Maddison was a bright young girl who had her whole life a head of her. She had just turned 16 she was sure that life would finally start getting better now that she was the age her mother had been when she had given birth to her. All she ever wanted was to be like her mother.
Maddison would never have thought that on the day she turned 16 her world would come crashing down on her and take her though a million different twists and turns…...
It was like any other day she was woke by her baby sister crying due to either wanting to be fed or changed Maddison got up and walked across the room to where her baby sisters' crib was set up. Maddison didn't know why her mother and father decided having another child was a good idea they hadn't even had time to raise her let alone spend time with another child. Her mother was an author who paid more attention to her computer then she did to the needs and demands of looking after her family.
Her father was a lawyer who would work late hours and never had time to even kiss his infant daughter good night let alone see how his oldest was doing in school. Maddison was sure that if she and her baby sister vanished off the face of the earth that her parent wouldn't even notice as they were normally way to busy to even realize that they had children.
She had always wondered why it was that her aunt had lived with them when she was a child. Her aunt was the one to tell her about the birds and the bees, she explained what her period was and gave her the sex talk. She sometime wondered if her parents even realized that she was no longer a little girl.
Today of all days she had hoped that for once her mother and father would drop their issues and their work loads just to spend a few small waking hours with her and her baby sister. But it seemed that, that wouldn't happen as they were still arguing and fighting while she was upstairs looking after there five month old baby. Maddison had just got done feeding Adelia and putting her down for her nap with her mother came though the door looking like she was going to start screaming.
Maddison made a motion with her hand to keep her mother quiet until she had exited the room.
Once out in the hallway her mother took her roughly by the arm and lead her away from her bedroom.
"Maddie baby what are you doing with your sister you know that you are not old enough to look after her and that you should let mommy and daddy deal with what she needs." Her mother said coldly. Maddison looked at her mother like she had gone mad.
"Mother, do you know how old I am? As today is my birthday I'm sure you can guess my age." Maddison said.
She knew her mother most likely didn't know her age and would either have to guess or try to weasel her way out of the question.
"Darling I know today is your birthday. And as I'm sure your well aware of your age I suppose I should indulge your question as it is what a mother does. Your 10 today." Her mother said with a big smile feeling rather proud of herself Maddison was sure of that.
"Mother I'm 16 today as you would know if you took the time to think on what year it was, I was born and then what year it is now. I honestly don't understand why it is you had another child because I'm the one looking after her because you and father can't take time out of Simon says to even acknowledge the fact that your youngest daughter is 5 months old, and that I have been raising her since she was born." Maddison didn't mean for it all to come out so fast or at that moment but she was so tired and just wanted to have a normal family and actually for once since she was 8 to celebrate her birthday with her actual age on her cake that her mother would have to make and excuse to go down to the market to get.
Her mother didn't say anything she just huffed and walked out off down the steps. Maddison knew this was what her mother would do she had done it plenty of times before and would continue to do so until Maddison got fed up and followed though on most of her daily threats of running away and taking Adelia with her.
It broke her heart knowing that her baby sister was growing up not knowing who her parents were and not aware that her sister had named her. She remembered quite clearly the day Adelia was born it was a cold and snowy day. It had been storming all night and showed no signs of letting up her mother had gone into labour around noon that day and there was no way to get her to the hospital in time for her to have the baby.
Maddison had helped her deliver the baby as safely as possible with the guidance of her dad's sister Sarah. It had been five months since the day that her baby sister was born, and her mother still did as little as possible to be involved with the baby. Maddison remembered the day she was born rather well it was the happiest day of her life. Her mother lay on the bed bagging for the child to be a boy as she just couldn't handle another girl. Her aunt Sarah had been sitting at the head of the bed trying to calm her mother while she cleaned up the baby.
The delivery had gone smoothly, and Maddison was rather surprised as that kind of birth wasn't recommended to a woman who was such a heavy smoker as her mother was, due to the complications that could be involved. Maddison remember telling her mother that she had been blessed with another girl. Her mother had screamed and yelled and said that the retched child was to be put up for adoption as she did not want another girl.
Maddison had talked her mother into allowing her to keep the baby in hopes that if she did everything for the child that hopefully her mother would treat her better then she had Maddison. Of course, that had never happened the baby was now 5 months old and Maddison was still doing everything for the baby just like she was her mother. Maddison was brought out of her thoughts by the phone ringing and went into the kitchen to answer it.
