Narrated by Kaylee
"As long as we're here, we are going to need somewhere to stay until we are able to go to New York City," I said. "Come on, let's see if there are any rooms available for rent in the diner.
"But we don't have money," Aubrey pointed out.
"I know, but I was thinking that if we did rent a room, then we could pay it off later if we find a job," I replied. "But I guess we probably won't be here long enough to even get the money to pay her back though. But all we can do is try."
"Alright then," Aubrey replied.
We entered Granny's diner and timidly approached the old woman at the counter. "Excuse me," I began shyly.
"Why, what can I get you, Dears?" she asked, looking at us sympathetically. "I've heard that you two are lost. Did you have any luck hearing from your parents yet?"
"We have had no luck yet," I replied with a sigh. "Anyway, we are just wondering if there are any rooms we could rent out. We don't have money yet, but we promise to pay you back as soon as we find a job."
"Why, of course, Honey," she replied. "I do have rooms for rent. I don't charge a high price. I'm happy with you paying me back later, so no need to worry about the money right at this moment. Take all the time you need to find yourselves a job."
"Thank you so much," I said with appreciation.
"Anytime, Dear," she replied. "I'm happy to help. Now, how about some hot chocolate to cheer you up? It's on the house."
"You are really kind," I said with a smile. "We would love some, thank you."
"Here is your key," she said, handing it to me. "Your room will be the first door to the right. As you get yourselves settled, I will get your hot chocolates ready."
We entered our room, and it was small but cozy. We pulled off our shoes and collapsed onto the bed then lay there for a few minutes. Soon, we washed up and returned to the diner. Our hot chocolates, topped with whipped cream and cinnamon, were ready for us, and we sat at the front counter, enjoying them.
That night as we slept, I had an anxious dream of being stuck in Storybrooke forever. I woke up thinking that we were back in our own bed at home, and it took me a moment to realize that we weren't. I took a shower to help calm me down, then we went down to the diner, and as we were about to leave, Granny stopped us and wanted us to have something for breakfast even if we were unable to pay. All she cared about was taking care of us which we very much appreciated. Ruby took our order, and we had some hot chocolate with our breakfast. Archie then entered the diner and approached our table. "Good morning, ladies," he said, tipping his hat. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," I replied.
"So, I was thinking that I could drive you both to New York City, the nearest city from Storybrooke, so that you might have better reception or phone service to reach your parents," he said in a cheery manner. "I am available since I have no scheduled appointments today. Regina has so kindly offered to cover all your costs."
"You would do that for us?" I exclaimed, feeling very excited.
"It would be my pleasure to help my little friends out," Archie responded warmly. "It's the least thing I can do to help. Once you reach your parents, you can have them pick you up in Storybrooke."
"Well, they wouldn't be able to pick us up in Storybrooke because it doesn't show up on google maps," I pointed out. "They wouldn't know where we were."
"Oh, really?" he replied, looking confused. "That's interesting. I guess your parents are going to have to pick you up in New York then. But I can't stay with you there unfortunately. You two will have to get a hotel and wait for your parents to come get you. Will you be fine on your own?" he asked with concern.
"Yes," I responded.
As soon as the mayor provided us with money, we thanked her, then we paid Granny back and thanked her for her hospitality. Then we got into Archie's yellow car. As we were driving toward the sign that read, Leaving Storybrooke, the car's engine suddenly sputtered, then the car stopped, and the hood of the car started to steam. "For Pete's sake!" Archie exclaimed with surprise. He got out and lifted the steaming hood. "The engine appears to have given out," he said, closing the hood of the car. "I hate to disappoint you, ladies, but the trip to New York will have to wait. I just don't understand how my car gave out. It was working just fine earlier today. I am so sorry. I knew how excited you were."
"We totally understand," I replied, trying to keep a straight face. I was secretly disappointed.
"I am going to call for help and will have my car towed to the shop to have it checked out," said Archie. "It could just be that it is an old car."
