Yay! My DVD arrived! So, having watched it every day this week since Tuesday, and having finally found some spare time to update, I have done so. Thanks go to Avalon-blackandgreen (Tru Calling is also my favourite TV programme :)) and Meg for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, nor do I own Tru Calling. Enjoy :)
"Harrison." Tru greeted her brother, knowing full well what he wanted. The urgency of her voice startled her brother.
"What's the matter Tru? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"
'Not likely,' Tru thought. Forcing brightness into her voice, she answered her brother.
"Rewind day, that's all."
Harrison was still amazed by his sister's ability to treat her gift as a normal, everyday thing. When Tru had first informed him of her ability, he hadn't believed her, until she proved to him countless times that she could predict the future and events about to happen. Even though he'd known for quite some time now, Harrison was still slightly sceptical about the whole issue. There was a pause as he considered his thoughts.
"Rewind day?"
Tru sighed in annoyance. She didn't have time for this. The girl who lay dead in the morgue the previous night needed her help, and she needed to find out as much as possible about her before it was too late.
Tru glanced at the television whilst still trying to shake off her brother, and remembered the lottery numbers from yesterday.
"You got the news turned on?" She asked, knowing that if Harrison wasn't tuned into the lottery, then someone had kidnapped her real brother and replaced him with a clone.
"Sure thing, but why...?"
"Lottery numbers, pay attention," Tru said hurridly. She could hear Harrison shifting around his room so he could pay attention to the flashing screen. "First one will be number six."
'And the first number in the lucky draw is...number six!' A booming voice announced as the small white ball with the blue number six engraved into the sides rolled down the small gully.
Harrison was still slightly wary.
"Coincidence." He stated, knowing that his sister wasn't lying but refusing to see that Tru had another life to save, one that could ultimately put her in danger herself.
"How's this for coincidence? Number twenty-three." Tru almost snapped in exasperation.
'...And it's number twenty-three!' This time a pink ball with white numbers joined the blue numbered ball in the slot.
"Ok, so I believe you." Harrison knew that Tru would never let a rewind day pass without trying to save the life of the person or people in question. Having managed to help her in the past, he decided he would do all he could to save the victim, and make sure that Tru pulled through herself. "Anything I can do?"
Tru thought for a second.
"You don't have any plans for today do you?" Tru asked nicely.
"Well, we were supposed to be meeting Lindz..."
Tru remembered Lindsay's news of her engagement, and her hasty reply, with guilt seeping into her insides. She would make it up to her best friend, even though, according to time, Lindsay hadn't even told Tru anything about it yet.
"Rearrange for sometime. In the meantime, why don't you see if you can get to the morgue and help Davis once I explain?"
Harrison agreed to phone Lindsay and rearrange their get-together, and said he would be at the morgue within the hour. Quickly turning off the television and grabbing her keys, Tru stuffed her intact mobile phone into her jeans pockets and ran out of the door. The same vase she had knocked over yesterday was lying on the shelf, and Tru accidentally hit it whilst opening the door. Cursing, she swept up the remnants and made a mental note to remember to move such objects on rewind days if they had been broken in some way on the first day.
Tru walked into the morgue, and almost sent Davis flying in her haste to open the door.
"Wow, you're earlier than I am...wait, rewind day, right?" Davis didn't need an explanation for Tru's hurried motions. He could read her like a book.
"Yeah, listen, someone came in late last night, and I need to use the computer to..." Tru suddenly remembered that some files and records had been deleted from the hard drive.
"Hey Davis, you wouldn't happen to know who would have a motive to delete some of the files would you?" Tru asked
Davis' face darkened. Deleting important records was a strict violation of the rules, not to mention that cases of mistaken identity would soar if files were left unattended. They both went to the small office, and Tru started up the computer, intending to sort the problem quickly, as she knew where the missing records were, and to find out where her victim was living.
Tru recalled the files from the trash can, and wondered yet again why these had been deleted, and more importantly, who had deleted them. She frowned as she loaded the City Information Finder, wondering who the main suspect could be. It couldn't be Luc; all he did was photographing the dead, and wouldn't have any particular reason. However, one other person shot straight to mind as she thought of co-workers...
JackThe answer came like a bullet. It had to be Jack. He had the motives, and he had the knowledge of the database...
Jack had worked with Tru and Davis for a short period of time, and had been part of the medical check team. His job was very similar to Tru's, except his involved less comforting for the families of the deceased. Tru had been happy when he had been here, and had even managed to confide her secret in him. He hadn't overreacted, he hadn't panicked, and he hadn't called the police. He had understood, and that was what made Tru trust him more.
