Chapter Two: Run For the Shadows

The world was falling down around her. She was standing on the only firm piece of land, surrounded by crumbling ruins and the vast expanse of space. How many times had she been here? How many nights had she returned to this place, re-lived this moment? Jareth was in front of her. He looked… He looked incredibly tired, she realised. Exhausted, in fact. Even in her dream state, Sarah wondered why she had never noticed that before. He was talking to her, but she could not hear what he was saying. Her head was filled with the words from the play, the words that would get Toby back. But this wasn't a play – this was real. The stars glowed brilliantly in the purple-streaked sky, and a soft breeze rippled through her hair. Sarah looked back at Jareth again. There was so much pain and loneliness in the depths of his eyes. Suddenly, the voice inside her head fell silent – it was as though someone had turned a radio off, and the pure, natural sounds could finally come through to her. A flicker of emotion, almost like hope, crossed Jareth's face. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak.

Sarah was suddenly plunged into darkness and then emerged, gasping for breath and gazing wildly around her. It took some moments before she remembered where she was. In her old room, back at home. Alone. There was no Goblin King, nor anyone else, there. Sarah lay back on her pillow; the dream was still vivid enough for her to recall it exactly. It didn't make any sense. She could remember perfectly well what Jareth had said to her then. When he had tried to convince her to take the crystal. But she had never noticed his face before. Sarah sat up in bed. Whenever she had recalled that moment before, she had always been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to pay that much attention to the way he had looked at that moment. But she knew what he had said.

'No you didn't,' a voice spoke in her head. 'You heard the words, but you didn't listen to what he was saying. You never tried to understand.'

Sarah threw back the bedclothes and got up, as though she could leave behind the disagreeable voice of her subconscious at the same time. Now that she was up, she became more aware of her surroundings. There was the sound of a radio coming, very faintly, from one of the downstairs rooms, and the low buzz of someone's lawnmower nearby. And then the thudding of feet up the stairs and Toby calling her name. This was immediately followed by their father's voice saying:

'Shhh, let your sister sleep!'

More muffled voices and then two pairs of feet going down the stairs. Sarah sat at the dressing table and began to brush her hair absent-mindedly. She glanced into the mirror, half expecting to see Hoggle and the others, but the mirror was empty. They had always come when she called them, and sometimes they just came. Usually when she was expecting them the least. She threw her hairbrush down angrily. The one person whom she had never seen since was Jareth. And he was the one who kept invading her thoughts at any and every available opportunity. Although, she admitted grudgingly, it really wasn't something that she could blame him for. Sarah buried her head in her hands.

'Maybe there is such a thing as the one, true, love of your life. But even if there is, most people will never find it.'

But what if you did find it, and you threw it away? The thought had barely formed itself in Sarah's mind before she pushed it away again. With firm, decisive movements, Sarah pinned up her hair and pulled some clothes out of her bag.

ooOoo

She observed the man carefully. He didn't know that she was watching him – he would only know that if she wanted him to. He, in turn, was closely watching something else. He was staring, somewhat despondently, into the depths of a crystal. She couldn't see the image inside the spinning globe, but she already knew what it would be. After all, it was always the same thing. There was an expression of such indescribable pain and loss in his face that it almost broke her heart to see it. For a moment she indulged in feeling utter rage: rage at him for putting himself through all of this, and rage at the person who was the cause of it. But her anger was short-lived, soon replaced by concern. She dismissed the image and turned her active mind toward searching for a solution for this problem.

ooOoo

In the scheme of things, it probably wasn't the world's most exciting weekend: driving into town to do some shopping, having lunch in a café with her parents and Toby. Keeping Toby occupied while her Dad and Karen picked up his birthday cake. And then the long, lazy afternoon lying out in the garden reading the papers. Sarah sighed happily, raising her face to the sun – it was exactly what she had needed. The break-up with Sam already felt like a distant memory.

'I'm sure that ex-boyfriends are supposed to mean more to you than that,' she thought to herself. 'Hmm, then again, maybe not!' She smiled to herself and rolled over, pillowing her cheek on her arms. The sun felt warm on her back and she stretched out luxuriously, smothering a yawn. The breeze wafted over her with a fresh, sweet scent that reminded her of peaches and she inhaled deeply. Her mind drifted lazily. She heard, from somewhere, the echoes of a melodic, romantic tune, but her mind drifted out beyond the sun-drenched garden where she lay. In her half-conscious state, Sarah felt as though she were spinning – revolving slowly in time to the music. She was as light as air, whirling in the darkness. And then someone's arms closed around her, their body moving with hers in perfect synchronicity. Something in Sarah's mind told her that she should feel afraid, that she should try to run away. But it felt so right, so normal. Instead of struggling against him, Sarah let out a sigh and relaxed into the embrace, allowing herself to be guided through the intricate steps of a familiar dance. She waited for the moment when she could see him, for when he would say her name and she could look into his eyes.

'Sarah.'

She gasped slightly hearing his voice, amazed by the fact that that one, simple sound had the power to knock the breath out of her.

