ᴘᴇʀꜱᴇᴘʜᴏɴᴇ | once upon a time [ EDITING ]

- ʜᴇʀᴇ'ꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴄᴜʀꜱᴇᴅ.

- ʜᴇʀᴇ'ꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴄᴜʀꜱᴇᴅ.

Wendy's hands envelop a mug filled to the brim with hot cocoa. She pulls up her shoulders a little and closes her eyes as she enjoys the warmth. Presley takes her mug from Granny's hands and mutters a thank you. Her eyes drift from Granny to her friend. Her fingers were laced around the mug and her face hovers just above it, warm steam heating her up.

"I-I can almost not believe it. You're actually back. Everyone is actually back," Wendy says. Her brown eyes never leave Presley, as if she was afraid she would be gone again if she let herself look away. Presley reaches out with her hand and envelops hers. "I can't believe it either. But here we are. As if we were never gone at all." Wendy smiles at her friend in enthusiasm. She was so happy to be reunited with Presley and now they were even going to live together. It was a bummer that she did not get to experience much time with her two older brothers, but they understood her need to find Presley when Hook arrived on their doorstep and allowed her to go off on the adventure. Full of excitement, Wendy asks if Presley had yet spoken to Emma or the Charmings.

When the next few moment were filled with utter silence, Wendy sensed that something was wrong. She purses her lips and tries to come over as stern, but failed horribly. "Presley, what is wrong," she inquires softly. The other girl started squirming in her seat and avoiding Wendy's brown eyes. There was definitely something going on here, the Darling girl concludes. She curves an eyebrow at her, silently waiting for her to speak up. Eventually, Presley realised she wouldn't leave the subject alone until she spoke up and decided to be honest.

"Okay, perhaps they don't know I have come back from the Enchanted Forest too yet."

Wendy leans back, starting to stutter as she tries to comprehend the thought. "B-but how did no one notice you have come back with them? I-I mean, Granny just saw you and didn't seem shocked? Why didn't you go out and tell somebody? Wha-what is going on?" Wendy was going off like firework and starts to become louder, so Presley shushes her. "Listen, I don't think the others realise that the Charmings don't know, so they don't talk about it, if that makes sense. Besides, when we just arrived at the Enchanted Forest we almost immediately split up."

The Darling girl now looks even more confused. "But why did you split up? T-they could have helped you.. on your adventure." Presley rolls her eyes when she thinks about the moment they returned to the Enchanted Forest. "Them? Please, they have too many issues themselves to help me solve mine. No, not bringing them along spared me of a lot of baggage. Besides, they were off to Regina's castle and that was not exactly where I wanted to go, so I left shortly after Killian did."

Wendy nods, but the gears in her head were working at a rapid pace. A thought was lingering in her mind. Presley was able to remember the Enchanted Forest pretty well, but when she spoke to Emma yesterday when coming back from meeting Presley she was told that everybody had their memories erased. Nobody knew what had happened in the Enchanted Forest. Presley claimed not to know as well, though she could tell quite a lot of details about something she doesn't remember. Wendy wasn't sure what was happening here or how Presley could know so much about the missing year. Unfortunately, she was not able to ask her friend as Presley looks at her watch and seems shocked.

"Oh, is it time already?" Wendy raises an eyebrow in confusion and shock to see Presley jump up from the table, all of a sudden in a hurry "Time for what? Pres, we aren't done yet with this conversation." The other girl puts on her leather jacket and shows Wendy an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. Let's finish this tonight over dinner, okay?"

Presley quickly waves her goodbye and hurries out of Granny's diner. Her behaviour leaves Wendy wondering if she said something wrong and what she was up to. She was also very confused about the conversation that just transpired. So, did Presley actually know what happened during the missing year? Did she know everything or just parts of it, or maybe even just the beginning?

She wonders why everything was so very confusing. She also wonders if Presley was going to be safe and okay during all of this.

○

Presley looks over her shoulder, a frown displayed between her eyebrows. Her eyes linger on the forest path behind her. Nobody was there. Luckily, since she didn't want anybody following her. She straightens her jacket and heads deeper into the woods. Until now she has not seen another person who took this trail, which was a comforting thought. This was not really their business anyways. Not even Wendy's, though Presley could not stop the pang of guilt that hit her when she thinks of the half-lie she fed her earlier about that she was in a hurry to go.

But it was better if she didn't know. If no one knew. This was a.. minor complication that Presley would have to deal with. Alone. She shrugs her backpack higher on her shoulder and pushes a low hanging branch out of her way. Between all the trees and plants it seemed like hours, though her phone told her it had only been twenty minutes when she reached her desired destination. A small clearing in the forest with right in front of her a large rock and a crack. The entrance to a cave.

Presley drops the bag on the dirt below her boots. She waits for a couple of seconds, but she heard nothing. The girl exclaims a loud sigh of irritation and clear impatience. "I know you heard me. Come out. That is, if you want any food for the coming three days." Presley crosses her arms and waits for a response from the cave.

Another few seconds crawl by when she hears a noise. Footsteps becoming louder. Someone exiting the cave. "Your manners are abysmal, love," a deep voice remarks. Masculine and a little gravelly, as if it was not used often. The blonde scoffs at his words. "Well, I never proclaimed to be well-mannered. After all, I am not the one known for lying, am I?" The figure chuckles. "Indeed, child. Now, can you tell me when I will be able to leave this hideous cave? I've spent enough of my time in those, don't you agree?"

Presley narrows her eyes on the figure that was still hidden in the shadows of the cave. "We both know that you can't. People would immediately be suspecting you of all the sudden disappearances in town. But maybe, when we break this new Dark Curse, we can send you back to the Enchanted Forest. Than you can go.. run rampant like before or... whatever it is you do in your spare time." She throws the backpack towards the entrance of the cave. A hand escapes the dark and pulls the backpack into the shadows.

"You know, a thank you would not hurt," Presley remarks sarcastically, her arms crossed before her chest. Another chuckle errupts from the dark. "Thank you is not in my vocabulary, Persephone," the voice remarks. The backpack was thrown back onto the clearing. Presley scoffs and picks up the backpack. "Of course it isn't," she mumbles as she leaves the clearing.

"See you in three days, Persephone," the masculine voice calls out cheerfully, like a mother wishing their child a good day at school. Presley flips him off and leaves the forest behind her, heading back to Storybrooke.

Hoping, and perhaps even praying, that no one would find out about the cave and its inhabitant.