Forest of Fireflies

Chapter 57

(Daniella's POV)

Ms Cummings smiled and replied, "Alright."

"Sorry, could we speak to Daniella alone?"

I gave Ms Cummings a look. She gave me a pat on the back and left the office under Snow's commands. 

"Daniella, I want you to say sorry to Leyton."

I balled my fists together and kept them at my side as I glared at her. "Why? He was the one who rallied up the crowd"

"He didn't deserve to be treated so poorly-"

"Neither did I!"

"Daniella-"

"No! I won't do it. Do you know what Leyton and his gang did to me in the Enchanted Forest?"

"I'm sorry for what has happened but we're in Storybrooke now, and physically attacking Leyton to such an extent is not tolerable."

I stood up from the chair and spat, "He pushed me over first. He kicked dust into my mouth!"

To my annoyance, Snow continued in a calm voice, "Daniella, I want to teach you how to deal with issues in a better way. An alternative to revenge. You might not have realised but when you hurt Leyton, you've hurt yourself too. How long will it take until you feel guilty for your actions?"

I scoffed and replied almost immediately, "Never-"

"No, trust me, you will. I'm not telling you that it was wrong to protect yourself in the situation that had just occurred, but I'm telling you that it was wrong to keep going especially when Leyton was clearly already in no position to harm you. Daniella, do you understand?"

I looked down and bit my lip. Maybe I understood what Snow was implying. But it didn't give me comfort. Snow continued, "Now since you're under my care, I'm going to make sure that you choose to do good, instead of retaliating. I don't want you to fall to your own downfall, like Regina did."

At the mention of my mother, I looked up. An ice cool wave of emptiness rushed through my heart. David stepped out from Snow's side and gave me a small smile. One that I didn't return. "Come on, we'll make the apology quick and get it over and done with. How does that sound?"

The tick of the clock on the wall wavered my thoughts. "Well?"

I dipped my head. "Fine." Then, I followed Snow and David to the healthcare unit of the school. When we arrived, a school nurse was tending to Leyton who lay still on his bed. At the patter of our footsteps, the nurse looked up and greeted Snow who whispered something to her. The nurse gave a nod and left the room. Snow crouched over and asked Leyton, "How are you feeling?"

Seeing Leyton in such a vulnerable state felt strange. I urged my lips to not lift up into a triumphant smile. I heard him reply weakly, "I'm fine." If it wasn't for David's stern gaze, I would have let out a smirk. 

Snow turned and faced me. "Leyton, I've brought Daniella here to apologize." 

His eyes locked onto Snow's gaze. Clearly, he hadn't expected to see me again so soon. He sat up a little on the bed and gave me a glare. I crossed my arms and returned it to him until David prodded me to come forth. Sighing, I averted Leyton's gaze and muttered a quick word of apology. Leyton gave no reply. Snow said something to him and afterwards, we all stood up to leave him. I was nearly at the door of the room when he called my name. I whipped my head around. He sat up on the bed and didn't say a word. I strutted over and crossed my arms. "What?"

"Are you familiar with the North Village?"

"You mean, in the Enchanted Forest?"

Leyton's eyes bore into mine as he answered, "Yes."