'Sa-rah.'

She frowned. It didn't quite sound like him anymore … and it was coming from very far away…

'Sarah!'

The whirling suddenly stopped and the comforting, warm darkness shattered around her. Blinking, Sarah rolled onto her back and gazed upwards, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand. Her father was bending over her.

'You'll sleep your life away at this rate!' he said. 'There's a phone call for you. Something to do with the theatre, I think.'

It took Sarah a few moments to get her bearings again. The sensation of being held had been so vivid; the emotions so intense, that she could not quite believe that she had simply dreamed it. Sarah stood up slowly, following her father back into the house. Had she dreamed it? Or was she simply remembering past events in a different light?

'Are you all right?' her father had stopped walking and was looking at her, his eyes full of concern. 'You look a bit…' he trailed off and shrugged helplessly. While he loved his daughter very much, he had never been able to communicate with her as well as he would have liked. It had come as a huge relief when Sarah and Karen had started to grow closer.

'I'm fine, Dad. Just a bit groggy still, that's all.'

He took hold of her hand and squeezed it. 'If you're upset about Sam-'

Sarah shook her head. 'No, I'm not. It's okay – it really doesn't bother me that much. Sometimes these things just don't work out, y'know?' She couldn't quite bring herself to tell him that when he had mentioned Sam, her first thought had been: 'Who?' Before she had remembered who he was.

He looked at his daughter critically for a moment, but couldn't find a trace of distress. There was a strange shadow in her eyes that appeared from time to time, but which he had never quite been able to put a name to. It wasn't unhappiness exactly. It was more like melancholy or nostalgia… He met her eyes again. It was gone, and she was smiling at him.

'I'd better get that call! It'll end up costing a fortune!'

The person on the other end of the phone was Miranda, the director of the theatre company and effectively Sarah's boss.

'Sarah! How's the weekend at home?' she asked effusively.

'I wonder if I sound that theatrical when I'm on the phone?' Sarah wondered briefly.

'It's great, thanks, Miranda.'

'Oh good. That's good!' Miranda's voice continued. Sarah smiled to herself – Miranda was the sort of person whom her father would sum up with a single word. Arty.

'Listen, Sarah, we've hit a bit of a snag. We've lost the venue for next week.'

'Oh no! But why? I mean, we signed the contracts and…'

'I know, I know. It isn't actually anybody's fault.' She heard Miranda heave a great sigh. 'An underground water-pipe burst and it knocked out all of the electrics in the theatre. Then when they were trying to sort all of that out, the technicians discovered that whole sections needed to be re-wired. Oh, and, er, there isn't actually any running water in the building,' Miranda concluded dryly. 'Which could pose a bit of a problem come the interval.'

Sarah smiled wryly. 'Yeah, I can see it now. So what's happening with the production? Are we looking for somewhere else?'

'No. I spoke with the theatre management earlier and they said that as we've already signed everything and paid them a deposit, we can go ahead next week just as soon as the theatre re-opens. They're even willing to refund part of the deposit as a sign of goodwill.'

'You're kidding! They're actually offering to give us money?' She asked incredulously.

'I know. So, in a way, it's worked out better for us. Anyway, if you want to take the rest of the week at home, go ahead. There isn't anything that we can do for the next few days – I'll only want to run it a few times next weekend to get everyone freshened up again.'

Sarah winced slightly. Miranda's idea of 'freshening people up' usually resulted in everyone feeling so drained they needed to sleep for a week. But she was giving them a whole week off.

'Thanks, Miranda. I really appreciate it.'

'I'll give you a call in a couple of days to let you know what's going on. Have a good week, darling. Bye!'

Sarah replaced the phone. The prospect of having so much free time unexpectedly given to her was suddenly a little daunting. She had grown so used to running around, trying to keep up with her life, that she had almost forgotten how to do nothing. That feeling, however, didn't last long, and within a few minutes she had dreamt up a thousand schemes for the coming week. Maybe she could even spend a couple of days at the beach. Toby would like that – if Karen would let her take him. Sarah came out of her reverie and noticed the clock in the hallway. It was getting close to suppertime, and she still had to take a shower. She started for the stairs, her mind still going over all the possibilities of what she could do with herself. Her Dad and Karen would be pleased – it was a while since she had spent so much time at home. She paused on the turning of the stairs on the first floor. It was a pity that she hadn't known all of this earlier: they might have been able to all go away together. Still, you never knew.

'I really have to stop standing around day-dreaming!' she told herself fiercely.

She was about to move again, when there was a hollow, musical, clinking sound and something hard knocked against her foot. Sarah glanced down and then stared in disbelief at what she was seeing.

'What-' she gasped.

'It's a crystal, nothing more. But if you turn it this way, and look into it, it will show you your dreams.'

Part of Sarah's brain screamed at her to pick it up, but she still stood, rooted to the spot like a statue. Toby came bounding out of his room, his eyes immediately alighting on the crystal globe at his sister's feet.

