Chapter 3.

Sarah took Merlin for a long walk after dinner, heading toward the park and her favorite spot by the pond where the swans swam. She let the dog off his leash and he bounded over the stone bridge as he had done in the past. Sarah looked at the knolls and the winding path with a touch of sadness. This place was never going to seem quite the same, not ever again. Not now that she'd journeyed into the Fae World. Having been in the Underground she had to say Aboveground was dull in comparison.

She leaned forlornly on the obelisk, and sighed deeply. She had hoped when she put the toys, games and costumes away that her life would just magically straighten itself out. That was not happening. Not even the haircut and new clothes had made much difference. She was still the outcast. Still standing on the outside of the large groups that other kids belonged to. The only consolation seemed to be Sophie.

Looking down at her, watching from what he thought was a safe distance was the owl form of the Goblin King. He watched as the girl struggled with her own demons.

"I won't do it!" She proclaimed aloud. "I won't fall back into that old pattern! I won't. I don't want the little girl fantasies. I don't." She gripped the hard obelisk and held on to it as if it would ground her to her world.

Jareth called up a gentle wind, it seemed to whisper words she wanted forgotten.

Sarah put her back on the cool stone surface of the obelisk. "No…" she moaned softly. "You can't make me say it again."

The trees and shrubs seemed to answer. 'I ask so little.' The eyes of the owl followed her as she pushed away from the stone monument.

Sarah called her dog to her side, and looked about the park. "If you're here, hear me! I don't need you! I don't want you!" She grabbed the collar of the dog and reattached the leash. "Leave me alone."

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Three weeks later Sophie looked at the art instructor, "That's so provincial!" She complained.

The teacher, who was overworked, underpaid, and under the gun shrugged. "What do you want from me, Miss Curtis? I have to go by what the school board is allowing."

"So you bow down to the whims of provincial minds?" The blond shook her head, "That's bogus!"

The instructor agreed with the girl, even if he could not voice it. He looked down at his desk and picked up the invitation that had arrived. "Miss Curtis, there's a new artist colony forming at the old Wilde estate." He held out the invitation. "For reasons I cannot and will not go into, I'm not able to avail myself of their company and instruction. You however may find this weekend's symposium of some use."

Sophie looked at the card. "Are you kidding?" She read the names of artist, some of whom she had admired. "You'd send me in your place?"

"Why not?" he asked. "You've a great talent, and are mature beyond your years. And you're not under the influence of provincial minds. There's a class being given this weekend that I think you'll find fascinating. It's called Human Form, and the lecture is given by Pablo."

"He's brilliant!" Sophie giggled wildly. "He makes his nudes look like they are breathing!"

"Yes, well…" The instructor recalled a day not so long ago when he too was so enthusiastic about the art world. "Go and live your dream, Sophie. Don't let them do to you what they've done to me."

Sophie looked at the invitation in her hand. "What do you want in return?" she was suspicious of gifts. Being her father's daughter had a cost, and she was use to people using her to get to her father, or get favors.

The man looked at her, "Why young lady, what could I want from you?" He could not miss that the girl was unlike any of the students he'd taught in the last five years. She was a free spirit and gave off the most delightful sexuality. Had she not been under aged, he'd be sorely tempted.

Sophie sat on his desk and looked for a moment much older than sixteen. "I'm no innocent rose, or one of your local hicks. What do you want?" Her voice was slightly inviting.

The art teacher sat back and sighed, "You're jail bait, Sophie." He stated. "When you're not, we may well talk again… until then, go and enjoy the Bohemian life I can not."

Sophie slipped off the desk walked around behind the man's chair and slipped her arms over his shoulders to hug him, she whispered in his ear. "I won't let them make me sell out, Mr. Logan. I'll do you proud."

Logan closed his eyes. "You do that, little girl." He said before she ended the hug. "I'll send in the acceptance for the symposium explaining that you are attending in my place."

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Jareth sat behind his deck in the study of the mansion, going over the acceptances for the symposium. He was pleased to see Logan had given his invitation to Sophie Curtis. He looked up as the butler entered. "Are the artists being settled?"

