Author Note: I don't own Labyrinth, Sarah and Jareth belong to... Henson? or whoever... *whistle* oh..and Crawling is a song from Linkin' Park...I guess I'll just put that ^^; oh and so is..ummm Pushing Me Away, and all otehr Linkin' Park songs that I may include, k? And all other songs that I include! (which will be...a lot throughout the fic, read on!) r&r

Crystal Dance

Chapter One
By:
FireflyOfDeath

-- --

Marie sat idly staring into her vanity mirror. Life was boring. So was everything. Life most of all though. A small smile graced her lips but vanished as quickly as it had come. She closed her eyes briefly no longer wanting to look into her reflection...because truth be told...when she looked into her eyes...there was nothing. She had no soul, no life. She got up from her seat and turned on her boom box. The song on the radio was Linkin' Park's "Crawling".

~Crawling in my skin
these wounds they will not heal...
fear is now my foe
confusing what is real...~

'...What is real?' She thought to herself while paying attention to the words for once. "Certainly not what's here in this dreary excuse for a world...There has to be something more..." She answered quietly deep in thought.

~There's something inside me
that pulls beneath the surface...
Consuming, confusing...
This lack of self-control
I fear is never-ending...
Controlling, I can't seem to find
myself again...my walls are closing in..
I felt this way before...so insecure~

She thought a moment to herself in silence. 'Maybe there is a different world? A world completely different from this ..mundane one? Somewhere out there...like in fairy tales...' She twirled a strand of black hair between her forefinger and thumb. Her friend Sarah was big on fariy tales, and had brought her into her little group of friends.

~Crawling in my skin
these wounds they will not heal...
fear is now my foe...
confusing what is real..~

Wounds? ... Oh how she knew of that...not physical wounds...but...but emotional scars really. They nagged at you throughout your entire life...and you were never really able to ever forget them..She sat in front of her vanity again staring into the reflection it showed her.

~Discomfort endlessly has
poured itself upon me...
Distracting, reacting...
Against my will I stand beside my own
reflection...
It's haunting how I can't seem...
to find myself again...
my walls are closing in
I've felt this way before...so insecure~

She raised an eyebrow at how those words had fit exactly what she was thinking, and what she was doing. She smirked a bit shaking her head, she walked over to her boom box and shut it off. Taking herself by surprise she knelt to the floor in tears. She hugged her knees tightly. "Damn this world...damn everything on it! ...This....this isn't where I'm meant to be... I belong somewhere else..." Through red eyes and blurred vision she looked out the window. Children were playing happily without a care in the world. "...so, I'll just have to end my..boring pathetic life...it won't take long..no one will, no-tice I'm go-one" she mumbled stuttering a bit from the intense emotions pacing through her.

Marie got to her feet automatically brushing off her black jeans. She rubbed her grey eyes viciously wiping the tears away. She made her way to the kitchen, her mom was out Christmas shopping so...no one would help her if she backed out when it was too late. She got a knife from the drawer and closed her eyes. She gently placed the knife on her skin, and just before she slit her first wrist, the phone rang breaking the silence. Marie blinked and stared at the phone. "...is this a sign?" she set the knife back in its place. The phone rang a third time. She slowly picked it up.

"Hello?" Marie asked whoever was on the other line to make sure they were still there.

"Hey Marie, it's me Sarah."

"Oh, hey Sarah. What's up?" Marie asked, trying to make her voice less shaky from the thoughts of what could have happened if Sarah hadn't called, Sarah in a way had just saved her pathetic sorry excuse for a life...if you could call it that.

"Nothing much! Well, I was wondering if you weren't doing anything today, it being a Saturday and all; if you'd wanna come to the mall with me? Do some Christmas shopping?"

Marie smiled. Sarah never forgot to include her in something...it made her feel...special. "Sure. What time?"

"...Um...how about...er...what time is it now?"

Marie rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. "It's 5:30 p.m"

"oh yeah, I knew that! So, I'll be at your house in about ten minutes, k?"

"Sure, see ya then"

"Alright, bye!"

"bye..." Marie hang up and smiled genuinely for once in five years. Five years ago, when she was only twelve her father and baby brother had died in a car accident. She had been closer to her brother then anyone, and she had preferred her father over her mother, which would account for her tomboy attidut. She usually wore black jeans, a red t-shirt, a leather jacket, and black combat boots.

She grabbed her small backpack (she refused to carry around a purse) and went outside to wait on the porch for Sarah.
About thirteen minutes later Sarah drove up in her dark blue convertible waving to Marie to hurry up.

Marie quickly walked to Sarah's car and jumped inside not using the door.

Sarah rolled her eyes heavenwards. "Marie, must you always do that? Ever heard of a door? You know the thing with a handle which you open and close to go in and out of places?"

Marie shrugged smirking a bit. "Door...hm, that's not my definition. Door...something used to keep people out of your personal affairs."

