Welcome to a Nightmare

Chapter 4: Chaos and Confusion

"Don't you dare give me that busy routine!"

Henry's eyes flutter open. He's in a dark room, staring at the ceiling... or the open sky, at least he thinks it's a ceiling above him. It's much too high for what he was used to and there are stars glowing above him. They twinkle in the darkness, creating an imaginative and vivid display. It reminded him of the times in Neverland, despite how badly he wanted to forget about being held prisoner by his great-grandfather. Or even just staying late on The Jolly Roger, where Killian would point out the different constellations to him, showing him how to navigate by the stars. Was he out in the countryside, far away from the chaos of the curse? Had he somehow dreamt up everything and it was actually the night after his mother's wedding? Had he tried to find a quiet place during the reception to rest and fell asleep?

He tries to comprehend what has happened, his mind trying to connect the dots on what was going on around him. He feels around himself, realizing that he must be laying in a bed of some kind, with very soft pillows and silky blankets, which he grips in his hands. In fact, the bed is very comfortable. He squints in the darkness and realizes the bed must be king-sized and he's lying in the middle of it. He sits up, trying to see where in the world he was.

The voice that was yelling sounded very familiar, but not the kind that he wanted to remember. He can see the shadow of feet under the crack in his door. His heart pumps against his chest as the angry voice continues with a phone conversation.

"I don't care if you have to do open heart surgery; my son was nearly mugged at knifepoint and fainted in the middle of the street. He also seems to be relapsing into his childhood behaviour patterns again. Yes, the fairy tale ones. He needs medical attention as soon as possible. Don't you dare tell me that I should bring him there? My last campaign to be mayor ensured a generous donation to your hospital last time I ran for mayor. My casino continues to support your quack service because it is needed in Stygian."

Stygian? Henry chews on the word with much confusion. It didn't sound like a name.

Just then, everything comes rushing back to him. The wedding, the curse, the change of Storybrooke into a hellish city, the mugging, his supposed mother hugging him. It all became too much, and his body and mind just gave up, unable to take it anymore.

Henry feels a lump at the back of his head, where he'd likely hit it when he fell. He turns to one side of this gigantic bed, he can see a washcloth, two aspirin tablets and a glass of water. There is also a chair, where someone must've been sitting, trying to take care of him.

Knowing that he can't stay here, the teen author pushes back the covers and scrambles out of the bed. He lands on a large carpet that feels very furry and smooth. His mind begins to panic a little bit more. Wherever he was, it was not where he belonged. He searches for his shoes, except he accidentally stubs his toe on the nightstand, causing a loud noise. He freezes when the angry voice stops talking behind the door.

The door opens and a figure with long hair stands there. The bright lights silhouette the woman, making him unable to see her face.

"Henry, what are you doing out of bed?"

The woman hits the light switch, illuminating the room which is much bigger and seemingly luxurious than Henry had anticipated.

He realizes that the room is ten times bigger than he thought it had been moments ago. The large bed is indeed king-sized, with silky blue sheets and behind it is an expensive looking wooden headboard that had Henry's name engraved on it. There are two nightstands on either side of the bed, each had a glass lamp on top, that is helping illuminate the room. Above him is a large, modern-looking glass chandelier that looked like it cost more to buy than a house. The rug beneath Henry's feet is white and looked like it was made of polar bear skin. He looks across the room from his bed and can see the biggest TV that he'd ever seen mounted on the back wall. There's a sleek leather couch facing it, as well as several multi-coloured bean bag chairs. Connected to the TV/movie screen is every type of game console one could imagine. Along the wall next to the door that is now opened is a "museum display" of rare comic books and various other collectable superhero memorabilia. There are movie posters mounted on the slanted roof of the room, except for a dome-like structure just above the bed, which has the display of trillions of tiny stars; which Henry now knew are merely LED lights meant to represent the skies above him. There's a bookshelf lined with so many comic books that Henry is unable to count them all, as well as another shelf filled with DVDs and video games. There is also a sword mounted on the back wall near double doors that likely led to the closet. On his right, is a line of tinted windows, making up a wall, that has the shades fully drawn. As he goes towards the windows, the shades automatically lift upwards, motion activated revealing a large city landscape. The teenager can see that wherever he was, it was up so high that the cars and people down below looked like tiny toys and ants. The city is lit up with many different coloured lights that would look really pretty for a person to enjoy the view; if Henry had not realized that it was all wrong. None of this belonged here. He sucks in a deep breath to calm himself.