It had been almost three years since Sarah had run and completed the Labyrinth. Nearly three years since she was captured and shown what true fear really was. Sarah thought of the Labyrinth often. How could she not? It was her escape. Her refuge. How many times she considered wishing herself away, but she never did. If she was gone, who would protect the others? They were bringing in younger and younger girls every other week. She took care of them. Tended their wounds, soothed their pained, frightened tears with stories and songs, took on their punishments and their worst clients. If she wished herself away, they would be left defenseless at the hands of the Masters.

Besides, even if she did, she knew he would never listen to her. She broke his heart. He offered her the sun, the moon, the world on a silver platter and she'd spurned him. She knew what he had done for her. What he would have done for her. But she was only fifteen at the time and her priority was correcting a mistake she never should have made. So, she used those words and watched the hurt and betrayal shadow his face as she and Toby were transported back to the Aboveground. Why would he ever answer any call of hers after she did that to him? If anything, she felt she deserved her fate for all the hurt she had caused. She couldn't bring herself to insult him further by calling out to him just because she needed to be rescued. And now? No one would ever want her again. She was disgusting. Used. Broken. Worthless. The Masters and Lord had seen to that. She always resisted the temptation to call.

That didn't mean she wouldn't teach the other young ones how to call. She heard them late at night, whispering it to themselves after a particularly brutal punishment or client, and in the morning, they were gone. Sarah was always grateful, even as she was beaten senseless by her furious Masters who could not figure out how the girls kept escaping. Even if they were turned into goblins, it was a better fate than this. After all, Jareth took care of his subjects. The girls would be well looked after there. Sarah's lips quirked up slightly. That's all that was important. She would endure the punishments and the clients as long as these innocent girls were safe.

"What are you smiling about, Big Sister?" Her cagemate, Eliza asked, dully. There was no real curiosity in her voice and Sarah doubted the twelve-year old would ever feel curious again.

"Hmm?" She replied just as tonelessly. "Oh, just that Alice was able to make it out of here alive."

"I agree. What does she make? The fifth one in the last four months?" Sarah shrugged, causing the shackles on her wrists to rattle slightly. "How do you think they're doing it?" Sarah shrugged again.

"Maybe they found places big enough for them to get out of but too small for the rest of us?"

The two paused as a third voice joined their hushed conversation. Erin, by the sound of it. "I don't know. I heard Jessie whisper something about a wish the night before she disappeared."

What, you mean she just wished herself out of this hellhole?" Eliza scoffed. "If that's all it took, I wouldn't have even made it to the house."

"Eliza," Sarah whispered sternly. "If that's what Erin thinks happened, then that's what happened." She softened, lowering her voice even more. "Just let her keep believing in something." The blonde across from her lowered her head in shame.

"You're right, Big Sis. I'm sorry." In a slightly louder voice, she called, "sorry, Erin."

"'S okay," the eight-year old mumbled.

"Sonia, sweetie, are you feeling any better?" The thirteen-year old Hispanic girl was the latest arrival in their caged prison. She had been sent to 'entertain' two days prior and the client had not been gentle. Sarah hadn't been allowed to take her place and Sonia hadn't eaten or spoken a word since. "I know, sweetheart," Sarah comforted a moment later. There wasn't much she could do with her hands chained to the cage bars but she did what she could. "We're all here when you're ready." A loud thud sounded above them effectively silencing them for the rest of the night.

Sarah stared off into the darkness of their dungeon listening to her companions drift off into fitful slumbers. She didn't sleep. Not these days. The only time she was ever unconscious was when the Masters or clients beat her into unconsciousness. Otherwise she was awake and alert. She had to be. She had to know what was happening, had to keep her eyes peeled for any opportunity to get them out. There were nine of them in this dungeon and she didn't know if there were others.

She did know, that of all her companions, she was the second-oldest at eighteen. The oldest girl was Mira, a twenty-one-year old redhead who had been with the Masters for about six years. Mira kept out of trouble the most and didn't understand Sarah's desire to keep the young ones from the worst of the torment. 'We had to go through it, so why shouldn't they?' Sarah could understand why she felt that way, even if she didn't agree and as Mira never interfered with her caretaking, she never begrudged the redhead for her attitude. Little Erin was the youngest and still young enough to actually believe in Sarah's stories. A shrill scream pierced the silence, jolting everyone awake.