Sarah smiled a bit. "Well, this is my car"

"But you invited me in" Marie corrected.

Sarah shrugged. "It's really pretty here in winter time, don't you think?"

Marie sighed and watched her breath form visibly on the air."I guess. Let's get going! I here they're having a sale on all fantasy books at Barnes and Nobles at the mall"

"Really!? Then what the hell are we sitting around her for!?" She smiled and drove off the direction of the mall.

*****

In the car it was mostly silent. Marie's thoughts began to wander off to different places. It was too quiet, she finally realized. When she could think about two or three things at once, it was too quiet. She turned Sarah's radio on, listening to her Hard Rock station, Sarah didn't mind as long as Marie didn't put it on her Heavy Metal station...that would prove to be a problem.

Marie raised a black eyebrow as she noticed another song from Linkin' Park was playing entitled "Pushing Me Away"

~I've lied to you...
the same way that I always do...
This is the last smile
that I'll fake for the sake of being with you...
The sacrifice of fighting in a lie...
The sacrifice is never knowing
Why I never walked away
Why I blame myself this way
Now I see your testing me
Pushes me away

Why I never walked away
Why I blame myself this way
Now I see your testing me
Pushes me away

I've tried like you
to do everything you wanted to....
This is the last time..
I'll take the blame for the sake
of being with you
The sacrifice of fighting in a lie...
The sacrifice is never knowing

Why I never walked away
Why I blame myself this way
Now I see your testing me
Pushes me away

Why I never walked away
Why I blame myself this way
Now I see your testing me
Pushes me away

The sacrifice of fighting in a lie...
The sacrifice is never knowing

Why I never walked away
Why I blame myself this way
Now I see your testing me
Pushes me away

Why I never walked away
Why I blame myself this way
Now I see your testing me
Pushes me away
Pushes me away...~

Sarah looked at me. "Is this the kind of stuff you always listen to at Christmas time??"

I looked at her and shrugged. I pulled out a CD from my bag. "Actually, yea it is. I listen to 'My December' by them too..."

Sarah shrugged. "Well let's hear it."

I nodded and inserted the CD swithcing through the songs until I got to 'My December'.

~This is my December...
this is my time of the year...
This is my December
this is all so clear...
This is my December
this is my snow-covered home
This is my December
this is me alone and I...
(just wish that I didn't feel that there
was something I missed)
and I... (take back all the things
I said to make you feel that way)
and I...(just wish that I didn't feel that there
was something I missed)
and I... (take back all the things
I said to make you feel that way)
And I'd give it all away
just to have somewhere to go to...
Give it all away....
to have someone to come home to...

This is my December
these are my snow-covered trees
This is me pretending
This is all I need..
and I...
(just wish that I didn't feel that there
was something I missed)
and I... (take back all the things
I said to make you feel that way)
and I...
(just wish that I didn't feel that there
was something I missed)
and I... (take back all the things
I said to make you feel that way)

And I'd give it all away
just to have somewhere to go to...
Give it all away
to have someone to come home to...
This is my December...
This is my time of the year...
This is my December...
this is so clear!

Give it all away...
just to have somewhere to go to...
Give it all away...
to have someone to come home to...

Give it all away...
just to have somewhere to go to...
Give it all away...
to have someone to come home to...~

The song ended and Sarah looked at me raising a dark eyebrow. "You listen to...sad...music during Christmas time...you should be happy this time of year..."

Marie looked at her straight in the eye making her shudder a bit. "...This is happier then it ever gets...you should listen to what I hear off season..."

She furrowed her brows. "You can have really strange mood swings sometimes...you know that?"

Marie looked straight ahead at the road as they drove into the parking lot at the mall. 'You don't know me...' Marie thought bitterly. 'You have tons of friends, and really have no reason to be depressed. you have a great life, great friends, great family...a step-mom, a dad, a little brother, good grades, everyone loves you so much. You're Miss Perfect...'

Sarah parked underneath a tree kind of far, since there were a lot of cars. She looked up briefly as she got out of the car tieing her long black coat tighter around herself, that reminded Marie somewhat of the Mafia, she saw a white barn-owl perched on the tree watching them.

Marie looked up too. "Hey...shouldn't it be sleeping?"

Sarah stared at it for awhile. "...Time is different from where it comes from..." She responded, mostly to herself.

Marie looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You alright? I think my music and the cold has effected your brain...we should go inside..."

Sarah nodded briefly, and finally tore her gaze away from the owl. Marie and Sarah continued to walk towards the mall the owl's gaze never leaving them.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
To be continued...

Firefly: ...YES it is a J/S fic, alright!? Happy!? lol, j/k. I love those pairings. Should I pair Marie with someone I have to make up? Or should I make her a loner? PLEASE VOTE FOR IT! r&r