This will be a bit more angsty than I'm used to writing. Not a romance per-say. We'll just have to see where the story leads me.
I do not own the Labyrinth or any of the characters from the movie. However, I do own Dani and her horrible relatives.
Chapter 1
Life can be easy
It's not always swell
~*/*\*~
Rain beat its fierce rhythm on the ground. The term, raining cats and dogs, did not quite fit the torrent that was washing away the world. Everywhere was gray. Everything was gray. Gray and sad. No one was walking outside in the deluge. Cars were few and far between out on the road. People preferred working indoors on days like this. So it was understandable when the owner of a vehicle stepped out of their car muttering a string of words while struggling all the while with an umbrella. Eventually this unhappy woman was drenched and gave up on the object that was supposed to be shielding her from her soggy state.
Running in her high heels toward the brick building she parked in front of, she scowled at the establishment's name. County Courthouse. Pushing the glass doors open, she stepped into the warm and dry foyer. Her heels clicked loudly on the marble floor. Pulling from her leather purse a piece of paper that managed to remain dry, she read the name scrawled upon it. Quickening her speed she turned down a corner and followed the hallway. Turning another corner she stopped abruptly. On a wooden bench beneath a large window sat a teenage girl dressed in a knee-length black skirt, gray shirt, black tights, and black flats. The teenager's head lifted from it bowed position over a book. One blue and one green eye stared up at the woman who stood gawking. Without so much as a 'hello' the girl turned her attention back to the book in her hands.
A door across from the girl opened and from it stepped out a tall, lean man who appeared to be in his fifties. "Danica? Is your aunt here yet?" The teenager's head tilted in the direction of the woman down the hall. The gentleman turned and smiled sympathetically at the woman. "Ah, Mrs. Pruit. I am so glad you could make it. How was your train ride?"
The woman plastered on a smile. "Long but anything for my - niece. Oh, and please, call me Veronica. Are you Mr. Quincy? The lawyer I spoke with?"
The man nodded and held out his hand. "The one and only." Once they finished their introductions, Mr. Quincy motioned for Veronica Pruit to follow him. "I believe we are here to discuss your custody over Danica." As the sentence left his lips, the girl's head rose. Shaggy, black bangs fell in front of her blue eye - the right one - and she let it hang there. "Right this way ladies."
"Come on, Danica." Veronica urged the girl in a semi-sweet tone.
"Dan." The girl mumbled as she gathered her things. "Just call me Dan." The adults appeared to not have heard her. With a sigh and a role of her eyes, Danica followed along behind them. Pausing, she slipped her book into the yellow backpack she had slung over her shoulder. "Hope this ends soon." Danica whispered sadly to herself.
It didn't. Mr. Quincy went over all the legalities concerning the 'will of the deceased'. Danica folded her arms across her chest and tried to tune him out. He said something about when she reached legal age and access to her mother's funds, blah, blah, blah. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell this Quincy guy that she didn't want to live with her only living relative and her bratty kids. Veronica Pruit hated her guts for crying out loud! Danica sent a glare through her bangs that fell over her eye. Only that side was covered though. If Quincy was paying attention he would have noticed the death glare her green eye - the left one - was sending her aunt's way.
Things were finally wrapping up. Finally. Danica wasn't sure how many hours she had spent sitting there listening to legal jargon. Her aunt was thanking the man for taking such good care of her niece. Turning to Danica, Veronica arched an eyebrow. "Well, Danica? Aren't you going to thank him?"
"For what?" The teenage girl demanded as she remained sitting in her chair.
"Danica May Trent!" Veronica fumed.
Quincy cast Danica a sad smile before turning to Veronica. "Now, now. Don't be hard on the girl. She's been through a lot these last couple of days."
"That's still no reason to be rude." The woman replied, brushing a strand of frizzing brown hair behind her ear. "Danica, apologize and thank the man."
Danica glared at her aunt for a few seconds more before sighing and standing. "Thank you, Mr. Quincy." She held out a hand and gave him a firm shake when he grasped her hand. "I am grateful for all you done for me."
