Enchanted Adventure

XI. Fruit of the Poisonous Tree

Aubree's POV:

I put on a jacket and said, "Henry. Maybe the book will tell us who the random guy is."

He nodded. "That's a good idea. Get ready to go to the castle."

We got on our bikes and rode towards the castle. Emma stepped out from her squad car.

"Hey, kids," she greeted.

Henry and I rode past her and she said, "Nice to see the two of you, too."

She caught up with us as we stared at our destroyed castle.

"The storm!" Henry and I cried.

"It's okay -- we can fix it," Emma reassured. "I'll talk to Marco."

"Do you think it's still here?" Henry asked as he and I started digging in the sand near the base of the playground.

"What are you two looking for?"

"Our book."

"Why'd you two bury it here?"

Without looking, I replied, "So our mom doesn't find it."

"Hiding it under one of your mattresses wasn't good enough?"

We uncovered a red metal box under the sand and Henry started unlocking it.

"That's the first place the Evil Queen would look," I told Emma.

"How about leaving it with me?"

"That's the second place," Henry replied as he opened the box to reveal the book. "It's still here. Good."

"So, your mom doesn't know about the castle?"

I shook my head. "No. This is our secret."

Henry closed the box and started to rebury it.

Mom called out to us. "Henry! Aubree! Henry! Aubree! I've been looking everywhere for you two. You two know you both have a session with Archie this morning." She noticed Emma. "I should've known they were with you. Henry, Aubree -- car. Now."

Henry and I ran off and Mom stayed to talk with Emma.

Third Person POV:

"You let them play here?" Regina asked.

Emma glanced at the castle. "The storm hit it hard, but we can fix it."

"Well, can you fix a couple cracked craniums? Because that's what you'll have on your hands if one of these boards collapses under their weight. You're not thinking about Henry or Aubree or their safety. Just ways around me. Miss Swan, don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. People can get hurt."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're the Sheriff now -- it's time to be responsible."

Emma and Mary Margaret met at Granny's Diner.

Once they got food, Emma started complaining. "Don't let my feelings cloud my judgment? That's all Regina ever does."

"Well, she's just upset because you, Henry and Aubree have a special place and she... She doesn't," Mary Margaret replied.

"How'd she find out about the castle in the first place?"

"She knows everything about this town -- she's the Mayor."

Mary Margaret's phone vibrated. She looked to see a text from David. 'We need to talk. Meet at our spot.'

"Everything okay?" Emma asked.