The fresh autumn winds began blowing all around. Seattle seemed like a very peaceful place at the moment. Or, it had been for some time. It was the beginning of the new school year. That meant all students would return to school and all high school graduates are shipped off to college. But for two particular people, it was the beginning of a new adventure…
Sara and Robin were standing by the large red mini van they rented. All their things were packed into the large vehicle and were saying they're goodbyes to their families.
"We're really proud that you made it to this school Robin." Robin's mother said and held her so tight her spine nearly snapped in two. Robin was still getting use to the fact her parents were alive. But she was just glad that she survived being hit by that truck trying to save them.
"Thanks mom." She said and gently pushed her off. "I'm guessing you wouldn't think that I would get into this school."
"Well, we did have our doubts on you." Robin nearly glared at Sarah's stepmother, Irene.
"Yes, thank you." She answered as politely as she could.
"You two seem to get along as poorly as ever." Tracy said and rubbed the back of her head.
"I was hoping that maybe your sister would take something more meaningful in life like you did. But why she chose to go into acting I'll never know." Robin cleared her throat.
"I'm majoring in music, thank you very much." She said.
It had been months since Robin had returned from Paris, but it's felt like ages ago that she and Erik had last seen each other. Not only that, but she also had the biggest secret that she had kept from everyone, except for Sarah. She was carrying his child inside her. She knew if she told her parents, they'd either make her get an abortion or when the baby was born, put it up for adoption. So she made Sarah swear not to tell anyone this. She agreed since she was the only one who would understand.
"Well little sis, I hope you do well in your new school." Tracy said and started messing up Robin's pitch black hair. "Remember, we're a phone call away if you ever get lonely."
"I won't be lonely. I have Sarah as my roommate." She swung her arm around her best friend's shoulder and Sarah did the same.
"You two better get moving if you want to make it before dark." Robin nodded to her dad and the girls piled into the car. They gave them one more glance before finally pulling away from the group of happy loved ones.
"Oi, I thought we'd never get out of there." Robin said and snapped open a water bottle.
"Rob, you still need to be able to interact with your parents more. I mean they were dead until you just randomly decided to poof to the time when they were supposed to get crushed by that truck." Sarah sighed.
"I know, it was a stupid move." Robin said for her.
"You were in a coma for two freakin' weeks and you're pregnant you dumbass!" Robin just slumped down into her chair. She suddenly jerked up when she felt something under her butt. She reached under and found a little red book with the letters "The Labyrinth" written in gold. She opened it up and started skimming through the pages.
"Hey, why exactly did you give me this book?" She asked. "Sara looked at her for a second then turned back to the road.
"I thought you might like it. Did you?"
"It was… interesting." She answered. "But for some reason, when I started reading it, something didn't feel right."
"Really? Like what?"
"Well, I keep feeling like someone is watching me after I read that thing." She stared out her window. "But I must be a little paranoid or something."
"Maybe." Robin took another sip of water then started skimming through the book again.
"When can I give this back to you?"
"Meh, you can have it." Sarah said. "It would probably just collect dust in my drawer if you gave it back."
"I suppose." Ever since she returned to her own world, Robin has been feeling a sense of unbelonging. It may have been her home, but it just wasn't her home anymore. She started feeling a little more unbalanced with the fact how everything happened.
"Hey Robin, can you grab some fruit for me from the cooler?" Sara asked.
"Sure." She reached to the back seat ant pulled out a small green cooler. She started digging through it for the fruits at the very bottom. She felt something fuzzy and round at the bottom of the pile. She quickly pulled her hand out with a peach in her hand. "Did your mom pack any peaches in the cooler?"
"No, why?" A weird feeling started filling her mind.
"Um, nothing." She stuck the peach back at the bottom. She pulled out an apple next. "Here."
"Thanks." Sarah placed it on her lap.
Why would there be a peach in there? She wondered. Robin suddenly clutched her mouth.
"You okay kid?" Sarah asked.
"Pull over!" She quickly stopped the car. Robin jumped out and started throwing up.
"Jeez, this is gonna be a real pain." Sarah said shaking her head.
"I can't help it!" Robin shouted over her shoulder. "I've been like this since-" She was cut off and threw up again.
