SLIP AWAY
After her nap, Sarah had woken feeling no more rested and awake than she had before she had fallen asleep. She could not understand it- her dreams made her feel even more tired when she was awake. After 3 days without proper rest she was beginning to feel incredibly wary and her temper had grown short. She was becoming snappy and defensive and she could feel it happening to herself, yet, there was nothing she could do. It made her nervous, on top of all the strange emotions she had been feeling and she was beginning to grow a bit scared of what was happening to her.
She felt trapped inside her own mind- her own body- with no way out. She was imprisoned in herself.
That night she went to bed early, hoping that she would get some proper rest without being disturbed by more evocative dreams that she had become to predict. Sarah was anxious for once to even fall asleep, she didn't want to face what she knew would be coming in her slumbering state, to haunt her in her dreams, but she knew she had to rest. She could not hide from something as basically necessary as sleep.
As predicted, Sarah's sleep was not all peaceful. Infact, it surprisingly had been for the majority of the night and she had slept tranquilly and calmly right up until the early hours of the morning- once again. It was as though that was the time she was in her deepest state of sleep- and it was when her dreaming subconscious became active.
This time, Sarah knew exactly where she was. Her sleeping body rolled over uncomfortably in her bed and a frown creased her gentle face. She was once again inside the Labyrinth. Her sleeping mind had transported her back to the Underground and she found herself standing alone in the midst of the Forbidden Forest that she and Ludo had travelled through only a few days prior. It seemed all like an eternity away, as though she had walked through the forest a long, long time ago and it felt like only a faint, distant memory. Yet, she shuddered as she recalled how she had been so nervous passing through the dense, dark trees and her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the dancing Fire Gang. They had sprung upon her when Ludo had disappeared and she had been rather wary of them, not being able to predict what they would do. The way they had so easily disassembled their limbs and thrown their heads about had thoroughly freaked her out and right now, in her dream state, she did not want to encounter them. The forest was dark and smelt of moss and dankness- senses all too acute for a dream. She could feel the moisture hang in the air as though it were real and the humidity made her hands feel clammy. As she always did in these strange dreams, Sarah felt confused, not knowing why she was here. She hated it and she searched the shadows, the feeling of unease increasing. She could sense something ominous was present near to her, and it drove her nearly frantic. She had to get out.
Before she could try make her way anywhere however, the sound of a twig snapping behind her, as though it had been stepped on, caused all her senses to come ablaze. She whirled around to see what it was, half expecting it the be the Fireys, half expecting it to be something else entirely. Who knew what lay in these dark woods? She wasn't at all prepared for who she saw standing half submerged in shadow at the side of a tree, his face hidden in the depths of the dark.
"Jareth." She breathed, taking a step back. Something about him standing there like that so quietly and so still made her feel like she was in danger. He did not move. "wha, whaa..." She stammered, not being able to fully form the words and get them out her mouth. Her breathe hitched in her throat as she watched him shift his weight and then come sauntering out of the shadows, his face revealed in light. The sight of it made her heart skip a beat, for what reason, she didn't entirely know herself. She looked at him with vulnerable eyes as he slowly advanced on her; stalked like a mouse by a great predator. She gulped because out of all her dreams, this felt the most real. She could feel his gaze boring into her and saw a half smirk play across his lips. "Sarah." He drew out her name slowly, almost savouring the sound as he softly uttered it. Sarah found herself backing up into a tree and she stopped against it, regarding him with wide eyes. Her hands found the bark of the tree behind her back and she dug her nails in, clenching her fists. Her emotions were running wild and she couldn't even pinpoint one. The utterance of her name had left her stunned- he had never spoken to her in that way before…It was almost…Gentle.
He still slowly advanced on her, until he stopped, a mere step away. His smirk had vanished and with a tilt of his head he said "Do you really think you can ever forget me? Forget all this?" He gestured with a flick of his wrist to the forest around them- to the whole Labyrinth. Sarah was lost for words. So its true, he really wont let me forget.
Jareth took a small step closer and leaned forward. Time seemed to stand still. All Sarah heard was the franticly increase beating of her heart- the blood roaring in her ears and she froze, not daring to move an inch. "I know what you truly want, Sarah." he whispered, his lips just grazing softly over her ear, almost as though by accident. She could feel the intense heat radiating off of his body and the air felt electric. It could only be the magic. Her heart stopped beating for a moment at their close proximity and she couldn't supress the shiver in time that his light touch had made. Jareth noticed and stayed there for a second, before taking a step back, another smile lilting across his lips- showing sharp, dangerous teeth. With another step he was engulfed into the shadows again and disappeared. Sarah once more stood alone, frozen on the spot, her mind reeling.