Sorry for being so late. Damn, I've been caught up watching True Blood and Pushing Daises. You can blame Eric for my lateness!!! Either way I hope you enjoy this chapter a little if not any.
I do not own any of the Labyrinth characters.
I'm always looking at for a beta reader if interested let me know.
Thank you for reading.

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Chapter 2: The Rabbit Hole

My fingers extended over the denim on my jeans, my eyes glorifying Toby as he acted out the part of Macbeth with poise and confusion. I couldn't shake that feeling, that his eyes were somewhere watching me, glaring and toying with my human emotions. He was trying to pry my old self; the fifteen year old naive child that believed the world was unfair. I continued to try and focus until the beginning of intermission.

A cigarette was quickly pressed against my lips as I inhaled the nicotine reflecting, pondering on my delusions. He couldn't be around anymore, not this time. I blame that ridiculous book, the one that caused me years of pain and anguish, through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered. Irene and my father distanced themselves at a vendor and refused to sit next to me through the entire show, even when we went back to take our seats. I ended up spending time with a stranger with curly red hair trying introduce himself as 'Henry' or something similar to that of. I somehow had these images of goblins running behind the set, and I couldn't shake the images away no matter how hard I tried.

"Sarah!" The golden haired child looked for praise as he dug his face into my white blouse. No matter how old this kid got, he would always be a small child, "Good job kiddo," I grinned delightfully caressing the top of his thick hair teasing it. I could feel the warmth of his smile spread as if he had finally achieved to something great, and he had. "You going with the kids?" I smiled politely watching him nod, it was tradition for the local theatre kids to head over to a Janet's a diner close by that everyone knew about.

I spent the next couple of hours until midnight watching young teenage children fling and swoon over themselves as they joked, eating disgusting creations of mustard monsters. I could see Toby being smitten with a young lady named Rosalie, and her red Victorian hair cut. In that moment, I forgot about Jareth, I forgot about the Labyrinth, the nightmares, everything.

A familiar clock was placed in the dining hall, a large solid oak clock behind cheap wallpaper with animal prints. I could feel the inside of my mouth become dry and hot as I watched the short hand line its' self up with twelve, a small knot in my stomach formed as I tried to hold my composure together. A silence ran through my ears as clenched my hand on the silver fork listening to laughter of no children, but creatures. 'Shut up, shut up' my eyes tightened shut as I scolded myself over and over again at the delusion. The nails on my finger scratch at my skin digging deeper and deeper at the laughs and a giggles of the creatures.

"Sarah,"
My voice instinctively screams, "Don't touch me!" my eyes open to find Toby staring in confusion and half the guests in the room chaos stopped to monitor my cries. "Eh…" my mouth ran dry as Toby tried to play it cool, "Haha it's just a noodle, don't get to freaked out" he quickly pulled up a cooked spaghetti noodle covered in sauce from a plate as my eyes realized the tension inside. "Oh man, don't scare me like that again kid," I sighed going along with his improv.

"What just happened Sarah?" Toby turned his head at me as my hands lapsed over the steering wheel. I wanted to know the same exact thing. That place felt worse than an acid trip I had back in high school. Ironically.

I just shook my head at Toby and shrugged the thoughts and visions away letting a brief yawn escape from my mouth. My rental car was a light shade of blue and I planned to keep it that way, there was no way I could afford the car. I walked to work for that very reason. It was a rather new model of an Acura surprisingly; my insurance had not brought up my accident of crashing into my neighbor's lawn when I was seventeen.

"Nothing Toby," I smiled warmly trying to get over the shivers. I guess Toby accepted the statement, because he fell asleep shortly after in the car. No matter how old the kid got, he was still just a kid. He still had his baby face even though his platinum hair was longer and rigid and his face was slightly longer and narrow. I felt bad for leaving Toby behind right after high school, I was stupid and ignorant girl; everything was unfair.

I clenched my teeth tightly as I drove on the long paved road. It was fairly small town, and the very conservative town for that matter. Everyone normally had their lights out around ten or eleven at night. I would be back in the same place I started for the next two weeks.

For a moment as I pulled up into the drive way I wanted to wake up Toby and tell him we were home. The lights were still on in the house, I could see the shadowed figures through the curtains, and Dad and Irene were still at it. They were arguing and throwing things on the floor. 'Real mature,' I told myself as I let the car engine run quietly for a bit longer. This was the last thing I wanted Toby to come home to, nobody should.

I pulled from the driveway again and kept driving around town. There was one place I craved to see. My one haven. I parked my car across from the park. A large bridge over the river bed led the way into an enclosed area. If you've ever seen the secret garden, it was similar to that. The same feeling of enchantment and magic. I shook Toby from his sleep as he yawned in a childish manner and stretched asking if we were home. I shook my head no, but he followed me without question.

The river bed was rather high and close to the bridge which made me slightly nervous, but the rain had finally stopped. Large willow trees seemed to have formed an entrance into the circular park. It was small, but hidden; I missed it. A small bed of water in a circle was in the center, in a perfect angle to where the reflection of the moon shined just right to light the entire surrounding.

We both sat on the moist ground, not minding if our clothes got wet. I had discovered this place one day after a fight with my father. He had threatened to send me to a boarding school for the troubled after my incident with 'him'. My father continued to try and convince me that something was wrong with me, that I was delusional. Instead he sent me with my mother and her drug addicted boyfriend, I was disgusted.

"Wow Sarah," Toby starred into the lake leaning forward in amazement. It brought me joy to see him happy and amazed at the surroundings. "I was around your age when I found this place," I grinned delightfully proud, one of the very few things I was proud of. "It's a secret though, maybe you can bring that cute little red head friend of yours here," I winked slyly at him as his face turned flushed with embarrassment. I'd miss this. Seeing the simplest part of Toby's expressions.

"You'll come back again soon right," Toby's clear eyes had felt like a needle had plunged inside my heart. "Of course buddy," I forced a smile, I hated this place, but Toby was my light in the darkness.

I was curious about the book, now that I had finally had a chance to calm down. My eyes had wandered up to the sky and saw that the moon was beautifully full. Toby had fallen asleep on the vividly green grass and I curved my lips slightly at the sight.

I lay silently to the ground as well looking at my phone it was pass the time we were supposed to be home. Surely we'd get yelled at for this, but for now I wanted to know the world had life still.

"Good night Sarah"

I could hear my voice call out as my eyes heavily shut,

"Good night"