Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 6 - Henry's Teacher

Emma sat in Henry's room, at his desk, with his computer on. Graham kneeled next to her. Emma opened his email and find the inbox cleared.
"Smart kid. Cleared his inbox. I'm smart too.A little hard disc recovery utility I like to use." she said holding her keys up and then she stuck a little hard disc into his computer.
Regina looked around his room, seething for a clue of any kind.
"I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techniques." said Graham. "Pounding the pavement. Knocking on doors. That sort of thing."
"Your on salary. I get payed for delivery." said Emma looking through the information that came up on the screen. "Pounding the pavement is not a luxury that I get. Huh. There's are receipt for a website. Whosyourmomma.org."
Regina walked over to them and looked at the computer as Emma clicked into the website.
"It's expensive. He has a credit card?" she said.
"He's 10." said Regina.
"Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record." she said clicking the view button. "Mary Margaret Blanchard. Who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"
"Henry's teacher." said Regina.

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Mary Margaret wore a light pink cardigan and a grey skirt. She had short brown hair and a kind face. She walked accross a classroom, filled with children around ten. She held a blue bird in her hands, carefully.
"As we build our bird houses, remember, what your making is a home, not a cage." she said as she walked towards the window. "A bird is free and will do what it will. This is for them, not us."
She stood in front of the window, looking at the bird, still sitting in her hand. "They're loyal creatures." and she turning around and leaned her hand out the window, opened her hand allowing the bird to fly away towards a blue bird house that hung in the trees near by.
A boy in the class looked at the bird, fascinated. "Wow." he explained.
"If you love them and they love you, they will always find you." she said.
The school bell rung and the children started to get up and rummage around the class.
"We'll pick this up after recess. No running." she said as the children started chatting and walking to the door.
A girl walked over to Mary Margaret and handed her a fresh pear.
"Why, thank you." she said and the girl walked off.
As Mary Margaret walked to her desk, Regina pushed through the crowd of children towards the woman.
"Miss. Mills? What are you doing here?" said Mary Margaret seeing Regina.
"Where is my son?" she said, setting her bag on a table and staring at Mary Margaret.
"Henry? I assumed he was home sick with you." she said as Emma walked into the room.
"Do you think I'd be here if he was?" said Regina.
Emma stood a lille bit away, listening to their conversation, her arms folded.
"Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" she said indicating at Emma.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" she asked Emma.
"I'm his.....I'm his....." she said.
"The woman who gave him up for adoption." finished Regina.
Mary Margaret eyes darted between Emma and Regina.
The woman sighed and took her small handbag from her shoulder and opened it.
"You don't know anything about this, do you?" sais Emma.
"No, unfortunately not." said the woman taking her purse from her bag and opening it and noticing her credit card missing.
"Clever boy. I should never have given him that book."
"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" said Regina, angerly.
"Just some old stories I gave him." she reassured. "As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart. So creative. And, as you might be aware, lonely." she said emphasising on the last word.
Emma listened to what Mary Margaret had to say carefully.
"He needed it." the woman said.
"What he needs is a dose of reality." said Regina. "This is a waste of time." and she turned knocking a dozen books piled on a desk as she walked to the door.
"Have a nice trip back to Boston." she said as she passed Emma.
Both Emma and Mary Margaret walked over to the books on the floor and started picking them up.
"Sorry to bother you." said Emma to Mary Margaret.
"No it's....." she looked at Emma. "It's okay, I fear this is partially my fault."
"How's a book supposed to help?" asked Emma.
"What do you think stories are for?"
They both stood up, Mary Margaret held the books in her arms.
"These stories, the classics, there's a reason we all know them." she said as she placed the books on a table next to the wall.
"They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense." she said as they walked from the room. "Henry hasn't had the easiest life."
"Yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass." said Emma.
"No, it's more than her. He's like any adopted child."
They turned into the hall.
"He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face. Why would anyone give me away?" she carried on, then suddenly realised who she was talking to. She turned to face Emma. "I am so sorry." she said as Emma looked down, guilty.
"I am so sorry, I didn't mean in any way to judge you.
"It's okay." said Emma.
"I have the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have."
Emma looked up at her.
"Hope." she said simply. "Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."
"You know where he is, don't you?"
"You might want to check his castle."

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Mary Margaret Blanchard ~ Snow White