Author's Notes: Twin Kats + Hello it's me fantastic ~ Thanks for the reviews! If you are still reading, please let me know anything I can to do make the writing better! :)
Chapter 3
Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may
still exist, but you have ceased to live.
~Mark Twain
Sarah adjusted swiftly to her new life. Although still interested in the theater, she was an outsider no longer. Reveling in her new-found status, Sarah, Queen of the school, started to forget about the strange dreams she had born of a different life. Why imagine a better life when have everything you could dream? What was worthy of escape? The days and months marched by, bleeding together in similarity.
Every
morning Jareth's attendant, Slovil, woke him with a
report that Sarah still slept. Yet, still, every night he fell asleep to
delicious thoughts of the revenge he would bestow upon her—Sarah stuck forever
in an oubliette; Sarah scrubbing the throne room floor with a small brush;
Sarah replacing Didymus as bridge guard in the
bog—when she awoke at next dawn. Jareth's subjects learned to avoid him; the
daily disappointment annoyed him, constantly making his mood a black rain-cloud
without lining.
Foolish girl, she
thinks she can hide forever? I have been generous, giving her all this time to
realize the futility of her ridiculous denial. Two Months!
"Enough! She will wake." Jareth said to the empty room and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke and glitter. He appeared in Sarah's chamber, glaring at her sleeping form. He leaned into her as if to whisper in her ear. "Wake up now, you foolish, immature child!" he shouted. Sarah's sleeping form failed to respond. Jareth brushed a stray hair out of her face then slumped into the nearest chair, momentarily defeated.
Kitty and Liz Tompkins dashed down the hall and cornered Sarah at her locker.
"Sarah,
Sarah!" They screamed in unison. Sarah just rolled her eyes.
Twins can be so annoying.
Liz yanked Sarah's arm to turn her towards the girls. "Sarah, hello, wake up! Guess what?" she said.
"You got a lead. A lead in the spring play! Sarah—" Kitty screamed.
Liz pushed Kitty back and glared at her. "Kitty," she warned.
Sarah gaped at each of her friends in turn. After a moment, she broke her silence and said, "But I didn't even try out. A Midsummer Night's Dream? Too much fantasy, I mean, Fairies? Puhleez. It is not realistic at all."
"Picky, Picky. Shakespeare's not good enough for Queen Sarah? No other Juniors even made a lead. Rehearsals start next week, before winter break." Liz laughed at Sarah's twisted expression.
"Romeo and
Juliet, or even Taming of the Shrew, fine. But Fairies? Uggg." Sarah said. The twins giggled and tried to beat the bell
to class. Sarah strolled along behind them.
No getting out of
this, I guess. Yawn!
The crystal
twirled across Jareth's palm, dancing to his tune. To date, he had not used any
of his magic on Sarah. Unsure of the cause of her deep sleep—although he did
have suspicions—Jareth did not want unforeseen complications if he woke her
before she was ready. Of course, his ego prohibited the admission that he might
not be able to wake her at all.
At least I ponder the
consequences of my actions, headstrong chit…
Jareth bent over Sarah's bed and placed the crystal in her open palm. "Let us see what we shall see…" he murmured, peering into the sparkling gem as a tiny girl with raven hair came into focus. "This won't hurt at all."
The sky darkened as night descended; raindrops cascaded down the glassed ceiling and walls of the theatre's entrance. The dusk and foggy rain in concert seemed wholly unwelcoming and Sarah had walked to school that morning. Sarah moaned and propped her forehead against the cool window, considering a call to her parents for a ride home.
Distracted by the storm, Sarah did not notice Brian Standish sneaking up behind her until he grabbed her around the waist and picked her up.
"Put me down." Sarah said. Her tone left no room to disobey. Brian placed her back on the floor before flashing a goofy grin. "Sorry, Nick Bottom. I didn't mean to be so harsh. Have your lines down yet?"
"Not everyone is as good as you, Sarah dear. Lemme drop you off? Wouldn't want your hair to get wet."
"Well," Sarah said, looking out the window. "All right, I guess." They ran to his car, attempting to stay dry.
A few minutes later, Brian pulled to the curb in front of Sarah's house. "Sarah, before you go… well, you already know I think you are the best. We have the same interests, the same friends. We should be together—"
Sarah groaned. Not again. "How
romantic," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're my friend, Bri,
that's it. Gotta go!" Sarah threw open the car door and escaped. As if she
would be interested in such an ordinary, needy boy. He is too short—she
preferred a towering presence—and much too
open. At least his other attempts at persuasion had included declarations of
love and admiration.
Friends
and interests? Ha! Maybe that
means he is finally giving up? I guess letting him kiss me at the last cast
party wasn't the hottest idea. Good one, Sarah.
Brian sped off, his tires
screeching. Sarah grabbed the pile of letters from the mailbox before sprinting
to the front door. She sifted through the pile as she shrugged off her wet coat
and backpack. One envelope seized her attention immediately. Worried, Sarah
tore open the envelope and removed the paper inside.
All A's again? Figures. I can't even remember when I stopped trying.
Sarah ran
upstairs and flopped back onto her bed. The black and silver theme of her pristine
room was marred with only a single poster of a handsome, popular actor. Her trendy
clothes arranged in the closet, even the makeup on her vanity lined up in rank.
Perfection. My family, my friends, my
acting. My life is perfect. Even my room is perfect! So, why do I feel so
empty inside?
Sprawled on top of her soft, black down comforter, Sarah drifted off to a dreamless sleep.