Ch23 The Connection
*What do you mean by when we were younger?* Cara questioned completely confused as to how that could be when clearly Jareth had been an adult when she was a child.
%Ah my darling you are still so naive, % Morgana started giving her a pat on the head. %I'm assuming you know time moves differently here and that Jareth can reorder time, what with that book that came out about him. %
Cara nodded wondering where she was headed with that.
%Well didn't you ever wonder how he learned how to? He had to practice just like anyone would with new powers. Here these should jog your memory. % Morgana waved her hand again as she spoke, the scene once again changing to show a 7 year old Cara walking down the street.
She had a simple looking teal dress on, black Mary Janes, and was holding her Phantom doll. She hummed as she walked toward the park that was coming into view, there weren't many people there but Cara didn't seem to notice. It wasn't till she came to the swings that she saw there was another person there, a young boy around her age wearing a cape over his shirt and pants, with a pair of boots on sitting on top of the swings to be specific.
"Are you ok up there?" Cara asked slightly worried. She'd seen people on the swings before sure but never on the bar that held the swings up. The boy looked down at her with an almost confused look and Cara noticed he had two different colored eyes.
"Of course I am," he said jumping off. Cara closed her eyes hoping he wouldn't get hurt when she heard, "What are you closing your eyes for?" She opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her.
She could now tell he was a few years older then her but not much, she also noticed him looking even more confused at her as he seemed to try and analyze her.
"How'd you do that?" she asked amazed he wasn't hurt.
"I jumped," he said in an almost annoyed tone as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ah," she said simply and deciding to not push the matter further sat on one of the swings, "Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before."
The boy paused for a moment watching her on the swing as if trying to see how you worked the thing, "Yes you could say that."
"Are you going to be here for awhile?" she asked as she started to swing slightly, not very hard or high so she didn't hit the boy in the face with her feet.
"Maybe," he said now sitting on another swing beside her, "I doubt it though."
"Why's that?"
"My parents are a bit… strict. I don't think they want me to be here at all."
"I know what you mean," she smiled a little at the boy with a questioning look on his face.
Cara looked at the Phantom doll in her lap then closed her eyes as she spoke, "There was a girl that could only live happily in a land made of dreams, for in these dreams she was wanted and loved; she even had friends, some from books some from other places. When she would wake however she knew she was a prisoner, for THEY were there, three angry creatures that never spoke a kind word to anyone. She continued to live in her dreams where she might be loved for outside them she knew the truth, THEY had told her many times she was unloved and unwanted, she did not blame them for their hate. If she was a better person maybe it could be different, but she knew the truth she was and unlovable monster outside her dreams. Those she loved in her dreams could never love her out of the dreams but she still had hope. Hope that one day she might be wrong that she could find real friends and people that would care for her, and when you have hope you're never really a prisoner."
Cara opened her eyes and turned back to the boy again who now had a surprised look on his face as if she'd said exactly what he was feeling himself.
She smiled at him, "Parents are weird right?"
"Right," he said slowly almost as if he was deciding something. He smiled at her, "I'm really glad I met you. You're different, I like it."
"Thank you?" she said unsure if that was a compliment or him being sarcastic.
"What's your name anyway?" he asked suddenly sounding very curious about her.
"It's Cara."
Before anything else could be said they heard a woman shouting, "CARA! WHERE ARE YOU? COME HOME NOW!"
"Guess I better get going," she said standing up, "It was nice meeting you."
"Don't worry Cara we'll meet again," the boy said standing up also, "I'll make sure of it, I promise."
She smiled at him and nodded, she wasn't sure why but she trusted him and was very glad to have met him too. She quickly hugged him good-bye, which surprised him so much he almost fell down.
"Thank you for being my friend," she said smiling at the look on his face, "See you later."
The boy stood there for a minute then smiled as he watched her run. "Yes you will," he said before suddenly turning into an owl.
*That was Jareth,* Cara said quietly as she watched the scene melt away as the owl flew off, *For some reason that doesn't surprise me as much as it should.*
%It's probably because you knew it in your heart already, % Morgana said simply, %You've always been good with feeling things darling this was probably one of them. %
When the scene was completely gone Cara saw that she and Morgana were in front of a door that had not been there before.