"Hello." Maddison said into the receiver of the phone.
"Happy birthday Maddison darling." Her aunt Sarah said on the other end of the phone.
"Thank you, Aunt Sarah. How are you doing?" Maddison asked.
"I am doing fine dear. How has your morning been?" Sarah asked.
"Well I was woke up by Adelia and of course as you know its up to me to do everything she needs as mother and father act like she don't even exist. But other then that I guess I can't complain. All though mother thought I was turning 10 today so I guess that really goes to show just how much she pays attention to us." Maddison said.
"Oh, dear I'm sorry I always knew your mother and father were wrapped up in them selves too much to even realize what was going on around them. But I never knew it was that bad. How about I come over and the three of us spend the day together?" Her aunt asked.
"Sure, Aunt Sarah id love to spend the day with you. Maybe you could tell me more about the Labyrinth I so enjoy hearing all about it." Maddison said. She loved hearing all those stories her father was always mad when Sarah would tell her about them saying that it was all made up stuff and to not believe anything she said as she was losing her mind.
"Id love to dear. See you in a few minutes." Sarah said as she hung up the phone.
Maddison hung up the phone and went about cleaning up the kitchen as her parents had both took off and left a huge mess behind.
While cleaning Maddison snacked on some bacon and eggs that were left cold on the table waiting for her to eat it. She was surprised that her mother or father remembered that she was even alive most days let alone today. She found a note beside the plate on the table.
Picking it up she read it.
"Maddison,
We are heading out for the day as your now 16 you can deal with not having a birthday cake or anything along those lines. We have been doing a fair amount of thinking and we have decided that you and the baby need to leave our home as we will be selling it and moving to Florida for Toby's new job with a major law firm there. You have a week to find a play to stay and move all your things out anything left behind will either be sold or put in the trash. We are heading to Florida to look at a new home for us so please do your best to keep the one you're in clean as we do not want to come home to a mess or better yet to you and the baby being there.
Happy Birthday,
Alice & Toby."
Maddison didn't know what to think she wouldn't cry as she never seen either of them as her parents and wouldn't start to now. She set the letter down on the table and finished cleaning the house. She decided that she would deal with the letter when her aunt got there as she would most likely know what to do.
Sarah hung up the phone knowing that her niece wasn't to happy with her parents she couldn't understand how Toby had turned out the way he was. She remembered everything to do with the Labyrinth and how she had saved Toby and refused the goblin king. She didn't regret what she had done she knew that she would never have been able to give him what he had wanted. She wasn't the kind of woman who had wanted to be married and have kids right away she always wanted to work on her career first.
After her time in the Labyrinth Sarah had finished high school and ended up going on to go to collage to be an actor she had been married to her career as some would say. Oh, she would drop everything for her nieces and would give them everything they needed. She had regretted how her life turned out but when she was given the opportunity to move in with Toby and Alice, she had jumped on the chance to be involved with her niece's upbringing.
She didn't realize that she would be the one who raised her to be the smart girl she had become. Oh, she knew that something had to have had happened to Toby while she was in collage for him to turn out to be the kind of father that he was. To her he reminded her of his mother. She had hoped things would have changed when she moved in with them but by the time Maddison was 14, she just couldn't take anymore and had decided that Maddison was of the right age to take care of herself.
She had spent a few months teaching her how to cook and clean and make sure everything she needed was something that she could do with out depending on her parents. She knew Maddison wanted to be like her mother but being a 16 year old mother wasn't something she had wanted for her niece, so she made sure that she knew everything about sex and how to protect against unwanted pregnancy.
Sarah had made sure that her niece was well prepared for the fact that her mother would most likely become pregnant again before her 16th birthday and that she would most likely have to learn how to look after a child even if she wanted to or not.
Sarah got into her car and headed out for the hour drive it would take to get to her brother's house. She had moved herself as far away as she could with out leaving her niece with no one to turn to. She had wanted to be far enough away from her brother and his wife so that they wouldn't be calling her every twenty minutes to come look after the kids.
Sarah pulled into her brothers driveway and noticed that they had taken the small flashy car that he always used when they were going on a trip out of state. She hoped that her brother didn't do what she had over heard them talking about doing a few months ago she had told them that they couldn't do that to the kids Maddison was way to young to be a mother besides the fact that it just wasn't right to abandon the kids that way. Sarah walked into the house noticing how quiet it was and figured Maddison was up in the nursery reading to Adelia.