'Sarah! You'll stand on it!' he said reproachfully, before retrieving the item and turning back into his room. Sarah followed him mechanically. She had never asked Toby whether he remembered his time in the Labyrinth. She wasn't certain what frightened her more – the idea that he would remember, or the idea that he wouldn't. Sarah stood in the doorway of his room.

'Knock, knock,' she said.

Toby, sitting on his bed, smiled up at her.

'Mind if I come in?'

He shook his head and Sarah entered the room, closing the door behind her.

'Hey, I remember this!' she said, looking at poster on his wall. It was Escher's Relativity; the same one that had once hung in Sarah's room. Toby had appropriated it when they had been going through the boxes of her things in the attic.

'Yeah, it's pretty cool,' Toby admitted.

'I thought so,' Sarah replied. She turned to face her brother and found him staring wistfully at the poster.

'You know, sometimes I … I have the strangest dream,' he said.

'Oh? What is it?' Sarah asked carefully, seating herself next to him.

'Well…' Toby looked a little uncomfortable. 'Promise you won't laugh?'

She smiled. 'I promise.'

Toby took a deep breath and plunged into his story. 'Well, sometimes I dream that I'm … that I'm in the painting.'

Sarah sat very still, scarcely breathing.

'There're stairways everywhere, and I'm actually going up one, but it's upside down. And I think, but I'm not sure, I think that there's someone chasing after me. They're looking everywhere for me, and they want to take me away, but I don't want to go. I want to stay there, in the staircase room'

'Do you remember anything else?' Sarah asked, fighting to keep her voice level. 'Is there anyone else there? Do you know who it is who's chasing you?'

Toby shrugged. He still had the crystal in his hands and was playing with it, his fingers moving dexterously over the surface.

'How long have you had that?' she asked.

'Oh, Sarah, I've had it forever!' He rolled his eyes.

'Where did you get it?'

He frowned for a moment. 'Didn't you give it to me?'

'No, honey, I didn't.'

He shrugged again. 'Dunno then.'

She could picture the moment with absolute clarity – Jareth standing on the edge of one of the platforms in the Escher room, throwing a crystal into the abyss below (or above, depending on which way up you were standing at the time). It had gone bouncing along the staircases, finally coming to rest next to Toby. Had he picked it up? She couldn't remember anymore. Sarah felt the rush of air as she had launched herself into the abyss, falling down through that timeless space.

'Sarah, are you okay?' Toby was staring at her anxiously, his mismatched eyes shifting colour in the early evening light.

'Yeah, I'm fine. 'Course I am.' She leaned back so that she was resting against the wall. 'Are you looking forward to your birthday?'

He nodded enthusiastically. 'Uh-huh! You'd better've bought me a good present!' he added.

Sarah's eyes widened. 'Oh yeah? You'll be lucky to get anything off me if you carry on like that!'

'But you're hardly ever here,' Toby put in reasonably. 'So you have to make it up to me when you are.'

'I think I can safely say that you'll like this one very much,' she answered, smiling.

'Good.'

Her eyes wandered over his room, some of the objects in it she remembered as having once resided in hers – most notably the now battered bear on Toby's bed that went by the name of Lancelot. On the bedside table was a pile of books, most of them by Delaine King. Sarah smiled to herself at the sight of them. She stretched over lazily and picked up the one on top.

'That's a good one,' Toby said enthusiastically, swivelling round to see what she was doing.

'What's it about?'

'Goblins,' he replied, his eyes glowing. 'See,' he pointed to a creature on the jacket, 'that's one.'

'Oh yeah … except that Goblins don't really look like that,' Sarah said.

'How do you know?' Toby demanded.

'How…? Oh, er…' Sarah kicked herself. The words had slipped out without her even thinking about it. 'Well, I…I don't. I mean…they just don't look the way I think Goblin's would look.'

Toby nodded, frowning.

'Sarah…'

There was a questioning note in his voice and she braced herself for whatever was coming next.

'Do you believe in Goblins and things? I don't mean the way Mom and Dad say they do, but they don't really.' His face held a mixture of anxiety and hope. 'I mean do you really believe?'

Sarah held his eyes with her own, holding a brief debate with herself. 'Yes. I do believe in Goblins and fairies and all of that. So don't ever let anyone tell you any different – you don't have to argue with them, just know it in your heart, okay?'

'I wish I could see a Goblin,' he muttered, staring back at the crystal globe.

'You very nearly were a Goblin,' Sarah thought, but successfully stopped herself from saying it out loud. 'You never know,' she replied consolingly, 'sometimes the most unexpected things can happen.'

She glanced at her watch. 'Hey, we'd better get going! It's almost time for supper. I just need to get changed, so I'll see you downstairs, yeah?'

Sarah slid off the bed and walked to the door. She had just opened it when Toby's voice called her back.

'Sarah…' he was frowning anxiously again. 'You really do believe?'

She paused in the doorway, regarding him thoughtfully. 'Of course I do.' She suddenly laughed. 'After all, I once danced with the Goblin King!'

She disappeared down the corridor, leaving Toby staring after her.

To be continued...