Chapter 4: Giving Up
"Yes?" I heard from behind me, "Have you made up your mind?"
I nodded, "Yes, I have."
"Are you going to come to me?"
"Y-y-yes," I said finally, "I am. But," I added quickly, "that doesn't mean we are going to get married. It just means that I'm going to stay here with you."
"Come." he said, holding his hand out.
I sighed, closed my eyes for a moment, and put my hand in his.
"Wait," I said, "you have to let Heather come too."
"If you wish."
Heather and I nodded. He bowed his head a little. I shut my eyes. When I opened them Heather, Jareth, and I were in a different room. Heather was no longer in jeans and a purple shirt. She was in a purple dress. Jareth was in white tights with a white shirt on. He had on a belt made of leather and it was incrusted with rubies. I looked down at myself.
I was wearing a blood-red dress with black lace trim. My hair was in braided pigtails. I also noticed, when I moved my arms, that the dress was shoulderless. I was in total love with it. I looked in a mirror and found I looked beautiful. So did Heather. She looked like a princess. She had her hair down on her shoulders and her bangs were down to her eyebrows. She was stunning.
"How?" I asked.
"I did it." Jareth said.
"How did you do it without me noticing?"
"I have magic to go anywhere with my mind, but I, also, have the magic to change anything."
"That's co-" I was about to say 'cool' but I fainted.
I noticed I was laying on something soft.
"When we were in the oubliette she was determined to save both me and Jon, but when I told her not to give into you, as we planned, she said she had to do it for us. But, I saw something else in her eyes, besides determination." Heather said.
I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep.
"What was it?" Jareth said.
"It was . . . love . . . but I couldn't be sure."
"You're her cousin! You should be able to read her like a book!" he whispered fiercely.
"I tried. Where is Jon? When she wakes up, she'll want to see him."
"I sent him back already. Remember how you wanted me to erase you from your families mind? You wanted everyone to forget about you but you didn't want Ashley to forget. Why?"
"Because I knew she would help me sooner or later and I couldn't bear the thought of my parents going through that. It was bad enough she had to suffer through it."
"I was thinking of offering her that choice. To have her your family forget about her, or to let them remember her and suffer."
"Another reason I didn't want to be erased from her mind was because I knew you had fallen in love with her and you wanted me to help you get her. I wanted to help you, but also, help her. That is the only reason I agreed to help you. When I was still in the human world, we were so close and I knew she longed for someone to love. All you had to do was look in her eyes and you could see the loneliness. Plus, you had to read her poems. I read them while she wasn't there. If she knew, she would kill me."
"You read my poems?!!?" I shouted, jumping from the bed.
"You heard us?"
"Yes. I heard everything. It's OK. I'm not mad with either one of you. It's just . . . if you wanted to read my poems, all you had to do was ask." I turned to Jareth, "Could you erase me from our families mind?"
"Do you want that?"
"Yes. I want them to be happy. Make everyone forget I ever existed."
Jareth nodded. He waved his hand.
"It is done."
"Thank you, Jareth."
"You're welcome. I will leave the two of you alone to get to know what has happened over the years." he said and disappeared.
"So . . . you lied to me."
"I know. I'm sorry, Ashley."
"It's OK, Heather."
"I only did it because I wanted to see you again, and I wanted you to be happy."
"The only thing you had to do to make me happy was be alive and well. Were you really trapped in the oubliette?"
"No. I fell in when I was looking for Davey, but as soon as my time was up, Jareth came and said I could either live with him in the castle or I could have stayed there. I chose the castle. This is my room."
I looked at the room. The walls were purple and so was the bedspread, curtians, and furniture.
"I picked the color." she said.
"I noticed. You know, I just noticed something."
"What?"
"You haven't changed a bit from when we were kids, or when I was 8 and you were 6. Remember when we were in a play and we ruined it because we didn't want to be in it. And remember how you always used to copy me? You still did that when you were 11."
"I still do. Notice my clothes?"
They were exactly what I had at home, except mine were red and black and hers were purple.
"They are just like mine. You even have your hair the same way. Only difference being, I'm a goth and you are not. Well, not yet anyway." I smirked.
"Make me goth."
"Gladly. You can were purple, but dark shades."
