Chapter 15. Fire and Ice

Saturday morning the call came in at a little after nine. Karen answered the phone; her face looked disturbed, and confused. She was half tempted to tell the caller that Sarah was not there. Looking at where her stepdaughter was seated giving Toby some Cheerios, she found she couldn't do that. She was going to have to trust Sarah. "Just a moment," she looked at the teen. "Honey, it's that Kohler girl, for you." She held out the phone. The expression on her face made it crystal clear she didn't care for the girl on the other end of the phone.

Sarah shrugged and took the receiver from Karen's hands, not noticing the slight tremble. "Hello?"

"Good morning!" A voice bellowed, "Have you seen what a glorious day it is out there?"

Sarah looked out the window; "Its cloudy, Meg," she answered. She could hear the other girl giggling.

"Silly," Meg laughed. "It's a perfect day to go ice skating."

"It's not cold enough for ice skating." Sarah said frowning.

"The rink just opened this week, the new one at the Commons!" Meg bickered. "How 'bout it? Want to stick that cute fanny of yours in a little skating skirt and come skating with Terry, Lana and me?"

The teen on the phone in the Williams' kitchen looked over at her stepmother. "Hold on," she placed a hand over the receiver. "They want me to come go ice skating at the Commons. What do you think?"

The stepmother felt a little moment of panic, and then told herself it was a public place and there'd be too many people around for the girl to get into trouble. "I see no problem." She said with a half hearted smile. "Go ahead, have some fun. You'll get to wear that new skating outfit your mom sent."

Sarah had half wished Karen had denied her the permission. Lifting up the phone to her lips, "My stepmother says its fine. What time do you want to meet there?"

"Ten, if you can make it." Meg sounded excited. "We'll have lunch there and make a real day of it!"

Sarah sighed, "Fine, see you then."

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Sarah looked at her self in her bedroom mirror. "I look like a deranged elf." She commented.

Karen came up behind her, "Lose the cape and cap." She commented looking at the girl's outlandish outfit. "What was your mother thinking?"

"I doubt Mom even looked at this when wardrobe packed it up. Half the time she just gives my size to the wardrobe mistress and tells her to hold whatever will fit me." She struggled with the cap and cape. Even without them she still had a slightly 'Santa's helper' look to her. "I'm not going."

"Now, Sarah," Karen held her shoulders, "It's not that bad." She tried to smile, but her eyes kept going to the garish costume.

Sarah wondered how she could tell such a bald-faced lie. It was hideous. "I'm changing to jeans. I'm not wearing this thing in public; it would give too much fodder to someone like Mayfaire." She began to strip off the suggestively elfish outfit. Karen opened her mouth to ask about her inference to the doctor, but Toby crying drew her away. Sarah glared at the outfit, "I'm not wearing anything you can trap me with, Goblin King." She growled. "I'm not doing the sex crazed elf, not even for you." An image popped into her mind of her walking though the Labyrinth in the ridiculous costume and she quickly suppressed it.

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Meg watched Terry and Lana work on the paint thinner dipping of the Q-tips. She measured out just the right amount of plastic wrap, and laid her scarf on the counter. "Don't be so scotch with the thinner, Terry. I want her really loopy." Meg snapped at the mousey girl.

Terry blinked and sat back, "I'm the one getting loopy." She complained. "Can't we open a window?"

"Don't be stupid," Lana remarked coldly. "We open a window and this shit will evaporate too fast." She looked up at Meg, "I told you we should have used glue. My brother has a tube and he'd never miss it. It's stronger and takes longer to dry."

Meg looked at her with an unimpressed gaze. "I told you, I want Sarah loopy, not me. That stuff around my neck, too much chance of me being the one knocked out. This way, I control the goods."

Terry pushed away from the table, "I'm gonna be sick." She complained and ran to the bathroom gagging as her stomach heaved its contents.

Meg ignored the girl and directed Lana, "Don't get sloppy; the old man will know if we spill. I can tell him I had a paint spill and he'll believe me, as long as we don't over do it."

Lana finished the last of the Q-tips. "Here, wrap 'em while I go check on Terry. She's too good a cover to not keep her with us right now."

