Chapter Seven

"I already HAVE a date," I protested "I don't even like Austin."

"And do you like this NEW guy?" Karen asked.

"Yes," I said strongly and bit my lip.

"And how long have you known him?" she asked.

"Since I was fifteen," I said.

"I don't know," Karen said "we've known Austin a long time."

"Yeah," I said "and Austin is the saddest excuse for a man I've ever seen."

"You live under MY roof," Karen yelled.

"Doesn't mean you can tell me who to date!" I yelled back "not like I'm dating him or anything but, none the less."

'Sarah," Karen asked "have you been sleeping around?" I rolled my eyes and went up to my room, shutting and locking the door.

"How the hell am I sleeping around when I can't stand a guy for more than three days?" I mumbled looking up at the ceiling.

"I called Austin," Karen shouted through the door "and you're going with him." A brief description of Austin would include a wide variety or turtle necks with no sleeves, bad breath, and the ability to not believe in anything that isn't scientifically proven to be there. He looked alright, but his breath and personality sucked, a lot like his fashion sense.

The doorbell rang and I looked out my window. Austin stood outside and my mother gladly let him in. I couldn't believe it, my stepmother was actually trying to lock Austin Becker in my own room with me! The door swung open and Karen practically shoved Austin in, locking it behind her.

Wasn't that illegal or something? I sighed and opened my window.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well," I said throwing some of my stuff in a bag "I believe that I'm sneaking out my window."

"Aren't we going to May's party?" he asked.

"Three things," I mumbled halfway out of my window "one, remind me to get you another brain cell to keep the one you have company. Two, that party isn't until Halloween and three, Austin, get some new clothes, some breath mints and a better personality because I don't like you in any way, shape, or form."

"So that's a no then?" he asked but I didn't bother to respond. I carefully walked down the side of the roof and the owl looked at me in a confused way. He flew over, expecting an explanation.

"There is a very annoying boy in my room," I explained "and I would be grateful to you forever if you'd make sure he steers clear of all my drawers?" The owl nodded and flew by my window. I slipped down the drainpipe and ran through the alleyway to May's apartment.

Ringing the door bell I looked at May desperately.

"Can I hide here?" I asked.

"Hide?" she asked letting me in. "Why?"

"Karen is trying to get me with Austin," I whined and her mouth dropped.

"Don't lie," she said but I shook my head.

"I'm not," I swore "and they'll be looking for me so can I hide in a closet or something?" Just then the doorbell rang and I wanted to scream. May pushed me into the closet and shut the door.

"Hello Mrs. Williams," May cooed "Austin, how are both of you this lovely day?" Oh yeah, she'd never suspect a thing. My stepmother dashed into the apartment and looked through all the rooms. She stopped in front of the closet. Turning the handle I wanted to cry.

"Wasn't there some eternally grateful thing?" Jareth asked back in my room. I sighed in relief that my mother hadn't found me.

"Thank you," I said "you're a life saver."

"Yeah," he chuckled "I know. But they'll be back soon and I can't keep transporting you all day."

"Alright," I said tossing the two crystal balls in the bag, alone with my mother's picture and one of Toby. "Where can I go?"

"I'm not sure if you want me to pick," he teased but I insisted that he picked, since he practically saved my life and all.

"Stay here," he ordered "don't move." I sat at the edge of his bed and he rummaged around for something. He handed me a bottle and in it was one pill.

"This is?" I asked.

"Karen will forget about the Austin thing," he said smiling.

"You're kidding me," I whispered and he shook his head. "Oh you're the best ever Jareth," I said jumping up hugging him "I don't know what to say."

"Hopefully nothing more than you want to," he said jokingly and I yawned. "Take a nap for now though."

With that, he left the room and I buried my head under the pillow. I screamed, though the thick pillow muffled the sound. I was incredibly pissed off.

I was pissed at Karen for throwing Austin in my room. At my dad for NOT BEING there for a good three days! I was pissed at Toby for screaming and throwing temper tantrums, I was pissed at Jareth for making me grant wishes, and I was even pissed a little at May for not completely understanding me.

