A Smaller Savior

3 - The Storybook

Living with Mary Margaret was different than anywhere Emma had ever lived before. She was not going to complain about that fact though. Mary Margaret ended up being honest about her demands. They ate regularly. The food was better than anything Emma had ever had before.

A bedtime was established and Mary Margaret never once said anything about Emma's window being cracked open. The potential escape route made Emma feel better even though she hadn't come close to needing it in the week since she'd been staying there.

Mary Margaret wanted to ask about Emma's past but held herself back. Emma was just becoming more comfortable around her. She didn't want to ruin that by pushing her too hard. She knew the young girl would run at the first sign of trouble. But Mary Margaret was too responsible to look after a child and not think about school. She was a teacher after all.

"I don't want to go," Emma stated for the hundredth time as she ate her cereal. Mary Margaret sighed.

"You need to go to school. You'll be able to meet some kids your age and you'll be able to learn about things." The enthusiasm in her voice made Emma cringe. It didn't help that Mary Margaret was undoubtedly a morning person whereas Emma was undoubtedly not. It was too early for this in Emma's opinion.

"Kids my age are annoying and the things you learn in school are useless." Mary Margaret's heart dropped at Emma's statement. It was just another testament to everything she must have gone through before coming here.

"Some are but you never know who you might meet," she said trying a different approach. "The stuff you learn in school might seem useless now but it's the foundation for learning other things down the road. Won't you just give it chance?" Emma made the mistake of looks at the woman as she said this. The hopeful look on her face was enough to get Emma to cave. She didn't have the heart to shatter it.

"Fine," Emma sighed rolling her eyes. "But if I still don't like it after a week I can stop going."

"You have a deal," Mary Margaret told her sticking out her hand. They shook on it, and that's how Emma was roped into going to school.

Mary Margaret made sure to enroll her in her own class. She was determined to get Emma to like school if it was the last thing she did. The week passed quickly and to Emma's surprise she found herself looking forward to going each day.

Some of the kids were dreadfully annoying but there were a few that weren't too bad. But it was the lessons that really snagged her. Mary Margaret knew how to teach. Emma actually found herself enjoying learning which is something no teacher of hers had ever accomplished before.

So when Emma came down the next week ready to go to school Mary Margaret didn't say anything but on the inside she was jumping for joy. Already in the time that Emma had spent under her care, the young girl had come a long way. She was closer to a healthy weight and seemed happier overall. At some point they would have to talk about Emma's past but for now it could wait until the young girl was ready to confront it.

It was a couple days later when Mary Margaret noticed Emma reading a rather unusual book during reading hour. She paused beside her desk staring at the brown leather book.

"What's that?" she asked her. Emma glanced up at her and realized she was asking about the storybook.

"It's a book I....found," Emma said not wanting to admit breaking into and staying in the abandoned library. Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows catching the hesitation but she didn't question her further on it thankfully.

"What's it about?" Mary Margaret crouched beside her desk.

"It's a book of fairytales but they're different," Emma explained with more passion than Mary Margaret had ever seen the girl have about anything.