The car was towed away. We explained to the mayor that the trip was postponed due to the vehicle breakdown, and the mayor reassured us that we would go to New York soon. The two of us hung out at the diner. Suddenly, a young woman approached our table. She was pretty, had a pixie cut, and blue eyes. "Sorry if I am interrupting anything, but I hoped to get to know you both," she said, smiling. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, please," I replied. "We could use the extra company."
"Then I'm glad I came over," she replied, sitting down with us. "Anyway, I'm sorry about your situation. I've heard about everything. I hope you can reach your parents soon. They must be worried sick," she added with much concern.
"Well, hopefully we will be able to contact them soon," I replied, trying to reassure myself.
"I hope so too," she returned. "Anyway, my name is Mary Margaret Blanchard. May I catch your names?"
We told our names.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," she said warmly as she shook our hands. "I hope that we can become friends."
"Of course," I replied. "We'd like that." I really liked Mary Margret in the short time we met her; she was warm and kind. "Anyway, do you know of any jobs that are hiring? We need a job badly now that it looks like we will be staying here for a while."
"I do know that the animal shelter is hiring," Mary Margret replied. "That might be the best option if you love animals."
"That's perfect!" we exclaimed joyfully at the same time. This job is perfect for us, I thought to myself. "Thank you so much!" I said with a big smile.
"I'm glad I could help," Mary Margaret replied, looking pleased. "Anyway, I hope that I'm not asking too much, but I was wondering if you would like to volunteer in my elementary class. I am a teacher, and I could really use the extra help. I thought I might ask, for it could be a good experience for you. You would help pass out papers, read stories to the children, help them with crafts, grade homework, and help me prepare class each morning."
"We would love to," I replied. "That sounds great."
"Oh, I'm glad!" Mary Margret returned happily. "Meet me here tomorrow at seven a.m. Class begins at eight."
"We'll be here," I replied cheerfully.
"Great!" Mary Margret exclaimed. "I'm looking forward. Well, I'd better be going now. It was nice getting to know you both."
"And you," I added. Mary Margret then walked away, and Regina approached our table, watching her leave.
"Well, I see you have just met Miss Blanchard," she said.
"Yes, she's really nice," Aubrey said. "We are going to volunteer to help out in her class."
"Oh, really? That's nice," Regina replied. "I'm sure Miss Blanchard appreciates your help." She then left to order coffee.
Aubrey and I went to the animal shelter and applied for the job. We immediately got it and were very thrilled about it. The pay was ten dollars an hour. We loved the idea of taking care of animals and were scheduled to work every day. Our first shift started tomorrow.
Regina was in her house, and she sat on her sofa next to a man. She said to him, "Sidney, the twins must leave this town as soon as possible. As long as they stay in Storybrooke, they are a threat to my curse. The prophecy certainly did not mean that they would stop my curse from taking everyone here, so that means they are going to break it somehow." Regina took up a red apple and nervously tossed it from one hand to another.
"And that's why they shall leave, my queen," Sidney replied with a grin. "I promise that you will have your happy ending."
"I hope you are right because I certainly don't want to stand around and let them ruin everything," Regina responded, putting the apple back into the bowl with the others.
That morning, we met up with Mary Margret at seven o'clock in the diner, and she bought us coffee, then we headed on our way to the school. She introduced us to her class, and we enjoyed our first day of volunteering. When class ended, Mary Margret thanked us and gave us something as a token of her gratitude. She took out a storybook from her purse that was titled in gold letters, Once Upon a Time, and we accepted it gratefully. "I thought you might enjoy reading this," she said. "No one is ever too old for fairy tales. Strangely, I found it in my closet. It was probably left there by previous owners. Now it's yours."
"Thank you, Miss Blanchard," I replied, admiring the pretty, hard, brown covering of it. "We will definitely read it."
