Chapter 1

The wandering young lady's full name was Pollyanna, but she didn't like that. She also refused to be called Polly on account that she didn't like that name, either. And she simply didn't look like a Paula. So everyone called her Paul. When people first met her, they thought it was strange. They got used to it pretty fast, though. Hell, she even wrote that down as her name, and introduced herself as Paul. The only way people ever found out that her full name was Pollyanna was when they'd ask. Then they never heard it again. Ever.

Paul flung her bag over onto her other shoulder and absentmindedly kicked a crushed beer can. It was warm out, and she was wandering on without any clue where she would end up. Paul had run away from home. She knew that her parents would never notice that she was gone because they had never known she existed. It was that simple. She had never received any attention from them from the time she was five to now. And now she was eighteen. Having graduated high school by a hair's breadth, without letting a single hint out that she didn't have a house, she now wandered about looking for jobs. It was hard to do this because she kind of smelled, since she could rarely take a bath, and when she did, it was always in the local pond. That was where she had made her home. All she had was a few blankets and some clothing. She also had a large knife in the bottom of her bag. This was for when she went about her business at night. This was a town like any other, and she always was sure to pack something to protect herself with. And guns made noise. She couldn't pick the lock to the case that held her father's, anyway.

No one came to the pond. That was why she lived there. It wasn't that the water was dirty, it was just that it was part of a reserve. The trees there were so thick, though, that the rangers would never see her. And the cops weren't looking for her. She had passed plenty in the streets, had friendly conversations with them, even, and had never been asked questions. This was because, as she'd suspected, her parents, even after four weeks, had never even bothered to file a missing persons report to the cops. And she had not seen their faces since she'd left the short note lying on the kitchen table. She knew she had never existed to them before, and that she had been completely unplanned. And the only reason for her parent's marriage. And unwanted. It did not hurt her feelings.

Paul was not a slut. She would not sell herself on the streets, nor would she allow any man other than the boyfriend that she didn't have yet, but knew she would soon, to touch her. She could be very violent, even without the knife. Everyone at school knew that. She could take down a man three times her size with one blow, all because of maneuverability and speed. And knowing where the many stun-spots on people's bodies were. Her favorite was always the spot near the stomach, because once she hit someone there, no one watching would have known what the fuck had just happened. They would be staring at the slowly falling man while she walked calmly away, popping a stick of gum into her mouth. She'd done it before. That had been the main reason for so many past expulsions or suspensions. She liked being the known threat. No one in their right mind would mess with her. But those who didn't know her usually got the knife or found out about her rather quickly. This was why she stopped to consider the club in front of her. She needed money, a job. Having such a nasty rep didn't help with the normal ones. She thought. They would only be looking at her, after all. She would get lovely tips. She had her knife. And her fighting knowledge. She walked in, feeling perfectly confident.

Ten minutes later she walked out with a job, and returned the next day and did what she was supposed to. So it was that Pollyanna, the runaway who preferred to be called a man's name, became Morganna, the youngest waitress-slash-stripper in the club. It wasn't bad, actually.

-

Jareth tried to fly higher. He had taken a beating when fighting with those men, before he'd gotten away and run. Now he was in the Aboveground, and it had changed a bit from what he had remembered. He had been here for several days, now, and still he hadn't found the person he was looking for. He would have been able to sense them, but his strength was ebbing away slowly. His magic wasn't as strong here. This was bad. People were staring, or at least some people. It wasn't usual for an owl to be awake and flying around during the day. They were probably confused.

As the day grew longer, he knew that he couldn't make it for much longer. Then he arrived in the area where all the little boys were. As little boys often did, the boys that lived here thought it amusing to throw rocks at any small or flying animal. They were doing that to Jareth now. He could hardly dodge the rocks. They chased him for a long time, into a large area where lots of plants were. He had been hit with several rocks by now, and being in a bird's body didn't help. He was also losing his normal intelligence. He hadn't changed into a man since arriving here, fearful that he might be seen by someone. Those men back home could have followed him here, and he didn't know if they recognized him in this form. It was the safest one. But his brain was turning into that of an owl. If you stayed in the form of any animal too long, you slowly started thinking the way that animal would, so he usually avoided changing at all if he could help it.

An owl would be tired now. They wouldn't be as good at dodging things, or knowing anything to do other than keep flying away. All of these things were affecting him. Not to mention the still stinging wounds from when he was in the Underground, running away from the strange men that had come after him. These boys were fast. Quite suddenly, he felt a huge rock hit him square in the head. As his vision clouded, he could hear muffled yelling as someone chased the boys away from wherever they were, something about a reserve... Jareth tried desperately to flap his wings as much as could be allowed while slipping into unconsciousness. It was hard, and he finally ceased moving as he blacked out.

He was lucky. No one saw the falling bird change into a man as it descended toward the large pond below it. He landed loudly in the water and lay still. The animals didn't come near the pond for the rest of the day, wary of the funny smell of a creature they had not been encountered with before.

Author's note:

Okay, that was weird, I know. But it has lots to do with the story. Or, you know, or else I wouldn't have put it in. The only thing that doesn't really matter much is the whole stripping thing. You can ignore that if you want. I just thought I might as well make her one. Just because. Review, please! Thanks!