Strange Magic

Chapter One

Belle French bit back a smile as she surveyed her new domain—the Storybrooke Museum of American History. She'd been hired only last week to become the building's new night guard and was more than a little excited, not to mention nervous, at starting her new job.

For years, the museum had sat abandoned in the middle of town, its windows boarded up and the treasures it contained hidden from view. As children, Belle and her twin brother, Gaston, had attempted more than once to break into the building to see the old and supposedly haunted exhibits.

Not that Belle still believed in the supernatural. She had long outgrown that particular phase of her life. Unfortunately, her brother hadn't. Every week he would break into an abandoned building for one of his "ghost sessions" and every week Belle ended up having to bail him out of jail after he had gotten caught trespassing.

She just hoped that her twin's obsession with ghosts would change after she set her plan into motion tonight during her shift.

"Are you sure you want to work here, Belles?" Ruby questioned, snapping Belle out of her thoughts. The red headed woman was leaning back against her car, staring nervously at the building in front of her and Belle. "Cause Granny would be more than happy to hire you at the motel. You could always use that building to prove to Gaston that ghosts don't exist. You don't have to work for Mr. Gold."

Belle rolled her eyes as her friend practically spat out the new museum director's name.

"Gaz doesn't believe that the motel is haunted so that wouldn't work. Besides, Mr. Gold isn't that bad." She said, though admittedly she had no idea if this was true or not. Gold was a bit of a recluse and as such, she'd only met the man during her job interview. "It's like the old saying goes, you can't know what's in a person's heart until you truly know them."

Ruby curled her lip in disgust and shook her head. "Believe me, the entire town knows what's in that man's heart—greed. Gold owns most of the properties in Storybrooke, remember?"

Belle just shrugged and clipped her security badge to her shirt.

"He's also brought a lot of business back to town since he moved here two years ago." She said pointedly.

Ruby pursed her lips. She didn't look convinced. "Still," she said. "If he tries to molest you or anything like that, let me know and I'll handle it."

She patted the gun at her hip. As a police detective, she was required to wear one.

Belle rolled her eyes again. "Alright," she said, deciding to humor her friend. She smiled at Ruby. "Now, I have to go or I'll be late for my first night on the job. Thanks for the ride!"

She turned and quickly headed across the empty parking lot, towards the marble building.

"Let me know if you change your mind about walking home!" Ruby yelled before disappearing back into her car. "And have fun with the ghosts!"

Belle turned at the waist to give her friend a thumbs up, then turned her attention back to the museum. She pushed on the front doors and went in.

The building's lobby had grown even more impressive since Belle's job interview. The white tiled floors were polished and gleaming, while a half circle shaped administration desk had been set up in the center of the room. A little to the left of the desk was a large statue of America's first President, George Washington. Just behind him was a grand staircase leading up to the second floor.

"This place sure cleans up nice." Belle murmured and went over to the front desk. Mr. Gold hadn't given her a security key yet so maybe he had left it on the desk with a note since he didn't seem to be around.