"I'm sure you will enjoy it," Mary Margret responded, looking pleased. "Now thanks again, Girls. I appreciate your help."
We went straight to the animal shelter and began our shift, enjoying our first day a lot. When we were finished at eight o' clock, we grabbed a bite at the diner then went up to our room to relax. We took a shower then lay on the bed. This is when we decided to look at our storybook. I opened the book and flipped through the pages to view all the illustrations, but then suddenly, I stopped short, staring at an illustration very closely. "That's funny... look," I said, pointing at a drawing of two twin girls in cloaks. "This illustration looks like us! Don't they? See?"
"Yeah, they do!" Aubrey exclaimed, looking very fascinated. "It's kind of creepy though," she added.
Then I read the fine print at the bottom of the page, and my eyes nearly popped out of my sockets. I nearly fell out of bed. "No way," I muttered, feeling shocked.
"What is it?" Aubrey asked, watching my astonished expression.
"The print at the bottom of the page reads, Aubrey and Kaylee Seek the Sword of Nayu," I replied with widened eyes. "Our names!"
"You're joking!" Aubrey exclaimed dubiously.
"Read it for yourself then," I replied, shoving the book in her face. As soon as Aubrey read the print, she froze, unable to speak, and slowly looked up at me, looking very astonished. She then quickly tossed the book onto the floor.
"That can't be a coincidence, can it?" she questioned. "It's creepy. The book has us in it!"
"It's just as strange as how we ended up here in this mysterious town," I added nervously. "Nothing is making sense. It's as if... it's almost like... never mind."
"Like magic?" Aubrey finished.
I nodded. "But that's impossible. This book has to only be a coincidence. I'm going to look at it some more." I got off the bed and took it up then got back onto the bed. Aubrey snuggled closer to me to get a good view as I opened it up again. "It's strange how Mary Margret found this book in her closet," I remarked. Suddenly, I landed on a page of a woman with a bunch of dwarfs, and it was titled, Snow White Meets the Dwarfs. "Very odd. Snow White looks a lot like Mary Margret, doesn't she?" I said, turning to Aubrey. "Except Mary Margaret has a pixie and Snow White has long hair. But the resemblance!"
"Okay, now this is getting creepier," Aubrey returned with widened eyes.
"I wonder why this book has no author on it," I pointed out. "It's anonymous, so we may never find out who wrote it."
"That's kind of strange," Aubrey returned.
"We should show Miss Blanchard the pages of this book," I suggested.
"And freak her out? Good idea," Aubrey retorted sarcastically.
I then flipped through the pages and landed on one that was titled in small print on the bottom of the page, Evil Queen Regina Casts the Dark Curse. It showed a picture of what looked like an evil queen. "Now doesn't the Evil Queen look like the mayor?" I pointed out. "The Evil Queen is also named Regina as well, except for the fact the mayor isn't evil; she's friendly."
Aubrey nodded then said, "Anyway, I sure do feel cursed. Okay, I had enough of this freaky book for tonight."
"I need to find out who wrote this book," I said. "If I don't it will bug me. Mr. Gold might know. He seems to know a lot about what is going on in this town. We could visit him tomorrow and ask him about it on our lunch break."
By morning, we met up with Mary Margaret, and I was tempted to mention to her about the book when she asked if we had read it. All I said was that we enjoyed it. During our lunch break, we headed to Mr. Gold's pawn shop and entered. "Can I help you?" Mr. Gold asked, looking up from polishing a watch.
"Yes," I replied, taking out the book from my bag and setting it down in front of him. "It's about this book. Do you know who wrote it? The author's name is not shown."
"That's quite a fine-looking book you have there," Mr. Gold remarked. "And I'm sorry, but unfortunately, I have no idea who the author is."
"There's one more thing," I began.
"And what may that be, Deary?"
"Well, you might not believe us if we told you," I replied.
"Try me."
