Disclaimer: I own nothing except an amazing Jareth figurine :)
Chapter One: Something Strange
Sarah Williams was having a care-free day spent with her friends. Laughter filled the air and the sun was shining. Life was good. She watched as Ian threw water over his girlfriend, Stacey, and laughed as Stacey chased him.
Ian
sped past Sarah whereas Stacey collapsed on the ground next to her.
"Nobody should be that fast," Stacey gasped. Sarah laughed again
as Ian crept up behind Stacey and threw more water over her.
"You are so dead!" Stacey shrieked.
Sarah watched as they raced around the park. She felt a pang of envy, they had each other but she had no special person in her life. Then again, she did enjoy the freedom of being single. After what had happened with her last boyfriend, she was sure she was not ready for another relationship just yet.
"Daydreaming again?"
Sarah looked up sharply to see a boy grinning at her. "Gareth! Don't do that, I nearly had a heart attack!"
"Ah, so dramatic." He flopped down next to her. "I see the lovebirds are having fun again." He nodded towards Stacey and Ian.
"Yeah."
"You still thinking about Chris? You shouldn't, you know, arsehole that he is."
Sarah sighed, she had heard this a thousand times before. It was the start of a very long and tiring conversation that she did not want to hear. "I know Gaz, I know. I don't want to talk about him. For my 21st I was thinking about going into town to some clubs. Oceana, Stealth, maybe Rock City."
"Now you're talking, doll. Rock city sounds good."
"I said maybe!"
Gareth pouted in
a mock show of disappointment. "Stacey wants you by the way."
Sarah
jumped up but fell down to darkness.
Sarah was disorientated, where was she? She could not see a thing in the pitch black that surrounded her. She heard something, it took her a while to realise someone was calling her name.
"Sarahhhh…"
She felt afraid but more strongly, she felt sorrow and shame. "I'm sorry," she heard herself say. "I'm so sorry."
"Not good enough, Sarah," the voice answered.
Sarah was confused. Why was she ashamed? She felt like she was inhabiting someone else's body. It felt like someone forced the words she had just spoken out of her mouth. She could feel a small tugging inside her head, a growing pressure to speak words of regret and repentance but she refused to.
"Stubborn girl," the voice hissed.
The pressure became even more intense but suddenly subsided. Sarah was relieved; her skull had felt like it was being crushed. Sarah's vision was fading again, she could hear someone calling her name."
"Sarah! Wake up!"
Sarah's eyes snapped open. She found herself staring into the worried faces of her friends. She dismissed them for a moment, instead thinking about the voice that sounded so familiar. She knew the voice that much she was sure of but she could not place it.
"Sarah? Are you okay?" Stacey asked, worry painted across her face.
"I…" Sarah hesitated, she could not tell them the truth, and they would not believe her anyway. "I think… I fainted didn't I?"
"You did. Do you feel ill?" Gareth looked very concerned.
"No, I'm fine. I think it was the heat and I haven't drunk much all day," Sarah lied. She hated lying to her friends but she did not want them to know. "I think I should go home and lie down for a bit, just in case I feel light-headed again."
Gareth nodded. "You got your car Ian?"
"No mate, me and Stacey walked it. Sorry Sarah."
"It's alright I've got my car. Do you two want a lift?" Gareth asked.
"We can't," Stacey answered. "Got to go and see my mum, she's going through a rough patch. I'm so sorry Sarah." She gave Sarah a big hug. "Promise me you'll lie down and get some rest?"
"I promise," Sarah smiled. "Tell your mum I said hi. I'll see you guys soon." She let Gareth steer her towards his car and let him drive her home. Gareth tried to start conversation as he drove her back to her flat but Sarah only gave minimal input so he let her have her silence. He could tell something was on her mind but he thought it best to ask about it later.
Ten minutes later, Gareth pulled up in front of Sarah's flat. He pulled her into a hug and said, "You go and rest. Do you want me to come up with you?"
"I'll be fine thanks. I just need water and rest."
"Alright. You have my number, drop us a call if you need anything okay?"
"I only fainted Gaz," Sarah laughed. "It's nothing serious!"
Gaz smiled faintly. "I'm just worried, doll. Take care of yourself."
