Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time {Prologue}

"never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting"

-Peter Pan

Prologue: Reversed Roles

A M E L I A

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"There was only one person in the universe that loved fairy tales as much as I did.

My mother.

She'd read to me every night without fail. Sometimes she'd read a silly story, sometimes she read a fairy tale, and sometimes she made up her own. My favorite were always the fairy tales though. She told them with so much passion and love. I would look at her in awe as she read.

Dad always got home late but he never failed to tuck me into bed every night. I remember when I was really young, mom would read stories to both my brother and I and my dad would sneak up behind her, his tie undone and suit unbuttoned. He'd hold his finger up to his lips and wink at us. We'd try and hide our giggles from mom, already knowing what was coming.

He'd come up behind her and scare her and it got her every time. Or at least, that's what my five year old brain thought.

Sometimes Ashton and I joined in on the fun and sometimes I'd just sit there and watch them. Even being a young kid, I always knew how in love they were just by looking at them. It was obvious.

As I got older Mom no longer read to Ashton, him claiming he was 'too cool' to be read baby stories, but no matter how old I got, my love for them never wavered.

And though my mom had every reason to be bitter as she sat in a hospital bed, she'd smile as the roles reversed and I read stories to her. She'd interrupt me every few seconds, expressing her opinion on the story or the characters but I never minded.

I mean, up until that point, she had taken care of me the twelve years i'd been on this earth, the least I could do for her was read.

My mother had gotten sick right around the time I went into junior high and my brother in highschool. I'd come straight from cheer practice to the hospital and show her what we'd been working on every day.

Ashton may have only been a freshmen, but anyone with eyes could see that he was talented. He thrived in school and was even better in football. Mother was too sick to leave the hospital but dad always recorded the games for her to watch later.

We never blamed her for missing some of our stuff. It wasn't her fault she was sick and despite us always reassuring her we understood, she always felt guilty.

I remember in one of the tapes, Ashton had scored his first touchdown and mom just broke down in hysterics. She undoubtedly wanted to be there fo us but as she put it, 'The stupid doctors keep running stupid tests and giving me stupid results that wont let me leave the stupid hospital.' Dad would just chuckle at her immaturity and kiss the top of her head.

And just like that, I blinked and my best friend, the person I would give my life for, my mother, was ripped from my hands.

I won't ever forget the words she said. Not ever.

I was reading to her when I noticed her heart monitor was slowing. She grabbed my arm, looked me in the eyes, and said 'You are an astonishment, a paradox, something not anyone else can be. Don't you ever doubt yourself Amelia Bethany Senfranic. You have more kindness in the tip of your finger than most people have in their whole body. No one can take that away from you. No one can take away the love I have for you.'

I'm sure she got that out of a book we've read but I was too hysterical to care. My mother's grip tightened and then dropped as the heart monitor flat lined. I don't remember much of what happened after that.

My mind couldn't comprehend what had just happened. My heart ached, my whole body ached.

After that, I wasn't sure I'd ever really be okay, I'm still not, five years later.

And you know, that's not even the worst part.

The funeral was when I'd really lost it. I can't even think about it without a full on panic attack, not that I'd want to recall that dreaded day anyway."

I clear my throat and blink away the moisture in my eyes. I look up at Dr. Eberhart for the first time since i've gotten here. She finished writing whatever she was writing and adjusted her glasses before looking at me.

She looked at me like she wanted to pick apart my brain, know everything I refused to tell her. The thought made me nervous and I shift uncomfortably under her unwavering gaze.

"I'd like to compliment you, Amelia. Not only for being so strong since the passing of your mother, but for opening up to me about it," I give her a tight lipped smile silently telling her thanks.

She sighs knowing there's not much more she can get out if me. I mean, it's taken her years just to get me to open up this much. Pushing me any further, wouldn't end well for either of us.

She looks at the watch on her wrist and stands up, brushing off the nonexistent dust from her gray, pencil skirt.

"I'll see you next Wednesday for your next session?" She says as more of a question than a statement.

I nod in conformation. We shake hands as a goodbye and I step out of the stuffy office finally feeling like I can breath. I take a deep breath and continue through the hallways feeling worse than when I came here.

*~*~*~*~*~

Song for the chapter: Say Something- A Great Big World

So, as you can tell, this chapter is a lot different than what id originally wrote. I will have mainly the same characters and the same plot but with minor changes.

I hope you liked this chapter as much as the original or even more. I will slowly be editing each chapter and posting it as I edit it. I hope this revised version will be less disappointing than the original. I just had really grown as a writer since I first started writing this book and wasn't happy with how it was turning out. I think I'll like this version much better and I hope you will too.

In the meantime, I appreciate your patience

Thank you, you beautiful people <3