Quincy's sad smile seemed to get sadder. "Anything for Chelsea and Grant's girl." The corner of Danica's mouth twitched ever so slightly but not enough to be a smile. Veronica began shuffling the teenager out of the room. Quincy was telling the woman what numbers to call should she have any questions and what not. Veronica was gushing with thanks all the while ordering Danica to gather her things. Danica sarcastically wondered to herself what she was to gather. The fire took it all.
As the woman and the girl stepped outside the building, Veronica groaned at the sight of the rain. "Damn! It's still going." She glanced down at the silent teenager with annoyed brown eyes. "Come on. Don't want you making us late for our train." Danica remained on the steps for a second longer, glaring at Veronica's back as she descended the stairs. Sluggishly, Danica followed after - not caring if she got soaked to the bone. Veronica unlocked the car doors and slid into the seat. She honked the horn at the teenager who was only a few feet from the car. Danica concealed her eye rolling and picked up the pace. Opening the door to the passenger side, she slid into her seat. "Seat belt." Veronica snapped as she started the car.
"I was getting to it." Danica retorted, depositing her bag on the floor.
"Don't give me your lip! Just do it!" Veronica snapped back. The teenager muttered something. "What was that?" the exasperating woman demanded, pulling out of the parking lot.
Danica snapped the seat belt into place. "Nothing! Man!" Turning her head, the girl stared out the rain streaked window. This effectively shut down the conversation but did not dissipate the tension. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Distance. Danica's shoulders sagged lower. She would never see this town again. She would never see home again. Home was burnt to the ground. She would never see her parents or their graves again. She would never see her friends again. At least she had what few gifts of clothing and things friends gave her at the funeral. The funeral.
"So why couldn't you make it to Mom's funeral again?" The teenager drawled accusingly.
"Couldn't get the time off work." Veronica replied testily.
"I learned in Consumer Math that they give time off - with pay - for funerals." Danica stated in a smart aleck tone.
"I just couldn't! Okay?" The woman gripped the steering wheel tightly.
Danica turned and sneered at the woman. "Not okay! She's your sister and you didn't even come to her funeral! For cryin' out loud, Veronica! Can't you get over your stupid grudge against Mom and pay some respect to the dead?"
Swerving to the side of the road and receiving a honk from the car behind them, Veronica brought the car to a stop. Turning to glare back into Danica's mismatched eyes, Veronica pointed a manicured nail in her niece's freckled face. "Let's get one thing clear. You are going to be living under my roof so you're going to respect me and my authority! You're just damned lucky I agreed to take you. Another thing, you start talking about your mom and your dad and you can just bet that you'll get the punishment Chelsea shoulda given you for all those stunts you pulled! How she let you get away with half the stuff you did I don't know." Her brown eyes searched the hardened face of the teenager staring back at her in angered silence. "You understand?"
"Fine." Danica mumbled. Turning back to the window, arms folded across her chest. Veronica leaned back into her seat and turned the car out onto the highway again. Blinking back the enraged tears, Danica muttered, "I can't wait till I'm old enough to leave."
"Three years, Danica. Or sooner if you want to get thrown out." Veronica quipped. Silence reigned for the remainder of the trip.
~*/*\*~
The pair drove from the train station to Veronica's house. Thankfully the rain had stopped. Veronica seemed a bit happier now that she was home, but not much happier. Sighing as she gathered her purse and keys, the woman said, "Come on. Time to get you settled."
Danica exited the car and just stared at the two story house. She could only remember visiting her aunt's house once. She remembered she hated every minute of it. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she ascended the porch steps with trepidation. Veronica unlocked and opened the door which released the shouting voices that belonged to the terrors that were Danica's cousins. "Jessica!" Veronica shouted, depositing her purse on a table beside the door. "Where is that girl." She muttered. "Jessica!"
"What!" came a response from upstairs.
