𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄 ¹

ii.

✷.*• 2 •*.✷

new surroundings

[6067 words]

“Has anyone seen my backpack?” Hope’s voice could be heard from the top of the staircase. She entered the living room, holding one of the many stacks of clothes she had to pack.

“I think I saw it in the kitchen, love,” her father replied, taking the clothes from her hands.

The entire Jones household was up on their legs since early morning. Bags, books, clothes and many more things were scattered throughout the entire house. Packing for almost nine months away wasn’t as easy as one could imagine.

Since the Academy was placed on the border of the Enchanted Forest and Camelot, driving there every day from Storybrooke would be pointless. Unfortunately enough, all the dorms were already occupied after the first month of school.

Thankfully, Hope’s mother convinced her friend to let her daughter live in her house during the school year. The house was a ten-minute drive from the school, making it the perfect location.

And just like that, the Jones girl was packing for nine months in just one day. Definitely not a simple quest.

The teenager walked into the kitchen, still searching for her backpack. When she finally spotted it under the table, she smiled triumphantly.

“Here you are!”

“You have so many backpacks, why do you need this one?” Emma asked, placing two plates with pop-tarts on the table.

“Henry gave it to me, it’s my lucky backpack,” Hope explained looking at her mother with her infamous puppy eyes. Emma only rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly in response

“Pack the backpack and eat your pop-tart, we’re leaving in an hour,” she kissed Hope’s forehead and left the kitchen.

✷

The drive to the Enchanted Forest was quick and peaceful. The only reason for that was that Hope fell asleep only after ten minutes. The first thing she saw when she woke up was a beautiful mansion, practically a castle.

The white bricks it was built with gave the building an elegant look. Hope could see pastel-coloured curtains through the numerous, big windows. The front of the house was still very well-kept, the bushes evenly cut, the white and blue flowers gracefully blooming despite the start of autumn. The last time the girl saw this place was almost three years ago.

It didn’t change much, she thought to herself. Just as Hope was about to exit the car, the house's front door opened revealing a short, red-haired woman in a long, delicate summer dress.

“Aunt Aurora!” Jones exclaimed, getting out of her seat. She ran up to the woman, hugging her.

“Hope, sweetie!” Aurora chuckled at the girl, hugging her back. Taking a step back she took a look at the short brunette’s face, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Gosh, you grew up gorgeous,” the woman smiled widely.

“What can I say? She’s got some good genes.” Killian shrugged, walking up to the two women with a cheeky smile. Aurora glared at him but burst into laughter a moment later.

“Hello, Hook,” the woman smiled. The two adults had an uncanny history behind them. Forgiving the man who tried to kill her, was a generous step for Aurora. But after all, they got through that, agreeing on the term ‘friends’.

“Aurora!” Emma joined the group, hugging her friend.

“It’s so nice to see you all again, so much time has passed already!” Aurora chuckled lightly. “How long ago did we see each other last?”