Chapter 3: Act I, Scene III: Games of Skill- Hopscotch

Sarah gave the faerie circle a wide berth as she went in search of her friends. She stopped at the edge of the clearing and stashed the vial Jareth had given her in the pocket of her cloak. "Guys? Where are you?" she called loudly.

"Just a minute, Sarah!" Matt answered from nearby.

"Put the damn sword away and help me, Matt!" April yelled in an exasperated tone.

Sarah couldn't help but smirk. That was the last she heard before seeing them. "Hey, are you alright?" Sarah asked April seriously.

April was leaning on Matt, who was guiding her slowly toward where Sarah was standing.

"Sure. It's just a stitch. It'll pass. I don't think I can make it all the way to Matt's though. We should probably stop at the coffee shop."

"Damn dogs. I've never seen dogs do shit like that," Matt complained.

"No kidding," Sarah muttered darkly. "So- coffee it is."

"Let's just get us there," April said tiredly.

It was a slow trek with both of her friends out of breath and April injured, though the other girl didn't realize it wasn't simply a normal stitch in her side. Sarah felt obligated to help lighten the mood after getting tired of seeing April struggling to hop along next to Matt.

Sarah started hopping too- except way more rambunctiously. "One for sorrow- Two for mirth- Three for a funeral- Four for a birth!"

"There's our crazy Sarah! I guess I shouldn't complain, but two crazy girls plus two crazy dogs in one night? I'm at my limit," Matt groaned.

"So long as—you know—you can't handle us—buddy!" April countered.

Sarah giggled and kept her complicated jumping pattern going. "Five for heaven- Six for hell- Seven's the Devil His own self!"

"Oh, thank God—we're here!" April panted.

Once they were inside, Sarah made sure both of her friends were safely tucked away at a corner table before heading to the front. "I've got this."

"Sarah- I can't let you pay my way," Matt protested.

"If your sensibilities are offended, you can pay me back later. Now sit," Sarah told him sternly.

"Harpy."

Sarah gave him a saccharine smile. "Love you too, Dear."

Sarah wasted no time in getting them drinks and an array of sugary treats. She nabbed a knife from the cutlery bin and asked for an extra cup before heading back to their table.

April didn't look good. She looked a little too pale, and her face had a pained look that she was attempting- and failing miserably- to cover with a smile.

Sarah didn't care what they would think about her crazy antics, but she knew she couldn't waste any more time. Pulling the vial out of her cloak, she pulled out the stopper and poured the contents into the extra coffee mug.

"Um- Sarah?" Matt asked curiously. "Whatcha doin'?" Matt looked on in confusion for a full minute and then he smirked. "That your dad's special vodka stash?" he asked in a quieter voice.

"Not now, Matt, this is an important ritual," Sarah said distractedly.

Sarah placed the knife into the coffee mug. She vaguely saw Matt and April exchange glances- and saw April shrug. They were used to Sarah's idiosyncrasies by now.

"They have spoons for that, you know," Matt blithely commented.

"Well, here goes nothing," Sarah murmured quietly before beginning the chant that Jareth taught her. "Out, little spear, if herein you be! Out, little spear, if herein you be! Out little spear, if herein you be!"

On her third recitation, the coffee mug became filled with elfshot and April let out a surprised gasp.

"What the hell is that?" Matt hissed.

"I'd like to know too, Sarah. I didn't know you knew any magic tricks. You've been holding out on me," April said in awe.

"How are you feeling now?" Sarah asked her worriedly.

"Much better- now how did you do that?" April hounded.

Sarah smiled. "Nuh-uh! A magician never reveals her secrets!"

"Aw- Sarah- come on!" April whined. "You can't be learning cool stuff without me!"

However, before Sarah could respond, they were interrupted. "You shouldn't do stuff like that," a disapproving voice said from behind their table.

Sarah turned around and saw a girl with blonde hair standing near them and glaring. It was a girl from their school- and she was always disapproving of Sarah and her friends. Sarah saw that her own friends weren't far away and were watching the exchange avidly.

"Stuff like what?" Sarah challenged.

"That." The girl, Kristine, pointed to the coffee mug filled with elfshot. "Freaky stuff."

"Thank you for your concern. I'll take it into consideration," Sarah sarcastically replied.

Matt pulled out a cigarette, stuck it his mouth and then lit it. He started to immediately blow smoke in Kristine's direction, while staring unblinkingly at her. It was his signature move of intimidation- and it usually worked. While it didn't have the desired result of making Kristine leave right away- it was quite telling that she pointedly refused to look at him.

