Chapter Five

I'm Exhausted from Living Up to Your Expectations

"There are times when you take that mind reading stuff too far Jareth," Sarah smiled, looking into 'her' room.

"I assume you like it then," he said, looking worried.

"Well of course," she laughed and then yawned.

"Sarah?" a voice called from the mirror. Sounded a lot like Karen. "Sarah? Get over here now!"

"Mind giving me a hand?" she asked and Jareth helped her across the room.

"Wonderful," he grumbled "more emotional trauma." He laid back on Sarah's bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Sarah?" Karen asked "what are you doing?"

"How do you?" she muttered in disbelief "how can I? But I never told you-"

"Of course you never told me!" Karen laughed "I would have killed you for sending Toby away!"

"How did you know?" Sarah asked.

"After reading your book I made the mistake myself," Karen muttered "lucky for me, His highness gave Toby back without another thought. Because he'd already lost him to YOU!"

"Well you wished him away too," Sarah whispered under her breath. Jareth chuckled at this.

"WHY are you there?" Karen asked "I understand that you didn't want to come on this camping trip with us Sarah, but to wish yourself away!? What am I going to tell your father?"

"But I-" she started.

"Shhh," Jareth hushed "just be quiet and don't say anything. She'll get sick of hearing herself talk."

"I didn't wish myself," she snapped, ignoring Jareth's comment.

"Emotional trauma," he said again and she sighed.

"Are you going to help or not?" she asked.

"How about I help with the after math?" he asked "or I could just make her forget everything."

"Lets stick with the stuff you haven't tried on me alright?" she groaned. He shrugged and started dozing off.

"How dare you go off with some, some man Sarah!" Karen shouted. Jareth raised an eyebrow to this.

"You don't understand," Sarah said "I got lost."

"I bet you did," Karen snapped. Jareth sat up, he was becoming angry himself.

"And these wolves came after me," she said "and I twisted my ankle. So I got angry and-"

"See Sarah!" Karen yelled "that's exactly your problem! You always go and get mad first. Seriously I don't know where you get it all from. Probably your mother. All you do is sit and play little pretend games, hoping something magical will happen in your life. Why don't you try being a normal girl for once? Play with dolls, do your make-up, hang around with other girls. Instead you just sit in that room of yours, writing stories and poems and wishing that fairies and dragons were real."

"I've tried," she stared but Karen cut her off.

"You never do ANYTHING around the house," she went on "you climb trees, you play outside in all your little garden stuff, and you don't do anything useful!"

"I've tried to fit in!" Sarah sobbed "I really have. But I don't. Ok? I just don't! I've tried to be how you want me to be and I can't. I'm exhausted from living up to all of your expectations!" Jareth eyed her carefully. She looked back, shocked at her words. "You have no power over me Karen," she whispered and Karen faded.

Sarah sat on the end of the bed and Jareth quickly sat up, looking at her now tear stricken face. "I'm sorry," Sarah whispered.

"No it's fine," he chuckled "after hearing you scream a few times I learn how to block it all out."

"Not that," she said "I'm sorry, if I, umm,-"

"I guess we can have that talk now then," he sighed. "Alright now look," he said "to put it bluntly, I understand what happened two years ago. You were following your lines, and I didn't explain myself as I should have."

"Your such a typical guy," she teased "always trying to keep your image."