Chapter 4 Dreaming
Sarah saw the man mingling with the guests of the graduation party. Apparently he hadn't left while she came down the stairs, but was standing in the far corner of the yard next to her father and brother. She could only see him in profile, but his face was so familiar that she was struck by a sense of déjà vu so strong that it momentarily disoriented her. She paused in her progress towards him and blinked a few times as though to block the sun from shining in her eyes. When she resumed walking Sarah was startled to see that he was no longer standing when he had been. Confused, she turned in a circle and spotted him next in the opposite corner of the yard. He appeared to be deep in conversation with the daughter of one of her parent's friends.
Feeling a little foolish Sarah retraced her steps, being careful to keep an eye on the man, but doing her best not to appear as stalker-ish as she felt. A group of waiters in their starched uniforms appeared in her path, slowing her down and blocking her view for a moment. Suddenly the crowd seemed to swell with additional guests, all of them with their backs turned to her. Someone bumped into her shoulder. She didn't see who, but they struck her hard enough to spin her around and almost knock her down. Sarah regained her footing and looked down to see that her sky blue sundress had been replaced by an elaborate white ball gown with puffed sleeves and a full bell skirt. It was a fantastical creation which had no place at a modern-day party; and yet it felt perfectly natural and right that she should be wearing such a thing.
When she looked around her she realized that the setting had morphed into a lavish ball with twirling dancers in renaissance style dresses and oddly sinister masks. Sarah's own face remained uncovered and she felt exposed in a way she hadn't experienced since her earliest days on the stage. The people closest to her stared with curiosity and perhaps a hint of snobbery, but otherwise most of the guests were busy dancing or drinking. Nobody in her direct line of sight was familiar to her anymore, but she was not as frightened by this as she ought to have been. She caught a glimpse of the man she had been looking for and started to make her way towards him again. He looked different now. Like the others at the party, he wore an elaborate and decorative costume in midnight blue with a high color and more sequins than any man had a right to wear without looking ridiculous. He definitely did not look ridiculous.
In an instant they were no longer standing across from each other in the ballroom. Instead, Sarah found herself in his arms as they circled the dance floor with the other couples. As she finally finally got her first good look at her partner Sarah found herself quite breathless. She stumbled ever so slightly but he had a firm hold on her and guided her through the steps of the dance. He did not speak, and Sarah was too busy taking in all the details of his appearance to say anything herself. His hair was longer now, untamed, cut to varying lengths and containing multiple highlights. His features were more unusual than classically handsome. He had an aquiline nose and high, accented brows framing the most extraordinarily eyes Sarah had ever seen. One was a clear deep blue, while the other was darker. As she continued to stare she realized they were not two different colors exactly; rather it was simply that the pupil in his left eye was fully dilated.
As she stared at him she was again overwhelmed with a sense of déjà vu; she felt as though time has stopped and they were trapped in the moment together. He just stared back at her while they made endless circles around the dance floor. Sarah was only partially aware of the other dancers and of a clock that was chiming in the background. At last Sarah couldn't resist any longer and she moved her hand from his shoulder to hesitantly touch his face. The moment her fingers touched his skin his eyes lit up with something like triumph and his lips quirked up slightly at the corners. Sarah ran her hand up his cheekbone, around his ear and into his hair. At this touch his smile faded and his eyes darkened. He bent towards her slightly and \Sarah knew he was going to kiss her. They had stopped moving when she first reached out to him and now she stepped closer; her heart pounding in expectation. Just before his lips reached hers she whispered, "Jareth."
Sarah sat up in bed with a start. She was completely disoriented and it took her a moment to recognize the sun was shining through the curtains of her old bedroom. She was at home. The noise which had pulled her from her dreams at the most inopportune moment was the ringing of her cellphone. When she swiped the screen to unlock it she noticed that it was barely seven a.m. She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice as she connected the call.
"Hello, Mark," she said, attempting to use a light and teasing tone, despite her grogginess and annoyance. "I cannot believe you are calling me this early."