Disclaimer: All the credit (okay, I get SOME credit!) goes to Jim Henson and all the beautiful people who created the Labyrinth. This includes Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie for being beautiful and fun to write for smiles
Author's Note: Hey kids, thanks for the whopping FOUR reviews! Ha-ha, just half kidding. Honest thank yous go out to the people who read and reviewed my story. 3
PS- all thoughts are like so: thought I hate how improper that is, but I don't know how to make italics stay when conformed to html.
ALERT!: jarethsdragon – thanks that would be absolutely amazing! I don't know how to get a hold of you though...hmmm....my email is and my AIM messenger is xCaliLuvin916x thank you!
Sarah felt a sharp nudge to the ribs. "Hey Williams, you gonna eat that?" Sarah vaguely registered the sounds, and slowly blinked her eyes into focus.
"Hello, not to get cliché here but earth to Sarah!"
"No, thank you." Sarah murmured. She buried her face in her folded arms, making an attempt to block out the sunlight.
"Hmm, alright then. I'll just help myself." Sarah heard the sound of a potato-chip bag being ripped open, and then the very loud chewing noises that quickly ensued.
After five minutes of very loud chip chewing noises, Sarah groaned and peered an eye to glare at the culprit.
"Howdy," said a handsome boy of around eighteen. He had blonde hair that was gelled to a point in the middle of his head which he lovingly called his "faux-hawk". His eyes were hazel, and at this current moment they sparkled with enjoyment.
"What, was I chewing loudly?" The boy smiled cheekily at Sarah, and turned to look at his girlfriend that was walking towards the pair.
"Corey, leave Sarah alone." reprimanded the girl. Turning to Sarah, she asked, "Do you have another migraine love? I have some Excedrin if you deem it necessary."
Sarah smiled half-heartedly at her best friend's worried face. "Thanks, Emma. I think I'm okay. Your darling hubby here was just eating my chips a little too dramatically for my liking."
Emma's doe eyes drifted from Sarah to Corey. "I really should put a leash on you."
Corey grinned. "Where's Kaedin?" he asked.
Sarah stiffened. Emma noticed. "He's making up a chem. test. He left me a message this morning saying he'd be out before lunch block ended." Sarah replied.
Emma frowned and suggested, "Corey, maybe you should go look for him. There is that... thing... that we all need to talk about." Corey gave her a knowing look, winked at Sarah and skipped off towards the science buildings.
Sarah was now sitting up on the bench, her full attention on her best friend. "What's this 'thing' we need to discuss? Spill it."
Emma's face split into a secretive smile. "Am I correct in supposing that you didn't receive a letter last night?"
"What? Oh! I think I might have, but Karen didn't give it to me. I wasn't feeling to well last night." Sarah was wriggling with anticipation, barely able to keep still. "What did it say?" she asked nervously. "Emma..."
"Well," Emma began, looking at her nails non-chalantly. Her fake boredom slipped away as she winked at Sarah. "We're going to Romania!"
The reaction Emma was expecting from Sarah was not the one she got. Her best friend's face grew ashen and Sarah forced a smile. "Oh," was all she could say.
Oh, God. Sarah thought. Spending the night alone with Kaedin in a place that's horrible as it is. This cannot be a good thing, educational or not.
Sarah shifted uncomfortably under Emma's scrutinizing dark eyes. "Okay, so I spilled my news, time for you to spill." Sarah met her brown eyes with her green ones. "And don't even ask me, 'spill what?' in that innocent tone, Williams. What's wrong?"
"I don't kn-"mumbled Sarah, avoiding Emma's gaze again.
Emma nodded, as though she had figured it out. "Something is going on with you and Kade, right?"
"No, Kade-"
"What about Kade?" a friendly voice asked behind them. Corey was standing next to a dark haired boy of built stature. He was tall in height, and his hair fell loosely across his forehead and blue eyes. He was smiling nervously, but his eyes were cold in warning.
Sarah stood up quickly, knocking over her soda can. Stumbling to tip it upright she said, "I was just wondering where you and Corey were." She cleared her throat. "I hear there's something we all have to discuss?"
Kaedin's smile was genuine now, and his eyes sparkled. "Sar, we're going to Dracula's Castle! We'll leave on Friday."
Corey punched Kade's arm good-naturedly. "I got my letter two days ago, I can't believe you didn't know! I'm already packed and everything."