However, there was more to Jack than met the eye. It turned out that Jack had almost the same ability as Tru, and this had consequently turned them against him. Tru didn't want to remember Jack's mirror abilities to her own, as it only caused her more trouble, and even hindered her from doing her job at saving lives.
So, Jack had left the morgue. But what was he doing deleting the records?
Tru shook off these memories. She was jumping to conclusions; Jack had been gone for weeks, and there was no sign of him returning.
The City Information Finder loaded, and Tru selected "Personal and Identification". The little screen popped up, saying that it would take several minutes to load the database. Tru rubbed her forehead and glanced at the clock. Eight-thirty in the morning, and there were still quite a few hours before it was too late. Tru only hoped that there was enough information in the database to save this girl's life.
A beeping sound interrupted her thoughts, and the computer prompted her to type in a criterion so that the database could search the city files. In the box labelled 'Name', she typed 'Sarah Williams', having remembered the girl's Identification from the night before. Three people with the name Sarah Williams were listed, and Tru sighed in frustration, wondering whether she would get the right one. Also remembering that the identification card had held the date of birth, she typed it into the small box.
"Twenty-eighth of November, nineteen-eighty-eight..." Tru read aloud as she typed the date into the database. Glancing at the small calendar standing by the monitor, she saw that indeed, the date was the twenty-eighth of November, and starting to feel positive that she might find the right person after all, she resumed the search. The date narrowed the names down to one, and Tru quickly scribbled the address onto a piece of paper.
"Thanks, Davis!" Tru called as she walked swiftly out of the entrance. Suddenly remembering something, she ran back in, and saw that Davis was about to eat a huge chunk out of the sandwich that had caused his stomach upset the day before.
"By the way, you might want to avoid that," Tru explained, with an apologetic look on her face, staring meaningfully at the culprit sandwich. Davis sighed, and tossing the chicken sandwich into the small bin, he picked up the phone and dialled the number for the local Dominos.
Tru stalked out of the door, climbed into her car, and checked her road map for a fast route to Sarah Williams' house. Starting the car, Tru felt more determined than ever to save Sarah's life.
Sarah's laughter continued down the small hallway as she walked over to the door. Knowing that her best friend, Andrew, was going to be on the other side, she picked up the mail, set it on the small cabinet by the door, and unlocked the latch. Sarah was startled to see a young woman, not much older than herself, standing there. She had long, brown, curly hair, and dark eyes, and was only a couple of inches taller than Sarah herself. Confused, Sarah recovered her poise, and asked the woman who she was.
"Can I help you?"
Tru's breath caught in her throat. What on earth could she say?
"Who is it Sarah?" A middle-aged man appeared behind the sixteen-year-old. Tru recognised him as Sarah's father, and his laughing eyes and smiling face made a stark contrast to the thinning man Tru had seen at the morgue the previous night. Quickly forcing a smile, Tru tried her best to make up a plausible excuse as to why she was standing on the doorstep to the Williams household.
"I'm Tru Davies, I'm an Art and Design student at the local college, and I'm doing a survey on the people's choice of design in the home." Tru quickly took out a small pad and pencil kept in her top pocket for 'emergencies' such as this.
Sarah looked meaningfully at her father, sending him psychic messages telling him to turn the student away. It was her birthday for cripes sake, Andrew would be around at any moment, and she didn't have time to waste with a survey. However, Robert Williams was completely oblivious to Sarah's telepathic skills, probably because she didn't have any, and invited Tru into their house.
Tru looked around the comfortable dwelling, putting on an act of interest to back up her story. She looked towards the living room, and saw the woman who was accompanying Robert last night, along with the small child. All three looked happy, and it was obvious that none knew of the terrible events that were to happen that night. That was, of course, if Tru didn't have anything to do with the matter.
"You have a lovely home," Tru smiled at the woman playing with the toddler.
"Thank you very much," she smiled back at Tru, pleased with the compliment.
There was an awkward silence, and then Tru suddenly remembered she was supposed to be taking notes. Flipping the cover of the notepad behind the rest of the pages and preparing her pencil, she quickly lied to cover her story.
"I was wondering of you could help me with my survey?" Tru decided that now was the best time to talk to Sarah to find out more about her, and more about how she could prevent her death.
Sarah was startled with the sudden question, but nodded and decided to show the mysterious student her room to see if she could be of some help. After all, the sooner she complied with Tru's wishes, the sooner she could start enjoying her birthday. She gestured to Tru to follow her, and she obeyed and followed Sarah up the stairs, pretending to look at the decorations and surroundings in interest. Sarah opened her door, and Tru gasped as she walked inside.
