"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Emma said, frantically moving around, as her foster father, Mark, hit her with his belt on her back.

"You should have thought about that before you failed your exam!" Mark yelled, every hit now drawing blood.

"I'm sorry. Please, I swear I didn't know!" she cried aloud.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway caused Mark to pause mid-swing, the leather from his belt slapping against the floor beside Emma. She took a shaky breath through her tears, silently grateful for the little reprieve. Mark turned to the window, peering through the blinds. He turned back to her, eyes wide as he dropped his belt to the ground.

"Hurry! Go put on a new shirt," Mark whispered, afraid he had been caught.

Emma quickly got up off the floor, her legs shaking under her. Stumbling into the bathroom she did her best to try to clean the red welts on her back with a clean cloth she found in the bathroom. Emma wet the cloth with cold water trying to subside the burning sensation in her back. After wiping her back the best she could and grabbed a white shirt of hers ripped it into thin connected strips and tried to wrap it around her back

She pulled on a big, gray wool sweater, quietly hissing when it came into contact with her covered but abused back. She quickly put on a pair of blue jeans, afraid to keep Mark waiting any longer.

Walking slowly down the stairs, Emma tried to calm her breathing only just noticing her breathing was shallow. She took a ragged breath in, pain radiating through her back. As she took the last few steps, she plastered on a fake smile.

"Hi, Lisa," Emma said in greeting, taking Lisa's coat. "Did you have a good day at work?"

"No, it was exhausting," Lisa sighed. "Where is my boyfriend?"

"I don't know. I think he went into the kitchen," Emma said, her face twisting into a grimace at the thought of him.

"This is..." Lisa said, trailing off. She stared at the heart shaped balloons around her and the rose petals covering the floor. Mark was standing in the center of it all in a suit. As she made her way over to stand in front of him, he bent down on one knee, pulling a velvet ring box from his suit pocket.

"Will you marry me, Lisa?" Mark asked.

"No," she said.

"What? How can you just say it like that! Like we haven't spent the last 2 years of our life together!" Mark yelled.

"You don't even notice me anymore, Mark! How am I supposed to love someone who doesn't notice me anymore! You don't notice when I leave for work, when I'm mad! Hell Mark, Emma notices more about me than you do!" she yelled at him before turning around and storming out the door.

Emma's heart dropped into her stomach when saw the anger in Mark's eyes. She knew what was going to happen now. Mark got off the floor, chucking the ring at Emma. It bounced off of her before falling to the ground. He then picked up the plates he had laid out for him and Lisa to eat on as a celebration, throwing them at her. She tried to block out the pain and put on a brave face.

When he ran out of plates, he started to grab the closest items to him. She crumbled to the ground, but refused to cry or scream; she had become accustomed to the pain long ago.

"EMMA! MARK STOP! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Mark stopped looked at Lisa then at Emma his face twisting into a maniacal grin and ran out the back door yelling.

"I WILL ALWAYS FIND YOU EMMA,"

Lisa was trying to comfort Emma but she flinched violently.

"Emma we need to go to the hospital." Lisa practically begged

"Okay," she whispered before walking up the stairs, putting all her valuables and clothes in her two backpacks.

Emma walked back down the stairs still bleeding, wincing with every step she took. She slowly walked out to Lisa's car, getting in the backseat. Lisa drove fast, getting to the hospital in three minutes. Emma got out the backseat, and walked into the emergency room. Lisa yelled for nurses to come help them quickly.

Emma walked into the hospital starting to stumble she tripped and fell letting out a cry of pain.

A nurse hearing this cry of pain looked behind her seeing Emma on the floor trying to get up she rushed to help her

"How bad is the pain?" one of the nurses asked.

Emma didn't say anything, she didn't want to be vulnerable, becuase this was vulnerable enough on the floor in pain.

Stumbling over to the gurney ignoring the nurses attempt to help her, they tried to get her to lay on it. The thought of laying on her bleeding back didn't seem like a good idea, so she sat on it instead. They rolled her into the trauma room.

