The next morning, after an extremely rough night's sleep, Emerys woke up; her white hair had lost the curls from the previous day and was now dead straight once again, but a total mess of knots.
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she switched off her alarm and groaned as she sat up and glared towards her backpack situated on top of her dresser.
Eventually, she pulled herself out of bed, brushed her hair and changed into a black boho witchy style dress, black, lace-up knee high boots, her leather jacket and a black wool beret, which neatly hugged the back of her skull. Looking in the mirror, she felt pleased with herself, feeling that the black contrasted beautifully with her pure white skin and white hair. She felt she channelled her inner Goth Stevie Nicks rather well.
After lining her waterline with eyeliner, putting on some mascara and grabbing her backpack, she made her way downstairs.
"Good morning, ghost Stevie." Her dad smirked, biting into a slice of toast.
"Good morning Principal Taylor." Emerys playfully glared back as she poured herself some coffee.
"Yeah, yeah. At home I'm still dad, thank you very much." He chuckled. "Did you want a ride to school?"
Emerys raised her eyebrow. "And instantly be labelled as the new principal's daughter? Sure. It couldn't get much worse after that."

Pulling into the teacher's parking lot, Emerys instantly laid eyes on the exact car she didn't want to see – Killian's Chevelle.
"Want me to come with you to get your schedule or anything?" Her dad asked.
"No, it's fine." She looked at him over the rim of her blacked out circle sunglasses.
"Then I'll see you in the Welcoming Assembly." He smiled, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Emerys walked over to the main office and picked up her schedule whilst she waited for Ruby to show up.
"English lit with Mr Jones..." She mumbled to herself. "Dear God..."
"Mr Jones isn't so bad. It's just what he teaches that drags on a bit." Ruby's voice sounded from the girl's left.
"Ruby! Hey. I was just going over my classes." Emerys gave a nervous chuckle as she spied the two girls next to her.
"Don't panic. You'll be fine." One of the girl's said.
"Em, this is Regina. She's the Class President and this is her sister Zelena." Ruby waved her hand towards the dark haired girl and her red head sibling, who both gave very kind smiles.
"Hey." Emerys gave a small wave.
"It's really nice to meet you. Ruby wouldn't shut up about you all summer. We would've come and introduced ourselves earlier, but we were visiting family in New York." Zelena sang, enthusiastically.
"Oh cool. I've never been." Emerys replied, shyly.
"Not much of a talker, are you?" Regina smirked. "It's okay. If there's anything you should know about this school, it's really good at opening people up."
Emerys simply nodded, looking back down at her schedule to Killian's name.
'Second period should be a blast...' She thought.

First period was spent in the hall, introducing the new Principal.
"Everyone, if you could settle down please." Mr Gold, the Vice Principal shouted, clearly in a mood that shut everyone up almost instantly. "Thank you. I'd like to introduce you to our new Principal; Mr Taylor."
He held his arm out in Emerys' dad's direction as he made his way onto the small stage.
"Oh dear God..." Emerys cupped her hand over her eyes, sinking down in her seat.
"What is it?" Regina asked in a whisper.
"That's my dad..." Emerys sighed.
"Oh wow." Regina stifled a laugh.
"Hello students, I'm Mr Taylor." Her father began, clapping his hands together. "A little bit about me is that I come from New Orleans, Louisiana, I have one beautiful daughter."
"Oh Jesus save me..." Emerys grumbled. "Please don't say my name."
Regina, Zelena and Ruby struggled to hide their giggles, only to be shushed by a female teacher.
"Sorry Mrs Nolan." Ruby whispered.
"I have been teaching for twelve years and this is my first time being a principal, but don't think that means I'll be someone you can walk all over." Principal Taylor continued. "In the meantime, I hope everyone has a good year back and new seniors, I hope you have an amazing last year at Storybrooke High. Thank you very much." He gave a small bow and a smile, then walked off stage as the students clapped with as little enthusiasm as possible.
"Well, no name mention, so I think your secret is safe with us." Zelena smirked.
"Thank fuck..." Emerys mumbled.

