Chapter 9

 I walked out of the ice-cream shop, leaving Ingrid behind, her worried gaze lingering on me as I stepped into the chilly air. My thoughts felt like a swarm of angry bees, buzzing relentlessly in my mind. If I’m not Emma’s sister, who am I? Is my name even really Alex? Did my parents even want me? Will Emma abandon me when she finds out? Am I going to be alone all over again?

Lost in this turbulent sea of confusion, someone tapped me on the shoulder, jolting me from my thoughts. I spun around, reflexively snapping, “What!” My anger melted away when I saw Emma standing there etched with concern. “Are you okay, Alex? Why are you crying?”

It was only then that I felt the warm tears streaming down my cheeks, the cool air mixing with the heat of my embarrassment. “It’s nothing.Do you need something?” I tried to deflect, wiping my face with the back of my hand. Emma must have read the pain in my eyes because she didn’t press for answers.

“I need you to come to Regina’s office with me.”

“Why can’t you go by yourself?” I asked, puzzled by her insistence to drag me into the middle of whatever was happening between her and Regina.

“Because she likes you,and I may have caught down her tree.” Emma mumbled, glancing away as if it were embarrassing secret. But I see a proud look in her eyes telling me she doesn’t regret it.

I raised my eyebrow, irrigation bubbling inside me. “Seriously, Ems? How is that supposed to get her to let you see Henry? At this point, getting time with him will be a miracle.”

“Look, you girl crush started it by setting me up, but Henry’s teacher bailed me out,” she shot back, frustration evident in her tone. I could sense that she was holding back more than she was letting on.

“Fine. I’ll come with you, but afterward, I need to take care of some things.” I say reluctantly agreeing with her request, the weight of my own confusion still heavy on my chest.

As we made our way through the building, the sterile walls felt like they were closing in on me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this meeting with Regina was going to unravel even more of the tangled mess my life had become.

“You can go right in. I wish you luck,” the secretary said as we approached the mayor’s office. I paused for a moment before entering, the uncertainly gnawing at me. How was I supposed to act when facing Regina? Ingrid’s words echoed in my mind: the book doesn’t tell you the whole story.

 Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped into Regina’s office. The room was elegantly furnished, with dark wood accents and soft lightning that cast a warm glow. Regina looked up from her desk, surprise flickering across her face. “Alex, I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Me either, but here I am,” I replied making my way to the couch, grateful for the chance to relax as I waited for Emma to sit down beside me.

“Miss Swan, please take a seat. I promise I don’t bite.” Regina’s tone was almost soothing, but I could sense an undercurrent of tension. “I’d like to start by apologizing, Miss swan.”

“What?” Emma asked, bewildered. I was equally confused; Regina didn’t strike me as the type to offer apologies especially to someone she disliked.

“I just have to accept the reality that you want to be here.” A flicker of something unnameable crossed her features, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more beneath the surface.

“That”s right, I do,” Emma said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. 

“And you’tr here to take my son from me.” said Regina.

Here we go again. I could feel a long and complicated discussion looming ahead. I walked over to where Regina kept her liquor, raising an eyebrow to see if she’ll let drink some. She nodded, her expression a mix of surprise and disapproval at my choice to drink so early.

“Okay, let’s be clear. I have no intention of taking him from anyone,” Emma stated, making Regina turn her attention back to Emma. I returned to the couch with my drinking hand, feeling slightly more fortified for the conversation.

“I know I’m not a mother. I think that’s pretty self-evident. But I did have him and I can’t help it—he got in my head, and I want to make sure he’s ok.” Emma says in steady voice as she tries to reason with Regina, “The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here, especially after seeing how troubled he is.”

I snorted at that, muttering under my breath, “More like creates trouble for everyone around him.” When I looked up, both Regina and Emma were giving me questioning looks, but thankfully Regina moved on.

“You think he’s troubled?”

“Well, he’s in therapy. And I only got through a couple of pages of his shrink’s notes before you had me arrested. But putting all that aside, he thinks everyone in this town is a fairy tale character.” I sighed, deciding it was time to zone out of this conversation.

“And you don’t?” Regina challenged, her tone sharp.

“How can I? The poor kid can’t tell the difference between fantasy and reality, and its only going to get worse. It’s crazy.” I was growing frustrated, and I needed to express how ridiculous this whole situation was.

“Alright, I can’t do this anymore. Hes a kid they’re allowed to have fantasies. Its sure as hell better than the reality we live in. Is it really that bad to let him believe in what he wants? Maybe the fairy tale characters he chooses reflect their personalities.” I stared intently at Regina hoping to convey the truth of what I knew.

” Plus, Emma you always had your nose in a book until you were twelve, so you have no room to judge.” I shot a look at Emma before returning my gaze to Regina. “Henry is only mad at you now because you think hes crazy having his own fantasies. I mean, can you blame him for being in his own little world when he no friends?”

I downed my drink, feeling the burn in my throat and hoping it would give me a moment of courage.

“It’s not fantasy, and I’m not crazy!” Before either of us could respond, Henry ran away.

“Henry, wait!” Emma shouted after him, but he was already gone.

I turned to Regina, a sense of urgency building inside me. “How long was he there?”

We both stood in silence, waiting for Regina to answer. “Long enough,” she finally replied. a smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

“You knew he be here,” I accused, a sinking feeling setting in my stomach.

“Did I know my son comes here every Thursday at precisely 5:00p.m, so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did. I’m his mother.

With each word, I could fell the mask of the evil queen slipping into place. Yet, part of me couldn’t help but hope that Regina felt a little bad about hurting Henry. Emma looked at Regina, disbelief written all over her face. “Your move Swan.”

“You have no soul! How in the hell did you get like this?” Emma questioned, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and sadness. For brief moment caught a glimpse of something broken beneath Regina’s fierce exterior.

Emma stormed out of the office, leaving me behind. I took deep breathe, my resolve hardening. “We need to talk, Regina,” My tone was firm, and I could tell that she understood I meant business.

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A/N:I would have finished this today but something came up I’ll try post part 2 on Sunday.