The asylum was dark, dank, and moldy, like a basement. The walls were painted a musty color yellow that drove the girls past the brink of insanity. Of course, most of them were already there, but those that weren't found it all but impossible not to stare at the walls and be captivated by their mindless hue.

The women's ward was small, but large enough that 'patients' - if that's what you could call them - could go missing for hours without being noticed. Escape, however, proved impossible. Many had tried. The staff were anything but friendly; in fact, they were mostly brutal and unfeeling creatures, content to harass the already tormented individuals under their charge.

Confined to solitary, a young Emma Swan took to humming softly to herself as she covered her eyes to block out the dim white lights above her in her room. It was her only solace, the only noise besides the barking orders of the employees.

"Let's go, Swan," an orderly called into the cell, laughing as he held the door open. "Time to socialize."

He led her by the arm into the common room where he directed her to a chair and pointed at it.

"Sit and behave," he barked, "and try not to hang yourself with the chair cushions."

Rolling her eyes, Emma gripped her wrists and leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs beneath her. At first, she shut her eyes and tried to block out the noise, but when that didn't work, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. Almost every patient was by themselves. Some walked in circles. Others sat in the corner in the fetal position, and others still sat in front of chess boards playing the game by themselves.

Most of the poor, unfortunate souls spent more time talking to themselves than to each other, so the common areas were often filled with mindless utterances, and there was little contact between individuals. This being the case, the young Regina Mills was more than surprised when an even younger Emma Swan made her acquaintance.

"So what are you in here for?" the blonde asked boldly, having noticed the beautiful brunette sitting in the chair beside her out of the corner of her eye.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked haughtily, crossing her arms.

"I asked why you were in here," Emma repeated, her eyes strong and brave, her courage unwavering.

"What makes you think I would tell you that?"

"Well, because you look as bored as me. I've been in solitary for three weeks. This is the first time I've been in a room full of people since I got here."

"Solitary?" Regina asked, unable to hide her surprise. "For three weeks?"

"Yeah."

Emma shrugged her shoulders, silently saying, 'It's no big deal,' but Regina was suddenly intrigued.

"How did you survive it?"

"I don't know. I think I'm already going crazy."

"I've never been in solitary, but I feel like I'm crazy, too. This place will do that to you."

"If you won't tell me why you're here, will you at least tell me when you're getting out?"

"'Whenever I get better,' they say, and no one 'gets better' here," the brunette responded sadly, glancing at the clock. "Time stops here. No one leaves, except on a gurney."

"I'm getting out," Emma said defiantly, sitting up a little straighter in her chair.

She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince her new acquaintance or herself, but Regina certainly didn't buy the story.

"Why are you here?"

"I slit my wrists. My parents said I needed help, so here I am. Now, are you going to tell me your story?"

"No."

Silence fell between them, but Emma didn't break her gaze. Regina was the first to look away, but before she did, Emma found the shame in her eyes.

"That's okay. I won't push. It's just good to finally-"

"Swan!" one of the orderlies yelled, snapping his fingers. "Back to your room until dinner. Tonight, you eat with the rest of these slobs before your group meeting at eight."

"Bye," Emma muttered, stealing one last glance toward the beautiful girl as she was dragged away.

She looked around at dinner for her new acquaintance, but found her nowhere. Not seeing her there, she sat down at a table by herself and began to eat, until another young brunette sat down beside her.

"Hi," she said cheerfully, smiling at Emma. "I'm Belle."

Emma blinked a few times, surprised at the girl's joviality. In a place as dark as this, she was surprised to find someone so bright.

"Emma," she muttered, not trusting the girl's friendliness.

It wasn't like Emma to trust anyone, really. Sure, she was usually pretty open, but she wasn't nearly as chipper as this other patient, so the girl's happiness threw her off guard.

"So what are you in here for?"

Hearing the question being asked by someone else suddenly did make it sound rather intrusive.

"I slit my wrists, so my parents sent me here," Emma mumbled.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you try to kill yourself?"

"It's kind of a long story, but I've tried it before. This is just the first time I've gotten caught, and obviously, I'm not very good at it."

"Well, I'm glad. You're awfully pretty."

Emma was taken aback by this, embarrassed even, so she let a piece of her soft blonde hair fall in front of her eyes as she looked away.

"You're weird."

"And you're pretty."

"Stop saying that!" Emma snapped, slamming her fork down on the table.

"I'm sorry," Belle said softly, reaching out to touch her shoulder, but Emma pulled away instantly.

"Don't touch me." Emma paused, realizing the harshness of her words, and corrected herself by saying, "I'm sorry. Why are you here?"

"I'm not. You're imagining me."

Emma had to laugh.

"Seriously, though. You're kind of weird, kid."

When Belle laughed too, Emma felt her smile refusing to fade. The rest of the conversation was more light-hearted, and though it left Emma filled with some amount of hope, she could not keep her mind from the girl she'd met earlier that day.