Disclaimer: I own no one but Christine and nothing but the plot.
Sarah sat there, stunned at the question her niece had just asked her.
"Whe-where did you hear that name?" asked Sarah, who was now breathing hard.
"I was looking for some lined paper in the den and found a small black book." Sarah's heart sank into the innermost pit of her stomach. "I thought I could use that, but found that all the pages were full of drawings of mazes and a man with blonde hair. And the words were either 'Labyrinth' or 'Jareth'. Did I do wrong, Aunt Sarah?" Christine saw the look in her Aunt's eyes. There was quilt, confussion, and even heartache in her eyes.
"N-No," replied her aunt with a forced smile. "Not at all, dear. You just gave me a shock, that's all. Jareth was once an acquaintance of mine. When I was fourteen. That was.. Nearly sixteen years ago, just before you were born. My cousin, your mom, is older then I am, so that is why she had you." Sarah checked her watch. "Well, I see it is time to go. Be good, I will be back around five or five thirty." She kissed her niece on the cheek and left in a hurry. 'That was a close call,' she thought as she got into her car and drove away.
The rest of the day seemed like a blur of meetings and conversations. Sarah kept replaying the morning with her niece over and over again in her head. She just did not know what to do. Should she tell her the whole truth about what had happened? Or should she just leave things the way they were when she left them? She was so confused, that she could not even think straight. She did not even notice the white owl perched on top of the branch outside her office building. Nor did she notice it swoop through her open window and place a small crystal sphere on her desk. She was too busy with her own things. That is, until after her lunch break.
Sarah came in her office and saw that owl sitting on her desk. She gasped as she recognized it as the owl she had seen sixteen years earlier. There was no mistaking that. Suddenly, the bird changed into human form.
"Jareth," whispered Sarah.
"Hello, Sarah. Did you miss me?" asked the Goblin King with the smile he had always carried with him. Sarah quickly closed her office door so no one could see her male caller.
"What are you doing here?" asked Sarah, trying not to freak out and missing by a mile.
"Well, I just wanted to meet your niece. Christine, is it? Pretty name." Jareth looked around the office. "You certainly do keep things very tidy around here, don't you, Sarah?
"Get out!" cried Sarah. "Now."
"Now Sarah, you know that's no way to be treating your guest, is it?"
"OUT!" yelled Sarah.
"I will," said Jareth, turning into a white owl. Before taking off, he said, "But I will return. Be sure to make a bed for me at your house, or I am liable to make one for you at mine!" And with that, he was gone again. Sarah was left there, speechless and with her legs wobbling. ~*~ I hope you like the second chapter. I will write more soon. Peace out.