The cold fall, faded into a harsh winter, and just as the snow turned to slush, Sarah reflected on her travels Underground. It had been nearly ten years since her run through the labyrinth, and it took five years of awkward moments right after her visit to realize it was true, that the Goblin King had truly gifted her with "certain powers". Which made remembering the rest of that line, so angrily spoken the night she wished Toby away, equally distressing. If what she had been experiencing was completely her own doing, did the Goblin King truly fall in love with her, long before she had spoken those words that night?
She locked up the house, following a routine carved well into habit before she had ever found the cavern and it's tunnel leading down into the Underground. The small bag on her back used to be Toby's. It was so small, it wouldn't fit a 3-ring binder and a textbook inside, but it was just big enough for her to fit the clothes and flip flops she currently wore inside with room for the trail mix and water bottle she always brought along just in case. Already her feet complained about the cold as she hurried down the porch steps and made her way down the street toward the park. She was quick but knew better than to run, a sprained ankle or worse would not get her there any faster, and would probably prevent her from transforming for months.
It was dark enough for her to not worry about finding another at the park. And she blushed in embarrassment as she remembered the first time she was nearly discovered putting on her clothes. That was something she had no desire repeating, and had managed to keep hidden until the young couple had left. Crossing the bridge and moving further into the woods, she darted off the path and hissed at the icy sludge that sucked at her feet. She ran now that she was ankle deep in snow and water. Directing her thoughts toward the first night exploring the land around the labyrinth. There had been terrifying moments, but she couldn't keep herself away for very long as she carefully learned which creatures she should avoid and who would tolerate the small black cat in their presence.
That night had also revealed the time issues that she hadn't been aware of before. The Goblin King had reordered time, had even told her this, and yet she was surprised when she returned aboveground to find out that she had been gone for about two days when she swore that she hadn't been underground for more than five or six hours. The next day, realizing how easy it would be to stay an aboveground week underground, possibly without even noticing it, she bought a small stretch bracelet and purchased a tiny digital watch with a date and day of the week function made for a young girl's wrist. With a bit of wire and a new set of pliers, she had attached the clock to the bracelet to wear around her neck underground, to remind her of the time easily.
Near the entrance to the cavern, Sarah looked around for movement in the dark before squeezing behind the shrubs and bushes that blocked the entrance. The entrance was very small, far too small for her to squeeze into it, which left her out in the cold quickly stripping and stuffing her clothes and flip flops into the small bag. Shivering, she quickly stretched the bracelet over her head, praying for it not to break as she had hoped the last few times, before settling it tight against her throat. Bag zipped and stuffed down the entrance, she knelt in the cold and shut her eyes to focus on the sensation that first let her change in her parents' house seven years ago.
In a flicker of soft light and magic-wind tossed hair, the nude girl vanished and a shivering black cat stood blinking at the woods around it. Shaking its body, and managing to get the watch to lay against its chest, the cat scented the air before darting into the cavern.
Sarah found her bag easily, as the cavern was barely more than an animal den at this point. Biting the handle, she dragged it along as she made the long trek down the tunnel. She didn't know why she bothered, since she never changed back underground, but every time something insisted in her mind, that maybe, just maybe, she'll need the food, water, or clothes this time.
Tired, she pulled the bag to the entrance and waited. Yawning to stretch her jaw muscles and get rid of the cramp, she scented the air and listened to the otherworldly sounds of the underground woods. The noises from the insects, creatures, and even the wind through the trees sounded so different from the woods she played in as a child aboveground. If Sarah knew what a cat would look like smiling and show signs of contentment without being petted, she would have known exactly what she looked like right at that moment. Well, until she heard the voices.
