The first thing Emily saw when she got out of her room was a staircase. She
ran up it - it seemed the only direction. As she reached the top she paused
searching for a way out. That was when she saw it. There was a staircase at
a right angle to the one she had just climbed. She followed it with her
eyes and saw thousands of staircases - some sideways, some upside down. She
looked around and saw Carol. She screamed her best friend's name. Carol
appeared to be standing looking confused at the other end of this strange
enormous hall, apparently standing on a wall.
Carol heard her name. She followed the sound and saw her best friend standing at the top of what appeared to be a staircase at right angles to the wall. "Em," she screamed and ran in her direction. Up and down staircases the girls ran towards each other. Their progress was slow, but they made progress. Somewhere in the middle of the hall they both stopped suddenly and looked down. There was a short silence as they both tried to find the bottom of the drop. They couldn't find it. Carol's heart sank. She gave up. She leant back against the wall beside her, put her head in her hands and cried. Emily stayed where she was and looked down. She estimated the gap to be about 2 and a half metres. She tried to remember how far she had jumped last time they had done long jump, and couldn't remember. She considered whether or not she had actually gone to the lesson, and then realised that it didn't actually matter. She was going to jump; there was no other real choice, except stay in the castle forever as one of Jareth's Goblins. "Carol, I've got to try," she said. Carol sat up, new hope filling her face. She held out her hand as far over the edge as she could, to catch her friend if need be. Emily took a few steps back, and a few very deep breaths. She ran a few steps and jumped. Carol leaned further forward. Her hand was trembling. She could see Emily's face, wearing her concentration expression. She tried to make her own look comforting and realised that she didn't know how. She looked into Emily's eyes, and then her visions swam. Everything went cloudy and swirled into one. Then everything went black. Emily didn't know if she was going to make it or not. She didn't know how far she had left, she just knew she had to do it. Then something hit her from the side.
"They've given up," said Ben, "Both of them!" "Have they run out of time?" asked Collette. "I don't know." "OK, look into the crystal."
Jareth appeared in Emily's room in a long black cloak and the atmosphere of smugness known to winners. She on the other hand couldn't even look at him. "I suppose you heard the clock?" he stated woodenly, "and of course you know what that means!"
Emily nodded. Her time was up, it was thirteen o'clock and there was no way out anymore, she would live in Jareth's castle forever. She would never see her friends again, never see her family.
"Don't take it so badly," he said, "none of them cared for you anyway." She shot him a look to see if he was being serious. He was. She looked away again, amazed. She thought about the statement. "Carol fought her way through the labyrinth for me. She must care." "She didn't make it though, did she," he smirked. "That's not her fault!" "Oh, you misunderstand the labyrinth. Anyone who cares enough for the person they're saving can do the labyrinth. She gave up on numerous occasions. I tried very hard to help her, sending little reminders of you to make her carry on. But you saw her, she even gave up on that simple jump in the hall, you saw her. She gave up on you. You might be free now if she cared for you."
"I don't believe you," said Emily, holding back the tears with all her might, and believing every word.
"Oh you do," he said, "You see Emily, Emily dear, you and I were made for each other. You love me, whatever you tell yourself." "I don't!" "You do. You love me more than anything in the world, more than Collette, more than Carol, more than you love yourself. And I love you, I always have and I always will!" "You lust Jareth, you don't know how to love!" "I love you Emily!" "No Jareth, you're just an evil bastard who kidnaps babies. You don't even know what love is. You have to have compassion to love, Jareth. If you loved me you wouldn't have locked me up in a tiny room like an animal for thirteen hours. You wouldn't have hurt me, you wouldn't even have touched me roughly!" "And you think that love is like what they have in films! It can only happen to the goodies, and then it's all roses, chocolates and smiles. You think it's always the same for everyone. Well let me tell you something, Emily Jefferson. There are different types of love. It happens differently to different people." He grabbed her round the waist and held her to him. "Look into my eyes Emily Jefferson and tell me you don't love me." Emily looked and melted instantly. She didn't care about the future or the past. She didn't care about Collette or Carol, all she cared about was the man holding her, the man who, at this moment in time, was her everything, all she had, and she loved him. Jareth could have laughed at how easy it had been. "You love me," he said simply and kissed her passionately. She didn't push away this time, but kissed back just as passionately. She stopped suddenly as she felt him lift her skirt. He kissed her again, and she let him continue. Soon she was standing there in just her underwear. He lifted her up and carried her to the bed where he put her down as he undressed himself. He was fascinating. A word so rarely used for that event, at that time, with those emotions. Emily was a virgin, she admitted that to herself, and at first, that rugged form that was Jareth began to become no more a fantasy and everything a terrifying nightmare. The morals that had been programmed into her at birth were discarded. Where was the sanity? She didn't see him as naked, just knew that she was naked, aroused and vulnerable. Was she willing? Yes. Was she scared? Yes. He never took his eyes away from that frozen eye contact and then from that coldness in his eyes came the incredible warmth. She sucked in her breath and
clung to his shoulders, digging her nails in. He looked at her, almost compassionately, knowing of her pain, feeling it. That didn't make him stop. He let out a playful growl and used every ounce of energy he had to make her scream. And scream she did. She felt blind and deaf, everything whizzing past her in a daze, if this was sex then she wanted to remain celibate. He ground away, his breath becoming ragged, his victory in sight. He reached that victory with an amazing climax and he felt her shudder beneath him, becoming weak in his arms. He lay her down and sat up, catching his breath. She looked up at the ceiling, spots dancing in her vision, and then looked back to him. But he was gone.
