Miss Williams had been a third grade teacher for the past five years. Her dreams of becoming a world famous actress had instead been replaced with more realistic goals. She could be seen enchanting her students as she taught. Her unique style of teaching had earned her recognition among her colleagues since her methods were so well taken by her classes.
She was able to accommodate each students needs to better advance their academic career. The beginning of each new school year was very similar to the ones before. The summer break was coming to an end, and while most students who were entering the third grade hoped that they got into Miss Williams' class, the teachers spent time preparing and informing each other of the students they would be welcoming into their classrooms in the coming New Year.
"Jessica is very soft spoken but honest. If anyone acts out she will let you know."
"The one you need to keep an eye on is Roger; he likes to play tricks when he thinks you're not looking." One teacher said to another.
"Who do you have on your roster Sarah?"
"I just picked it up from the office." Sarah said placing the roster down on the table. A few of the second grade teachers glanced down at it.
"You seem to have gotten lucky this year Sarah." Mrs. Smith said as she skimmed through the list.
"Sarah wasn't this one in your class last year?" Mr. Jones, a fourth grade teacher asked. Sarah moved to over to the spot next him and looked at the name he was pointing at.
"Yes his parents just got through an awful divorce. They spent more time fighting over who would fit as the better parent then doing the actual parenting. When he doesn't understand something he gets frustrated and won't ask for help, and he tends to act out more when things at home get particularly tough." She spoke softly before moving back to her table.
"Sarah, the only one you need to keep an eye on is Andy." Mrs. Hanson said as she looked at the list of names.
"Andy?" Sarah said not seeing the name.
"Anthony Wolfe," Mrs. Hanson said point to the name. "His nickname is Andy; I guess he's named after his grandfather, but I hear they call him Tony. Anyway he's not really a bad kid, he's just odd, so is his dad, you'll see when you meet them." Sarah made a mental note to keep Andy in mind.
After school started it didn't take long for Sarah to see what they meant.
xxxxxxx
"Miss Williams pick me, pick me, oh please pick me, I have the answer!"
"Andy, I would have picked you, if you had raised a quiet hand."
"Oh right, sorry." He said causing the class to giggle. Sarah did not find anything wrong with Andy. He was a very enthusiastic boy who was eager to learn and please. He was kind and compassionate to everyone, even though he didn't really have a particular friend. And he had a vivid imagination, which reminded Sarah of a younger version of herself. His mother Virginia was a nice woman, and it was easy to see where Andy got his expressive blue eyes from. Upon meeting his father, however, it was obvious to see who he took more after, in both looks and personality.
xxxxxxx
"Good afternoon Miss Williams, lovely day isn't it?" Warren Wolfe said one afternoon as he came to pick up Andy. Mr. Wolfe, or just Wolfe as he preferred to be called, 'Mr. Wolfe was my father. Well no, he preferred Wellington actually, but please just Wolfe is fine by me.' Sarah recalled from her first meeting with Andy's father. In this instance she had been on her way to the office to deliver some paperwork when she came across him.
"Yes a lovely day indeed." Sarah replied with a smile.
"Any plans for the weekend?"
"I plan on spending the weekend with family; my brother is coming to visit. Is your family doing anything this weekend?" She asked partly out of curiosity and partly to not seem rude.
"We are going on an adventure!" Mr. Wolfe said with a flourish. Even though Sarah should be used to his behavior she still jumped, but only a little.
"Well just remember Andy has a book report that is due Monday." Sarah said with a smile.
"Oh, of course, school work always takes precedence over any sort of adventure, no worries about that!" He ended; the word Sarah had decided to place on his personality was intense. She was about to move away when his brows knitted together making the crease in-between them more noticeable. He took in a breath as though he was about to ask something, when instead he shook his head as if deciding against it.
"Is something the matter Mr. Wolfe?" Sarah asked. He turned his head to the side as though he was listening to something that was far off in the distance, before turning his attention back to her.
"Not at all Miss Williams, have a lovely weekend." He said giving the side of his head a scratch. One might say Mr. Wolfe's behavior was worrisome, however the more you knew of him, the more normal his behavior was. That is, if you could consider his behavior normal.
xxxxxxx
Sarah had been almost certain that Andy was a very healthy normal child; however a few months into the school year she noticed a pattern, at least a few days out of each month he was very unlike himself. The normally happy child was easily angered, irrational, and his never ending stomach seemed far more insatiable, as impossible as that sounds. However the more Sarah thought of it, she could not help but notice it sounded very familiar.
