Chapter: Into This Torrent of Nightmares
"Are you done with your assignment yet?" Sarah asked from her spot on the plush couch, her legs tucked under her like a giant cat. Michu glanced at her from behind a computer screen.
"I just have to print." She said as the printer came to life. Sarah nodded her head absent-mindedly and continued to write on a notepad. Michu starred at Sarah for a long time before she glanced at her computer again.
"I want you to come for dinner with my parents." Sarah said suddenly. Michu glanced at her and then smiled faintly.
"You want some company huh? What are they bothering you about now?" Sarah sighed, knowing that Michu would have caught her immediately no matter how off-handed she tried to sound. The two had been roommates and the best of friends for the past four years. Sarah still hadn't spoken of the Labyrinth yet. She knew that Michu would think she was a freak and in need of some serious help.
"They want me to come home and forget about everything I studied in college. They expect me to be an actress and they said that college wasn't necessary to become an actress." Sarah shook her head and sighed. "They just want me to become their house slave and take care of Toby for them."
"I can't wait to meet Toby." Michu said with a mischievous smile. She was actually wondering what this wonderful little brother of whom Sarah constantly talked about was like. No doubt he was incredibly intelligent for his age. Sarah refused to associate with anyone who didn't have a large quantity of brain cells (which made her friends few).
"Sorry I can't come, Sarah." Selena said as she plopped down beside the tall girl. "My boyfriend wants me to meet his parents and I can't just reschedule that." Sarah waved the excuse away.
"I understand. I would have asked Will to come to my house too but his parents want him at home for Thanksgiving since he's done with college and all." Michu grabbed the pieces of paper from the printer and handed them over to Sarah. Selena leaned over Sarah to read as well, both of them instantly reaching for a tissue box at the same time.
"Don't worry; I won't let them say anything to you." Sarah said, her eyes filling with tears as she read through the first parts. Towards the end a smile appeared on her face and she put down the paper with a contented sigh.
"Hey!" Selena grabbed the paper and finished reading where she had left off.
"Good, your writing isn't as sad as it was before. It's much better." Michu smiled and came to sit with the other two girls.
"'Free from the restraints of the world at last, my heart is pierced by betrayal as I flew towards my hard-earned freedom.'" Selena whispered, shaking her head. "This is bad for me. My boyfriend always wants to know why I've been crying after I come in here."
Michu and Sarah laughed.
"Please come in! You must be Sarah's friend." Karen said delightedly. She had her short blond hair exquisitely styled, she wore a crisp tan skirt and a pink blouse, and her face was perfectly made up. Michu could honestly say that she hated this mortal on sight.
'How could Sarah have possibly lived with this dream-less creature for so long?!' Michu asked herself as she smiled her most polite smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Michu Phixie." Sarah was slightly relieved when she saw that Michu wasn't fooled by her stepmother's false show of interest in one of Sarah's friends. Both of them entered the house to find two males sitting in the living room. An old man with a crooked nose and dark brown hair tinted gray, looked up from watching 'Wheel of Fortune'. He smiled and rose.
"Welcome! You must be Sarah's friend from college. I'm Sarah's father." Michu shook his hand and felt absolute ignorance through contact with his flesh.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Williams." Michu said with a strained smile. She could stand stupid people just about as much as she could stand being bitten by a piranha.
"SARAH!" Michu watched as a blond blur zipped past him and smashed right into Sarah. Looking just a little down, Sarah smiled at her brother. Toby was eleven, white-blond, blue eyed, and handsome. He grinned up at his sister and then glanced at Michu suspiciously out of the corner of his eyes.
"Toby, this is my best friend Michu." Sarah said, gesturing towards Michu. Smiling faintly, Michu went right up to Toby and whispered into his ear.
"Finally! Someone with dreams to match Sarah's!" Toby looked at her strangely and Michu winked. "Your 'playing dumb' act won't work on me." Blinking several times, Toby smirked.
"We must be going! You don't mind taking care of your brother while we're gone, do you Sarah? Your friend just got here, she must be tired." With a quick wave, both of them were out the door.
"Don't mind them." Toby said, his voice and demeanor changing instantly into relaxed intelligence (which meant that he spoke as if he knew quite a lot instead of looking at everyone dumbly). "They always do that if someone comes over."
"Have you eaten anything yet Toby?" Sarah asked as she moved towards the kitchen. Her brother bound after her, his eyes dancing with happiness at seeing his older sister again.
"No. Karen said that you would make me something to eat." Sarah rolled her eyes slightly.
"Figures. Michu, would you set the table? Toby can help me cook in the kitchen." Michu grinned and began to set the table for three. Toby waited for Michu to be out of earshot before he looked up at Sarah.
"I like her." Toby said. "She realized that I'm not stupid." Sarah smiled at him.
"She's a very good friend of mine. She wants to become a writer, just like me. Which reminds me Toby, is the book still safe?" Toby rolled his eyes slightly (he only pretended to be annoyed with his sister for fun).
"It's fine." He said. "I made sure that no one touched it. No smelly goblins." Sarah laughed.
