Chapter Three
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Toby rushed upstairs to change seeing as he was only wearing a Darkness T-shirt and his boxers. Somehow he wasn't quite ready to let Arian see him like that. After quickly checking that his hair looked all right he tried to saunter into the living room where his crush was currently sitting. He failed miserably by tripping on the corner of the carpet and his limbs flailed wildly in the air before he fell. It was beyond his control now and he braced himself for the painful collision with the coffee table, but it never came...
Toby opened his eyes again to find himself leaning in mid air at a forty five degree angle. Then he noticed the pair of arms wrapped around his waist. Then he realised that they were Arian's arms! How did she do that? She was right on the other side of the room!
Arian pulled him back up again and, much to his disappointment, let go. "Walk much?"
she said and smirked crookedly in a way that the boy found oddly familiar.
"So, what brings you here?" asked Toby.
"Oh, nothing important." she replied.
"Lie much?" said Toby darkly. He was getting seriously annoyed with her for avoiding his questions like that.
"I beg your pardon?" said Arian angrily.
"You're upset about something and you're not telling me." said Toby "Why are you so secretive?"
"I'm not secretive! I tell you loads of things."
"Yeah but you haven't told me anything about where you're from, your family, your history! Hell, I don't even know your phone number, Arian!"
"It's complicated, OK!" Arian shouted.
"What? Are you like a secret agent or something?" said Toby angrily.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Well what then? Are you under a witness protection program?" Toby shouted trying another wild guess.
"No." said Arian who was now refusing to make eye contact and a silver tear forced its way down her cheek.
Toby realised he had gone too far and quickly shut up. Arian wiped her eyes on her sleeve and reclaimed her composure. She didn't know why the argument had upset her so much as she could always stay calm and diplomatic, well, except when it came to Theo but he probably couldn't even spell 'diplomatic' even if he tried.
"I'm sorry." said Toby. "It's just that I don't get to meet someone like you very often.
Can you blame me if I want to get to know you?"
"I want to tell you who I am. I really do. But the truth is that I've hardly figured it out myself." said Arian slowly. She felt so guilty about keeping so many secrets that she couldn't just leave it there. "My life is one of those things that I need to show you instead of explain."
"When will you show me?" said Toby, mouth going dry. Was this really it?
"We're having a party in two weeks, it's my father's birthday. I want you and Sarah to come. Then you'll know." They spent the rest of the evening in silence.
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Sarah heard the argument from the kitchen. She didn't have to guess what it was about. Toby had been trying to glean information off her all week about her mysterious friend. Everything was really getting out of hand and if Arian didn't explain things soon then Toby could end up getting seriously hurt, or at least he was in for a nasty shock.
She was quickly pulled from her thoughts when a large white owl outside zigzagged wildly through the air before crashing into the kitchen window, bouncing off it and landing on the patio with a dull thud. Sarah sighed and went outside. Talk about bad timing.
She found Jareth in his human form lying on the ground where he had fallen. He had a five o'clock shadow and his hair and clothes were covered in dirt and dried leaves.
"Ow! Where'd that window come from?!" the Goblin King moaned.
"The double glazing salesman." said Sarah.
"No wonder it hurt. Is Arian here?"
"Yeah but she's pretty pissed off right now. You should probably wait until she's calmed down, and when you don't look like crap." said Sarah.
"At least I don't still wear Magic Roundabout pyjamas even though you're thirty." said Jareth angrily as he magically transformed into a new outfit. He knew it was a childish comment but he was hung over and concussed and frankly didn't care.
"So where have you been anyway?" said Sarah, ignoring him...for now.
"Well I went bar crawling, then I caught some mice, then I got into a fight a robin who cheated by the way so don't believe a word he says, and then I woke up in a strange tree with a strange bird with a strange feeling of emptiness."
"You mean you...?!"
"Yes and please don't tell Arian, she wasn't exactly step-mother material, if you know what I mean."
"Well, like I said, I don't think this is a good time." said Sarah. "Arian had an argument with Toby earlier."
"Well Toby wants them to have a more serious relationship but Arian isn't ready to make that commit..." she stopped short when she saw the look on the Goblin King's face.
"He WHAT!!!"
"No! Jareth I didn't mean it that way!"
"The little rat!! I'm going to kill him!!" Jareth yelled as he stormed through the house.
"If he's laid one finger on my daughter there's going to be hell to pay!!"
"NO! Stop!!" cried Sarah as she followed. Why did that guy always choose to have his family dramas in her living room?