"Makes me happy I'm not the pregnant one." Robin glared at her over her shoulder. "I'll get you some water." Sarah went back to the car. As Robin started wiping her mouth, she saw an owl. Not just any owl, a white barn owl. She tilted her head to the side. It imitated her.
That's strange. She thought.
"I'm back." She turned her head to her friend and took the chilled water from her hands.
"Thanks Sarah." She uncapped the bottle and started gulping the cold liquid. But stopped. "Hey, did you see tha-" But when she turned around, it was gone.
"See what?" She just shook her head.
"Nothing." They got back into the car and kept going.
When they finally reached the dorm, it had started pouring rain. Though the weather report said there would be sun into the next day.
"Maybe we should bring our stuff in tomorrow when the sun's out." Robin suggested.
"Nah, we can do it." She opened her door and jumped into the rain. She ran to the trunk and popped it open. "Come on Robbie!" Robin's face went bright red.
"That's a boy's name!" She opened her door and started running after Sarah, who left the trunk and started running from Robin, who would make her feel her wrath. She tripped and fell on her face and Robin was laughing hysterically. But when Sarah looked up, she suddenly froze. "Hey, Sar!" Robin tried getting her attention. "Hello? Earth to Sarah." She looked up to where she was looking. "Huh? An owl?" It was the one from earlier. It stared at the two of them with its black eyes. Sarah's face turned pale. She got up and began leading Robin to the building.
"We'll take care of our stuff later." She said and continued pushing her to the door. She looked again and saw it disappeared.
I thought you weren't gonna bother us. She thought.
Later that night, Robin and Sarah had settled into their dorm room just a little since it was still pouring rain which prevented them from bring most of their stuff to the room. Robin was fast asleep in her bed, but Sarah was wide awake. She kept staring out the window to make sure there wasn't a certain owl outside. The best thing for them was that their classes didn't start for a few days. This would give them enough time to get the room in order and wander around campus. But Sarah was beginning to fear leaving home so soon. Robin turned over in her bed and she jumped a little.
"Mmm… Erik, please… come soon." She was talking in her sleep again. She really missed her masked love. She was also really excited that she was gonna have a child too. She chuckled a little bit.
"He'll be here soon, kid." She said then turned over and closed her eyes.
"Where am I? This isn't my room." Robin started wandering around the long corridors that seemed to go on forever. She felt like she's seen something like this before. There were a dozen different doors on either side of her. "How did I even get here?" There was one door that was slightly ajar. There was someone talking on the other side. She slowly walked over to in and peaked through the crack. He door suddenly flew all the way open and a bright light surrounded her. Then she was surrounded by large walls that went in every which way she could see.
"You can try to escape," She heard a voice speak to her. "But no one ever finds their way out." She started running as fast as she could. She took every turn that she came across just to get away.
"Who are you!?" She shouted but there was no response, only the sound of someone laughing. Something grabbed her arm and she screamed…
Robin screamed and shot up out of her bed. Sarah was awakened by her sudden outburst and quickly ran over to her.
"You okay?" She asked. Robin was in too much shock. Whatever it was, it scared her a lot. Sarah started stroking her hair, trying to calm her. "It's over Robin. Nothing's gonna happen to you."
"You don't understand." She said her voice a little shaky. "I've been seeing these things so vividly. It's like I'm actually there. I've been having these dreams since… since…" She didn't want to go on.
"Since when?"
"Since I read that book." She looked over at the red covered book she received in the hospital. She buried her face into her hands. "I'm scared." Sarah always thought she enjoyed that book. That it seemed to keep her mind off of being apart from Erik. But it started giving her a negative effect. Or it could have been something else.
Please say you're not torturing my friend.
The next few days, Robin had been getting little sleep due to the dreams. Sarah would always have to walk her to her classes before going to her own to make sure she wouldn't lash out at anyone. Her lack of sleep had made her uneasy.
"Maybe you should go to the hospital." Sarah suggested as they sat under a large tree eating some apples. "They might find out what's wrong." But she just shook her head. Sarah sighed. "It might be because of the sudden change in your life. I mean, just a little while ago, your parents were dead and now they're alive."