"Hello, Miss Williams?" Virginia stated quickly. "This is Virginia Lew... err... Wolfe. Um, Andy's mom." Mrs. Wolfe continued in a tired voice.
"Good Morning Mrs. Wolfe is everything alright."
"Oh everything's fine, um, it's just, Andy is feeling under the weather today, so he won't be going to school."
"Poor little sausage." Could be heard in the background.
"He has seemed a little out of sorts these past few days, but please tell him we will miss him, and we hope that he feels better soon." Sarah said to Mrs. Wolfe.
"Thank you so much Miss Williams." With that the phone call ended.
xxxxxxx
Two weeks after Sarah was busy with Parent/Teacher conferences. The students had this particular Friday off, and all morning and afternoon Sarah had been meeting with the parents. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe happened to be her last appointment, and she was very much looking forward to getting home and having a very relaxing weekend.
"And we are certain he's done nothing wrong."
"Wolfe, we go through this every year it's just a conference." Virginia reassured her husband with a smile, as they sat down in front of Sarah's desk.
"Well, you said that that one time and we had to talk to the principal." Mr. Wolfe said sounding very put out.
"No this is just a meeting." Virginia insisted.
"This is one of two conferences we will be having throughout the year Mr. Wolfe," Sarah said trying to help the situation. "The beginning of the year conference is just going over what Andy knows. We test a variety of subjects, even ones that we have yet to cover in class."
"That's a little unfair, don't you think?" Mr. Wolfe said sitting up straight as though he would stand up and leave, his wife smiled and shook her head, placing a hand on his arm as though to keep him from leaving, and she then looked to Sarah for guidance. Sarah would have been surprised by Mr. Wolfe's lack of understanding about the purposes for the conference, but having seen Andy's file and all the past conferences she was not surprised that he did not understand. The prior teachers focused on Andy's faults as opposed to his strengths. They found ways to criticize the child instead of looking into ways to use his strengths to help build on his weaknesses.
"He has been tested to see what he does and does not know. I assure you Mr. Wolfe, what he does not know, he will learn. This conference is more for us, so that we, as a team, can work out the best methods to make sure that Andy is successful not only in this school year, but for the entirety of his academic career."
"That sounds, thoughtful." Mr. Wolfe said an eyebrow rose as he looked towards his wife. Sarah blinked rapidly, for a moment Warren looked like a dog with his head cocked to the side as his wife brushed a few strands of hair away from his face. All that was missing was for his tongue to be hanging from his mouth. As quickly as Virginia swept her hand through his hair she lowered her hand into his and Sarah watched as their fingers entwined and laced with each other, both turning to face Sarah, eager for the conference to continue. Sarah smiled and looked down at her papers not letting them know that she had been staring at them. One thing was very evident; they were a couple who deeply loved one another.
"Andy is a very sweet boy, socially he gets along just fine with his classmates and peers, and he talks to everyone equally. He does prefer individual projects as opposed to working in a group; I believe he tends to worry more about the quality of the project. With that being said he excels in math and history-"
"Is that a bad thing?" Wolfe interrupted.
"I'm sorry?"
"That he likes to work alone? Is it a bad thing?"
"Not at all. My hope is that Andy learns that it is absolutely fine to work alone, but sometimes we will be put in situations where we have to learn to work with others, even if we prefer not to, in order to achieve the same goal."
"But people aren't always dependable."
"That is also true." Sarah started. "However, I want Andy to understand that sometimes you end up paired with other people, some we can work with and others we deem undependable, and work accordingly."
"Kind of like when we met." Virginia said to Warren. She turned to Sarah and continued. "When my father and I went on a trip, Warren helped us when we got lost. That's how we met, my dad wasn't too keen on the idea."
"He didn't trust me." Warren said with a look on his face that said 'Can you believe it?', as though it was obvious that he was the most trustworthy person in the world.
"But things worked out in the end." Virginia said.
"Well, I always tell the class that a person can come up with something creative on their own, but if you can get a group of people, and have them work together to come up with an idea, you can get extraordinary outcomes." Warren looked towards his wife.
"Small groups can do wonders." He seemed to agree, Virginia smiled. Sarah sensed a deeper meaning to his words, but knew it was not her place to ask.
"I just want to prepare Andy for one of our end of the year projects. I will be assigning groups to come up with a story together; however each student will have to come up with separate parts of the story, and find a way to make it work. I have had previous students who perform it as a short play, others told it through pictures, we invite family and friends to come and watch the performances."
"That sounds amazing." Virginia said with a smile.
