Author's Note: Hi! So, umm, didn't think I would need to say this since I marked the pairing in the description, but due to some PMs, I guess I need to reiterate a point: this is not and will not turn into a SarahxJareth pairing... So, sorry to all the Sarah and Jareth people, I love that pairing too, but its an OC centric story. :/
Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth.
Chapter 2: The New Runner.
Shouldering her messenger bag up higher, the woman heavily sighed as she shoved open the doors to the high school. Darkness had fallen over the grounds, and she internally groaned. Walking along in the dark was on the list of things that she greatly disliked, yet another quirk of the former runner of the Labyrinth. The only way to make the situation worse would have been to throw her into a narrow space.
Thankfully, the parking lot remained wide open, with very few cars left. No, she would not have to worry about flashbacks to oubliettes and dark tunnels and running for her life from murderous cleaners. Just a short walk to her car, and then she could head straight home to her husband of twenty-three years. A small smile rested on her face, and she hurried her pace to get to her vehicle. Jeremy was no dark and mysterious king, but the defense lawyer was far from boring.
And she loved him. She did not need anything more.
Unfortunately, fate decided to rear its head that night. Half-way to her car, an uneasy feeling coiled in her gut. Shaking off the feeling, she continued hurrying to her old van, intent on ignoring the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. However, a familiar jolt shot up her spine, causing her to cease moving yet again. Without a doubt, Sarah knew this feeling. The same feeling she felt all those years ago, when she was nothing but a sixteen-year-old girl who believed herself a woman.
Sarah felt magic.
Somehow knowing the source, she shifted her bag further up her shoulder and took off, thanking her luck for wearing decent shoes that day. She angled her path away from her car and half sprinted across the deserted, dimly lit parking lot. Though more aware of the faint trail of magic than the direction she ran in, she eventually found herself making her way through the silent park across the street from her school.
Punctuated by open fields and sparse patches of trees, the park was simple yet peaceful, rarely ever crowded. She soon found herself drawn to a distant bench, nestled in amongst an alcove of trees. Scattered on the ground were books and the remnants of a sketchpad, pages torn and crumpled, discarded carelessly in the grass.
Hesitantly approaching the books, she thanked her luck that the moon shown brightly overhead, illuminating the area and allowing her the ability to see properly. Kneeling down, she shuffled through the titles, knowing them to be books for her school, and even seeing a few from her freshman English class. Though, one book in particular caught her attention, causing her heart to stop.
The dark, blood red cover stood out against the pale green grass, and her body went cold. The gold print of the title almost seemed to glow in the low light, and momentarily, she panicked, wondering how someone got a hold of the book. Then, recognition finally flowed through her mind as she registered the tattered black backpack and the well used yet destroyed sketchpad.
Alice.
Before she could dwell on it, a swirl of wind engulfed the alcove, and Sarah quickly lifted her arms to block her face. Magic spiked through the air, and her bones almost ached at the pressure. As soon as it had come, however, the pressure faded away, the air settling down, giving Sarah the ability to lower her arms from her face.
Laying across the stone bench, Sarah's student appeared to almost be sleeping. Jean clad legs stretched out casually, one arm hanging off and the other appearing to be clutching at her heart. Wearing an oversized sweater, her curves were hidden from view, and the dark grey color made her already pale skin look ashier.
Her face, though, looked peaceful and serene. A heart shaped face, still soft and rounded indicating her young age, was covered in an obscene amount of freckles across her nose and upper cheeks. Long, dark brown hair pillowed around her head, the heavy curls seeming wild and untamed, as if she had gone through a wind tunnel. Thick, full lashes fluttered slowly open, revealing pale blue eyes, the most notably striking feature of the otherwise average and mousey looking girl, yet Sarah rarely got the chance to see them. Alice usually cast them down to the ground, falling prey to her timid nature around most anyone.
The blue orbs appeared unfocused at first, simply staring up in a daze towards the clear night sky. Life slowly began to flow back into the girl, and she carefully pushed herself upright, one hand still clutched tightly to her chest. Drawing her legs up, her feet splayed on the bench while she settled her chin on her knees, her mind obviously faraway.
Sarah knew that feeling far too well.
Cautiously approaching the timid girl, Sarah quietly spoke up. "Alice?..."
Surprisingly, Alice did not even flinch: she merely clutched her hand closer to her chest. "Hey, Mrs. Sarah…"
Darting to the girl's side, Sarah knelt down beside her before urgently asking, "Alice, please tell me. Please tell me you didn't make a wish. Tell me you did not."
Silence.
"Alice, did you run the Labyrinth?"
Silence.
"Alice."
"I made a wish." The words tumbled out almost drunkenly from the still dazed girl. "I met the Goblin King. I ran the Labyrinth to the castle beyond the Goblin City."
Sarah felt her breath catch in her throat. "Did you win?"
Alice finally pulled her hand away from her chest, opening her hand to reveal what she clutched so tightly. Resting in her flat palm, she held a single white, speckled feather. Her voice came out in a whisper as she stared at the feather as if it were the most complex puzzle in the world.
"I don't know."