"But that's because I stopped the truck." Robin said.
"Could it be the absence of your loving husband?" She said in the most teasing way possible.
"Shut up! People will look at me weird!" But everyone was staring at her due to her outburst.
"Too late." She pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her face from anyone passing by.
Robin returned to the dorm before Sarah did. She was hoping that she could get a start on her homework before dinner. But due to lack of sleep, this caused her to lose interest and make her just stare off into space. She fell backwards onto her pillow. She felt a lump under her back. She started wriggling around a little because this made her very uncomfortable. She lifted up her mattress and found a small blue leather bound book underneath.
"What's this?" She wondered. She picked the book up from its place and started looking it over. It looked exactly like The Labyrinth book, only the cover was blue and there was a silver rose on the front. But the odd part was there was no title. She opened to the first page and saw the same rose there with two swords crossed in the background and were covered in thorns. She turned to the first chapter and began to read.
"The princess had successfully retrieved her younger brother fro the Goblin King. However, there was no guarantee that she can sleep soundly at night thinking he would not return. As time passed, she could not forget her trip into the Labyrinth. But, one day, the princess met a girl who seemed quite like herself. She was very beautiful, but not as much as the princess. They became good friends in that short time. She told her many stories that she knew and filled her imagination to the brim. Then, one night, the girl's parents died in a horrible accident, breaking her heart. Over the years, the girl had thrived and tried to keep the princess' stories at heart. Especially of a masked killer whom seemed to have captivated her from the very start. The princess was always worrying about the girl and how the death of her loved ones had broken her. The Goblin King, however, saw this girl to become quite useful to him in the future. He watched over the two girls making sure they were always together. Then, one night, he noticed the girl had a strange relic in her possession. It was a magic ring. She whispered something to herself and mysteriously disappeared."
Robin closed the book.
"This is oddly familiar." She said to herself. She tucked the book back under her mattress and tried getting back to work.
Later that night, Robin lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the book she had found. She wondered why it sounded so familiar to her. She tried shutting her eyes but the fear of sleep prevented her from doing so. The dreams began becoming more and clearer as the nights progressed and they filled her with such fear. She reached under her mattress and pulled the book out again.
"Alright, let's continue where we left off." She flipped to the page she was at.
"The light reappeared in her room after she had just departed and she was asleep in her bed. Her face was stained with tears and she was wearing the oddest of clothing. But they suddenly dissolved and took the original shape of her normal attire before she managed to wake up. After some time, she seemed to be acting strange of late. She changed her entire being in more ways than one. But the most part was the fact that she would always break into tears at night. This pulled a sympathetic cord in the Goblin King and longed to go to her side and comfort the girl. But he had to remember why he needed the girl in the first place. Then, on one particular night, she left the safety of her home and started to sing the most beautiful sounds that he had ever heard. She was like an angel that was sent from heaven. Her voice was very sad but filled with the most loving tones that God could give to a single being. He knew then that she wasn't an ordinary pawn in his plan, but someone he knew he should care for and protect. Not in the same way like the princess, as he demanded her love and fear of him. He wanted this girl to not seem so lonely and be able to smile. Though the princess was still very dear to him, he also wanted the strange girl.
"However, one afternoon, the girl was putting on a performance for the townspeople. And as she was performing, a shadow appeared in back of her and began to sing with her. She seemed both saddened and overjoyed by this, but she was also very angry. There was a loud scream and everyone began scrambling and causing a commotion. The girl had disappeared again from his sight. She reappeared running away from the scene with tears running down her lovely cheeks. She ran deep into the forest. She wouldn't stop until her legs gave out and caused her to fall into the dead leaves. She curled into a ball and started crying. Whatever must have happened caused her a great deal of pain."
Robin finished the sentence and started becoming drowsy. Though she was afraid of what dream she would have, she couldn't help it. She collapsed onto her pillow and was overtaken by a dark silence. She awoke the next morning and her limbs felt very heavy. She didn't dream that night. She had just been seeing nothing but the inside of her eyelids. She was exhausted. Sarah looked over at her friend and saw her eyes were surrounded by dark circles.