"Is Rachel going to make it back this time?" Ali asked, her voice trembling, as another scream cut through the darkness.

"I don't know," Sarah answered, worried for the fifteen-year old currently upstairs.

"Sounds like she really pissed off the Masters this time," Mira remarked. "If she keeps this up, they'll end up killing her for sure."

"Yes, thank you, Mira," Sarah hissed.

"Will you tell us a s-story, Big Sister?" Erin asked, sniffling.

"Of course I will, sweetheart. Which one do you want to hear?" She would do anything to distract the little ones from the sounds coming from above.

"Can you do the one about the cinder girl?"

"Absolutely," she said as a third shriek filled the dungeon. "Once upon a time…"

"Another one, please," Ali's twin sister, Lexi, begged as the screams and bangs grew louder.

"Which one?"

"Just pick one, Sarah," Mira insisted, fear and panic in her own voice for once.

"Goblin King," Sonia sniffed. It was the first thing she'd said in two days.

"Goblin King it is," Sarah rushed, trying desperately to drown out the painful cries above them.

"I wish I was in the Labyrinth right now," Lexi whispered as Sarah wrapped up her tale. Dawn was beginning to break according to the tiny window near the ceiling of their dungeon. Rachel's cries had long since stopped and nobody wanted to think about what that might mean.

"Me too. I wish I was in the Labyrinth and could meet Hoggle and Ludo and Did-dee-miss and the King," her sister added.

The door to their prison slammed open, causing the younger ones to jump, Mira and Sarah being the only exceptions. They listened to the heavy boots approaching the six cages. He flicked on the light, momentarily blinding them all.

"Good morning, Master Thaddeus," the girls chorused automatically. As always, he remained silent, but Gods forbid they didn't greet him. Master Thaddeus was a massive, short-tempered man who always smelled of chewing tobacco and loved to cause pain. They watched him glance around, inspecting them each in turn. He roared when he turned to the twins' cage. It was empty! Their shackles hung limply against the rusted bars.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Master Thaddeus bellowed, punching the vacant cage so hard, the metal rang, echoing through the room. But with his fury, there was fear. Fear because of what the Lord had said would happen if any more girls escaped. "Alright, which one of you did this?!" Which one of you worthless sluts helped get them out?!" His eyes bulged and narrowed at the girl closest to one pair of the bodiless shackles. "It was you!" He shouted as Erin began to cry in earnest. Master Thaddeus stormed over to her cage door and ripped it open, breaking the chain bolt lock in the process. The others watched, frozen in horror, as he grabbed the tiny brunette by her throat, lifting her off the filthy cage floor. "You're gonna pay for that!" He screamed in her face, spraying it with spittle.

"No! Stop!" Sarah yelled, her terror growing as she watched Erin's face turning first red, then purple, her limbs flailing. Master Thaddeus turned his glare on her. "It wasn't her!"

"Big Sister, what are you doing?!" Eliza hissed, her blue eyes wide.

"It was me! I helped them! Erin had nothing to do with it! Please! Let her go and punish me!" A chipped-toothed grin spread across his face as he dropped Erin to the floor, coughing and gagging.

"You? The Lord's favorite? Well, ain't this a turn of events." Master Thaddeus stalked towards her, using his key on her cage lock. He grabbed her by her hair, hauling her to her feet, her arms stretched out behind her, straining her shoulders. She stared back, blankly. "Oh you're going to get a punishment like never before, girly. Maybe I'll get lucky enough to be able to give it to you myself." He unchained her and dragged her out of the cage, still using her hair to do so. He didn't stop when he reached the cement staircase, either. Just heaved her up them, one step at a time.

Not once did she cry out. She could feel the wounds on her back re-opening and bleeding freely as he hauled her through the lengthy halls of the mansion they were trapped under, but pain? She'd stopped feeling that a long time ago. About when she realized her beloved King would never come to her aide no matter how desperately she might have wished it. From that point on, the only time she felt anything was when she was caring for the girls.