Maddison heard the door downstairs open and called out to her aunt telling her that she was upstairs reading to Adelia.
"Maddie I'm so sorry I am late I never thought traffic would be so bad this time of day." Sarah said as she walked into Maddison's room noticing that there was stuff tossed on the bed and that it looked like Maddison was packing.
"It's ok Sarah I know that traffic can be just awful any time of day. You really need to sit down there's so much that I need to tell you about today that I don't even know where to start." Maddison said looking as if she had been awake for days.
Sarah took a seat on her bed and waved her hand for her to continue telling her everything that needed to be said. She noticed that her niece looked overly pissed off and it just didn't sit well with her.
"Well first off mother decided that she couldn't be bothered to look after Adelia at all last night which isn't even a big deal as I am always looking after her no matter what the issue is that I have but I had a date last night and asked mother and father to look after her if they heard her cry. When I got home at midnight Adelia was crying so hard that she was having issues breathing I couldn't tell why she was crying until I picked her up.
Sarah she was so wet that he poor behind was bright red I was so pissed I screamed at them for hours and then told them to never mind looking after their baby that I would seeing as nether of them were fit to look after a dog let alone a human child. Then today after getting off the phone with you I noticed that there was a note beside my plate at the spot I sit at the table.
Well I was shocked that they even left me a note saying where they went, I figured it was the normal excuses that they would make on my birthday, but I was extremely wrong." Maddison said while taking a breath and giving her aunt time to process everything she had just said. She then picked up the letter and thrusted it at her aunt.
Sarah picked up the note off her lap and read everything it had said. She was shocked that they would kick her out and make her take there five month old baby girl with her. She didn't know what to tell her niece she couldn't take her in with her as the apartment just wasn't big enough for her, Maddison and the baby.
"Maddie dear I am so sorry that they did this to you. I just can't believe they would sink this low to make you look after their baby. At least they gave us a week that gives us time to figure things out." Sarah said while trying to think of what she could tell her niece.
"Sarah, I know we can't move in with you and uncle Jim as your place is just way to small and no one will rent to a teenager. I was thinking that if they fill out the adoption papers allowing me to adopt her then I would like to take her to the underground. I just don't want to be in this world anymore I want to be in the underground with the goblins and Jareth." Maddison said taking notice of the way her aunt cringed at the goblin kings name.
Sarah looked around to make sure Jareth hadn't showed up she knew that he could hear his name being called even if it was by someone who had never ran the Labyrinth.
"Maddie is that something your sure you want. There would be a lot of stuff you would have to do before you could leave. You would have to study about Fae and ethics to make sure you didn't offend anyone in their world. I suppose if it is something you want to do, I can see if I can call on Hoggle and see if there was even a way for you to get there with out being wished away." Sarah said while lost in thought.
"I am sure auntie. I have read everything I could find online and in the library's about Fae and ethics I just haven't employed what I have learned as I figured that mother would have a royal fit over it. I would like it if you did call Hoggle I would love to meet him and hopefully learn what I can before I take to plan B on how to get there as I have already decided to get mother to read the words to wish us away to the goblin king if there is no other way to get there." Maddison said looking rather proud of herself.
"Maddison you were planning this before, weren't you?" Sarah asked, looking shocked at the reality of the situation.
"Yes, but I was hoping it would be just me and that mother and father would start looking after Adelia when I left. Its not that I don't want her as I love her greatly, but I don't want to be tied down to a child at my age even though I want kids in time. I just feel that my baby sister should be raised by her mother not her sister." Maddison said.
"I know you do dear. Let's call Hoggle and see if maybe he will be able to shine some light on this issue for us." Sarah said.
"Hoggle I need you." Sarah called out while looking into Maddison's vanity mirror.
They didn't have to wait long for the old dwarf to show up in the mirror.
"Sarah what can I do for you? Its been so long since you called." Hoggle said taking a look around what he could see of the room.
"Yes, Hoggle I need to ask you a few things. Is there a way for someone to come to live in the underground with out being wished away by a family member? As my nieces aren't wanted by Toby and his wife. Maddison has been looking after her baby sister for the last 5 months and she is only 16. Its not right and now on her 16th birthday her parents kick her out and tell her she has a week to find a place to stay and to take her baby sister with her.