"Good! So how are your friends Toby?" Toby yawned slightly and stood by his sister as she cleaned the dishes. Karen had purposefully left all of the necessary utensils in the sink (unclean) so that Sarah would have to clean them.
"They're fine. They wanted to play with me but I said you were coming home from college. I wanted to see you." Sarah smiled.
"Thanks Toby." She said as she handed him a fork to dry off.
"Are you two done?" Michu asked as she poked her lavender head into the kitchen. "The table's set. Do you need any help here?" Sarah wondered briefly how Michu had managed to set up the table so quickly, but she brushed it off as one of the many talents which Michu possessed. She was good at just about anything.
The only thing that Sarah knew Michu despised was physical work. She hated all sports and claimed that they were a waste of time. She also explained how much it damaged a person's brain when they were hit by a ball or something. She especially despised football for its obvious push towards violence.
"Sure. We could use some help. Right Toby?" Sarah smiled at her brother, who smiled just a brightly back.
"Yeah!" Michu came over to him and ruffled his golden hair.
"You see Sarah? A right little gentleman. I bet he would be a perfect knight to go after a damsel in distress!" Sarah laughed.
"And the villain is a Hell-bent wizard who fell in love with the girl!" Sarah said, splashing Toby a little with the water.
"And the boy forced to live with two peasants when he himself is a young prince in disguise."
"The Prince of Princes!" Sarah added.
"Yes." Michu said mysteriously. She took up a table cloth and threw it over herself like a cloak. Toby was listening breathlessly. "He travels away from his cottage in the dead of night, knowing the risks of running but also knowing of a secret assassination planned for him! Along the way, he meets the girl who is running from her own family ties."
"They decide to run together!" Sarah continued, wiping her hands on a rag and opening a drawer as Toby's attention was on Michu. She pushed the tape into a tape player and spooky music filled the room.
"Then what happened?" Toby asked with rapt attention. Sarah came up behind Toby slowly, her eyes on him as her fingers were outstretched.
"Then . . ." Michu said dramatically, not giving Toby a hint that Sarah was behind him, "then . . . the wizard attacked them!" Sarah grabbed Toby and all three of them screamed!
A/N: Thank you to Silver Space, Jenny, phoebemoon, Megan, and terrie for reviewing the story so far! ^.^ You guys put me to shame! So many reviews! I hope all of you liked my little made-up story. If you guys want more of that little story, I'll think of how to add more about it later if you ask me. ^.^
I think it's obvious that I want more of your WONDERFUL reviews! I love you guys! You're so nice to me! ^.^
"Are you done with your assignment yet?" Sarah asked from her spot on the plush couch, her legs tucked under her like a giant cat. Michu glanced at her from behind a computer screen.
"I just have to print." She said as the printer came to life. Sarah nodded her head absent-mindedly and continued to write on a notepad. Michu starred at Sarah for a long time before she glanced at her computer again.
"I want you to come for dinner with my parents." Sarah said suddenly. Michu glanced at her and then smiled faintly.
"You want some company huh? What are they bothering you about now?" Sarah sighed, knowing that Michu would have caught her immediately no matter how off-handed she tried to sound. The two had been roommates and the best of friends for the past four years. Sarah still hadn't spoken of the Labyrinth yet. She knew that Michu would think she was a freak and in need of some serious help.
"They want me to come home and forget about everything I studied in college. They expect me to be an actress and they said that college wasn't necessary to become an actress." Sarah shook her head and sighed. "They just want me to become their house slave and take care of Toby for them."
"I can't wait to meet Toby." Michu said with a mischievous smile. She was actually wondering what this wonderful little brother of whom Sarah constantly talked about was like. No doubt he was incredibly intelligent for his age. Sarah refused to associate with anyone who didn't have a large quantity of brain cells (which made her friends few).
"Sorry I can't come, Sarah." Selena said as she plopped down beside the tall girl. "My boyfriend wants me to meet his parents and I can't just reschedule that." Sarah waved the excuse away.
"I understand. I would have asked Will to come to my house too but his parents want him at home for Thanksgiving since he's done with college and all." Michu grabbed the pieces of paper from the printer and handed them over to Sarah. Selena leaned over Sarah to read as well, both of them instantly reaching for a tissue box at the same time.
"Don't worry; I won't let them say anything to you." Sarah said, her eyes filling with tears as she read through the first parts. Towards the end a smile appeared on her face and she put down the paper with a contented sigh.
"Hey!" Selena grabbed the paper and finished reading where she had left off.
"Good, your writing isn't as sad as it was before. It's much better." Michu smiled and came to sit with the other two girls.
"'Free from the restraints of the world at last, my heart is pierced by betrayal as I flew towards my hard-earned freedom.'" Selena whispered, shaking her head. "This is bad for me. My boyfriend always wants to know why I've been crying after I come in here."
Michu and Sarah laughed.
"Please come in! You must be Sarah's friend." Karen said delightedly. She had her short blond hair exquisitely styled, she wore a crisp tan skirt and a pink blouse, and her face was perfectly made up. Michu could honestly say that she hated this mortal on sight.
