She hated her birthday; every year was the same. She would wake up to her family circled around her. Her youngest siblings would jump up onto the bed and try to wrestle her out of it before her mother would pull them off and give her the only gift they could afford. It wasn't that she was ungrateful, the contrary actually, but she wished they'd spend the money on something more important. Her mother would have nothing of it.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" her mother asked, brushing a loose strand of her hair out of her face.

"Yeah Danica, we want t'see," Paisley, her younger sister, whined.

The wrapped gift felt heavy in her hands as she started to open it. She closed her eyes and wripped the last of the paper off. Hoping it wasn't too expensive, Danica opened her eyes and saw a small red book. In golden letters 'The Labyrinth' was printed on the front. Danica traced her fingers over the name, a small smile forming on her lips.

"We didn't know if you'd like it; aunt Sarah had a simillar book when she was growing up," her mother said, cuddling into her husband's side.

"But it's a book," Matthew, Paisley's twin brother, said and scrunched up his nose.

"Thank you," Danica said and kissed her mother and father.

"Alright, whose gonna help with the housework?" Danica's mother led the twins out of the room.

"Nope," the twin chirped and ran out the door.

Her mother winked at her and rushed off to stop the twins from breaking down the house.

R-J-R-J-R-J

There was a storm thundering outside, the patter of rain calming the entire house. Danica was lying on top of her bed, her new book opened in front of her. She was engrossed by the story and had already read it halfway through. She had skipped lunch and dinnertime was drawing near, but she couldn't get herself to stop reading.

Her eyes flew over the pages as the story became more and more interesting. She could squeel from excitement; the end of the book was drawing near and she was busy reading the last few pages.

There was a knock on her door, then another. Soon it started to sound as if a marching band was passing through their house. The twins; her lip curled in disgust as she lost her place in the book and had to read it again. She couldn't concentrate on the words in front of her. After re-reading the same piece for a third time Danica gave up.

"What!"

"Mom says you have to eat," Paisley said.

"Yeah, and leave the stupid book," Matthew sneered.

"I'll be right out," Danica said and started reading again.

She had read a whole page before the noise started again. She burried her head in her book. The noise stopped but before Danica could celebrate, the twins came rushing into her room. They jumped on top of her and wrestled with her legs. Paisley got carried away and bit into her leg.

"Ouch, Paisley. Stop it!"

She didn't stop though and while Danica's attention was off of her book Matthew grabbed it out from under her hands. He held it up in front of her and licked the page she had been reading.

"Matthew! Stop it, give that back," Danica cried.

She ignored Paisley who curled herself around her leg and dove for her book. She couldn't move Paisley though; she ended up sprawled over the floor.

"Get off of me!" she shouted and dove for the book again.

Matthew closed the book with a plop and held it close to his butt. "Don't!" He turned his back to her so that she could see what he was about to do.

"I wish the goblins would take both of you away, right now!" The words slipped out of her lips before she could stop it.

Matthew gave her a confused look before he giggled to himself. The book was dangerously close to his rear when, out of nowhere, a puff of glittery smoke consumed her twin sibling. Danica rubbed at her eyes, wishing it was all a dream, but all that remained of her siblings was the glitters that clung to her pant leg and the carpet.

Thunder struck close to her window and an owl sputtered against it. Danica jumped to her feet, grabbing her book, and inched backwards. She bumped into a small figure, which glued itself to her leg. Danica's breath caught in her throat when she saw the small fury creature staring up at her. More creatures tumbled into her room.

The owl burst into the room and flew a small circle above their head before it settled on the windowsill. It started to transform and right before her eyes a man appeared in the place of the owl. The same type of glitter from afore drifted into the room, seamingly coming out of the man. He flicked his blond her out of his face before focusing his mismatched eyes upon her. He was waiting expectantly, as if it was Danica that came to his house.

"No? Not even going to guess?" He tilted his head to the side and smirked.

Danica stared at him, a frown forming on her face. "You're a magician?"

"Not quite," he said and spread his arms in the air, "I am the Goblin King."

"Danica, it's a pleasure. But can I have my siblings back now?" Danica asked.

"What's said is said," the Goblin King said, his voice becoming dramarically deep. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"We were playing, I didn't think you'd actually come for them."

"Oh, you didn't?" He lifted his eyebrows and tried to hold back a smirk.

"Where are they?" Danica asked, clutching her book to her chest.

"You know very well where they are... You've read the book."

"The book?"

"Danica, go back to reading your book. Live your life, forget about your siblings."

"I can't, they didn't do anything wrong. It was a mistake, give them back."

The Goblin King titled his head slightly before he lifted his hand, "I've brought you a gift..." A small glass ball formed at the tip of his fingers.

Danica frowned at the ball but made no move to take it from him. She shifted her gaze back to his eyes.

"It's a crystal," he said and started running it over his hands. Danica trailed the movement of the ball, finding herself fascinated by it. "But if you turn it this way... And look into it, it will show you your dreams. But this is not a gift for an ordinary girl who lives with screaming toddlers. Toddlers who bother her day in and day out," he paused, a smirk forming on his lips, "Do you want it?"

Danica stared at the crystal and back up into his eyes. "Then forget the twins."

Danica shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, "No, I didn't want them gone in the first place. I want them back..."

"Danica," he said, his voice full of warning as he held up the crystal. It turned into a snake that curled itself around his fingers. He straightened the snake between his two hands. "Don't defy me..."

He threw the snake at her. Danica tried to jump out of the way but the goblin wrapped around her leg prevented her. The snake turned into a scarf the moment it touched her. She held the scarf between two of her fingers before dropping it. It turned into a goblin and it scampered off.

The other goblins giggled. "You're no match for me Danica."

"I want the twins back." Danica stared at him pleadingly, but the Goblinking scoffed and moved towards her.

Danica shrank back slightly as the Goblinking lifted his hand and pointed behind him, through the window. "They're there; in my castle."

Danica strained to see. The goblin at her feet scampered off at his king's command and Danica stepped up to the window staring at the figure in the distance. Before it lay miles of turns and twists- the labyrinth. Danica could not believe her eyes, she would never be able to reach the castle. Her heart sank at the sight.

"Do you still want to go look for them?" the Goblin King whisperred in her ear.

Danica turned slowly to him; momentarily shocked that her room had disappeared. "Is that the castle beyond the goblin city?"

"Turn back Danica; turn back before it's too late," he said, his voice dramatically low. She ignored him and turned back to the labyrinth. "What a pity..."

"It doesn't look that far..." Danica said, more to herself than to the Goblin King.

"It's farther than it looks," he said from beside her. "Time is short- you have 13 hours in which to solve this labyrinth before your siblings become like us. Such a pity..." The Goblin King started to fade away until he was completely gone.

Danica took a deep breath and started towards the labyrinth.