Hallo thar! I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner. I actually wrote this on the way to and from the coast on saturday. :P Twas good fun! XD Enjoy!

--

Chapter Ten: Fixings, Chocolate, And Owls

"Seriously honey, we should just say fuck it to all guys and relationships." Charlotte said happily as she braided my hair. We sat up in my room, surrounded by chocolate bars, sodas, and large bags of chips. There was at least three empty two liter bottles that once contained Coke and Root Beer, while another four remained. We had to have bought twenty pounds worth of chocolate and chips. It was another Friday night with nothing but simple girl time. Much like you'd see on those TV shows like Gilmore Girls.

I loved moments like this.

Caitlyn gnawed on a Hershey's bar while randomly sketching in her sketchbook. She was probably doing Kingdom Hearts fan art, or perhaps Phantom of the Opera. My stereo played Doctor Jones by Aqua at a reasonable but loud level. Just enough where we didn't have to shout at one another. I sang along to myself while painting my toes a dark blue color. Charlotte had the spacers between her toes, waiting for them to dry. They had been painted a light violet color. The song eventually ended, changing to One Winged Angel, also known simply to us as Sephiroth's Theme from Final Fantasy VII. I hummed along, before singing the only part of the song I knew.

"Sors imanis. Et inanis…" There was a long interlude. "Veni veni venias. Ne me mori facias. Veni veni venias. Ne me mori facias. Veni veni venias. Ne me mori facias. Veni veni venias. Ne me mori facias. Haryuu no hanekata… Sephiroth!" I reached over, pressing a button on the stereo. The song changed once again. I heard the intro of music. This was not the original, but I found this version a lot more appealing. I knew my mom would rather have the ABBA version, but I couldn't have cared less.

"Half passed twelve, and I'm watching the late show, in my flat all alone. How I hate to spend the evening on my own. Autumn winds, blowing outside my window, as I look around the room. And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom."

"There's not a soul out there. No one to hear my prayer!" Charlotte sang along, continuing to braid my hair with amazing speed and skill. She only worked with different sections in my hair. She had braided the hairs beside both of my ears, and she was working on the third braid at the back of my head.

"Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight. Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away? Gimme, gimme, gimme, a man after midnight. Take me through the darkness to the brink of the day! Movie stars, find the end of the rainbow, with a fortune to win. It's so different from the world I'm living in. Tired of TV, I open the window, and I gaze into the night. But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight."

"There's not a soul out there. No one to hear my prayer."

"Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight. Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away? Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight. Take me through the darkness to the brink of the day…" I applied a third coat to my blue colored toes. Caitlyn had stopped drawing fan art, and instead was sketching myself and Charlotte. The song changed again, but I didn't feel like singing along with it this time.

"I know what you mean. Men aren't worth it." I said softly. Well, most men weren't worth the time or sanity. But in the depths of my mind, I thought of one particular man that my mother had known. With his blonde hair and mismatched eyes— strange how they were much like my own. I tried with my might to picture his face, but I couldn't place it right. I'd get images that resembled people I had seen before, whether one solely or a mixture of faces. It was never quite right.

'I wish to meet this Goblin King. Maybe then I can put my mind at ease…' My thoughts swirled around this one wish that I had as Caitlyn and Charlotte chattered on over Footloose by Kenny Loggins. I capped the nail polish, and set it aside, admiring my newly painted toes. They shimmered in the light from the lamp on my side table. I reached over, and picked up a package of Oreos, hungrily gnawing on the sandwiches of holiness. I set the package aside, lifting a two liter bottle of Barq's Root Beer, and swallowing close to a third of it under five seconds. The carbonated drink burned my throat, but the taste of the syrup put a smile on my face. I loved Barq's Root Beer.

"So, Derek was saying some pretty awful things about you after you left." Charlotte said so softly I could barely hear her. I turned down the stereo a few notches, so the volume rested at twenty as opposed to practically thirty. I sighed softly, drawing my knees to my chest; careful that my toes didn't rub against the carpet.