"It sounds more complex than it really is, and I know that Andy will have no troubles with the project. I plan on doing smaller group projects throughout the school year to prepare all the students for the big end of the year one. Now, Andy is a very imaginative boy, he is a great story teller, I look forward to what he and his group will come up with." Sarah continued on with the conference. "He is very enthusiastic, very eager to participate."
"That sounds like him," Wolfe said. "Always happy and ready for whatever challenges comes his way!"
"Yes." Sarah agreed her eyes looked at Virginia, who read the signal quickly.
"He interrupts the class doesn't he?" Virginia asked.
"He does, sometimes he gets carried away, but he is quick to get back on track with some reminding, and this is something we are working on, however his enthusiasm is very contagious, and he is a pleasure to have in the class. Quite the character."
"He gets a lot of that from his father." Virginia said causing them to chuckle.
"Is there any comments, questions, or concerns you have for me, or any ideas that you would like to include?" Virginia looked at Warren and gave a slight face. Before turning to Sarah.
"Now he does get along with the other students you said?" Virginia asked. Warren was looking at the desk; he had a look on his face that seemed to say he was spacing out.
"Yes, he gets along fine with everyone."
"We happened to move from a different area, we go back and forth from where my father is to back here in New York, and he had been picked on for, well, being a little different." Virginia said with a roll of her eyes, as if she could not understand why, but the glaze in her eye made Sarah realize that the lack of friends was upsetting for Virginia. "I just wanted to be sure he wasn't being picked on here." Sarah smiled and shook her head.
"Everyone gets along with him just fine, but thank you for saying that, I have noticed that sometimes it seems as though Andy has been distancing himself. At times it seems as though Andy wants to participate but stays away instead, and he does not seem to have a particular friend. I think he lacks confidence in himself in making friends, so it's easy for him to keep a distance, I will do my best to be sure he gets that confidence back in him. Perhaps giving him certain jobs to do in class, will help him, such as having him assist the other students with something he excels at. The same can be done at home, responsibility can help with confidence, such as taking out the garbage, or helping with dishes, as time passes gradually give him more responsibility." With that Virginia seemed to relax. "If you can sign here and I will give you a copy of what we went over." Sarah said handing the paper and a pen to Virginia. "If there are no more questions." Sarah said looking between the two, all she had to do was clean up her desk and she could be on her way home in 15 minutes. Virginia looked to Warren and began shaking her head.
"No, I think that's it." Virginia said moving towards the edge of her seat, readying herself to stand and give Sarah a handshake. Sarah moved forward to meet her when Warren spoke.
"Andy is part wolf." Virginia's eyes went wide as she looked at her husband. Sarah was confused.
"Part Wolfe?" She asked looking down at his name. "I'm sorry I don't seem to understand." Sarah said slowly, she wondered if Andy's paternity was what he meant. She knew it could be a sensitive subject, but she had been certain that Andy was biologically their child.
"He um." Virginia said looking at Sarah wide eyed yet still managing to smile. "Warren he doesn't mean, I mean..." She let out a nervous chuckle and rolled her eyes as though what had been said was a joke. Sarah's mouth formed an 'O' and she nodded her head as though she understood, perhaps she had been mistaken until Warren continued.
"No, he has wolf in him, like the howling at the moon, bushy tail animal."
"He has wolf, in him?" Sarah asked. Virginia's wide eyes turned quickly from her husband to Sarah. "Mr. Wolfe-"
"Wolf." He said quickly interrupting. Sarah must have given him a look because he continued. "My name is just Wolf. It's not Warren, it's not mister, it's just Wolf." Sarah shut her eyes having lost her train of thought at his words. Trying to stay calm Sarah began again.
"Um, Mr. Uh," She took a quick breathe and opened her eyes, she would not be a bumbling fool in front of her students' parents. "What you have told me, I am sure you can see that information like that is, not something, I could easily understand." Sarah said slowly.
"You don't believe me." He said accusingly and standing from his chair.
"I did not say that, I said it's hard for me to understand it." Sarah said trying to keep the situation from escalating.
"I'll prove it." He said determinedly as he started to remove his jacket.
"Wolf!" Virginia exclaimed. She slapped her hand to her forehead mumbling something Sarah couldn't hear. Sarah's eyes widened she had no idea what was going on. Sarah was about to shut her eyes and pray this was some odd dream when Wolf turned to the side.
"See, tail." Against her own better judgement Sarah looked down. Sure enough Sarah saw the tail, Wolf was very clothed, and looked like his usually self but there sticking out from just under his shirt was a bushy tail. Sarah's eyes moved from the tail to his face, back and forth so quickly she made herself dizzy. Virginia had moved her hand down to cover her mouth, her wide eyes looking at the ceiling, her head shaking as if everything was going wrong. After a few moments to collect herself, and calm her heart Sarah spoke.