I took a deep breath and began. "Well, we see characters in this book who look exactly like us. For instance, there are two twin girls in the story that look exactly like us, even with our names, including the Evil Queen who looks just like the mayor and who has her name, and Mary Margret looks exactly like Snow White. Here, I'll show you to prove my point." I turned to the page with us in it then to the page with Snow White then to the one with Regina. Mr. Gold looked very fascinated. "So, what do you think about it?" I asked. "Do you know if an anonymous author is living in Storybrooke? Maybe the author decided to make the characters look like the town's residents," I concluded.
"As far as I'm concerned, there are no authors living here in Storybrooke," replied Mr. Gold.
"Then how do you explain this?" I questioned. "Nothing is making sense! First, we somehow arrive here not remembering anything, now we have this book with us in it!"
"May I ask you where you got it?" Mr. Gold inquired.
"Miss Blanchard gifted it to us," Aubrey replied. "She said she found it in her closet, probably left by previous owners,"
"Ah."
"Why don't you seem so surprised?" I asked.
"Let's just say, not all fairytale stories are fiction," Mr. Gold replied. "Sometimes you just have to believe in something to realize that it is real. This book is what I like to call, special."
"Wait... are you saying it's real?" I questioned. "Like these stories actually happened?"
"Let me ask you something," Mr. Gold began. "Did you ever wonder how you happened to end up here?"
"Uh, we bumped our heads hard, so we can't remember," Aubrey replied. "What does this have to do with the book?"
"Let me ask you one more important question, Deary. Do you believe in magic?"
"Well, not really," I replied.
"Then I would start asking yourself what your heart tells you is real."
Aubrey and I stared at each other. "I need air," I said, turning around. "I need to digest this. I don't believe this. It's too crazy to be true."
"You will one day, trust me," Mr. Gold replied. "You know deep down that this book is more than just any story." We left and Mr. Gold resumed to his polishing. "You will lose, Regina," he murmured to himself. "As soon as they believe, they will break your curse as was prophesied."
We returned to the school, and we felt distracted, then we worked a shift at the animal shelter.
Narrated by Aubrey (continued)
"There's so many mysteries making me go crazy inside of my head," I said, feeling overwhelmed. "If there is an author somewhere here in town who wrote this book, that wouldn't make sense how this person would have been able to write about us since we were in town barely enough for the person to have gotten our names then get that thick book published in such a short time frame. It's just so strange, and I cannot relax until I find out."
"You don't think Mr. Gold could have written it, do you?" Kaylee questioned curiously. "Afterall, he didn't seem in the least bit surprised about it. But I'm sure if we asked him, he'll deny it. All he'd probably say is that it's for us to find out. And I still don't understand why he brought up magic. Why would he seriously think we are that foolish enough to believe our arrival here had something to do with magic. He must be crazy himself, and I don't know about you, but every time I'm around him I feel uncomfortable. There's just something about him..., like I can't explain it."
"I know what you mean," I replied. "And for some reason, I keep getting the feeling there's something he knows about this book that he's not telling us. I just keep wondering if it really has to do with that magic nonsense. Like seriously? How can we just suddenly appear in Storybrooke and find this book with us in it all because of magic? Now that's insane, the craziest thing I ever heard."
"I agree," Kaylee said, nodding. "Anyway, I was thinking if maybe we could go around town tomorrow with the book and ask anyone we come across if they know who wrote it."
"Good idea," I replied. "We can start by going to the diner."
The next day, we arrived in the diner, and we approached everyone there, asking if they knew anything about the book, but the only response that we got back was "No." We then decided to order some coffee and sit down for just a bit before we headed out. As we were drinking coffee at a booth, just then, Regina walked in. Right as she glanced at us, I saw her gaze turn to the book, then she approached us. "What are you reading?" she curiously asked, grinning, as she glanced down at our opened book lying on the table, which showed the page with the Evil Queen on it. I quickly closed the book and replied, "Oh, it was just a gift from Mary Margret."
