Raelinn woked up sweating. She still felt ill. She remembered a faint memory of a dream of someone calling for her. It had been like this for two days. She called into work and laid in bed. Her bones were achy and she was burning up again. She felt so feverish that she would think her dreams are reality and vice versa. She thought she heard someone calling for her and she would see the back of a tall man with blonde spikey hair walking down her hallway. Then, when she would recall the memory, she forgot when she saw him and figured that she was dreaming. It was like her apartment was haunted and Raelinn was getting scared thinking about it. Just to be sure it was a dream, she had her old neighbor Helen come over to check. Helen was a kind, chatty old lady who took it upon herself to watch out for Raelinn. Helen made no notice or mention of hearing anything other than the occasional bump of the neighbors. She didn't see a man. She only saw dust in every nook and cranny. Ok, Raelinn thought as she shifted in her bed, if I'm not better by the end of the day today, I'll go see the doctor. I keep mixing dreams with reality.
Today early this morning, she still felt sick. She threw the sheets off her and swung her legs out to go to the bathroom. She turned on the light and squinted at its sudden harsh light. She blinked a few times and feeling nauseous hovered by the toilet. Am I going to be sick? She wondered. She waited. When nothing happened she walked to the kitchen in the dark to get a cup of water.
When the cool water hit her throat, Raelinn started feeling less nauseous. Her olive skin was gaining a bit of color. She looked at the dark shape on her fridge that she was familiar with seeing every day. It was a banner with the title "Miss Fix It" that she put on her fridge. She had always been good at fixing things. This sickness, however, was making her crazy. For some reason she wasn't able to fix it. She had only turned on the light above the stove and knew her tiny kitchen well enough to put the cup away. As she turned to put her washed cup in its cupboard, she heard a male voice behind her.
"Hello Raelinn," he said.
His voice sounded amused, confident and familiar. Raelinn quickly turned her head around. She could see an outline of a tall male with spikey hair standing in the dining room, a few feet from the kitchen. She pressed herself against the fridge, gasping as if she were trying to get air in her lungs. She was sure she was awake this time. She fumbled her away to the light switch on the other side of the fridge. The light turned on and she saw the same man. But he wasn't so faded looking this time, as if she were dreaming. He's real! He's broken into my apartment before! I'm so stupid! Was he drugging me so I would be so out of it?
Raelinn was so horrified at her fears she started yelling "I'm calling the police! Help! Help!". She ran forward to grab a knife from the drawer. She quickly threw it at the man, watching as it lamely spun in the air unthreatening to anyone. The man didn't move. He watched the knife fly toward him and –whoof!-blinked as it flew through him.
Raelinn was grabbing another knife as she watched her first knife fly, but stopped for half a second when she saw the knife go through him as if…..as if….as if he were a ghost! She thought. Raelinn felt panicked. She grabbed another knife and threw it across the room again. Another knife. The man smirked, as if this amused him. He started walking toward her, his boots making no noise on the wooden floor.
What do I do? What do I do? Raelinn thought. As the man got closer she started shouting threats. "Help! Help! Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!"
"Your authorities can't do anything. I'm dead. Besides, you're the only one who can see me. So quite down! I can't have you locked away in a looney bin," the man said.
Raelinn paused, but only because she ran out of knives. She was feeling very faint with fever and grabbed a spoon and held it out threateningly. "Dead? What? Dead? No, don't come any closer!" As she spoke, she saw that the man seemed to flicker, as if he's a projection that's going in and out of focus. Maybe I should go see the doctor.
"Who are you?! I don't have any money! Just….go….leave…." Raelinn was feeling even more faint now. Her knees buckled, but she held up. The man stopped. His expression turned odd. She saw that he had mismatched eyes and straight nose. The fan on the ceiling had been on all night. While Raelinn's baby hairs were softly tickled her forehead, his man's hair was not moving at all.
"I'm the ghost of Jareth. Jareth is dead. I'm just an after image. I was created to be of help if help is needed. I won't last long though, so you better get a move on," The man said. He didn't move. He just stood there. Waiting.
Raelinn was slowly calming down. If she were being honest with herself, she started calming down after she threw the first knife. Her heart and mind had two different thoughts when she first saw him. On one hand, she was panicking because someone broke into her apartment, if he were real. On the other, she had been seeing this man, she knew it. This was the man she's been seeing the past few days.
"I feel so sick", she whispered.
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry, I believe the magic is still settling into its new home," The man said, laughing.
Her head snapped up. "Excuse me?"
"Raelinn, I'm not going to hurt you," and as if to prove it, the man unfolded his arms showing his empty hands.
Someone knocked at the front door. The man stepped aside and held his hand out, giving Raelinn permission to answer. She ran to the door with the man at her heels. He stood right beside her as Raelinn opened the door.
"Raelinn! Are you alright? I heard some screaming! I've been watching the telly and I just about jumped out of my skin! Are you alright?" Her neighbor, Helen, asked looked worried.
"Y-y-yes, I….uh…." Raelinn glanced at the man, "This man….he…." She looked at Helen.
"What man, my dear child?" Helen asked looking around the apartment that was half shrouded in darkness.
Surely Helen could see him? The man was rolling a crystal ball on his arms and other tricks, all the while smirking. Raelinn started feeling very foolish. She bit her thumb and lamely replied, "This? Man?" Her voice was getting quieter. Yup, I'm very sick. I'm seeing things.