"So Andy is half wolf?" She asked. Virginia's wide eyes turned toward Sarah slowly she lowered her hand.
"You believe this?" Virginia's softly spoken question went ignored.
"No, he isn't half wolf, I'm half wolf."
"Now would you mind me asking if you're half wolf, is the other half human or some other magical being, such as fae perhaps?" Sarah said elbows resting on the table and one hand held with the palm up.
"I'm half wolf, half human." He said with a smile, the look he was giving Sarah was one she was unsure of how to feel about. It was a look that said he had won.
"And you, Mrs. Wolfe?" Sarah almost stuttered.
"What?" Virginia asked.
"Are you of magic as well?"
"Besides looking like a goddess, she's all human." Wolf said.
"So that means Andy is a quarter wolf." Sarah said looking down at the desk in front of her; she was doing all she could to stay calm and collected.
"He gets the full moon symptoms, not to the full extent, but enough." Wolf stated.
"This explains quite a bit." Sarah said.
"Wait a minute." Virginia all but shouted. "You believe this?" Sarah looked up at Virginia, and then looked between the two.
"I have no reason not to." Sarah said honestly.
"But it sounds insane, why do you believe this?"
"Well, let's just say, stranger things have happened, if you can believe that." Sarah started unsure of what to say.
"How is that possible?" Virginia asked.
"Because Miss Williams is familiar with magic." Warren said with a wolfish grin in his face.
"What?" Both Sarah and Virginia asked looking at him.
"She knows magic." Warren repeated in a tone that made it seem as if it was no big surprise. "Well go on, tell her Miss Williams." Warren said looking at her, as he nudged his head towards Virginia. Sarah was speechless.
"I don't know what you mean." Sarah said. Wolf scoffed.
"Of course you do." He said with his face becoming serious.
"How can you tell?" Virginia asked her husband.
"How could I tell you were pregnant?" He said with a smile and a shake of his shoulders.
"I'm not magical in anyway shape or form." Sarah said. "I'm 100% ordinary, human."
"Well what about the lucky fella in your life?" Wolf said lolling his tongue out to the side of his mouth and giving at his wife a look. Virginia was quick to see Sarah's unhappy facial expression. She turned toward her husband and gave him a pointed stare. Wolfe turned to his son's teacher, his smug look was replaced by one of a scorned dog, and he let out a whimper. "Oops."
"I'm not seeing anyone."
"What if it's a family member?" Virginia asked, her eyes lit up and she looked between the two. Wolf turned his head to a side and gave her a look, Sarah knew his doubts.
"I don't often see my family; they live a few hours away." Virginia's face fell. "How can you tell, that there's magic?" Sarah asked.
Wolf placed his hands on the desk leaning towards her. If it had been any other person Sarah would have felt uncomfortable. But Mr. Wolfe kept a respectable distance from her as he smelled the air around her.
"I can smell it." Wolf said in a low voice as he slid back into his chair.
"What does it smell like?" Sarah asked, hoping she would not be familiar with the origins of the scent.
"It has a musky, earthy, crisp kind of smell you know, clean, but this is definitely male." He said looking to Virginia as if she would agree.
"That's what magic smells like?" Virginia asked.
"No, magic just gives the nose a certain tingle, but each person has their own unique scent, and the smell that clings to her is like that." He said.
"Damn him." Sarah mumbled under her breathe. "And you're certain it's magic?" She asked Wolf.
"The nose knows." He said matter-of-factly. Virginia was looking off to the side, she squinted her eyes as she tried to picture the smell he described.
"Why haven't you said anything about it before?" Sarah asked.
"And be rude? You can't just go up to people and tell them they smell of magic. I learned that the hard way." He said as he scratched the side of his head.
"How long have I smelled like this?"
"I would imagine you have smelled like this for however long this person with magic has been around you. I mean you have a distinct smell it's like a blanket, it covers you and then on top of that smell is the other smell, but his is overpowering your own. I," he emphasized, "noticed it from the moment I met you!" He said slapping a hand to his knee. "I mean someone doesn't just come into contact with magic like this, no sir! Not unless they have a fairy godmother, or have a curse on them or something." He finished in a bark that made them both jump. Virginia's eyes went wide.
"You're not cursed are you?" Virginia whispered, fear written on her face.
"I would certainly hope not." Sarah said in distaste.
