Sarah Williams glanced at her watch as she stepped through the door to her dorm room at Helen Newberry Residence Hall. To her relief, she saw it was 7:58. She had been worried she wouldn't make it in time when her Stage Combat class ran a bit long, but she had made it back to her room with only two minutes to spare.
Letting out a calming breath, Sarah walked further into her dorm room, depositing her coat and books on the bed before taking a seat at her desk, where a Victorian style desk mirror stood beside three framed photographs. One was of Sarah standing with her father, stepmother and half-brother, Toby, all four of them smiling warmly. The second was of Sarah's birth mother, Linda, sitting on a chaise lounge chair with her second husband, Jeremy, and their young daughter, Tiffany. The third and final picture was of Sarah standing with her friends from the Underground. It was this picture that Sarah focused on, her mind briefly going back to the number of adventures she'd had in the Underground, that magical world where things were weren't always they seemed to be.
It had been over a year since her last big adventure there, when she and her friends had managed to defeat a terrifying entity bent on destroying both the Underground and the 'Aboveground.' Ever since that day, life had simply gone by as normal as possible. Though, due to her classes at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, it had been a while since she had paid her friends within the Underground a visit. Which was why she had been so eager to make it back here by 8:00, the time they had agreed on.
At that moment, the alarm on Sarah's watch went off, announcing the designated time had arrived. Immediately, Sarah tore her eyes off the picture of her friends to look at the desk mirror. Seconds after Sarah had turned to face the mirror, the reflective surface started to shimmer, with the image of Sarah's reflection fading from sight. In its place, the image of a young woman with blonde hair lined with silver highlights came into view.
"Hello, Sarah!" Stacey greeted, smiling widely.
"Hello to you, too," Sarah replied. However, Sarah's smile faded when she got a good look at Stacey's face. The Goblin Queen looked tired and frazzled. "Hey, is everything okay?"
"Oh, it's fine," Stacey insisted, waving a hand in emphasis. "There was just a slight incident earlier today, and I was worried I'd have to miss our mirror call to properly address it. You see, some poor kid went and almost said 'the words.'"
"Oh, no!" Sarah gasped, eyes widening in anxious shock. "You mean, a child got taken by the goblins?"
"Thankfully, no," Stacey reassured. "The kid managed to reign in his temper just in time and never completed his statement. That was really lucky. I don't know what I would have done if I had to spend the day worrying about whether or not that kid could solve the Labyrinth within the time limit, or what I would have had to do if he hadn't. And not just because I would have had to send him home without his little sister, effectively ripping a family apart, which would have been really hard for me to live with. The last thing I needed was something else weighing on my mind. We're busy enough as it is, getting the castle ready to receive a visit from some dignitaries from Bolinia."
"Bolinia?" Sarah repeated, mystified by the unfamiliar word.
"Yeah, it's a kingdom located in the southernmost region of the Underground," Stacey explained. "I've read every scroll I could find on that country in preparation for their arrival, and it's quite an interesting place! For instance, the royal family are actually centaurs, but instead of being part horse, they have the bodies of zebras! Even the traditional royal pets are an exotic offshoot of the common griffin. Instead of being part eagle and part lion, these griffins are a cross between a toucan and a cheetah!"
"It sounds like Bolinia is quite an exotic place," Sarah surmised. "They must be traveling quite a ways."
"Exactly. Which is why I'd rather deal with their visit with a clear head. Especially since this is a state visit. I know I would not have been able to focus on making sure their visit went well if that kid hadn't…."
"Does this happen often?" Sarah asked, fearing the answer.
"Thankfully, no," Stacey replied. "If that kid had actually gone through with saying 'the words,' it would have been the first time since… well, since you said it. But even though we dodged a bullet this time, it was a dark reminder that a day might come when I would have to allow the goblins to take a child from your world. Sometimes, Sarah, I wish there was a way to rescind that law. But this was a law that was written at the very creation of the Underground. I can no more change it than I can alter the color of the sky."
As Stacey finished her statement, she let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hand. Sarah felt a wave of sympathy for her friend. It was clear that her duties were weighing on her mind.
"It sounds like you could use a break," Sarah suggested.
"That would be nice," Stacey allowed, giving a weary but grateful smile. "But I doubt I can afford to think about a vacation anytime soon.
"But enough about my problems," she continued. "How have things been for you?"
"Really great," Sarah replied, returning Stacey's smile, but more widely. "In fact, I might even be given a chance to be part of one of the school's mainstage productions next semester."
"Wow, that's great!" Stacy exclaimed, her face lightning up significantly. "I really hope you get the chance, Sarah. I bet you'll be great!"
"Thanks," Sarah said, blushing slightly from the praise. "Oh, Toby was asking about you when he came up with Dad and Mother last weekend."
