AN: I now own the DVD of Labyrinth. :D Sadly, I own nothing else Labyrinth related. Woe.
"So, is it true?"
"Is what true?" Sarah distractedly responded, not sure if she should be spending more time paying attention to the conversation that was beginning or her slightly bedraggled black hair.
"You know! Did you two really kiss?"
"Oh, right. That." Sarah could feel the blush of her torn emotions creep into her cheeks. "Yes. We did." She forced out, and forced her gaze back into her own reflection in the mirror. She could see that she was reddening and tried unsuccessfully to stop the flush from deepening.
"Well?"
"Well nothing." Sarah jiggled the cold water faucet, and cupped her hands under the stream of chill water. She splashed the water against her face, and was relieved to note that the intensity of the blush lessened.
"So, you didn't… run away?"
"Who told you that?" She snapped, and without waiting for an answer shook her head. "Never mind. I need to get to class." She dried her hands on her denim pants, and grabbed a paper towel to dry her face. "I'll talk to you at lunch," Sarah muttered, and sped toward the door of the girl's bathroom, only to be grabbed by her wrist and dragged back in.
"Sarah, you know as well as I that next period is lunch. Why'd you run away?"
"I don't know!" Sarah moaned, and turned her gaze to the tiled floor.
"Sarah, that wasn't your first kiss, was it?"
"Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" She exclaimed, lying through her teeth.
"Sarah, are you feeling okay?"
"Of course I'm…," Sarah paused and deliberated. "You know what? I am feeling a little off. I should probably go to the nurse."
"I did see him coughing in math class last week… Maybe you got what he had!"
"Yeah… good thinking. I'll just go to the nurse now and, um, get some medicine." Sarah shuffled nervously to the door.
"Want me to take you there?"
Sarah broke into a theatrical coughing fit and shook her head. "I wouldn't want to make you sick, you know, in case it's contagious." Sarah let out several over dramatized hacking noises, and put her hand to her forehead. "I think I might even have a fever!"
"On second thought… it's probably best if you go alone."
Sarah turned and left the bathroom, a broad smile on her face. She was fairly glad, at times like these, that the people that chose to befriend her were all deliciously gullible. She let out several more coughs as she walked down the hallway, but dropped her poorly executed sickness as she rounded the corner. Sarah walked past the nurse's office without a second glance, and confidently walked through the open the doors to the school.
Before long, she stood in front of her large white house. She slid the key into the lock, and opened the door. Merlin bounded toward Sarah as she stepped into the foyer, and Sarah scratched his head appreciatively. "Merlin, I have had the most exhausting day." She murmured as she knelt down. Merlin licked Sarah's face, and Sarah squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh Merlin," she laughed, and stood up once more. Merlin whined, and Sarah gave him one last scratch between the ears. Content with her display of affection, Merlin trotted off into the kitchen.
Sarah stood in the foyer, alone once more, and sighed. "Oh, it's not fair!" She exclaimed, recalling the incident from the day previous. She was kissing him! She was enjoying herself! She didn't need Jareth! She didn't want him either! Sarah stamped her foot against the carpeted floor, and headed up the stairs.
"Toby?" She called hesitantly before entering his room. His small bed was empty. "Oh god, oh god, oh god." Sarah hyperventilated, falling into panic before she thought rationally. Daycare. Of course. He had been attending daycare for the past year and a half.
'There are no such things as goblins. There are no such things as goblins. There are no such thing as goblins.' Sarah repeated to herself inside her head. "The Labyrinth does not exist. The Labyrinth does not exist. The Labyrinth does not exist." She whispered hurriedly, forcing herself to spit each word out. "I have never been Underground. I have never been Underground. I have never been Underground." She repeated without conviction, but the phrase began to crescendo all the same. She shook her head. This was ridiculous. "There are no such things as goblins. The Labyrinth does not exist. I have never been Underground." She repeated once more.
She hurried into her own room, and dumped her schoolbag onto the chair of her vanity. She needed some time to escape from everything. Some place that she was sure not to be found. Some place that she was sure to find herself. "Nothing like a relaxing day at the park…," Sarah told the empty room, and forced a smile on her face. She grabbed a book from her bookshelf at random, without paying attention to the title. She slipped the book into a shoulder bag that hung from the back of her door, and headed downstairs.
"Merlin!" She called, grabbing his leash. Merlin cocked an ear upwards with the mention of his name, but remained curled on the couch. "Oh, forget it, you lazy mutt!" Sarah called playfully, and hung the leash up once more. "Looks like I'm going alone," She said, before realizing that it was unlikely that she could guilt-trip her dog into accompanying her.
Arriving in the park, Sarah found that the leaves were already changing colors. The autumnal hues took her breath away. It had been far too long since she had visited the park. The last time that she had been here alone must have been… Sarah shook her head. No. She didn't play in lands of make-believe anymore. 'You are much too old for that.' She scolded herself. "There are no such things as goblins. The Labyrinth does not exist. I have never been Underground." She whispered the mantra once more.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and sat down on the unoccupied bench behind her. She moved into the most comfortable position that the bench would allow, and pulled the book from her shoulder bag.
"Impossible." Sarah whispered. She had not touched the little book in her hands in two years. She had shut it in the drawer to her vanity the night of her return. She had not opened that drawer since then. She stared at the red leather and gold lettering, and did not know what to believe.
A dog-eared copy of Labyrinth shook in her trembling hands.
AN: No Jareth in this chapter... I was sad too. He's going to be in the next one though! And trust me, it will get more exciting soon!
If you can think of any way that this story could be improved, I'd love to hear it! I like constructive criticism!
Thanks to xxlindzzz, High Elf Queen, and Nyx405 for their reviews and encouragement!