So, I did what I always did when I got pissed. I cried. I cried and hoped to God that Jareth wouldn't walk in and try to 'comfort' me. He walked in and I acted like I was asleep. He seemed to buy it, until he sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's alright," he said quietly. I was waiting for the incredibly long speech he was going to give about life not being fair or something, but that's all he said.

"No long 'life's not fair' speech?" I asked looking up at him with sore red eyes.

"Now's not the time to be realistic," he said wiping tears from my face "it's time that your comforted, not lectured."

"But realistically?" I said and he smiled.

"Realistically," he said "life isn't fair. You don't always win, hell, sometimes you never win. You won't always have EVERYONE remember your birthday, or care that you're having a bad day. And most importantly," he said as his eyes teared up "you can't always get what you want."

"Coming from someone who knows?" I asked and he smiled, letting the tears fall back, keeping them at bay.

"Sometimes," he said very quietly "even if we wish our very hardest, things will not be."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because that's the way it is," he said "not everyone lives happily ever after."

"Maybe people just don't try hard enough," I stated and he laughed.

"I'm not sure," he said "there have been a few people that have tired to the point of starvation and exhaustion."

"Remember when I wanted to get rid of Toby?" I asked and he nodded "well, I wanted to get rid of him just as much when I said the wrong words than the right ones."

"What's your point?" he asked.

"Well," I said almost teasingly "maybe they didn't say the right words." He opened his mouth to come back with something and stopped. For once in his life, Jareth had nothing to say.

"Humm," he sighed and got up and paced.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Thinking," he mumbled, not taking his eyes off the floor.

"About?" I asked.

"The words," he said quietly and I smiled.

"You do that," I said "but I must say, there's not many to say." He stopped and looked up at me, directly and my heart stopped. The whole world stopped, I mean, everything froze for at least three minutes and when it came back on everyone on the face of the planet AND Underground must have fell to the ground and started breathing like they had been suffocated.

"Great," Jareth said quietly, letting a smile creep up on his face.

"What was that?" I asked breathing hard.

"You don't want to know," he said "I promise you don't."

I had returned Sarah home by Aboveground's nightfall and she gave her mother the pill. She wouldn't remember anything but her feeling 'sick' all day. I transformed and sat in that damn tree.

'The world stopped,' I though to myself 'the whole God damn world stopped.' Sarah had kept pestering me about it, but I didn't feel like explaining to her that that only happened when someone found there absolute soul mate. It wasn't just finding them though, because many people find their soul mate, or at the very least see them, but the whole universe stops for those who find each other, and fall in love.

I KNEW I had waited three thousand seven hundred and twenty-three years for something. And it had been Sarah. She loved me! She did and she finally admitted it to herself. So now I knew.

This had been exactly WHY I hadn't told her. She would have denied it or possibly worse, cried again. Or maybe even become afraid and say those dreadful words again. I couldn't stand those words.

They echoed in my mind for such a long time. Three years in fact, up until I saw her again. This time, she wouldn't get away. This time I would present myself with... well... with something. Offering her her dreams wasn't the way to go. I knew that for sure.

What exactly in me was she attracted to and how could I bring it out more? This is what I needed to find out. And I knew exactly how. Before I could set off for May's home I saw Sarah sneak out of her window and climb down the house.

I have an annoyed look but she didn't see me in the darkness (humans have SUCH bad night vision). I had gotten her out of trouble ALL day, and now she was going to sneak out?! I'd have to remember to annoy her later. It'd find SOMETHING to annoy her.

She stood under the tree and looked up at me, I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep.

"I thought owls were nocturnal," she mumbled and ran down the street. I watched her for a moment and I grinned. I knew what I'd do for her. At May's party, I'd get the song. Sarah loved and hated that song. And with the dress.... I grinned again; she wouldn't get away this time.

But now I had to attend to the fact that she was running from her home. This wasn't good. Why would she leave home, and out her window of all places? Didn't she know that if she wanted to leave so badly she could ask me to take her away? I assumed she'd come back home, since she took nothing with her, unlike earlier that day were she had taken a few items.

Quickly and quietly, I followed. Making sure I wasn't noticed by Sarah, I swooped in low, and watched as she knocked at May's door. I cocked my head in wonder. What was she doing there? She went inside and I got closer, trying to find out what happened.