'How could Sarah have possibly lived with this dream-less creature for so long?!' Michu asked herself as she smiled her most polite smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Michu Phixie." Sarah was slightly relieved when she saw that Michu wasn't fooled by her stepmother's false show of interest in one of Sarah's friends. Both of them entered the house to find two males sitting in the living room. An old man with a crooked nose and dark brown hair tinted gray, looked up from watching 'Wheel of Fortune'. He smiled and rose.
"Welcome! You must be Sarah's friend from college. I'm Sarah's father." Michu shook his hand and felt absolute ignorance through contact with his flesh.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Williams." Michu said with a strained smile. She could stand stupid people just about as much as she could stand being bitten by a piranha.
"SARAH!" Michu watched as a blond blur zipped past him and smashed right into Sarah. Looking just a little down, Sarah smiled at her brother. Toby was eleven, white-blond, blue eyed, and handsome. He grinned up at his sister and then glanced at Michu suspiciously out of the corner of his eyes.
"Toby, this is my best friend Michu." Sarah said, gesturing towards Michu. Smiling faintly, Michu went right up to Toby and whispered into his ear.
"Finally! Someone with dreams to match Sarah's!" Toby looked at her strangely and Michu winked. "Your 'playing dumb' act won't work on me." Blinking several times, Toby smirked.
"We must be going! You don't mind taking care of your brother while we're gone, do you Sarah? Your friend just got here, she must be tired." With a quick wave, both of them were out the door.
"Don't mind them." Toby said, his voice and demeanor changing instantly into relaxed intelligence (which meant that he spoke as if he knew quite a lot instead of looking at everyone dumbly). "They always do that if someone comes over."
"Have you eaten anything yet Toby?" Sarah asked as she moved towards the kitchen. Her brother bound after her, his eyes dancing with happiness at seeing his older sister again.
"No. Karen said that you would make me something to eat." Sarah rolled her eyes slightly.
"Figures. Michu, would you set the table? Toby can help me cook in the kitchen." Michu grinned and began to set the table for three. Toby waited for Michu to be out of earshot before he looked up at Sarah.
"I like her." Toby said. "She realized that I'm not stupid." Sarah smiled at him.
"She's a very good friend of mine. She wants to become a writer, just like me. Which reminds me Toby, is the book still safe?" Toby rolled his eyes slightly (he only pretended to be annoyed with his sister for fun).
"It's fine." He said. "I made sure that no one touched it. No smelly goblins." Sarah laughed.
"Good! So how are your friends Toby?" Toby yawned slightly and stood by his sister as she cleaned the dishes. Karen had purposefully left all of the necessary utensils in the sink (unclean) so that Sarah would have to clean them.
"They're fine. They wanted to play with me but I said you were coming home from college. I wanted to see you." Sarah smiled.
"Thanks Toby." She said as she handed him a fork to dry off.
"Are you two done?" Michu asked as she poked her lavender head into the kitchen. "The table's set. Do you need any help here?" Sarah wondered briefly how Michu had managed to set up the table so quickly, but she brushed it off as one of the many talents which Michu possessed. She was good at just about anything.
The only thing that Sarah knew Michu despised was physical work. She hated all sports and claimed that they were a waste of time. She also explained how much it damaged a person's brain when they were hit by a ball or something. She especially despised football for its obvious push towards violence.
"Sure. We could use some help. Right Toby?" Sarah smiled at her brother, who smiled just a brightly back.
"Yeah!" Michu came over to him and ruffled his golden hair.
"You see Sarah? A right little gentleman. I bet he would be a perfect knight to go after a damsel in distress!" Sarah laughed.
"And the villain is a Hell-bent wizard who fell in love with the girl!" Sarah said, splashing Toby a little with the water.
"And the boy forced to live with two peasants when he himself is a young prince in disguise."
"The Prince of Princes!" Sarah added.
"Yes." Michu said mysteriously. She took up a table cloth and threw it over herself like a cloak. Toby was listening breathlessly. "He travels away from his cottage in the dead of night, knowing the risks of running but also knowing of a secret assassination planned for him! Along the way, he meets the girl who is running from her own family ties."
"They decide to run together!" Sarah continued, wiping her hands on a rag and opening a drawer as Toby's attention was on Michu. She pushed the tape into a tape player and spooky music filled the room.
"Then what happened?" Toby asked with rapt attention. Sarah came up behind Toby slowly, her eyes on him as her fingers were outstretched.
"Then . . ." Michu said dramatically, not giving Toby a hint that Sarah was behind him, "then . . . the wizard attacked them!" Sarah grabbed Toby and all three of them screamed!
A/N: Thank you to Silver Space, Jenny, phoebemoon, Megan, and terrie for reviewing the story so far! ^.^ You guys put me to shame! So many reviews! I hope all of you liked my little made-up story. If you guys want more of that little story, I'll think of how to add more about it later if you ask me. ^.^
I think it's obvious that I want more of your WONDERFUL reviews! I love you guys! You're so nice to me! ^.^