Chapter 1

(Almost 17 years later)

Sarah really was sad and a little distraught over her parents' death in a car crash just two weeks ago. But they had left almost everything to Sarah and her daughter, Leanna, and since they had been living in a run down apartment, Sarah couldn't help but be a little thankful. Of course, Sarah's teenage brother, Toby, had gotten $50,000 from the will, which Sarah had convinced him to by a small a apartment with, and put most of the rest into a fund for his college. But everything else had gone to Sarah and Leanna.

Sarah was glad that she was able to give her daughter a suitable gift for her birthday, which was today. She was abe to give Leanna a real home... and her own room, which Leanna had been wanting for some time.

Leanna was sixteen today, and Sarah was glad her daughter didn't like big parties or lots of meaningless gift. Sarah would give Leanna anything for her birthday, of course, but there was one gift that Sarah was reluctant to give.

Sarah took the small, red, leatherbound book out of her pocket. On the cover, in gold letters, was the title Labyrinth. Sarah sighed. She had decided that Leanna was old enough to know her story. To know who her best friends were. To know who Sarah thought Leanna's father was. To know where her shocking blue eyes came from. Leanna's eyes. His eyes. Everytime Sarah looked into her daughter's eyes, she had to close her eyes and remind herself that it wasn't him.

Sarah laid down on her bed with a bounce and a weary sigh. Leanna would be home from school soon, and then it would be time.

Leanna was walking home from school like she had every day before. Even though it was the middle of one of the coldest winters she had ever experienced, her jacket flapped open. The cold wind blew her dark red hair all around her, but she didn't feel it. The air around her was cold, but she wasn't. Strangely, she was comfortable, although, every cold day before, she'd been... cold.

Strange things like that had been happening all day. This morning, as soon as Leanna had put her hand on the gym door, pain had shot up her arm, and Leanna had gotten a kind of premonition of something to happen. Five minutes later, three fights broke out in the gym. Leanna shrugged that off. In her third period, where it was always freezing cold, while everyone else was shivering in their jackets, Leanna was nice and warm, and she didn't get it. Then, at lunch, Leanna would get a splitting headache everytime she'd look at a tray of food. But when she'd look away, the pain would disappear as quickly as it had come. Five minutes later, Leanna was huddled under a table, and 30 seconds after that, a huge food fight broke out. It was then that Leanna decided that all this was more that coincidence.

Leanna kicked at a pebble in her path. Instead of simply rolling away, the pebble did a loop-de-loop in the air, then imbedded itself firmly in the concrete ground. Leanna cursed. What stimulating sixteenth birthday this was.

Leanna breathed a sigh of relief as her house, her new home, came into view. It was a nice house, the one her mother had grown up in, and Leanna like the sound of that. Leanna really loved her mom, and growing up in the house that her very awesome mother had sounded like a pretty good start to her new, better life.

But as soon as leanna set foot on the walkway, a stabbing pain shot up her leg. leanna grunted in pain, and she suddenly had a flash of her mother up in her room. Leanna gasped, and she made herself put the other leg on the walkway. Another shot of pain shot up up that leg.

Geez, how much pain can one damned walkway cause, Leanna thought.

Leanna gritted her teeth and made herself run. Her mother was in danger, and Leanna had to get to her.

Sarah suddenly sat bolt upright as the window blew open. A cold wind whipped her hair. Sarah shivered and quickly got up and closed the window. When Sarah turned back around, she gasped in horrow. Sitting on her dresser was a white and brown owl. An owl that Sarah remembered all too well.

"Get out!", Sarah shouted at the evil bird, "Get out of here!"

There was a flash of blinding light, and Sarah shielded her eyes. When she looked again, instead of an owl, standing in front of her dresser, was him. Jareth, the Goblin King.

"Jareth, get out of my house!", Sarah shouted, pushing down her fear and rearing up with anger.

"You know very well that I can't do that, Sarah.", Jareth replied with that smooth, accented voice of his, "I can't leave without the girl."

Leanna, Sarah thought.

"What girl?", Sarah asked.

"Why, your daughter of course." The Goblin King smirked. He didn't know that Sarah knew, thought she knew, that it wasn't just her daughter.

"Jareth, I don't know what you're talking about.", Sarah retorted.

Suddenly, a door slammed downstairs, and Sarah heard Leanna shouting, "Mom! Mom!" She sounded kind of panicked.

Sarah couldn't let her daughter get in the room. Leanna would see the evil man in the room... and probably try to kill him and get herself killed.

Sarah rushed over to the door and locked it just as pounding footsteps started running up the stairs.

"Mom?!", Leanna called again. She sounded much closer this time.

Sarah turned back to Jareth. "Get the hell out!", she hissed at him.

"Well, you're quite a bit more bold these days, I see.", Jareth said, his cape billowing out behind him in a breeze that Sarah did not feel.

He's gotten more powerful, Sarah thought.

There was a sudden banging on the door, making Sarah jump slightly.

"Mom, what's wrong?!", Leanna shouted, then cursed, "Goddamn it, what the hell- Aaaah!!!" She sounded like she was in pain.

"Mom, open the door!", Leanna shouted, followed by a few more curses.

Sarah put her back against the door. She glared at Jareth and mouthed, "Get out!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that Sarah.", Jareth replied, and he started toward her.

Suddenly, there was a loud howl of pain from the other side of the door, and a fist punched itself through the door. Sarah shouted in surprise and moved away as the hand unlocked the door. The door blew off its hinges and smashed through the window. An invisible force poured into the room through the open doorway. It threw Sarah and Jareth up against the walls; Sarah couldn't move.

Leanna strode into the room, headed straight for Jareth. The invisible force seemed to be pouring out of her. Sarah could barely breath.

"Leanna...", Sarah croaked out.

Leanna flicked her eyes to Sarah, and they widened. Then, she closed them and took several deep breaths. The force started to wither away until it was almost gone. Then Leanna opened her eyes, looked at Jareth, and said, "Boom." All of that force suddenly poured toward Jareth, slamming the Goblin King against the wall once more. Sarah had never seen him look so helpless except when Sarah had shot him down almost 17 years ago.

Jareth hissed and, struggling, took out one of his crystal balls. The power rebounded and shot towards Leanna. But Leanna waved her hand and the power disappeared.

"Enough.", Leanna finally said, "Who the hell are you?"

Jareth gazed at Leanna for a few moments before looking at Sarah and saying, "You never told her?"

"Told me, what, Mom? What's he talking about?", Leanna said through gritted teeth.

Sarah sighed. "I was going to tell you today.", she admitted.

"Let me guess.", Jareth interrupted, "Today is your sixteenth birthday, isn't it?"

"How'd you know that?", Leanna asked suspiciously.

Up until now, Leanna had all but ignored the Goblin King. Now, she looked Jareth straight in the eye... and gasped. She staggered backwards. "His eyes...", Leanna whispered disbelievingly, and looked in the mirror above the dresse at her own eyes. "Mom, why do my eyes look exactly like his?"

"Allow me to explain.", Jareth said, wrapping his arm around Leanna's shoulders. Sarah saw the digusted look on Leanna's father on Leanna's face and was surprised she didn't pull away. Then again, Leanna was getting an explanation, and that was probably all she wanted right now.

"You see, it's like this.", Jareth started as he pulled a crystal out of his pocket. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth as if to continue. But instead, he threw the crystal to the ground, and it smashed into pieces. There was a flash of lifght, and then Leanna and Jareth were gone.