"Fine," Meg said wrapping the sticks. "You go babysit her and I'll finish this and try it on. I want to make sure I can work this thing before we try using it on Sarah."

Lana paused, "Where's Hank?"

"He went to the park already. He'll be there with some buddies, and he can play big rescuer." Meg sneered. "Once we have Sarah at the Hazelcrest house, and he's had what he wants from her, we get our chance to have some fun."

"Sounds like a party." Lana headed to the bathroom that she heard gagging coming from. "Terry, pull it together!"

Meg looked at the Q-tip laced scarf, "It'll be a hot time in the old town tonight for you, Sarah."

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Sarah found Meg and Lana at the rink renting their skates. "Where's Terry?" She asked quietly. "I thought she was joining us."

Meg looked very sad, "Poor Terry seems to be coming down with some kind of bug. She got sick and went home."

"Oh." Sarah removed her skates from over her shoulders and followed the other two girls over to the benches to lace up." She had her skates laced up before the other two and moved to the rink. "See ya out there."

Lana whispered to Meg as they were both bent over, "When are you planning on dosing her?"

"Not till we break for lunch." Meg whispered back. She stood up and headed to where Sarah was already making figure eights in the ice. "Cool, teach me."

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Hank watched the three girls move on the ice. He could not take his eyes off sweet little Sarah.

Tom nudged him. "Is that the girl?"

Hank nodded; "That's the one."

Jack shook his head, not liking the fact that the girls were so young. "Jail bait," he said in a sarcastic tone.

"The younger the sweeter," Hank quipped. "Besides, I like being the on to teach 'em bad habits."

Tom laughed, but Jack didn't. "I don't like it," he said again. "This just feels bad."

"Stop being a woossie," commanded Hank. "I'll let you have Meg," he offered.

As Tom began to protest that he wanted Meg, Jack grabbed Hank. "Are you listening to me? I've got a bad feeling about this! Something is going to go wrong."

"Suck it up," warned Hank as he started to move toward the rink. "It's show time."

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Sarah, skating backward had finally relaxed, forgetting all her troubles and her worries. She spread her arms, she practiced her reverse crossovers, feeling like a bird in flight as she moved over the ice. She collided with the an object behind her and hands grabbed her under her arms, just a tad too close to her breasts before she could fall. She opened her eyes and looked up as Hank smiled down at her.

"Hey Sarah," he greeted her as if they were old friends.

"Oh, hi," She blushed trying to recover and stand.

"Are you okay?" He asked as his hands slowly glided down to her waist.

"Fine," she said in a breathy tone. She waved and skated away.

Jack skated up behind Hank, whispering. "Don't do it, man."

"Shut up." Hank warned coldly.

Sarah skated back to where Meg and Lana were practicing figure eights. "Your brother is here." She said, coming to a stop.

"Really?" Meg asked innocently. "Where?" She spotted Hank and waved at him.

Lana looked over at him as well. "Looks like he came with friends."

The boys skated around the rink, showing off and just cutting up. Sarah looked at Meg, who was acting as if it were nothing to her that the man was here. Sarah heard the alarm go off in her head, and began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, she was losing her mind. Meg asked Sarah to show her the figure eight once more, distracting Sarah from her thoughts.

"I'm getting hungry." Lana said after an hour had gone by since the boys had appeared. "What do you guys say if we take a lunch break, get a burger, and then we can skate some more?"

Meg looked at the crowds at the little food court. "How about we skip eating here and go to the little stand in the park for some hot soup? I'm getting tired, and my ankles' is getting sore. I think I've had enough skating."

Sarah followed the other two girls back to the benches and took off her skates. "We could just call it a day." She offered.

"No," Meg said harshly, then softened. "No, I just think I've had enough skating. We can hang out at the park."

"Meg, it's freezing outside." Sarah complained.

"Oh come on, Sarah," Meg whined. "We don't get to hang out as school! Come on, stay and hang with us." Lana was bobbing her head in agreement.

The alarm went off again; Sarah shut it down. "Oh, okay," she sighed. "But only for an hour or so. It's too cold to stay in the park."

Meg smiled as she pulled off her skates. 'We'll find some way to keep you warm, Sarah' she thought to herself.

