The morning sun rose slowly over the treetops, casting its light over the town of Kent, Ohio. In a cozy-looking Dutch Colonial house, seventeen-year-old Sarah Williams was just being woken up by a digital clock radio. As she pulled herself out of her canopy bed and reached for a periwinkle bathrobe draped over the foot of the bed, Sarah cast her eyes across her partially bare room. All her furniture had been arranged to her liking, but all of her personal possessions, such as her posters and collection of books, hadn't been removed from their boxes just yet.
This was Sarah's third day in her new house. Due to her father's recent job transfer, the Williams family had to move away from Upper Nyack, but they hadn't had the chance to actually settle into their new home. Most of the family's belongings were still packed away in the numerous boxes that were scattered throughout the rooms. However, Sarah had still managed to unearth the two framed photographs she kept on her bedside table; one of Sarah with her birth mother, Linda, and another one of her brother, Toby.
Navigating her way around the boxes lining the floor of her new room, Sarah approached the box that contained most of her clothes and began rooting through it, digging out her favorite pair of blue jeans and a cream colored sweater. As she pulled out her selection for the day, she accidently unearthed a small red playbook that had been tucked away inside the clothing box by mistake. When she glanced over at the small book, she paused and slowly picked it up, looking down at the title emblazoned on the cover in simple gold letters. For a long moment, she simply gazed at the book, allowing the memories to come back. It had been two years since her adventure in the Labyrinth. Two years since she'd seen the friends she made there. It was no small understatement to say that she missed them. There were more than a few times when she wanted to go back into the Underground, just to see them. But a few months after Toby was returned to her, it had appeared something had happened. It was if the doorway to that other world had been sealed off, and even when Sarah called for her friends, they never appeared. While a part of Sarah had begun to worry if something had happened to them, she had done her best to convince herself that there was some other explanation as to why she couldn't contact her friends in the Underground anymore.
Sarah's thoughts were soon interrupted by her growling stomach. Turning, she made her way to her bedroom door, but before she could close her hand around the door handle, it swung open. A small figure in a monster mask jumped out at her, letting out an attempt at a fearsome growl. Sarah instinctively took a step backward, but then broke out laughing, pulling the mask off her three-year-old brother.
"Toby, you know Mother doesn't like you running around with that mask on," she pretended to scold. In truth, Sarah could never be stern with Toby; not after what happened on that night two years ago, when she almost lost him because of her annoyance with his non-stop crying, among other things.
"I scared you, I scared you!" Toby announced, visibly proud of himself.
"Oh, yes, that's right," Sarah played along. "You scared me good, Toby." With a 100-watt smile, Toby toddled back down the hall toward his bedroom, laughing happily.
Unable to hold back a smile of her own, Sarah continued on down the hall to the upstairs bathroom to take a quick shower. By the time she had finished and gotten dressed, the smell of eggs cooking had already begun wafting up from the kitchen. Sure enough, her stepmother, Irene, was at the stove, preparing eggs in a skillet. Her father, Robert, was sitting at the table with a filled coffee mug and the morning paper. After sparing a glance at the eggs, Sarah made her way to the fruit bowl and selected a grapefruit.
"Is that all you're having?" Irene asked as Sarah cut the grapefruit in half and sprinkled sugar over the top. "After I went and cooked eggs for you?"
"I like my eggs scrambled, not fried," Sarah replied, glaring at the eggs in the pan, which were over easy, wondering why her step-mother couldn't seem to remember that. She wasn't surprised, however, when Irene immediately changed the subject.
"And don't forget that your father and I expect you back home right after school today," Irene went on. "We'll need your help with unpacking."
"I know, Mother," Sarah sighed in exasperation. Upon hearing his daughter's tone, Robert glanced up from reading the paper.
"Sarah, I know you're still upset about moving," he began, "but I also know that you'll learn to love this town just as much as Upper Nyack."
"Dad," Sarah huffed, "I'm almost eighteen. Why couldn't I just stay behind and start living on my own? I'll just be heading off to college next year anyway, and I already have an acceptance letter from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater and Dance."
"So you're still planning on being an actress," Irene noted, her disapproval evident in her tone. For a brief moment, Sarah nearly snapped back, but held her anger at bay.
"Yes, I am," she replied, wondering how many times they were going to have this conversation. "I like acting, and I'm good at it. Everyone on the drama team at my old school, including the drama team's coordinator, said so." Robert, sensing a fight brewing, chose that moment to step in.
"Sarah, we understand that you're heading off to college next year, but that doesn't mean you're able to live on your own right now. You're not eighteen yet."
"Fine," Sarah sighed again, this time in defeat. Without another word to each other, Irene left the room to fetch Toby for breakfast while Sarah picked up a backpack filled with notebooks and folders.
"Be sure to have a good day, Sarah," Robert called as she started to head for the front door. Immediately, Sarah glanced back to give her father an irritated look.
"Today's my first day at a new school, Dad," she pointed out.
"Well, who knows," Robert shrugged in sympathy. "You might make some new friends today." In spite of herself, Sarah felt a reluctant smile forming on her face as she walked out the door and began the walk to Theodore Roosevelt High School.