Loose ｡ Henry Mills [2]

17 - KARMA

One one or another, karma always comes back to bite you in the ass. It's just common knowledge. Maybe that's how Teresa Holmes ended up where she was right now; her hands lazily flattened over her abdomen in an attempt to stop the heavy spill of blood oozing out from her abdomen, eyelids blinking in slow-motion as she watched a bird soar against the wind above her head, appearing like a black smudge against the radiant sun to her blurred-over vision. Her lips were dry against the harsh rays of light, breathes only becoming more shallow with time as her heart rate kept slowing. She was dying and had no one to blame but herself.

So long ago, she had made stupid decisions and now they've finally caught up to her. If she could, Teresa would take it all back; every stupid mistake that led her to this moment ─ but she knew there was no point. According to Merlin, everything that's happened to her in her past lead her straight to where she was meant to be; with her soulmate. This had always been her inevitable end, no matter how painful it was proving to be.

When the cool metal had cut through her flesh and she fell back against the wooden surface, Teresa knew that it was entirely possible that Merlin had foreseen this moment and chose not to warn her of this day, and yet, she was okay with that. Okay with Merlin having known this was the day her heart would stop beating and never telling her, even when one should be angry for having such knowledge being withheld from them. There was no such anger; only peace. Serenity. The platinum-blonde welcomed the shadow of darkness quickly creeping up on her. She was ready to die, for only then could she reunite with her mother.

"I'm ready," she whispered, voice becoming lost in the breeze that brushed platinum locks into her face.

And then, as a shallow breath fell from her lips, the cerulean-blue eyes of Teresa Holmes fluttered shut.

　
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FOUR HOURS EARLIER
　

Teresa Holmes woke up with a pounding headache the following morning. But it's not like she wasn't expecting it. After the day she had, after the blows she took, she was amazed that a headache was all that greeted her when she opened her eyes. She had stared into the mirror after getting up and found her nose not swollen, but slightly bruised. There was a cut along her cheekbone that was red and already turning a nasty shade of purple and blue. Her arm wasn't so bad and better than what she was expecting considering the size of the cut Edmond managed to make on her skin. Nevertheless, there was hardly any pain to her body, which she supposed was a good thing.

After dressing for the day and sharing breakfast with Snow, David and Neal, Teresa made her way toward Granny's Diner, where she planned to have some cocoa with Henry. She was hoping that today could be the day where she finally spoke with Hyde and ask him all the questions she had about her father, but after yesterday's events, she knew Henry wasn't going to let her out of his sight. So as much as she hated it, she had to postpone her interrogation.

The streets of Storybrooke were filled with its usual morning crowd; people walking to their jobs or on their morning jogs, some walking their dogs. She could make out Violet and Christopher walking Lady and Tramp side-by-side while laughing together. The sight of them brought a smile to her face. She went to wave at them until she caught sight of a familiar face just ahead of her on the sidewalk beyond Granny's Diner.

This man stood fall, hands clutched at his sides and shoulders squared. Dark curls flowed to his shoulders and were pulled out of his face by a strap of leather, dark brown eyes almost appearing black from this distance. His clothes were light, yet smudged with dirt and in desperate need of a good wash all the same. Something about him seemed to register a sense of familiarity in her memory, yet she couldn't quite place it. She knew this man... but how? Where had she seen him before?