Cursed Hearts

Finding Light

She had gotten used to how quiet the house was without Caroline around. Almost all signs of rambunctious and endearing youth had slowly been subdued in her nearly one month absence- things rarely were put out of place or even touched within the house, even with Roland being there. He had always been fairly orderly.

Still, Regina missed having her family and friends gather unexpectedly in her living room, disrupting things, leaving a pile of dishes for her to clean afterwards. It was evidence of proper human existence, and it was something she ached for with every passing day. The same halls that beaconed all three of her children to run ferociously down, always bare footed and brimming with happiness now existed as a formality, a grim reminder that life simply wasn't the same.

On a morning that felt just as solitary as the one before, however, an unexpected clamor from a few rooms down pulled Regina out of her dark thoughts and returned her to the present. The curiosity was far too overwhelming; she brushed her bedsheet covers off and fetched a robe before striding down to Roland's door, giving it a soft knock or two.

"Is everything okay? I heard a strange noise just a moment ago."

She could hear him rummaging around his room. When he failed to respond, Regina tried the doorknob, quickly realizing that it was locked.

"What's going on in there?"

Her voice had turned assertive; anyone in the family knew that she was seconds away from doing things her own way. Before she could use her magic, though, Roland abruptly unlocked the door and swung it open, seeming out of breath. Regina didn't know where to start.

"What was all that?"

She knew her son to be a terrible liar- his transgressions always revealed themselves on his expression, leading to a quick apology. This time was no different, yet Regina couldn't tell what he was sorry for.

"I'm just moving things around in here," he said nervously, "I didn't mean to wake you."

She didn't believe him for a second. With one look at his desk that faced his window, things began to click in her mind. Everything on his desk was knocked over, pencils and notebooks littered on the floor. Most importantly, the latch to his window was open.

"Who was just in here?"

His eyes practically burst with fear in response to her firm words.

"No one- my room gets really hot at night sometimes."

Though she continued to hold his anxiety, inside Regina was experiencing the same level of chaos and betrayal that she had felt when it was revealed that Henry had Grace over without her knowing. It couldn't be happening again.

"Was it Alex?" Her voice continued to tighten, her eyes never leaving his. "Please for the love of God don't tell me that you two are-"

"It's not Alex!" Roland shot back, astonished that his mother would say such a thing, "it was no one, I told you! She has a boyfriend now."

Just then, Roland's phone began to go off on his bedside table, cutting off his hasty justification. Both he and his mother quickly directed their attention to the phone, and before Roland could get to it, Regina saw the caller ID- August.

A slow wave of realization came over her, the moment feeling like years. When she looked back at her son, she felt as though she were looking at him through a new lens, one that perceived him fully as he was.

Tears began to well in his mother's eyes, and that's when he knew that she knew. The feeling was purely exhilarating.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her son, all of his stress melting away at her touch. She wiped his tears with her thumb, holding his head between her hands.