"Get your brothers down here to greet Danica!" Veronica shouted as she walked to stand beside the banister. An angered shout that sounded like a growl as well rang through the halls. Footsteps stomped through the upstairs, doors slammed, more people shouting, and then a stampede of three kids came down the stairs. Danica stood staring back at the irritated bunch. The tallest and oldest of the trio was Jessica - blonde, brown eyes, cheerleader build. She was the same age as Danica, sixteen, but that certainly didn't bring the pair closer together. The middle child of the group was Peter - brown hair, brown eyes, a pudge. He was a typical ten year old, therefore, he was absorbed in his Nintendo DS. Eddie, or Edward, was the youngest at six years old. He also had brown hair but unlike his family, he had blue eyes. He was probably the nicest of the group but when he was around Danica he followed the example of his siblings - which wasn't a good one.
"Danica, you'll be sharing a room with Jessica." Veronica was announcing.
"Joy." Jessica sighed as she inspected her pink nail-polished fingers.
"Show her to her room guys. I've got to start dinner." Veronica left the foursome in the foyer and retreated to the kitchen.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Come on." She turned to mount the stairs.
Eddie looked Danica up and down. "Where's your stuff? You're livin' with us so didn't you bring anything with you?"
Danica patted her overly stuffed backpack. "This is all I brought."
Eddie's eyes widened in shock. "That's all you brought?"
"Yeah, Eddie." Jessica spoke from the top of the stairs. Everyone - except Peter - turned to look up at the sneering girl. "Everything burnt up in the fire. Even Aunt Chelsea."
"Shut up, Jessica." Danica warned as she climbed the stairs.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Jessica's voice dripped with false sincerity and innocence.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Danica's mismatched eyes sent daggers to Jessica's very soul. "I said. Shut. Up." Pushing past the angered blonde, Danica walked through the hall without Jessica leading the way. Danica knew where the room was. She didn't need that dimwit's help. She stopped in front of the bedroom door and froze. This was where she was going to be living for the next three years - if she managed to not bring Veronica to the point that she threw the teenager out.
"Aren't ya goin' in?" Danica turned to look down at Eddie.
"Where's Jessica?" She asked.
Eddie shrugged. "She went to go watch TV. Pete followed her but he's still playin' his game." Looking at the door, he asked again, "Are ya goin' in?"
Danica sighed and opened the door. Swinging the door open wide, she looked around the room. The room was pink - Danica hated pink. Everything Jessica owned was pink. The only things not pink was the mattress that was on the far side of the room. Danica stepped into the room and stared at the mattress. "We didn't have time to get you a bed." Eddie explained. He sounded very ashamed of this fact.
" 'sokay." She stated, tossing her bag on the bare mattress. Shuffling through her backpack, Danica started pulling out the bare essentials she owned. Her toothbrush and toothpaste, face wash, travel size shampoo and soap, things like that. Glancing at the dresser and then over at the closet, she highly doubted that Jessica had shuffled things around to make room for her cousin. "I don't suppose there are any bedsheets I could use."
"Well, I could go ask Mom for you." Eddie offered, shifting from one foot to the other.
"That'd be great, Kiddo." Danica replied, starting to like her youngest cousin a bit more.
His nose wrinkled. "You don't hafta call me that, Danica."
Holding up her hand she said, "I won't call you Kiddo as long as you don't call me Danica."
"Well what do you want me to call you?" Eddie frowned in confusion.
"Dan - or Dani." She added the last option cautiously. She hoped he wouldn't call her that.
"Eddie and Dani!" His face broke out into a smile. "Okay, deal!" Eddie began running out of the room. "I'll go ask about the sheets! Be right back!" Dani felt a smile - the first real smile since the whole incident happened. A while later Eddie came back into the room carrying sheets with dump trucks printed all over it. He held them out sheepishly. "Mom told Jessica to get some for you and these are the only ones she said you could have. Sorry. These used to be mine. Do you mind?"