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Toby rushed upstairs to change seeing as he was only wearing a Darkness T-shirt and his boxers. Somehow he wasn't quite ready to let Arian see him like that. After quickly checking that his hair looked all right he tried to saunter into the living room where his crush was currently sitting. He failed miserably by tripping on the corner of the carpet and his limbs flailed wildly in the air before he fell. It was beyond his control now and he braced himself for the painful collision with the coffee table, but it never came...
Toby opened his eyes again to find himself leaning in mid air at a forty five degree angle. Then he noticed the pair of arms wrapped around his waist. Then he realised that they were Arian's arms! How did she do that? She was right on the other side of the room!
Arian pulled him back up again and, much to his disappointment, let go. "Walk much?"
she said and smirked crookedly in a way that the boy found oddly familiar.
"So, what brings you here?" asked Toby.
"Oh, nothing important." she replied.
"Lie much?" said Toby darkly. He was getting seriously annoyed with her for avoiding his questions like that.
"I beg your pardon?" said Arian angrily.
"You're upset about something and you're not telling me." said Toby "Why are you so secretive?"
"I'm not secretive! I tell you loads of things."
"Yeah but you haven't told me anything about where you're from, your family, your history! Hell, I don't even know your phone number, Arian!"
"It's complicated, OK!" Arian shouted.
"What? Are you like a secret agent or something?" said Toby angrily.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Well what then? Are you under a witness protection program?" Toby shouted trying another wild guess.
"No." said Arian who was now refusing to make eye contact and a silver tear forced its way down her cheek.
Toby realised he had gone too far and quickly shut up. Arian wiped her eyes on her sleeve and reclaimed her composure. She didn't know why the argument had upset her so much as she could always stay calm and diplomatic, well, except when it came to Theo but he probably couldn't even spell 'diplomatic' even if he tried.
"I'm sorry." said Toby. "It's just that I don't get to meet someone like you very often.
Can you blame me if I want to get to know you?"
"I want to tell you who I am. I really do. But the truth is that I've hardly figured it out myself." said Arian slowly. She felt so guilty about keeping so many secrets that she couldn't just leave it there. "My life is one of those things that I need to show you instead of explain."
"When will you show me?" said Toby, mouth going dry. Was this really it?
"We're having a party in two weeks, it's my father's birthday. I want you and Sarah to come. Then you'll know." They spent the rest of the evening in silence.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Sarah heard the argument from the kitchen. She didn't have to guess what it was about. Toby had been trying to glean information off her all week about her mysterious friend. Everything was really getting out of hand and if Arian didn't explain things soon then Toby could end up getting seriously hurt, or at least he was in for a nasty shock.
She was quickly pulled from her thoughts when a large white owl outside zigzagged wildly through the air before crashing into the kitchen window, bouncing off it and landing on the patio with a dull thud. Sarah sighed and went outside. Talk about bad timing.
She found Jareth in his human form lying on the ground where he had fallen. He had a five o'clock shadow and his hair and clothes were covered in dirt and dried leaves.
"Ow! Where'd that window come from?!" the Goblin King moaned.
"The double glazing salesman." said Sarah.
"No wonder it hurt. Is Arian here?"
"Yeah but she's pretty pissed off right now. You should probably wait until she's calmed down, and when you don't look like crap." said Sarah.
"At least I don't still wear Magic Roundabout pyjamas even though you're thirty." said Jareth angrily as he magically transformed into a new outfit. He knew it was a childish comment but he was hung over and concussed and frankly didn't care.
"So where have you been anyway?" said Sarah, ignoring him...for now.
"Well I went bar crawling, then I caught some mice, then I got into a fight a robin who cheated by the way so don't believe a word he says, and then I woke up in a strange tree with a strange bird with a strange feeling of emptiness."
"You mean you...?!"
"Yes and please don't tell Arian, she wasn't exactly step-mother material, if you know what I mean."
"Well, like I said, I don't think this is a good time." said Sarah. "Arian had an argument with Toby earlier."
"Well Toby wants them to have a more serious relationship but Arian isn't ready to make that commit..." she stopped short when she saw the look on the Goblin King's face.
"He WHAT!!!"
"No! Jareth I didn't mean it that way!"
"The little rat!! I'm going to kill him!!" Jareth yelled as he stormed through the house.
"If he's laid one finger on my daughter there's going to be hell to pay!!"
"NO! Stop!!" cried Sarah as she followed. Why did that guy always choose to have his family dramas in her living room?