Cursed Hearts

A Surprise Encounter

Hurried footsteps sounded around the corner, followed by the ding of a bell fastened to the top of the door. Snow flurries feathered the outside sky, making the diner seem especially welcoming that Monday afternoon. Business was slow, yet the room seemed to light up at the presence of the nine year old girl.

"Hi Granny, Mom sent me to get dinner." She began, sitting herself up on one of the barstools.

The elderly woman smiled. She had a soft spot for the girl, considering the fact that her life had begun in her quaint little restaurant.

"Alright then Miss Caroline, what will it be today?"

Fishing out a crumpled list from her pocket, she squinted at her father's messy handwriting. "Lasagna, macaroni salad, and three hamburgers- Roland insisted on getting two for himself."

Granny chuckled, accepting the girl's crisp twenty dollar bill and sticking it in the register. "We'll have all that out as soon as possible. You just sit tight."

That was something Caroline was used to doing. The diner was a second home to her, along with everyone in it. She had grown up with these people, never knowing anything else than the little town of Storybrooke, Maine. Though things weren't very eventful, there were still many tales of villains and heroes, battling head to head for the sanctity of true love. She knew very well of her family's past history; her mother, the powerful queen, and her father, the outlaw with the bravest heart of them all. Of course she was proud to call herself the daughter of Regina and Robin Hood, but life at home was far from eventful. In her school, there were only five other students her age. She didn't mind it too much, it only meant she spent a large majority of time with her family. Her huge, slightly chaotic family.

"Hey kid, anything new happening with you?" Ruby Lucas asked, catching Caroline's attention quickly.

Her response only came in a shrug. "Not much. Just school."

The waitress had to roll her eyes at her enthusiasm as she filled a glass with chocolate milk. "At least you're surviving the cold. Your mom owes you for making you come out here in storm like this." Ruby then slid the glass of milk over to her, smiling as the nine year old quickly drank it down.

Caroline wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smirking at her comment. "Yeah, but I don't mind. Being at home means watching Roland playing video games and Mom talking about work."

"Well, you're always welcome at the apartment. When Will isn't trying to cook, that is."

She had to chuckle at that one. Her uncle Will was something else.

"That man is a disgrace to cooking," Granny intervened, setting a large paper bag down in front of her. "Now you be careful getting this home, Caroline Grace. And tell your mother to quit sending you outside when it's ten below; you're bound to catch something one of these days."

The girl smirked, sliding off the barstool and taking the gigantic bag in her arms. "Okay Granny. Thanks for the food!"

After Granny and Ruby both bid their goodbyes, Caroline set off on the journey back to her house. The snow flurries had vanished, yet the temperature had stayed at its bone chilling temperature of three degrees. It seemed as though Storybrooke had frozen over.

Pressing the bag against her coat, she began down the white covered sidewalk, only able to go a few feet before she slipped on a patch of ice, sending her and her family's dinner onto the ground. Caroline responded with a groan, instantly taking attention to the pain from her knee. Looking down, she was less than amused to see a tear had appeared in one of her good pair of jeans. Not only a tear, but a scrape as well- blood began to appear over her skin, followed by more pain. There she was, Caroline Hood, nine years old, sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, her dinner scattered in the snow beside her; she looked helpless in every way possible.