Ok, so I am at a pointing my life when there are too few hours in the days and nights to accomplish all I need to. I have written and am now directing and performing in a play with my drama club. I am in the middle of three jobs right now - my work at the magazines, and my day job playing games and reading to the elderly. I am also taking several college courses over the summer, and preparing for my senior year of high school. Among other things I am searching for my future college. Alas, all these take up the hours of my day, and I have very little time to concentrate on writing.

            I have received several reviews which complain about the shortness of my chapters, and I seriously wish to apologize for that. As I have mentioned before, I have stopped sleeping properly. Insomnia is a cruel condition, and makes thinking hard. But it also adds to my hours in which I can work. This means I can write about one chapter a day for you, but the chapters will be short. My only other option would be to update less, and have more content within each chapter. However from my own experiences, I've hated having to wait for days for a writer to update, so I plan to continue on in this fashion. Ok, I've said my piece, on with the show!

            Disclaimer: Not mine, someone else got to them first…

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            Sarah groaned and rolled over. A sudden feeling of déjà vu came over her, and she realized that this was the second time she had awoken in bed that day. The memories of the day came flooding back to her, and Sarah bolted straight up in bed.

            "Jareth…" she hissed, her voice dripping with murderous venom.

            "Yes?" The voice startled her, and Sarah sprung around to meet an amused Goblin King.

            "What's going on???" She asked as soon as she had regained her posture.

            "Whatever do you mean?" he responded innocently, but Sarah caught the mischievous glint in his mismatched eyes. She glared at him, wishing that daggers could come out of her very eyes and speed towards his perfectly sculptured face.

            "I mean what am I doing here?" she gritted out from between clenched teeth, "and what were you doing in my bedroom last night?"

            Oh Sarah, not what I wish I could have been…

            "Merely warning you of my presence so that today would not come as such a shock, Sarah."

            She hated the way he said her name, his slight accent lilted the word in such a way that it sent chills tingling down her spine. She hated the way he looked at her as he spoke as well. He may be amused by the situation, but she was most certainly not.

            "Yeah… well, thanks. But you didn't answer my question. What am I doing here?"

            His eyes gleamed with some unknown emotion. "Sarah, I have lived a long time"

            She opened her mouth to interrupt, but he waved a hand at her, motioning for her silence, "I have lived too long without a worthy opponent. I have sought long and hard for someone who can match my wits and best me at my own game. You proved yourself to be that opponent. I let you leave after your last visit because you had proven worthy enough to defeat me. However I have strengthened since then, and I wish to match my wits against you one more time…"

            Sarah eyed him warily. Is that all he wanted? Another game? As if reading her thoughts, he continued.

            "The game of course has stakes to it. No decent game doesn't. However we shall discuss that at another time."

            Sarah glared at him, "screw that! I will not be subjugated to another game. I have a college to go to! I have classes! I have a life I need to live!"

            But Sarah, you were not living were you… only in this way will you truly live. Play my game…experience life as it is meant to be.

"Sarah. You have no choice in the matter. Dinner is at 7. I expect you to be there" he slid his eyes over her attire, and she blushed as he looked her over, "I also expect you to be properly attired." He turned away, but paused before leaving.

"Oh… and Sarah?" She tilted her head, waiting for him to continue. He tossed a crystal at her, which she caught deftly in one hand despite the warning bells urging her not to. "Use this if you need me. If you were to wander alone by yourself, you might find yourself in the darkest corners of an oubliette, unable to get out. Such a pity."

And with that, Sarah Williams was once again alone in the room.