Once Upon a Time: Ever After High (Book 14)

Ch.34 Uncomplicated

At Gabi's bar, Kayla took a seat at a table with a glass of beer by her side as she stared at the wolf mask in front of her, remembering what Bea had told her earlier about hiding her past. And as she took a sip of her beer, she spotted someone standing in front of her as she looked up to see Skyler.

"Mind if I sit?" she asked as Kayla motioned her hand to the chair in front of her as the officer took a seat "You look kind of down, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," the detective assured while taking another sip of her drink.

"Well um- I don't know if now's the best time to tell you this, but I kinda did some research on you-"

At that point, Kayla stared at the officer while feeling her heart dropping.

"I'm sorry but- it's what do when whenever we hire someone for a case" Skyler explained, "And um- is it true about your parents?"

Knowing she was caught, Kayla let out a sad sigh while moving her beer to the side.

"Yes," she mumbled, "My mother was a cop, and she had an affair with an inmate who is now my dad."

She nervously bit her lip. She didn't want to continue but at the same time, she felt that Skyler should know the truth if she was going to be working with them.

"My dad wasn't a real criminal if that's what you're thinking, he was accused of a crime he didn't commit. But even after proving his innocence, they still fired my mom. But not only that, she was pregnant with my sister when she got fired. It was hard for them at first, they admitted that they were terrible people back then."

Skyler noticed that Kayla's eyes were beginning to water as she wiped them away.

"But eventually," Kayla continued with a sniff "They were able to find happiness. They got married after having my sister, and then they made me. But even to this day, I never like talking about my past and letting everyone know who I really am; the daughter of a cop and an inmate. However, my parents are what actually inspired me to be a detective, I was told that I have sharp senses that would make me good for the job. And they were right, thanks to my senses and other skills, I've been able to catch a lot of bad guys."

"I've noticed" Skyler smiled, "I've been reading the stories online, you're pretty good."

"Thanks," Kayla replied with a small smile.

"And look, I understand what you've been through, and I get that you don't want people to find out who your parents are. But that doesn't mean you should always hide who you are. I think you're a great detective, and I'm really glad you're here to help out."

Kayla once again gave a small smile, feeling calmer than before.

"Thanks, Skyler," she said softly as the officer smiled back when she turned to the wolf mask on the table "That's a really nice mask you got there, where'd you get it?"

"I don't remember actually" Kayla replied while picking up the mask and stared at it "I've always liked wolves, I feel like I connect with them. And yet this mask is a reminder of the times when I would hide who I am from the world all because I was afraid. Even without this mask, I still feel like I'm wearing one."

Skyler looked down at the mask and then back at Kayla when an idea came to her.

"But you don't have to wear that mask anymore," she told the detective "If someone doesn't accept you for who you are, that's their problem, not yours. I know you want to be free from your mask, and you can start by getting rid of this one since you say it's a reminder of your past."

Looking down at her mask, Kayla let out a sigh while sliding it over to the officer.

"Take it" she offered "I don't care what you do with it, just take it. I don't wanna see it anymore."

Seeing how she was already fighting through her mask, Skyler gave a smile as she took the mask.

"I'll find a place to put it," she said when she checked the time on her watch "Anyway, I gotta get going. We'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be there," Kayla nodded with a smile.

As Skyler got up to leave, on the other side of the bar, Brooke sat at a table while reading a book in front of her when someone placed a bottle of beer in front of her as she looked up to see that it was Ross.

"Trick or Treat?" he smiled while taking a seat next to her as he placed his beer to the side.

"What's this?" she asked while pointing to the beer.

"Something better than the cheap antifreeze you're drinking. It's a gift for helping me put, well, me first for once. And for listening to my side of the story. No one ever does that."

Brooke gave a small smile as she closed her book and put it to the side.

"I know it's not gonna be easy to stand up to your mother," she told him.

"Yep," he chuckled "Now, you are going to drink with me until I'm ready to face her. But uh, what happened to Shannon and Aaron? I thought you'd be out getting adult-onset diabetes."

"Well," she sighed "I guess you're braver than I am."

"Couldn't take a chance and do the scary thing after all, huh?"

"It's complicated."

"Hm," he smirked while picking up his bottle and holding it out to her "Well then, to keeping things uncomplicated."

She returned the smile as she picked up her bottle as they gave a toast before taking a sip of the beer. And at that moment, once Brooke had her eyes down, Ross couldn't take his eyes off of her. For the first time in a while, he felt himself smiling about a person who actually made him less stressed than usual. And for once, he was glad to have met someone like her.