Chapter 2: In Motion
At first the schedule of Sarah Williams was an intricate puzzle not easily put together. According to his own observations from the various notes he paid someone to compile for him, for someone with such a common name, she led more of a public life than he was originally led to believe.
Spread over a glass-surfaced coffee table, the notes were a mix of typed out documents and handwritten additions Jareth added. Black and white photos of her going about her daily routine were thrown into the mix, but Jareth chose to ignore those. If he stared at the photos then resentment would be replaced with yearning, and that would do him no good.
There were moments he surprised himself with how easily he was able to adapt to her world, but he knew that his kingdom awaited his return. As he took a sip of his coffee (he did enjoy this particular vice), Jareth began to lose patience with himself. When would he reveal himself? When would she be ready? Leaning back into the leather chair in his living area, he began to wonder if either one of them would truly be ready.
Why are you so concerned with her? She's the one that left you behind.
Such thoughts constantly swam through his head, but as he unconsciously ran his fingers over his lips, he wanted to formulate some sort of plan of attack. Leaning forward, Jareth looked over the information he had so far.
Observation 1: Sarah Williams was a morning person.
She was out of the door no later than 5:30 in the morning for a job around her neighborhood. This daily regimen usually took no longer than 40 minutes on most days. By 7:20, she headed towards the closest subway station which took her to the Upper West Side where she sometimes dragged some weird contraption with wheels.
Observation 2: Sarah Williams was a music teacher who taught at a prestigious music school. Not only did she teach children to play what Jareth learned was a cello, but she also was part of a chamber music group, whatever that was.
Observation 3: Sarah Williams really led a boring life, at least by his standards. Her closest friends appeared to be the other musicians she worked with. Her weekends were usually spent running errands and shopping for necessities. It appeared as if Sarah Williams was anything but a social butterfly.
Observation 4: This was probably the most important one to Jareth, but Sarah Williams did not have a significant other in her life. That would make his transition into her life all the more easier. It's not to say that a man in the picture would prevent him from seeing his plan through, but Jareth didn't like sharing.
Picking up a printed biography from the school's webpage, Jareth knew that she floated around for a while studying and perfecting her art with various chamber music groups. There was a gap of time that his investigators could not account for, but Jareth had more ammunition than he needed to track down his prize. Compared to other biographies, her's was the shortest. Most other teacher biographies mentioned where the area the musician lived in (he already knew her address) along with a family status. there was no mention of her father, wicked stepmother, or brother. Gareth had never heard of the cello before then, but his curiosity got the better of him. It didn't take long for him to familiarize himself with the instrument and some of the classic pieces.
As often as he saw her pull the instrument around with her, he had yet to see her perform. That was going to change tonight though. Jareth smiled as he turned his attention towards the ticket staring at him in the upper corner of the table. Sarah, along with a few other teachers/musicians from her school, were going to perform at the Alice Tully Hall. Rather than jump right into inundating himself in her life, he enjoyed being the one who was outside looking in. It made him feel powerful and in control. He already had a few close encounters with her, and the best part was that she was completely unaware of it all.
There was the time he followed her to The Strand. He would never enter the store, preferring to keep a safe distance, at first. She visited two to three times a month to immerse herself in aisles upon aisles of books. Her tastes varied: one month she was into biographies, the next she was reading literary essays. One month she purchased nothing but poetry. One Saturday he allowed the temptation to get the better of him and followed her into the store, keeping himself at a safe distance as he watched her peruse the section of the store devoted to rare books. Her instincts for self-preservation were gone given that anyone else would have noticed him stalking his prey like a wolf, but she was completely oblivious. The one moment she did feel off kilter and raised her head from the book she was flipping through, he was gone.
Gareth enjoyed the feeling of the hunter honing in on its prey, and that was now what she was to him. He closed his eyes and remembered the scent of her perfume, clean and subtle. He remembered exactly what she wore that day, an eggplant hued v-neck sweater that showed off her delicate collarbone.
Random observation: Sarah Williams loved long-sleeved tops.
Walking towards the kitchen to place his now empty coffee cup in the sink, Jareth rejoiced in the promise that tonight he was going to see her again. He would see her, but she wouldn't see him. The thought of that immediately made him smirk. Slowly but surely everything was falling into its right place.
Later that night, Jareth stepped out of the taxi cab in front of the Alice Tully Hall. He tightened his tie just a bit before reaching to grab the ticket for the event from the foldable leather contraption that mortals called a "wallet."