April gave Kristine a false smile. "I always thought you'd look cute with pink hair. We could do a makeover if you want. Have a girl's night," April randomly opined.

"Ugh! You all are going to hell," Kristine said in a snotty tone.

"Whatever would we do without your moral compass to guide us lost souls?" Sarah said dismissively before turning her back and ignoring the other girl.

April snorted in amusement.

Matt blew more smoke and smirked.

Ten minutes later saw the three of them kicked out of the coffee shop for causing trouble- but it was nothing new. One group of so-called normal kids complaining about the town freaks was all it took. The manager called Matt's smoking obnoxious and Matt had proceeded to flick him off, which didn't help their case. As far as Sarah was concerned- she and her friends had survived goblins and that was all that mattered at the moment.

When Sarah finally got home that night- Irene and her dad had already gone to bed. She had no desire to go around Robin Hood's barn with Irene again and was only too glad to not have to deal with her.

Pulling off her cloak, Sarah remembered the pretty vial the potion had come in and reached in her pocket to pull it out. It wasn't there, but her hand closed over a slip of paper. She pulled it out and unfolded it.

Eight for a wish

Nine for a kiss

Ten for a time

Of joyous bliss

Sarah froze. No, this wasn't fair. How dare he spy on her? What had she been thinking anyway? When she should have only been thinking of ways to get out of Jareth's new game altogether- she was thinking of counter offers instead. She had been foolish- and now look- he was leaving her stalker notes in her pockets. Sarah crumpled the note in her fist. "Samhain will come and go and I will be fine. Nothing will change. I don't have to do anything except die and pay taxes. It works for dad- it will work for me."

Where, oh where did the days of 'You have no power over me!' go? In fact, Sarah needed some kind of leverage, and she knew it. Going back to the Underground was a bad idea and the thought terrified her now that she thought about it. Hoggle was right- she should have left things alone. Not that she was ever going to tell him that. He'd be lucky if she spoke to him any time soon.

The next morning left Sarah groggy and she had a pounding headache that was compounded by Irene yelling at her from downstairs.

"Sarah? Sarah! I know you can hear me, young lady. Get down here this instant!"

"Damn it," Sarah groaned. "Why is it that I can never sleep in around here?" Sarah sighed and pulled on her bathrobe before stomping down the staircase in a huff. "You rang, Memsahib?"

"Cut the sarcasm, Sarah. I have no idea what that means- but if it's anything like the time you took to calling me Mommy Dearest and asking me if it was alright to use wire hangers- then you're treading on thin ice."

"Pleading the fifth."

"I got a phone call this morning from the youth minister at church." At this, Irene looked at Sarah pointedly, as if waiting for a confession.

Sarah shrugged. "Okay."

"He was at the coffee shop last night with his youth group."

Ah. "I can explain."

Irene sighed. "Don't bother, Sarah! Immediately after our conversation last night- you took it upon yourself to take things to the next level. Doing magic tricks to scare other kids- causing mayhem and getting kicked out of places! We live in a small town, Sarah! You can't just fade into oblivion after causing trouble."

"Don't I know it," Sarah muttered.

"So, your father and I were talking, and we decided that you're going to go to church with us for a while until this phase of yours has passed."

"What? No! That's not—" Damn it! Sarah couldn't complete that sentence out loud- even though she still thought the phrase often.

But maybe- maybe this unfortunate turn of events could work in her favor. If she was at church all the time then the Goblin King couldn't show up to bother her. It was holy ground and he was as unholy as they came. She'd have to read up on it to be sure. "Isn't there some kind of vigil service on Samhain- um- Halloween for All Souls' Day that we could go to? I don't mind going to mass on All Souls' Day either. In fact, you can just drop me off on Halloween and not bother picking me up until after mass on the first. I'll just stay for Perpetual Adoration. Maybe I'll even get baptized while I'm there."

Irene just stared at Sarah for a moment. "Sarah- we're Methodist."

"Oops."

"But if you're serious- we won't mind if you want to go to the Catholic Church."

Just like that- it was settled. Sarah was officially forced into exploring religion to pacify her family and the meddling townspeople. Humbug. She hoped it bought her some time until she thought of a better plan.

Irene gave Sarah a look of motherly concern. "Oh- and Sarah- your mother. We didn't mean for you to hear all of that yesterday. Honey- you have to understand that Linda has been seeing a psychiatrist for a while now. She's still slightly delusional. Your father called her and told her that you knew."

