A/N: Well, I've only posted 2 chapters and I've had more hits on this than my Doctor Who fanfic that's got 42k+ words lol

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Chapter II

"FREAK!" "WEIRDO!"

Gareth clenched his eyes shut, his hands clapped over his ears as he tried to rid himself of their jeering remarks. But it didn't help, finally he gave up and glared at the crowd of kids, he wanted to frown, why did they have to treat him like this all because of how he looked?

"Why don't you leave me alone?" Gareth hissed, staring daggers at the crowd that formed around him, most of them were mainly boys, either from his class or another but all in the same year.

"Why should we do that Weirdo Williams?" one asked, his voice spilling with mocking sarcasm, upon hearing the nickname many snickered.

"Oh I don't know, before I make you disappear like your mother, Kevin" Gareth droned, his eyes hard as he locked eyes with said boy. The boy had mousy blond-brown hair and hazel eyes; the boy was the main antagonist, hiding behind his own pain from his mother leaving his father.

Upon hearing the gibe, Kevin stomped up to Gareth, even though they were the same age you could call Kevin a heavy weight and Gareth a super-light weight by their builds. Gareth gulped, tilting his head up to continue his staring match with the mountainous boy.

Kevin took the front of Gareth's jumper into his fist and pulled Gareth towards him, he lowered his head so he could lock eyes with Gareth.

"At least I had both of my parents, scum" Kevin hissed, a wicked smirk upon his face, oh, he wasn't done yet. "At least I know who my father is" he added.

Gareth took in ragged breaths, trying to calm himself from Kevin's first comment, but upon hearing his next, he lost his self control and launched himself on Kevin, making him tumble to the ground, the hard ground stung but the fight was on.

"Get off!" Kevin gritted out as he flailed to stop Gareth's blows.

o0o0o0o0o

"I'm sorry, " the Principle said, the greying man looked at the young woman over the chunky black rim of his glasses.

"Is there anything else? Sarah asked her voice pleading as she looked at the elementary school principle.

"Temporary Expulsion is the only option, Ms. Williams. Young Gareth has been getting into fights constantly and as a result has been disrupting the class" Mr. White explained.

"You decide to expel my son for being bullied?" Sarah questioned, her voice loaded with anger that she finally gave up to repress. "You should expel those antagonists not my son"

Mr. White wanted to sigh, he knew this was going to happen; it was always the same with every parent, coming in his office and defending their child like they are a living saint and could do no wrong. He had his doubts that Gareth was truly at wrong but he couldn't expel everyone from his class other than him to rid him of this problem, no, it had to be done this way. He shook his head, confirming the negative.

Sarah thinned her lips into a line, her eyes growing hard, but there was nothing she could do. She wanted to sigh; she knew it would come down to this, before it was being removed from class, detention and being detained at recess. She nodded.

"Thank you anyway, Mr. White. Is there any work that I could take home for Gareth so he can keep up with his studies?" she politely asked, god, she hated keeping her temper in check but she had to for her son's sake.

"Of Course, Ms. Williams"

o0o0o0o0o

"But I don't want to go to Grandpa's and Karen's" he whined, looking at his mother as he hunted around the apartment for her keys. "It won't be any fun without Toby to play with" he continued, playing with his cereals.

"No buts"

He wanted to pout, and that's exactly what he did as he scraped his spoon around the bowl.

"Now get ready"

"Yes Mother"

Gareth hopped down from his stool from the breakfast bar and headed towards his bedroom.

o0o0o0o0oo

The ride to his grandparents was... well... boring?

Yes, it was boring and it was more boring at his grandparents, his Grandfather was at work, Karen was being Karen and Toby was at school so he was banished to his mother's old room to do his school work.

"I hate my life" he muttered, his pencil hovering over his work, he stared blankly at it, the questions on the page forgotten at he retreated into his own mind.

His lips thinned in concentration as he searched within himself, his mother never talked about his father, was he really that horrible that she didn't want his name mentioned within her presence? How could she live with him, knowing that he was the son of the man she hated?

"She doesn't hate him Young Prince"

"Karen?" he asked, turning round towards the door, the door was closed, and he would have liked the door to be locked but Karen didn't condone secrecy, like he left it. He knotted his brows together, he swore he heard someone.

"Still believe you're hearing things?"

Gareth's eyes grew large with surprise.

"It's you" he hushed.

The voice chuckled, it was the same voice, and it felt like it was coming from everywhere – as if it filled the whole room and consumed it within its echo.

"Your Grandmother would find it humorous to find you talking to yourself in here, Young Prince"

"You still haven't answered me" he hissed, his voice lowered, god if Karen decided to eavesdrop she would find him crazy, talking to himself. "WHO are you?"

"I am No One" the voice answered, obviously answering cryptically to try and not answer the question all together.

"Fine. WHAT are you?" Gareth retorted, turning in his chair and moving to stand up in the centre of the room.

The voice was silent for many moments, Gareth didn't know whether he was imagining it all or the voice decided not to answer him.

"I am the spirit of the Labyrinth"

Gareth let out an amusing snort.

"That book is fiction" he replied, not convinced, but his logical mind couldn't comprehend this voice unless he was actually going mad.

"That is what your Mother wants you to believe"

"How do you know my mother?"

"She is the Champion of the Labyrinth, the first to defeat me and the Goblin King for many a century"

"I don't believe you, you're just a voice"

"You saw me and the Goblin City"

"That was a dream"

The voice remained silent for a moment.

"Look into the mirror, Young Prince"

Gareth was hesitant at first, but as if his body had a mind of its own, he found himself standing in front of his reflection in the nearly full length mirror on the wall.

"I don't see anything" Gareth snapped "Just me, as usual like you look into a mirror"

"This mirror is special"

"What makes this mirror special?"

"Because it's a window"

And as the final syllable lift nonexistent lips, Gareth's reflection disappeared and was replaced with a view of the Labyrinth and beyond that the Goblin City. Slowly he lifted his hand to where the surface of the mirror should be but his finger tips caressed nothing.

"Gareth"

The spell was broken, Gareth snapped his head to the door, it was his mother, and slowly his gaze went back to the mirror to find his mismatched eyes staring back at him.