The rest of the start-of-year assembly dragged on about the freshmen coming in and the seniors doing their final exams. But all Emerys could think about was how her next class would be with Killian...
She had English Lit with Regina, so they wondered to class together.
When they got to the classroom, Killian wasn't there, so Emerys simply sat down next to Regina and took out her notebook and pen.
But when Killian entered, Emerys' heart fluttered and she began to think she was going to have a heart attack or puke due to her nervousness.
'Why didn't I warn him yesterday or something?' She thought.
What they were doing wasn't technically illegal. The age of consent in Maine may have been sixteen, but a relationship of any sort between a teacher and student was not only morally, but ethically wrong at any age.
"Good morning seniors."
Emerys groaned quietly and pulled her woollen beret further over her hair.
"How was everyone's summer?" Killian looked up from the papers in his hand and looked around the class at all the unimpressed faces.
But when his eyes met the new girl's, it felt like his heart had just disappeared.
There was a murmur of 'good's and 'great's from the students, but Killian wasn't paying attention.
All Emerys could muster was a small, discreet wave and mouth the words 'I'm so sorry'.
"Right... Apparently we have a new student in the class today. Emerys, would you like to come up here and introduce yourself, please." He said.
Killian knew of Emerys' social anxiety all too well, so she could only think that this was the beginning of her punishment and she knew she deserved it.
She slowly got up and wondered over to Killian's desk and faced the room full of unimpressed students.
"Uh... Hi. I'm Emerys Taylor. Before it gets out and becomes a big thing, I'll just tell you – I'm the Principal's daughter. But don't hold that against me, I'm nothing like him." She told them, awkwardly.
As if Killian couldn't feel anymore mortified, hearing that she was his new boss' daughter was the icing on the shittiest cake in the world.
"Sup Emerys." A boy at the front winked, leaning forward flirtatiously.
"Mr Scarlet, that's enough." Killian growled.
A girl at the back raised her hand, but didn't wait to be spoken to before she came out with something that made Emerys want to curl up into a ball and disappear more than she already wanted to.
"Hey, new girl. Are you albino?" She laughed vindictively.
"No... I just-"
"Ursula, that's a really horrible thing to just come out and ask someone. You all know by now that there's no bullying in my classroom. So, you'll be the Principal's first visitor today." Killian glared at her.
He then went over to his desk and wrote out a slip for her to take.
"Fuck's sake..." Ursula groaned, impatiently rising from her seat.
"And you can also tell him about your language in my class whilst you're at it." Killian walked over and handed her the slip, making sure she went in the right direction to the Principal's office. "Emerys, go sit back down, please."
Emerys nodded and made eye contact with no one as she scuttled back to her seat.
"Are you okay?" Regina asked, quietly, placing a gentle hand on the girl's back.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Emerys sniffed.
More than anything, she hated feeling weak in front of people – which was difficult with her anxiety – But most of all, it was crying in front of others that got to her the most.
She tipped her head down and dabbed her eyes gently to catch any sign of a tear as Killian continued on with the lesson.
"This semester we'll be studying Shakespeare's Sonnets. So read through them, pick a favourite and we'll spend the next few weeks studying each person's favourite in detail."
If it weren't for the syllabus, Emerys could've sworn that Killian had hand-picked this subject just for her.
He knew how much she loved Shakespeare and his works, Sonnet 116 in particular.
Killian set some books down in front of the boy Emerys now knew as Will Scarlet and told him to pass them out.
They were the Sonnet works of Shakespeare.
Emerys sighed, recalling the first time she and Killian shared Shakespeare.

*Flashback*

Killian wrapped his arms around Emerys' middle and pulled her into him as she tried to focus on the book in front of her. It was her leather bound hard copy of the Complete Works of Shakespeare.
He began to kiss a spot on her neck, making her giggle.
"Killi, stop. You wanted me to read this to you and I can't do that whilst you're distracting me." She pouted.
"But I adore your laugh, love. I can't help myself." He hummed, his lips so close that they brushed against her skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
"Well adore it after I've read this. It's my favourite." She huffed, playfully.
"Alright, alright. Go ahead." He chuckled.
Emerys cleared her throat and put her all into reading the words as accurately as she could.
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds." She began, bringing a soft smile to Killian's lips. "Admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. Or bends with the remover to remove. O no, it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken; it is the star to every wond'ring bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken." As she read, Killian continued peppering kisses on her delicate, porcelain skin. "Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks. Within his bending sickle's compass come; love alters not with his brief hours and weeks. But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me prov'd, I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd." She couldn't help her voice trailing off into a whisper as she placed the book down gently and turned in Killian's arms.
She caressed his stubble-coated jawline and brought him in for a long, passionate kiss.
"That was beautiful, love." He mumbled against her lips.