"Rob, you look horrible." She commented. "Did you get any sleep last night?" She slowly turned her head.
"My eyes were closed the whole night." She answered. "But I wasn't dreaming." Sarah got out of bed and went to her phone. "What are you doing?"
"I'm calling a hospital. You need to get looked at." She said and started dialing. Robin jumped out of bed and stole the phone from her. "Robin, you need a doctor. If you go on like this it could not only harm you, but your baby too."
"Sarah, is there something you're not telling me?" She asked as she pressed the red button on her phone.
"What are you talking about?" She asked. Robin turned her attention to the window. Sarah turned to find a white barn owl staring at them. She slowly backed away from the window.
"Why is this owl always watching us?" Robin asked. Sarah shook her head.
"I don't know." Robin didn't believe her.
"Why was there a peach in our cooler when we were coming up here? I know we couldn't have brought it since I'm allergic to peaches." They just kept staring at the owl. It just kept watching them as if it believed it wasn't visible. There was a knock at the door and the two girls turned around.
"Hey! Wake up in there! We're all going out for a day on the town!" One of the girls shouted. "Get dressed and meet us downstairs!" They heard whoever was behind the door leave. They turned back to the window and the owl was gone.
"We should get dressed." Sarah said.
"Agreed." Robin went to her still full suit case and started going through her clothes. She picked out one of her Phantom shirts and pulled out a pair of men's jeans (that are her size).
"Robin, when are you gonna start wearing women's jeans?" She just ignored her.
"They have more leg room." She pulled off her pajama top and slipped into her shirt. She looked at her stomach and could see the little bump forming around her mid-section. "I wonder if you're a boy or girl." She said and started rubbing her belly. Sarah placed her hands on her belly next.
"It hasn't given you any trouble so far, it might be a boy." They both started laughing. Robin quickly got into her jeans and they were out the door. There was a group of some of their classmates in the lobby.
"Hey! 'Bout time you got here!" The one that knocked on the door earlier was Lauren. She had fiery red hair that was cut very short. She had light grey-ish blue eyes and had a perfect body. She was the biggest partier in the whole dorm. Every weekend she'd get a group together and go out to a bar and drink, pick up guys, and lots of other things. She stared at Robin for a moment as she reached the bottom step. "Hey, we have another player in the house!" All the girls were cheering and whistling. Sarah and Robin exchanged confused looks.
"You mean me?" Robin pointed to herself.
"Yeah girl!" Lauren shouted and slung her arm around her neck. "But I wouldn't expect you to get knocked up and not get an abortion." She patted her stomach. Robin pulled away.
"It's not what you think." She said timidly.
"Aw, there's no need to explain anything girl. Some guys at the bar like the pregnant ones." Robin started feeling sick. "Let's go!" Everyone filed out of the building and started walking down the street. Lauren had her arm around Robin again. She wanted to push her off her again but either way, it would do no good. She couldn't even explain the reason for the little bump on her stomach. When they finally arrived at the bar, they noticed the doors were still closed and the lights were all out.
"It's closed." Sarah pointed out.
"Nah, it's all good." Lauren pushed open the door and the group filed inside.
"Sorry, we're still closed! Not open for another few hours!" Someone called out from the back.
"Yo Mousy! You're not gonna turn us away are ya?" Just like that, a tall handsome man appeared behind the door from the back room.
"Hey, Laur! You're early today." Mousy said.
"We've got some new recruits." She explained motioning to Sarah and Robin.
"Well, they're definitely going to bring some boys in." He looked at Robin for a moment. "Why's this one got the bubble belly?" She shot him a cold glare.
"Leave the poor girl alone. She probably was afraid to get it removed is all." He started laughing. She shifted uncomfortably and looked over at Sarah. She returned her look and willed her to be brave.
That night, the bar was filled with people. There were a dozen couples and there were even guys hitting on some of the girls. Robin just sat on one of the stools and watched everyone. One of the girls was trying to get Sarah to hook up with someone she knew. She wished she could help but she was too scared to move.
I should go someplace quiet. She thought. She left her stool and walked over to a door labeled women's restroom. She stumbled inside and sat under one of the sinks. She took deep breaths and started relaxing. She put her hands in her pockets and felt something leathery. She pulled out the book she had read last night. She quickly opened up to where she left off.
