A giant purple sign flashes neon green letters;
I OWN NOTHING!
It is followed by a blue sign with flashing yellow letters;
No money shall be made off of the works of the author that goes by the name of 'Melda'.
A third sign appears, this time in white with red letters;
Thank you for being patient, your regularly scheduled fanfiction will begin shortly.
"Good morning, sleepy-stein!" An overly cheerful voice said right in Sarah's ear. "It's time to get up!" Scrub shook her shoulder, but she only mumbled incoherently and turned over. A giggle escaped her friend. "Okaaaay, you asked for it." She poured the cup full of water right on Sarah's head, making her shout and splutter.
"SCRUB!" Sarah shouted. "What the hell was that for? I was enjoying my sleep!" She glared at the older girl. She was dressed strangely, as per usual. Her hair had a tiny, orange hat pinned off-center and she wore a short dress in a peaches-and-cream shade. She had on knee-high, orange and white socks. A long, uniquely beaded necklace completed the look.
Scrub smiled demurely and innocently. "We're going somewhere, or have you forgotten?" She said teasingly. Sarah's eyes widened as she remembered the events of the day before.
She lept out of her soaked bedclothes with a yelp, the covers tangling around her legs and nearly tripping her up."Thank you, Scrub!" She said sarcastically over her shoulder as she made her way to what she assumed to be the bathroom.
Scrub smiled. "By the by, Jareth magicked our clothes from the house to the castle. Most of them are packed, but I set out an outfit for you after I'd wiggled into my own ." Sarah thanked her sulkily and closed the door. She chortled and departed, leaving her to her own devices.
Scrub was off to explore the castle. She wanted to see more of it before she needed to go. Wondering around places she didn't know was both a hobby of hers and a vice. For most of the time, she ended up hopelessly lost. However, there were those rare moments where, by the skin of luck's teeth, she managed to navigate her way without much trouble. This was one of those rare times. Though the goblins were rather helpful, even if they were mischievious little buggaboos. They gave her a sense of direction with their constant puttering about. By imitating their twists and turns, she was able to find her way into the gardens outside the castle.
She sighed contentedly and smiled. The outside was much prettier than the inside. It wasn't green or even bright, but it had a kind of mysterious beauty. The kind invoked by things growing wild over each other and the trees standing up straight and tall, making an impeneterable canopy above her head. Cobwebs glittered and gleamed with the morning dew.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" A voice said from behind her, making her jump slightly. The Goblin King put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said, stepping into her line of vision.
"S'awright. I'm always kinda twitchy." She said with a half-grin.
Jareth observed her for a moment. "You know somthing? You'll fit well into Underland."
"What makes you say that?" She inquired curiously. She looked down at her feet a bit sadly. "I don't really fit in just anywhere. Apperently, most people think I'm a bit strange."
Jareth grinned. "You don't say?"
She nodded. "Yeah! I don't get it either!" She shrugged. "I'm just exercising my right to be myself." Jareth tilted his head at her. She seemed to be a nice girl, even if she was a bit off kilter. He liked her and he was sure his sister did too, maybe...He let the thought go unfinished.
Animals chattered around the two of them. Pixies and faeries fluttered about, one of them getting too close, he swatted it away in annoyance. He'd have to ask Hoggle to take up his spray-gun again, the infestation was getting to be unbearable. A squirrel stopped only a few feet away and stared at them warily. "Ew." Said Scrub in a disgusted voice. "A squirrel."
"What do you have against squirrels?" He asked, still staring at the tiny animal on the branch.
"I got into a fist-fight with one." She replied, making shooing motions in the squirrel's direction. "He came up to me begging for a nut and when he saw I didn't have one, he put up his little dukes. So I was all like 'bring it on, Rocky!'."
"Who won?" He asked.
"I did. The yellow-furred coward backed out only after the first two rounds." She said absently as the squirrel scurried off.
"Brother! I thought I would find you here!" She glanced at Scrub. "But not did you get here?"
She shrugged. "I dunno, I just sorta wondered around, followed some goblins, and ended up here." She pointed at the Goblin King. "Then he showed up and we started talking about fighting squirrels."
"Err.." She began.
Jareth held up his hand. "Trust me, do not ask."
Mirwana relented with one last curious glance at Scrub. "You know, you remind me of someone I know back home." She said, her eyes twinkling like twin stars. "I'm sure that when you meet him, you two will get along splendidly." She moved aside then, to reveal Sarah. She had her hair up in a ponytail and her blue blouse and jeans showed off her assets well. Scrub felt a twinge at her friend's effortless beauty. She knew that she'd never look like that, even if she tried her hardest. That was one of Scrub's problems. She may appear confident and lively to the world, and she was for the most part, but there was still that little bit of her that doubted herself. However, she quickly stuffed away those thoughts with happiness for her best friend. From the look that Jareth was giving Sarah, it was obvious to anyone that he held feelings for her. Already, Scrub was secretly plotting on how to get them together. Unbeknownst to her, Mirwana was thinking similar thoughts, only it was a different pair that she had in mind.
"Is the Bandersnatch ready?" Jareth tapped his booted foot on the ground impatiently.
"Is the WHAT ready?" Exclaimed Sarah.
Scrub turned to Sarah in shock. "You have no idea what a Bandersnatch is? Haven't you read the books that I bought you for Christmas?" Sarah blushed and shook her head. Scrub face-palmed. "Well, then you're in for a big surprise, my friend. Huge even."
Mirwana grabbed ahold of Scrub, while Jareth gently held Sarah close to his chest. "Hang on." She said. The feeling of being between places was not fun for Sarah, she felt as if her stomach was being ripped out through her bellybutton. The trip was over almost instantly, though, so the torture was not drawn out.
To her amazement, while she herself was close to throwing up, Scrub had fallen to the ground and giggling dazedly. "Whoa, that was awesomer than the Batwing!" She said between giggles.
A roar startled them both out of their surprise. A humongous, striped...thingy was standing on all four paws. The closest animal Sarah could compare it with was something like a cross between a bear and a wolverine. Jareth smirked as he stroked one of its ears fondly. "This is Bandit. He is to be our transportation."
Sarah looked desprately at Mirwana. "Can't you do that vanishing trick and have us there in a few seconds?"
"I'm afraid that would not work over such a long distance." Mirwana said sympathetically.
Sarah looked at the beast again. It reared and gave another hearty roar, causing her to flinch. Then she straightened her posture, gathered up her courage and walked towards the Bandersnatch with a determinated expression. "Fine." She mumbled. "Just don't blame me if I hurl."