She changed into a dark purple shirt and pants. I did her make-up. There was the black eye-liner and lip-liner. Then black lipstick, black eye shadow and the white conceler. When I finished, Heather looked just like me. Then I did her nail polish, just like mine, black.
"Wow." she said when she looked into the mirror, "Is that me?" she asked touching her cheek.
"Yes. Do you like it?"
"Are you kidding? I look JUST like you! I LOVE it!" She got up off the chair and hugged me. Before she left, we hugged all the time. It was just something we did. it was habit.
"Hello, Ashley, Hea-" Jareth stopped speaking as he saw Heather.
"Like it? I did it." I said.
"She looks just like you, Ashley. Well, except for the whole height thing."
I put my arm across Heather's chest as she went to lunge at him, "Heather and I are VERY touchy about our height. Mention it again and you will regret it." I warned. Heather relaxed and came to my side.
"You two look like twins."
"I wish we were." Heather said.
"Yea, we're so close, and we look so much alike, people think we are!" I remembered something funny, "Heather, remember when I was 10 and you were 8 when Aunt Lucy visited. She saw us the year before and she couldn't tell us apart! That was funny."
"Yes. It was quite funny." Jareth said.
"How do you know, Jareth? We didn't even know you then."
"Ashley, he has been watching you since you were . . . " she looked at Jareth.
"Since you were two years old." he finished.
"You've watched me for fourteen years?!!?"
Jareth nodded.
"OK, I'm not going to faint this time. I've done that enough for one lifetime." I managed not to faint.
"So . . . have you two kissed yet?" Heather asked.
"HEATHER!" I shouted and stared at her in shock.
"I take that as a no." she giggled.
"It's a no." I glared at her. Jareth chuckled.
"Well, you two should. I mean, you are going to get married, and you haven't even kissed yet?"
"I'm not ready for marriage, yet."
"I can wait."
"Good. Because my parents got married when they were really young and they regretted it. So, I'm going to wait for a few years."
"Audrey," Heather protested, "you and Jareth are perfect for each other, you have to be together."
"We can be friends. If, over the years, something else developes, then . . . I'll think about it."
"Friends are better than nothing."
I nodded. Heather sighed and then she nodded.
"Yes?" I heard from behind me, "Have you made up your mind?"
I nodded, "Yes, I have."
"Are you going to come to me?"
"Y-y-yes," I said finally, "I am. But," I added quickly, "that doesn't mean we are going to get married. It just means that I'm going to stay here with you."
"Come." he said, holding his hand out.
I sighed, closed my eyes for a moment, and put my hand in his.
"Wait," I said, "you have to let Heather come too."
"If you wish."
Heather and I nodded. He bowed his head a little. I shut my eyes. When I opened them Heather, Jareth, and I were in a different room. Heather was no longer in jeans and a purple shirt. She was in a purple dress. Jareth was in white tights with a white shirt on. He had on a belt made of leather and it was incrusted with rubies. I looked down at myself.
I was wearing a blood-red dress with black lace trim. My hair was in braided pigtails. I also noticed, when I moved my arms, that the dress was shoulderless. I was in total love with it. I looked in a mirror and found I looked beautiful. So did Heather. She looked like a princess. She had her hair down on her shoulders and her bangs were down to her eyebrows. She was stunning.
"How?" I asked.
"I did it." Jareth said.
"How did you do it without me noticing?"
"I have magic to go anywhere with my mind, but I, also, have the magic to change anything."
"That's co-" I was about to say 'cool' but I fainted.
I noticed I was laying on something soft.
"When we were in the oubliette she was determined to save both me and Jon, but when I told her not to give into you, as we planned, she said she had to do it for us. But, I saw something else in her eyes, besides determination." Heather said.
I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep.
"What was it?" Jareth said.
"It was . . . love . . . but I couldn't be sure."
"You're her cousin! You should be able to read her like a book!" he whispered fiercely.
"I tried. Where is Jon? When she wakes up, she'll want to see him."
"I sent him back already. Remember how you wanted me to erase you from your families mind? You wanted everyone to forget about you but you didn't want Ashley to forget. Why?"
"Because I knew she would help me sooner or later and I couldn't bear the thought of my parents going through that. It was bad enough she had to suffer through it."
"I was thinking of offering her that choice. To have her your family forget about her, or to let them remember her and suffer."
