The Reader

Chapter twelve

Regina pulls me along with her, but I manage to get rid of her her grip on my arm. "Miss Mills, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking for trouble." I start to explain and apologize. However she interrups me by holding up her hand. "I don't mind, it was all that stupid dwarf's fault. I can't wait to get his tiny body in my hand. He'll pay for this." I shake my head, disturbed by her need for vengence. "Seriously, I don't want that. I'd rather leave this all behind. Would you mind if I skip this morning with Henry though? I'd rather just cool off a bit more. Shall we make a new appointment for his tutoring, in the afternoon perhaps?" She nods, although I can see her head is still working on her vengence. I tell her goodbye and decide to go somewhere to buy a new shirt. This will be a good opportunity to test if I can take stuff from here back home with me.

After wandering around for a while, I stumble across Belle. "Hi," She looks up and is confused for a moment before she remembers me from the day before. "Good to see you again," She smileys to me before eyeing my clothing and frowning at the jacket. "Even though your sense of fashion has decreased." I explain the situation to her and decide to spend the rest of the morning with her, in which she helps me shopping. I know Emma will step by soon enough, to check on Belle to see if she's still Lacey. All I have to do is stick with her until that happens, then I'll have my chance to speak to Emma properly. If anyone can help her with my plan, it is her and Henry. To my surprise it is actually fun spending time with Belle, or Lacey. We go shopping while she animatedly tells me about her time here, which she found very confusing. "Seriously, everyone tells me I'm Belle. Whoever that is, she'd better come soon and spread some light on the whole situation. It is starting to freak me out." She complains as I try on a new outfit. This time I'm wearing a new pair of dark red jeans, combined with a black leather belt which matches my boots and a black shirt which shows a modest clevage. I finish it with my jacket. "You look totally badass," She compliments me. "Wear it tonight, when we go out." "Since when are we going out tonight? I've got to help Henry with his math." I tell her, not wanting to decline but also not wanting to waste time partying while stories are disappearing. "Really, you teach that boy while everyone hates his mother? That's very brave of you." I shrug. "It's not like he can help it." She seems to think about that for a moment before admitting I'm right. "So, we're going tonight since helping Henry won't be untill that late in the evening." She concludes and I know there is no escaping it. Therefore I suggest we invite Ruby as well. After promising I'll make sure Ruby won't call her Belle, she finally agrees. I roll with my eyes at her stubborness.

I spend the whole afternoon with Henry. We work on math, which he seems pretty good at. As soon as he's finished, we spend the rest of the time working on the book. He tells me about them and I fill in some storylines I know from watching the Disney movies. Of course he knows some, like Peter Pan, but not all. I sing some familiar songs with him. It saddens me that I'm probably the only one he can have fun with at the moment. At the end of our time together, I slip my painting of his mother between the pages of his book before leaving. 

Since I've got nowhere to go I eat at Granny's diner with Ruby, who's on a break from her work there. As I order a spaghetti pesto from Granny, I ask her if she'd like to join me and Belle tonight. She smiles and happily accepts the offer. "I thought Belle didn't like me, since I tried to help her remember who she is. What made her change her mind?" "She still doesn't like that you did that, but as long as you don't call her Belle, it will be fine." I assure her. "And of course, you don't call me by my old name. I think Pochahontas will freak her out." I wink and the cheerfull mood is back again. We talk and laugh for a while. Ruby tells me all the gossip, who is dating who, who has an old fairytale crush or problem with who. She even tells me all the gossip about  Emma. So I try to pretent I didn't know she used to be a criminal, dated someone named Neal and got a son Henry whom she gave off to adoption and got adopted by Regina. I react shocked at that last past, overdoiing it with a little gasp. "Really, they share a son? Wow, o my god." Jannet would have been so proud of me, to  see me act like this. "Now I understand why they hate eachother so much. "Who hates who?" A voice from behind me asks. I turn my head to see my favorite blonde standing behind us. I scratch my neck awkwardly and Ruby avoids eye contact. "Er.. Tom and Jerry." I say, regretting this stupid answer immediately. Emma frowns and raises an eyebrow. "Since, you know, they are symbols for good and evil. Much more than they're just a cat and a mouse. They are ying and yang, good and evil. And yet they show us that there is more to life than that. They show that nothing is as black and white as it seems, since both Tom and Jerry have good reasons for their behavior." I'm proud of myself for this cover up of my stupid answer, with a very Pochahuntas-like answer. "You're a very interesting girl, you know that?" She asks while staring at me intensely, like she can see though all my masks and knows all my secrets. Of course, that is impossible. However, I get the feeling she knows I'm not really who I say I am, since she can always tell if someone is lying. "Yes, thank you." I say awkwardly, biting my lower lip. I avoid her stare and in stead just look at my hands. "You know what?" Ruby changes the subject. "Why don't you come join us tonight, Emma? We're going out, together with Belle. It might be a good opportunity to get Belle to loosen up towards us, so that we can help her better." Emma's eyes don't leave mine as she thinks about the offer for a while. Then she looks up to her dark-haired friend and smiles kindly. "I'd love to. Shall we meet in one hour at the square?" She suggests, which we both agree to. However in stead of leaving she focusses on me again. "I'm sorry to ask, but since I'm the sherrif in town I'd have to. How old are you?" I chuckle silently, since it's unbelievable she still watches the drinking age limit, while there are kids fighting monsters in this town. "I'm twentythree," I tell her, not exactly lying since Pochahuntas is around that age. "My people just seem to age slower." She nods understandingly. With this, our appointment is set and we all go our ow way and prepare for the upcoming evening, which in my case means hanging around the library on my own to pass the time.