I've tried my hand at Sailor Moon fanfic, I thought I'd try it at Labyrinth fanfic as well. This is my first Laby fanfic so feedback is more than welcome! Thanks!
Sarah's head pounded with the pressure of another migraine, the third one this week. She cradled her head in her hands, praying the episode would dissipate by curtain call. The migraines had become increasingly frequent over the past few months, causing the actress' vision to swim with images of far off places that seemed all too familiar yet foreign.
She chalked it up to stress from the long rehearsal hours of the new production of Twelfth Night, in which she had snagged the coveted lead of Viola. Had her body not be wracked with misery she would have given a small, manical laugh. Somewhere deep inside, she had never quite given up on chasing her dreams, even if it meant living a lie vicariously through the theater.
"Please...not now...", she begged the incessant pain in her skull.
Curtain call was in less than an hour, though Sarah couldn't be certain on the exact time. She had never been a big fan of clocks, especially old grandfather clocks, so she never kept them around. They made her feel restricted, as foolish as it sounded, like she was always racing against time itself.
She puckered her face sourly at the pressure building in the base of her skull. If her migraine didn't ease up, Sarah might have to forfeit her role to the understudy. She picked her head up slowly, grimacing at the wave of pain that pulsated through her entire brain. The mossy green eyes of her mirror image stared back at her, willing the real Sarah to banish her pain.
As selfish as it sounded, Sarah couldn't bare the thought of losing the role for which she had worked so hard, only to have her understudy take her place on opening night. Disappointment welled in the pit of Sarah's stomach at the thought, dimming the agony of her migraine for the moment.
She couldn't allow a small headache to ruin her chances of impressing the critics that were sure to be there. Especially since, David, the producer, had confirmed rumors yesterday and told the crew that talent scouts would be in the audience tonight.
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally take her talent from small town community theater to a true Broadway actress, like her mother.
"Sarah, you ok?" Shyly, a medium built, mop-headed teenager poked his head into the dressing room, concern lacing his voice and movements.
Charmed by his gesture, Sarah smiled warmly at her brother Toby in the mirror. "Yea, I'm fine. How's the set coming along?"
Toby's eyes lit up at the question, "Great! We were finally able to mobilize the ship wreckage for easier scene changes. Oh, and I got more trees for scene fillers to make it look better. The only thing that bothers me is the set for Olivia's house. It's not bad but its not great either.."
Toby's excitement was contagious and butterflies began to flutter in Sarah's stomach in anticipation. She was elated that Toby had taken an interest in the theater. Though, unlike his stepsister, he preferred to be behind the scenes as a set and light technician. The shared passion of theatrical arts allowed a special bond to form between the stepsiblings. Sarah vividly remembered taking Toby to a small audition while babysitting and how fascinated he was by the set design and lights of the stage. An eight year-old Toby had been so enamored of the fixtures on set that the assistant set designer had given the boy a behind the set tour. Jumping up and down in exhilaration, the strawberry-blonde boy had grabbed Sarah by the hand and begged to be in the play. She had laughed at the cute pout he sported and she had promised to let him accompany her to the set everyday.
Sarah watched Toby adoringly, recalling the memory so clearly. Suddenly, the pounding in her head intensified tenfold as another memory surfaced. Her face scrunched as the unbearable sensation gave way to a ringing voice in her ear.
"Please...Where is he?" Her voice sounded strange to her own ears, higher in tone and immature. The memory must have been from when she was much younger. She was pleading but couldn't remember why.
"You know very well where he is" The cool, apathetic masculine voice pierced her to the core. The identity of the speaker was lost on Sarah but still, it stuck out in her mind.
"Please bring him back, please." She sounded desperate, as if the situation was dire. If she didn't get him back, he would be transformed into a short, stubby monster.
Something about...a baby...
A funny look crossed Toby's face. "Sarah? Hey, you doing ok?" Cautiously walking over to his sister, Toby gently shook her shoulder.
Sarah nodded her head. "Dont worry. Its just a small headache, nothing really, probably from opening night jitters." Her smile was forced and unconvincing. The rosy tinge that covered her cheeks moments before vanished as her face appeared pale and chalky.
Toby seemed dubious of Sarah's excuse and only inquired about his sisters behavior out of concern. "Are you sure?"
Sarah glanced at Toby tiredly, albeit frustrated. "Toby, please, I'm fine." Color began to surface back to her face again but the bags under her eyes were still prominent, her eyes had lost that sparkle of mischievousness. She seemed a shadow of her former self and it disheartened Toby greatly. She seemed so distant lately.