"How thoughtful," replied the mayor, still eyeing the book.
"Do you have any idea who wrote it?" Kaylee asked. "For some reason, there's no author named on it."
"How strange," Regina responded. "And I don't know who wrote it unfortunately. But would you mind if I had a look at it? It looks quite interesting."
Kaylee and I cast uncertain glances since we didn't know how she'd respond if she saw that we were in the book and that the Evil Queen in it had her name and looked exactly like her which she may take offense to or get mad at, thinking someone here wrote her like that on purpose. "Sure," I replied since it would be rude to refuse Regina's request. Just as Regina took up the book and started flipping through it, suddenly, her expression changed abruptly into an appalled-looking one, making us very curious and suspicious to why. Instantly, I had the feeling she knew something about this book, or perhaps she was just shocked how much the people in town looked like the characters in the book, especially seeing us in the book.
And just as I was about to question her why she looked appalled, she said, "Would you mind if I held onto this for a while?" Immediately, Kaylee and I grew more suspicious than ever.
"Well---" I began hesitantly.
"It will only be for a little while," Regina interrupted. "You see, I've actually been looking for the perfect book to read to the children at the school, and this is the perfect one. I've been planning to surprise the children for some time now. Even Mary Margaret does not know yet. I'm sure she will be pleased to hear that this book is going to bring a lot of children joy. Children do love fairy tales, and I believe it's important to encourage their imagination, an essential part of their development. I promise to give this book back once I'm done with it."
As much as we didn't want to let her borrow the book, we knew it would be very rude to refuse, so we consented. Afterall, she had been very thoughtful to us, so this was the least we could do in return. I just told myself that we were overreacting. I was curious if she thought the Evil Queen looked like herself and wondered if she did, then if she'd skip over those pages when reading to the kids. I figured that if the children saw the resemblance, then they might start calling her the Evil Queen which I thought would be hilarious, but it certainly would not be hilarious to the mayor who was not evil at all.
"I keep wondering why Regina looked so fearful when she flipped through the book," Kaylee said, looking perplexed, after the mayor left the diner with the book.
"That's why I'm suspicious," I replied. "I need to know or it's going to drive me crazy. Next time I see the mayor, I am going to ask her if I don't chicken out."
That night I had a dream, and in this dream, I stood in the middle of a beautiful forest, and this forest was not the woods in Storybrooke but rather a forest that almost seemed enchanted with all the sunlight streaming through the trees, creating sun patches everywhere. Then a beautiful woman wearing a white cloak who looked exactly like Mary Margret except that she had long hair instead, approached me, and she was carrying a basket full of blackberries. Then I woke up, sweating and quickly sat up which woke Kaylee up. "What's wrong?" she asked sleepily, sitting up.
"I just had a dream that I was in a beautiful forest with who appeared to be Mary Margret except that she had long hair and was wearing a white cloak," I replied.
"You probably only dreamed that since we've been looking at that Once Upon a Time book a lot," Kaylee replied with a yawn.
"Yeah, I know...," I began, "but for some odd reason, this dream felt like it was more than just a dream; I feel like I've been to that forest before and that I've seen Mary Margret there before too like as if this dream was a memory. It just felt so real. It feels like... like a deja'vu."
"It probably is," Kaylee replied, "but not a real one. Sometimes I have dreams where I feel like I've been to that place in my dream even if I have not."
"I guess that's it," I replied. "After looking at that book so much, it must have really sunk deep into my thoughts until it started to make me confuse those stories with reality."
That morning, Regina came into the classroom as Mary Margret, Kaylee, and I were getting class ready. "Do you mind if I read to the children on their recess today?" she asked, approaching us.
"That would be wonderful!" said Mary Margret. "They'd love that."
"Oh, good!" the mayor replied with a grin. "I'm looking forward. I'll see you around one."
