A/N: Mostly a Jareth/OC story, but there are still some hints at Sarah/Jareth for those who love that (I do too, so I can't blame you.) I will going by the movie (possibly the book too. I have to buy it still), but I am also going by the manga/comic series that came out recently as an idea for what I might write. But of course, I've added my own little creative points for the sake of storytelling. Helpful suggestions are welcome as always. Leave reviews! Lots of them!
Chapter 1
It was early evening. The sky was ominous over the park in the small town. It was yet another evening that the two girls had met after school with a large sheep dog in the park. The younger, of the two, maybe 15 years old, wore a white dress and let her long brown hair hang down her back, like a princess out of child's fairy tale. She stood in the green grass, reciting what she knew from a red leather bound book. She was Sarah. The older of two was around 18. She wore more normal clothing than her younger counter part, dressed in a bit of a puffy white shirt, a silver star-shaped rhinestone necklace, dirty blue jeans and brown cowboy boots. Her long red hair was pinned to the back of her head in an extremely messy bun and a really badly made, beat up paper crown sat on her head. She held a plastic toy sword in her hand, held at Sarah. She was Naomi.
"Give me the child." Sarah recited with an emotional face. "Through the dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the Goblin City, to take back the child you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom, just as great…Damn it." Sarah looked over at Naomi, frowning.
"What's wrong Sarah?" Naomi asked flatly, getting annoyed with the younger girl's attempts at this same monologue again, for the fourteenth time already. "Forgot your line again?"
Sarah nodded and opened her play book. "I can never remember that line."
"Sarah, the line isn't that hard. It is one sentence." Naomi groaned, and recited the line herself. "You have no power over me. That is the line. Now try it again. I do want to finish this section sometime before the end of the decade."
Sarah huffed quietly at her older friend. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Naomi, but sometimes how Naomi was really sarcastic while trying to be helpful. It was annoying to her, but since she really didn't have many other friends, she would have to settle and deal with her friend's flat tones and sometimes bitter notions.
Thunder sounded nearby, causing the sheep dog to bark and whimper. Both girls sighed and stopped to pet him affectionately. He was a little scared of the thunder, and for a dog named after a great wizard who did many great and courageous things, it was a little pathetic. Another clap of thunder erupted just before the clock tower bell sounded. It was now seven o'clock.
"It's seven! My stepmother is going to kill me! Naomi, can you give me a ride home?" Naomi nodded and grabbed up some of the stuff Sarah had scattered along the park ground, including Merlin on his leash, hustling over to her father's old, piece of crap car. She then put them all on the back seat of her used vehicle as Sarah shoved her bike in the trunk. The rain started to downpour as the two girls climbed into the car, Naomi in the drivers seat and Sarah in the front passengers seat. Merlin barked in a worried manner as Naomi sped off down the hill.
A few moments later, both dripping girls had gotten to Sarah's house. Her stepmother, looking a little miffed, stood at the front door. Sarah was now back in her normal casual clothing, having changed on the way back to the house, though still wet. Naomi slowly slopped onto the front porch of the house, still wet and in her same clothes. Sarah's mother gave her a disdainful look as she walked into house and dripped on the floor.
"Sarah, I want the dog in the garage and I want the other sad looking animal that looks like it needs a bath away from your room and at its own home." Naomi frowned. Sarah's stepmother hated her, mostly because she was the only tie keeping Sarah in the fantasy world. Naomi was a part time college student in the college about five miles down the road. She was to become a fantasy novelist and found the Labyrinth probably the most intriguing piece of fantasy fiction even written. It had been Naomi who had given Sarah the book 'Labyrinth' in the first place. "I don't need anymore charity case animals in my home, Sarah."
Sarah shooed Merlin into the garage before stepping onto the porch. "Naomi isn't a charity case. She is brilliant. She isn't perfect, but neither are you and neither am I. Why are you always so mean to her and why can't she stay here?"
"She is an adult and should start acting like one, just like you should too. Soon." Sarah's stepmother went to open the door. Naomi backed up and pretended she was interested in fixing her hair in the mirror by the door. Sarah's mother opened the door and made a face at seeing Naomi stand there. "You're an hour late, Sarah. Your father and I go out rarely enough as it is. We only ask you to babysit if it doesn't interfere with your plans."
"You never ask me my plans. You're always going out. I'm sorry, okay? I can't help it rained!" Sarah shook her hair out and glanced Naomi's way. Naomi shrugged and continued to pretend to fix her hair.
The mother shook her head. "It isn't the rain I'm upset about. I'm upset because you're n hour late and because you never have any dates. A girl your age should have dates. A girl Naomi's age should have dates. Neither of you manage dates on the weekends. I have a right to be worried. The only dates you two have are with each other to see those stupid plays, book signings and the movies no one else will watch."
Sarah rolled her eyes. It was at that moment Sarah's father walked downstairs. He waved acknowledged Naomi, who promptly went for the stairs. He then walked over to his daughter. "We were worried about you, Sarah. We were afraid we were going to be late."
