DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Labyrinth, or Jareth the Goblin King, or Sarah Williams, or Hoggle, or any of this wonderful and dangerous world. I'm just a girl with too many wishes and a love for fictional characters. That is all.
Author's Note: Toby is four years old in this particular story. I'm guessing he was around two when Sarah first solved the Labyrinth.
Chapter One
Prom Dates and the Power of Wishes
Never, in all her seventeen years of living, had Sarah Williams ever found herself at a loss for words. She'd always had a knack for chiming into any conversation with the most eloquent of phrases. The words would step purposefully off the tip of her tongue and enchant her audience in a web of sophistication. Indeed, Sarah Williams had a way with speech. But when Isaac Davies flashed that seductive smile and asked her to prom, all she could do was stare like an idiot at his perfect bone structure and toned biceps and…
"Sarah?" Isaac asked, pulling her out of her trance, "Is that a yes? 'Cause, you know, my dad's already set up this sweet limo ride and we've got a reservation for six at that restaurant by the park. I…uh, I forget what it's called." He shrugged a shoulder and winked at Sarah.
She bit her lower lip to hold back the insanely girlish squeal that was threatening to break free and nodded her head. "That sounds great!" She said in the most normal voice she could find, "Who else is the reservation for?"
"Well, I figured I'd invite a buddy of mine and his date, and you could invite who ever you like with their date."
Sarah smiled, "Smart idea."
"It was actually my mom's suggestion," Isaac laughed sheepishly, "I just wanted it to be you and…" He stopped short, meeting Sarah's eyes awkwardly.
She blushed. Sarah knew what he was going to say. But she always did better in crowds, so she gave herself a mental note to thank his mother.
"Mr. Davies! Have you forgotten that you have detention this afternoon?"
Isaac groaned. It was his turn to blush now. "No, Mrs. Crawley. I haven't forgotten. Just give me a minute, would ya!" He ran his fingers through his hair. "I better go," He said to Sarah, "Will I see you in P.E.?"
"Most likely," Sarah grinned.
Isaac pursed his lips and turned to walk away. He stopped mid step and turned to face Sarah once more. "Sit with me at lunch tomorrow?"
Sarah let herself giggle as she opened her locker, "We'll see."
"Mr. Davies!"
Isaac huffed in annoyance. He gave a quick wave goodbye to Sarah and spun on his heel to face the teacher, "I'm coming, Crawley! Give me a minute, jeez!"
Sarah watched out of the corner of her eye as Isaac Davies, her prom date, ran to finish off his afternoon of detention.
"Dad? Toby?" Sarah called as she opened the front door to her family's home, "Irene? I'm home!" She flung her book bag onto the sofa and made her way to the kitchen, then grabbed an apple from the fridge and tossed it in the air, catching it in a hand behind her back.
"Show off."
Sarah laughed and turned to face her dad, "You're the one who taught it to me." She took a bite out of the apple. "How was work?"
"Boring," Robert Williams hugged his daughter, "How was school?"
"Same old, same old…and I was asked to prom."
"Oh?" Robert raised a quizzical eyebrow, "Who's the lucky guy?"
Sarah did her best not to smile at the memory. She did her best to keep from blushing happily or letting the butterflies in her stomach get the best of her. But she couldn't help it when the giddiness bubbled through her lips along with his name. "Isaac Davies."
Little feet pitter-pattered through the hall and Toby ran into the kitchen, skipping in circles around his older sister. "Sarah's got a boyfriend! Sarah's got a boyfriend!" He chanted.
Sarah sighed, "Do not, Toby."
Toby poked his sister's leg, "Do to."
Sarah poked back, "Do not!"
"Do to! Do to!" He stuck his tongue out, teasing, "Sarah's got a…"
"Oh, come here, you little pest!" Sarah grabbed her little brother and hugged him tightly.
"Can't. Breathe," Toby said dramatically, "Let. Go." He wiggled his way out of Sarah's arms and ran over to his mother, Irene.
Irene was only Sarah's stepmother and they didn't always get along, but they'd become much closer in the past two years. Sarah knew not to take family for granted. She wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Hi, Sarah," Irene said, "How was school, honey?"
"Sarah's got a boyfriend!"