Dani picked them up and shrugged. "They'll work." She could already hear the taunts that Jessica would use when they both went to bed that night. Eddie sat down on the floor and watched the teenage girl start making her bed.
He fidgeted with his finger for a while before breaking the silence. "Did - did Aunt Chelsea really burn up in the fire?"
Dani's movements stilled. Turning her head slightly to stare at him, she noted he wasn't asking out of malice like Jessica probably would but out of morbid curiosity. She returned her attention to her bed. "No."
"Oh. Good." Eddie sounded relieved. There was another long stretch of silence. "So - how did she - um - die?"
"Smoke inhalation and something hit her in the head while she was trying to get out." Dani answered tersely. "She went back inside for something that belonged to Dad. Told her not too." Falling back onto the now made bed she flung her arms over her stinging eyes. "Stupid."
The sound of Eddie shifting alerted her that he was moving. Whether he was leaving or coming closer, Dani wasn't sure. "What was she went back for?" He asked. Raising her arm so she could see him, she discovered that he was sitting by the mattress but his back was to her.
Replacing her arm over her eyes she mumbled. "Dad's medals that were awarded to him while he was serving in the air force."
"Do you still have them?" Eddie asked.
"Yeah." Dani inhaled sharply and swallowed hard. Mom had died to get those medals out of the fire. Dad had served his country and died. Life wasn't fair.
"Are you an orphan now?" Eddie's questions were really starting to bug her.
Sitting up she glared at him. He turned and saw her murderous look. Shuffling back, he stood and backed toward the door with a frightened expression on his own childish face. Sighing again, her shoulders sagged. Dani didn't want to make the only friendly person hate her too. "Hey, I'm not mad at you. Yeah. I'm an orphan now."
Eddie approached her cautiously then sat down beside her. "Well - we'll be your family now."
Dani stared at the floor for a long time. "How 'bout," she began slowly, "how 'bout you be my family? Face it; Jessica hates my guts, your brother ignores my existence, your mom doesn't like me 'cause she thinks I'm a druggie or something, and your dad - well he's oblivious to everything around him."
The boy was silent for a long time before he spoke. "Okay."
Relief washed over the girl. She offered him her rare smile. "Thanks, Eddie."
~*/*\*~
Dinner was as Dani expected. Veronica was harsh and critical over everything Dani did or said. Jessica was demeaning and degrading. Peter shoveled food in his mouth and only laughed when Jessica said something particularly cruel. Eddie silently watched the proceedings in wide-eyed shock. Dani's uncle, Jason, ate and occasionally acted as referee. She couldn't wait to get away from the dinner table.
Thankfully, there was a lull in the conversation. The only sounds were those of the silverware clinking against the plates or the thump of glasses being set down after a drink. Jason paused momentarily to look up at the occupants of the table. "So, Danica." The teenager looked up at him expectantly. "You're going to start school in a few weeks. You'll be in Jessica's grade, right?"
"Yeah." Dani answered, refusing to meet Jessica's irritated glare.
He nodded slowly. "Good. That's good. Um - do you need anything? School supplies that is?"
"All her stuff burnt up in the fire, Dad." Eddie supplied. Jason turned to stare at his son as if he didn't even realize Eddie was there.
"Yeah - I'll need some stuff." Dani answered, trying to get everyone over the awkward moment.
"I'll just add it to the list of things to pick up." Her uncle announced, returning to his meal. Veronica refused to look up from her own plate.
Once the meal ended, Dani was about to retreat from the kitchen but was stopped by Jessica's grating voice. "Mom! Danica is trying to get out of doing her chores!"
"What chores? I just got here." Dani grumbled.
Veronica looked up from clearing the table and frowned. "If you're going to live here, Danica, then I expect you to help out too! From now on, you're in charge of doing the dishes after meals."
"Veronica, the girl just got here. She's been through a lot." Jason intervened quietly. This earned him a glare from his wife.