Sarah gave him another hug and more promises that she was going to be fine before she stepped out of the car. She waved him off and breathed a sigh of relief. No more interrogation.
She trudged wearily up flights of stairs until she came to her flat- home. She let herself in and tossed the keys onto the worktop, then collapsed onto the settee. She allowed her mind to drift, to think about that strange, commanding voice.
She became frustrated, she could not think of who it was! She decided to stop thinking about it and scanned her bookshelf for a good book to read. A small red book caught her eye, she looked at it quizzically, where had that come from? The title on the spine read Labyrinth.
She
smiled, it was one of her childhood favourites, Toby must have left
it here by mistake. She grabbed the book and thumbed through the
pages until she found her favourite line. "You say that so
often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is."
She
could hear the goblin king saying, in a cool, arrogant voice.
Then it hit her, the whispering voice sounded exactly like the goblin king! Sarah dismissed the thought after careful consideration. The goblin king was not real; he was merely a fictional character. Come to think of it, how could she know what he sounded like? He was a character out of a book, not a film. The adventure she had had was only a dream.
She returned the book to its place and went to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She had grown quite fond of it since she had moved to England. She did miss America but England had it's own redeeming qualities. Her family had moved here after her father had been transferred to a better work place. He had only agreed because he gained a lot more money. Sarah liked it here, she was happy.
"Hello?" Gareth answered his mobile, yawning. It was eleven pm, who was phoning at this time of night? He was just about to go to bed.
"Gareth? It's Ian's mum."
"Oh, hi Mrs. Hidan. What can I do for you?" This was a surprise; he did not even know Ian's mum had his number.
"I have some bad news," Mrs. Hidan's voice sounded extremely strained.
"What's happened? Is Ian okay?"
"He's fine." There was silence then she burst into tears. "Ian and Stacey were in a car accident. Ian's got a broken leg but Stacey… she's dead."
Gareth was in shock, he had seen them earlier on in the day. Now Stacey was gone and he would never see her again. She had been one of his best friends.
"What hospital are you at?"
"City," Mrs. Hidan sobbed.
"Okay, I'll be round as soon as I can." Gareth grabbed his keys and headed out the door, then locked it.
"Thank you Gareth, bye."
"Bye Mrs. Hidan." He opened the door to his car and got in. He gripped the steering wheel and took big breaths. He just could not believe this had happened. Stacey was always full of life, always laughing. She was a good person; she had not deserved to die. He took out his mobile and typed in Sarah's number. She needed to know, Sarah and Stacey had been close friends.
"Hello?"
"Sarah, I have something to tell you."
"Can't it wait Gaz? I'm really tired, it's late."
"It's serious. Ian and Stacey were in a car accident. Ian has a broken leg."
He heard Sarah gasp. "Is he going to be okay? Is Stacey alright?
"She's gone Sarah." He could not bring himself to say dead, it sounded so harsh and unfeeling.
"What do you mean gone?" Sarah's voce rose, becoming more high-pitched.
Gareth took a deep breath; it looked like he was going to have to say it after all. "She's dead. Mrs. Hidan just phoned me, I'm on the way to the hospital now."
"Oh god. Pick me up on your way." Sara's voice held tremors, Gareth could not see her but he knew she was holding back tears.
"I will, bye."
"Bye."
Gareth put the phone down and started the car, making his way to Sarah's flat. He knew he was going too fast but he didn't really care, he had just lost one of his best friends. She had not deserved to die. At this moment in time, he hated life and if there was a god, he hated god too.
He arrived at Sarah's half an hour later to se her waiting outside for him. She climbed into the car and gave him a shaky smile. Gareth could not smile back, settling for gripping her hand for a few moments. Neither of them spoke on the journey to the hospital, emotions clogging their throats. Words would only make tears fall and Sarah nor Gareth wanted to cry. They were in too much shock.
Jareth felt amused at Sarah's pain, the death of her friend would surely shatter her happy life. Soon he would make contact with her. Remind her that he was indeed real and that his revenge would make her feel like she was truly in hell.
A/N I'm so sorry for the delay in this update! I've been so busy what with job and getting my results (I got into uni, yay!). I'm not too sure I like this chapter, it seems a bit rushed. I'm going on holiday soon so I won't update for a while but I'll try to update faster! Enjoy and please R&R :)