"The girl looked around her and understood that she couldn't keep running from what was causing her pain. She ran through the forest in hopes to find her way out. However, she kept getting lost with every turn she made. So, the Goblin King decided to help her. But he couldn't unless she said the right words. She finally collapsed from exhaustion. She tried getting back up but fell back down.
'It's hopeless.' She said. 'If only I could find my way out of this place! I wish I could get out.'
Finally, he could help her. As soon as those words were muttered, the earth around her changed. When she managed to get back on her feet, she moved through the trees a little more until she saw she was just a small ways from the princess' home. She quickly went up to it and knocked at the door. She went inside after a moment. The King went to the window in his owl form and watched as she began embracing another man. For some reason, this made him angry. He had to end this. He returned to his original form and waved his hand. There were soon police everywhere. But as they invaded the home, they had disappeared.
"Many days passed without her or the man. The princess didn't seem worried for her friend. The Goblin King took the opportunity to visit. As she sat him her room brushing her hair while watching through her vanity mirror, he appeared beside her, causing her to jump nearly out of her skin.
'Hello Fair Lady.' He greeted her.
'Why are you here?' She asked him
'You don't seem the least bit worried for your dearest friend.' She turned from him.
'She's in good hands.' She said plainly. 'Someone is caring for her.'
"Are you sure that is entirely true?' He stated in a very sarcastic tone. "She will return.' Before she could say anything else, he had disappeared.
"Just as he said, the girl had returned. She was very badly injured and on the verge of death even. Even as she received medical help, it seemed like all hope would be lost. There was no way the Goblin King would allow her to die. One night, he appeared at her side. She seemed so peaceful and innocent as she slept. He swept one hand over her figure then produced a crystal. It began reflecting her mind. Her thoughts. Her memories. He took the crystal and squeezed it between his hands. It shattered into a million pieces. The shards floated into the air and then sank into her fair skin.
'By morning, you will be well again.' He whispered then disappeared."
The bathroom door opened and Lauren walked in.
"There you are. I've been looking all over for you." She grabbed Robin's arm and pulled her towards the door. She quickly slipped the book back into her pocket as they left the small space. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet." She brought her over to a buff looking man. He had blond hair and fiery eyes. That really made her uncomfortable. "This is Mark. He's a regular of mine." He started staring at her, taking in her every feature.
"She's cute." He said.
"She's experienced." She said. The man smirked. Robin tried backing away but she forgot Lauren was still holding her arm. "Go on, don't be shy." She pushed Robin into his arms. "You guys can use the back!" She shouted before disappearing into the crowd.
"What's in the back?" She wondered.
"You'll see." He led her through the various people and reached a door at the far end of the bar. He opened it up and pulled her inside before closing it. She looked around and saw a bunch of rooms.
"Is this a bar or a hotel?" Mark started laughing.
"Good one." He pulled her into one of the rooms. Inside was a large bed with candles all over the place.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Can't you tell?" She turned around and was pushed right onto the bed. He was soon hovering right over her, a lust filled glaze in his eyes.
Oh crap. He started kissing her neck and caused her to shiver. Tears were running down the sides of her face. She couldn't move. Her muscles were frozen. Help… please… He proceeded in lifting her shirt up revealing her plain white bra. That tore her.
"ERIK, HELP ME!" She screamed. Mark backed away from her.
"What in the-?" The window shattered and the owl flew in and attacked Mark. Robin sat up and pulled her shirt down. She watched as the owl continuously came at him. It gave her a quick glance as if telling her to run for it. She got up and ran for the door. She looked back at the owl and nodded to it showing her thanks. She ran out the door and back into the bar. She pushed her way through the large crowd, making for the front door.
"Hey! Where you going?" Laura shouted as she saw her pass by.
"I have to get out of here!" She shouted before leaving the rest of the girls there.
She had run all the way back to her room. She shut the door and locked it. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute (if that makes no sense, then it really doesn't matter). She walked over to her bed and plopped right down onto it. She just felt glad she was someplace safe and not at that bar. The smell of cigarettes and booze was making her feel nauseous. Not to mention the almost rape that occurred not to long ago. She looked at the ring that still hung around her neck and grasped it close to her.