Gareth felt like the cat that was about to catch the canary. Sarah Williams was a caged bird, just waiting to be pounced on. The door to the hall was opening, just like the door to the cage. Indulging in a glass of wine moments later, Jareth observed the people around him. He was attracting the attention of a few women in the vicinity, but his eyes were only searching for one person. He hoped he would spot her relaxing amongst the audience before the show, but she was nowhere to be found.
He overheard the ceaseless chit chat amongst patrons of the arts, and he even became engaged in a conversation or two, but his words were all deliberately obtuse and empty. He didn't care for this society and he sometimes longed to be back home where he could at least kick an annoying goblin or two. Doing such things to humans was apparently frowned upon in the aboveground. At this point, he could't wait to go in and take his seat.
Finally, the moment was announced where everyone could take their seats. Jareth looked for Row H Seat 113. It wasn't too close, but it wasn't too far. It wasn't directly in the middle either. Jareth knew everything was a matter of strategy. He felt odd considering that he attended the event alone, but he was the least bit concerned with what others thought of him. If they only knew he was a king. Focusing on the stage, Jareth noticed a piano already set up. Three chairs were placed onstage, and he couldn't help but wonder which one his pet would sit in. Before he could allow himself to fully fall into the fantasy of what he would like to do wit her, the lights in the hall dimmed.
Redirecting his posture, Jareth felt his pulse being to quicken as one by one, each musician came out. First it was the piano player, a man no younger than 50 years of age. Jareth didn't understand why everyone around him was applauding, so he chose not to participate. One had to earn such things from the Goblin King.
Next, a young man walked out holding what Jareth previously learned was a violin. Once again, everyone around him applauded. His hands began to sweat slightly as he anticipated Sarah's entrance on the stage, and he didn't have to wait long because she was the next one to take her spot on it. It was only when he saw her that he realized everyone was wearing black, Sarah Williams included. She carried her cello, and yet again, she donned a long-sleeved sweater. Her pants were wide legged, and her hair flowed just past her shoulders. The ends appeared to be slightly curled, and for a moment Jareth forgot to breathe as he saw her under the spotlight of the stage. She didn't appear to be too fond of the attention, and focused her eyes on her instrument instead.
Jareth didn't even know what it was he was about to listen to. The ticket said something about Beethoven and a "ghost trio," but those were words unfamiliar to him. As the three began to play, Jareth couldn't make himself relax as he listened to the piece all three players played by memorization.
He felt as if he was the only person in the concert hall. He didn't pay attention to the other players, she was the only woman in the world as far as he was concerned. He watched as she closed her eyes, lost in the piece. There were moments he felt as if she was calling out to him and him alone. One would think she was carrying the piece by herself because she never acknowledged the other players, but they never acknowledged her either.
Jareth gripped the armrest of the seat, not even realizing that he was doing such a thing until his hand began to hurt. He wanted to know what inspired her to take this path. Was this what she gave him up for? He couldn't be resentful, not in this moment. He was too caught up, as much as he hated to admit it to himself. The elusive creature became even more enigmatic. Should he wait afterwards to try and meet her? Should he promise the school she taught at a hefty donation? Should he pull her aside and force her to see the hunger he currently possessed? Should he wait? Jareth was torn, but he couldn't put any more energy towards it because it distracted him from what he was currently witnessing.
And just like that, it was done. The man who wouldn't applaud earlier as the musicians walked onstage was one of the first ones to voice his approval. Standing up with the rest of the audience, Jareth didn't realize that he was overtaken by the moment until he felt a single tear slide down his cheek. He watched as each musician took a bow, but the only one he truly focused on was the cellist, his cellist.
As the lights in the hall came back on, Jareth couldn't force himself to leave. What if she was out there in the lobby? Days ago he wanted nothing more than for her to recognize him, but now he questioned every move he intended to take. Still overcome by the weight of it all, Jareth sat down in his seat and patiently waited for everyone else to exit the hall. He stared at the empty stage, waiting for the anger to build up inside of him again, but it never came.
Jareth would never know that Sarah Williams didn't stay behind to mingle with everyone after the performance. She grabbed a cab and headed back to her apartment, cello in tow, not even aware of the fact that the driver who took her home would soon head back to the Alice Tully Hall to do the same for Seth Carrington.