Welcome to a Nightmare

Chapter 51: Heart of a Hero

The three ride in complete silence through the streets. Devoid of any noise inside the car, while the casinos, hotels, and other shady businesses were ablaze with light and sound, even at the very late hour.

It never stops, a city that never sleeps, Henry wonders to himself. Is all this chaos meant to keep us distracted? To keep us from stopping her?

It seemed like the most reasonable explanation. In a world filled with no morals and utter sin, a dark entity's actions could go unnoticed easily. It sickened the young hero and left him feeling empty and angry. Why did this have to happen? How does this relate to the Final Battle?

He gazes out the window, watching the reflections captured in the glass and he's wondering where the rest of his family was in this large city. He knew where both his mothers were, along with one of his grandfathers and his girlfriend. Despite their less desirable circumstances, one being in an asylum and another in a gang, at least they had a place to sleep, but what about Killian or his other grandpa, the one who shared true love with the driver of the car? Where was his Aunt Zelena too? And what happened to Belle, would she be okay? He also thought of others like the dwarves and the fairies, all the people of Storybrooke whom he'd grown up with and truly did love. The town was his home and would always have a special place in his heart.

He watches as Crystal puts the rest of their plan into action. The daughter of the Dark One directs the Fairest One of all towards the outskirts of town with simple instructions, her voice seeming to echo through the quiet car. They both knew they were manipulating a member of their family, but it was out of desperation and a need to keep them all together. They'd apologize once the curse was broken.

As they wove through the streets, Mary Margret began to feel something odd. At first, she ignored it or shrugged it off but as the chaos became less and the surroundings darker and quieter, she had an inkling... a sense of familiarity, as if she'd been to this part of town before. Her mind saw the dilapidated shops and homes and for a moment, they were suddenly clean and filled with people going about their lives. It felt like a memory, buried inside a fog... a fog that she struggles to lift in her mind.

"Just up here," Crystal says.

The car pulls up and Mary Margret notices the neon sign, struggling to remain lit in the darkness.

Granny's Bed and Breakfast

Despite the apparent recognition of the name, it takes the teacher a moment to realize where they are and what this meant.

"You kids live here?" the shock in her voice is palpable and both "kids" know what she's thinking.

"Cheapest place we can afford," Crystal answers nonchalantly. Her stomach turns in guilt having to manipulate her surrogate mother with sympathy and an imaginary story. "Not a lot of landlords are willing to rent to a bunch of teenagers. The only way I was able to keep Henry out of foster care was to have a place to stay and be able to provide for his basic needs. The owner, we call her Granny, agreed to let us stay with a monthly rent and food when needed. She's a good woman to do this."

"The best..." Henry mutters.

"I can't..." the former princess stammers. She can barely form her words in shock and grief. This is so horrible for these children. How could the world turn its back on them and force them to basically live in motels in an abandoned part of town? She could understand Crystal's desperation to keep her brother out of the system; a broken system that separated families and more often than not, psychologically damaged children or put them in abusive homes. Many of her students were in this same system and she could always see the pain in their eyes while they sat in her classroom. They struggled to focus on school when they were in a home that was not their own and with people who were not their families. Her heart ached heavily and she wished that she could do more to help them, but was powerless. After all, she's just a school teacher.