Disclaimer: Don't own labyrinth, or anything else you recognize. Please don't sue me…
My last author note was too long, now that I look at it. Just read the story. Review the story. Thank you very, very much!
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These Powers that Be
"Sarah!" Karen stood at the bottom of the stairs and screamed up at her stepdaughter's closed door. "Sarah! If you are late for school one more time….Well, I'm not calling in an excuse, and you are this close to failing History for unexcused absences…"
Karen trailed off, as if giving up, and stormed into the kitchen.
Up in her room Sarah was dressed and ready for another torturous day at Alter Reede Secondary. She wore a floaty, lavender peasant blouse and an expertly faded pair of jeans. Completed with a pair of boots she stole from Karen's closet (the woman was good for something, sometimes, at least) Sarah was more than ready to step into first period and tackle whatever war was the topic of the day. She was ready, but she couldn't quite bring herself to leave the room.
She was busy staring at the cover of a little red and gold book, a book which she could have sworn she has a nightmare about just days before. At least, it must have been a nightmare. Nothing like…that…could have ever really happened. Yet, here she was still staring at the little book, willing herself to remember every detail of the elaborate fantasy her brain had created.
Hoggle. Ludo. Sir Didymus. Jareth. Jareth. Jareth.
That's how she knew the story was truly fake, a sometimes frightening, sometimes wonderful dream. Jareth. A handsome, albeit cruel and terrifying, King did not fall in love with a young girl who selfishly wished away her baby brother. Yet here she was, soon to be late for school, and staring dumbly at the cover of the little book.
Sarah finally stood up, carrying the book with her. Sighing, she stuffed it deep into her backpack, and prepared to make a run for good ol'ARS. As she opened the door of her room, Karen once again appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Sarah! There you are. I just cannot believe how irresponsible you are being. If you aren't out that door in the next two seconds…
Sarah felt her anger at Karen begin to build. Karen didn't know what it was like. To have such extraordinary dreams and then have to face another day in such a boring, ordinary place…a place where she had no friends. Karen continued talking as Sarah made her way down the stairs trying to ignore her.
"…to think we leave such an irresponsible, selfish child in charage fo my own baby. How do you expect to be trusted with Toby…"
Suddenly Sarah couldn't ignore Karen any longer. Her ranting had cut a little too close where it came to Toby. Sarah's anger began to become something tangible and uncontrollable. She knew that if Karen said one more word, she would do something terrible. Sarah was at the door, and about to turn around to scream back at Karen, when Karen suddenly fell silent. With a sigh, Sarah left without a backward glance.
As the door closed in Karen's face, her outrage intensified, but there was no way Sarah could know it. Karen was still screaming, but, as if compelled by some mysterious force, her voice was gone.
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Thanks to LadyIconDraco, Labychick, Speaker of the Spirits, Heikgan, Angel-Fergie and Susy for reviewing the last chapter. I can't promise any more chapters quite so fast, but I will try. I hope you still like the story.