Once Upon a Second Chance

(26) - The Recieving End

It was late evening at the Mills household. Evie was sitting by herself in the living room, squatting as she admired the fireplace. The house was quiet and she was thinking about visiting the alternate homes of her best friends. She tilted her head as she stood up, bored.

She sighed before something on the side of the fireplace caught her eye. It was large and brown. Her curiosity got the best of her as she grabbed it and pulled it from behind the fireplace.

The object was revealed to be a book. It looked just like Henry's storybook that he had let them borrow earlier. Except this one had no title.

She opened it, and it revealed vast stories with realistic pictures added on every few pages. It also recorded events that looked to contain contents of both the lands of story and the modern world. Said events were in chronological order. Evie skimmed through it. The book recorded the tales and adventures of the fairytale characters beginning from the moment where a woman named Emma Swan was blowing on her birthday candle all the way to something called the 'Final Battle'. It made sense since the other book ended with baby Emma being put in the magical wardrobe. This must have been the continuation, considering its predecessor ended on something of a cliffhanger.

"Hm," Evie admired until a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"How did you find that?"

Evie looked up to see Henry who came over and grabbed the book from Evie. "Nobody was meant to see that."

"Did you write it?" Evie asked but got no answer.

Henry's expression started to become unclear as he looked down and became rather shy. "It wasn't ready to be seen. It needs improvement. It's not... good enough."

Evie shrugged, "I mean, it wasn't very thoroughly, but I saw some of it. It was... exceptionally well-written. Why don't you get it published?"

The tension in the room became awkward as Evie realized she had invaded Henry's privacy, reading a work he hadn't intended anyone to see, making him self-conscious. There was a reason it was hidden after all—poorly hidden, but hidden.

"It's not like I'm ever going to accomplish anything the last Author couldn't," the son of the Queen muttered. Henry loved writing. It was his passion. Being the Author was one of the greatest honors bestowed upon those who were deemed worthy... So why did it go to someone like Henry? A seventeen-year-old boy who was still finding himself. He thought he had proved himself when he broke the cursed Author's Pen, but recording the stories of epic heroes, villains, and everything between was a far greater responsibility than many could grasp—one that Henry wasn't sure he could handle.

"Don't say that," Evie said sternly. "Never doubt yourself. It doesn't get you anywhere, trust me."

Henry sighs, "I honestly wish that was easier said than done. But, I just feel like I'm going to let everybody down but..." The brunette boy struggled to find the right words.

"None of them understand the pressure you feel," Evie practically read his thoughts.

Henry looked up and nodded with a sad smile.

Though Evie had only known Henry barely two days, it still felt unnatural to her to see him so dejected. She unconsciously took his hands and said words that Henry is always saying to others, but didn't know the impact they truly had on someone on the receiving end:

"I believe in you."

Henry looked up, taken aback. Evie continued, "You have already come so far. And you never just how far you can go if you push yourself. And when you make it to the end of the road, you're are going to shock yourself when you see all that you've accomplished. You are going to do things you never thought possible in your life."

Henry gave Evie a thankful smile. She was the first person he felt understood him in a while. And he never knew how much he needed one until she showed up.

Even the truest believer needs someone to believe in him every once in a while.

(A/N): Hey, readers! I hope you enjoyed the bonding moment between Henry and Evie. I'm in the process of trying to write you longer chapters so updates may be a little slower. Wishing you all the best!