Author's Note: I don't understand why I keep neglecting this story when I love it so much. I am so sorry for the wait again, but I'm starting the next chapter tonight!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth.
Chapter 7: Harsh Reality.
Alice had never truly hated reality until this night.
Crouched in the grass, she carefully scooped up the remnants of her destroyed sketchbook, holding back whimpering sobs. What had started as her minding her own business, loosing herself to the fantasy of her newest book had quickly soured. She did not understand what she had done to draw the girls' ire. Certainly she had done nothing to deserve their taunts and near physical attack.
Yet upon seeing Alice, immersed in her book and alone, they had decided her to be their next target. Words and name-calling were thrown around to which Alice maintained her composure and simply endured silently, hoping they would grow bored and leave her be. But then, one of the girl's had scooped up her bag, dumping out her books and sketchpad.
She could not stay silent anymore.
Lunging for her things, she tried to save her one true anchor to reality, the pages where she sketched and brought to life her mind's fantasies. But the girls' merely held her back while the leader mocked her, slowly and purposefully ripping out each and every work, letting the mangled pages drop uselessly onto the dew soaked grass.
Sketchpad destroyed and goal achieved, the girls' left Alice to be alone again, unknowingly having destroyed her fantasy and leaving her with nothing but harsh reality. Her heart ached as she surveyed her ruined work, and her psyche crumbled in defeat.
She did not have the heart to gather up the scattered pages or the discarded schoolbooks. Trudging back to the cold stone bench, she sat for what felt like ages, staring at the old red leather book she had weakly pulled into her lap. The gold lettering shined slightly in the moonlight, calling to her, but she did not have the drive to finish the story. Fantasy had abandoned the girl.
But the story still rolled about in her head. The Labyrinth. The runners. The Goblin King.
The wish.
"I wish the Goblin King would take me away."
Suddenly, a jolt shot down the young girl's spine. Leaping up, the book fell from her lap to grassy ground as she spun around, trying to locate the source of the strange energy. But soon, all she could see was smoke enveloping her, spiraling around and glimmering as the ground gave way beneath her.
Before she could even think to scream, Alice collapsed back onto the ground. She groaned from shock, rolling over onto her back as she stared up at the bright sky.
Wait.
Wasn't it night?
"Well now." The voice startled her from her inner musings, and she shot upright, looking around wildly until she finally laid eyes on him. "This certainly is a unique situation."
Leaning casually against the tree, Alice could immediately tell this was no ordinary man. Between the outlandish outfit of all black, complete with a cape, as well as his near ethereal face, she knew that he had to be Fae. And between her wish and the crystal sphere that danced within his fingertips, she had a strong guess on who this Fae was.
"You're the Goblin King, aren't you?"
He never took his eyes off of the crystal as he spoke. "Well, aren't you the master of the obvious?"
As her heart plummeted to her stomach, all Alice could think to say was, "Oh shit…"