Once Upon A Time: Goldilocks comes to Storybrooke

Chapter 31

Goldilocks was asleep on the sofa. After she had met her long lost aunt the previous night, as soon as she got home she collapsed onto the sofa and was asleep in less then a minute.

Dr Hopper came down the stairs and saw her. He smiled softly, and carefully shook her awake.

"Hmm, what?" Goldilocks sat up sleepily and looked around.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Dr Hopper joked. "You better get yourself up and ready for school."

"What is even the point of school?" Goldilocks stood up and stretched as Dr Hopper picked up a few of his work papers from the coffee table.

"So you have more knowledge and get a good education," Dr Hopper told her as he put the papers in his work satchel.

"Yes, because I will definitely need to know how to find the area of a triangle in my everyday life," Goldilocks rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "It's alright for you, when you first came to Storybrooke, you were pretty much given all your knowledge of science in a silver platter!"

Dr Hopper laughed softly. "You never know when it might come in handy. In a few years time you'll be glad you found your way to Storybrooke and discovered school."

"Yes, of course I will," Goldilocks said sarcastically as she grabbed a chocolate bar and closed the huge refrigerator door.

"Is that a good idea?" Dr Hopper asked.

Goldilocks froze. "Is what a good idea?" She asked in panic.

"Having candy first thing in a morning?" Dr Hopper nodded to the chocolate in his adopted daughters hand.

"But - IT'S DELICIOUS!!" She yelled.

"And not that good for the first meal of the day," Dr Hopper opened the fridge and fumbled around for a moment before finding a cereal bar. "Here, take this."

"But Dad - " Goldilocks moaned.

"But Goldilocks - " he mocked her voice.

Goldilocks groaned but smiled as she took the cereal bar. She ran to her bag and clicked her fingers. Her hairbrush jumped out of her bag, appeared in her hand, and she brushed her hair whilst her bag opened by itself and her books began to rearrange themselves, and the books that she didn't need for that day flew over to the coffee table and landed there.

Then Goldilocks put her hairbrush down and clicked her fingers again, and her hair began to do itself, until finally it was only in one single ringlet, dropped onto her right shoulder.

"Oh, don't forget that I'm going to Regina's house tonight for dinner," Goldilocks picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I'm not too sure yet, but I may be sleeping at her house as well. I'll ask her to ring you on that talking device."

"You mean a cell phone?" Dr Hopper suggested.

"Yeah, that." Goldilocks opened the door. "See you later!" She called.

"Bye darling," Dr Hopper called as she closed her door.

Darling. That's exactly what Cruella says. Just hearing the word made Goldilocks remember the conversion that had last night. Goldilocks suddenly felt strange, and walked to the bus stop slowly.

Goldilocks had to go into Mr Gold's shop and find the key, and that ring, and then she could find out what happened to her cousin. But what would Cruella want with that ring? What evilness was she planning now?

Goldilocks suddenly felt uneasy, anxious, and no longer hungry. She slipped the cereal bar into her bag and walked to the bus stop as slowly as she could. Maybe if she missed the bus she wouldn't have to go to school that day?

But her idea failed, as when she got to the bus stop and was the rest of her classmates standing there, waiting for the bus to arrive. She scanned their faces quickly and noticed Henry.

"Hi," Henry smiled as she walked up to him. "You took your time! I almost began to think you were coming in today!" He lightly kissed her cheek. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked her.

"No. I mean yes! Well - " Goldilocks looked around to make she no one was listening to them. "I kind of have something to tell you. It's really important that you don't tell anyone. At least not until I've figured out a way to solve it."

Henry nodded. "Sure. I won't tell anyone. What's up?"

Goldilocks took a deep breath. Last night I took Perdita for a walk. And I met my - aunt," Goldilocks began.

"You aunt?" Henry repeated.

Goldilocks nodded. "Yes. I haven't seen her ages. And she told me that my cousin was in Storybrooke too. But I thought my cousin had died in The Enchanted Forest! My aunt said my cousin hasn't aged at all, so she's sixteen, like me."

Henry nodded slowly, trying to process everything. "...Alright."

"My aunt told me to go to Mr Gold's shop, and to find a key with a bear carved into it. Then she'll tell me how to use the key to find my cousin."

"Right!" Henry said, but then paused. "So are you aunt and cousin mother and daughter?"

Goldilocks shook her head. "My aunt is my father's sister, and my cousin is from my mother's side of the family."

"Okay. " Henry was staring at Goldilocks.

"What!? What is it!?" Goldilocks's hand immediately ran through her hair. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is it a bug? Get it off! But don't kill it," Goldilocks pointed a warning finger at Henry.

"Don't worry, there's no bug on you," Henry laughed softly. He reached into his backpack and brought out bottle of water. "So who is your aunt?" He asked as he unscrewed the lid and took a sip.

"Cruella De Vil."

Henry choked on his water. "Cruella!? She's your aunt!?"

"Yes, why? Do you know her?"

"She's is - was one of the Queens of Darkness."

"I have no idea what that means," Goldilocks said. "And what do you mean was!?"

"It's a long story," Henry told her. "But we thought Cruella was dead. She was stuck in The Underworld."

"I gave no idea what that means, either," Goldilocks shook her head.

"Nevermind," Henry said. "And your cousin, what's her name?"

"My cousin," Goldilocks said, "is called - Princess Merida."