Now I know she don't want to have to raise her little sister as no child should have to do that. I am going to try to get them to sign adoption papers for me and Jim to adopt her. I can't see them agreeing but I am still going to try. So, I was thinking that we could find a way for both of them to get to the underground and possibly maybe someone would take the baby and look after her but again I am sure Maddison would do it if no one else could." Sarah had said this all so fast that it took Hoggle a few minutes to even process what she had said and to respond.
"I am sorry Sarah but there is no way for anyone to come live in the underground other then being wished away and that person to not run the labyrinth. Now if it was you who wanted to come live here then all you would have to do is wish it and I know the king would grant that wish. As for the baby if your oldest niece don't want to take her then I am sure the king can find some Fae who can not have children of there own who would take her in.
You will need to make your niece aware that if she were to be wished away and that person did not run the labyrinth then she would be placed under the kings command and would have to do as he wished. Another thing she should know is that if she is here under the kings rule for longer then a week then she will herself become Fae also if she decides for her baby sister to be adopted by a Fae then that child will become Fae and will not have any connections to her at all." Hoggle said.
"Well then I will talk to her and we will decide what to do. Thank you Hoggle." Sarah said.
Hoggle and Sarah talked for a few hours before saying goodbye. Sarah turned around and looked at Maddison who had been tending to her baby sister while Sarah caught up with Hoggle.
"So, Maddie did your hear everything Hoggle had to say?" Sarah asked hoping she would not have to repeat everything that he had said as there was just so much information, he had given her.
"Yes, auntie I heard it all. I guess I would like a Fae family to adopt her if you and Uncle Jim can't talk Toby and Alice into letting you adopt her. I know that I will be under the goblin kings command and would have to do as he said. For me as long as I am not here, I will take what ever is thrown at me." Maddison said with hope shinning in her eyes. She refused to call Toby and Alice mom and dad after everything she just couldn't keep up the act anymore.
"Well if that is what you want then we will have to plan it just the right way. Your parents will be back in a few days so we will just have your mother read those lines to make it right. I will do my best to talk them into letting me adopt Adelia." Sarah said.
She set there in thought wondering if perhaps Alice would fall for what ever they came up with as a ruse to get her to read the lines to wish Maddison and her baby sister away. The only question was how exactly to get her to fall for it. Oh, she was sure they could come up with something, but she had to make sure that Toby wasn't around as he would recognize anything to do with the Labyrinth book.
"Auntie what do you think of if I told mother that I was working on a play for the old drama house down the street. She would believe that I was involved as I am always there when ever I have a few free hours. I was thinking that I would type up a few pages of the book with the wish away words involved and see if maybe she would work on my lines with me." Maddison said while thinking hard as to how she would get her mother to actually help her.
"Well I'm not really sure that would work but we can try. There is no harm in trying. Maybe we can move your stuff down to the drama house and just leave what you want to take with you here. Now remember dear you can not take anything that would tie you to this world. Just your personal stuff nothing more. You will not need clothing as that I am more then sure will be provided for you according to Hoggle years ago when I thought about wishing myself away to the underworld." Sarah had never told anyone about how she had wanted so badly to wish herself back to the underworld a few years after she had returned.
"Why didn't you wish yourself way auntie? I know you have never been happy here, but I also know that you would never have been happy as the Goblin Queen." Maddison asked she was very curious as her aunt never did talk about the goblin king nor her with him. Oh, sure she had told her all about her time in the underground but had never said much about the king.
She had made sure to tell her niece about the land and about her friends but didn't tell her much about the king. How Maddison become so in love with him she would never be sure.
"I was 18 and had just broke up with my first boyfriend. Oh he was nice but he just wasn't the man I had been looking for at that age I just knew I had to find the right man to settle down with as your grandmother Karen wasn't all that found of me being in the house for long after graduating high school.
The night I decided to wish myself away I called on Hoggle to find out what I could and couldn't bring with me. He informed me that night that the king had started a courtship with a nice young fae girl and that if I was to come back, I would have to make my way to the high king to see if I could even be aloud to live in the underworld. I wont lie to you Maddie I decided against wishing myself away because I didn't want to have to go though all that just to find out that I wouldn't be able to stay or to be able to stay and not be able to come back.
I don't regret not wishing myself away as I would never have been here to help raise you or even to help you out now as it is. I met your uncle not even 6 months after the talk with Hoggle. Its not something I could ever regret." Sarah said knowing that her niece needed to hear about why she had never left.