"Yes, Sire." The servant bowed deeply.

"Make that sir here, Hoggens. We don't need to explain our titles and status." Jareth looked down at the paper work before him. "Have the musicians arrived?"

"They are being given their instructions as you wished, Sir." The formally dressed and mannered servant kept a stoic face.

"Good, I want classical music in the formal gardens and in the foyer. Has the sound system been upgraded in the pool house? Oh and has the company arrived to make the modifications down in the…dungeon?"

Hoggens hesitated. "They arrived this morning and began the modifications, sir."

Jareth smiled to himself. "Good. I want everything ready before we open the symposium tomorrow."

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Sophie waited by her car, nearly ready to bite her nails by the time Sarah arrived. "I thought you'd never get out here!"

Sarah, laden down with almost all her books, got in the little car. "What's the hurry?"

"I'm going to the Wilde place for an opening ceremony." Sophie informed the other girl. "Mr. Logan got me an invite."

Sarah looked out the window. "Sometimes I wish I'd taken art classes." She sighed. "Let me know how it goes, and what the house looks like."

"I'll do that." The perky blond promised. "I'm hoping to make enough of an impression to be invited back on my own merit."

"You'll do fine." Sarah said knowingly. "You've got talent."

Dropping the confidant act for a moment Sophie turned to Sarah, "Do you really think so? I mean no bull shit; you really think I have talent?"

Sarah nodded, "I'm not the only one. If my dad didn't think you had talent he'd be pushing regular college, but he's talking to your mom about the Art Institutes advanced program for you."

"Your dad's a peach!" Sophie said looking back at the road. "I mean it Sarah; he's too good to be true…. The last lawyer my folks had working on the trust didn't talk to me once." She looked at the books in Sarah's hands. "You plan on being locked in your room with that lot all weekend?"

"I don't see how you got so much done in study hall!" Sarah said looking over her notes. "You want me to make a copy of the notes?"

"That would be nice." Sophie teased. "Your writing is better than mine, I might actually get to read and understand them." She pulled up in front of the Williams home. "I'll see you bright and early on Monday…"

Sarah watched the little car pull away and silently wished she had something as exciting going on for the weekend.

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Sophie handed her invitation to the Major Domo at the door of the great house and was led into the great hall for the reception. She was younger than a number of the attendees and was feeling a bit out of place. A voice addressed her by name and she looked up. Standing to her side was a man whose skills she'd admired for some time now. "Pablo." She said in an awestruck whisper.

The artist smiled at her. "I'm told you'll be taking my human form class." He extended a hand to her. "So you're fond of the human form?"

"I'm fond of how you present them." She said enthusiastically. "I want to be able to do skin like you do…depth, and life…color.. texture…" she gushed.

Pablo, a man with dark wild hair, and wild eyes was impressed by the girl's lack of apprehension. Her tone and enthusiasm were exciting and infectious. "Well Miss Curtis, if your strokes are as skillful as your eagerness you are likely to be my best student. " He smiled down at her.

Sophie smiled back, "I loved the nude series you did last year."

"Ah my Monique series, yes, she's an excellent model." He commented lightly. He took hold of the girls elbow and directed her out of the crowd to an empty alcove. "She never complains when I have an idea." He seated the girl and took a seat across from her. "She's well trained; I've invested a good number of hours on her."

"She's not a professional model?" The girl was fascinated.

"Oh no, I never use professional models… they have a hardness… I prefer to use models I find in life." He explained softly. "I found Monique in a gardening shop, I was looking for rose bushes at the time."

Sophie laughed. "Really?"

Pablo laughed as well. "Yes, she had such beautiful hands… and I asked if I could sketch them."

Sophie leaned back in her chair, "That sounds like a come on line."

"That's what Monique said." He teased. "But she must have been curious, because she did come to allow me to sketch her hands." Sophie and the artist continued their conversation, well into the night. The guests were starting to leave when Pablo noticed they were in an empting room. "Miss Curtis, I look forward to seeing you at the lecture." He took her hands into his. "Good night." When the girl had been shown the door, a tall blond man in elegant evening attire moved to the Artists side.