A nurse gave her a dose of morphine while a doctor started to check and stitch up her wounds. She tried to keep her eyes open, but was unable to do so; she passed out.

She started shaking, and sweat formed on her forehead. Suddenly, she started shrieking. They quickly lowered the morphine dosage and gave her a shot of adrenaline, causing her to wake up, breathing heavily.

The doctor in the room told her she needed twenty-two stitches on her left arm and small stitches across her back because none of them lined up but were deep enough to need stitches. She had lost so much blood, they had to give her a transfusion. Aside from that, she only had a mild concussion.

"Miss Swan, please lay down it is not good for you," the doctor urged her. Trying to check her arm to see if she popped her stiches

"I can't, you literally just stitched up my back." Emma said shaking head, she looked to Lisa explaining this was not her fault because Mark hid it so well and she did to. The doctors left the room wondering what more this sixteen year old girl had gone through.

Emma looked to her social worker, Tara, and said, "So when do I go to the new house?"

"In one week," Tara replied looking at Emma sadly, she was her new social worker her old one had been replaced due to multiple mistakes regarding children

"Okay," Emma shrugged, ignoring Tara's sad face.

The day she was released from the hospital, Tara picked her up to take her to her new home; Tara informed her she would be going to a town called Storybrooke.

"Are you okay? Uncomfortable? Mad? Sad? Hungry?" Tara asked Emma as they got in the car

"No, I'm fine."

No other words were exchanged between the two for the next 2 hours she lived in boston with mark, so she got bored so she took out Her sketch pad and a sketching pencil then started on a new drawing, herself.

blood coming out of her wrists and bruises all over her body then she took out her colored pencils and colored all of her pictures in herself saved for last she drew the blood in dark red her skin deathly pale and colored the bruises from ugly dark purple to a yellowish green old bruises and new ones.

Tara said they was almost there so she carefully put her drawings in her folder and put in her backpack

Pulling up to a white mansion the car came to a stop

"This is your new home Emma," Tara said looking over at Emma

"Awesome," Emma deadpanned, getting out of the car and putting on a fake smile. Walking on a concret path to the front door Emma was looking down

"Carefull there are stairs herr Emma"

"Okay"

They walked up the front door, and Tara knocked. They waited for a moment before a woman appearing to be in her early-to-mid-thirties opened the door. She was dressed in a fitting, knee-length black dress, and black high heels.

"Hello, I'm Cora the mayor of this town would you care to come in?" she asked.

"Sorry yes, this is your new foster daughter Emma swan she is 16" Tara walked into the house looking at the pristine kitchen and the clean living room, asking Cora to show her to Emma's room she walked up the stairs and surveyed the room deeming it safe she walked back downstairs to sa bye to Emma.

Tara walked to the front door with Emma behind her

"Emma. I'm always here if you need me, you need to know that anyone laying a hand on you is unacceptable" Tara said soft but firmly

"Okay, thanks Tara" Emma said looking up at Tara through her lashes.

"Bye Emma" Tara said walking though the door hearing a soft 'bye Tara' she smiled

Emma turned around and looked at cora

"Hi," Emma said, no emotion in her voice.

"Hello, I read about what happened in your file," Cora said sadly "I promise that I will do my best so that will never happen here." Cora said feeling sad that this young beautiful woman had been through such horrible pain from a person who was supposed to take care of her

"Oh don't worry, I know," Emma said with fake enthusiasm.

"My husband and daughters will be home soon. Would you like to come to see your room?" Cora asked, gesturing for her to come inside.

"Yes," Emma said walking into the house. She followed Cora up the stairs to the very last room. "They want it to be harder for me to run," she thought, panicking on the inside, despite continuing to walk. She walked into a dark red room with red satin sheets on top of a king-sized bed, the mattress on top of a polished wooden frame There was a dresser with six drawers and mirror on top that matched the polished bedframe. She had her own bathroom that surprisingly had a jacuzzi, there was a cabinet ment for medics and anything she might need, windows up on the wall curtains to cover them were aroumd

"Is there a lock on the doors?" she asked turning around to look at cora

"No, but there is a lock on the bathroom door that you can use," Cora replied.