"Whatever. It's not like I ever see her anyway," Sarah said nonchalantly. However, Sarah knew it didn't come off that way. It still hurt her deeply that her mother didn't want to claim her.

Irene sighed. "She wanted to see you."

"Well maybe I don't want to see her! Did you ever think of that?"

"Sarah, I know it has to hurt—"

"Do you, Irene? I don't think you know what I'm feeling at all!" Sarah yelled.

"She's coming over this afternoon to talk to you."

Sarah was appalled. "What? She's what?" Sarah whispered.

"Your dad and I will be around, but we all thought it was time the two of you really talked."

"No."

"Sarah, be reasonable," Irene cajoled.

"Reasonable? No! Being reasonable is nothing I want to be at all right now!"

Sarah thought about making a break for it. April would let her hide out at her place with no questions asked. However, Sarah wasn't usually one to run from her problems. She just didn't like the fact that she seemed to be having loads of problems recently. Hiding out in her room could only do so much- but she was damned if she was going to play nice with Irene and her dad after this.

She heard the doorbell ring around noon. Like that- Sarah was down in the kitchen sitting across the table from Linda- while her parents decided that it was the perfect time to take Toby outside to rake leaves. She crossed her arms and glared. Linda would have to talk first.

"Sarah—I wish I knew what to say. I know it sounds crazy," Linda said meekly.

"Ya think?"

"It's just, I experienced some bad stuff right after I had you. They tell me it was post-partum depression. I just never had that bond. I'm sorry, Darling, I really am," her mother told her earnestly.

"But why?" Sarah's voice cracked. "Why a changeling?"

Linda was nervously drumming her fingers on the table. "I—I don't know. I always read faerie tales. Everything seemed to fit- and it all made perfect sense. It scared me. You scared me. And- I know I'm a terrible mother- and I just needed to leave. I had to leave to get help," the older woman finished lamely.

Sarah bit her lip. "I don't know if I can forgive you. I—I love you so much- and then I find this out," Sarah rambled.

Linda's eyes took on a glint before she smoothed her face out and put a contrite mask back on. "I want to try, Sarah. I can't be your mother- but I want to be in your life."

Delusions or not, Linda was a good actress. She could always act normal when she wanted to. Sarah dearly hoped she wasn't acting now. Sarah was willing to try if she was. "Okay- I'd like that too. I've missed you. I only ever hear about you it seems."

The kettle on the stove started whistling, and Sarah started to get up from the table, but Linda stopped her with a smile. "Sit down, Sarah. I'll fix the tea."

Sarah let her. Her mother owed her that much.

Linda kept up a stream of inconsequential small talk, telling Sarah all about her latest play, and Sarah lapped it up, half lost in the delusion of being a happy family once again. She allowed herself the luxury of a dreamy smile. However, her smile was wiped clean off her face when Linda brought their tea back to the table.

Linda proceeded to set up cracked eggshells and poured the tea into them- and then set about half a dozen in front of Sarah.

Sarah read faerie stories too. She knew what this meant. "What. Is. This?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"It's just tea, Sarah," Linda told her with a nasty glint in her eyes.

"Tea, she says. Just tea." Sarah was becoming hysterical. She laughed hysterically too. "Eight hundred years old am I- and never have I seen the likes of this before!" Sarah exclaimed mockingly. "Is that how it's supposed to go, Linda? Isn't that how they say it in the faerie stories? Well, screw you! I don't need you- I never did!"

Linda was standing and had a satisfied look on her face. "I knew you were a changeling! They never want to believe me- but I was on to you- you malignant sprite!"

Sarah ran to her room and slammed the door closed behind her. She could already hear her parents and Linda getting into it. They should have known it wouldn't have worked out. Yet- before she could throw herself on the bed- she was aware of a furry presence sitting on it.

"Hello, Sir Didymus," Sarah said forlornly.

"Ah, fair maiden. It is long past time that thou and I speak of certain matters." The little knightly fox-terrier had none of his whimsical and charmingly delusional manner about him now. His eyes looked ancient and his manner was grave. "Lady Sarah- please sit down."

Sarah did.


Notes: You may have recognized the Magpie Rhyme- or not- but I didn't come up with it. Also, in lots of faerie stories that speak of changelings, eggshells are sometimes used in bizarre ways in order for the changeling to reveal himself/herself. Samhain (the briefest of explanations without getting into any details): the Gaelic festival held on October 31-November 1.