Later that day at recess time, Regina came, and Mary Margret gathered up the children to the lawn where Regina already was. As soon as the children sat down on the grass, Mary Margret announced to them, "Now Class, we have a special guest who would like to read to you all."
"Well, hello kids," said the mayor enthusiastically. "Who loves the adventurous story about a hero who steals from the rich to give to the poor?" Just then, she took out a book, but it was not our Once Upon a Time book; it was a book titled, Robin Hood.
Kaylee and I exchanged suspicious glances. "I thought she said she was going to read our book to them," I whispered to Kaylee. "Then that means she could give it back if she's not going to use it."
"She probably realized the kids might start calling her the Evil Queen if they saw the resemblance," Kaylee whispered back, looking amused. "Just like what you said."
"Totally," I replied with a silent giggle.
After the mayor read for quite a while, the kids cleared away and headed to class. Kaylee and I decided to approach Regina and question about why she decided not to read our book. Once we took up the courage and did, Regina replied, "That was the plan all along, but mysteriously, I somehow misplaced it somewhere. I can't recall if I misplaced it at my office or my house, but because I was not able to find it yet, I had to choose another story. I'm very sorry for already losing your book. I don't know where my head is," she added with a chuckle. "I know how much it meant to you, but I'll make sure to have my eye out for it. I'm sure it will turn up somewhere."
Kaylee and I quickly cast disappointed glances. "It's okay," I replied, trying to keep a straight face even if I felt upset. "It's just a book."
"Oh, I'm glad you aren't upset," the mayor replied. "Oh, and by the way," she added, changing the subject, "great job on volunteering."
After she left, for some reason, I kept having this skeptical feeling that Regina was lying, saying that she misplaced the book, but I knew that I should not jump to that conclusion before evidence. But Kaylee and I both agreed that she didn't sound in the least bit sorry that she had lost it. But even saying that I knew would be wrong without proof. After all, saying both of those things could be that we were just putting out frustrations out on her. But once I thought about how much hospitality that she had showed us, I felt bad for thinking those thoughts about her. Then I told myself that perhaps she was telling the truth and she really did feel sorry.
As Kaylee and I were taking a walk, we decided to stop by Mr. Gold's shop because I wanted to bring up my dream to him since he seemed to know about the book. I wasn't worried if he'd think I was crazy if I told him my dream felt real; after all, he seemed to think the conclusion to our problems was magic, and that was crazier. But regardless, I still felt the need to speak to him since this dream kept gnawing on me. Once we went in and I brought up my dream, he replied, "They say dreams can be memories, memories of a past life, so whatever you feel in your heart is real, then I wouldn't doubt myself, Deary.
Narrated by Kaylee (continued)
That night I had a dream that Aubrey and I were galloping on horses through a beautiful forest, and I saw a beautiful castle in the distance. Then I awoke and sat up in bed.
Aubrey woke up. "What is it?" she asked sleepily.
I turned to her. "You know that forest you dreamed about?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"I had a dream that we were galloping on horses through that same beautiful forest you described, and I saw a beautiful castle in the distance," I replied. "I feel like I've been to that forest before and saw that castle before too. It felt so real, the same feeling you had, like... like a deja'vu. You probably will only say I had it because you told me your dream, but it felt like it was a memory just like what you said. Mr. Gold did say that dreams can be memories of a past life, so maybe the dream I had meant something," I concluded, "like it really happened, just like your dream, but we just forgot."
"Maybe the mayor is intentionally trying to keep us from reading the book because of that reason," Aubrey pointed out. "I feel like she is trying to hide something especially because of her expression when she looked through the book. Now I think it was an excuse when she said that she misplaced it. Like seriously? How can a book be misplaced in less than two days? I'm sure she's not that absentminded especially because she's a mayor. I shouldn't accuse, but now I feel really certain she was lying."