The room was certainly unusual for that of a sixteen-year-old girl. Whilst most rooms for girls Sarah's age were filled with posters of the latest rock bands and movie posters, Sarah's was instead filled with pictures, by M.C. Escher Tru noted, and was stuffed full of fantasy artwork and novels. The shelves were lined with stuffed animals, generally representing strange and mythical creatures, and the bed itself was surrounded with soft tapestries, as though it was made out for a princess. Sarah grinned at Tru.
"What do you think? Too abstract?"
Sarah's question startled Tru out of her reverie, and she focussed on the girl whose life she was supposed to save.
"It's very nice...very unusual, showing your...umm...creativity," Tru finished lamely. Sarah looked at her, slight suspicion in her eyes, but invited Tru to take any notes that she needed.
"Sarah! Andrew's here!" A voice from downstairs startled the two. Sarah looked at Tru.
"You don't mind if I go say hello do you?" Sarah asked tentatively. "You can stay up here and take more notes for your survey, if you like..."
Tru wanted to keep Sarah in sight, so that she had more chance of stopping her inevitable death, but taking a look around the room didn't seem to be a bad idea, especially if it gave a clue as to Sarah's whereabouts at the time of the accident. Forcing a grin, she looked at the dark-haired teenager.
"I'd like that very much, thank you," Tru nodded to Sarah. Sarah smiled and walked out of the door, preparing to go and greet her best friend. Sudden laughter from downstairs told Tru that she was safe to snoop around the room.
'Maybe I should go into the burglary business...' Tru mused to herself, feeling slightly guilty for rummaging through someone's personal possessions.
Glancing around the room, Tru saw nothing of any help as to the location of the accident. That wasn't to say that there wasn't anything of interest, as the whole room seemed fit to burst with fantasy. It was as though Sarah had forgotten reality, and just buried herself in her dreams.
Something caught Tru's eye. She looked to her right, and discovered a small drawer, which looked to have gotten a lot of use. Knowing full well that she was in fact just spying, and not actually looking for clues, Tru walked over to the dressing table, curiosity getting the better of her. She reached for the small handle, and jumped when more laughter erupted from downstairs. Calming herself, Tru gave the drawer a slight pull, and was surprised when something jammed against the inside, preventing access. She tried pulling harder, and the result was a sore hand and a loud bang, which issued from whatever had been blocking the drawer. Cursing slightly, and rubbing her bruised hand, Tru looked into the drawer's contents.
The artefacts in this drawer greatly outweighed the value of practically anything else. Tru moved a few items aside, glancing at photographs of an almost identical replica of Sarah, yet with more age and maturity in her eyes.
'That must be Sarah's mother...' Tru wondered. No wonder Sarah had seemed a little tense around the woman downstairs.
Pulling out more items, and chiding herself with everything she scanned, Tru continued her "search". She noticed that one particular item cropped up very often, although it was more of a person than an item. There were numerous drawings of a strangely attractive man, who looked about ten years older than Tru herself. Tru noted the strange haircut, the wacky clothing, and most especially the eyes...those unavoidable, mismatched eyes. Whoever had drawn these was a good artist, and seeing as this was Sarah's private drawer, it seemed as though she had some sort of connection with the man. What was even stranger, however, was that there weren't only drawings of the handsome man. There were some photographs, which sported a man who looked almost identical to the man in the drawings, except the man in the pictures had a normal appearance. There was also, Tru noted with a hint of unease, a small statue of the odd looking man in the drawings.
Deciding that Sarah had some sort of infatuation with this strange being, Tru dismissed it, and continued rooting through the drawer. A small, red-encased book caught her attention. Intricate gold writing spelled out the title: "Labyrinth". Intrigued, Tru picked up the novel, and turned to the book marked page. The text was small and was quite difficult, and Tru found it difficult making out the words.
"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnamed - no, unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child you have stolen..."
Tru shook her head. What a strange book. Still captivated by the sheer fantasy however, Tru flipped to the front, and continued reading, forgetting that she was supposed to be helping save someone's life.
"What no one knew was that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers..." King of the what? Powers? This was indeed a strange book. Something twigged inside Tru, and she glanced back at the numerous drawings of the attractive man. Reading some descriptions of the man in the small book, Tru was suddenly aware that the King in the story was the same man that Sarah had been sketching.
"What the hell are you doing?!" An angry voice demanded from the doorframe. Tru whipped round in shock.