Dani shrugged her shoulders and without a word started the task. Veronica gave a triumphant smirk which was mirrored by Jessica. Eddie hopped up from his seat declaring, "I'll help!" No one said anything to him. Once everyone had left the pair alone in the kitchen, Eddie said, "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Dani asked, rinsing a plate beneath the sink's faucet.
"For everybody." She glanced down at the six-year-old who was drying a dish carefully with a towel. He looked absolutely miserable.
Kneeling down she turned him to face her. Dani's hands rested on his shoulders while her mismatched eyes searched his face. "In no way, is your family's shit your fault. You don't have to apologize for them. Got that?" He nodded slowly. She nodded once as she stood. "Good. Glad that's cleared up." After two seconds, Eddie chuckled. A smile threatened to turn the corner's of her red lips up. "What's so funny?"
"You said shit." Eddie whispered back for fear his siblings or parents might be listening.
Dani laughed along with him. His mirth was contagious. "You bet I did. Just wait, that's not all I know. I am a 'bad teenager' after all."
~*/*\*~
Bed for Dani and Eddie was at a strict time of eight o'clock. When the teenager demanded to know why she had to go to bed so early, Veronica had patronizingly answered that the poor girl had been through a lot recently. Nah duh! Rolling her eyes, Dani followed close behind Eddie up the stairs, ignoring the snickers she received from her other cousins. Preparing for bed wasn't so bad. It was kind of fun. She and Eddie made faces at each other in the bathroom mirror as they brushed their teeth and Eddie pretended Dani was a monster while she washed her face.
They went their separate ways to their rooms to change into their pajamas. Dani's choices for night wear were limited to a pair of gray shorts and a white T-shirt that looked like it was an XXXL. Settling down on her mattress with a copy of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Dani settled in to read till she was tired or Jessica finally came to bed. A few lines into the beginning of the play, there was a timid knock at the door. Looking up she quickly hid the book, calling a hurried, "Come in!"
Eddie's head peaked around the crack he had made in the doorway. "Dani? You still awake?"
"No, I'm talking in my sleep." Her sarcasm pulled a laugh from the little boy. Smiling at him she asked, "What's up, Eddie?"
"Could you - read to me?" He asked hesitantly, holding up a copy of Redwall.
"Why don't you ask your dad?" Dani inquired, really wanting to get back to Macbeth and the three Weird Sisters.
Shoulders sagging, the boy mumbled, "Dad never wants to read to me. He tells me to go to bed and leave him alone."
Dani's smile faltered for a few seconds. Patting the space next to her on the mattress, she said, "I'd love to read to you, Eddie." His smile returned as he ran to jump onto the mattress. He crawled over her to get to the spot she motioned to and sat at the ready. Flipping the book open, the teenager cleared her throat - preparing herself for the mood of the story. The characters came alive as she spoke and instantly, she had an enraptured audience in Eddie.
Glancing up at the clock on the nightstand beside Jessica's bed, Dani frowned mentally. "And this is where we'll have to end for the night."
"Awww! Just one more chapter!" Eddie protested, fighting back a yawn.
"No can do, Buddy." Dani used a clean tissue from her backpack as a bookmark. "It's way past your bedtime."
Eddie shook his head. "I don't want to go to bed. Pete says there are goblins under my bed and they'll eat me if he isn't there to scare them off. And Pete doesn't come to bed till really, really late!"
Dani's mental frown turned into a mental scowl. Trying to appear cheerful for her obviously frightened cousin, she announced, "Well I'll just have to kick them out of the room now won't I?" Coaxing him off her mattress, Dani pulled him along behind her by the hand. Flipping the light on in his room, she took a minute to look around. Cars - not the movie just the vehicle - seemed to be the overall theme of the room. She rolled her eyes. "Eddie, I can't kick some Goblin butt if you're clinging to me like that."
Eddie's grip released slowly. "Sorry." Then he giggled. "You said butt."
