Chapter 4:
"Be quiet or we'll get caught."
"But Jareth I'm scared."
"What is there to fear? You're with me."
"The darkness scares me." The young girl clutched tightly onto the boys arm.
Large violet eyes looked up into blue and brown as the boy gently removed her hand and smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder drawing her closer to him.
"Worry not aria, I shall protect you from any ghastly beings we may encounter."
"You promise?"
"Always."
With a nod of her head they both continued on their path towards the labyrinth. Both of them finding comfort in each other under the dark sky.
Sarah,s p.o.v
By the time Sarah had reached the gate of the labyrinth she thought she was going to collapse with exhaustion. Physical exercise had never been her forte and she wasn't ashamed to admit it. Why would she need to exercise? It made you sweat and smell bad! In the future she would be so famous she would have people to do any manual labor that was required of her. She wouldn't have to lift a finger.
Catching her breath Sarah looked on with disgust as she witnessed a foul looking creature peeing into a pond. Honestly! Did he have no shame? Trying but failing to look anywhere but him she called, "excuse me."
The creature, which she assumed was a goblin, had the decency to excuse himself until he looked at her. His face shifted into a grimace and he glanced at her as if she were merely dirt underneath his dusty leather boot.
"Oh it's you." He frowned. Sarah felt her anger start to build as the thing walked away from her.
"Excuse me, but I have to get through this labyrinth. Can you help me?" she asked through gritted teeth. Couldn't he see she was losing time?
The goblin continued to ignore her in favor of spraying something in the air. Looking closer she saw that it was a fairy! A real live fairy! Her eyes widened as she saw the beautiful thing fly gracefully through the air. Her happiness was short lived when the goblin sprayed the fairy and it fell onto the ground.
"How could you?" she gasped. This vile creature had killed something so innocent. She ran over to pick the fairy up and cried out, "you monster!"
She continued to glare at the goblin until she felt teeth in her finger and dropped the fairy.
"It bit me!" she cried in outrage. It didn't make sense. Faeries were supposed to be sweet and caring not biting little monsters! The goblin had the audacity to laugh at her.
"What did you expect faeries to do?" he chuckled.
"They're supposed to do nice things like grant wishes and make dreams come true!" she stomped her foot in anger against the ground.
"Shows what you know." He replied smartly. She watched as he continued to spray the faeries.
"You're horrible!" she declared. This goblin was just a nasty piece of work in her opinion.
"No I ain't!" he denied. "I'm hoggle. Who are you?"
"Sarah." She announced proudly. Her mother had named her after a famous actress of that era. She obviously knew of her daughters' greatness since birth.
"That's what I thought." He claimed uncaringly as if she wasn't worth his time. Sarah was getting sick of this creatures attitude. She needed to get to the castle and save her brother, therefore showing the goblin king who the better sister is.
"Do you know where the door of the labyrinth is?" she demanded.
"Maybe."
"Well where is it?"
He ignored her as he continued spraying faeries. This goblin obviously didn't know how important she was going to be! 'When I'm queen he is going to regret every second of this for the rest of his miserable life.' She thought with a smirk.
"I said where is it!"
"Where is what?" he asked her as is if she were stupid.
"The door!" she cried out in irritation.
"What door?"
"It's hopeless asking you anything!" she declared, throwing her arms into the air dramatically.
"Not if you ask the right questions." He rolled his eyes. He wondered if all humans were this dumb.
"How do I get into the labyrinth?" she asked. She clenched her fists when the goblin dramatically turned around as if he were having a revelation.
"Ah that's more like it!" he smirked, "you gets in there." He pointed to the labyrinth, where two doors magically appeared and opened. Sarah nearly leapt for joy. The daft creature finally did something right.
"You really going in there are you?" the eerie tone in his voice made her stop in her tracks. She honestly had no other choice. She had to save toby and violet and prove herself.
"Yes, I'm afraid I have to." She whispered halfheartedly before walking through the doors. Looking left and right she knew this was going to be hard. Each way seemed to stretch in one direction for miles. She jumped as the goblin appeared at her side.
"Cozy isn't it?" he chuckled, "now would you go left or right?"