"Okay," Emma said in a slightly disappointed voice.

"Is that okay? Or do you want a lock on your door?" Cora asked with concern in her voice.

"It's fine," she said while putting her backpack on the bed.

"Are you sure?"

*"it doesn't matter," Emma said in a regular voice shrugging her shoulders.

taking out her clothes from her backpack she dumped them on the bed starting to fold them after finishing folding all the clothes putting them away sweaters and tank tops and jeans sweats she saw a striped peach and white dress on her bed that she had not noticed, she picked it up and cut it to shreds with scissors she found on her dresser and threw it away*

"What happened with the dress? Why did you ruin it? It looked nice," Cora questioned.

"What happened in it wasn't nice," Emma said.

Placing her second backpack on the floor next to her closet Emma turned around to look at Cora, merely seconds later she heard the front door close and various footsteps. *

*"That must be my daughter's and husband" Cora said looking at the door before looking back at Emma at her nod Cora left Emma's room.

Emma took off her shirt to change looking in the dresser which was close to the bathroom, then someone came having through the door yelling

"listen I don't know-"

Emma jumped grabbed a shirt and ran to the bathroom and locked the door no less than 2 minutes later the door unlocked and Emma came out of the bathroom*

*"Sorry! I didn't mean to barge in on you!*

*"it's fine, just knock next time. I'm Emma by the way" Emma said holding her hand out

"I'm Regina, I will definitely knock next time"

Realizing they had been staring at each other Regina awkwardly cleared her throat

"Um, I'll just go now" Regina said.

"Okay, I'll see you later" Emma said

Regina turned around and left.

Emma closed "her" door and sat on her bed. Sighing, she took out her big binder and started to write.

Dear birth parents,

What the fuck is wrong with you? you left me on the side of the road only a few hours old, I could have died. Hell, I wish I died, but why? Why did you not want me enough to keep me? you could've at least dropped me off in an orphanage or something!

I wish you had done better, I really do.

How would it feel to know fucking want to KILL MYSELF! I hope you feel fucking terrible for what you did to me. Honestly, I don't want to do this anymore. Do you know what it's like to be scared to sleep? What it's like to wake up screaming because of nightmares at FIVE YEARS OLD! As well to get beat for it? Only to go to school and get hurt some more? Bullied because you're the foster child no one wants. I hate you, I really hate you for what you've done to me.

Hate your daughter,

Emma

Emma closed the huge binder and dropped on on the floor not knowing it landed open, hearing a dull thud laying back on the bed she covered her face trying not to cry, a knock on the door made her close her eyes acting like was asleep. she figured it was Cora. Cora walked over to Emma's book it was lying open on a page she was able to read it all

"Dear anyone who will listen,

KILL ME I know you intended to make my life fucking hell but please I don't want to do this anymore please, please kill me give me a slow death have someone cut me open again and bleed out slowly just don't save me this time, don't! Put me in absolute hell before I die but please, please kill me I just can't take the rape anymore I don't sleep anymore, scared to sleep so I run on fear sometimes if I'm lucky I can sleep 8 hours adding all the times I slept during the week,But if you could just put me into eternal sleep I would be so much happier! Please! Kill me have someone stab me over and over again but don't let anyone save me this time! I know I'm young, I know I'm only 9 but please kill me"

Kill,

Emma

"Don't read that!" Emma yelled, shooting off the bed. She grabbed her binder and pencil, putting it back into her backpack.

" um-um i-I'm sorry i-i just.." Cora trailed off clearing her throat. "I just wanted to say that dinner is ready."

"Okay I'll be down when you're done eating to wash the dishes," Emma said still looking at her bag.

"No I was saying for you to come to eat," Cora said, surprised that the child would not eat after not eating the whole morning, Tara said to make sure she eats because she had not eaten the whole day.

Emma's body went stiff. "No, thank you. I'm not hungry. I'll eat later."

