mettle. henry mills au

xxi. day two

jess - who knows where?
she stood in an empty white room. time was unknown. she didn't know where she was, but she felt at ease.

'what is reality?' at this point she didn't even know. all she knew was her name, and that she had no parents.

"hello? is anyone here?"

she looked up the spiral staircase that seemed to have gone on for ages that led to absolutely nowhere.

jess sighed and walked around the circular built building she was placed in. she heard a distant voice coming from up the stairs beg.

"help! please! jess, it's us! please!"

something drew her to that. she what it was, that was unknown. it could have a demon ready to take her to the dark side, or a voice calling her to take the next step in her life, but she somehow felt attached to it.

she made her way up the staircase, and with every step, it felt like the voice became more distant than it was on the surface. although, the top did become more apparent.

jess reached the last spiral, and at the edge, she saw to people standing there; an old a man and his wife.

"you're here to save us" said the flabbergasted, tiny lady tucked in her husband's arm.

'that, I guess I am.' she thought to herself.

"jess, look, there!" the man pointed behind her. his voice sounded strangely familiar.

she turned, and the white staircase that she once climbed on became a flat platform behind her.

"what do you mean? there's nothing there?"

"nothing there, you say? why don't you look back again." a familiar british accent remarked.

she did what was told, and there stood him. the one that caused her pain. the one who's fault she was even there.

suddenly, she felt the curving of a bow in her left and and an arrow in her right. a quiver soon clung to her back. jess' white hospital dress turned into a denim jacket and black jeans.

she scolded at him. she didn't remember him, or anyone in the room, but a feeling of hatred and revenge bursted  inside her once she heard his voice. for some absent reason, words couldn't come out of her mouth.

she shot the arrow, but he disappeared. instead of the arrow being shot at the british, it almost went through another boy who was standing behind him. that was, before he banished. the boy wore a striped scarf and his signature black coat. the arrow was inches from his face. jess instinctively darted her arm out, and it stopped. for some reason, they boy's appearance led to memories coming back.

"jess." the scarved boy said.

she took a step towards him and he held out his hand. but once again, the british had to do something to ruin the moment.

"princess jess, always depending on others, always finding a loophole, always hurting others."

'no, no, no,' she tried to defend herself against the british, who was circling the familiar couple, but no words came out of her mouth.