Master Thaddeus politely knocked on a stark-white door and, when granted entry, threw her across the hardwood floor. Sarah knew better than to raise even her head. "You'd better have a damn good reason for this, Thaddeus," the Lord snarled.

"Of course, my Lord. The twins, it seems, have escaped."

"What?!"

"And she said she did it." There was a brief pause.

"Really? And you believed her?"

"I-"

"Let me ask you this. Don't worry, I'll go slow. Were the chains on the cage doors still secured this morning?"

"I- yes?"

"And the shackles. Were they all fastened when you locked the girls up for the night?"

"Of course, my Lord."

"Good, good. Now, if I remember correctly, her cage is two down, one across from the one with the twins. Is that accurate?"

"Uh…I think so?"

"You think so. The thing is, I know so. That being said, how is it possible for a chained girl, in a bolted cage, to unfasten her restraints, leave her cage, break into another cage, and release two others before re-entering her own cage, re-bolting it, and locking herself back up? Does that sound possible to you, Thaddeus?"

"Er…well…I mean…"

"The answer, Thaddeus, is no. Do you want to know what this tells me? That you would believe her so quickly? It tells me that you are exceptionally gullible. And 'gullible' is not the type of person I want in my employ, especially not guarding my merchandise. 'Gullible' is useless and you know well what I do with those who are useless to me." Sarah risked a glance up just in time to see Lord holding his favorite pistol to Master Thaddeus' temple. Lord cocked the hammer of the gun, his hazel eyes hard and cold. "I kill them." Lord pulled the trigger and blood splattered the walls with a deafening bang. Master Thaddeus' body began to fall. Right on top of her. It knocked the wind out of her lungs and his weight crushed her. "Dispose of it." Suddenly the weight was gone and she began gulping down air as fast as she could.

"Now as for you." Lord crouched in front of her, tilting her face to meet his. She had always thought he looked so plain, but then she reasoned that no one could ever be as attractive as the beautiful King of the Goblins. Lord's hazel eyes, coiffed brown hair, weak jaw, and boring suits just didn't compare. "You may not be the reason for the twins' escape, but it's because of you, pet, that I was forced to kill my best guard, and you will be punished severely for it before taking the twins' clients tonight." He stood up with a swift kick to her ribs. Sarah could feel herself retreating into her mind as always happened during these punishments.

The beating lasted hours and had to have been one of her worst ones to date. At some point, Lord grew tired of doling it out and allowed three of the Masters to take over. Kicks, punches, stomps, anything they could do to cause her pain. When they didn't get the reaction they wanted, Lord sent one to fetch the whip. Sarah was too far gone, however. She felt none of the numerous lashes that split her skin and should have left her writhing in agony. In her mind, she was with the friends she'd made in the Labyrinth. She was always with them when she was being punished. They held her hand, told her that she was strong and brave, encouraged her, or sometimes simply joked with her to distract her. 'Remember,' they always told her, 'should you need us, just call for us.' But she couldn't. They'd be in so much danger. So, she contented herself with these fantasies and they worked. She felt nothing except peace from the company of her friends, saw nothing except their happy demeanors. Suddenly, a pain beyond any she experienced before erupted on her abused back, shattering her illusion of comfort as a scream tore from her throat.

"Ah, so that's what it takes to get a reaction out of you. You have an impressive threshold for pain, my pet." The pain seared again in a different spot and this time, she smelled something burning. It made her stomach heave and for once, she was grateful there was never anything in it. "You know, I've missed those screams, pet. It's so delightful to hear them again." A third shot of pain and she began to finally lose consciousness. Until cold water was dumped on her head leaving her sputtering.

"No, no, no. We'll have none of that. You still need to entertain the twins' clients, remember? Now, to make absolutely certain you don't forget this little lesson, I'm going to leave you with a more permanent reminder. Johnathan? I believe the little finger will do. Just to the knuckle should be fine. Then have her cleaned and presentable for her clients." Master Johnathan yanked her right hand up and sliced off her pinky finger as instructed. The screams that ripped through her throat at the pain and sight of the mutilation made even her Masters turn away. "Good. Now clean up this mess. Then find the twins. If you don't by the end of the night, well I suppose we'll just have to move again and replace them." Lord began walking towards his office door when her tormented voice stopped him.

