Prologue

Just when things couldn't get any worse . . . Not that things were bad to begin with. Just – there. When asked if she was fine, she would reply with a "yes" because, in truth, she was. When asked how things were going for her, she would say, "They're going."

"How's life, Sarah?"

With a shrug, the answer came, "Life."

There really wasn't any other way to put into words the way things were going for young Sarah Williams. It was as if she simply existed, because she could never really say exactly why she existed; what her existence was there for. She would surround herself with beautiful imagery, pictures of the fae, of fantastical places that exist only in the imagination of the human being. She did this to forget. Forget the real world, the harsh cruelty of it, the filth of it, the mundane existence of it.

She lay on her floor, a pillow fluffed haphazardly under her head, staring up at the ceiling. The sunshine was bright today, and she welcomed it readily into her colorful room. Sunshine was, after all, important to her. It was brilliance, light, hope, whatever you wish to call it. Seeing such brilliance flood into her room made the colors of the walls that much brighter, and made her imagination flow.

Colors were also very important. It seemed, Sarah would think to herself, that the world only sees black and white and grey. No colors, no imagination… no life. How had she come to live in such a humorless, colorless world? A magic-less world.

Despite the happiness and color she would surround herself with everyday while in her room, thinking like she does usually brought up unwanted emotions. It's been two years since she graduated, of course her parents expected things of her. Go to college, get a degree, maybe find a well paying job. Sarah huffed, rolling over to her side and digging her hand underneath her head. She felt the pressure at her eyes, telling her that they threatened to shed tears in vain – tears of sorrow for herself and her position.

She was 20. She should have a job by now, be in college, be half-way to earning her degree. Then it would be off the conveyer belt of life to join the rest of the crowd, meandering along to view the world just like everyone else did – grayscale. Then she would end up wanting money, sacrificing happiness for success, for power, for anything to keep going in the Earthen world. For that was how things worked here among humans. Aside from all her struggling, all of her wishing, she would eventually have to give up her fight for color and magic.

Sarah would shudder every time she imagined how that day would come. She always saw herself stepping down from a sunlit pedestal, into the grey shadows of a sea of unhappy people who walked along their paths slowly and alone.

Before she knew it, hot tears were escaping her blue-grey eyes. She closed them in vain, to stop the empty tears, telling herself it wasn't worth crying for. She was born here on Earth and here is where she must remain. And if she were to remain here, she should eventually learn to adapt to this place. Still she fought her father and stepmother's wishes.

"Sarah, you need to get a job. How do you expect to support yourself when you move out?"

"Sarah, when are you going to go to college? I know you want to pursue acting, but you should always have something else to fall back on."

"Sarah, stop daydreaming and do something with your life, for God's sake."

"Grow up, Sarah. Fairytales aren't for girls your age."

Sarah didn't realize just how tightly she was grabbing her pillow, or how forcefully she pushed her face into it to muffle her sobs. Her heart was beating so hard, it hurt. It longed for something this pathetic Earthen world could never offer her. She had once thought that her position was bad enough, when she was 15. She had a taste of adventure. She merely scratched the surface of fae life. Since that experience, it warped her thinking. It proved that there was something more, something much more fitting to her and who she was, maybe even who she was supposed to be.

She left behind friends in that mystical place, friends that can't be found among humans. They had been so special to her, but she found she couldn't call them. Not after that night. The magic had faded as her sorrow grew, nearly suffocating her.

"Goblin King…" Sarah choked, half muffled by her pillow, "Where ever you may be. Take me away from this awful place. Please…" She had to struggle just to control her voice, pleading with empty air. "Please, take me away. Take me away… I don't belong here. I don't belong in this terrible world." She cried and cried until her eyes hurt too much to continue. Her breathing slowed a bit when she began to lose the energy to cry anymore.

Sarah's face was damp from tears, her raven hair sticking to places on her face. She brushed away the annoying strands and her head fell back to her pillow. Her mind empty of any more profound though, all that was left was empty sorrow as she stared at the dying sunlight. She didn't want to think, refused herself the right to do so – even for just a few more moments.

Rainbow colors struck her sore, reddened eyes just then. The sun was setting and hit a prism-like object from her desk just by the window. She brought up a hand, squinting away the shock from the sudden color filled glare, admiring the little rainbow on her delicate hand. When she bothered to look at the source of her private rainbow, she couldn't really find the correct reaction at first.

She just stared, trying to place the object. Her breathing became somewhat erratic after a few more moments, her eyes never leaving it. She climbed to her feet, unblinking and slowly approaching the mystical item on her desk. Still, she stared, not daring to touch it, mystified and entranced.

For on the desk's surface rested a perfect crystalline sphere.

Author's note: So, my sister bugged me enough, I suppose, and I've picked this up again. For those of you who might recognize the story, well, it's been here before, but is undergoing some revamping. For those of you who don't know it, you get to discover it. Um - in any case, feel free to leave a contribution in the little box... er, not money. Just reviews. Thanks!