The Feud

Chapter 7

"Such a shame you're not joining us." Emma's uncle looked disappointed at her as she watched from the doorway how her father and his brother were packing the car.

The whole family, which included her parents, her uncle and aunt and their daughter Jacqueline, were going on a trip to the beach for the week.

Emma first had wanted to go along with them, but she didn't have vacation and she wasn't allowed to skip school. However, she didn't mind being alone for the week.

"Yeah, well.. school's a priority, isn't it?" she rhetorically questioned and smiled at her uncle James.

"It's so nice of you to watch Jacqueline's rats. Has she explained everything you need to do this week?" James asked and Emma nodded.

"Yes, she just explained it all."

Jacqueline had two rats as pets and Emma had promised to look after them for the week. She wasn't too fond of the animals - they smelled really bad - but her parents had practically forced her to do it, so she had agreed upon doing it.

Her little cousin was already seated in the car, next to her mom, who was also named Jacqueline. Emma couldn't understand why people would give their children the same name as they have themselves, but she never said her judgements out loud.

David slammed the car door shut and walked towards his daughter. "You know where everything is. Call us if something is wrong and don't get yourself into trouble." He inhaled deeply as he looked at his daughter and kissed her cheek. "Take care of yourself."

"Dad, I'm seventeen. I think I'll manage," Emma replied and hugged her father. She heard her mother approach them and hugged her goodbye as well.

"Enjoy your vacation!" she said ecstatically and smiled at her parents.

"If there's anything you need, you can call us, honey. Take good care of yourself and don't get into trouble," Mary Margaret said and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Dad just said that," she said and chuckled softly.

"I put some money on the cabinet. It's more than enough for the week," Mary Margaret continued, ignoring Emma's comment. "I love you, honey."

Emma kissed her mother's cheek and smiled. "Love you too. Both of you."

She waved her family goodbye as they took off in the car and turned around. She started wandering around the house.

It wasn't often that she was home alone - her parents almost never went away without her or they'd made sure she was staying over with friends - and a weird sense of relaxation washed over her.

It was as though she didn't have any obligations. She could do anything she wanted for an entire week.

Emma walked inside the living room and went to the cage with the rats. She opened it and took one of the animals in her arms.

They were quite interesting to watch, especially their tails that were rather long. Although she could imagine people being frightened of them. They did have some sort of weird vibe around them.

She ran her fingertips through its fur and suddenly got an idea. It was risky, but she'd been looking for a new plan to get back at Regina for about a month now.

It really went like that. Sometimes they pulled three pranks on each other in one week and sometimes it stayed quiet for a couple of months. They never knew when to expect a new joke and sometimes it took time to get new inspiration.

The rats came with all the equipment Emma could possibly need and her eye quickly caught a travel cage for the two of them. She smirked and put the rat back in the cage.