After Sarah had managed to drag Toby into his room, she seated him at his desk. She thought about what she was going to tell him. Taking a deep breath, she found her resolve, and looked the bewildered boy straight in the eye.
"Toby, I-"
"Sarah, Toby! I'm back!"
Silently cursing her stepmother for her untimely return, Sarah decided that the story could wait until later. "Ok, listen Toby. Not a word about what happened, all right? Dad and Karen can't know about this."
"But why, Sarah?"
Frustrated, the young woman ran a hand through her long, dark hair. "Toby, what does Karen do when you tell her exactly what she doesn't want to hear? And besides, she won't believe you anyway, without proof."
"Oh. Good point. Ok, I promise not to tell, as long as you promise to tell me what the heck's going on."
With a smile, Sarah reached forward to mess up her brother's hair. "Deal. But I can't tell you now. How about I tell you tomorrow, when Karen and Dad are at work?"
That seemed to please the boy, and he leaped from his chair. "All right. Now, get outta my room, cause I have to get dried off before Mom sees me dripping on the carpet."
Sarah smiled at her brother again, then went back to her own room to see what else she could unpack before her father got home.
An hour later found Sarah and her family sitting in a local restaurant, sheltered from the raging storm outside. Conversation between the Williams' was light and cheerful, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the evening.
Everyone, Toby noticed, except Sarah. He probably wouldn't have picked up on the sad look in her eyes if he hadn't seen it earlier. It was the same expression she had had when he gave his sister the book. Now, every time his parents mentioned Sarah's writings, the sadness returned. Resolved, Toby decided that he was going to read that book tonight, along with the copies he had of Sarah's stories. There had to be a connection, and he was determined to find it.
It was late when the Williams' car pulled into the driveway. The storm, which still howled around them, was supposed to last all night, and hopefully clear up by morning. Sighing, Sarah opened her car door and ran toward the safety of the house, her family not far behind.
Once she reached the porch, she waited as her father unlocked the door. A yawn escaped from her lips, as Sarah realized just how tired she was. The day had been a full one, and with her belongings now unpacked and put away, Sarah could find no reason to avoid getting some sleep. Even the storm, which almost shook the old house with its thunder, was not enough to keep her awake.
The door swung open, and the family quickly ushered themselves inside. Each person removed their wet jackets, placing them on a coat rack next to the entrance. After hanging up her own coat, Sarah quickly bade everyone goodnight and headed to her room.
As she walked through the door, lightning flashed outside. It was so bright that it illuminated the entire room, causing her to blink. Unbidden, memories of another storm came to mind, and Sarah froze, letting the door shut behind her as the room plunged into darkness once more.
She could almost hear the goblins quiet snickering again, rising above the frantic beating of her young heart. The lightning flashed in her mind, revealing the snowy owl above the balcony outside her parent's room. It was trying to get in, and Sarah watched as the glass doors flew open. She ducked, lost in the memory of so many nights ago when this intruder had broken into her home, winging down to attack her. And as suddenly as the assault had come, the bird pulled back toward the window, changing its shape to reveal…
Sarah shook herself from the memory, and turned on her bedroom light. As she changed out of her soaked clothing and into her nightgown, she fought to control her racing heart. Why had she let herself become so caught up in the vision? She wondered as she turned off her light and climbed into bed. Maybe, she reasoned, it was because of the book. She had never expected to see it again. Even in Sarah's own writings, the Goblin King had not seemed so vivid as he did within the pages of that old book.
Pushing the matter aside, Sarah finally gave in to her exhaustion, and let her mind wander off into the dream world.
"Sarah…"
Toby poked his head through the door. After waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he peered toward his sister's bed. Noting that she was fast asleep, the teen silently made his way across the room. He headed straight for the bureau, tiptoeing across the carpet so as not to wake his sister.
"Jareth…"
Toby threw himself to the floor when he heard Sarah. He crouched there for several moments, but heard nothing else. Cautiously, he risked a quick glance at his sister, but apparently she had just been talking in her sleep. As he stood, Toby wondered whom she had been talking to. Who on earth was this Jareth guy?
Now, the boy was more determined than ever to read his sister's book. He took the last few steps to his sister's bureau, and lifted the book from its smooth, wooden surface. Even in the dim light that filtered in from the hallway, the letters still gleamed.
Toby cast one last glance at his sister. He silently wondered what she could be dreaming about to make her look so sad and yet so happy. As he looked back down at his prize, the boy realized that unlike Sarah, he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. Toby sighed, and crept down the stairs to grab a soda before heading back to his bedroom. He would need the caffeine to stay awake long enough to read this mysterious book. By morning, he would know who all these odd people were, he was sure of it.
~*~*~
Author's Note: Ok, I know this is getting kinda boring, but I promise things will pick up within the next chapter! =D