Shattered

The Hunt

Regina

I stirred the bowl of cake batter worriedly and glanced at the clock, Henry and Alena should have been home by now, and they were pushing curfew, making my nerves jostle as I slid another pan of brownies into the oven.

The evening sun was setting and the loud slam of the door caused me to jump, followed by two angry footsteps storming into the kitchen. I raised my head to discipline the late teenagers, but caught myself when I saw my younger son angrily crying in the kitchen's doorway.

"Roland?" I cried, looking him over to make sure he wasn't hurt, but by the looks of it, he seemed physically fine. My young son had insisted on taking the school bus like the other children who attended pre-school in Storybrooke, and he had felt so grown up when he and Henry walked hand in hand to the bus stop, but with my son recently graduated, I worried for his safety on the large bus.

"You missed it!" He yelled, causing Evelyn to wake from her bassinet in the kitchen, reaching out for me, sparking some annoyance in myself.

"Missed what, sweet pea?" I asked tiredly, my mind running a million miles a second as I lifted my daughter onto my hip, gently swaying her to try and calm her tears.

"Mommy Day!" He nearly screamed, causing my heart to sink to my stomach, horror washing over me as I realized that I had completely forgotten the one day that Roland was looking forward to. I gasped and cleared the potions and pages from the refrigerator to reveal the family calendar with a big red label over today in Roland's messy handwriting.

"Roland, oh my- baby I am so sorry." I began, crouching down to his level, reaching out to cup his cheek, but the furious boy shrunk away and batted my hands away from his face.

"Everyone's mommies were there! They got to make gingerbread houses for Christmas, and drink hot cocoa, and Henry even told me to bring my own special stick of Cinnamon for you! They even got to take a picture with Santa!" He cried, my heart physically breaking in two as he cried in front of me.

"Roland, baby I was going to come, I promise, but Mr. Gold-." I tried to explain, but he angrily covered his ears and stomped, his little body radiating anger.

"We made cards for our mommies, and I made an extra special one, but you didn't come! All of my classmates laughed at me because I don't have a mommy, and I told them you were coming and they said you weren't my real mommy and that you didn't love me! I wanted you to tell them the truth but you never showed up!" He sobbed, his eyes and nose now running as he cries in front of me, bringing on my own tears.

"Roland that's not true, I love you with my whole heart." I insisted, but he just flung a crumpled piece of construction paper at me, soaked through with snow and dirt.

"They threw my card in the mud! They said that I was a dirty kid because I lived in the mud and dirt and that's why you didn't like me!" He cried, the glitter now caked with dried mud and damp snow.

I wanted to tear those children to shreds, watch them suffer for making my son cry, but I knew that I was right there with the awful children.

"You don't love me! You only love your real kids! I'm just extra and came with papa, but you don't love me like you love Henry or Lena or Evie!" He cried, his cheeks now red from anger and crying, pointing his small fingers at the paper on the floor, using his other hand to wipe his eyes.

"You don't love me Gina, I hate you!" He cried, rushing off and up the stairs, the door shutting with a distinctive slam. I groaned and dropped my face into my hands, sitting my baby on the floor in between my legs.