Cursed Hearts

Venture to Madness

As soon as the smoke cleared, Will knew they were all in trouble. They were once again in the middle of the forest, and his girlfriend was nowhere to be found. The Wicked Witch of the West was directly in his line of vision, finalizing the worry that was growing inside.

"What did you do?"

Zelena immediately narrowed her eyes, offended at the accusation. "I don't have my magic!"

All eyes shifted then towards Caroline, causing the girl to nervously gulp. "I- I didn't mean to! I don't know what happened!"

Will was quick to put his frustration aside and put a comforting arm around her shoulders, halting her emotions before any tears could come.

"It's okay, we just have to... figure out where we are."

"We're in the middle of nowhere," Zelena told him, "but I suppose it's better than being chased down by an arrogant Sheriff."

Besides the three of them, the forest was stark silent, a complete shift from the chaos they had left behind. But, within that chaos, Robin and Ruby were left behind too.

"How are they gonna know where we are?" Caroline asked, hopelessness evident in her voice.

The two adults were at a loss for words, for once on the same page. Will absolutely hated the woman, and was still uneasy in her presence. He hadn't been alone with Zelena until then, and had hardly spoken a word to her since his arrival.

"Guess we'll have to use our tracking skills," Will replied, earning a massive eye roll from the woman. "And Ruby can find us no problem- she did it once, and she'll do it again."

"We could be hundreds of miles away, we can't just sit here and wait for them to find us," Zelena argued, her tension increasing, "you two can do whatever you want, I'm going to walk until I find something."

Nether Will nor Caroline had time to react before she started off into the forest. They both exchanged wary glances, weighing their options for a moment. When the silence became too much to bear, however, the two of them raced to catch up with her.

The sun was shining brightly up ahead, and the heat wave was already in full gear. Zelena could feel sweat on her forehead, her hair a hapless mess. Not having magic was beginning to grate her endlessly- she craved the feeling more than anything. She felt pathetic without it, on the same grimy level as everyone else in the universe. Still, she had some fight left in her, for a reason she didn't fully understand. Through the quietness and methodical snapping of twigs, she was constantly reminded that her ultimate reward for all the suffering was inevitable alienation. Caroline may have stuck up for her, but once safely back with her mother, Zelena knew she would become an afterthought to the girl. Regina would be after her head, though she would probably be too self righteous to kill her. There wasn't a scenario she could come up with where she would come out victorious; she figured cutting her losses and slipping out unnoticed would be the best option for everyone.

The thought of losing Caroline only seemed to contribute to her feeling of helplessness, which was translated to weakness in her mind. Watching the girl walk beside her, eyes lost in her own thoughts, Zelena couldn't help but allow the helplessness to overtake her for moment. Her inherent positivity about the world around her was something to be treasured, she knew that from the moment she first met her in Granny's cafe.

"What're you thinking about?"

The woman looked down at her with surprise. "Just trying to figure out how to get out of here," she responded, only telling her what she wanted to hear.

Guilt still manifested through her expression; the girl was fidgeting with her hands in constant unrest.

"Don't beat yourself up about what happened- magic is often unpredictable."