Chapter 4. A Favour.
"So he was just - there?" Red looked at Starlit and shook her head as the dark blonde girl nodded. "That's bad."
"Yeah, 'specially as I have no idea how long he was actually in there for!" she blushed scarlet, and Red looked sympathetic.
"It couldn't have been for that long." she said comfortingly, knowing her friend was extremely self conscious. "You would've noticed!"
"Yeah, I guess, wouldn't I?" Starlit tried to cheer herself up and pointed to a park. "C'mon Red, lets go and play on the swings!" she grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her along, listening to her half-hearted mumblings of "How old are we?" "If anyone I know sees me you're dead Starlit" "I wish you wouldn't do this.!"
Starlit cackled and dumped her bags on the floor, running at the swings and leaping onto them with the grace and agility only a dancer possessed. Red watched her enviously and scrambled up onto a swing herself.
"Show off."
"Oh moo!" Starlit retorted, hanging herself upside down on the bar. "So," she grinned. "You never did tell me how you got to the Labyrinth with the weird Jazza lookie likie."
Red sighed.
"That weird Jazza lookie likie is his big brother Trent. I spoke to Hoggle, and he sent me to get him."
"Really? Big brother? He didn't look - well he did - but I mean - he - looked a bit - well - you know."
"Mortal?" Red sniggered. "He lives in Newcastle."
"You're kidding me!" Starlit looked amazed. "He doesn't?"
"He does you know!"
"No way!"
"Look, he does alright!"
"Okay! Well, what else happened?"
"Well, I went to see him, and the first thing he said to me after I'd told him it was because of Jareth I'd come was 'What's he done now?'" Red grinned. "He took me to the Labyrinth and I rescued you."
"Yeah, but - how come, if he's older, how come he's not Goblin King?" Starlit asked. Red shrugged.
"Never asked." She said. Starlit shrugged too.
"Hey!" she grinned, getting an idea. "If the J-man don't leave us alone, we could go to Newcastle and ask his big brother to sort him out!" she cackled. Red shook her head slightly.
"You're mad Starlit." She commented. Starlit poked out her tongue and swung herself the right way round.
"Give you a challenge, betcha can't swing higher than me!"
"You're on!"
The two girls started swinging as Jareth watched. He didn't let them see him, and he was too far away to have heard their conversation. All he was interested in was watching them. He hadn't realised it, but he'd rather missed having someone running around in his Labyrinth, and he had also rather missed Starlit. She was as lippy and as obstinate, with a temper to match his own. He growled to himself and wondered how he could entice her back into the Labyrinth; just watching the expression on her face, and the face of Red, as they had heard the clock strike thirteen.
He wasn't generous to anyone, not anymore.
"So he was just - there?" Red looked at Starlit and shook her head as the dark blonde girl nodded. "That's bad."
"Yeah, 'specially as I have no idea how long he was actually in there for!" she blushed scarlet, and Red looked sympathetic.
"It couldn't have been for that long." she said comfortingly, knowing her friend was extremely self conscious. "You would've noticed!"
"Yeah, I guess, wouldn't I?" Starlit tried to cheer herself up and pointed to a park. "C'mon Red, lets go and play on the swings!" she grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her along, listening to her half-hearted mumblings of "How old are we?" "If anyone I know sees me you're dead Starlit" "I wish you wouldn't do this.!"
Starlit cackled and dumped her bags on the floor, running at the swings and leaping onto them with the grace and agility only a dancer possessed. Red watched her enviously and scrambled up onto a swing herself.
"Show off."
"Oh moo!" Starlit retorted, hanging herself upside down on the bar. "So," she grinned. "You never did tell me how you got to the Labyrinth with the weird Jazza lookie likie."
Red sighed.
"That weird Jazza lookie likie is his big brother Trent. I spoke to Hoggle, and he sent me to get him."
"Really? Big brother? He didn't look - well he did - but I mean - he - looked a bit - well - you know."
"Mortal?" Red sniggered. "He lives in Newcastle."
"You're kidding me!" Starlit looked amazed. "He doesn't?"
"He does you know!"
"No way!"
"Look, he does alright!"
"Okay! Well, what else happened?"
"Well, I went to see him, and the first thing he said to me after I'd told him it was because of Jareth I'd come was 'What's he done now?'" Red grinned. "He took me to the Labyrinth and I rescued you."
"Yeah, but - how come, if he's older, how come he's not Goblin King?" Starlit asked. Red shrugged.
"Never asked." She said. Starlit shrugged too.
"Hey!" she grinned, getting an idea. "If the J-man don't leave us alone, we could go to Newcastle and ask his big brother to sort him out!" she cackled. Red shook her head slightly.
"You're mad Starlit." She commented. Starlit poked out her tongue and swung herself the right way round.
"Give you a challenge, betcha can't swing higher than me!"
"You're on!"
The two girls started swinging as Jareth watched. He didn't let them see him, and he was too far away to have heard their conversation. All he was interested in was watching them. He hadn't realised it, but he'd rather missed having someone running around in his Labyrinth, and he had also rather missed Starlit. She was as lippy and as obstinate, with a temper to match his own. He growled to himself and wondered how he could entice her back into the Labyrinth; just watching the expression on her face, and the face of Red, as they had heard the clock strike thirteen.
He wasn't generous to anyone, not anymore.