"Progress?"

"She's delightful." The artist licked his lips. "Flirtatious for a child, she's no innocent. Bending her to my will should not prove too difficult, for either of us."

The tall blond man, whose hair was tied back in a stylish queue, offered the other a glass of champagne. "To education."

Pablo looked at his patron, "To education."

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Sophie was on of the first to arrive on Saturday morning. She took a seat in the room being used for the lecture. Pablo smiled his acknowledgement of her presences. He moved toward her, "Good morning, Miss Curtis."

"Good morning," she greeted him warmly.

Pablo looked at her sketch book and note book, "Prepared, I see." He looked at the six others who were assigned this class. "Let us begin." He announced taking a seat in the front of the room. Hours later, they broke for lunch. Pablo asked Sophie to join him at his table. They discussed brush strokes and textures.

"One must not just slap paint on a canvas; one must caress and feel the strokes as they touch the canvas." Pablo was saying. "Rather like a lover."

Sophie looked up at him, "They don't tell you that in art classes in the local high school." Her voice was husky, excited by the conversations lewd turn.

"Painting nudes is rather like making love." The artist said calmly.

Sophie gave the comment a thought and then nodded. "Ok, I see the correlation."

Pablo looked at his watch, "Time for the second session. Come Sophie." He stood and held a hand out to her.

Without hesitation the girl placed her hand in his. "What's the subject this afternoon?"

The tall blond man went un-noticed as he moved though the crowds. He smiled at the progress his protégée was making with the girl.

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The class was ending and the others had begun to file out of the little lecture room. Sophie waited, she wanted to thank Pablo again for the amount of time he spent answering questions. He looked at her when they were alone in the room. "I'm glad you waited." He said devouring her with hungry eyes.

"I want to thank you for not making me feel foolish when I asked questions." She said. "Your insights and concepts are revelations."

"Sophie, are you in a rush to get somewhere?"He asked

"Nope." She said honestly.

"Would you care to see some pieces I'm working on?" He asked unhurriedly.

"You brought work with you?" She gushed. "I'd love to see what you're working on."

He smiled a wicked smile. "There up in my room." His voice went husky. "You don't mind going up with me, do you?"

Sophie felt a giggle in her throat. "Are you coming on to me?" She asked quietly.

Pablo, knowing there was no one around, looked at her with open lust. "Yes, little girl, I am." His voice dropped an octave. "Does that bother you?"

For a moment she looked surprised, but not fearful. "Bother me, no, surprise me yes…it does."

"Why should it surprise you?" The artist said moving closer.

The little blond looked up at the man. "Because I'm jail bait." She said honestly.

"I won't tell if you don't." He said placing a hand to her face. "You're no innocent babe in the woods; you've played the game before." He said, as he pulled her closer. "So, do you want to or not?"

Sophie looked at him, his full lips inches from hers, his dark bedroom eyes, and his fit as a cat on the prowl body. "Yes, I want to." She gave in to the temptations being offered. She tilted her face up and offered her lips to him.

Pablo was surprised when their lips met, she was far more experienced at kissing then he'd expected her to be. He broke the kiss and looked at her. "Come upstairs with me." He growled. "I want to feel you under me, little girl." He pulled her toward the stairs at the back of the hall.

A blond man leaned on the wall watching the artist take the young girl up to a bedroom. He smiled. "One down, one to go."

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Sophie arrived on Monday and sat quietly in her car, waiting for the other girl. Sarah noticed the quiet mood of her friend. "Sophie, is everything ok?"

"Yeah, fine." She said pulling out onto the road.

"Did the weekend go well?" Sarah asked hopeful of an answer.

"It was great." The blond smirked and giggled. "I had a wonderful time."

"And that artist you were so excited about meeting?"

Sophie lightly licked her lips. "He's wonderful, going to give me some private lessons in fact."

Sarah smiled, but was not sure why. "Well I'm glad you had a good time."

"I've got an assignment due the end of the week, Pablo is a slave driver." She giggled.