A light tap resounded on the doorway of the dressing room as a girl from wardrobe popped her head inside and spoke, "Ms. Williams? They need you in wardrobe now."
"Ok. I'll be there in a sec." Waving the girl on her way, Sarah fixed her makeup and checked her appearance in the mirror one last time. She turned to face Toby as she inclined her head in his direction, showing him he had her full attention.
"Sarah, I'm just...worried." Toby couldn't vocalize the bad sensation in the pit of his stomach any better. His brows furrowed as he toyed with his hands. Something wasn't right. For the life of him, he couldn't describe it but there was some kind of electricity in the air that adhered to a storm approaching.
"Toby, I love you to death...but don't let trivial things like my headache bother you." Cupping his cheek in one hand, the 30 year-old ebony haired actress eyed her stepbrother endearingly. Softly, she brushed his wildly curly auburn hair out of his eyes as she patted his arm.
With all the haughtiness she could muster, Sarah channeled her mother as she saucily stated, "the show must go on."
The lights came up and the curtain rose as the audience leaped to their feet in a standing ovation. The full cast stood in a line and bowed gratefully. Naturally, Sarah Williams stood front and center, beautiful, humble and elegantly poised as always.
Sarah was reeling from the applause of the audience. The play had been a nothing short of phenomenal as the cast and crew had out done themselves.
Like the true actress she was, Sarah had managed to repress her nausea and headache for the duration of the performance by focusing on the task on hand. And the audience never knew the difference. However, she was now suffering the repercussions from disregarding her illness. The lights began to blur and became disorienting. Her body began to tremble. She tried to keep herself in check, smiling and bowing accordingly.
Suddenly, her head felt like it was splitting in two and in reaction, her eyes shut tightly against the assault. She could hear voices but they weren't that of the crowd or of her cast mates. It was from a memory of long ago.
The voices gargled and echoed oddly in her head, as if they were submerged in water. As she lost focus of the crowd and submitted to the blackness clouding her mind, the voices gained clarity.
"Generous? What have you done that's generous?" She was being brazen, testing her footing in uncharted waters in which she knew nothing about. Playing her part as the heroine, she gauged his reaction carefully, waiting for the right moment to pull the ace she had up her sleeve.
"Everything! Everything you wanted, I have done. You ask that the child be taken, I took him. You coward before me, I was frightening. I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down and I have done it all for you. I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?" That strange man's voice rang in her ears again. His voice spoke volumes of his weariness and frustration with the games. He was miserable in his efforts to please and still constantly overshadow by his persona as villain. Whether the efforts were genuine endearments or a clever ploy was still a debatable question.
She turned deaf ears on him as she concentrated in finishing the deed. She could feel words passing her lips but didn't hear them. She had said the lines so many times, it was a second nature. She had him retreating backwards as she made her advancements in agonizingly slow steps, drawing out the dramatic element of her speech.
"And my kin…"
"Stop, wait. Look, Sarah. Look what I'm offering you, your dreams." He was slightly urgent in his insistence. Oh, he knew her vulnerabilities and he would extort them to any degree for his own gain. But she would not be fall for his entrancements this time. Not like in the ballroom…
"And my kingdom as great…" No, she would not be deterred now. She had come too far.
"I ask for so little. Just let me rule you and you can have everything that you want." His tenacity was admirable and his power of persuasion was unmatched. A younger Sarah couldn't help but falter ever so slightly under his enticements.
"My kingdom as great…Damn, I can never remember that line." The pressure was rising, her concentration breaking with his outstretched arm offering her everything he could give in a single crystal and her frazzled mind forgetful of the last line of her speech.
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave." He was so utterly despondent yet somehow sincere. She was too young to fully appreciate and understand the meaning of his invitation, being too caught up in her heroic moment. She had to remember that last stupid line in order to…..save….to save….Toby. She had survived the dangerous maze and its ruler in order to save Toby.
Memories of a baby crying, creatures dancing, a dwarf, a terrier-fox, and a huge, kind yeti monster, stone walls and greenery of a large maze that spanned endlessly came flooding back in staggering waves.
She had to defeat the Goblin King!
Unable to resist it, the all-consuming darkness engulfed Sarah's mind as the curtains descended and she fainted on stage. Even in her state of delirium, she still heard fragments of voices and could see shattered pieces of a place from the past long ago. There she left part of herself behind and learned to grow up and face responsibility. It was a place where anything was possible and nothing was as it seemed.
As Toby screamed her named and begged her to wake up and open her eyes, she could only form one single word on her tongue, the only word that kept repeating over and over like a broken record in her heart and fractured mind.
Labyrinth.