Carol heard her name. She followed the sound and saw her best friend standing at the top of what appeared to be a staircase at right angles to the wall. "Em," she screamed and ran in her direction. Up and down staircases the girls ran towards each other. Their progress was slow, but they made progress. Somewhere in the middle of the hall they both stopped suddenly and looked down. There was a short silence as they both tried to find the bottom of the drop. They couldn't find it. Carol's heart sank. She gave up. She leant back against the wall beside her, put her head in her hands and cried. Emily stayed where she was and looked down. She estimated the gap to be about 2 and a half metres. She tried to remember how far she had jumped last time they had done long jump, and couldn't remember. She considered whether or not she had actually gone to the lesson, and then realised that it didn't actually matter. She was going to jump; there was no other real choice, except stay in the castle forever as one of Jareth's Goblins. "Carol, I've got to try," she said. Carol sat up, new hope filling her face. She held out her hand as far over the edge as she could, to catch her friend if need be. Emily took a few steps back, and a few very deep breaths. She ran a few steps and jumped. Carol leaned further forward. Her hand was trembling. She could see Emily's face, wearing her concentration expression. She tried to make her own look comforting and realised that she didn't know how. She looked into Emily's eyes, and then her visions swam. Everything went cloudy and swirled into one. Then everything went black. Emily didn't know if she was going to make it or not. She didn't know how far she had left, she just knew she had to do it. Then something hit her from the side.
"They've given up," said Ben, "Both of them!" "Have they run out of time?" asked Collette. "I don't know." "OK, look into the crystal."
Jareth appeared in Emily's room in a long black cloak and the atmosphere of smugness known to winners. She on the other hand couldn't even look at him. "I suppose you heard the clock?" he stated woodenly, "and of course you know what that means!"
Emily nodded. Her time was up, it was thirteen o'clock and there was no way out anymore, she would live in Jareth's castle forever. She would never see her friends again, never see her family.
"Don't take it so badly," he said, "none of them cared for you anyway." She shot him a look to see if he was being serious. He was. She looked away again, amazed. She thought about the statement. "Carol fought her way through the labyrinth for me. She must care." "She didn't make it though, did she," he smirked. "That's not her fault!" "Oh, you misunderstand the labyrinth. Anyone who cares enough for the person they're saving can do the labyrinth. She gave up on numerous occasions. I tried very hard to help her, sending little reminders of you to make her carry on. But you saw her, she even gave up on that simple jump in the hall, you saw her. She gave up on you. You might be free now if she cared for you."
"I don't believe you," said Emily, holding back the tears with all her might, and believing every word.
"Oh you do," he said, "You see Emily, Emily dear, you and I were made for each other. You love me, whatever you tell yourself." "I don't!" "You do. You love me more than anything in the world, more than Collette, more than Carol, more than you love yourself. And I love you, I always have and I always will!" "You lust Jareth, you don't know how to love!" "I love you Emily!" "No Jareth, you're just an evil bastard who kidnaps babies. You don't even know what love is. You have to have compassion to love, Jareth. If you loved me you wouldn't have locked me up in a tiny room like an animal for thirteen hours. You wouldn't have hurt me, you wouldn't even have touched me roughly!" "And you think that love is like what they have in films! It can only happen to the goodies, and then it's all roses, chocolates and smiles. You think it's always the same for everyone. Well let me tell you something, Emily Jefferson. There are different types of love. It happens differently to different people." He grabbed her round the waist and held her to him. "Look into my eyes Emily Jefferson and tell me you don't love me." Emily looked and melted instantly. She didn't care about the future or the past. She didn't care about Collette or Carol, all she cared about was the man holding her, the man who, at this moment in time, was her everything, all she had, and she loved him. Jareth could have laughed at how easy it had been. "You love me," he said simply and kissed her passionately. She didn't push away this time, but kissed back just as passionately. She stopped suddenly as she felt him lift her skirt. He kissed her again, and she let him continue. Soon she was standing there in just her underwear. He lifted her up and carried her to the bed where he put her down as he undressed himself. He was fascinating. A word so rarely used for that event, at that time, with those emotions. Emily was a virgin, she admitted that to herself, and at first, that rugged form that was Jareth began to become no more a fantasy and everything a terrifying nightmare. The morals that had been programmed into her at birth were discarded. Where was the sanity? She didn't see him as naked, just knew that she was naked, aroused and vulnerable. Was she willing? Yes. Was she scared? Yes. He never took his eyes away from that frozen eye contact and then from that coldness in his eyes came the incredible warmth. She sucked in her breath and
clung to his shoulders, digging her nails in. He looked at her, almost compassionately, knowing of her pain, feeling it. That didn't make him stop. He let out a playful growl and used every ounce of energy he had to make her scream. And scream she did. She felt blind and deaf, everything whizzing past her in a daze, if this was sex then she wanted to remain celibate. He ground away, his breath becoming ragged, his victory in sight. He reached that victory with an amazing climax and he felt her shudder beneath him, becoming weak in his arms. He lay her down and sat up, catching his breath. She looked up at the ceiling, spots dancing in her vision, and then looked back to him. But he was gone.