"That was the tamer word for it." Dani smirked at him over her shoulder as she stepped further into the room. "Okay, so where does Pete say the goblins hide?" Eddie pointed toward the closet and at the space beneath his bed but did not budge from his place beside outside the door in the hall. Nodding to herself and thinking nasty things about her monster of a cousin, Pete, she began 'performing' the 'kick goblin butt'. Once that was done and Eddie was laughing so hard she had to shush him, Dani stood beside his bed with arms outstretched in a 'ta-da' motion. "Safe for you to enter."
Running into the room, he launched himself onto his bed, bouncing a little as he did so. "Thanks, Dani." he said while pulling his sheet and comforter over himself.
"No prob. Anything for family right?" Dani smiled as she handed him a stuffed bunny that sat at the end of his bed.
"See you in the morning." He yawned, rolling over so he faced the wall. She tousled his hair before stepping away from the bed. Pausing once more to look back at him, Dani flipped the lights out and closed the door part way so the light from the hallway still shone in.
Dani returned to her room and to her mattress. Settling back down again, she retrieved the tale of Macbeth. The clock above the mantelpiece in the living room downstairs chimed the hours throughout the house. Dani heard the footsteps and hushed voices of her aunt and uncle coming up the stairs. She quickly turned off the main light and pulled out a flashlight from her backpack. Continuing where she left off, she drowned out the sounds of Veronica and Jason preparing for bed. Silence reigned once again in the house. Several more hours passed and eventually, Dani's eyes grew heavy. Shutting off her flashlight she put book and light away in her unpacked bag before shifting on her mattress. Rolling onto her side, Dani welcomed sleep.
~*/*\*~
A light flicked on, causing Dani to sit straight up in bed - disgruntled and exhausted. A cruel laugh caused her head to turn toward the source of the now speaking intruder. "Oh! I forgot you were here. Did I wake you up?" Dani's mismatched eyes focused on Jessica whose hand was still positioned over the light-switch. Her gaze blearily swung over to the digital clock on the nightstand and she scowled.
"Damnit, Jessica! It's three in the morning!" Dani rubbed a hand over her face.
"Yeah, I was talking on the phone with my boyfriend and lost track of time. Sorry." The 'apology' and explanation sounded fake. Jessica shuffled about the room, yawning and exclaiming how tired she was. Dani rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. She laid back down and pulled the sheets and blanket up to her chin. Jessica continued making a nuisance of herself for a long time before she turned off the light and finally collapsed onto her bed. Dani waited until she was certain that Jessica was asleep before she sat up again. She was awake now and it would be a while before she could fall back asleep. Looking around the room once again, her gaze fell on the window-seat. Hesitantly, she rose from the mattress and tiptoed over to the cushioned bench.
Dani sat down and drew her legs up to her chest. Brushing the black strands away from her face, she let the moonlight fall on her face. The rain had stopped some time in the night but the clouds still drifted in the sky as the wind blew. To the teenager sitting silently, basking in the moonlight, the white circle in the sky looked like crystal. The clouds hid the light for a while before being pushed along. A long, sad sigh escaped Dani's red lips. "I miss you guys." She let her chin rest on her knees. "I feel lost without you, Mom." Silence stretched between her confessions. "Did you give Dad my message? I've kept his medals safe. Just like you wanted." Tears clogged her throat. "I'd rather have you than the medals." Something white fluttered in the breeze outside the window and caught her attention. Dani eyed the tree outside the window in curiosity. A white barn owl settled its wings at its side and blinked slowly at the girl. Frowning at the creature she wondered aloud, "What are you lookin' at?"
"Someone who is lost and lonely. Like me." A deep, masculine voice reverberated in her head. Dani whirled around to look at the room behind her, expecting to see - someone. When she didn't see anyone, the teenager turned back to the window and stared in confusion at the owl. Shaking her head, Dani decided that she was more tired than she thought. "Sleep peacefully." The voice said again as she lay down. Her gaze rose to look out the window once again and she watched as the owl shook itself then took flight.
"Stress. Making me think birds can talk." Dani mumbled into her pillow. As she drifted off, she thought she heard a deep chuckle but was too tired to investigate.