"Another reason I didn't want to be erased from her mind was because I knew you had fallen in love with her and you wanted me to help you get her. I wanted to help you, but also, help her. That is the only reason I agreed to help you. When I was still in the human world, we were so close and I knew she longed for someone to love. All you had to do was look in her eyes and you could see the loneliness. Plus, you had to read her poems. I read them while she wasn't there. If she knew, she would kill me."
"You read my poems?!!?" I shouted, jumping from the bed.
"You heard us?"
"Yes. I heard everything. It's OK. I'm not mad with either one of you. It's just . . . if you wanted to read my poems, all you had to do was ask." I turned to Jareth, "Could you erase me from our families mind?"
"Do you want that?"
"Yes. I want them to be happy. Make everyone forget I ever existed."
Jareth nodded. He waved his hand.
"It is done."
"Thank you, Jareth."
"You're welcome. I will leave the two of you alone to get to know what has happened over the years." he said and disappeared.
"So . . . you lied to me."
"I know. I'm sorry, Ashley."
"It's OK, Heather."
"I only did it because I wanted to see you again, and I wanted you to be happy."
"The only thing you had to do to make me happy was be alive and well. Were you really trapped in the oubliette?"
"No. I fell in when I was looking for Davey, but as soon as my time was up, Jareth came and said I could either live with him in the castle or I could have stayed there. I chose the castle. This is my room."
I looked at the room. The walls were purple and so was the bedspread, curtians, and furniture.
"I picked the color." she said.
"I noticed. You know, I just noticed something."
"What?"
"You haven't changed a bit from when we were kids, or when I was 8 and you were 6. Remember when we were in a play and we ruined it because we didn't want to be in it. And remember how you always used to copy me? You still did that when you were 11."
"I still do. Notice my clothes?"
They were exactly what I had at home, except mine were red and black and hers were purple.
"They are just like mine. You even have your hair the same way. Only difference being, I'm a goth and you are not. Well, not yet anyway." I smirked.
"Make me goth."
"Gladly. You can were purple, but dark shades."
She changed into a dark purple shirt and pants. I did her make-up. There was the black eye-liner and lip-liner. Then black lipstick, black eye shadow and the white conceler. When I finished, Heather looked just like me. Then I did her nail polish, just like mine, black.
"Wow." she said when she looked into the mirror, "Is that me?" she asked touching her cheek.
"Yes. Do you like it?"
"Are you kidding? I look JUST like you! I LOVE it!" She got up off the chair and hugged me. Before she left, we hugged all the time. It was just something we did. it was habit.
"Hello, Ashley, Hea-" Jareth stopped speaking as he saw Heather.
"Like it? I did it." I said.
"She looks just like you, Ashley. Well, except for the whole height thing."
I put my arm across Heather's chest as she went to lunge at him, "Heather and I are VERY touchy about our height. Mention it again and you will regret it." I warned. Heather relaxed and came to my side.
"You two look like twins."
"I wish we were." Heather said.
"Yea, we're so close, and we look so much alike, people think we are!" I remembered something funny, "Heather, remember when I was 10 and you were 8 when Aunt Lucy visited. She saw us the year before and she couldn't tell us apart! That was funny."
"Yes. It was quite funny." Jareth said.
"How do you know, Jareth? We didn't even know you then."
"Ashley, he has been watching you since you were . . . " she looked at Jareth.
"Since you were two years old." he finished.
"You've watched me for fourteen years?!!?"
Jareth nodded.
"OK, I'm not going to faint this time. I've done that enough for one lifetime." I managed not to faint.
"So . . . have you two kissed yet?" Heather asked.
"HEATHER!" I shouted and stared at her in shock.
"I take that as a no." she giggled.
"It's a no." I glared at her. Jareth chuckled.
"Well, you two should. I mean, you are going to get married, and you haven't even kissed yet?"
"I'm not ready for marriage, yet."
"I can wait."
"Good. Because my parents got married when they were really young and they regretted it. So, I'm going to wait for a few years."
"Audrey," Heather protested, "you and Jareth are perfect for each other, you have to be together."
"We can be friends. If, over the years, something else developes, then . . . I'll think about it."
"Friends are better than nothing."
I nodded. Heather sighed and then she nodded.