Helen tsked and with motherly concern leaned forward to feel Raelinn's forehead. "Oh! You still have a fever, don't you? Well, get some rest. Did you have a bad dream? You said you saw a man yesterday, but as we can see –again- there's no one here. Please go to the doctor. Fevers should not last this long. I'll take you later today, ok? Around ten? Please ring if you need help. Ok darling? I'll be off then," Helen smiled, her kind face wrinkled up.
Raelinn, unsure of what else to do nodded her thanks and shut the door. She decided to just ignore the hallucination and his talking. She turned and sat at her old, rustic looking table. She rubbed her temples. She was feeling so ill, but restless. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them. The blonde man was still standing there.
"Go away," she said.
"No."
"Why?" Raelinn closed her eyes again.
"I chose you. You are to be the one to step in and help if the need arises. I can't do anything anymore. I'm dead," the cool voice replied.
"I'm starting to not care if you're a ghost haunting me or a hallucination. I just…ugh, feel so sick!" Raelinn felt another big wave of nausea and put her head in her hands.
"Have you any chocolate or milk?" The man asked. Raelinn raised her head, her dark eyebrows shot up.
"What? Chocolate milk?"
"Even better! Drink some of that. It will help with the nausea," the man smiled and jutted his head up indicating that Raelinn is supposed to get up to get it. Raelinn scratched her head. Her hair was a mess. A dark, matted wavy bird's nest. And her hallucination, or ghost, was a very handsome looking one at that. She was feeling self conscious and had been the past few days she took off work. She started wearing pjs the moment she started having dreams/visions of seeing his man. Jareth, as he calls himself, was crossing his arms again looking impatient.
"Are you really a ghost?" She asked. "Why are you haunting me? And now of all times? I've lived here for six months."
"I'm not a ghost in the way you're thinking. Honestly, humans. I told you, I'm just an image. A ghost image, but I was programmed for lack of a better word to show myself if something went wrong in the plan." Jareth said. He was getting irritated and a dark look was coming on his face. He was becoming an intimidating ghost. Raelinn, unsure of what an angry ghost can do, slowly got up to go grab some chocolate milk.
Much to her relief, and annoyance (He's just gonna smirk because this worked, Raelinn thought dryly) she was starting to feel better. Less nauseous and her head was clearing from the haziness that the fever brings. "It worked!" she said.
"Yes, of course it would work. I knew that and that's why I told you to drink it," Jareth smirked. Ugh! I knew it! He didn't even say "chocolate milk". That was my idea. "My son figured out the best way to combat the effects magic has when fusing with a body. Good thing I knew the magic would accept you."
"Geez, the kid's a genius. How old is he?" Raelinn asked, wondering where this conversation was coming to. I don't have to tell someone that their father regrets something and can't rest in peace until something is fixed now do I?
"Looks about your age."
"What?" Raelinn started. She put her glass of chocolate milk down. This Jareth guy couldn't have been older than 35. Unless he had a child when he was 10. Raelinn took a good look at Jareth face, leaning in a little bit. "Just how old are you? I think you're getting ages mixed up."
"Don't talk to me that way! I know exactly how old I am! And I know how old my son is. I'm a fae! We are glorious creatures who live longer than you humans! We look damn good as we do!" Jareth slammed his fist on the table. Of course, no sound was made which made Jareth more upset.
Raelinn threw her hands up in surrender. "Whoa! Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I was just-did you say fae? I mean, I wasn't trying to imply that-you really did say fae didn't you? I mean, I know you were just trying to get help-yes, no, no you're going to have to back up. I'm still stuck on 'fae'. You're going to have to explain that one."
"Fine, but listen well because I'm not going to repeat myself. We don't have much time. My son is about to be killed and if that happens, your world is in trouble again," Jareth said and began his tale.
He told her about when he first met Sarah, his life after courting her over and over. He told her about his firstborn son, Seraphim, who would be king. He told her about Majeel, his nephew who is taking revenge for Jareth killing his father, who was Jareth's brother. Majeel killed Jareth and imprisoned his son. His plans were to take over the Labyrinth and to finish his father's work, Majeel planned to join forces with his allies and take over the Aboveground. When Jareth closed the portal, the only portal, between the Underground and Aboveground it disrupted Majeel's plans. Raelinn has the magic inside of her now so Majeel shouldn't been able to open the portal. But he's found a way to open it.
Once Jareth finished, Raelinn sniffed, tracing circles with her finger on the table. "You are aware how crazy this sounds right?"
"You are aware you're talking to a ghost right?" Jareth mocked his arched eyebrows raised.
"Yes," Raelinn quietly answered. She cleared her throat. "How am I supposed to help anyways? There's nothing I can do. I can't open up a portal, that's a forward step that takes you backwards. That would create chaos."
Jareth smirked, cocky now that he knew he was getting through. He stepped aside and gestured down the hallway with an outstretched hand. "Sometimes the way forward is the way back," he said.
"What are you talking about?" Raelinn stood up, wanting to see what was down the hallway he was gesturing at. She walked around the table. She looked questioningly at Jareth and then back to her hallway. "That's a hallway."
Jareth still smirking, but said in a sarcastic and irritated tone, "Don't get cheeky with me. You're lucky I can't touch you. What is my kingdom called?"
"The Labyrinth"
"What is it called?"
"The Labyrinth."
"What is it called?" It was Raelinn's turn to get irritated.
"The Labyrinth!"
"What is it called?"
"The Labyrinth!"
"Where is it?"
Without hesitation Raelinn saw it in her mind, she started walking forward and pointed ahead, "There!"
The effect was immediate. Raelinn took one more step and immediately felt the change as she stepped out of her apartment and into the Labyrinth.