Sarah's heart was racing. This was so much less real when there wasn't a date attached to it. Friday? Oh, God. She choked out a smile, trying to show as much teeth as possible. "I'm glad, baby." She whispered.
He knew she was lying through those teeth. He didn't care, as much as he disapproved of her lying to him. She was his, and she was going. What did her happiness have to do with it?
. - - .
Sarah's melancholy mood had not improved by the time she had gotten home. She gently closed the door to avoid the attention of her step mother. Didn't work.
"Sarah!" She froze, waiting for all the questions about the previous night to come flooding. But instead came, "Can you put Toby down for a nap, please? I've got my hands full here. A little help around here would be appreciated."
She sighed and walked into the kitchen apprehensively. Toby was sitting on the carpet playing with Lancelot, the stuffed bear that Sarah had given him the year prior. Sarah stopped and gazed at the beautiful child, and then at the doll whose absence had once fueled her anger. It had pushed her into doing something horrible to her little brother, and it made her sick. But he was here now, safe and happy.
Toby looked up at his sister and grinned. "Hi, Sarah." He said proudly. He had just started being able to pronounce the "r" in her name correctly.
"Hey there big guy," she said, walking over to him and ruffling his hair. "are you ready for a nap?" Toby's smile faded and he scowled.
"No." This was definitely not helping Sarah's headache go away. Dealing with a toddler who is just as contrary as she is can never be easy.
Sarah picked him up and started walking towards the stairs. "C'mon Tobes, I'll tell you a story." Toby stopped struggling immediately. He loved Sarah's stories, especially about the labyrinth. The vague familiarity of the place seemed to sooth him into slumber no matter what his previous mood.
Sarah smiled to herself at his submittance. She knew him too well, her darling brother. Sarah loved him more than even she understood. Toby was the most precious thing in her life. I nearly killed myself a few times over to save him, too. she thought, smirking. Although she still begrudged the attention he received sometimes, it was only the attention and never Toby himself. After all, it wasn't his fault that his mother had left Sarah and her father to pursue an acting career. It wasn't Toby's fault that her dad had fallen in love and remarried. It wasn't his fault that Sarah wasn't daddy's little princess anymore, not his fault that her life had turned into full-time baby sitter and household slave/trash/nothing important. No, that was Karen's fault, and it was her that she truly hated.
In all actuality, it hadn't surprised Sarah in the least when Karen showed no interest in the events of the night before. Figures. The wench. At least she wouldn't have to explain why a spandex-wearing nymph of a man was looming over her unconscious body. Thank God.
When Sarah got to Toby's bedroom she gently placed him in his crib. She tucked the coverlet around his small form, and rested Lancelot in the crook of his arm. "Story," He begged, "you promised."
Sarah told him stories about fairies (of non-vicious temper), dwarfs, talking foxes and bravery. She sang him lullabies of the Goblin King and his Escher room. When she thought him to be asleep, she leaned over and kissed his forehead. When she turned to leave she heard him whisper, "He came back."
"What?" she asked, taken aback.
"The Goblin King. He came back when you were asleep." Sarah's heart was in her throat.
"You know who he is? I thought you had forgotten. You were so young..." Sarah was confused. Why would Jareth come back to her home? She could think of no reason besides to inflict pain or revenge on her, but she was fine.
"He said, 'don't go Sarah.'" Toby mumbled through his impending sleep.
"Toby, what are you talking about? Don't go where?" Sarah was a little frantic now. This cannot be good.
"I don't know. He said, "don't go, Sarah.'" With that, Toby was out like a light.
Sarah frowned as she walked to her room. A letter was sitting on her bedspread, unopened. She only had to glance at it to know it was the acceptance letter for the trip to Romania. The feel of the envelope in her hands triggered deep emotions in her that she wasn't sure she could explain. The tangible touch of paper made her fate that much more real.
"I cannot do this!" she cried. "I can't be this strong person who is fearless. I cannot pretend that I have a perfect life with a perfect boyfriend. I can't stay the night some creepy castle away from home, oh God, I can't do this." Sarah looked at the piece of parchment and read, "Cetatea Poienari is located near the village of Curtea de Arges. It is about a 2 and a half hour ride from Bucharest by train." Great.
As she fell into an emotion induced sleep, she thought of Jareth's relayed words.
"Don't go, Sarah."