(Slight CW: There is a depiction of an anxiety spiral towards the end with a very brief mention of self-harm. It'll be the paragraph in italics.)
Sarah stood on the street corner, looking with trepidation at the unassuming entrance to Oddford High. Going to a new school halfway through sophomore year was not an ideal situation for the most adjusted of teenagers. But this was Sarah Williams, who was an awkward nerd before her brush with the Fae realms and an anxious awkward nerd afterwards. She did have friends, thank you very much. Those friends just happened to live in a separate reality through her bedroom mirror.
And it wasn't like the tiny town of Oddford wasn't its own liminal space next door to the supernatural. She could feel it sticking to the dust in the air, smell the lingering effects of magic alongside the cedars lining the highway. Every third kid entering the school had the Look. An aura, Fae-touched, magic-baggage, whatever you want to call it. They had traveled other worlds and gone on adventures just like her. None of that made it any easier to make friends out of the blue. It still requires small talk, and Sarah had the harrowing feeling she would be just as much an open book to them as they were to her. She had about made up her mind to slink in unnoticed when another girl stopped beside her.
"Oh brilliant. I'm not the only one intimidated by this place." She had a British accent, urban but not posh. She had short dark hair, sparkly green nail polish, and the Look. Sarah sighed inwardly.
"I've always wanted to go to a public school like this." The girl continued. "But now that I'm here, I've realized I don't actually know what I'm doing."
A lightbulb went off. "You're Helena, right?" Asked Sarah. "My dad works with one of your host parents."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh, you must be Sarah! Dan told me it would be your first day too. Nice to meet you."
They shook hands, giggling at the awkward formality of it all. Sarah was calmed by the familiar connection. She remembered Uncle Dan and Aunt Laurie having mentioned hosting an exchange student when they helped the family move in. Helena seemed fun and non-judgmental, and with the fact she was another Traveler new to Oddford who didn't immediately assault her with prying questions, things were looking promising. The pair walked into the school building together, delighted to learn their first period classes were right beside each other. Sarah filled Helena in on American High School etiquette while Helena helped her with conversation openers. They resolved to meet up for their shared second period and both left in high spirits.
As optimistic as meeting Helena had made her, Sarah still sat in the back of history class, preferring to observe everyone around her before jumping into a group. She found a spot by the corner, where a blonde boy with round glasses sat with his nose in a book. She couldn't help but comment on his reading choice.
"Castle of Oranto, huh? That's a deep cut."
The boy laughed nervously. He had the Look too, but it was old, like it hadn't bothered him since he was a little kid.
"I normally prefer Stevenson or Wells," he offered shyly. "But I'm trying to work my way through some Gothic Romance for fall."
"Then if she's not on your list already, I've got some Du Maurier to recommend. I'm Sarah, by the way," she added quickly.
The boy smiled. "Richard. Richard Tyler." His attention was drawn to the doorway behind her. "And the dork just walking in is Leo Thorn." She turned to see another boy walk in, hiding a little behind his shoulder-length dark hair but looking at them with curious hazel eyes. "You're actually in his normal seat, but he can get over it," Richard leaned over and raised his voice. "Because I finally have some decent literary conversation."
Leo Thorn rolled his eyes as he sat down on the other side of Sarah. "It's not my fault you can't appreciate the intricacies of the latest Astronomy Today."
"Nerd."
"Dweeb."
"Ladies, you're both pretty," Sarah interjected.
The trio laughed as Leo sat down, and they survived history without issue. Several pieces of paper folded into tiny footballs passed between the three, and Sarah slowly got more of an idea about Oddford High. Leo even invited her and Helena to hang out with their friends after fourth period. He, unlike Richard, didn't have the Look, but did have the feeling of vibing with Oddford's magic, rather than existing in opposition to it. She wondered if it was because he'd been born here. Or somewhere like here. He also had a British accent and said he lived with his grandparents but was cagey about exactly where 'home' was. Then he mentioned he was the youngest of seven, and that distracted Sarah enough to change the subject.
Much to her surprise, Sarah had three new friends by lunch period. This was already faring better than the decade she'd spent in her old school district. Richard and Leo had a different lunch time, so she scanned the cafeteria for a familiar face, spotting Helena leave the lunch line with all the greatest hits; square pizza, steamed carrots, a pack of Swiss Rolls, and a juice box. Sarah waved her over, her own bag of homemade salad and an organic apple in the other hand. Together they stared at the grid of long tables stretched out over the hall.
"You think there's some kind of seating chart?" Asked Helena quietly.
"Nah, that's only in the movies." Sarah answered. "I hope."
Searching for somewhere to land, a couple girls caught their gaze, both with the Look. The girl with the royal blue bob enthusiastically waved them over while the one with the Siouxsie Sioux hair just smiled slightly. Sarah and Helena sat down across from them and introduced themselves.
