Thanks to Lady Galriee, Labyrinth Mistress, and crystal13moon! You three are the fastest reviewers ever! Y'all inspired me to write another little chapter and post it tonight. Thanks for reviewing!
This story is very different from my usual fare. It doesn't have a drop of slash. Amazing, no?
Chapter 1
Sarah gave up on grading papers fairly quickly. Calling it a night, she hurried home to her little apartment and made herself a dinner. Idly, she flipped through the channels on her fuzzy television. She wondered how Toby was doing on his paper. She wondered what he ate that night. She wondered if he remembered how to do a bibliography correctly. Did he even know the proper way to format a paper? Did he-?
Screw it. She wasn't getting any sleep tonight worrying about it. It was pretty late, but she knew he would still be up. She got up scooped some leftovers off the stove into a container. At the very least, she could feed him and proofread his paper. He'd better have something for her to proofread by now.
She let herself into the old house. Her father had given her a key, much to Irene's displeasure. It was one of the few things he actually wouldn't budge on.
Her sneakers made no sound as she went up the stairs and knocked on Toby's door.
"Toby? It's me, Sarah."
There was no answer. Sarah frowned. There was light streaming from under the door. The rest of the house was dark, her father and Irene asleep long ago.
"Toby?"
She opened the door, the bag of food still in her hand. There was no one there. The computer was dark - its cord lay on the floor, unplugged. The printer lay on the ground and the closet door was ajar. She could hear something from inside.
"Toby?"
She approached the closet with trepidation. The noises continued. It sounded like…
She opened the door and peered inside.
Two goblins froze and looked at her, each holding a shoe aloft as if to throw it. They had obviously been fighting and shoes and clothes were scattered all over the closet floor.
"It's her!" One of them screeched.
"Run!" screeched the other.
They both dropped the shoes and ran… straight into each other.
"Where's my brother?" demanded Sarah, but they paid her no heed. They picked themselves up off the floor and, continuing to screech all the while, ran, pushing and shoving at each other, to a little door in the back of the closet that she had never seen before.
"Stop!"
She reached for them, but they were too quick, running through the door and slamming it shut, just as she grabbed for a corner. She scrabbled at the wall, trying desperately to open it again, but it was no use. It was as if there had never been a door there at all.
She sat back on her haunches and tried not to cry in frustration. She was an adult now. She was an adult now. She was an adult now and it was happening again.
"Oh God… not again… Toby."
She took a few deep shuddering breaths to steady herself and quickly moved to her old room. Most of her old things were gone, but her dresser and mirror remained. She sat in front of it and wiped at her eyes, opening the dresser drawer. The old red book lay where she left it all those years ago. She touched its rough cover, thinking of her dear old friends who she hadn't spoken to in so long. She knew what she had to do.
Looking straight into the mirror, she said clearly and determinedly, "I need you."
TBC...
Sorry it's so short. That's just the way the chapters for this fic are going to be. What do you think? Please review!