a charming smile and an open manner. This small town wasn't as bad as she thought.
"Hi. Sorry to address you that way. But I overheard your conversation with Granny I'm David, by the way. The sheriff here," he introduced himself.
"Another sheriff?" Natalia raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes, you've probably met my daughter. Emma. She's also a sheriff. We share the position."
"Your daughter? But she's..." Natalia swallowed the rest and took a closer look at David. This man before her was in his early forties at most, and Emma was at least her age, if not older. How could that be?
"Um, yes. I became a father early," he stammered. "I noticed you tried to cross the city border and ended up back here."
"Yeah. Pretty stupid, isn't it? I can't even drive straight. Must be the stress. Something blinded me every time I crossed the border. I'm probably just overtired," she said, trying to stand up.
"Something blinding you? That's interesting," he muttered. "But yes. You're right. Just contact me tomorrow and Emma or I will accompany you to the border and show you the way."
"That's very kind of you, but I'd feel guilty entrusting such a trivial task to law officers. Granny has already offered to have Ruby show me the way."
"Even better. Then I'll let you rest now. If you need anything, just come to the station." The sheriff nodded goodbye and left the diner.
Two sheriffs and a young father, this town was getting stranger and stranger.
-Change View *David*-
So they were trapped in Storybrooke again, David thought as he purposefully drove his pickup to the station. Once there, he took the coffee cup from the cup holder, got out and went into the building. Hook, Regina and Snow were already waiting for him in the office.
When he joined them, they were discussing wildly about the search for Hope. He interrupted them gruffly with a loud clearing of his throat. "We're locked in again."
"Locked in?" Snow turned to him in surprise.
"I was just talking to the stranger," David began, "and she told Granny earlier that she kept driving to the town limits, but when she tried to cross, she was blinded by a light and ported to the other end of town."
"Ported to the other end? That's what she said?" Regina looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"No. Of course she didn't. That's my interpretation. Granny then assured her that she was just overtired."
"That was wise of her," Snow observed. "Having an outsider here during a curse is not good. What do we do if she tries again tomorrow?"
"What can we do? We have to break the spell that's beyond the town limits. Then the stranger can disappear and we can move on to more important things," Regina summarized aptly.
Snow nodded in agreement.
"No, the stranger cannot leave!" Emma joined them. Her hair was flying around and she was breathing heavily. "She can't leave," she repeated.
"Emma, what's wrong?" Her mother approached her worriedly.
"She's a stranger and can't be exposed to magic. We talked about this," Regina scolded her, earning a dirty look from David that she didn't care about.
Emma turned her attention to Hook. The next words out of her mouth made David freeze. "She's Hope."
Silence.
"Hope?" Hook whispered, taking a step toward his wife. She nodded in response.
"But Emma, she's a grown woman. Hope is a baby. That's impossible." David couldn't believe it.
"It's like me. Belle told us last night that the town was frozen for 28 years, and the unknown person took Hope. What if that person took Hope out of town before the curse and she was never under the curse with us? She grew up. That would match her age. She's twenty-eight years old."
"That's how long we've been asleep," Snow said, trying to follow her daughter's reasoning. "Do you think she was kidnapped, grew up alone, and came back here?"
"That might be the case. Just like me. And the curse was broken when she crossed the town line. She's Hope." She looked hopefully at Killian, who was still processing what she had just said.
"There's a lot of maybes and ifs, Emma. Do you have any proof? Anything?" Regina, who wanted to find Hope as much as anyone else, approached the matter as logically and objectively as she always did.
"I just know. I felt it when I met her at the diner this morning. She's Hope."