Sarah was looking at her own books now, "Where will you be taking your lessons?"

"At the Paradisia," Sophie said quietly. "The owner is a art patron, and he's given Pablo a studio to work out of."

"So is the house as grand as you thought it would be?" Sarah asked not really paying attention.

"Grander." Sophie sighed.

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It was nearing the end of the week, and Sophie was in a decidedly bad mood. She sat across from Sarah on the lawn of the school eating lunch and trying to sketch. She scribbled into one sketch after another. Then tossed down her pencil, Sarah frowned.

"What's the problem Sophie?" she asked quietly.

"I can't get this right." She picked up the pencil and started again. "The assignment is to do a shoulder and head piece."

Sarah looked over her friends shoulder. "No offense, this is not as good as you usually do."

"The person who sat for me, is dull!" Sophie gripped. "I mean it! She is lifeless."

Sarah put a reassuring hand on her friend. "So look for someone else."

"This is due first thing tomorrow morning." Sophie moaned. "There's no time to find someone else."

"I'm sorry." Sarah said softly.

Sophie turned to her with a spark of an idea. "Sarah, you could pose for me!"

"I could what?" Sarah dropped the apple she was munching on.

"You could pose for me." Sophie repeated "You're not doing anything tonight are you?"

"Babysitting for my folks." Sarah said quickly.

"Great, I'll come over and sketch you after the tyke goes to bed." Sophie said as if it were all arranged.

Sarah shook her head, "No, Sophie, you can't."

The blond looked crestfallen. "Sarah be a pal, help me out here!"

Feeling pushed into a corner she relented. "Ok, why don't you just come over after dinner and we'll see."

Sophie lay back in the grass. "You're a lifesaver."

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Sarah had given Toby his dinner, cleaned him up and put him down for the night. She had not heard from Sophie and it was going on nine. She thought the other girl must have rethought out the proposal and decided against it. She turned off the lights in the parlor and went to lock the front door. Her folks would be using the garage door when they got home. She made sure that Merlin was settled in on the sun poach in the back. A tapping at the front door got her attention.

Sophie stood in the door with a large sketch pad and looked like she'd been though the mill. "What happened to you?"

Sophie sighed, "I got tied up at the suppler. Thanks for waiting for me. Where do you want to do this?"

"First, what do I have to do?" Sarah asked.

"Relax, that's first." Sophie lightly teased. "I need you to sit comfortably, and just move your blouse off your shoulders." Sarah took a seat in the winged back chair and moved the blouse off her shoulders. She jumped with every sound. "Take it easy, Sarah, it's not an animation."

Sarah took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"That's better," Sophie said as she began to sketch her friend. "Why are you so nervous?"

"I don't usually hang out, hanging out." Sarah whispered.

The blond looked over the sketch board, "It's not like I haven't seen you naked, I mean hell we take showers together in gym."

"That's different." Sarah said feeling very self conscious.

Sophie snickered. "Yeah, there you're totally nude, here you're just sitting with your blouse pushed back….You crake me up, Sarah." Her laughter was like a tinkling bell.

Sarah blushed.

Sophie looked up again, "What's wrong Sarah, don't you trust me?"

"It's not that." Sarah said quietly. "I just don't take my clothes off for anyone."

The blond paused. "Not even a boyfriend?"

"I've never had one." Sarah said then turned the tables, "What about you? Would you get naked for a boyfriend?"

"Sure," Sophie said softly.

"Right." Sarah looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm not a virgin." The blonde offered.

"Well I am." Sarah snapped. "The way things are going I'm likely to die one too."

"I doubt that!" the blonde continued working on the sketch. "What's the big deal?"

"Homecoming is next weekend." Sarah lamented. "And it does not look like I'm going to be asked."

Sophie put finishing touches on the sketch. "Well, what say you come to a party with me then?" She walked over to Sarah and handed her the finished drawing. "Pablo says there's a party next Saturday night at the Wilde house. You can come as my guest."

Sarah held the sketch; it was almost like looking in a mirror. "Okay." She said.