Chapter 3
Sarah still didn't know how it all exactly had happened. First, Toby had come home from school. She had taken him out to the park. While there, she got a text from her dad asking where she and Toby were. Then after replying, he sent another asking that she take Toby out to dinner and not come home until about seven. So they had stayed at the park until dinner time. Then she had taken Toby to his favorite place and had dinner. She had done all she could to stall for time. At about seven, they had headed home, but well there was no home, not now.
They were met with a smoldering burned out structure. Fire engines and trucks were every where. Police had barricaded the street. They had stopped her as she tried to reach the house. She could vaguely remember telling the office that had grabbed her that it was her house, and then came the news. Both her father and step-mother were dead. Now she sat in the police station beside Toby. She had told them all she could, but she was still in shock.
The officer investigating believed it was a murder suicide. But why? It didn't make any sense to her. Her father had a pre-nuptial agreement with Irene because he wanted to be sure that he wasn't taken for a ride, like almost had with her mother. She had now lost almost all of her family, only Toby was left. They had no where to go. No family. No friends. She barely had any cash on her. Where were they going to stay?
The officer came over to her. "Well, we're finished here. Do you have somewhere you can stay?"
Sarah shook her head. "No. I have barely any money on me."
The officer looked around. "Look, I'll help. I'll give you some cash so you can get a room at the motel for a few days. Hopefully by then you can get into your parents' accounts or your own." He opened his wallet and gave her a few hundred.
Sarah vaguely nodded. "Thanks."
Toby took hold of her hand. "We'll be alright, Sarah. We have each other."
Sarah fought back the tears. "We sure do."
She lead her little brother to her car and drove to the local motel. It would be home until she knew what to do next.
The little motel room wasn't much, but it was all they had. She had only gotten a single night. Sarah hoped that her friends would be able to help. Now there was nothing holding her to this world. Maybe, she and Toby could return to the Labyrinth. Maybe. Hopefully.
Sarah glanced at the sleeping child in the other bed. The television was on. The volume tuned down low. Glancing over at Toby, Sarah quietly got out of bed and walked over to the mirror above the sink. She needed to get a hold of Hoggle.
Quietly as she could she called for her friend. "Hoggle, I need you."
Slowly Hoggle's old weathered face appeared in the mirror. He looked around her and then at her. "Sarah, what's going on? Why aren't you at home?"
"Something horrible has happened. My dad and Toby's mother are dead. The house is gone. We've got nothing left, Hoggle."
Hoggle glanced around her. "Are you all right?"
"We're fine. We weren't home. The police think it was a murder suicide. I don't think that, but Hoggle, I have to do something. They might try to take Toby from me."
"What do you mean, Sarah?"
"The State may decide that I'm unfit to be his guardian. I don't have a full time job. I'm still in school. I have no idea how much money we have." Sarah held back the tears. "I can't let them take him away. Hoggle, is there any way we could come to the Underground?"
Hoggle's eyes grew wide, and then quickly back to normal. "You can, but it would be up to the High King if you could remain or not. Most Fae don't like you mortals."
"What about the High King?"
Hoggle sighed. "I don't know."
Sarah glanced back at the sleeping Toby. "I don't really have a choice. I have to do what's best for Toby."
Hoggle nodded. "All right. Get him and come through. I'm in the High King's Palace at the moment. All we have to do is get an audience with him."
Sarah nodded. "Okay, give me a moment. I have to wake him up. I can't carry him."
Sarah moved away from the mirror and made her way to the sleeping child. Gently, she began to wake him.
"Wake up, Toby. We have to go."
Toby slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his big sister. "Whaaaat's going go, Sarwah?"
"We're going somewhere. Now come on. We need to hurry." Sarah moved away and began to pack up their few belongings.
Toby slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Sarah, where are we going?"
Sarah looked up from packing. "Some place safe." Then she whispered, "I hope."
Toby nodded and quickly got his shoes on. Then he grabbed his back pack.
He glanced around him as Sarah finished up. Sarah grabbed her stuff and gestured towards the back of the room toward the mirror the sink. "Come on. We need to hurry."
Toby looked around the room as his sister moved towards the large mirror. "Sarah, the door's that way."
"I know, Toby, but we're not using the door."
Toby looked at his sister, kneeling on top of the counter. "Sarah?"
Sarah turned back to look at him. "I promise I'll explain everything once we get there, but right now you have to trust me. Okay?"
Toby walked towards his sister. "All right, but you have to explain this as soon as we get to where we're going."
"I just said I would. Now come on. We need to hurry."
Toby climbed up on the counter, too. "All right, what do I need to do?"
Sarah looked into the mirror. "Hoggle, how do we come through?"
Toby froze as an old weathered face appeared in the mirror. The face looked at him. "You just have to come through the mirror. You need to hurry."
Sarah nodded. "Okay, Toby just go through the mirror."
"Go through the mirror?"
"Just push against the mirror, Young man. The barrier will allow you through."
Toby pushed against the mirror with his hand and watched as it went beyond the mirror's surface. "Wow."
"Go on, Toby. I'll be right behind you."
Toby nodded as he crawled through the mirror. Sarah glanced around her. It had felt like something had entered the room not long after she had awakened Toby. Now it seemed to be choking out the light. Once she was sure Toby was safely on the other side, Sarah made her way into the Underground, hoping never to return to the mortal realm.
So ends Chapter 3. I'm already working on Chapter 4. Thanks for the lovely reviews. I worked on trying to make this a bit longer. I type it up in double space then I turn it back into single space before I post. So I can see anything I need to change.
Now review if you please. Off to work on the next chapter.
Edited: 5/14/2014