"Wait you can smell curses?" Virginia turned to her husband. "Then how come you didn't smell the ones the gypsies placed?" Sarah wondered what it was Virginia meant.
"That's different, I was around you too long to notice it right away. The only other way you can smell so strongly is if you are near someone who has magic." Then Warren's eyes went wide. "I didn't mean to intrude on your personal life, but are you certain it's not someone you know, maybe perhaps even a friend, a roommate? I mean, maybe he was going to tell you about the magic when the time was right." Sarah was silent.
"As I've said, I am not seeing anyone, and I don't share a living space." Sarah repeated.
"And you're sure it's not a family member?" Virginia asked again, Sarah shook her head. Virginia looked to Wolf, unsure of how to handle the situation.
"No, it's not a family member, or a friend. I have a pretty good idea of who it might be, and if I am right, even though I am hoping I'm not, I will say right now I would rather it be a curse."
"That bad huh?" Wolf asked. Sarah gave him a look. The conference had taken a very odd turn and Sarah was unsure of how to explain anything while still trying to keep the situation professional.
"It seems we each have stories to tell, and I would prefer not to mix work with personal business." Sarah said.
"There is a diner we can go to." Virginia offered.
"I like that plan, we can get food I'm starving." Wolf added.
"Will Andy be alright?" Sarah asked wondering about the main reason the parents were sitting across from her.
"He's fine; he's visiting his grandfather and uncle, who lives in another realm, which consists of 9 Kingdoms, which happens to be ruled by fairytale characters." Virginia said to Sarah.
"Oh." Sarah said looking at the two parents. "One of those kingdoms wouldn't happen to have a labyrinth, would it?" Virginia looked at Wolf and shook her head.
"No, no labyrinth." Virginia said looking to Wolf for confirmation.
"Hmm." Sarah said wondering how everything was going to fit together.
xxxxxxx
Sarah knew that it was always best to separate work from her personal life. However she had never had a situation such as this, where she met others who understood magic as well as she did. She was hoping that she was not breaking any sort of rule, sitting across from the couple having lunch, and listening as one told of his childhood, and how he was mix of a human and an animal, and she tried not to think of how exactly that came to be, and the other who traveled to a magical land.
"So, you're related to the Little Red Riding Hood?" Sarah asked, Wolf, as Sarah found was his actual name, blinked and gave a slow head nod.
"Yes." He answered.
"So Red Riding Hood is your?" Sarah asked. Wolf let out a small breath.
"She was my grandmother." He said hands folded in front of him and slightly shifting, it was obvious he was uncomfortable. Regardless of this knowledge, Sarah smiled widely; she was trying her hardest to wrap her mind around it. She tried to do the math in her head, she couldn't remember what year the story first originated, but as she had learned through the couple, age was longer lived in the realm of the 9 Kingdoms. Virginia placed a hand on Wolf's arm, she was far more understanding of Wolf's uneasiness, but she also understood Sarah's curiosity to learn more about the kingdoms.
"And your mother was taught by the evil queen, and you're related to Snow White?" Virginia smiled and shook her head no.
"My step brother is the Grandson of Snow White; my mom just married his dad."
"And you helped save the kingdoms? That's amazing." Virginia and Wolf gave each other a look as if they were proud to be a part of it, no matter the circumstances that lead them there.
"And Warren, uh, Wolf, you were in jail?" Sarah asked wondering about be safety of her students.
"It was only a little sheep worrying; wolfies always get a bad rep. I wasn't doing nothing to them, just admiring their woolly coats. But that's all." Wolf defended. Virginia's smile was what comforted Sarah.
"Miss Williams, we really would like to hear your story." Sarah took in a deep breath at Virginia's request.
"I guess the only place to start is at the beginning. Before I do, the Kingdoms they wouldn't happen to have one with Goblins would they?" At this they perked.
"The third kingdom is run by the trolls and goblins live there."
"And you are certain that there's no Labyrinth right?" They looked at each other, as if trying to remember if there was a labyrinth or not, they knew they had already told her no, but Sarah's persistence made them doubt just a little.
"No, no Labyrinth." Virginia said.
"There are bean stalks though." Wolf added.
"Is there a Goblin King?" Sarah whispered, the question caused Wolf to give her a confused look.
"There was a Troll King, but since his passing 8 years ago the land has been poorly run by his three children, of course the grunt of the work has been done by King Wendell, you know Virginia's step brother, but that's another story altogether." Sarah thought that there must have been other realms.
"Does this labyrinth have anything to do with you knowing magic?" Virginia asked.