"Toby, I do not have a boyfriend!" Sarah put her hands on her hips and her nose in the air. "But I was asked to prom."
"By that boy you were telling me about?"
Sarah nodded, somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh, I can't wait to go dress shopping!" Irene exclaimed, "We're going to find you the perfect outfit! Something dramatic, but not too showy, I know how you feel about that. I think a dark green would really bring out your eyes! Oh! Or maybe even…"
Sarah rolled her eyes and quietly left the kitchen, leaving Irene to her daydreaming.
Merlin, the faithful companion who'd always been much more than just a dog to Sarah, made his way over to her, his tail wagging happily.
"Hey, Merlin," Sarah scratched the top of the dog's head and whispered, "Don't worry, you'll always be my number one guy. Isaac's cute and all, but his brain's the size of walnut." Sarah smiled at her furry friend, "I'll see you later, okay? I have to catch up on some homework. Go tell Toby you need your lunch."
Merlin tilted his head to the side and watched his human as she skipped up the stairs to her bedroom. He stood up and shook out his fur, then went to find the small human boy as instructed. Perhaps the boy would give Merlin some hints about his favorite human's recent transformation. She seemed much happier lately. But Merlin couldn't understand the reason behind her joy…especially in such uneasy times.
Sadly, it seemed none of his humans could sense the change in the winds. And it worried him to no end.
The nightlight in the corner glowed faithfully and Sarah sighed in her sleep. In her dreams, she danced.
Isaac Davies held her close and they swayed in time with the music. The disco ball above them sent twinkling rainbows shooting across the walls of the school gym. The other students twirled around them. Some stopped briefly to stare as Sarah, pointing at her in a not so discreet way. Isaac leaned in toward her and whispered, "You look beautiful." Even in her sleep, Sarah smiled.
"Sarah," Isaac said in her dream, "You'll be careful, right?"
Sarah blinked up at her dance partner but his face was distorted with neon lights and she couldn't quite focus her eyes. "What? Why do I need to be careful?"
Isaac spun her around, holding on to her fingertips before gently pulling her back to him. "There are just some things that you don't understand yet."
"Like what?"
Isaac chuckled, "It's kind of hard to explain."
Sarah's heart fluttered at the sound of his laugh. "Could you try to? Explain, I mean."
"Not tonight…you should probably wake up now."
A sticky hand kept poking Sarah's shoulder. Her eyes shot open and she sat up in bed.
"Sarah?"
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness but when she saw Toby, silhouetted by the glow of her nightlight, she immediately fell into to big sister mode. "Hey, Toby. What's wrong?" She turned on the lamp by her bed and her heart sunk when she saw her little brother's glistening red eyes and trembling lower lip. "Oh, Toby! Was it the nightmares again?" The little boy nodded and Sarah lifted him up to sit beside her on the bed, "You haven't had one of those in a long time." She smoothed down his blonde hair and kissed his forehead.
Toby let his head fall onto Sarah's shoulder, "I wish I could…"
Sarah tensed at the word. "Wishes are very powerful things, kiddo. Be careful with them."
Toby glanced up, his blue eyes meeting Sarah's green eyes, and he furrowed his little brow. "You weren't very careful with your wish."
Sarah had been so careful to keep Toby from remembering that night. But bits and pieces had been showing up in his dreams for the past few months.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about, Toby."
Toby sighed, "He told me you would say that. How did he know, Sarah? How did he know you'd say that?"
Sarah looked over at her bookshelf and pointed, "You see that red book, Toby? The one next to Lancelot?" Toby nodded. "Why don't you bring it over here and we'll read it together. Just one chapter tonight, okay?"
Toby smiled, "You never let me touch that one!"
"Believe me, I know. But I think you'll like it. It has a few very special words. I think they might help with your nightmares."
"What words?"
Sarah smiled sadly, "You have no power over me."
Author's Note: So, there's Chapter One! I really hope you enjoyed it and if you did, please leave a comment with your thoughts. I'll be honest, I really don't have much idea of where I'm going with this story…but I'll try to update every Wednesday. As the story progresses, it might move from rated "T" to rated "M" – just a heads up.
Toodles!
- MistakenManic