Chapter Four: So Sad, Her Eyes

Sarah fell languidly atop the four-postered bed and gazed upwards and through the
gauzy material that served as a canopy. She could have easily died right then and there,
partly from exhaustion and partly from utter embarrassment. She had not expected to fit
in immediately, but she at least had hoped for the others to act politely around her,
especially since she was new.

Instead, Sarah had been met with scornful looks and had made quite a few
mistakes in the course of one short evening. She knew that Peter had begun to doubt her
acting skills, along with her manners. He had not taken kindly to her interrogation, though
she had not considered the questions as such. Sarah had merely wondered why she was
presented with a few short acts, and nothing more. No one had taken the time to warn her
of Peter's strange ways, not even Gabrielle.

Sarah threw the worried thoughts from her mind, along with the entire memory of
the day. It was best to ignore whatever downfalls she might face, and focus entirely on
her progress. With that in her mind she rose to a sitting position and gazed around her
new room. It was breathtaking, to say the very least.

The room was equipped with its own fireplace, not nearly as large as the one found
in the main entrance, but grand nonetheless. The mantel had been made from fine white
marble, and was carved into several figures of horses, all very intricate and seemingly
lifelike. Atop the fireplace rested an antique vase, filled with warm sunflowers, which
seemed quite different from the general refined furnishings of the room.

"Something I can relate to," Sarah whispered as she gazed at the flowers with a
sort of sad realization.

It would be difficult to fit in, especially being younger than all of the others, with a
dark, hidden past. This opened the door for a countless amount of gossip, which would
all be undeniably false, created simply from actors' active minds. She would stay strong,
and ignore it all, along with the sideways glances and catches of muffled laughter. Surely
they could act more adult!

Sarah was startled from her thoughts as someone knocked lightly on the closed
door. She was doomed to be on edge for the duration of the day, even though it would
only last a short while longer. Sarah noticed that the ornate clock on the other side of the
room read just shy of eleven o'clock.

"Nearing midnight," Sarah thought to herself as she shuffled over to the door.

She swung the door open, and was not too surprised to see Gabrielle's shining,
and ever smiling face looking back at her. Sarah was unable to keep herself in the
depressed mood that had plagued her since returning to her room. Gabrielle seemed to
just have a way of lifting spirits, if only by grinning.

"Mind if I join you for a bit?" Gabrielle questioned.

Sarah quickly opened the door a little more, to allow her friend entrance. After all,
brooding over a disappointing day alone could lead to other events that Sarah wanted to
avoid at all costs. Gabrielle paused by the window and drew aside the thin, silken curtain,
so that she might gaze into the darkness and the scant amount of woodland that were
visible in the moon's serene glow.

"Quite an interesting view," Sarah replied sarcastically, noting that the darkness
held most everything in its grips.

Gabrielle allowed the curtain to swing closed as she turned to Sarah. There was
something different, something very nearly unnerving in the way her eyes shone, if only
briefly. Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, in hopes to hide from the look that had
taken over Gabrielle's usual cheerful face.

"I don't know why they put you in here, but someone must have wanted to play a
joke. I've just come in to warn you, Sarah, in case they decide to get smart," Gabrielle
stated, once again averting her gaze to glance out the window.

A series of shivers worked they way up and down Sarah's spine. She most
certainly did not like the direction this conversation was going, especially if Gabrielle
meant to tell her about some curse that would then haunt Sarah's already plagued dreams.
She would simply never sleep again.

Sarah sat upon her bed, all the strength having left her legs in one fell swoop.
From every angle of the large room it felt as if someone, or something, was watching with
wide, hungry eyes. Now the room was not the lovely, large thing that she had originally
taken it for, but strange and frightening in its enormity. She suddenly yearned to be home
again, in her bed, with her dull family and in a boring little town.

"What are you talking about, Gabrielle?" Sarah questioned, afraid already of what
the answer might be.

Gabrielle ran a hand through her thick red hair which had been fastened into a
ponytail, perhaps to prevent snarls that might form overnight. She simply fell into one of
the cushioned chairs that had been situated throughout the room, as if Sarah expected
company. She looked at Gabrielle, and noticed her eyes had taken on a strange haunted
appearance, as if this tale frightened her as much as any other.

"This room is what I'm talking about Sarah. If I were you I would ask to be
moved tomorrow, first thing, so that no one can try to scare you during the night. As it is,
you have to spend too much time here already," Gabrielle glanced around, as if worried
that some evil presence might suddenly descend upon her.

Sarah swallowed in attempts to lubricate her dry throat. She looked down at the
carpet, stainless, as was everything in the entire mansion. It seemed almost that Fontridge
had been built but a week ago, when in reality Sarah could not even guess at its age.

"I understand that. You told me already that I shouldn't stay here, but a lot of
good it does now. Gabrielle, what is so frightening about this room?" Sarah demanded,
overwhelmed with the need to know the truth.

