Author's note: Yes, I have been slightly... very... lazy. But things will be a bit more regular from here on in, I promise!

'Feeling better today, Sarah?' Toby took a light tone, and paused in his school uniform. 'No pain, then?'

Yawning, she shook her head. 'I'm much better, thanks, Toby.' Failing to hide a smirk, he followed her to her room.

'Nice dreams, then?'

Turning on him, Sarah forced all the glare she could summon towards his face.

'Isn't it time for you to go to school, Toby?'

Ignoring her, he opened her bedroom door and opened one of her textbooks.

'Isn't it time for you to go to school? I know that you're going to stay home and read these books.'

'How could you...'

Toby raised an eyebrow, and looked pointedly at her hands. They held, among other things, a cup of coffee, a sandwich, the painkillers, and a bottle of water. The cordless phone had been shoved into her pocket.

'Oh. Well, so what? I'm a grown woman now; I can skip classes if I so design.'

Toby helped her put her supplies on her dresser, and sighed with a long- suffering gaze out of the window.

'The kids at school are so boring. They never use their imagination, except when they're told they'll fail otherwise... And I know that I could help you.'

Sarah tapped her foot. If he really wanted to stay, he'd need a better excuse than that. She told him so. Indignant, he put hands on hips and tried to stare her down.

'If you zone out, Mum or Dad might catch you out... again.'

Sarah fumed, but inwardly admitted he had a point.

'You saw that? And didn't stop me?'

Sarah threw her hands in the air, and sat on her bed with a book.

'Fine, stay home. But you'll have to get more food if you are.'

Toby nodded, and raced down the stairs. Sarah would probably like more coffee... and some chips... and possibly some Coco Pops? Well, if she didn't want it, he'd eat it. And some ice-cream, yeah. That was real brain-food.

Books... books... and Sarah's left foot. Coming back from another trip to the kitchen, Toby picked his way through discarded or useless texts to hand Sarah a biscuit. 'Well, found anything yet?' 'I don't know. All that really seems similar is the story about Persephone and Hades... but that's not really making sense, is it? It couldn't really have anything to do with my problem...' Toby rolled his eyes, and took the book, complete with the notes from class, into his lap. Grown-ups were so stupid. Taking everything at face value, and ignoring their instincts. Sarah was better than most, but she'd been acting strange recently.

'It makes sense, though. I mean, when you dream, you go....' he left the sentence hanging, and Sarah made the effort not to frown at the reference.

'When I go back there? Yeah. But it's only a dream. I'm sure of it.' 'Well, when we used to play the game, when I was a little kid...' he ignored her laugh, and comment – You're still a kid, Toby! '...When I was younger, you ate something, didn't you?'

Sarah sat, bemused. Ate? Ate what?

'Oh, surely you haven't forgotten that? And I put so much effort into that gift... I'm insulted, Sarah, really.'

'Oh, shut up, you. It tasted terrible, anyway.'

'That wasn't what you said at the time...'

'I wasn't in control of my own mind, then, was I? Manipulative bastard.'

'Fine, be that way. Touchy brat! I was just trying to stop that irritating bubble of noise that's coming out of you. See if I care about your thoughts next time.'

'Ooh! Just leave me alone!'

'Uh... Sarah?'

She blinked. Toby was looking at her, worried. As her eyes focused on his face, he smiled.

'Aha, I've got it!'

Moving to sit on her bed, he gave her a self-satisfied look.

'What're you so proud about, anyway?'

He didn't answer, but placed a row of books open to various pages in front of her. 'Please direct your attention to Article A, in which it can be clearly seen that Persephone is eating the pomegranate of the world of the dead, which forced her to remain in that place for some time.'

Standing tall, he strode one step to the second book.

'In Celtic lore, the Underworld is the world of the Fair Folk, the Fae, and any who eat its food or see its inhabitants develop a great attachment to and longing for the place.'

Another step, and a meaningful look at Sarah.

'You know what happens on this page. You can read it yourself, if you like.'

Sarah looked, and then turned her head away.

'I'd rather not, if it's all the same.'

A serious nod, and then Toby stood in front of the books, solemnly weighing his thoughts.

'I can only point out a few things, there is no solid evidence. People who go to the Underworld and eat its food become very sick, and can die, unless they can return there. You've been dreaming about what happened years ago, but it seems more real now than before. You've been getting weak and sick, and you only get better for a short period of time, after you've zoned out. You went to a place with goblins, called "Underground", where you ate food. I'd think the solution is pretty obvious to me.'

'Toby!'

Sarah shook her head, and sank to the floor.

'It was just a game, just a dream. I know it seems real, but we can't keep pretending forever. It's my subconscious, making connections. I probably dreamt it in the first place because of the myths... and I've probably just got the flu...'

'Shut up! Sarah, you're an idiot!'

Toby's face was stern, and cold. He talked quietly, but with bitter strength.

'It was all real. I might not know as much as you about these stories, but I know what's real and what makes sense. If you say it's a dream, that's lying to yourself. It's just running away from this. I've seen Mum and Dad do it, and older kids do it, but Sarah!'

He hung his head, and backed towards the doorway.

'I trusted you. I thought you were just saying that to fool the grown-ups. I never thought you'd go so low as to lie to yourself, to become like them...'

He left, and Sarah could do nothing but stare at the blurring pages of the books he had left behind. It was... real? I never let myself think that. I couldn't. It's insane, thinking that...

'Oh, so I'm insane, now?'

I didn't mean that. Just go away, okay? I don't want to talk to anyone.

'I... I can't.'

WHAT? Why the hell not?

'I've tried, damnit! It's all your fault. You keep calling me, and I can't ignore it.'

I call you?

'Yeah, bloody loud, too.'

Oh. I'm sorry. I think I'll go, now. I'll try not to do it again.

'Wait... what's wrong?'

...

'Sarah, what's wrong? I don't want to sound concerned, but your voice has gone dull... It doesn't sound natural...'

...

'Sarah? Sarah, answer me!'

'Sarah, answer me!'

Fists pounded on her door, and Sarah forced a groan back into her gut. If they heard it, they'd be worried. They'd try and stop her. Put her in an asylum, or the like. She'd rather go now, quickly, then age and face decades, maybe, of this insanity.

The voice in my head... won't go away.

'Sarah, what's happened?!'

It's noisy...

I...

I'm tired... it hurts...

Sarah clutched her arms around her belly, and bit her lip to stop from crying out loud. Pills, there had been some in the cabinet. And the razor, it had done a pretty good job, once she'd figured out the best way to angle it...

She was in the shower, so that her blood wouldn't stain the carpet. It was best not to leave a gruesome mark opposite to Toby's room. He'd think it was his fault, but she'd left him a note explaining everything. An apology, of sorts. It wasn't his fault she'd ended up like this, and he'd done so much to try and help, to humour her in her confused state...

It doesn't hurt anymore...

...It's a nice colour of red, anyway...

...And I like this floating, dizzy feeling...

'Sarah, where are you?'

Where do you think I am, poo-poo head? Hehe... it suits you...

'You're delirious. I'm coming to get you.'

Great, just what I need, an imaginary hero to torment me during my last moments. How kind of you.

'Where are you?'

Oh, you're such a bore! I'm in the bathroom, in the shower, floating towards the ceiling, falling into shadow...

'I see you now, just wait a minute...'

'Oh, Gods, what have you done to yourself?'