Ch3 What happened to Niki continued and Entering the labyrinth

Niki's eyes practically bugged out of her head when she heard that. "WHAT?!" she yelled "WHAT DO YOU MEAN NEVER?"

"Simple," Jareth replied still sounding cool and confident "If your sister doesn't reach this castle in 13 hours you will become one of us forever, just like him."

"What?" Niki responded #Crap# she thought #If this is anything like that book she had it's not gonna be easy I could get stuck as a stupid goblin# She looked over at the goblins who were laughing and hitting each other and mentally groaned, then a thought crossed her mind.

"Wait a second I thought you had to have someone say the right words and be a kid to get taken, Cara told me about it. I'm a teenager. What am I doing here?" she asked.

"Two reasons," Jareth replied "One your lovely sister did say the right words even if technically she didn't say "I wish" before hand."

Niki did a mental groan again she didn't like hearing a guy call her sister lovely or anything like that, it was kind of disgusting to hear it.

"And two," Jareth continued "I'm sure you've noticed that the goblins aren't that bright."

Niki nodded, "Yeah it's kind of obvious."

"Well, they noticed your red hair and thought you might be related to the faeries so they grabbed you, in case you were, to try and see if you might agree to work for me," Jareth said.

"You've got to be kidding," Niki responded "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. Of course seeing as how smart these guys are it makes some strange sense."

"Yes and now you're here and if your sister doesn't get here in time you'll be one of us forever. Who knows you may become one of the smarter goblins," Jareth said with a smile.

Niki pretended to smile #God I hope not# she thought, she wanted out of here now #Cara, please, hurry. # Then suddenly she thought of something. "Hang on," Niki said "You said 'just like him' who did you mean?"

Jareth looked at her "That baby over there," he replied.

Niki turned around to see a blonde haired baby sitting surrounded by goblins and crying. #How did I not notice him? # She wondered, Niki walked over to the baby, "Hey kid did you get 'wished' here too?" The baby looked up at her still crying and reached his arms up to her. #Great, # she thought #It had to like me. # Niki wasn't very big on kids but sat down to pick him up anyway when she felt like she sat on something hard. "Ow," she said and felt the ground to find nothing then she felt her back pockets and found what she had sat on. #Cara's necklace, # she thought #I'd almost forgotten I'd borrowed it. # Niki remembered it had been right before their parents had started to fight.

~Flashback to this morning~
"Hey Cawa," Niki said with a smile.

Cara looked up from her book, "Hi Niki, what do you want?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

Cara closed her book and stood up "I'm going to my room to finish reading so if you want something you better ask now," she said.

"Ok," Niki responded "Could I maybe wear your necklace for a bit? Please?"

Cara raised her eyebrow and gently placed her hand on her necklace she'd had it since before she could remember, it was one of the few happy memories she had of her parents was when they gave it to her, it was an old looking necklace with a pink stone in it.

"If I let you borrow it you can't do anything to it understand? No putting glue or anything on it no trying to break it or pull it apart got it?" Cara warned she trusted her sister just not a whole lot, Niki liked to play tricks and things on her and embarrass her because she thought it was funny.

"Yes I understand, now please?" Niki asked making googley eyes at Cara.

Cara sighed she knew Niki liked dressing up, even though she'd never admit it, she also knew Niki wouldn't leave her alone till she got her way so she gently and carefully took it off and put it on Niki.

"Thank you!" Niki said happily and went off to listen to music in her room; Cara just shook her head and went into her own room. After a little while of listening to music and dancing around Niki heard something over her music, their parents arguing. #Great, # Niki thought #Totally ruins the music. # Niki poked her head out of her door to see Cara sneaking out of her room. #Good idea Cara, I should follow you, # Niki thought she started to follow Cara then stopped #Better hide this in case mom and dad see me, # Niki thought as she took Cara's necklace off and put it in her back pocket, #Don't need them thinking I stole it. # Niki carefully followed Cara outside and ran after her.
~back to the present~

#Cara will so kill me if I lose this, # Niki thought.