"Emerys..." A voice sounded next to her. "Emerys. Class is over."
The new girl snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see Regina looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
Glancing around, she also noticed that the classroom was almost empty, besides a few vacating students and Killian.
"Regina, you go off to class. I need to borrow our new edition for a moment." Killian spoke up just as Emerys rose from her seat, throwing her backpack over her shoulder.
"I was going to show her where her next class is..." Regina told him.
"I have a free period next. I'll do it. You get off, now." He said.
Regina gave Emerys a sympathetic look and made her way out of the classroom, closing the door behind her.
Emerys was about to say something before Killian got in there first.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't zone out in my class, Miss Taylor." He sighed, not looking up from the paperwork in front of him.
"Killian..." All she could do was whisper. She knew if she spoke up and her voice cracked, the flood gates would open.
"It's Mr Jones, if you don't mind." He barked.
"I'm so sorry... We just... We never discussed how old we were or what we do for a living and-"
"I don't want to hear it, Emerys. Now that we do know how old we are and what we do for a living, this whole thing stops. I am not risking my career for a bloody student." He finally made eye contact with her, but she'd never seen his eyes so cold. "Whatever we were, we're done."
The flood gates opening were inevitable at this point.
"I'm sorry..." She sobbed.
Without giving him a chance to put another word in, she ran out of the classroom, running to the nearest bathroom.

Emerys arrived to her next class – Home Ec - ten minutes late. After crying her emotions out in the empty bathroom and cleaning up her makeup, she was unwelcomingly greeted with a classroom full of bored faces and the woman who'd told her, Ruby, Regina and Zelena off in assembly earlier that day.
"Emerys Taylor, I assume." She gave a look that was supposed to be one of discipline, but her eyes were too kind to get away with it.
"Yes, sorry I'm late Mrs Nolan. Mr Jones wanted to speak with me." She nodded.
"Yes, Regina gave me the head's up. You can sit next to Belle." She motioned to a brunette with a bright smile on her face, giving a wave.
Emerys gave an awkward smile back and shuffled across the room to sit next to the girl.
"Hi Emerys, I'm Belle French. It's nice to meet you." She beamed, her smooth New Zealand accent feeling like a breath of fresh air for Emerys, as it wasn't one she was used to hearing.
"Hi Belle. Nice to meet you too. What's going on?" The new girl motioned to the front of the class, where Mrs Nolan was rambling on about something.
"She's going to be teaching us how to make a couple of dishes. We've got to take notes and then tomorrow we'll be cooking them ourselves." Belle replied.
"Joy..." Emerys sighed. She hated cooking.

By the time the end of the day came round, Emerys was more done with life than she ever felt possible. She couldn't take her mind off Killian. She barely ate anything when she got home and just went to her room, reading up on her notes from classes that day.
Downstairs, Jocelyn was getting worried for her daughter.
"Are you sure she's okay? She's been very quiet ever since she got home from school. More quiet than normal." She frowned.
"Darling, you come from a military home. You know what it's like to be the new kid better than anyone. But she's also got the added weight of being the Principal's daughter. She's probably just mentally exhausted." James replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Upstairs, Emerys was done looking at her notes and was now staring down at her phone, reading texts between her and Killian.
'I hope when you're ready we can be something more, love. This past month has been incredible x' He'd texted.
'Me too Killi. Believe me, when I'm ready, you'll be the first one to know x' She'd replied.
'I'll wait as long as it takes x'
Emerys sighed heavily, her finger hovering over the keypad.
'Don't do it, Emerys. You'll probably regret it.' The little voice in her head told her.
But naturally, she did it anyway.
'Please understand that if I knew you were to be my teacher, I never would have gotten involved with you. I can't apologise enough.'
Sent.
With mascara-stained cheeks, she fell into a light sleep.