"How about if she still has not given our book back in two more days then we can bake her cookies and go knock on her door," I replied. "That way, she will feel the need to invite us in, and then we can go search for our book if it's somewhere in her house. One of us could distract her, while the other can make an excuse to use the bathroom in order to look for the book."
"That sounds like a good plan, but what if she is on to us?" Aubrey replied. "She could be even more clever than we realize."
"Well, we will just have to take the chance," I returned.
"So, when do we start?" Aubrey asked.
"Saturday after our shift," I replied.
As we worked that day, we were introduced to a new employee. His name was David Nolan, and he was very friendly and handsome. He had light-blue eyes, blond hair, and a tall, well-built stature. We thought he looked just like Prince Charming in our book. We had a nice, long chat with him and told him how we were only staying in Storybrooke temporarily and that we couldn't reach our parents due to the poor reception. I was also curious if he knew Mary Margret, so I told him that we helped in Mary Margret's class during the day. He said that they were good friends. David then offered that we have lunch with him in the diner during our lunch break. We met him at the diner, and Mary Margret happened to be there. She looked up from her book to look at him, and as soon as he turned a smiling gaze at her, she quickly looked back down which Aubrey and I thought was strange. David decided to approach her. "Hey, Mary Margret," he said warmly. "It's nice to see you. Why don't you join us?"
"Oh, thank you for the offer, but I should be going now," Mary Margret replied, quickly standing up.
"Oh, okay then," he responded. "Well, it was nice seeing you. I hope that we could meet up some time." And for a moment, they locked gazes, then Mary Margret broke the awkward silence.
"That would be nice," she replied, smiling, then she turned to leave.
David sat back down with us, and he watched Mary Margret leave. Aubrey and I looked at each other, confused, but we decided not to mention anything. Then David resumed talking and eating with us.
Two days later, since we still had not gotten our book back, we asked Mary Margret if we could bake cookies with her, and to our delight, she happily offered that we come to her apartment to bake them there. As we baked, we decided to ask her about David. "I have feelings for him, but he is married to a woman named Kathryn, so I must forget about him. But I just can't seem to. Every time I see him, it's painful." Her voice swelled with emotion. "I can't seem to move on. I have this aching feeling in my heart, for it hurts too much. He told me that he feels the same about me, but he has to respect that he is married, and I have to as well. Every morning I use to get up extra early to come to the diner the same time David did when he ordered coffee just so that I could see him, but I decided to stop coming at that hour so that I could be spared the pain. I try to avoid seeing him as much as possible now." I put my hand on Mary Margret's hand to comfort her, and she smiled at me. "Well, I won't let my pain stop us from having a fun girls' day. Let's finish the cookies now."
The chocolate chip cookies were now warm and out of the oven, and we enjoyed some with Mary Margaret. She planned to keep some for her class, and Aubrey and I packed some in a container for Regina. Mary Margret thought it was a very sweet idea; after all, the mayor was very generous to us. Aubrey and I felt a little guilty because our true intentions of giving the mayor cookies only involved looking for our book.
We soon walked over to the mayor's house and knocked on her door. She opened it to us, and her face grew surprised. "Why, what a surprise!" said the mayor. "What brings you here, Dears?"
"Here, we baked you cookies to show our gratitude for everything you have done for us," I replied, handing her the container of cookies.
"Oh, how sweet," Regina said. "Chocolate chip are my favorite," she added, opening the lid. "And they were just baked I could tell. Here, how about you come in." She pulled the door open and beckoned us in. "You can stay for tea, and we could chat for a little while."
"Thank you," I replied, relieved that she invited us in. She led us into her luxurious living room, and we sat down.
"Now feel welcome to make yourself at home," Regina said. "I'm going to start a pot of tea now." The whole house was so lavish, and I gazed around in awe. She returned with two steaming cups of tea, and we accepted them gratefully. She sat down on an armchair and placed a plate of cookies onto the coffee table. "Delicious cookies, I'd say the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had."
