Ch.1: Blood ties
I'm ALIVE! I know anybody who looks at my stories thinks I dropped off the planet but I am here and I'm taking on the Labyrinth Fandom! I am excited for this story and I hope you are too!
Sarah woke to the loud beep of the heart monitor next to her. She sat straight up and looked around the white barren hospital room. 'OH NO! OH NO! Not again! ' she pleaded to herself.
She'd knew this would happen again but had really been praying that it wouldn't.
This was the third time in the past six months! Her convulsions and blackouts were getting worse A LOT worse! She tried to calm herself enough to hear the voices outside her door.
"…I know Mr. Williams but we have no chance of curing her because we no idea what is causing the episodes."
Her stepmother's voice was horse from crying. " You are telling us she will….die?" Her voice cracked into a whimper when she spoke the word.
Dr. Kernal tried to calm the crying woman. "There is always hope and she can go home but they are getting longer and more violent. We need to face the possibility that we are dealing with something more than a few breakdowns..."
Sarah could no longer take it she closed her eyes and blocked out the voices as soft tear drop squeezed out her eyes. Only 21 and dying? NOW THIS WASN'T FAIR! She began to hum a song from a place lost in her imagination. She grimly chuckled at the irony, she tried so hard to put all of her fantasies behind her and now reality was slapping her in the face and all she wanted to do is escape into fantasy.
Sarah couldn't face her family yet. It was just easier to lock herself in her old bedroom and pick up one of the books she used to loved so much. Sarah rifled through her many stacks. Some her books were about mermaids (her 8yr-old obsession), others about wizards (11yr-old,) and even elves (14.) Eventually she was able to lose herself in the mythical realm she had long forgotten and she drifted off to sleep.
She was dancing in a thin, white as snow dress as the moon gleamed directly upon her. The effect made her skin glow slightly. She continued to dance as the cloud passed over creating shadows that danced with and caressed her body.
She felt the prickle of soft grass beneath her feet and the smell of trees sending her their blessing. She somehow knew that she was a part of them as much as they were her.
A lake not far off sparkled and gleamed its invitation to her. She smiled and dance to it. She stepped on the top the lake and continued to dance as if it was the most natural thing in the world. The lake tickled her feet teasingly. She sputtered and giggled at its mischievous ways.
She was looking down so she didn't see 'him' approach. He held his hand out to her and she obediently placed her hand in his as she knew he desired. He kept is blue and brown eyes locked with hers as he leaned down and kissed her hand but it was not soft. It burned and she tried to pull her hand away but he held tightly. The inviting scenery began to darken and fade away. Slowly the king stood back up, he was tall, looming and terrifying.
"Let me go." She pleaded and fell down trying to pull her hand away from him. He answered with a triumphant smile and a shake of his head.
A dark castle with walls around raised up around them, stopping her from any means of escape. His grip on her hand tighten till she screamed in pain and she woke up screaming and sat up in her bed breathing deeply. She stroked her hand expecting it to be a black and charred it hurt so bad, but instead all she saw a swirl like symbol scarred into the side of her hand. Quickly she thought of everything she did that could have left a mark on her hand yesterday and she couldn't think of any.
She was perplexed about the mark on her hand and she wanted to be. Anything to get her mind off what might happen the next time she blacks out…she choked off the thought and bit into her toast. It was early morning and the rest of the family was in bed..or at least she thought they all were.
She got up and took her plate to the sink and turned on the water when small arms wrapped around her stomach. She gasped in surprise and tossed up the plate she was holding. Luckily it had been plastic and did not shatter as it fell to the floor.
She flipped around and the blond curly haired boy looked up at her with sheepish eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you Sarah." His eyes went to humor to sadness suddenly. "Are you feeling ok? Mom says you are still sick?"
Sarah put one hand on her heart and ran the other through Toby's messy curls. "I'm well enough to tickle you if you scare me like that again!" She made threatening movement with her hands. He giggled and backed away.
Sarah had to smile back, whatever was going to happen to her she was not going to let it hurt Toby. "Since you are awake, what do you say we steal some cookies for breakfast and not tell your mom?"
His eyes glinted with the thrill of rebellion common in boys of his age and all ages for that matter thought Sarah.
"Mom was just waking up." He whispered conspiratorially.
She grinned "Then we better get to it! I'll get the cookies if you get the milk." She winked and walked over to the top cabinet and pulled down the box of Oreos.
