"Sarah?"
Sarah Williams turned away from her desk to see her little brother, Toby, standing at the door of her room. "Sarah," he said, rubbing his sweet blue eyes. "I can't sleep."
"Oh, Toby," she sighed, getting up from her chair and holding her arms out to him. He stumbled to her and she picked him up. "Why not?"
He nestled his face into her long, dark hair. "I keep thinking about Mommy and Daddy."
Sarah's heart squeezed painfully and she reminded herself not to cry in front of Toby. About two months ago, her parents had been killed by a drunk driver when they were driving home from a date. The wound was still raw, and Sarah often found herself crying for no reason. Poor Toby hadn't understood at first, but he was finally beginning to realize that their parents weren't coming back.
"Come on," she said, rubbing his back. "Let's get you tucked in." She walked him to his room and placed him in bed, tucking the covers around him. "Here's Lancelot," she said, handing him the worn-out bear that had once been hers. "Don't worry. He'll keep you company. Now, all you have to do is close your eyes and think about how warm your bed is."
He blinked at her sleepily. "Can you tell me the Goblin King story?"
She couldn't help but grimace. That was Toby's favorite, and the one she hated the most. But Toby looked at her innocently, and she felt her heart melt. "Alright," she consented. "But I'm only telling it once. Remember, we have to be at the courthouse tomorrow."
"Why?"
She stroked his blonde hair from his face. "Because Mr. Lenton, the lawyer, is going to decide who's going to take care of us from now on."
Toby frowned. "What about Mrs. Jenson?"
Mrs. Jenson was their next door neighbor that checked in on them once a day. "Toby, you know she has her own family to look after. She can't watch us.
His frown deepened and he looked up at her. "Why can't you take care of us?"
"I'm not old enough, hun. I have to be eighteen, and I'm only going to be turning seventeen." Toby nodded, though she doubted he fully understood. "Come on, don't you want to hear the story?" He smiled, and nodded again. She heaved a mental sigh, and began.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess…"
Sarah smiled as she tucked Toby, who was fast asleep, into bed one more time. She made sure his nightlight was on before shutting the door. She went to her own room and sat on her bed, staring out at the stars. "I wish…" She sighed. What was the point of wishes? But as she gazed at the sky, Sarah found herself fixed on the brightest star, which beckoned to her. "I wish Toby and I could find a guardian that loves us."
Sarah and Toby sat in Mr. Lenton's office. Toby was on the floor, playing with some cars, and she was sitting in a chair at Mr. Lenton's desk. She shifted uncomfortably while Mr. Lenton read a stack of papers with a deep frown on his forehead.
"So, Sarah," he said after a few silent moments. "This is a tricky situation. According to your file, you and Toby have only one intermediate family member?"
Sarah nodded. "Yes. My father and Karen were both only children, so there are no aunts or uncles. My father's parents died when I was young, and Karen's parents died before she even met Daddy. We do have Great-Aunt Clarissa, but she lives all the way in Iceland."
Mr. Lenton's frown deepened. "Yes, we'd preferably like to keep you and Toby closer to your home. Besides, your great-aunt is a little too old to be taking care of two children. What about your mother?"
Sarah snorted, pushing down the bitterness that buzzed in her ears. "Linda? I haven't seen her since I was ten, before she suddenly packed up and disappeared from my life. Last I heard, she was acting in some soap opera."
"Well then," Mr. Lenton said, rubbing his temples. "I suppose we could always consider foster care."
"No," Sarah said hotly. "I don't want Toby growing up like that. I-" She was interrupted when Mr. Lenton's secretary poked her head through the door.
"Excuse me," the blonde woman said. "Mr. Lenton, there's a man out here that would like to talk to you about the custody situation of the Williams children."
Confusion settled over Sarah, and it was reflected in Mr. Lenton's face. Who wanted to talk to him about their custody? All she could think of was Mrs. Jenson, and she highly doubted that. "Show him in," Mr. Lenton said, waving his hand.
Sarah's confusion changed to pure shock when the secretary led the man into the office. She recognized the man immediately; he was tall, with a sharp chin, one bright blue eye and one brown, and a shock of wild, blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail. He was wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket, which was opened slightly to reveal a white t-shirt underneath. His twinkling eyes caught hers, and he smiled widely and mischievously. She knew him, from his wild hair to the amulet that hung around his neck. She knew him, very well, for she had once wished her baby brother away and she'd had to battle to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth to get him back.