"Well, yes it does, um, the beginning starts years ago, well." Sarah let out breathe before she continued. "Um, even before that actually. Ok, you see, my mother left my dad and me when I had just became a teenager, she went off to pursue her dreams, which we weren't a part of. My dad remarried, and they had a son. Let's just say I could have taken it better." Sarah said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I always painted my life as some sort of fairytale, that my step mother was wicked and someone would come and save me. Each weekend they would go out and I was left to take care of the screaming baby. One night I was particularly moody and I made a wi- A uh, request, that he be taken by the king of the goblins." The looks they gave her made Sarah pause. "You have to understand I had no idea magic was real, sure I wanted it to be, but in this world it seemed, impossible. I was just saying words, and feeling sorry for myself. I mean people can hope that fairytales are true but, no one ever gets everything they ask for. So, I laid him in his crib stepped out of the room and there was silence, his crying just stopped, I turned back to check on him and he was gone. Instead there were these small furry little creatures and a regal man who said he was their king." Virginia let out a small laugh.
"I'm sorry, but the goblins in the kingdoms are human sized, same with the trolls and even some of the fairies." Virginia finished.
"I saw a fairy once, she fit in my hands." Sarah replied.
"Me too." Virginia replied. They both turned towards Wolf whose eyebrows were once again knotted together as though in deep thought. His eyes widened when he looked up and saw the two looking at him for answers.
"Well, the fairies have magic to change their size, and there are stories. I mean even we have fairytales and myths, but we all came from somewhere. There is talk that beyond the kingdoms are other lands, I mean look at where we are at, so I wouldn't doubt that there is a goblin king who rules over a kingdom that is far from ours." Virginia looked wide eyed at Wolf's words, as though the idea of other realms excited her and frightened her.
"I asked for my brother back and he told me what was said was said." Sarah decided to continue.
"Magic tends to always come with a price, you make a wish," Sarah shuttered at the word, "at the expense of something else, and there are always loopholes." Wolf said knowingly, he cocked his head to the side and asked, "How did you get him back, there had to have been some kind of deal." Sarah gulped.
"You're right; first he offered me my dreams if I forgot about my brother. I refused I just wanted Toby safe with me. So he gave me a task, I was given 13 hours in which I had to reach the Castle at the center of the Labyrinth. I accepted his challenge."
"And you won." Wolf stated.
"Yes, even when he took a few hours away and tried what he could to keep me from reaching the castle beyond the goblin city, but I made it with some help that I found along the way, even got down to the last minute. He tried one last time to offer me my dreams in exchange for my brother; I told him he had no power over me. As the clock chimed I found myself at home, Toby was fast asleep in his crib, and I thought perhaps I had imagined it all. Had it not been for my friends that helped I would have thought it was some vivid dream. I keep in touch with them through my mirror at my childhood home." Virginia gasped.
"That's how we travel, through mirrors." She turned to Wolf. "Maybe the dwarves would know about Miss Williams' mirror."
"Dwarves?"
"They rule the 9th kingdom, which consists of the mines and tunnels. They are very loyal to Snow White, and Prince Wendell had to do a lot of damage control to get in their good graces."
"Oh you mean the mirror makers you told me about, I didn't know they were the dwarves."
"Sorry I thought I mentioned that, one day when we have more time we will tell you the story in greater detail. We kind of glossed over everything." Virginia said.
"Well it's been a while since I last spoken to my friends; I only visit my parents' house on the holidays. Besides they had warned me that the king may have been on the verge of discovering our communication and told me it was best if I wait for them to contact me. Perhaps the dwarves can give me information about how I can safely communicate with them without the king finding us. And please, we aren't in school, you can call me Sarah." Virginia smiled at her.
xxxxxxx
Sarah and the Wolfs talked about the magic lands for another hour, trying to find similarities and soon they found themselves walking through Central Park, Sarah was using the park as a way to get home quicker, the Wolfs were going to visit family. They ended a bit off the path but Sarah didn't mind.
"I guess this will be where we separate, and Sarah, would you mind if we tell Andy that you know his secret? We won't tell yours of course, but that way if he has a problem he can have someone he trusts at the school to go to." Virginia asked.
"Of course, he will probably wonder why you told me, and you can tell him, I have some very unique friends." Virginia nodded and began to walk towards a section that Sarah thought had glimmered.
"Virginia," Wolf called to his wife, "I'm going to walk Miss Williams home."
"You don't have to." Sarah replied. Virginia looked at Sarah then to her husband. Sarah wasn't sure she would ever understand the silent conversations that went on between the two, but after a moment Virginia nodded her head, smiled, gave Wolf a kiss, took an odd step and disappeared. "You really don't have to."
