"…you have no power over me."

The clock chimed one last time and Sarah took a final glance at the pitiful Goblin King. This was it; she completed the Labyrinth within the allotted time and it was time to go home, at last. She felt empowered and relieved; but deep within her she felt like a piece of her stayed. That piece which did not pay attention to the final chime of time, as if staying in the past because there was still something that she did not finish.

He could have reached for her, pulled her back, and shown no mercy. Instead he just watched as the girl, the only creature who had completed his Labyrinth, faded to nothing. He offered her everything; any other being would accept without a second thought. Dumbfounded, he stood there, and wondered if it was enough; if he was enough. The once over confident Goblin King felt insecure, confused, and lost. He knew she wasn't fully gone, somehow, he felt her presence still lingering around him.

It was up to him now to return to his castle and accept defeat. He couldn't, however, this wasn't over yet. Sarah; he had fallen in love with her at first sight while visiting the human realm and now she has spattered his feelings. He wanted to make her feel the way he felt, to get on her knees and beg for mercy, and to take back her rejection.

'Watch me be as cruel as you have been to me'

Sarah didn't notice the white barn owl, with mismatched eyes, watching her through her window as she celebrated with her Labyrinth friends. At the moment, all that mattered to her was being home with Toby. As her friends started leaving, she began to fear that everything she did was all a dream; that when she wakes up all her friends, the Labyrinth, and even the Goblin King, would simply turn into a distant memory of her dreams. She wondered what he was doing right now. Through everything he had put her through, she wished no harm upon him. Eventually, she was alone in her room. Toby was sleeping, and she could already hear her father and step-mother make their way upstairs. Although sleep was calling out to her, she couldn't sleep because she felt a strong, domineering presence watching her. Her heavy eyelids could hold out no longer and she finally did give in to sleep as the Goblin King watched over her.

The following morning, Sarah immediately made her way to the mirror where she last saw her Labyrinth friends walk through. She called out to them, but nobody answered.

'Was it all just a dream after all?' She thought, sadly reminiscing about her adventure in the Labyrinth.

Before she could call out to her friends again, her step-mother walked into her room. Oh, how she hated when people entered her room without knocking. She then remembered the Goblin King had also entered without her permission, although, that didn't particularly bother her. She didn't want to start an argument with her step-mother so early in the morning, especially not after she could have lost Toby forever; at least if it really did happen.

"Sarah," her step-mother finally said while placing a hand on Sarah's shoulder, "I just want to say thank you for taking care of Toby while your father and I were out. I really did feel bad about ruining your plans, so to make-up for it I convinced your father to finally lift your curfew. I understand that, as a 16-year-old girl, if we can trust you with babysitting your baby brother, we can trust that you will know how to take care of yourself as well. So, what do you think?"

After hearing what her step-mother had said, Sarah sat on the corner of her bed, shocked, but in a good way.

She replied seconds later, "Thank you Irene, I truly appreciate it."

Her step-mother smiled and nodded her head before leaving to check on Toby. Being Sunday, Sarah's father along with Toby and her step-mother always visited the in-laws. They are her step-mother's family and since Sarah doesn't have a strong relationship with them, they let her stay home. Usually, on these Sunday's, Sarah would go out to her favorite spot at the park and practice her lines; but not today. She was determined to find her Labyrinth friends because she already missed them and because she wanted confirmation that it was all not just a dream. Breakfast was the usual, Sarah had wondered if Toby would say anything about what he had experienced the night before, but he happily enjoyed playing with his oatmeal. She didn't forget to thank her father about lifting her curfew and promised to manage her time wisely. If you asked her personally, however, being home by 10 p.m. was simply ridiculous as is. Everyone left right after breakfast which finally gave Sarah the opportunity to go back to her room and find her friends. She locked the door and even made sure the mirror was spotless.

She began to call out to all her friends, "Hoggle? Ludo? Sir Didymus? Are you there?"

No response, but she kept calling out to them. After a few minutes she began to tear up, she didn't want it to have been a dream.

Desperately, she began to plead to the mirror, "Please…I need to see anything, anyone, please. I need to know that it was all real."

A cold chill ran up her spine, perhaps it was just the breeze from her window. However, she knew that she had closed it the night prior.

Before she could turn around to check, she heard a familiar voice speak behind her, "Anyone? My precious…"