Sarah was standing at the entrance to her room, her face drained of its entire colour. Angry eyes surveyed the scene before her – someone had been snooping her room, and had discovered something potentially dangerous.
"Give that to me." Sarah demanded, holding her hand out to receive the book.
Tru kept her hold on the red book, still strangely fascinated with the story, and its King. Knowing that she was going against all of her self-morals, and knowing that she had to save this girl's life, Tru still couldn't resist asking about the strange artefacts she had discovered.
"So, who's this irresistible King you keep dreaming about?" Tru asked with a slight smile on her face, intending to start a friendly conversation with Sarah. If it was possible, Sarah's face drained what little colour was left in it, and she stood in total shock, not able to answer.
Tru's discoveries had awakened a deep feeling in Sarah – one of hurt, confusion, fear and anger. It had been months since Sarah had even thought about opening that drawer and causing these memories to flood back. But now, some arrogant young woman had just re-released the feelings, and Sarah was livid.
"That's – that's none of your business!" Sarah snapped, walking closer so she could snatch the book out of Tru's hands.
Tru knew she had gone too far, but as long as she was standing there, causing trouble for Sarah, she was stopping her from reaching her destination, and ultimately preventing her untimely demise.
"He's cute," Tru started again, determined to get through to the teenager. Glancing once again at the book, and reading more of its intricate story, Tru found herself mesmerised, and couldn't resist reading parts out loud, almost as though she wanted them to be real. Forgetting of everything around her, she didn't notice Sarah's look of horror.
"Y'know, I wish this Goblin King would come and take me away, right now. Sure would help some of my problems," Tru laughed to herself. Without warning, the book was snatched from her hands, and instead of facing an angry Sarah, as Tru expected, she faced one full of sinking, deep, horrific fear.
"What have you done...?" Sarah stared at the window, her face the picture of utmost disbelief and horror.
Tru was confused, but soon forgot about everything around her as all the lights went out. Glancing up, she didn't even have time to blink, as her world faded to an even deeper black, and she knew no more.
Sarah Williams' laugh continued up the stairs after she decided to check on the stranger lodged in her room, supposedly taking notes. Sarah couldn't help but be suspicious of the woman, as her claims seemed to be a little on the foggy and unprofessional side. She jogged up the remainder of the stairs, and pushed the door to her room open, prepared to ask the woman to leave. Instead, her heart plummeted like a stone as the scene in the room greeted her eyes.
Her drawer, her private drawer meant for keeping secrets and lies locked away for eternity, was currently open, and the "art student" was reading from the one book which could change the course of someone's life. It was simply too dangerous. Sarah shook from shock, and familiar fear.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Sarah watched the woman spin round in shock, but didn't wait for an answer.
"Give that to me," she demanded, wanting more than anything to have the book burned. As long as this Tru didn't understand, as long as the words weren't said...
"So, who is this irresistible King you keep dreaming about?" The question startled Sarah, and sent deep chills through her spine. Irresistible? Sure, he might have had a certain charm, but he was cruel, cruel and unfair, and no other could match the fear he placed within Sarah.
"That's – that's none of your business!" Sarah snapped, desperate to take the leather-cased book before it could do any more damage. Rekindling old feelings was enough, and Sarah was one hundred percent certain that she didn't want the real thing to deal with. Again.
"He's cute," Tru stated. Sarah could only look at her with mixed feelings of horror and disbelief. She was even more startled when Tru started reading sentences from the novel out loud.
'NO!' Sarah's mind screamed at her. She couldn't let this happen again.
"Y'know, I wish this Goblin King would come and take me away, right now..." Sarah didn't hear the rest of this sentence. The words, the very words that haunted her dreams and plagued her thoughts and feelings...and now they were loose again, set to terrorise another innocent victim.
Reaching over and snatching the book from Tru's hands, and saying something her brain couldn't comprehend, Sarah tried desperately to convince herself that it wasn't real, none of it. No Labyrinth existed, no goblins were going to come and take Tru to the Underground, no Underground existed full stop, and most definitely, most certainly, Goblin Kings didn't, and wouldn't ever exist.
Those reassuring thoughts were dashed as all the lights in the room went out. Sarah prayed that it was a power cut, and looked over to Tru to see if she was ok. However, upon realising that no one was standing next to her, Sarah's heart palpitated, and she spun around desperately to escape the room. However, a sharp crack from the window area, and the form of someone standing by that window stopped her, and Sarah shook, knowing, yet not wanting to accept, who was standing there.
An icy voice confirmed her fears.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here. Hello, Sarah."