"We though you might be the new kids," said the blue-haired girl. "Don't worry, no one's gossiping about you already. Richie's just a fast texter. I'm Coraline Jones, by the way. And this is Lydia."
Lydia's hand left her chin to give a little wave, and as they made eye contact, Sarah was stunned by how similar her Look was to Sarah's own. She hoped to hear that story at some point but wasn't about to ask on a first meeting. Coraline's Look mirrored Helena's, and they hit it off instantly.
"Holy cow, what is it like growing up in the circus? Did you have pet elephants?"
"What? No. That's just American circuses. And your parents write about gardens? Food gardens or flower gardens?"
Sarah and Lydia smirked at each other. "You just moved in on Maple, right?" Lydia asked. "I live in the atrocity at the top of the hill. You should stop by some time."
"Is that the house with the..." Sarah trailed off, trying to use hand motions to describe the weird architecture she'd seen a few days ago. Lydia nodded. "It's very… postmodern."
"It's very yuppie. But that seems to be dear stepmommy's aesthetic."
"Huh. I'm not sure my stepmom has an aesthetic. Except for that collection of little carousel horses in the china cabinet. I'm never letting Momma K live that one down." But if any house goblin touches them, that's a slam dunk into the compost bucket.
Lydia laughed. "How delightfully tolerable."
The bell rang to announce the end of lunch, cutting their friendly conversations short. The girls had already finished their food and added each other on social media. Lydia got up first, leaning over to the others. "Nice meeting you, Helena Campbell and Sarah Williams. We should hang out more. I'm dying to hear your stories." Then with a wink, she and Coraline were off.
Sarah's smile twitched a little before she put her forehead down on the table with a groan. Helena looked over with concern. "What's wrong?"
"They know," she answered, not raising her head. "They're really nice, but they know, and they want to know more."
"Are you surprised they asked?"
Sarah turned her head, one eye peaking out from the cascade of her hair. "You didn't say anything, and I know you can see the Look."
"I'm English, Sarah. We're allergic to awkwardness. I just assumed you would spill eventually," Helena deadpanned before standing and pulling on her arm. "Come on. Can't do anything about it now. In the meantime, let's not be late, shall we?"
Sarah allowed herself to be dragged out of her seat before rolling her shoulders back and heading to the next class. Helena was right. The group already knew something was up with her, so she might as well explain. And for once, her new friends didn't feel like people who would judge her for it. And that was a rare treat outside her therapist and Momma Karen.
The rest of the school day passed without anything further to report. (Other than the fact that her biology teacher was clearly slumming it in a public high school. But hey, what Dr. Grant did with his sabbatical was his business.) As school dismissed that afternoon, Sarah found herself with some free time before Toby was done with daycare and Karen picked them up. So, she excitedly pulled Helena to the decorative fountain in front of the main building to meet up with Leo and Richard. They sat waiting on the benches with a couple more friends leaning on the fountain's edge. There was a girl with long, straw-blonde hair wearing all black athleisure and sunglasses. Beside her was a boy with beachy curls, a scruffy goatee, and a flannel tied around his waist. They looked almost intimidatingly cool, but by the time introductions were done, it was obvious they were just as dorky as the rest of the group. Waverly Roberts, who goes by Wes and will threaten violence to anyone who forgets, was on volleyball team, took kickboxing at the local gym, and her dad was also a lawyer. The guy was W.J. Turner The third. He preferred to simply go by Turner, he spent every warm weekend on a jet ski, and his 6-year-old brother Henry was a pain in his ass. Both Wes and Turner had similar 'magic compatible' auras to Leo.
But beyond the personal ephemera, they were kind, engaging, and welcoming. The group accepted the new members without question, like they had always been cutting up together. It struck Sarah how nice it felt to fit in for once, especially while she was essentially being herself. They didn't shy from her nerdy interests or her direct attitude. They even respected her boundaries when Leo started passing out snacks and she declined.
Parents started arriving to pick them up shortly after their flurry of exchanging numbers and adding each other on socials. Turner's mom spun around in a sporty land yacht right behind Leo's grandad in his respectable Volvo. Richard took his bike home as Helena started walking towards Uncle Dan and Aunt Laurie's place, leaving Wes and Sarah waiting for their respective rides.
"You liking Oddford so far, Williams?" Asked Wes.
"I think so. Just hope it likes me back."
A black sedan pulled up and Wes moved to get inside. "Oh, it definitely does. You got the Oddford vibe already. See you round!" She said before leaving. Sarah waved as the car passed by.
As Karen pulled up moments later, Sarah found herself actually excited to tell her about the day. It was a complete 180 from her last school, where the student body either called her 'freak' or remained quietly indifferent to her. She felt like she had a place here. Maybe she'd even found her people.
Momma K gave Sarah a warm smile as she sat down and cooed over Toby in his car seat. "You're in a good mood," she noticed.