"Wait. What…have you done…with…Rachel?" Sarah ground out between her clenched teeth, panting. She had to know.

"Her? Oh, she was a very naughty girl. Her client only wanted to satisfy himself with her mouth. She had such pretty lips, it's entirely understandable. Then she went and bit him. Drew blood and all. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy about that and retaliated. After such a display, of course I had to punish her as well, but in the end, a girl who cannot behave is of no use to me." Sarah gaped at his easy admission before her fury took over.

"You-you killed…" Sarah whispered, struggling fruitlessly to stand. She was shaking with rage, unfeeling of the countless injuries she'd just sustained, and managed to raise herself onto her left knee. "She was fifteen years old, you-you monster!" Sarah lunged her entire body forward, the urge to hurt him somehow overwhelming all her other senses. She lashed out with her mutilated hand, spraying blood over everything and didn't even realize she had been smacked until her head hit the opposite wall and Lord was on the other side of the room, calmly wiping his hand with a white cloth.

"Look now, you've gone and ruined my clothes," he said, gazing at her with the same kind of disappointment her step-mother always had. The world around her faded to black and his words faded with it. "You're lucky to be a favorite of mine, pet, or that little stunt of yours would have met the same fate."

She regained consciousness sometime later to realize several disturbing things at once. She was suspended in midair with her hands tied above her head like the shackles and her legs stretched out on either side as far as they could go. Two men were barreling into her front and her backside simultaneously. She had fallen into unconsciousness that way more times than she dared recall in the last few years but to wake up in this situation sparked a fear in her that she thought was long dead. Shrieking and jerking in her harness, she managed to dislodge them both before the one in front backhanded her into silence.

"Look who finally decided to play, Ace," the one behind her said. She could hear the grin in his voice and it made her want to gag.

"Yeah and she's a feisty one, too. A little old for my usual tastes but she might just be fun enough to ignore that."

"And all this hair just waiting to be…" The client behind her grabbed the majority of her raven hair and yanked it back.

"Now that's a sight to see. Hold 'er just like that." She felt the man in front plunge his way back into her, shortly followed by the one behind her. As they began to lose themselves, she retreated to the only place in her mind that could protect her during these times with the clients. A peaceful expression graced her badly bruised, swollen, broken face as she fell into the arms of her serenading King and he waltzed her around the ballroom once more.

It was the most powerful, most all-consuming memory of her time in the Labyrinth. The only one strong enough to sustain her through the daily and nightly rapes she endured for the girls. This time though, words long-forgotten echoed throughout the ballroom. Words that filled her with a hope she did not know she possessed anymore. "And with that love, he granted her certain powers." She didn't know what kind of powers she had or even if they would work outside the Underground, but she had to try. She was going to die here. Tonight. But if this worked, she could make sure none of the others did.

Just like back then, Sarah picked up a chair and shattered her bubble of safety and peace, shoving her back into her savage reality of being forcibly taken from both sides. She stiffened her neck as tight as she possibly could, and with everything she had left, threw her head forward and backward, hitting each one squarely on the nose. Blood gushed from the one in front and she imagined the one in the back suffered similarly.

"You little bitch!" The front one drew back his fist and landed it against her jaw. Nothing she hadn't had before. Hell, it was probably already cracked from her punishment earlier. They could do no more damage than was already done. She grinned at him, infuriating him even more. He screamed at her, both hands clenching tightly around her neck. This was it. She felt her world blacken and with the consciousness she had left, made her last wish. It had to be. Her last wish was the only thing that might be strong enough for the Labyrinth to listen to.

'I call upon the powers of the Labyrinth of the Underground to please heed my dying wish. I wish for all the girls trapped in here to be free. Far away from this place. To be safe and protected as I have tried to do all these years.' She felt the last of the air leave her lips as her subconscious made a second, unintended wish. 'Jareth, I wish I could have seen you one…more…time…' Just as her world darkened completely, she thought she caught a glimpse of shimmering light. Sarah had just enough hope left in her to smile at that as she finally succumbed to the peace of oblivion.