Honesty?
The sheets were tangled around my waist. With a moan, I tugged at them, trying to move the lump that had gathered under my stomach.
It's only forever… not long at all.
The king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl…
Fear me, love me, do as I say…
Look without your heartbeat…
I can't live without you…
The words drifted in and out of my consciousness. I couldn't get comfortable. The smashing of thunder outside my window jerked me fully awake. Looking at my dresser, I couldn't find the glowing red digits of my clock. All the past events flooded in to my foggy memory and I flopped back against my pillow. I was still in my cloths from the day before, my apartment in ruins, and I was being stalked by a goblin king named Jareth. Well, 'stalked' was probably too strong a word for whatever he was doing. It would more suit the tabs he kept on Sarah Williams.
"I know this story about goblins. My mom gave me it." Sarah, a natural actress, had stood up in front of the sleeping bags and preformed the entire tale.
"It was out of a book. A play in this world, yet not in his. But why?" I mused to the ceiling. "The lines said that he had fallen in love with 'the girl'. But what's the meaning to that if any girl can pick it up and read it." Yet he said that he was in love with Sarah.
The thunder cracked again and I peeked under the window shade. Rain was beating down the sidewalks and streets below. In the yellow street lamps, I could see the wind ripple the falling water into sheets. Softly I sang, "Rain, rain go away, come again some other day." But nothing happened.
It was a book. Did he say he loved every girl who wished someone away? Did he sing the same songs to each, leading them down a double-edged path? I closed my eyes and tried to remember.
"Mia, I must say that you are the most reckless child to ever run my labyrinth. To think you found the Bottomless Canyon and managed to fall into it. And to think that you tried to climb my walls with nothing but your hands. Were you really that desperate?"
I was on my knees in front of the throne. My hands were shaking, scraped and blistered as I clutched the sleeping form of my sister. "I wasn't going to let you have her. It was unfair. I didn't know that the story was true."
"Words are dangerous. Remember that." Jareth had stood over us, tapping his black riding crop against his leg. "Now, what to do with you."
I struggled to lift Min, my thin nine-year-old arms not strong enough to carry a stocky six-year-old. I wanted to run, to hide. I had fifteen minutes left. Maybe I could hide long enough to find a way home.
"Tisk, tisk, Mia, it doesn't work that way. Words brought you here, and words can send you home. But is that what you want?"
"Yes." I whispered, still struggling. I finally managed to sling Min's arms over my shoulders and heave her onto my back. "I have to go home."
"Don't you want your birthday present?"
He held out a crystal sphere. "This is no gift for an ordinary girl. This holds your dreams, dreams that you can live whenever you like. But it is too valuable to take without an exchange."
I only looked at him, the weight of my sister making my legs ache.
"Leave her, and you can have anything you want."
"I want my sister."
"You want more than that." He touched the crystal to my face and I caught flashes of a silver unicorn, a warm beach, and magnificent jewelry guarded by an angry dragon. Things that any dreamer would fanaticize about. "This can be yours."
I was tempted, strongly tempted, but the quite breathing of my sibling in my ear reminded me that this was all my fault. I had said the words. I had given in to petty hate, and this was my punishment. I would accept it.
He must have seen the change in my eyes. He knew my choice before I opened my mouth and only sighed.
"You have no power over me."
He could not love a nine-year-old. He could not fairly say he loved anyone who ran his labyrinth, those were just words. But he had told me that they were dangerous. My thoughts were running in circles and in exasperation, I buried my head under my pillow. I wouldn't care anymore. It was a good thing that tomorrow was Saturday because I was getting absolutely no sleep, other than whatever spell he threw at me. Sighing, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, just now realizing that I still wore my shoes. Kicking them off, I walked over to my kitchenette and opened the cabinet for a glass. They were all broken.
In a burst of worn frustration, I slammed the cabinet shut and ignored the chiming of glass as a few pieces slipped into the sink below. I turned on the faucet and cupped my hands beneath the flow. The dim light from the window gave enough illumination that I could see that Jareth hadn't cleaned up after himself.
"I hope that Sarah teaches him some housekeeping manners." I muttered.
Would he come back? The thought popped into my head without any warning.
Why did I care? The man had trashed my home, tormented me with my own memories, and given me absolutely nothing in return.
He gave you your dreams. But I had been getting along fine without them. I argued. Not like they were his to take anyway. What gave him the right to take them? I never asked that, even if I asked that he take Min.
What makes her so special anyway? Why… It was a bitter and selfish thought, but I just couldn't help myself. Why not me?
I had beaten his game too. I had faced him, I had said the same lines, and I had fallen for that other-worldly beauty, just as I'm sure many other girls had before me. But I had turned away from it, and so had Sarah. Why then was he so obsessed with winning her over?
"Stop it, just stop it." I whispered to myself in self-loathing. "You're being stupid and petty. That's what started this, and you don't want to do it all over again."
The doubt and questioning still lingered, but I kicked it aside. That other half of me still whispered, You're still human – you can fall again.
And that, perhaps, was the heart of it.
The next morning dawned crystal and clean. Water clung to everything, washing the pavement, soaking up the sun and throwing it back in sparkles. My heart was still heavy in my chest. The mark of the owl had faded and I pulled on a tank top and jeans before heading out to the store. Today would be all about fixing the damaged done last night. It would also mean that I would be living off of slim pickings and my savings if I wanted to replace my entertainment center. Best bet for new china would be a thrift store.