"First day of a new school has been survived. And the socializing aspect did not turn out terrible." Sarah leaned forward into the front seat. "And I found out who lives in the Cuckoo-for-Coco-Puffs house on the hill, if you're interested in dirt."
"Sweetheart, I am always interested in petty interior design dirt."
That night, after homework, dinner, and a few reps of dance cardio for the nervous energy, Sarah told her Labyrinth friends about her new human friends. Some names got a few raised eyebrows from Hoggle and Didymus.
"My lady, if I'm not mistaken, this young Turner fellow sounds like a son of Piratican royalty."
"That actually does not surprise me," said Sarah, attempting to balance a carton of Cherry Garcia on her knee. "He did mention his mom basically runs the marina. What is surprising is the Other Realm having a whole nation for pirates."
"Let not the name frighten you. The Piraticans are true allies to the crown and most vital to the Commonwealth."
"After they kicked out the capitalists, they all went soft and joined the High Fyn," Hoggle interjected. "They were just too stubborn to change the name."
Didymus sighed at his friend's more un-gallant explanation, but Sarah laughed. "Yeah, that checks. We've talked about Wes, Leo, and now Turner; any other surprise royalty?"
"The rest of your companions seem to be hearty young Travelers like yourself, my lady."
Sarah's heart warmed at being in good company, but she was a little unnerved too. "Am I that mundane?" She asked.
Hoggle shook his head vigorously. "Ya ain't common. You're blessed, Missy. And don't you forget it. You beat more odds than they did too, I bet."
Sarah doubted that, though she did appreciate the sentiment. And there was a slight edge in Hoggle's voice she'd much rather examine later. For the moment, she wished them goodnight and went to bed, making her customary check of her bedside table to make sure her iron nail was in arm's reach.
The next weekend Sarah, Helena, Lydia, and Coraline went hiking after school in the woods overlooking the marina. And sitting in a clearing surrounded by pine trees and a cloudless blue sky, they told their stories. Helena and Coraline were working through some astounding mommy issues, and they had to take a break after Lydia's backstory. Sarah caught her eye and nodded in silent understanding. Getting a hair's breadth away from forced marriage and statutory to a walking poltergeist might not have been the same as Sarah's ordeal, but it certainly shared a ballpark. During the break, Cora announced she brought a picnic, and Helena passed out a six pack of lemonade. Sarah refused any offers, having brought her own snacks and a Camelbak of water. The girls had noticed Sarah was weird about food after a few days of knowing her, but all politely ignored it at school. Today however, Lydia's eyes narrowed across the picnic blanket, and she encouraged her to speak with a nod.
So, for the first time in a long time, Sarah told someone about the Labyrinth. The initial awkwardness of the telling had worn off, between hearing the other girls' tales and having discussed it with her therapist. They laughed at all the funny parts and gasped at all the frightening parts (usually following the words 'piece of cake'). They had some wry comments about Jareth in the beginning, but by the peach, they were ready to rip him limb from limb. Lydia even spat on the ground. If anything helped her feel less crazy, that was in the top three. Things got difficult to tell, as they usually did, in the junkyard. The familiar lurch in her stomach that sent her brain into a gnawing spiral. The memory of those hazy moments had would forever make her question her own reality.
Do you think you're in a real place now? How do you know you're not still there? Or still in the dream? Let's go over the list. Let's throw something to smash the bubble. Do you have your nail? Get your nail. Test it on your palm to make sure it's real…
Sarah hadn't noticed how quiet she'd gotten or how her hands started shaking until she looked up at the looks of concern on her friend's faces. Helena immediately grabbed her trembling hand and held it tight. It was a little clammy and cool from her drink, but it was there. Real. She could feel her pulse thumping in her wrist. It grounded her enough to take a deep breath and keep going. By the end she expected them to laugh at her fourth-grade-play version of triumph, considering what they had all faced. She did not expect Coraline to whisper 'you are a badass' under her breath, or Helena to actually applaud. She certainly didn't expect Lydia to reach over and wrap Sarah in a bear hug, and from the expression on Cora's face, that was a rare action. It soon morphed into a group hug, followed by an eruption of laughter from all of them.
Coming down from the trail, the girls met up with the Wes/Turner/Leo/Richie cluster, and they all introduced the newbies to the best coffee shop in Oddford. The Clockwork Bean was a wonderful place to hang out, complete with comfy couches, board games, and occasional live music. Even if Sarah chose not to order, she was having a good time. Cora and Richie managed to get her a copy of the menu and a supplier list to take home for when she decided she was ready to trust their drinks. In the meantime, they all commandeered a sectional and playfully argued over pop culture and Settlers of Catan. She looked around at all her new friends, laughing and celebrating each other's weird energy, noting how easy and fun she found their company.
Yeah, she found her people.