Sarah threw up her arms in exasperation. "I can't do anything right!" She hurried up the stairs, grabbing Naomi's arm as she went, pulling her along. Naomi reluctantly followed upstairs. Sarah slammed the door behind them and flopped into her chair, her head on her vanity. Naomi sighed, watching her young friend carry on like a child as she quietly recited Labyrinth in attempt to calm herself. She wasn't crying or upset, but for some reason, she did this.
A loud knock erupted on the other side of the door. From the lighter sound of it, both girls could tell it was Sarah's father. "Can I talk to you?"
"There is nothing to talk about! You're going to be late, so go away!" was Sarah's reply.
Sarah's father sighed. "Just to let you know, we've fed Toby and put him to bed. We'll be back around midnight, all right?" The sound of his footsteps moving away from the door sounded.
Sarah groaned. "You really wanted to talk to me, didn't you? You practically broke down the door to come talk to me!" Sarah moved to her bed, flopping down on it face first. She kicked the bed a little and gave little shrieking sounds from her pillow. Naomi rolled her eyes.
"Sarah, you are pathetic sometimes, you know that?" Sarah continued kicking her feet and shrieking into her pillow, regardless of what Naomi said to her. "It is just one night…and besides, they're running late, so they didn't say I couldn't stay over to watch horror movies with you. Think of it that way." Sarah finally looked up at her and laughed softly. "Thank you. That's better. Now…I'm going to make popcorn. You pick the movie."
But before Sarah could respond to Naomi's suggestion, Toby yowled from her parent's room in protest of their parents leaving. Sarah groaned and got up. "On second thought, you go ahead and start everything without me. I am going to go take care of that demon my parents call a child." Naomi smiled and got up, leaning Sarah in the room. The harsh sounds of Sarah's voice erupted in her parents' room. Naomi glanced in, to see Sarah attempting to quiet Toby, while raising her own voice.
Naomi sighed as she made her way downstairs. As she clicked on the TV as she passed into the living room and into the kitchen. Naomi could still hear Toby screaming upstairs. She pushed into the swinging doors of the kitchen, and looked in. She ran her hand across the wall, feeling for the light switch. Cautiously she switched on the light as it fell under her hand. She looked in. All was as it should look. All the counters were a brown, matching one another. A white refrigerator stood in a corner, and next to it, a counter and a stove. A square table with five chairs and a Toby's high chair stood at the other side of the room.
She slowly stepped into the kitchen. She glanced around for a moment before her eyes fell upon a cabinet door. She knelt down, opening the cabinet door. She pulled out the popcorn maker and a bag of popcorn seeds. She put the bag of popcorn seeds on the island kitchen counter, then the popcorn maker. No sooner has she put the seeds into the popcorn maker and was about to plug it in, the kitchen suddenly went dark. Toby had stopped screaming.
"Sarah? Sarah! The lights have gone out downstairs! Where are the emergency candles?" Naomi waited, but no response came to her. Cursing under her breath, she pushed past the swinging doors, and went into the living room. As she moved blindly through the house, she hit her leg on the banister of the stairs. Hopping up the stairs, she held onto the railing as she made her way up. Sarah stood at the entrance of her parents' room, playing with the light switch. The hallway, for some reason, was still lit and very well, at that. "Sarah, I think a branch took out a telephone pole. There is no power downstairs."
Sarah shook her head and pointed into her parents' dark room. All was quiet. "You got him to sleep then?" Sarah shook her head and pointed in the room again. "I really don't know what you want me to do."
Sarah sighed and shook her head at Naomi as she grabbed her arm, dragging her in. With little protest, Naomi followed. Sarah was obviously a little scared…well, maybe even more than a little. Naomi had to play 'old sister' and check for monsters, even though she wasn't technically her sister. Naomi glanced around. "Sarah, there is nothing here. Will you chill out?"
Sarah frowned, and ushered Naomi over to the crib. Naomi saw nothing wrong in the crib, except that Toby's head was covered by the blanket. Naomi nearly panicked as she saw this. "Sarah! You can't cover him like that! He'll suffocate!" Naomi quickly pulled back the covers to reveal an empty crib. Toby had disappeared! "WHERE IS THE BABY?!"
Sarah gasped. She had known something was wrong when the power had gone out. A tapping erupted from the window. Naomi looked up to see a beautiful snowy owl, attempting to escape the rain as it kept hitting into the window. Naomi rushed over to the window, laving Sarah at the crib, breathing heavily. Naomi opened the window, but instead of being about to push the large bird back, it pushed past her and flew into the room, its feathers brushing against her face as it flew past, then disappearing into thin air.
Snickering sounded through out the room. The girls backed against each other, circling slowly, as little creatures seemed to move around the room. "Naomi, what is going on? I'm scared!"
"I don't know Sarah! Whatever is going on, I know it isn't normal!" The little beasts seemed to surround them from all corners of the bedroom, giggling and laughing. All laughter did cease within seconds as a shadow silhouetted over the open window. Both girls stopped, and stood side by side in awe as a gorgeous man all in black leather, a blonde Mohawk and some silver make up across his pale face stood in front of them on the window sill.