"I'm afraid I must insist, I got a feeling, and wolfies can't ignore their instincts. I am certain there are things that we need to discuss." Sarah smiled and nodded.
"So, that's how you travel?"
"Yes, magic mirrors are a wonder. There are other mirrors that King Wendell can use, but he's not very fond of 'em." Wolf said as he walked next to her.
"Would it be because of the evil queen?" Wolf nodded.
"Virginia kind of dislikes the term, with it being her mom and everything."
"It must have been really upsetting, not knowing where your mom went only to find out like that."
"Was it the same when your mom left?" Sarah was certain Wolf couldn't really comprehend proper social questions by how casually he asked such a personal one.
"I always knew my mom's whereabouts. She left to become an actress, she ran off with the leading man." Wolf shook his head.
"I don't think I can ever understand why a parent would leave their child." Sarah shrugged at Wolf's remark.
"Perhaps they just hope for a better outcome." Sarah reasoned.
"For who, their child or themselves, because Virginia's mom didn't have a happy ending." Wolf finished.
"Yeah, neither did mine, the leading man ended up splitting with the leading lady of the new play he was in, and mom starred in a string of bad acting roles. She has been trying to get in touch with me lately, but it's pretty awkward, she always says the wrong things, and gets the important dates all mixed up. She can be a great actress when she wants to be, but she doesn't do mothering well, she can't even act like a mother, at least not to me. She can act like a pretty good mother on stage though." Wolf listened to her talk, and Sarah was kind of glad that he didn't respond, she was kind of happy to be able to talk to someone about how she honestly felt, even if it was a student's parent. She wondered how awkward things would be on Monday, with them knowing so much about her. She reminded herself that she knew so much about them too though. "I'm sorry; I really shouldn't be telling you all of this."
"It's alright, wolves are really great listeners." He said keeping his eyes forward. Sarah gave a weak smile knowing he wouldn't see it. "You know," Wolf started after a moment of silence, "magic is a very fickle thing. It's always literal and there always tends to be a catch. Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Sarah glanced at him and he continued. "What did he want?"
"What do you mean?"
"The king what did he want?" Sarah looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. "Come on," Wolf said with a smile. "He had to have wanted something, you make a wish, and he grants it asking for nothing. Kings don't just go around offering free handouts." Wolf said with a smile. Sarah on the other hand was not finding any humor in this topic at all.
"He wanted my brother, if I hadn't made it in time Toby would have been turned into a goblin." Wolf shrugged his shoulders.
"All I was saying is that there had to be something else, especially if you can't talk to your friends without him finding out."
"I would rather not talk about it; I don't need to give him any more of a reason to be snooping about where he doesn't need to be."
"Too late for that Sarah." He said causing Sarah to look at him. "You won in the end; you got your brother back. All is as it should be. Except he hasn't left you alone, not really. So what I want to know is what is it that he wants from you, because you're the one he offered the trade with, you're the one who had to go through the task," Wolf said looking at her, "you're the one his scent is all over." Sarah gulped.
"I don't know." Sarah started before her voice faded.
"Don't, Miss Williams, I have been honest with you. If you don't want to tell me that's fine, but please, don't lie to me." Sarah took in a deep breathe.
"Wolf, I," Sarah paused trying to find the right words, that thought alone made her shudder. "I don't know, honestly I can't tell you what he wanted, but I might have an idea. One that I am not overly fond of or one that I am not completely sure about." Once again she paused. "He may have had," Sarah shook her head, "this is stupid. I don't know, it's just-"
"It might make more sense if you say it out loud."
"I don't know. He may have had some fondness for me." Sarah finally let out.
"You mean he, wanted to eat you?" Wolf said hesitantly.
"What? No! Wait what?" Sarah said confused by his question.
"What?" Wolf said looking around him.
"Why would, I mean." Sarah was at a loss of words.
"It's a common thing, and a very valid question to ask. It happens all the time in the kingdoms. I mean all the stories have someone trying to boil someone in a stew, or make a cake out of a person in an oven. Huff-puff, I don't know what you're getting all defensive about." Wolf said turning his nose up. Sarah thought back to all the old stories as she messed with the sleeve of her shirt. It didn't seem as strange now that she thought about it. She hugged her arms to keep warm; the weather was starting to cool down quicker these evenings.
"This story is different from the ones you have back home." She told him, and Wolf scoffed.