After having turned the rented skates back in, the three walked out of the rink and headed to the park just a few short blocks away. Sarah once more appreciated the coziness of her little town; the Commons where the rink was, the quaint and old fashioned little houses, the romantic little park in the center of the town with its winding stream and pond. This late in the season the swans were gone, having been taken away to their winter farm, coops. Sarah always loved the swans, feeling sorry that their wings had been clipped so they would stay in one place and not fly away. At the entrance to the park, near the gazebo, was where the venders set up on weekends during the fall and winter festivals. The three teens stood in the much smaller line; the soup vendor ladled out three cups of the welcomed warm libation. The girls walked though the park sipping their soup.

"I hear they are planning an ice sculpture contest." Lana said as they walked down the path.

Sarah noticed there were fewer and fewer passers by. "That will be nice," she said finishing up her cup of the soup, and tossing it in the trash receptacle that stood on the path. "I love this park." She said quietly.

Med dropped her cup into the receptacle, followed by Lana. Meg nodded at Lana, and began to unwind her scarf. "I prefer the park in summer." She complained. "I hate all these heavy clothes!" She began to dangle the scarf; she then whipped it toward Lana playfully. Lana tugged at it, freeing one or two of the wrapped cotton swabs from their wrappers. Meg chased the girl over the stone foot bridge giggling and carrying on playfully. Sarah ran after them, her skates banging together, blades clicking, and when she reached the path on the other side, didn't stop to think where she was.

Meg turned and lassoed Sarah with the scarf from behind her. Sarah, her face covered by the scarf, struggled with the smelly woolen. "God Meg, this thing stinks!"

"I know," Meg pulled it back, tightening it over the of the brunette's face. "Can't be helped." She shrugged. "Damn cleaners are using some thing that smells really bad."

"How do you wear that thing?" Sarah asked trying to claw the muffler away from her face, but the hooks from the skates on her shoulder snagged some of the wool, making it difficult to remove. She started to feel as if she had sipped too much champagne.

Meg looped the excess over her again, wanting to make sure she was getting the full effect of the paint thinner. "You get use to it, Sarah." She teased as she pulled the wool cloth like a gag over the dark haired girl's mouth and nose. She looked over her shoulder and began to drag Sarah off toward the thicket of shrubs and trees that were left as green-lands in the park. Sarah stumbled as they moved. Lana grabbed her arm and helped haul her backward.

"Meg, this isn't funny." Sarah said through the muffled fabric.

Meg pulled the scarf away; noticing that Sarah was looking slightly intoxicated. "Oh come on, we're just having a bit of fun." She teased. She wrapped the scarf over Sarah's face yet again, in spite of the pitiful struggles the other girl attempted to make.

"Meg," a male voice cracked like a whip. "What are you doing?"

Meg turned, wanting Sarah to see her look innocently at her older brother. "Just horsing around," she shrugged.

Sarah stumbled, feeling lightheaded and slightly inebriated. She grabbed onto a tree, 'Everything's dancing.' She thought to herself.

"You are trying to suffocate your friend here?" Hank moved toward Sarah. Unwrapping the scarf, he handed it back to Meg. "Give Sarah a few moments." He placed a hand at Sarah's waist and inclined his head to get Meg to pull back.

Sarah blinked her eyes, looked up at the young man. "What happened?" She was even more dizzy now.

"Meg being silly with her scarf," he offered. "Sometimes she forgets she's not a little kid."

Sarah tried to clear her head, but was having little or no luck. "We were just fooling around." Sarah said in defense of the girl she thought of as a new friend. "She didn't mean any harm."

Hanks hand moved up from Sarah's waist, holding her up and migrating toward her breast. "That's so sweet of you to say that." He crooned. "You're such a sweet girl." He cupped her face with his free had. "So sweet," he lowered his face preparing to kiss her.

Sarah wrenched back stumbling out of his grip, her skates slipping from her shoulder. "What are you doing?" she squeaked.

Hank watched her stumble, slightly amused. "Come on Sarah, you know what I was going to do." He moved forward.

Holding up a hand, the girl shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs forming. "No."

"No?" Hank asked ignoring her refusal and moving forward toward her.

"No," she said again, firmer. "Just stay back."

