The Coward's Daughter [An OUAT Fanfic]

Questions

Lunch flew by before it was time for Y/N's afternoon classes.

Y/N's schedule was an interesting one, she taught different classes of kids each day; in a rotating roaster of one class from each grade. Each grade with its own topics and curriculum to teach. This could be difficult, even mind-melting at times, but it didn't matter to her. After all she was doing what she loved.

Her after-lunch class today was made up of Miss Blanchard's 4th graders. As the bell rang, Mary Margaret herded them inside, they took their seats and with a quick wave she was gone.

Now was Y/N's time to shine.

"Good afternoon class." Y/N greeted them as she walked to the whiteboard.

"Good afternoon Miss Gold!" The students parroted back.

She yanked down the projector and switched on the projector.

"When we last left off we were discussing the cell, but today I want to go more in depth about the little parts that help it function. Let's start out with this purple circle right here, the nucleus." She switched the slide to a close up of the nucleus, depicted as a small circle inside the cytoplasm. "Think of the nucleus as the control center of the cell, town hall if you will. Threads of a substance called chromatin fill up the nucleus, these threads contain DNA which are the building blocks of life."

As Y/N went into the details of the nucleus, her eyes wandered through her class as they took notes. Until they landed on a boy with short brown hair, it was the boy she'd seen at the diner, Henry Mills. She hadn't recognized him from behind.

She tried to concentrate on her lecture, but kept finding herself looking at Henry. He wasn't taking notes with the rest of the class, he seemed lost in thought. His eyes drifted out the window, to the ceiling, or to his backpack, anywhere but the board.

She moved on to discussing the cytoplasm, pointing out the various organelles and what reactions might occur in each.

Henry was still staring out the window.

Was he worried about something? Y/N pondered.

Was he bored with the lesson?

Was there trouble at home between Regina and Henry's birth mother?

Was he alright?

Before Y/N knew it, the lecture was over and homework was assigned. As the bell was about to ring, she watched the children gather into groups with their friends; talking, laughing and horsing around.

But then she saw Henry, alone at his desk in the corner. Now that she thought back on it, Henry was always alone. None of the other kids ever seemed to want anything to do with him.

He was always last to get paired up for group projects, frequently asked to work alone on assignments and always sat solitary at lunch.

Y/N's heart rang out with painful sympathy.

The bell chimed and the kids flooded out of the classroom. But Y/N couldn't let Henry walk out, not without knowing he was okay.

"Henry." She called out as he was about to leave, "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Ohhhhh, you're in trouble!" A girl chided as Henry approached the desk.