One lifelong masquerade
Synopsis: A stage, a pair of haunting mismatched eyes and a young woman trying desperately to forget her past...or at least fake her way into forgetting. Sarah's thoughts as she keeps seeing Jareth in the audience while she performs.
Disclaimer: I still don't own the labyrinth... *tear* I really wouldn't mind that paradise and having the time to write my next big hit. But alas it is still not meant to be…I shall continue the drudgery of school and work….but enough of that…The show must go on! =D As always…Enjoy!
Dawn slowly crept its way up the horizon, pushing away the darkness and forcing it's light across the land. Not long after, that light flooded through the window into Sarah's apartment and directly on her face. Groggily, opening and closing her eyes as they adjusted to the light, Sarah began her tried and tested routine of not getting up in the morning. Sleep had evaded her the night before, and the last she'd checked the time, it had been 2 am, before she finally dosed off. Perhaps it wouldn't be quite so bad to postpone jogging for one more day? Sleep was just as necessary for a healthy lifestyle, was it not?
Sarah winced as she moved, her whole body aching from maintaining a pretty consistent position as she had finally slept. She stretched her arms out high, reveling in the painful release that shot through her muscles, and exhaled. No…she needed to get in shape for the musical she was set to begin after this show had completed its run. She lazily moved to a sitting position and checked her phone for the time and promptly dropped the phone beside her. The next thirty minutes became a blur as Sarah rushed to ready herself. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten Toby's birthday was so close! Thank God for the reminders on her phone! She quickly set up the coffee maker, because without caffeine she knew she wouldn't be able to handle the now seven year old's never-ending supply of energy. While the coffee brewed, she headed for the shower.
As her feet met the cold tile floor, her mind flashed back to the night before and that icy-cold feeling that had gripped her, mind and body. The sense of someone watching her returned, and an overwhelming sense of danger and discomfort pervaded her being. She stepped into the hot water, anyway, and as the water made contact with her skin, flowed down her body, her muscles relaxed, and her troubles were washed away; or at least dissipated for a few moments. Her thoughts turned to Toby, and his sweet little smile that always cheered her up. She was excited to get to spend some time with him, as she'd been so busy with the show. She did her best not to neglect her little treasure of a brother, not just for his sake but also for hers. He had become a balm for her soul, and one of the only joys she could handle. Anything else that brought her joy caused her heartache at the thought of not being able to share it with the man who in a mere 13 hours had captured her heart. But when she truly thought about it, those 13 hours had been a whole lifetime. She had learned and grown so much in that little time. 13 hours didn't seem like much, but it was enough time to change Sarah's life forever.
Sarah turned off the water, grabbed a towel and made her way to her room. She paused briefly in her front of her mirror and gazed at her reflection. Her mind drifted back to a day a little over seven years before. Her friends had left her, and the party was over. What she had seen in the mirror that night haunted her to this day, and sometimes she wondered what could've been if she'd chosen differently in that moment. What if she had never even wished Toby away? Then she wouldn't have learned to appreciate her sweet little brother. But what if she had chosen differently in the Escher room? What if she had made some sort of deal with the Goblin King? Jareth… His name echoed in her mind, and pain took its hold in her chest so strongly, she felt she was suffocating. Every time she dared to let her guard down and think of him, the pain came back stronger. She knew at some point it would be her undoing, and that was when she forced herself to be stronger than her pain. She set her guards up stronger than before, and hoped that one day she could keep them from ever coming down. She hoped one day, she could permanently erase him from her mind…her heart.
"Sarah!" Toby bounded down the steps, blonde curls bouncing and blue eyes sparkling. Sarah's heart leapt for joy at the sight of her little angel. She set her things on the ground and braced herself as the little boy flung himself into her arms. As she had been prepared, from years of experience, Sarah gathered him in her arms and swung him around in a circle.
"My goodness, you get bigger every time I see you!" Sarah laughed as she buried her face in the child's hair.
"You saw me last week, silly!" Toby pushed back to look Sarah in the eye.
"So imagine my surprise, that my little baby brother grows in just a week!" Sarah knew Toby wasn't convinced, and she knew he knew she was joking with him. The kid was now seven years old, but he was incredibly bright, if not at times annoyingly so. "So how are you precious?" Sarah set him on the ground.
"I'm great! It's my birthday!" Toby clapped his hands in excitement, until he saw Sarah's face drop. "You forgot?" his own little smile disappeared for a minute or so. "It's ok, I know you are busy with the show."
Sarah gave Toby her teasing, crooked smile, and Toby's face lit up. "You didn't forget!"
"Of course, I didn't, you precious thing!" Sarah spoke softly, while in the back of her mind at least not completely… She followed Toby into the house, and they went up the stairs. Instead of heading for his room, though, Toby pulled Sarah into her old bedroom. Nothing had changed, really. She stayed in the doorway, but in such a way that she didn't have a direct view of that mirror. Toby jumped on the bed, and motioned for Sarah to join him.
"Why did you come to my room?" Sarah questioned the child.
"I want you to read to me!"
"Oh? What shall we read together?" Sarah moved towards the bed, cautiously. Toby reached for a book on the bed side table, and Sarah froze. He held up the little, red, leather-bound book.
"This one!" He practically jumped right off the bed in excitement, much to Sarah's horror. When Toby became excited about wanting something, he grew stubborn about it too. Normally she wasn't one to spoil him in that sense…at least not too much. But it was his birthday, and she didn't want to upset him. Sarah took a deep breath.
"Why that one Toby?" Sarah moved back towards the headboard to support her back.
"I don't know…I saw it in a dream." He followed her to the headboard, and beamed at her. Sarah couldn't resist those beautiful blue eyes. She inhaled deeply, took the book and sighed.
"All right. Once Upon A Time…"
She was lost. Lost and alone. Yet everywhere she turned there were faces. Beautiful, angelic faces. Ugly, horrendous faces. She was lost and alone in a sea of faces. No…not faces…masks. The crowd twirled, and moved as if walking on clouds. Music played in the distance. A ball? Sarah glanced down. Her skirt exploded out in a glittery display of white and silver. She wanted to get out. Truly be alone. Everywhere, eyes…on her. Everyone stared…at her. What were they staring at? She whirled around, her dress swaying this way and that at her every move. A pair of mismatched eyes in the crowd. Her breath caught in her throat. "There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes." The words echoed in her brain. Everything became a blur, except those eyes. They remained constant, fixed on her.
She was on a stage, every eye on her. To her right, the cue for words that needed to be uttered. "My will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great – You have no power over me." Words…powerful words. Words that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Words that weren't truthful. She couldn't say them. No matter how many times the cue was given, she could not utter the words. Not this time. She smiled, and reached out to the owner of the mismatched eyes. For a second, she dreamed he reached out back, everything blurred again, and the beautiful, haunting eyes disappeared.
She was surrounded by darkness, and she was cold. "Miss me?" The words bounced off every surface about her, and reverberated in her ears. Out of the darkness, red eyes, so close. Sarah screamed, but her scream was muffled by laughter. "tsk, tsk… Sarah…"
And she fell…
A/N: Hello all! Thank you for reading! Hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! So I have an idea….Let me know! Do you like it? Should I keep it going? Let me know what you think! Or don't, I guess…if you don't wanna…lol…Anyway…I think I'll be able to keep up a little better with the updates! Let me know what ya think!