Gabrielle would not look at Sarah, she simply turned to the window for the third
time and watched the curtains, as if expecting them to suddenly move. She let out a
haggard sigh and cleared her throat. There was obviously something to be said, but was
too hard to put into words. At long last Gabrielle began.

"It all started when Fontridge was young, about two hundred years ago. The
mansion was far distant from any other dwelling, and so the wealthy family who resided
here felt, obviously, isolated. This loneliness drifted over the single child in the family, a
girl, who just happened to be strikingly beautiful. One day, the girl met a remarkable
youth, who is rumored to have run a stall at the local market. So, they fell in love,"
Gabrielle paused here to look at Sarah and smile a bit, "However, the girl's father frowned
upon it, for he never wanted his daughter married to a commoner of any sorts, and
demanded they never see each other. Of course, they did not listen, and made secret plans
to run away."

The fire, still burning in the large fireplace, suddenly popped. Both Sarah and
Gabrielle jumped. Gabrielle laughed, but did so rather uncomfortably. She herself did not
want to be in this room for much longer. She turned back to look at Sarah and realized
just how much this entire story, though it was not frightening in the least, had affected the
new girl. Nonetheless, Gabrielle knew that she couldn't stop now, and leave her friend's
imagination to form a whole series of possible endings.

"On the night they were to meet a storm overcame the land. The young man never
met her, and she took him for dead. The girl went home, her heart broken in two, and
locked herself in her room, this room," Gabrielle motioned around herself, " She did not
speak to her parents, but instead sobbed all day and all night for her lost love. That is,
until the dreaded night when the room erupted into flames. The house was nearly
destroyed, and the parents left, thinking that their daughter had died in the fire. Yet, no
body was found, only a single crystal orb, that survived the intense flames."

She was silent, the tale sinking in ever so slowly. Sarah finally shook her head in
response and then met Gabrielle's gaze. There was nothing to say, nothing she could do
in response to such a thing. It was a sad love story, which most tend to be. There was
nothing particularly special about it, yet something struck Sarah deeply and that was why
the silence overcame her.

The final sentence...a crystal orb, seemed to repeat itself as if an echo in her mind.
Sarah bit her lip and at last looked at Gabrielle, who was also silent. Yet, hers was caused
solely by Sarah's obvious fear, and shock with the tale. Gabrielle rose from her chair and
took Sarah's hand in an attempt to comfort her friend.

"It's only a story, Sarah, but others might not treat it so lightly. Many think the
room is haunted, and so..." Gabrielle reminded, dead serious at this point.

Sarah nodded, understanding that she was indeed overreacting about the whole
thing. People constantly added little bits and pieces to different tales, making them seem
better than what they actually where. For instance, the family had probably moved before
the fire, and maybe there hadn't even been a fire, or a crystal. After all, the only true thing
to fear where the other actors who could easily try a practical joke. Yet, the statue she
had seen earlier haunted her memories, and made the story that much more believable.
Perhaps Jareth had come, but why would he destroy such a lovely mansion?

Sarah shook the thoughts from her mind, determined to force the worries aside.
She smiled at Gabrielle and pulled her hand back. She did not need to be comforted. She
was, after all, very capable of taking care of herself.

"I'm just tired. I think I better get to sleep," Sarah responded, adding a yawn for
good measure.

Gabrielle looked her over carefully, as if knowing that this was all an act put on so
that Sarah could be alone. However, who was she to argue? She had only met Sarah that
evening, and was certain that there were quite a few secrets surrounding her. Gabrielle
nodded in reply and then turned to leave.

"If you need anything, I'm right down the hall. Its the only other room occupied in
this area, so it shouldn't be too hard to find it," Gabrielle joked and then opened the door
to let herself out.

"Thanks," Sarah called, as the door closed, leaving her alone in the strange room.

She still held so many questions concerning the story she had only just heard. Why
would Gabrielle be afraid of the room? She had not mentioned anything about ghosts, or
noises. Then again, Sarah could imagine how absolutely terrified she had appeared, and
why Gabrielle would have stopped before talking about the true scary part. Sarah
shivered and tried desperately to stop herself from reading too much into these tales.

She glanced at the clock once again and was granted with another eerie feeling.
The hands had only just fell on to midnight, and she could already hear several clocks
throughout the mansion chiming this infamous hour. Her own wound suddenly and began
tolling away the twelve long droning chimes. She listened to each one, as if it would be
the last time she would ever hear the sound.

"Eleven...twelve," she counted to herself.

The entire house remained silent, except for her room. At the last moment the
clock allowed another toll to ring out, echoing in its obscurity. Sarah turned to look at the
timepiece, mounted on the wall, and realized in horror that twelve was not the top hour,
but instead thirteen. Her body went suddenly cold, and chills wracked her system.

She had looked at it earlier, and was entirely certain that this had been but a
normal clock, ever ticking onward into eternity. However, there was no denying what her
eyes beheld, the thirteenth hour, just done chiming. Why there should be such a clock in
her room, of all rooms in the entire mansion, she could not decide, but it figured.