The Goblin King's eyes moved from her to Mr. Lenton. "Allow me to introduce myself," he said professionally, holding his hand out to the slightly bewildered lawyer. "My name is Jareth King, and I'm an old friend of Robert Williams. I've watched these two children grow up, but I'm afraid I haven't gotten the chance to see them in about three years." He turned to Toby, who was staring at him with an opened mouth, and then to Sarah, who couldn't decide if she was more shocked, afraid, or pissed off.
Mr. Lenton shook Jareth's hand. "Oh, well, hello, Mr. King. Please, have a seat." Jareth smirked at Sarah, and promptly propped himself down on the chair closest to Sarah.
She decided to be pissed. She abruptly stood up, pushing her chair backwards. "Mr. Lenton," she said angrily. "Do you think I could have a word with Mr. King for a moment? It's been so long since I've seen him."
Mr. Lenton looked at a loss, and then nodded. "Toby, stay here," she ordered. "I'll be right back." She glared at Jareth, who held the office door open for her, and marched into the hallway.
She clenched her hands into tight fists and turned to face him as he leaned against the hallway. "Why are you here?" she demanded.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why, hello to you too, Sarah. I'm fine, thank you."
"Just answer the question," she growled. "Why?"
"I thought it would be obvious," he said, a slight smirk spreading across his face. "I'm here to see Mr. Lenton about becoming the guardian of you and Toby." Then, his face turned serious and he placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "I am sorry about the loss of your parents. It pains me to see you hurting."
She shoved his hand off. "Don't touch me, and don't give me your condolences; I don't want them." She ignored the look of hurt on his face. "What do you think gives you the right to march into that office and decide that you're going to take Toby and I home and make us food, clean up our messes, and put us to bed? Do you honestly think that Mr. Lenton's going to put us in the custody of a total stranger that just happens to be a high-strung Goblin King that prances around in tight pants and torments goblins all day?"
He let out an exasperated sigh and moved closer to her so his face was inches from hers. "I am magic, Sarah. I have every single piece of paperwork and more that I need to give to the lawyer. Besides, do you think I could come because I wanted to? You have no power over me."
She crossed her arms. "Then how are you here?"
"I'm answering you wish," he responded. She froze, remembering the wish she had made the night before. I wish Toby and I could find a guardian that loves us. "Sarah," he said in a much gentler voice, and she looked in his eyes in surprise. "If I don't become your guardian, you'll be put into foster care. Granted, in a year you'll be an adult, but then who will look after Toby? Do you want him to live a life in the care of strangers?"
She hesitated. He had hit her right in the core of what she didn't want for Toby. "I'll be good to you," he continued. "I promise I'll care for Toby in the best way possible." Something in his eyes grew softer, and he gently put his hand on her shoulder. "I promise to care for you, also. I'll do what's best for both of you."
She was silent. She broke away from his gaze and stared at the floor, her thoughts reeling. She wanted with all her heart for Toby to not have to spend his life in a foster home, but she was still terrified of the Goblin King, the one who had taken him from her in the first place. "But I asked him to," she thought to herself, and then silently cursed. What was best? Then, she heaved a sigh of defeat. "Fine," she muttered. "Do your magic on Mr. Lenton and become our guardian. But if you do anything to hurt Toby, I'll take him away." She glared up at him, fire dancing in her green eyes.
Without another word, she pushed past him and entered the office again, plastering a fake smile on her face. "Sorry, Mr. Lenton," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "It's been a while since I've seen Mr. King, and I just wanted to catch up with him, especially since he and my father were really good friends." She forced the lie from her mouth, because she was certain that her father had never spoken a word with the Goblin King in his life.
Kneeling beside Toby, she smiled up at Mr. Lenton, refusing to look at Jareth. "Do you mind if Toby and I go for lunch while you two talk? I think Toby's getting bored." Mr. Lenton nodded eagerly; she knew he didn't want to find ways to keep her brother entertained. So, she helped pick up Toby's toys and took him by the hand, leading him out of the office. She shot one last glare at Jareth before they left, and Toby looked at him curiously.
"Sarah," Toby said as they made their way through the parking lot and to her car. "Who is that man?"
She sighed, staring up at the sky. "He's going to be our new guardian, Tobes. Don't worry; he'll take care of us." She squeezed his hand and smiled down at her brother. "He better be good to us." This was only the introduction.
Author's Note: Hello there! So, this is part of the 100 themes challenge, and I started with introduction to get the story moving. For the next chapters, I'll randomly be picking different themes. Please review!