We smiled and there was momentarily awkward silence. Then I broke it. "Would you mind if I used the bathroom?" I asked.
"Not at all," Regina replied. "The bathroom will be down the hall to the right."
Aubrey quickly turned to look at me, and I could tell she hated that she was going to be alone to make conversation with the mayor. I quickly left to go search for the book. I searched each room thoroughly, pulling out drawers, looking on bookshelves, looking in closets, etc. I even checked Regina's bedroom and did not find it there. I had no luck and returned dejectedly. Aubrey looked at me questionably, but I returned her gaze with a sigh and a shake of my head. Regina then said to me, "Your sister and I were just talking about your job at the animal shelter. I'm glad you are enjoying it there."
"Yeah, we are," I replied. Then there was awkward silence, and I nervously twirled my thumbs. Suddenly, the phone rang.
"Oh, if you would excuse me, I better get that," said Regina. "It's probably an important call." I was relieved that there was no more awkwardness. Regina picked up the phone that was in the kitchen and walked into another room.
"So, no luck I assume," Aubrey concluded.
"Yep, no luck," I replied with a heavy sigh, slumping against the cushions.
"It has to be here somewhere," Aubrey said. "Maybe I could look now, and you can talk to the mayor."
"No, you will only search the places I searched," I replied. "Besides, I'm sure you didn't have much fun trying to make conversation with the mayor, so that means I won't. I don't want you to leave me alone with her."
"Okay, if you say so," Aubrey returned.
Suddenly, Regina got off the phone and sat back down on the armchair, with her hands folded on her lap. "Well, I have good news," she began. "Sheriff Graham has just called, offering to drive you both to New York City tomorrow morning. Isn't that exciting? You will finally be able to reach your parents."
Aubrey and I knew we would normally feel very thrilled, but after being interested in our book and its secrets, we hoped to stay for some more time since we didn't want to leave without answers. We just looked at each other without a word.
"Well, aren't you excited?" Regina asked, shifting her gaze from Aubrey then to me.
"Yeah, I'm excited," I returned.
"Well then, start packing your bags," said Regina. "I'm so happy for you both. I must make you a special go-away treat."
"Well, we better be going now; we would hate to overstay our welcome," I said.
"Well then, I had a wonderful time talking with you both," Regina said. "And thank you again for the cookies. They are out of this world." She let us out and waved as we were leaving. Then she went into her apple orchard. They were all turning black, and some were fallen, black globs that were surrounded by flies. She picked a black apple from the tree and squeezed it until it oozed out of her hand. Now my curse will no longer be weakened. They shall leave and I will make sure it stays that way, she smirked in thought.
"We can't leave tomorrow!" I said. "Not after everything!"
"We could just tell the mayor we hope to stay a little longer," Aubrey replied.
"But at the same time, we have to think about Mom and Dad," I put in. "They are probably worried. But I don't want to leave at the same time. It's clear that there is something weird going on. Just look at how the mayor reacted to our book."
"Then what do we do?" Aubrey asked.
"Well, we are going to be driven to New York City, so we just have to be grateful for that," I replied with a sigh.
We hung out at the diner, and Mary Margaret soon joined us at the table. We explained to her about everything. "Well, your parents will sure be happy to hear from you," she said. "At the same time, I hate goodbyes," she added solemnly. "Say, how about you two come to my place and we have a girls' night. I can make popcorn, and we can watch any movie you like. Afterall, I want to make the most out of this time when you are still here."
"That sounds great," I replied.
That night, Regina ventured into the woods and came to a mausoleum, and she opened the door of it. She pushed a large coffin which revealed a secret stairway that led underground into her vault which was full of shelves containing chests. She then ventured into a potion room then moved a mirror out of the way, revealing a door that led her straight into a lavish bedroom. She took out a chest from under the bed and opened it up. There was the book. She took it up, staring at its cover, and grinned maliciously. "No more fairytales for you, Twins," she muttered. "This is now reality."