AN/ Okay, lovelies. This is chapter 3 and it is confusing... consider yourself forewarned. Anyways, I just wanted to extend a thank you to those who did review and also to those who read. I was surprised at the amount of story alerts that came in despite reviews. I would simply like your opinion because I appreciate constructive criticism. Chapter 4 is currently under way and its looking to be interesting (although I don't know yet cause its not done). Anyways, I will let you get to the story. Enjoy


Chapter 3: Memory

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Sarah sat up in the nurse's bed as Rea rushed in the room her eyes wide with worry. Sarah waved off her friend's concern and nodded her head.

"I'm fine, Rea. I just passed out; I'll be fine." Sarah whispered quietly. Rea assessed her friend as she worried her lower lip between her teeth. Sarah's face was pallid; her eyes rimmed red around the edges as if she'd been crying, her hair matted to forehead with sweat. Sarah brought a hand up to her aching head and wiped away the copious moisture that had gathered there before turning to sit on the edge of her bed. Her hands dug involuntarily dug into the sheets as her legs dangled over the edge.

"Sarah, you are really scaring me. Are you sure you are okay?" Rea noted Sarah's white knuckles and tried to pry her fingers from the sheet. Sarah let go automatically and had a guilty look on her face. Rea arched a brow at her friend. She knew Sarah was lying to her.

"Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine but don't lie to me," Rea said firmly. Sarah met her golden eyes and found anger clouding them. She leaned back against the rail of the bed and closed her eyes contemplatively.

"It's not that I don't want to talk to you about it, but I am just really confused... I-I had a strange dream, but it felt real." Sarah cringed as she felt an unexpected wave of sickness overcome her when she thought of the oppressive darkness that closed in around her. She breathed heavily, attempting to rid herself of the sickening salty taste that was plaguing the back of her throat and the churning of her nauseated stomach. She clutched onto Rea's hand, her grip tightening.

"Sarah! Stop it! You are fine- you are going to be fine. Just breathe," Rea's voice sounded panicked, her grip tightening just as much on Sarah's hand. She rubbed her back and tried to talk to Sarah, soothingly. The darkness that blinded the corners of Sarah's eyes receded as Rea's voice prodded through the haze of her distorted mentality.

"I'm okay but I don't understand why I feel so ill. I have never been claustrophobic in my life but suddenly just the thought of the elevator makes me so sick," Sarah shook her head, angry at her debilitating weakness.

Rea pushed Sarah back against the bed gently and kissed her forehead in a motherly fashion. Sarah wrapped her arms around her friend and sought comfort in the embrace.

"Sarah, I love you to death but if it hurts for you to remember then don't. Sleep now and I'll come see you in the morning," she placed one last comforting peck on Sarah's cheek and ruffled her hair. As Rea walked out the door, Sarah was overcome by sleepiness and willingly surrendered to it.


Sarah was let out of the hospital two days later and she walked along the streets of her campus with a bounce in her step. University life hadn't always been stressful to her, but she marvelled at what a good couple of days could do for her anxiety levels. Then again, she knew that would change as soon as she entered class and found out what she missed. But she wouldn't think of that now; instead she decided to do some window shopping for Halloween. She paused as she saw a mannequin a costume shop window dressed in an elaborate ball gown.

"Wow," Sarah said more to herself then people passing by. She imagined what it would be like to wear such a beautiful thing, swirling about a dance floor with her partner. She moved around the room, searching for him, knowing he was there, but not being able to find him. Sarah moved through the circles, pausing as the terrifyingly beautiful people stopped her for conversation. Yet Sarah was not interested in their seductive and shocking games. She actually felt quite uncomfortable looking into the sea of masked faces that peered back at her exposed face.

She thought maybe, for the briefest of moments, she saw one stand out among the crowd, watching her with an intensity that restrained her from breaking eye contact. This was the man she had been looking for, her partner. Sarah moved towards him, pushing through the crowds of people, but as she passed a group, her gaze was torn away. In that brief break, he had disappeared. Sarah, frustrated at his obvious game of cat and mouse, pushed her way through the crowd and...

"Excuse me?" someone touched her shoulder lightly and Sarah jumped. She turned to look at the culprit of her startle and found herself face to face with a pair of brown eyes that looked at her intensely. Sarah felt uneasy, the feeling of claustrophobia settling in again.

"I am extremely sorry. Let me get out of your way," she scrambled to get by the giant that blocked her way. He smiled, his eyes crinkling, and chuckled at her plight.

"It's okay peaches, I just thought you might want to get out of the door way before someone bowled you over." She blushed furiously, stammering a thank you and took off. It was when she got to the traffic light that she realized what he had called her. Sarah whipped around, trying to find the man, but failed. Shrugging her shoulders at the odd incident she continued back to the cafeteria to get herself some lunch.

Sarah was extremely befuddled recently with the strange things happening in her life. Visions would flash through her mind but she couldn't decipher whether they were dreams or not. She would have originally called it a dream, but it seemed that each time a vision came to her, a certain familiarity washed over her. Yet it was also confusing because in these "dreams" she saw strange creatures that she knew didn't exist whatsoever, but at the same time; that big lovable giant she had seen in one had felt so friendly to her.

Sarah went and grabbed herself some food, paying little attention to what she had before taking the tray back up to her room. She opened the door and found Rea lounging on her bed, a mirror laying face up beside her.

"Admiring yourself again, Rea?" Sarah asked cheekily. Rea laughed weakly, hiding the mirror under her covers.

"Yeah, something like that." Rea paused, her eyes widening dramatically. "Dear God woman, you actually got food without me pestering you!"

Sarah laughed at Rea's antics before seating herself at the table. Rea came up behind her, leaning on Sarah's shoulders and placing her chin on the top of her head.

"So what did you get?" Sarah shrugged, opening the container.

"Let's see. I got..." Sarah frowned as she looked into the bowl on her tray. It was piled high with strawberries and peaches. She felt Rea's hand grip her shoulder lightly.

"I'm going to go get some food too," Rea said lightly. She wrinkled her nose. "I was going to mooch off you but I want something greasy and bad for me."

Rea left Sarah to herself as prodded at the fresh fruit in her bowl. "Here you go Sarah..."

"Oh Hoggle, you're a life saver," Sarah took the peach from the hesitant dwarf and bit into it, relishing the juice. Chewing on it a moment, she began to taste something else. A strange bitterness that lingered after the sweetness was gone. Hoggle began to wring his hands before her and she eyed him with suspicion.

"Hoggle... What have you done?" Her eyes glazed over as she became dizzy. Darkness began to creep into the corners of her eyes.

"Damn you..."

"Sarah!" Rea snatched the bowl away from Sarah's hands and dumped the contents into the garbage. She tossed the bowl in the sink and looked back at her friend, who's eyes had widened considerably. "You can't eat it. They checked the fruit and it's all gone bad."

Sarah whispered beneath her breath and Rea arched an eyebrow.

"What did you say Sarah? I can't hear you," Rea moved forward to hear Sarah clearer but she didn't need to. The name that left her lips was loud enough for Rea to hear.

"Jareth?"


AN/ Okay I am sorry if this chapter is confusing. The strawberries and peaches do come into play frequently. The peaches for the obvious reason and the strawberries not so much ;)... As for Jareth... Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see.