"I really don't care anymore." I said softly.

"And apparently Christa's in the hospital." Caitlyn said. I tensed visibly. Oh shit.

"What's the damage?" I asked, turning my head slightly so that I could see her out of the corner of my eye.

"Broken jaw. The right side of her face is completely raw. Her arms are scuffed up, but nothing serious on them." I winced, feeling my heart shatter. I'd rather have Derek call me every nasty name in the world from cracker to cunt-bag. But I had scarred Christa. My little sister by heart. That was worse than any abuse in the world— verbal, emotional, physical, sexual, mental… All together didn't compare to what I had done to her.

"It wasn't your fault honey." Charlotte said, seeing how tense and saddened I was. I shook my head.

"Yes it is. I'm the one who broke her jaw and sent her flying to the pavement."

"But she shouldn't have called you a bitch."

"But…" I began to say.

"Look, Aery, yeah you said some pretty cruel things to Derek and Christa both. Yeah Christa's gonna be hospitalized for a while. They're both gonna have scars. But that doesn't make you a bad person. Derek should know better than to hit girls. And Christa… well…" Caitlyn trailed off. We knew that Christa had her reasons for violence.

"But—"

"No buts missy!" Charlotte interrupted. I shut my mouth, and smiled slightly as she laughed. I looked up into the mirror that hung on my wall, seeing the reflections of my two best friends. Charlotte's short, reddish brown hair was finally getting some length, just barely three inches when sticking straight out. Caitlyn's golden brown hair was near her mid back, tied with a black scrunchy. They both looked up at me, and smiled brightly. I loved my friends.

"You know something?" Caitlyn said.

"What?" I tilted my head slightly to the side.

"You should get a hair cut. You've had that same look since sixth grade. And all it does is get longer and darker!" I laughed aloud, staring at my reflection. It was true, I did need a haircut. My hair was a little lighter in color than my mother's but it was definitely longer than hers. She had hair that was just a few inches past her shoulders, whereas mine was close to my lower back.

"Maybe." I said softly, hearing the gentle riffs of Evens Rats by The Slip. I glanced over at my digital clock, seeing that the time read close to eight o' clock at night. I smiled to myself. We had been up here in my room for over five hours.

"Honey, do you have to go to your dad's place this weekend?" Charlotte whined, finishing up with the last braid in my hair. I had over ten of them now. I sighed.

"Yes. I do." I said softly.

"But why? Every time you come home, you always have some kind of a bruise!" Caitlyn retorted, her eyes looked sad and worried. I smiled slightly at her.

"I've told you, my dad has really steep stairs. And you both know how clumsy I am!" I said, trying to seem like I wasn't lying to their faces. If they knew…

"As clumsy as you are, I'm amazed that you're a black belt in karate." Charlotte said under her breath. I giggled lightly as my stereo softly began playing How to Build a Time Machine by Darren Hayes, the lead singer from the band Savage Garden. I exhaled a long breath, trying not to dwell in my misery at the thought of spending the weekend at my dad's house. I hated him with a passion for more reasons that just his leaving my mother. I placed my head in my arms, which were positioned on top of my knees.

I'm running down the hall, I've started the countdown. They want me to stop, but I don't think so… I didn't think much through the rest of the song. I loved Darren Hayes with his new album This Delicate Thing We've Made. Sarah was keener on his Tension and the Spark album. I could feel Charlotte's delicate fingers running through my hair again, humming along with the melody of the song.

I'll call my dad, and tell him I miss him. And tell my reflection, it's not your fault… I scoffed mentally. I would never tell my dad that I missed him. There wasn't a chance in hell that I would call that son of a bitch and tell him I missed him. But there were times when I was younger where I would stand in front of my mirror for close to an hour, repeating the phrases 'It's not your fault he left' and 'We're better off without him'. And though I would spend most ever day for years, it would never help.

'I'd always get told that everything that ever happened was my fault. I hate it. It's part of the reason I hate him so much.'