"And what do you have there?" Jareth asked.

Niki groaned she was really beginning to find this guy annoying, "Nothing," she responded.

"I seriously doubt that," Jareth said.

Niki was getting very annoyed not only by Jareth but by the baby who was still crying, not that she could blame him, and her anger was getting the better of her "Will... you... just... leave... me... ALONE!" Niki yelled and without thinking she threw the necklace as hard as she could at Jareth, who caught it simply as if it was nothing, Niki eyes widened at what she'd just done as Jareth looked at the necklace.

He then looked at Niki and said, with a sly smile, "I think I'll just hold on to this, so you don't get any more ideas about throwing it at me."

#CRAP! Crappity crap crap crap! # Niki thought #Cara will never forgive me for this. #

Cara sneezed suddenly. "Bless you," said Sarah "You ok?"

"Yeah I'm ok," Cara responded *I wonder if someone was talking about me* "So you have to get your brother, Toby and I have to get Niki?"

"Looks that way," Sarah said.

"Look Sarah there's the outside wall." Cara pointed at the huge wall that they were coming up to.

"You're right we should be there any second," Sarah responded.

*Now where is he?* Cara wondered but she didn't have to wonder long *There he is,* she thought and turned her head. Sarah looked at Cara strangely then saw why she turned her head, there was a small man peeing into a pond.

Sarah looked away for a sec the decided she should address the man, "Um Excuse me?"

"Oh excuse me," he said as he fixed himself and turned around. "Oh it's you," he said sounding somewhat annoyed and unsurprised.

"Um we need to find our way through this labyrinth can you help us?" Sara asked, by this time Cara had turned around and was watching the man creep up on a faery "Oh how sweet," Sarah said

*Not quite,* Cara thought.

"57!" he said as he sprayed the faery.

"How could you?" Sarah asked shocked, Cara had to stop herself from running with Sarah up to the faery; she remembered that faeries here were rather mean.

"Sarah I wouldn't do that if I were you," Cara said.

Sarah looked at Cara slightly shocked as she picked up the faery then looked at the man "You monster," Sarah said right before she felt a stinging pain in her finger "Ouch!" she cried as she dropped the faery.

"I tried to warn you," Cara said.

"Huh?" said the man.

"It bit me!"

"Ha what did you expect faeries to do?" he asked Sarah.

"I thought they did nice things. Like... like granting wishes." she responded

"Shows what you know don't it," he said

"Wrong kind of faery," said Cara.

The man had continued to walk up to another faery and spray it "58!" he said

"You're horrible," said Sarah.

"Huh? No I ain't I'm Hoggle and who are you?" he asked.

*Thought so,* Cara thought.

"Sarah."

"That's what I thought," Hoggle said as he sneaked up on another faery "59!"

Sarah sighed and decided to try and see if he knew anything, "Do you know where the door to the labyrinth is?" Sarah asked.

"Maybe," replied Hoggle tracking another faery.

"Well where is it?"

"Come here you little... 60!" Hoggle laughed.

"I said 'where is it?'" Sarah repeated.

"Where is what?"

"The door!"

"What door?"

Sarah sighed in exasperation and turned to Cara "Its hopeless asking him anything," she said.

"Not if we ask the right questions," Cara responded.

Hoggle raised an eyebrow at that and looked at her "Who are you exactly?" he asked.

"I'm Cara."

"Hmn," Hoggle responded looking at her "A new one."

"Pardon me but how do we get into the labyrinth?" Cara asked.

Hoggle smiled slightly "Ah that's more like it. Looks like you're the smart one," Hoggle said Sarah glared slightly at Cara who blushed slightly and tried to laugh lightly. "You gets in there," Hoggle said pointing to a pair of gates that suddenly appeared and started to open "You two really going in there are you?"

"Yes," Sarah responded.

"I'm afraid we have to," said Cara as they both started cautiously walking through the gates.