"Ah, Toby! How's he been?"
"He's doing great," Sarah announced. "He started third grade about a month ago, and I think his teachers are impressed with how quickly he picked up on learning map skills and directions. Probably helped that he already had a crash course in that from Sir Didymus and Daedalus over the summer."
"Think we have a future cartographer in the making?" Stacey commented, only half joking.
"Actually, I think Toby might end up on a different path," Sarah said, a mischievous glint in her eye. "When I first moved into this residence hall, I made friends with a student named Wendy, who was studying production design. She's actually a graduate student now, but we remained friends. When Toby was out here during the weekend, he and Wendy met, and Wendy showed off some of her projects from her Into to Puppetry class. I don't think I've ever seen Toby that interested in something. Dad said that, the second they got home, Toby immediately started making paper bag puppets."
"Well, how about that," Stacey chuckled. "How's your stepmother feeling about that? I got the impression she didn't care much about your career choice, so I wonder how she'd react if Toby also ends up pursing a future in fine arts."
"I think she's hoping that he'll grow out of it," Sarah sighed, shrugging casually. "But I'm not so sure. When you find your passion, that's pretty much it. At least, that's how it worked for me.
"Anyway, how is everyone else?" Sarah asked, changing the subject. "Ludo, Hoggle, and Sir Didymus' family?"
"Everyone's doing fine. Though, it was little Reynard's birthday the other day, and he got a wooden training sword from his father. So of course, he's been going around trying to challenge everyone he sees to a duel."
"Oh, dear," Sarah chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "He's definitely Didymus' son."
"Yep, that's for sure. At least Didymus convinced him to tone it down a bit after his antics nearly caused Wayne to fall down the stairs."
"Oh, that's right! Wayne ended up moving into the Underground. How's he adjusting to his new life?"
"Quite well, actually. You know, back in Kent, even though he was a certified carpenter, it was still a bit hard for him to find work, as most people underestimated his ability because of his height. But here in the Underground, most of his clients don't take issue with that, since they're not much taller themselves."
"I suppose that would be a perk." However, that was when Sarah's expression shifted as a new question popped into her head. But she was unsure how to word it.
"Sarah? What's wrong?" Stacey asked, picking up on her friend's facial expression.
"I was just wondering," Sarah replied. "Has there… been any sign of….him?" Immediately, Stacey bowed her head. She knew instantly what Sarah was asking.
"No," she admitted. "Jareth still hasn't shown his face since the Agnostic was defeated. What about you? Have you noticed any barn owls popping up around campus recently?"
"Haven't seen any," Sarah sighed.
"I see. I just thought…since he apparently used to watch you in his owl form back when you lived in Upper Nyack, that maybe…"
"I'm sure he'll come back soon," Sarah insisted, trying to reassure her friend.
"Yeah," Stacey nodded, not appearing convinced. "It's just…. I was mad at him for so long, but now? I just feel like we lost too much time already, and I don't want to lose any more. I'll never get to know my mother, so the least I can do is get to know my father. And I know Wayne just wants to be with his brother, again." Sarah could only nod in agreement, unable to think of what else to say to cheer her up.
"Well, I will make sure to keep my eyes open for any barn owls," she promised. "If I see any, I'll tell him what you said, just in case it's him."
"Thank you, Sarah. That means a lot."
At that moment, a sudden knock on the door could be heard. Jumping slightly, Sarah turned to glance at her door. Seconds later, a second knock rang out.
"Sorry, Stacey," Sarah said. "But I think I better go. Someone's at my door."
"That's okay, Sarah. We'll talk again soon." With that, Stacey waved a hand, causing her image in the mirror to disappear. Once the mirror call ended, Sarah got up and answered the door. Upon opening it, she saw it was her friend, Wendy.
"Hi, Sarah," Wendy greeted. "I know its short notice, but some of the girls and I are going out for a late dinner. Want to come?"
"Sure!" Sarah agreed, only just noticing that she was feeling hungry. "Let me just grab my coat."
A short time later, Sarah and Wendy were making their way across campus, chatting amicably about their classes. After a while, Wendy noticed that Sarah seemed to be pausing on occasion to look up at every tree they passed.
"Hey, what's up?" she asked. "What are you looking for?"
"Not much," Sarah commented as casually as possible. "Just seeing if I could spot any barn owls."
"I never knew you were a bird enthusiast," Wendy stated. In response, Sarah simply gave her friend a friendly smile.
"I'll tell you a story sometime," she promised.
AN: And thus begins my final Labyrinth fic. I hope everyone who reads this will enjoy it.
Also, please remember that, while this will be the last full-length fic, I will gladly continue to update my anthology series, The Chase (And Other Stories). If anyone has any prompts for that one, I'll be glad to hear them.