"Aerynn, are you okay hun?" Caitlyn asked, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. I turned my head and looked over at her. Her face was soft and kind. I tried smiling at her, but thoughts of my stupid dad had let my mood rather glum. Charlotte tugged on my hair ever so lightly. I turned to give her a look of 'What the fuck was that for'. But she just grinned, and motioned to the window with her head. I looked over at the darkness, and I knew what she meant.

"You could use the air." She said. I nodded, and quickly ripped out the spacers between my toes. Standing, I stretched slowly, feeling the muscles and joints popping and stretching. I exhaled loudly, before gliding over to the window, lifting the glass and popping out the screen. I caught the mesh, and pulled it back inside, setting it down on the floor. I motioned for Charlotte to go.

She grabbed the ledge, pulling herself through the small space, and climbing onto the tree that was just two feet from the ledge. I watched her climb her way up like a monkey, quickly followed by Caitlyn. I glanced down the stairs, seeing darkness beyond the doorway. Sarah must have been watching a movie. I pulled myself through the window, grabbing onto several branches of the tree, and began working my way up the flimsy limbs. I lifted myself onto the roof of the house, and sat beside my two friends. The stars were bright and large, as was the moon.

"We don't get moments like this very often anymore." Caitlyn said.

"I know huh?"

"If only you didn't have to go to your dad's house tomorrow at noon, we'd stay longer." Charlotte commented with a long, tired sigh.

"Yeah. But at least my mom was okay with you two staying the night today. Even though she's kicking the two of you out at eleven." I said with a light laugh. Charlotte and Caitlyn laughed as well, and broke off just as soon as I did. There was a chilling wind, accompanied by the smell of post rains. It was strange. It wasn't meant to rain today, but they suddenly came. Out of the blue and hard.

We stared off out at the sky, watching the stars and the clouds. Charlotte was pointing different shapes out to Caitlyn. My focus drifted around, until I stopped at a tree. It was a normal oak tree, standing in the front lawn of one of our many neighbors. But it was the dark shape that was positioned on one of the many branches of this oak tree that caught my attention. Illuminated by the light was a single white and brown barn owl with large eyes; remaining motionless and silent.

I blinked once, finding that it was still there. I felt the heat of a blush, and bit on my lip to keep back a smile. I wanted so bad to follow my instinct; that the owl was the Goblin King. But how did I know? Perhaps it was just another owl that wondered from its home into a civilized community. I wanted to believe that it was the same being that had loved my mother so passionately he was willing to do anything for her. I wanted to believe that maybe he still had that love for her, and that it was only a matter of time before she called him.

I'd have to talk to her about it.

'If you are the Goblin King, give me a sign. Tell me that it's you.' I thought with all my might to the bird. Its large eyes closed, and opened once, before hooting softly. It sounded like it was saying 'Hello'. I glanced at my friends, but they didn't seem to notice. They appeared not to see the owl at all. They continued to star gaze as if I wasn't staring at an animal that could very well be nonexistent. I returned my full attention to the bird.

'Once more. Please.' I thought, but the owl didn't hoot this time. It flapped its wings, and took off, soaring into the sky. I felt my heart drop as I looked away. Perhaps I was fooling myself.

Perhaps… no…

It was an owl, nothing more.

---

He felt like singing, he was so happy.

He had been lazily sitting in his throne, tapping his crop against his thigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as goblins cackled loudly and threw chickens all over the room. Just another evening in the Underground. Nothing out of the ordinary. The clock on the wall continued its normal pace, the knives slowly creeping along through the thirteen hours. The heat was still tremendously unbearable, and Jareth was half tempted to go shirt and shoeless for the remainder of his time awake.

But that's when he heard it.

The softest wish.

The sweetest voice giving life to this wish.

'I wish to meet this Goblin King.'

He'd shot out of his throne room, bending himself into an owl with faery dust and feathers flying everywhere as he soared through the barrier of the Underground and the Aboveground. He'd pushed his muscles to the limit, carrying himself to that familiar house in the cold and rainy state. The air was chilly, and he could taste the rain that had passed. This was strange to him. He knew exactly when it was to rain, snow, hail, et cetera. And today it was meant to be sunny.