Sarah always loved the feel of cool wind on her face. It helped her think and breathe beside her other option was staying in the stuffy house all day while her stepmother would just hover. She didn't resent her for it but right now she didn't want the constant reminder of what was to come in the hovering tears of her eyes.
So despite her stepmother's objections she had grabbed her purse and headed to the old library on the far side of town. Sarah wanted to be strong...no she needed to be for Toby's sake. Since THAT night or dream (Sarah wasn't quite sure anymore) everything she done had been for Toby. She even turned down a semi-ivy league college to stay close to him. As far as Sarah was concerned he was the only thing that mattered.
Sarah breathed in deeply loving the smell of the coming rain. She was almost sad when she stepped inside the dusty, ancient library. She hadn't been here since she was a young teenage girl but it looked like nothing in this place had changed. In fact, she thought, the librarian sitting at the big old desk in the front was the same one she remembered the last time she was here. 'No way! He was ancient before but now...'
The ancient man looked up from his glasses at her as if he had heard her thoughts. "Ah, Sarah. It has been a long time indeed what a pleasure to see you again." His smile was genuine and soft.
Sarah smiled back. "I can't believe you remember me."
"Of course I remember all my favorite young scholars and I'm not old enough that my memory is going yet." He chuckled.
Sarah grinned at him. "Well, I was wondering where your computer is. I have a certain keyword that I need to look up." Sarah was being intentionally vague because she wasn't about to tell anyone she was trying to find a possibly mystical symbol that was burned into her hand. They would think she was crazy, maybe she was crazy. Going crazy was a much better option than dying at this point.
"I'm sorry Hun, but we do not have those things in here, I like to keep it personable and beside I couldn't run one of those darn things even if I wanted too."
Sarah really liked the old man and she didn't feel threatened that he judge her a looney bird so she gritted her teeth and let it out. "I'm looking for a symbol." She pulled out a piece of paper she had drawn it on just in case this happened.
The old man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and peered down at the paper. He looked up at Sarah with surprise.
'Yep' she thought. 'he thinks I'm crazy.'
"Where did you get this!" He was staring at her with the intensity of a much younger man.
"I found it." She lied.
"When you were in the Labyrinth?" He said it like it was common knowledge she had been to a different realm.
"I…uh….what? How did you…?" Sarah could only stammer.
"I think you better come into my office dear, some walls have ears."
"…so you are from the Underground?" Sarah just stared in disbelief while sitting in his office and holding the hot chocolate he'd given her.
The old man only nodded. "I thought maybe you forgot about your journey."
Sarah grimaced. "I tried pretended it was a dream but I could never quite convince myself."
"Sarah the mark you brought to me is the symbol of the fairies and you were bitten by a fairy while you were in the Labyrinth if I am not mistaken?"
"Well just on my hand….OH!" She lifted her hand up and showed the old man the mark right where the creature had bit her.
He examined her hand "This is highly abnormal Sarah. The fairy that bit you was just a pixie if I am correct? It should have at the most given you dreams or hallucinations but I have never seen anything like this…peculiar indeed."
"Wait…I've been sick! They say I'm going to die and it is all because of magic!" Sarah was fuming. She hated the 'Goblin King' now more than ever.
The old man studied her for a second. "Maybe it is not because of magic but lack thereof…." He was lost in his thoughts for several moments before he spoke again. "What were you doing when you received the mark?"
"I was sleeping, dreaming I told you." Sarah was trying not to be mean spirited by it was all so unfair!
"Yes you did but did you do anything last night that you haven't before or since you have been bitten?" he was digging for something particular she could tell. "Sarah the closer you are to magic the closer it gets to you."
"I was reading" She realized.
"Fantasy?" he was looking at her intently.
She nodded. They sat in silence for several minutes. Sarah was too angry to speak and the old man was deeply lost in thought.
"How much do you know about you mother's family?" he finally broke the silence.
"Honestly I don't know anything about her family. Why?" Sarah was scared to ask. Her mom was an actress and Sarah could count her visits on one hand since her parent's separation.
"In order to get a mark like that Sarah you can't just be bitten by a mere pixie, fae has to be part of your blood. It is possible that magic could save you by allowing the inevitable change from human to fae to happen but Sarah, you will be in just as much danger there as you are here, maybe more…."
He continue but Sarah wasn't listening, she couldn't the room was spinning wildly. 'This is it she thought the last episode, the last thing I'll ever see…" Stars danced in her vision then everything went black.