Hope for a future 

Hope Jones knew that her reality was very different from what everyone considered reality. Especially because… well… she lived her whole life in the land of Fairy Tales. She was the daughter of the Savior, Emma Swann, and Captain Hook. The half-sister of the Writer, Henry Mills. Her grandparents were Snow White and Prince Charming, her half-brother´s grandfather was Rumpelstinskin and his adoptive mother was the Evil Queen, whose sister was the Wicked Witch… in other words, she had never lived the reality. Henry had… at least that´s what the older version of him said. He also said it sucked, but she was sure that he was lying. After all, he had gotten his happy ending, despite being in reality.

“It was not like that” he said as they walked through Storybrooke, seeing the places they had seen their entire lives. Frankly, it was kind of… boring. Despite all the magic, despite all the historybook characters they got to see. “Jacinda and I… we were under a spell… and we almost lost our happy ending thanks to reality.”

“It couldn´t have been that bad”

“It was” her brother continued. “I didn´t even recognize Lucy the first time she appeared in front of me after the curse. And, no matter how much I loved Jacinda, I also didn´t recognize her. Damn, I didn´t even recognized my own mother when I saw her… do you know what that was like?”

“We are not talking about curses, we are talking about reality”

“I lived in reality for a few years before Lucy appeared again in my life, it was the most depressing thing in my whole life. And I have lives quite a few things” he sighed. “If you want to experience something else but Historybrooke, why don´t you go with your uncle Liam in the Nautilus for a while? I´m sure your father would agree if you are under your uncle´s care.”

Yes, more family members that were also characters from history books. Captain Nemo´s ship… well, submarine if they were being specific… sounded like a great adventure. But in Hope´s Books, who had gotten a few rides on the Jolly Roger, it sounded more like an upgraded version of that. And she didn´t want to be babysat all the time by family members, for fuck´s sake, she wanted to her own adventure!! Which was perhaps why, after she said goodbye to Henry, she broke into Rumpelstinskin´s old shop. She knew he had a way to exit the city and return when he wanted… she could use it too. The shop was filthy, uncared for… probably empty since the owner died. Gideon had prefered to open his own bussiness, not wanting to have more reminders of his parents´ tumultuous relationship. Which was why it was so easy to find the potion… and put it on the silver necklace her father had gifted her for her eighteenth birthday, one of her most valuable possessions.

“You don´t want me to find out what reality is, fine” she said as she drove through the limit of the city, feeling the freedom for the first time in her life, no longer contained in that small town of fantasy. “I´m going to find out myself. And you aren´t going to stop me.”

She accelerated and soon crossed the border. It was still her, she still had her memories… and could return if she wanted to, was pretty sure of that. So long as she had her necklace. But the freedom to move in the world that was not hers, had never been hers… exhilarating. For the first time in her life, she was free. And would enjoy it to the fullest.