Erik, I will never betray you. I'll wait for you forever if I have to. She prayed that he was still alive and well every night and would constantly look up at the night sky and wonder if they were staring at the same sky together. She pulled the blue book back out and continued to read.
"The girl seemed much happier than the last time she had returned. However, she would still cry sometimes at night. This continued for some time for weeks. Over that time, the Goblin noticed strange about the girl. She'd been getting sick often and would eat most foods she never really ate before and wouldn't eat some foods she did before. He finally found out one night…
'Princess, I have wonderful news.' She said to the princess one night. 'I'm with a child.' The Goblin King could not believe his ears. How could she have been pregnant? But she seemed overjoyed with the fact. He was finally able to see her as happy as she was before. Yet it seemed the girl's parents were still oblivious to this fact. Somehow, they'd figure it out. He would wait for this time to come and take the opportunity.
The princess and the girl left home one day in order to pursue their future goals. They were excited that they could spread their wings at last. But the King wasn't going to let them get too far with their goals. They would not escape him. Many days past since they had left home. Since the night the girl had been healed by the Goblin King, she had been having strange dreams that seem to frighten her and wake her from her once pleasant slumbers. The crystal he used that night not only filled her mind with her memories, but with images of what will be. This seemed to frighten her more, not seeing the man whom she seemed so fond of. This continued for some time, until she reached a night of dreamless sleep. The night was long and all she could see was darkness. Nothing to settle her body and mind with. But for her, it was better than another night of unpleasant dreaming. The next night, while she was all alone, there was a knocked on her door. She opened it and found her parents on the other side. They were very displeased with her for whatever reason.
'We know everything.' Her mother said.
'What do you mean?' The girl wondered.
'You've been carrying a child!' The girl was in shock. How they found out, it was a mystery to her. 'We will not let our daughter be reduced to a common whore! You will be relieved of that parasite inside of you.' They forced her out of her home. She tried to fight back but it was no use. Then, she began reciting the words to herself.
'I wish to be taken from here, right now!'…
Robin's cell phone started ringing. She picked it up and checked the ID. She opened her phone up and held it up to her ear.
"Hey Sarah." She said into the speaker.
"What happened to you? Lauren said you just ran out of the bar." She sighed.
"I was nearly raped by some guy she tried hooking me up with." She answered.
"Oh, that would explain why that guy had all those scratches." Robin remembered the owl. She knew there was something unnatural about it. It knew her. It could understand her. It finally struck her.
"Sarah, is the Goblin King a real person?" She asked. The line was silent. "Because… I believe he-" there was a beeping sound in the ear piece. "Hold on, I have another call." She pressed the green button and held it to her ear again. "Hello?"
"Robin, it's your mother."
"Hey mom, how's it hanging at home?"
"I need to speak with you young lady." She seemed a little upset for some reason. "I received a call from the hospital. They said something about you having a check up."
"A check up? For what?"
"I asked the same thing. And do you know what they told me?" She was silent for a moment. "They said they needed to see how your baby was doing." Robin froze. She knew about the baby. This wasn't going to be pretty. "I can't believe this! You're pregnant! My little girl, pregnant. You're only a child Robin. How could you!?"
"Mom, I'm not a little girl anymore. Besides, I know who the father is."
"It doesn't matter. I'm going up there with your father tomorrow morning and we're getting that 'thing' removed from you." She nearly dropped the phone.
"It's not a 'thing' mom! It's my child! I'm keeping it!"
"No you're not! I won't see you being another teenage mother!"
"You mean like you?" She spat out. "That's right mom, I know about it. Did you think I wouldn't find out? You got knocked up when you were 16. You married dad at that time so your parents wouldn't get rid of the child who happens to be my sister. But you know what? I'm keeping my child whether you like it or not!" She hung up before she could say more. She turned over on her bed and sobbed into her pillow. "I won't let them have you." She curled into a protective ball. She knew her mother would do anything to get rid of it. She thought of another way out.
Would it even happen? She wondered. She sighed.
"I wish the Goblins would take me away, right now."