Hank frowned, "Sarah." She turned and stumbled out of the thicket toward the path and the stone bridge. "Sarah, stop." He warned.

Sarah felt the world spin. She moved toward the bridge, the bridge she'd used dozens of times over the years. 'Have to escape.' Her brain told her sharply. If only her feet would obey the orders her brain was trying desperately to give them. She stumbled on the bridge and felt herself being to fall. In the spin, she thought she could hear someone very close calling her name. Hands seemed to come out of nowhere, leather clad hands that gripped her and pulled her back from the edge of the bridge. She stumbled back as her knees gave out and she crumpled.

"Sarah!" the voice was in her face. "Sarah!"

Green eyes fluttered open, looking into the wonderfully mismatched two shades of blue. "Goblin King," she whispered as she closed her eyes again.

Hank had seen the girl head to the bridge; he would have followed her had he not seen the man in the top coat move swiftly to her aid. He pulled back into the thicket and hid from the man who was too busy with the dosed girl.

Mayfaire pried open the eyes and inspected the pupils, unhappy with what he saw. He leaned closer and pulled back sharply, blinking his eyes from the stinging vapors. It smelled as if someone had soaked the girl in paint thinner. He tapped the girl's face. "Sarah?" Mayfaire looked about, no sign of the companions the girl had come to the park with. He was certain she'd not come alone. Carefully he hauled her upright and scooped her up into his arms.

Sarah opened her eyes for one instant, placed her arms about his neck and whispered. "You saved me again, Goblin King." Her green eyes fluttered closed as quickly as they had opened.

Mayfaire carried her the short distance to his car, and placed her in the passenger's side. He looked about yet again for the girl's companions. Seeing no one, he moved into the drivers' seat and pulled out of the lot.

Hank was sitting in the thicket cursing when Meg and Lana found him. She looked about. "Where's Sarah?"

Hank stood up. "Some tall blond guy caught her before she took a nose dive off the bridge and carried her away." He snapped.

"A tall blond guy?" Meg turned to Lana. "Mayfaire?"

Hank shoved his hands into his pockets in frustration. "Well, that's shot this day in the ass. I've no idea of where he took her."

Lana moved closer to the man and slid her arms around him consolingly. "He's a head doctor; he most likely took her home."

Meg looked toward the bridge. "I hope so, maybe we should call?"

Hank shook his head. "Let sleeping dogs lie. You can call her later asking where she went to."

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Sarah's eyes opened as strong arms carried her upstairs that seemed to go on forever. She saw twists and turns and archways and giggle; "The world is spinning and everything's upside down." She commented.

"That's nice." A voice stated as she was carried into a dark passageway. The arms lowered her feet and pressed her to a wall. "Hold still." The voice commanded.

"Yes, Sire." Sarah quipped, giving a half hearted try at a salute before hugging the wall in a attempt not to slip down. She could hear a key turning in a lock and a door opening. The hands scooped her up once more and she was carried into a dimly lit space. Passing through another door, she was at last placed on her back on a long leather couch.

Hands worked to free her of her coat, which was carried away from her. "We'd best air this thing out," the voice said.

She heard the steps coming near her. Calling up all her reserve, she forced her eyes to obey the order to open. When they did, she found a face close to hers, an expression of concern and a frown on the handsome countenance. "Goblin King," she whispered hoarsely as she reached forward, gripping his lapels and raised up to press her lips to those of her rescuer. The effort cost what was left of her consciousness, and she fell back onto the leather couch in a stupor.

Mayfaire, stunned by the kiss, sat staring at the unconscious girl. Leaning over her, he watched over her like a protective bird with wings spread out. Her face was relaxed and looked young and fresh. 'I'm surprised at you, losing your head over a girl.' He thought to himself harshly.

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Everything was spinning, dancing, and there was laughter coming from afar. Sarah looked about, some of these people were only half clad. She looked about her, unable to find- find what? The music began to die away and the dancers were fading. "No," she begged, reaching her arms out. "Don't leave me!"

Arms enfolded her. "I won't leave you, Sarah." The voice said.

The girl once more went limp.

The man holding her watched over her protectively as she slept off the effects of the chemical that had been used on her. He wondered if she could have done this to herself, she didn't seem the type.