"Why must you torment me? I want to go on with life!" Sarah moaned, and buried
her face into her hands.

She did not cry, for she would not let herself to do that. Things were not that
hopeless. If Jareth demanded to be back into her life, then she would simply accept it and
the minor annoyances that went along with his presence. However, she would continue
on as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

She brought her eyes back to the clock, and was not surprised in the least to see it
returned to its normal self. Jareth liked to toy with people. Perhaps he wished to make
Sarah believe that she had gone mad. First there were the dreams, then the statue, and the
room, and finally the clock.

Sarah slowly rose to her shaking legs, not sure where she was headed, but
determined to do something other than gawk at the altered time piece. She did need sleep,
but at that moment, when the memories of certain unnerving dreams happened to drift
past her, slumber was the furthest thought from her mind. Instead, she found herself
standing before the large window that Gabrielle had gazed out earlier, arms wrapped
firmly around herself.

Gabrielle had been so interested in what she saw outside and Sarah had merely
joked about the darkness. After all, she had truly believed that there could be nothing seen
in the distance, considering the lack of street lights, or rather lights of any kind. Still,
Sarah reached out and brushed away the wispy curtains with a single sweep of her hand so
that she might glance at the darkened scenery outside.

The illumination offered by the moon was quite brighter than Sarah had originally
imagined. Obviously the clouds had broken to allow the majestic white orb to shine
through. The entire ground was bathed in a serene moonlight, transforming nearby trees
into creations formed of magnificent sparkling silver, instead of regular green leaves.
Even the patchy grass had been replaced by a pool of liquid moonshine.

"A crystal moon," Sarah mused as she allowed the curtain to return to its rightful
place.

She turned, to perhaps go to sleep and forget all about the horrid day. However,
Sarah could not continue away from the window, at least not yet. Something, or some
image, returned to her mind, only a fleeting picture at the most. Had she seen it out of the
corner of her eye at the last second, and only dwelled on it now, or was it all formed by
her imagination? Her curiosity was roused and there was no denying it.

Sarah laughed a bit at herself as she turned to face the curtain and rolled her
lovely, deep chestnut eyes. She was simply being silly, that was it. However, she knew
that she was going to look, and so it would be best to get it all over with. Sarah drew
aside the curtain once again and then bent forward to look through the clear, never
smudged glass.

The same moonlight fell on the same sparse grass and wooded lands. It was just
as dark as before, with nothing out of the ordinary save a strange gray mist that had only
begun to form at the base of the final trees, those closest to the mansion. It drifted about
and moved, as if a predatory animal and not fog.

A gentle voice broke through, and into Sarah's mind. It echoed all around her, as
if the entire room consisted solely of the noise and nothing more. It rode a melody, so
sweet and tender, and yet so very sad as well.

"On such a breathless night as this
Upon my brow the lightest kiss.
I walked alone
and all around the air did say
my lady soon would stir this way
in sorrow known."

The song drifted, taking on more human like qualities at each passing moment. It
was no longer a detached spirit's haunting chant, but rather a song dedicated to lost love
sung by a minstrel near at hand. Sarah could almost believe that, should she reach back
and grasp out, she would feel the singer's hands hold her own. It was simply a funny
feeling, but Sarah ignored it and continued to watch the mist.

As for the song, she decided that it was just one of those melodies that takes over
one's mind with its presence. Sarah had always heard music in her mind, generally after
listening to a rather catchy tune. However, she could not recall this one, and so made the
situation that much more unnerving.

"The White Queen walks and
the night grows pale...
stars of lovingness in her hair."

The voice drifted off for a moment. The sensation of being watched nearly drove
her mad, and she did not look by sheer will power alone. Sarah did not want to fall into
the habit of constantly glancing over her shoulder. Yet, the mist had done nothing
different, only remained in that one area, as if watching her in the window. At that
thought Sarah flung the curtain closed and backed away from the window, still trying to
see if the fog remained.

A warmth brushed against her cheek, almost like a hand stroking her face. Sarah
shied away from that side and glanced around nervously. However, there was nothing to
see, save her empty room. From directly behind her, a breath touched her neck, causing
tingles to lick up and down her spine. The next instant two hands, cloaked in harsh leather
gloves gripped her arms, drawing her near to the figure that remained unseen.

Another breath tickled against her ear, and though she could not turn to see, Sarah
suddenly realized that her attacker meant to sing to her. The melody had not been her
own creation, but rather that of this stranger, come to invade her life. If she could have
only screamed and gathered a crowd to the room, then he would have left. However, she
found her voice gone.

"So sad, her eyes
smiling, dark eyes
So sad, her eyes
As it began."

With the closure of the final note, the fire in the fireplace died, along with the other
lights illuminating her room. The only glow was offered by that of the serene white moon.