Repeat (A Once Upon A Time Fanfiction / Captain Swan's Daughter)

3

I walked up the steps to a place called 'Granny's Diner'. I was hungry, and this was the only place I found find that sold ready made food. There were stalls and corner shops that sold fresh produce, but I wasn't Mary Poppins and didn't have a fully furnished kitchen hidden in my bag. The inside of the diner had a typical 1960's diner look to it. The tiles floor had a checked black and white pattern and the red bar stools matched the red seats in the booths. However, it was hard to appreciate the diner's interior when it felt like everyone was staring at me. I wasn't shy, but no matter how outgoing a person is, they will still feel intimidated by people staring. It really must be a close knit community if a new face is such a big deal.

"Can I help you?" A young woman with long brown hair asked with a smile. Her lips were painted red, and she wore a red scarf to match. She was stood behind the bar, waiting to serve me.

"Please could I have a glass of lemonade?" I asked.

"Of course you can." The lady smiled before turning to pour the drink. When the glass was full, she carefully handed me the glass. "That'll be $2."

I had been collecting my money for years, so had more than enough to pay for the drink. I wasn't a ridiculous runaway who ran without having any money or plans. I handed her the cash.

"Thanks." I said quickly before sucking the fizzy drink up the straw. I hadn't had a drink since early this morning, and since then I had travelled on a hot bus and walked up a long road.

"So, what brings you to Storybrooke?" I saw a name tag on the lady's apron that said 'Ruby'.

"Nothing, really. I just got into the first bus I found and got on." I briefly explained.

"You're a runaway. Am I right?" Ruby read my like a book, and the fact that I looked down and didn't confirmed her suspicions. "I tried to run away once, but I ended up going back home to my family."

"If I had a family, I'd go to them. Luckily for me I'm all alone." I said, looking down at the counter with a small sarcastic smile, which looking back probably looked more sad than sarcastic. However, Ruby seemed to be able to see past my fake smile.

"So, what's your name?" The pretty barista asked.

"Zoe Smith." I replied quickly. I hoped my fast reply didn't lead to any suspicions. I had faked my name a handful of different times in the past. Using a fake name gave me less chance of being found by people I didn't want finding me.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Zoe." Ruby said with a wide smile. Before I could say anything else, the short haired woman I had seen earlier I'm the day entered and took a seat 3 chairs down from me. Ruby went to serve her.

Everyone in the diner seemed to be chatting to everybody else. It was probably noticeable that I was the only one sat alone, but people were looking at me anyway. It must have been a rare occurrence for someone to visit the small town hidden deep in a forest. I unintentionally started overhearing parts of other peoples' conversations. I heard the words 'curse' and 'missing' pop up in a few conversations. I was confused, but didn't want to question anyone about it. I was already the strange new girl; I didn't want to become the creepy stalker as well.

I sat quietly, sipping my lemonade through the twisty pink straw and scrolling through Instagram photography accounts. I had always thought the Ocean was beautiful, so enjoyed looking at photos people took of beaches and waves. It was a couple of minutes later before I noticed the short haired lady looking in my direction. She was looking at me as if she knew who I was, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was also similar to the look I used to make when I tried to look at something in the distance without my glasses. I am very grateful for my contact lenses. I smiled at the lady, hoping she wouldn't think I was weird.

"I'm sorry for staring, it's just you look slightly familiar. Do you know anyone from here?" The lady said, moving to the next bar stool so that she'd be closer to me.

"Nope." I replied.

"Oh." She sounded somewhat disappointed, but the disappointed tone in her voice quickly left. "So, what brings you to Storybrooke?"

I felt like this was the only question I was being asked today. That and my fake name, which I hadn't answered truthfully anyway.

"I just got on the first bus I found and it took me here. I needed go get away from my foster family." I couldn't decide if I was sharing too much, but she probably would have subtly asked for more details anyway.

"I know what it's like running away." The lady replied with a reassuring nod. Was anyone in this town not a runaway? I think not. "My name's Mary Margaret."

"I'm Zoe."

"I have to go, but if you're staying in town I'll probably bump into you again." Mary Margaret said to me as she stepped down from the red stool she was sat on. "Bye, Zoe."

Within a minute I had completely finished my lemonade. I thanked Ruby for my drink before she took the glass away to be washed. I then stood up, grabbed my backpack, and left the building.