"Auntie do you think he married that fae girl that he was courting? I hope he never but if he did then I will just go to the high king and see if maybe I can live in the underworld and maybe hopefully find someone who will love me for me and not hate me like mother and father do." Maddison did not know why she was so worried about if the king had married that girl. If he had it was no concern of hers and she was just going to be made to become some sort of hand maiden or something along those lines. All she could do was hope that her aunt and uncle would be able to adopt her baby sister and that she would be given the life she so deserved.
"I'm not sure dear. I never thought to ask Hoggle about him as every time I brought him up it would upset him. Now let's get everything you want to take with you packed up and everything else we can either leave here as your mother said she would sell it or trash it." Sarah suggested.
They spent the rest of the day and evening going though all of Maddison's stuff packing what she could take with her and putting aside what she was leaving behind.
The next morning Sarah woke up to hearing the door slamming. She looked around for Maddison and the baby but noticed that they had already left the room.
Sarah made the bed and walked downstairs looking for the source of the slamming door. As she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear raised voices.
"Mother, why would you do this to me? I'm to young to look after a baby that isn't even mine. I will leave but you will have to keep your child I'm not taking on your responsibility." Maddison said as Sarah walked though the door.
"That's just fine Maddison I will put the child up for adoption as your father and I have both decided that we can no longer handle the two of you. That baby's always screaming and crying, and you don't even do anything to keep it quiet." Alice said in a huff.
"Now you listen here Alice. I will adopt the baby if you think that you can't handle her and I'm sure Maddison will be fine on her own. Jim and I have always wanted a child." Sarah said.
"You want to adopt the child! Fine you can have her. We will have the paperwork drawn up and that little devil will be your responsibility." Toby said while sending his oldest daughter a nasty glare.
Sarah decided she needed to think fast if she could talk Toby into heading down to his office and get the paperwork done now then Maddison could work on Alice and get her to wish her away. Sarah reached over and took the baby from Maddison and placed a kiss on her cheek and whispered in her ear that she loved her and that now was the best time.
Maddison had already made sure to have all the stuff she wanted to take with her on her so that when the goblins came to collect her then she wouldn't be fighting them to take what she wanted.
"Toby why don't we go get working on that paperwork. I have got to get back home soon as I need to be there when Jim gets off work this evening. I am sure he will be just delighted when he comes home tonight, and see's this beautiful little girl is ours. Oh, Alice do you mind letting Maddie stay here until I get back, I'm supposed to drop her of at a friends house on my way home." Sarah said while trying to butter up her brother and hoping that she could get her sister in law to agree.
"Of course, she can stay here until you get back Sarah. I am sure Jim will be very surprised." Toby said while rolling his eyes and leading the way to the door.
Toby knew Sarah and Jim had always wanted to have children but with Sarah moving in with him and Alice to look after Maddison, they never had the chance. He knew Jim would be pleased and it got him and Alice from having to deal with both brats.
Maddison fished around in her bag and took out some notes hoping to draw her mother's attention. She didn't think her father would have agreed to her staying there to wait for her aunt to get back. She figured her father really wanted to get rid of them pretty badly.
"What in the name of god are you doing child." Her mother said with a raised voice.
"I am studying my lines for the play I was working on at the old opera house just down the street. Aunt Sarah said that she would drive me to my rehearsals. Do you think you could help me I am having touble remembering the lines." Maddison said. She truly hoped Alice would as she didn't have any other ideas on how to get her to wish her away.
"Well I guess I could help you out as I have nothing better to do and people know you're my child so I will just have to make sure you do well." Alice said with a look of pure glee at knowing her daughter always failed when she helped her with her lines.
"Oh, ok great I was hoping you would. Its just so hard trying to remember all these lines and I got the leading role, so I really need to know them all." Maddison said while handing her mother the lines that would lead up to her wishing her away.
"Why are you doing this play I thought it went out of rotation a long time ago? But oh well there stupid down there anyway." Alice said.
They practice all the lines until they got to the ones where the words would need to be said just the right way to work.
"Ok this is the last set of lines. How silly are these anyways why would anyone want to say, I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now." Alice said.
Once those words had left her mouth the lights started to flicker and went out. Maddison was a little scared as she didn't know what to expect. She felt a couple little hands on her legs and looked down to see 5 goblins trying to lift her so they could take her away with them.
She crouched down and two of them by the hands and vanished in a puff of purple glitter.
Authors Note: I hope you all enjoy my first chapter. Please read and review. I look forward to hearing what you all think.