"They both look the same." Irritation leaked from her voice.
"Well you're not gonna get very far." He taunted.
"Which way would you go?" she asked hoping to pry some information from him.
"Me?" he pointed to himself; bewildered, "I wouldn't go either way." He shrugged.
"If that's all the help your gonna be then just leave!" she glared.
Her gaze faltered as a fierce look flashed across the goblins weathered face.
"You know your problem? You take too many things for granted." He snarled. "Take this labyrinth….even if you get to the center, you'll never get out again."
"That's your opinion." She huffed at him. This goblin was horrible and mean and the sooner she left him, the better.
"Well it's a lot better than yours." He snared.
Turning away from him she said, "Thanks for nothing hogwart."
"Its hoggle and don't say I didn't warn you."
Sarah almost snorted, as if she cared what his name was. With a roll of her eyes she chose the path on the right. Reminding herself that every heroine must face many hardships before they get there happy ending.
Violets p.o.v
"Let me out! You can't do this." Violet cried out, banging on the door one last time before sliding onto the floor. Fear settled in her stomach as she realized she was trapped in a storybook world. Nobody would be helping her anytime soon. Wiping the tears from her clouded eyes, she turned her head towards the room. There were no other doors or even windows. The only lighting was from candles that had been placed on a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room itself was quite beautiful. The walls were a peach color with golden borders. The furniture looked very expensive and antique. What caught her eye was the book case at the back of the room.
Standing on her feet, violet made her way over to the small collection. She ran her hand across the bindings. There were no English words on the covers only swirls and markings which looked oddly familiar; she didn't know why but they gave her a sense of déjà vu.
Violet turned away from the books. She couldn't let herself become distracted. Not when her darling brother was alone in this strange place. And Sarah was probably scared and complaining her way through the labyrinth, not knowing how to reach them.
She scanned the room one more time hoping to see a way out that she had missed. There was none. And she wasn't strong enough to open the door without the key.
"Uggghh there has to be a way out of here."
"Do you always talk to yourself?"
Violet screamed as the question came from nowhere. Glancing around swiftly, she couldn't see anybody.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
"Me."
"Me who?" she furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Down here."
Violet glanced down at her feet and jumped. It was a cat.
"You're a cat!" she blurted.
"What else would I be?"
"But you can talk!"
"I think that's been established, yes."
Violet was stuck for words. She was talking to a cat. A cat with attitude it would seem. She felt as if her sanity was starting to slip away from her. What kind of mad world was she in? Talking cats?
"I've never seen a talking cat before." She declared.
"You have, you've just never listened. And you never did answer my question."
"What question?"
"Do you always talk to yourself?"
"Well no. I'm trying to find a way out of this room so I can get my brother back." She explained hoping the cat would know a way out.
"You don't have a brother."
"Yes I do!"
"No….I clearly remember you not having one."
"I do have one. His name is toby." Violet insisted. "And what do you mean remember? We've never met before."
"Have we not?" his gaze held a challenge.
"No we haven't."
She would know if she had met a talking cat before. It was hardly something you'd forget.
"It would seem you have forgotten."
"Forgotten what?"
"Who you are."
"I know who I am. I'm me!"
"Yes. You're you but not you."
"You're a really confusing cat."
"Or you're simply confused." He purred.
Violet wondered if she had simply fallen asleep while reading Alice in wonderland. Maybe this was a dream.
"I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."
"I am called Theodore but you may call me Theo" he tilted his head and licked his paw. Violet didn't think she'd ever seen anything cuter.
"It's nice to meet you Theo, my name is violet."
"What a mundane name."
"My name is just fine thank you!" she huffed crossing her arms.
"Of course it is." Violet could swear he had just rolled his eyes.
"Do you know how to get out of here?"
"Well yes. There's a secret passage through the fire place, pull the ear of the lion and it will open. But you should already know that." He sassed.
Violet turned towards the fireplace and sure enough there was a lion heads bust built just above it.
"Thank you so much Theo I …."
When she looked back the cat had vanished.
Shrugging her shoulders she walked over to the fire place and pulled the ear. A smile flittered across her face as the secret door opened. It was time to get her family back.
