Chapter 10

I watch Regina closely as she straightens in her chair, her posture as rigid as her demeanor. Her eyes flicker to me, and I can feel the walls go up around her like a fortress being sealed off.

“What is it you want to talk to me about, Miss Swan?” she asks, her voice cool and controlled.

“Don’t ‘Miss Swan’ me,” I said. “Listen, Regina, all I want is for you to be honest with me.”

She quirks an eyebrow, with a flicker of curiosity. “Go on,” she says, leaning back slightly in her chair, her eyes sharpening.

I swallow hard, the question pressing on my chest. “Who were you before you became the Mayor of Storybrooke?”

The room feels like it diminishes, the air thickening between us as I watch her face. Her gaze hardens, and the walls she built around herself rise even higher.

“Whatever could you mean, Miss Swan?” Her voice is clipped, as if the question alone has offended her.

I try to stay calm, but frustration starts to settle in my gut. “I think you know exactly what I mean.”

Her expression shifts to something darker, slightly disappointed. “Don’t tell me you’re starting to believe Henry’s nonsense about me being the Evil Queen?”

I blink, my heart pounding. I didn’t want to be blunt about it, but here we are. I thought if I eased into the conversation, maybe I could catch her off guard. But she’s too quick, too sharp.

“Regina, I know the book is real. At least some of it is. I saw magic, Regina. Real magic.”

Her eyes widen in shock, just for a moment, before she smooths her features into a mask of indifference. “Get out.” Her voice is low and hard, a clear warning.

“But Regina—”

“Get out!” She stands, her hands pressing against the desk as she walks toward me, a force to be reckoned with.

I back away unconsciously, but my desperation takes over. “Please, Regina. I need your help. I need to know who my parents are.”

She pauses. Her shoulders stiffen, and for a brief moment, I think I see something like regret flicker across her face.

“Miss Swan, I must ask you to leave or I will have the Sheriff arrest you for harassment.” Her voice is stone cold than before, but there’s a tightness to it, like a warning about more than just the threat of the law.

I stand frozen, not knowing what to say next. I want to ask more, to beg her for answers, but something in me knows that pushing too far will only make things worse. I don’t want to break the fragile thread of trust that seems to have formed between us, even if it’s only just begun to unravel.

“Regina, please…” I whisper, the words choking in my throat. “I just want to know who I am. I’m not trying to break the curse. I’m just trying to find my parents.”

We stare at each other, the air thick with unspoken things. She’s studying me, her eyes searching mine for any hint of deception, but there’s but sincerity. I don’t know what to say anymore.

“You have five seconds to leave this office before I call the Sheriff.”

Her hand moves toward the phone, and my heart sinks. There’s no way around it now. She won’t help me. She can’t help me.

“Okay,” I finally say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll leave. But know, I’ll always be in your corner, Regina.”

I turn to leave, but then I hear her voice, quiet and almost unhearable, like she’s speaking to herself more than to me.

“I really don’t know anything. If I could help you, I would…”

I froze, my back to her. I want to turn around, to tell her I heard her, but something in her voice—something soft and almost vulnerable—stops me. I nod once, silently acknowledging her words, and walk out.

As I step into the hallway, a strange sense of relief floods through me. She didn’t outright deny it. She didn’t confirm it either, but there’s something she’s not telling me. The question is, why is she so afraid of the truth?

I stay in the hallway for a moment, but there’s nothing left to do but leave. I’ve reached a dead end. If Regina doesn’t know anything, then who else could?

I head back toward the inn, my thoughts a jumble of frustration and confusion. If I hadn’t visited Ingrid earlier this morning, I could still be in the dark. Now I know too much, but not enough. Maybe If I watch some Sherlock Holmes, I’ll unlock some detective skills.

I stop, my feet crunching on the gravel of the street, as something unsettling fills the air. I hear it—a voice, faint but unmistakable.

“Alex… Alex…”

I freeze.

“Who’s out there?” I call out, my heart pounding.

“Come to the forest.” The voice is soft, almost hypnotic.

“Okay. Creepy voice wants me to go to the forest at night by myself. Do I A:go, or B: I go back to the cozy inn?”

I snort at my own hesitation, already knowing the answer. “Fuck it. You only live once.”

I start walking toward the woods, the eerie feeling creeping over me like a chill in the air. The forest looms ahead, dark and silent, and the weight in my chest grows heavier with each step.

“Hello, Jasper the friendly ghost. I’m here,” I mutter under my breath, trying to make light of the situation.

“Follow the path.” The voice responds, echoing through the trees.

“What path?” I glance around, for any sign of a path. “There’s no path…”

The wind picks up suddenly, whipping through the branches, and as the leaves scatter, a narrow dirt trail appears before me.

“Okay, not creepy at all…” I mutter, starting down the path. But the further I go, the more the pain in my chest intensifies, a sharp, gnawing sensation that makes it hard to breathe.

“Ugh… What is happening to me?” I gasp, leaning against a tree for support.

“Alex Swan.”

The voice again. I look around, but there’s no one around.

“Up here,” the voice calls, and I look up.

Perched in the branches of a tree is a boy—about Henry’s age, maybe a little younger—lounging carelessly.

“Could this town get any weirder?” I mutter.

“Are you the one who’s been calling me?” I ask, my patience running out.

“Well, do you see anyone else?” He shrugs, nonchalant.

“What do you want? How do you know my name?” I demand.

He grins, the expression unsettling. “Let’s just say I’ve been watching you for a while. And I think I’ve found the perfect candidate.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I feel my confusion mounting. “How have you been watching me? You’re only ten—”

Before I can finish, he leaps from the tree, landing on my back and knocking me to the ground.

I gasp, scrambling to get up, but as I look up, my blood runs cold.

A massive lion stands before me, its eyes glowing with a predatory gleam.

“Nice kitty…” I mumble, my voice shaky.

The lion growls, low and menacing, and suddenly its claws are around my arm, throwing me toward the nearest tree.

I slam into the bark, the air knocked out of me as pain erupts along the length of my arm and back. I look down, horrified to see blood pooling around my torn sleeve.

I try to move, to stand, but the pain is too much. My vision swims as I glance up—and there, looming over me, is the lion.

I guess this is it.

This is where I die in the forest by a hungry lion. There could be worse ways to go.

Everything around me blurs, the world fading to darkness as the lion lunges toward me, the last thing I feel before the impact is the strange sense that…

Life doesn’t flash before your eyes.

It just goes.

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Ok My fellow readers I finally updated sorry for the long wait life has been hectic but I managed to successfully write a chapter that does not sound like a five year old wrote it. Hoped you enjoyed it 🙂