Arms loaded with new housewarming items, I returned to my apartment an hour after lunch. To my surprise, someone was waiting for me.
"Kay?"
My friend looked up from her book from where she stood leaning against the wall. Her hair was dyed a rich deep red that matched oddly with her light brown, nearly gold colored eyes. She wore her characteristic painted jeans and a tight black t-shirt. She smiled, snapping the hardback book closed and pushing off the wall.
"Hey Mia! Thought I would surprise you and come early. Didn't have anything else to do."
Thinking of the mess inside, I tried to smile back. "Well, you didn't give me time to clean up."
"No biggie. Can't be worse than me." She took the box containing new drinking glasses and frowned. "What's up?"
I fumbled with my keys at the door and tried to find an answer. "I kinda had a vandalism yesterday. I'm replacing a lot of stuff."
"You what?"
The door swung open to reveal a spotless apartment. Kay raised an eyebrow at me. Dropping my bags on the floor, I raced to the cabinet and flung it open. Nothing, it was all perfect and intact. My DVD player and television were on their shelves, and even the bed was made.
"Mia, honey, you've turned white."
"This – this was all a mess when I left this morning. All of it was trashed!"
"You're joking right?"
"He's laughing at me. I know he is." I growled. "Damn him."
"Who?"
"Jareth."
Kay stared at me for a long moment and set her box down. "Girl, you aren't making any sense. First you ask about your birthday a dozen years ago, and now you're seeing things."
I gave her a look. "You know me Kay. I have to have proof, and I've had a whole lot of it dumped on me in the last week."
"Proof of what?"
"Do you remember that story, the Labyrinth? A girl named Sarah Williams told it to us at my birthday party."
Kay smiled. "Yeah, it actually gave me nightmares."
"It did?" We had told far scarier stories that night. "What kind of nightmare?"
"That you were in trouble. You were falling and I couldn't reach you. And there was a huge white bird that looked like it was going to eat you."
I couldn't take it anymore. Sitting down in my leather chair, I put my head between my knees and groaned. Kay quickly shut the door and moved to kneel next to me.
"Mia! Hey – what on earth is wrong?"
"It's all true. I don't know how, but it's true."
"That story?"
"Yes."
"But…"
I turned to look at her. "I remember everything. I asked him to take Min. I ran his maze and I won, but he's come back. He wants me to help him get a girlfriend."
Kay stared at me for a moment before her face began looking rather strained.
"What, it's true!"
The side of her mouth twitched. "Yeah, but… a goblin king wants romance tips?"
Wirily I smiled back. "Yeah, kinda crazy isn't it?"
She broke out laughing, rocking back until she sat down on the floor. I couldn't help but join her. We laughed, for absolutely no real reason, we just laughed out of companionship, comfort, and just because we could. I felt a huge shadow fade away in my heart.
Wiping her eyes, Kay swallowed her last giggles and pushed on. "So, the story is true? Then why did he come to you?"
"He wants my help."
"Why you?"
"Because he wants another girl who also beat his Labyrinth – Sarah Williams."
Gold brown eyes blinked. "Random."
"I know." I sighed, looking at all my purchases from earlier, wondering if the stores would take them all back. "And now you're here – I'm beginning to wonder if it's more than coincidence."
"Mia, I don't remember a whole lot. I mean, your sister died two nights later. It kinda wiped all that out."
"But we were all there, on that night, and now he's back. He wants her."
She looked at a spot of paint on her tennis shoe. "You don't owe him anything. If he's bugging you so much, just kick him out."
"I tried. That's what got this place trashed." I glanced around the room. "Or, was trashed." I twisted the ring on my left hand idly before frowning. "Kay, you're taking this strangely well. If it were me, I would have called the loony bin a while ago."
She was silent for a long moment before answering, "For some reason, it's not that hard for me to believe. I mean, if it were anyone else, I would have been outta here in two seconds. But you and I have known each other for too long. I know when you're telling the truth or not. And the way you sounded… You couldn't have been making it up."
"So now what?"
"Well, he'll probably be back… maybe."
She gave me a long look and pushed back her red hair. "Do you like him?"
"What?" I stalled.
"This goblin king – do you like him? You never have this much difficulty deciding what to do over any guy you didn't like."
"He's…" I hated the term, but it was all I could come up with. "Hot."
A grin burst on my friend's face. "Ha! I knew it!"
"But a complete jerk."
Kay shrugged. "That and he's fixated on someone else. But do you like him other than his looks?"
I frowned and considered my past conversations with Jareth. Silence fell over the apartment. With a long, drawn out sigh, I answered, "No. But I just can't stop wanting to help him."
Kay shook her head. "Sounds like you have your own fixation to deal with. You need to stop, or find something else to fixate on."
I couldn't help poking some fun at her to break the tension. "If you saw him, you'd have the same problem."
"Don't count on it." Kay smirked. "I have a boyfriend. Problem solved." She sobered. "So what will you do if he comes back?"
I smiled sadly. "I'll try and help him."
Author's Note: So now I'm not sure where I'm headed with this. Possibly last chapter, but I've had a plea from Sparkle E. Slug not to, and who sent a plate of cookies and lemonade. So if my characters cooperate, I may be back.
Thank you: Midnight Lady, Fish (I'm flattered that you think everyone is 'real'), Candace Erinn, Nugrey (I'm glad my time-shifting worked, I was worried about that), asn water, Glass of water (are you two related?), dark prediction, and Lady of the Labyrinth.