An interaction that's more than what it seems.

Sarah huffed indignantly and pushed a strand of hair out of her face with a bit more force than was necessary. Hogwart had disappeared almost as soon as they were out of the oubliette leaving her to fend for herself amidst the so called "False-Alarms."

"Don't go on!"

"This is not the way!"

"Abandon all Hope!"

"Turn back before it's too late!"

Twisting and turning until her head spun Sarah knew that getting out of this place was starting to look impossible after all.

"Go back while you still can!"

"Take heed and go no further,"

"Beware! Beware!"

Their voices echoed tauntingly through the tunnels and bounced off every rock wall. She covered her ears with her hands even though they still echoed off the inside of her skull.

Gritting her teeth together she finally exploded "WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!"

There was silence.

Opening her eyes Sarah saw that all the faces had indeed stopped their ranting at her. Finally, something was going her way in this place. Looking around her she picked the closest of the False-Alarms to question.

"Well, that wasn't very nice." It harrumphed at her. She got the strongest suspicion that if it could it would turn its stoney nose up.

"Sorry, I just couldn't think with all of you going on like that," she said feeling only a little bit sheepish.

"Well its our job. Don't kill the messenger."

"Uh…right. Hey listen, do any of you know the way to the center of the Labyrinth?" she asked hopeful. It rolled its eyes dramatically. "Does it look like we get around enough to see up there?" Several other faces snickered in the dark. Sarah blushed hotly in frustration.

"Dammit, I'm getting nowhere like this. Can you at least tell me a good direction to go so I can get out of here?" she groaned.

"Well I think—"

"No, no you should go—"

"Let me handle this—!"

Another cacophony started up again wile Sarah dropped her head into her hands dejectedly.

"Psst, Miss!" she jumped at the face addressing her to her left. "You might want to follow that," it rolled its eyes in the direction of the dirt floor just as a crystal ball rolled past her feet. Saying a hasty thanks to the carving Sarah followed it out of the corridor and further into the tunnels, the sound of the faces dying away.

Sarah finally broke through the twisting tunnel it had led her down and saw that it opened into a more linear looking alleyway of sorts. A beggar holding a rusty tin cup squatted with his back to the mildew encrusted wall behind him. The crystal orb bounced lively and landed into the cup with a soft metallic clank.

The beggar lifted his face up at the sound of Sarah's approaching footsteps. She could see he wore rags and had some sort of bandage over both eyes showing that he was blind.

"Ahh, what have we here?" he asked. Instinctively Sarah shrank against the wall when his voice made her jump unexpectedly.

"I—uh—sorry I just—" she stuttered nervously.

"I'm blind not deaf, who may ye be?" questioned the beggar.

"Sarah!" she exclaimed a bit too sharply "I'm Sarah."

"Hmm, Sarah... you one of those Above people that runs the Labyrinth?" he asked.

"I don't know about being above or not but yes, I am running the Labyrinth. I need to get to the center, to the castle before it's too late." she answered.

"Really?" the beggar sounded interested. "And pray, what happens when it's too late."

"It's…my brother Toby…I wished him away. I'm so worried about him, I'm worried sick that I did this and he's going to turn into a goblin because of me," Sarah felt herself sob and tried to stifle any oncoming others that were building up for escape with her hand. Feeling a bit sorry for herself then, and for getting Toby into such a mess, she slid down the opposite wall and hugged her knees tightly to her chest. She hated crying, it made her feel weak and gross at the same time.

But the tears had already broken the dam.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to go! I should have been a better sister to him; he's all I've got!" Sarah hiccoughed. There was a tap on her shoulder. Looking up from her position on the floor she saw an old hankie being held out to her through the bleary curtain of tears. She took it gingerly, blew her nose and wiped her eyes dry.

The blind beggar had hobbled over from his spot and now settled himself to her right against the wall of the alley.

"What's all this then? Feel'n a bit overwhelmed an' such?" he asked. His voice reminded her of a ravens, the kind trained to speak with the deep throaty croaks and cackles.

"Sorry, it's just so much. Everything's just so much," she replied sniffling. His hat bobbed as he nodded sagely beside her. "Tis. Tis not an easy thing life, full of all sorts'o twists an' turns. Ya' never know what or who you're goin' to run into."

Sarah snorted. "Yeah, like the Goblin King."

He inclined his head at the name. "Oh, you two know each other then?"

"No!...sort of, but not anything friendly. He—he took Toby away to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth and said he'd give me my dreams if I forgot about him. He doesn't understand that I can't—I won't abandon Toby like that," Sarah punctuated with her other hand that wasn't currently holding a hankie.

"Sounds like a real narsty git ta' me. But why wouldn't ya take your dreams? Dreams is precious things they is, scarcer than hens-teeth," inquired the beggar who waved his hands comically around her to emphasis.

Sarah gave a huffy laugh "Well…I guess I don't really want those kind of dreams to be real. Something's hurt more you have time to look back on them or they're so blown out of proportion that they look warped. I bet he never even saw what my dreams were to begin with," she said crisply.

"Maybe it's cause he ain't got none of his own," he said. Sarah felt she'd heard a touch of bitterness to his voice and wondered if she knew this character somehow.

"Dreams?" she asked shifting her butt on the dry earthen floor.

"S'right. You lose your dreams an' you lose yourself to other people's dreams till there's nothin' left." Now she heard the sadness clearly from his inflection. Could the Goblin King have done something to the beggar in the past? Could he have been the one to make him…blind? Had this been another runner that had gotten trapped in the confines of the Labyrinth? She would probably never know for sure.

"Ah well, life moves on and such. By the by, spare a favor pretty lady?" he said going into his beggar spiel once more, rattling his tin cup in her direction. Laughing gently, Sarah stood up from the ground and dusted the seat of her jeans clean before searching for something she could give him for his time and ear. Thinking of nothing else to give him, she took off the ring she wore and dropped it into his cup.

"I'm sorry it's not more—" she was cut short by Hoggles voice further back along the tunnels. Maybe things were starting to look better she thought walking back down the passageway. She stopped, remembering she still had the beggar's hankie with her. Turning back to return it however she saw that his spot on the floor was empty of his presence. Not wanting to stay any longer Sarah tucked it into her pants pocket and headed towards the sound of Hoggles grouching voice. From the shadows of the alleyway a Blind Beggar twirled a crystal ball, intrigued by the turn of events. He couldn't let her get too close to the castle, but perhaps some more interaction and guile was in order. Know your enemy to know their weaknesses. Yes, definitely more interaction…

If you like where this is going, leave a comment to let me know. Thanks for reading :)