"But you need to eat," Cora insisted.

"I'm fine."

"I am going to bring food up here for you, you need to eat" Cora said firmly and walked out of her room deep in thought 9 years old and she wanted to die, She was raped at 9 years old? God, when was the last time she had a good nights sleep? 8 hours a week if she was lucky! Cora thought walking down the stairs

"Honey, is she coming down to eat?" Henry, her husband asked. Regina looked up at her mother, as did Zelena.

"No, Emma doesn't want to eat but I'm fixing her a tray of food anyway," Cora said looking briefly at her family before walking into the kitchen taking down a plate, metal tray and glass cup putting salad, dressing, lasagna on the plate and cold water in the glass she set it up nicely on the tray gave her a fork and walked back up the stairs onto Emma's room noticing she had barely moved she put down the tray on her bedside table

"Emma please come eat your food," Cora said Emma immediately got off the floor with struggle and sat on her bed close to the bedside table, Emma started to eat the salad but did not eat the lasagna she drank the water as well, leaving the lasagna on the plate

"Thank you I'm done," Emma said moving off the bed fixing the sheet again, she walked across the room to her backpack and took out drawing paper and pencil and sat down against the wall on the floor and started to sketch

"Oh, you draw?" Cora asked.

"Yes, it passes time."

"Would you like me to buy you some drawing supplies?"

"Um if you don't mind, please," Emma said.

"Never dear, would you like to go shopping with my children tomorrow and get you things you need clothes and such, I noticed you only came with two backpacks only unpacking one"

"My foster father said I wasn't worthy of woman's clothes...but it's fine" Emma said looking up at Cora not wanting to hear a speech about how she was worth it.

"Okay, dear. I'll be downstairs if you need me. If you need me in the middle of the night, just come wake me," Cora said looking down at Emma.

"Okay, thanks," Emma said. She stopped drawing nervously to mess with her sleeve.

"Um, if you want to see a drawing of one I can show you?"

'I hate the fact that they can make me feel like this,' Emma thought.

"Yes, I would love that. Just let me just go change into something more comfortable," Cora replied, before leaving Emma's room to change.

She came back dressed in black yoga pants and a tight black sweater. Entering Emma's room again, she noticed her left sweater arm was up, revealing her forearm and her stitches were red.

"Oh! I forgot I need to put cream on this!"

She went to look through her backpack and took out her folder that homed all her drawings. Inside said folder, she found the cream; unscrewing the cap, she smeared some the the cream gently on the wound. Once done she screwed the cap back on, placing the cream back into the folder. Afterwards, she set the folder back into her backpack before returning to her drawing.

"You know... if you're done staring at me, you can come in," Emma said still looking at her drawing.

"How did you know I was here? People say I'm too quiet so when I walk up behind them they get the crap scared out of them," Cora smirked before taking a seat beside Emma.

Looking down at Emma's drawing, she took notice of the beatuiful women on the paper. The woman had curly hair that curled around shoulders, with a soft smile gracing her features. After noticing the way the lady's eyed sparkled, Cora gasped realizing it was her, that Emma drew.

"You've merely started drawing 30 minutes ago, how have you managed to capture what I look like so quick?" Cora was astonished by how it captured the way she looked, how she smiled, nearly everything.

"Eh," Emma shrugged "needed something to pass the time like I learned to read, write, calligraphy, sing, lyrics, guitar, ukulele, piano, baking, cooking, drawing, painting, studying, puzzles, writing books I think that's about it." Emma replied. Glancing at Cora she saw that her mouth was slightly open and a shine in her eyes.

"What?"

'Why does she look at me like that? Like she's proud.'

"I'm getting all the necessities associated with all of those things you told me" Cora said the shine still in her eyes.

"What-why?" 'You don't care'

"Because, I wish to see the extent of your abilities"

"You don't need to buy all that stuff for me really it's fine," Emma said

"I want too Emma," Cora said softly putting her hand on Emma's forearm

"No! I don't want it!." Emma threw of her hand off of her forearm.