But he could still taste that rain.

He frowned, landing in an oak tree not far from the house. True, he was a master of illusions and dreams, not the elements. But he had been taught to be aware of certain signs that foretold the weather. Such signs had told him of sun and little to no clouds. La de da, there he sat in the oak, seeing puddles on the sides of the streets, water drops on leaves and flowers. It made no sense to him, but he shook it off.

A few minutes later, she was on the roof with her friends.

She didn't see him at first; her mind was occupied with her friends at the time. But as he had them focusing on the stars above, she turned her face away from such things, and saw him. He'd thought he'd seen her smiling at him; a gesture that sent his heart into a frenzy. It wasn't fair that he was captive to the tiniest things that she did. He didn't know this girl in the slightest! He doubted that she even remembered that she had seen him. Though she was half asleep; partially drugged by his magic. But her heart would hold that memory, would it not?

He'd heard her thoughts, too.

'If you are the Goblin King, give me a sign. Tell me that it's you.'

Oh, he was only too happy to oblige! He slowly closed his large, rounded eyes, and hooted to her. In his mind, he was saying hello to her. But as for how it translated in hoots and whistles, he didn't know if she would understand. But her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. He knew that she understood. She asked for another sign, most likely to be sure, but why give her the full knowledge?

'I could tease her.' He thought with a grin, flapping his wings as he took off for the heavens, back to the barrier into the Underground. He'd thought he'd seen such a sad look in her eyes. A sad love, deep in her eyes. He shook his head as he dipped and swerved into his chambers, feeling his arms and legs unfold. He sighed lightly, feeling his squished muscles stretching. He moaned as he lifted his arms above his head, rubbing his biceps. It felt good to fly, but compacting himself so small was a pain in the ass.

'Do not worry, my precious child.' He thought to himself with a satisfied smile. 'I shall see you again. And next time, we shall meet formally.'

But what would be a good time?

He'd thought back to something that Hoggle had said to him. What was coming up again?

All Hallow's Eve.

Ah, yes…

He would visit her on All Hallow's Eve.

--

Jareth: Damn. I remembered I'd made this decision back in like... chapter five of the original! XD
UndergroundValentine: Exactly my reasoning for doing a re-write!
Jareth: So what was with the deal of the weather changing?
UndergroundValentine: You'll find out soon enough.
Jareth: Damn... Hey, weren't you planning on doing some Final Fantasy stuff too?
UndergroundValentine: And Phantom of the Opera, yes.
Jareth: But you haven't, yet.
UndergroundValentine: Well, Jareth. While you're off dealing with shit in the Underground, I have my own shit. It's called "school" damnit!
Jareth: Oohhh, rough huh?
UndergroundValentine: Fuck. Yeah.
Jareth: *sigh* I feel for you.
UndergroundValentine: Do you really?
Jareth: *inhales* nope. I'm just kidding with you.
UndergroundValentine: *glares* VINCENT! VINCENT HE'S BEING MEAN AGAIN!!
Vincent: *not seen, but his gun goes off, and Jareth goes flying from the impact of the rifle bullet*
UndergroundValentine: THANK YOU!
Vincent: *materializes, planting a soft kiss on UV's forehead* You're welcome.
UndergroundValentine: *blush*

--

I do not (unfortunately) own the songs or most of the characters (i.e. Vincent, Jareth, Sarah, etc).

--

Songs used:

~Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) by (originally) ABBA. The version mentioned is by A-Teens or something. :P

~Footloose by Kenny Loggins

~One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII

~Even Rats by The Slip (GOOD SONG!!!)

~How To Build A Time Machine by Darren Hayes (EVEN BETTER SONG!!)

~As The World Falls Down by David Bowie (sort of mentioned, not really. XD)

--

Much luff to you all! I'll try to post chapter eleven this weekend, but i can't promise anything.