Nothing Left
By: CreativeImagination
Chapter Three
In the Beginning… Again
"Alright," she muttered to herself once Jareth had left "let's do it again." She walked down the hill and stood before a very large wall made of orange tinted stone. The door was just as she'd left it and she desperately looked around for Hoggle, though he wasn't there. "Hello?" There was a large creaking from the door but that was it. She paused "hello?" The door creaked again so loudly this time that she could feel the vibration in her stomach. "Can you please open?" The door came ajar only slightly and she tried pushing it open. "Can you open any more?" A loud obnoxious creek was her only answer and she desperately tried to push the door open.
"Having problems already?" Jareth asked and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Sorta," she muttered, still trying to push the door open. She paused and looked at him "isn't it a little early for you to be bothering me?"
"I thought perhaps you'd like some assistance," he pointed out "but if you'd rather wait outside of the Labyrinth walls for a few hours I'd be glad to come back later if-"
"No," she said quickly and then paused "I mean, isn't that against the-"
"I follow my own rules Sarah," he muttered walking closer "now the door cannot be opened unless somebody helps you, so-" he waved his gloved hand and the door slid open. She walked in and looked down each way, still miles upon miles with no twists or turns, or so it seemed. Jareth was beside her for a long time until she finally noticed. When she did she gradually moved away some.
"Thank you," she said and looked in directly in the eye, something no one but her could ever do.
"What did you do to your hair?" Jareth asked, a smug look coming to his face.
"Oh," she walked a little and he followed "well, I got it cut, apparently."
"Yes but why?" he asked.
"This is how I know I see you to often Jareth," she mused "when you start noticing my hair." He laughed quiet a bit and she stepped over a large pile of brush. Lichen googled at her and almost everything had glitter on it. Jareth looked at her, she knew that look, he'd just said something and she hadn't been paying attention. "Oh, sorry."
"I asked why you're acting so… strangely," he muttered.
"How so?" she asked stepping over a pile of rubble.
"Well for one you're being civil," he paused "I must admit, I wasn't expecting you to be."
"Well I don't suppose screaming at you is going to get a whole lot accomplished, as fun as it would be," she murmured "and as long as I'm away from Nick-"
"Is that his name?" Jareth asked seeming amused "who's he?"
"Uh," she paused and looked back at him "no comment." He looked attentively but she turned back to the problem at hand.
"Well if you wanted to get away from him so badly, why didn't you tell him to get out of your room?" he asked blankly.
"Because," she murmured "I can't."
"Why?" Jareth seemed worried now, though she didn't know why. He was coming off… very friendly, which worried her a little. She had to wonder what he was planning, he HAD to be planning something, right? He couldn't be this civil without there being a catch.
"Why," she repeated "well… I suppose it'd be strange to tell him to get out of my room when in three weeks I shall be sharing one with him." Jareth's eyes widened a bit. "I am to be married."
"I don't understand," he said quickly "you just said you wanted him away, why would you marry him if-"
"Its how you say, arranged," she whispered and Jareth looked at her blankly. "Very ironic, almost comical even, the whole thing."
"Is there not someone else to ask your hand?" he asked hesitantly "your parents would see anyone is far better than HIM."
"They don't care," Sarah shrugged and walked on trying not to blurt out every thought she had against Nick to the man beside her. "He is a very wealthy man, Jareth. My father needs to money to keep his company going. If I don't do this, they'll lose the house, Toby won't go to collage, a lot of bad things will happen." She paused and started to feel against the wall for an opening. Something slit her finger open and she quickly pulled it back and looked at it. Light crimson blood trickled down her finger and she sighed and took her pack off.
"Let me see," Jareth said.
"No, its ok," she murmured pulling out the band-aids "see?" She slapped the band-aid on and tossed the trash in her bag, she'd always had a problem with littering. "Are you gonna follow me the whole time?"
"I'm not sure," he shrugged "I have nothing else to do." He seemed a little saddened by this and she stopped.
"Your telling me you OWN a whole Labyrinth and you have nothing to do but walk the whole god damn thing with me?" she asked. He grinned at her.
"I haven't seen you in three years," he shrugged "you're at the top of my list." She pushed off the feeling that she was special and started walking again. "You could just stay here." Sarah looked at him "I mean, rather than marrying him."
"There are a few problems with that," she muttered, not admitting that it crossed her mind. "First, my family wouldn't get the money, so that'd just put me back at square one. Second, I have no place to STAY here. Third, I need to go to collage and fourth… ok so I have three good reasons."
"Collage?" Jareth asked.
"Its school," she explained "for older people, not like high school. Its where you learn about whatever career you want to go into." She paused. "I don't suppose either way I'll get to go though."
"Why?" he asked.
"You sure do ask why a lot, don't you?" she mused.
"Just curious," he shrugged.
"Because if I marry Nick," she looked at the ground as she walked "I'm going to end up being one of those, house wife types. Cook, clean, bear children… iron." Jareth shivered. "Oh, sorry. Forgot the whole, fae thing." Sarah had read enough books to know, fae didn't like iron (though a few could tolerate it). "Well its not that type of iron anyways," she said "it gets wrinkles out of clothes."
"Oh," Jareth pointed at a wall "that way."
"You know, you really defeat the purpose of trying to solve the labyrinth Jareth if you keep telling me where to go," she laughed, but went that way nonetheless.
"How do you know I'm not lying?" he asked as they turned down a few ways.
"First of all," she said simply "I couldn't find an opening anyways, so I figure why not this one. And secondly, you've never lied before."
"Good point," he smirked.
Author's Note: Holy crap a new one! Figures huh?