"I doubt that." He said and he mumbled something else to himself. Sarah let out a sigh and in a voice just above a whisper she spoke.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby." She began and it was easy to notice Wolf had gone silent to listen to her. "And the baby was a spoiled child, and wanted everything to himself, and the young girl was practically a slave." She spoke slowly, the words no matter how harmless frightened her, for she knew the power that words held, especially these ones. "But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had," Sarah paused she took a gulp of air she could feel her heart racing and she shut her eyes, she shouldn't be doing this.
"Sarah?" Wolf's concerned voice snapped her out of it, she opened her eyes, and stood straighter, she was brave and she had nothing to fear.
"But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers." Sarah opened her mouth but she could not continue with the story. "I can't." She said turning to face Wolf. He looked a little blurred through her vision. "There's a little more, but I fear I may have said a bit too much as it is." Wolf looked at her; once again intense was the perfect word for him.
"Huff-puff," he let out giving his head another scratch, "this is a different story. Sarah, do you trust him?" She turned her head to the side.
"He took my brother away, of course not. Especially now when you say you can smell him on me that just freaks me out." Sarah said feeling a shiver run down her spine. Wolf looked around anxiously. "What is it?"
"Stories like yours, are very rare, I mean they're nonexistent. A prince didn't come and save you, because you're the hero of your own story. But the bad guy falling for the hero? That's a tragedy waiting to happen Miss Williams. Now the kingdoms have had its fair share of upsets, but it's mostly known for its happy endings. Look I'll see what I can do, maybe my side might be able to find something out about yours, and I will be sure to have the best keeping an eye out for your safety, but I want you to know, this king, he's something, and whatever he has on you it's getting stronger." Sarah's eyes widened.
"I don't understand. I won."
"Remember what I said about magic always having some sort of price, unless we can figure it out, I don't know what will happen." Wolf said. Sarah looked forward seeing her apartment building.
"Thank you for walking with me." Sarah said. Wolf gave a shrug as if it was no big deal, both looked a bit defeated.
"You're safe Miss Williams, you do know that right?" Sarah looked at him she gave him a weak smile, because a big part of her really doubted it. "Here," he said as he handed her something.
"What is it?" She asked looking at the small odd looking pebble.
"It's a magic bean." Sarah looked at him with wide eyes. "Usually there's a form I would have you sign, but I am certain you wouldn't misuse this." Sarah looked back down at the bean in her hand.
"What do I, do, with it?" She asked.
"You swallow it. But, only if it's a dire situation. Trust me it really messes with your stomach for the first few hours so if you take it, just be sure to be by a restroom, it's not pleasant." He said with a laugh, upon seeing her shocked face he continued. "You have to be very specific, it really takes things literally, like, well there's really no other way to explain it."
"Ok so I swallow it, suffer for a few hours then tell it what I want?"
"Uh huh. Oh! You have to wish for it." Sarah tried to shove the bean back in his hand. "Sarah!"
"No, I can't do that, no more making those things ever again, I learned my lesson the first time, thank you very much." Wolf pulled his hand away with the bean that Sarah had wrestled back into his hand.
"Sarah!" He exclaimed getting her attention. "It's for emergencies only!" He said grabbing her wrist and pulling her hand towards him. "You don't have to use it. I just want to know that when I leave, you have some way of taking care of yourself." With that he placed the bean back into her hand. "Just, keep it with you, at all times, and if you need to use it, wish to be in the throne room of King Wendell's castle, in the 4th Kingdom. Hopefully it won't mess that up." Sarah couldn't take her eyes off of the thing in her hand.
"I will keep it with me, but I won't use it. I will have no need to." Wolf gave a weak smile, he knew she didn't want it, but was glad she would hold onto it none the less.
"Have a good weekend Miss Williams."
"Tell Andy I will see him, bright and early Monday morning." Wolf smiled. "Have a good weekend Mr. Wolfe." With that Wolf slowly turned and made his way back to the park, and Sarah turned towards her apartment, and entered her building, she knew she would not be able to rest this weekend, by the end of it she would have so many questions to ask. The first being, where the hell did he get that magic bean from?
A/N: Hello readers. As you can see I have started another story of sorts. This idea started off as a one-shot but has now been split into 3 parts. It is sitting at a little over 23,000 words and I really wanted to post it as one long piece but figured it might be a little overwhelming, plus I keep going back and correcting it so I wanted to post something or else I will be fixing it forever. I have been working on this idea for about a year now so I hope you enjoy it.
On a big note, this story is mostly about Sarah. I love The Goblin King, but he will be more in the background of this story. I hope to write a story dedicated to the memory of David Bowie, but that must be saved till later when I can take the time to do his character justice. So please be patient with me, and happy readings.