The Truths that Tie.
Chapter II.
"The Last Words."
Disclaimer:I do not own Labyrinth.
Sarah sat quietly on the thin mattress, her back slouched again a white washed cement wall. Her head hung down, letting a tangled mess of thick black hair topple over her shoulders and nearly down to her lap. Her legs were crossed and she kept her arms tucked loosely against her sides. Eight years she had been here. Eight long, lonely years. The sights and sounds of being outside were long lost to her. The smell of flowers, Christmas. cookies and everyday things that were often taken for granted, gone.
Her evaluations started spacing further apart. Her assessments became nothing much then a question or two she refused to answer, a few notes on some paper and that was that. Sarah blamed herself partly for the quality of her assessments the past while. After about a year of being permanently admitted, Sarah finally blew a gasket. After several days of not eating, she was reminded they had a strict policy about maintaining a healthy diet. When Sarah, still refused, it was stated that they would force feed her. When this was attempted, it was the last straw for Sarah. She thrashed and kicked at them as they attempted to resistant her. Screeches of anger were all she could manage before she felt the sharp pick of a needle in her upper arm. Very quickly, her movements became slow, and her eyes grew heavy. Her legs became useless and as she fell, everything went black.
Sarah awoke in the 'S.L.O.W'. S.L.O.W was the slang term she had heard bounced around from the aids and other patients. It stood for Solitary Lights Out Ward. It was were the troublemakers were sent to cool off, left in a tiny room restrained to a bed in darkness. Sarah learned quickly that yelling or not complying to eating, or anything else in the S.L.O.W resulted in being injected with some sort of drug that caused one of the worst feelings she ever felt. It made her so dizzy, she vomited several times.
With being strapped down, her only option was to turn her head to the side, leaving the acid smelling liquid to leak its way down her face and into her hair until an Aid decided to come and clean her up. She froze, it was so cold. Shaking with no control to stop it. It made her just teeter on the edge of sleep, but not enough to actually let her be relieved. It made you feel as if you would never see the light again. That you would stay alone in this dark place, forever.
'...A place you put people, to forget about them...' she thought that time.
"Sarah Williams," a scruffy voice called. Sarah eyes flickered up for a moment, but she didn't move. The sound echoed slightly off the wall. With whatever 'medications' they kept her on, nothing sounded right anymore. Everything seemed off, or delayed, sometimes fuzzy. It felt like to took her a lot longer to process any information. Her vision was affected just as well, feeling like she couldn't focus on anything. As soon as she locked her eyes on her target, it jumped left or right. Her eyes would try to corner what she wanted to see, but sometimes, she just couldn't.
"Sarah Williams, you have a visitor," the aid called out again. Another aid walked in behind him with a wheelchair in tow. Sarah was always moved around with a wheel chair. She wasn't even sure when the last time she walked was. She idly wondered if she could walk now if she wanted to, but the thought soon passed. The aids placed her in a wheel chair and headed down the hall. The smell of antiseptics was stronger out here. Doors mirrored each other the entire length of the hall. Any doctors or aids that were passed gave her the same smile. The smile you give when you pity someone, plastered on their faces day after day. Sarah hated those smiles.
They soon arrived at the door labeled "Visitors Lounge." A security guard nodded and open the door with a buzzer. Small metal tables were spaced around the room, as well metal chairs. Posters of nature scene were framed and hung around the room. Two guards stood at the door she just came through, and two more were station just a few feet to the right, in front of another door. Suddenly a thought flashed threw her head.
'...You can only ask one of us...'
The dizzy spell hit her again, blurring her vision and causing a throb to start at the base of her neck and leading up behind her eyes. She gave herself a mental shrug and closed her eyes. Taking a few breaths in and out, she regained some stability just in time for the second door to swing open.
Sandy blond hair hung over sky blue eyes. There was lightly tanned skin with a few freckles scattered across his face. A plain blue t-shirt and dark washed blue jean with converse sneakers made up his attire. He crossed the room quickly and practically slid off the chair on the other side of the table Sarah was seated at. His put his hands upwards on the table, out towards Sarah, as if he meant for her to lay her hands in his.
"Sarah," Toby said. How had he gotten here? It had been years since she had seen him. But she could recognize his face anywhere, even his older face. She glanced at his upturned hand.
"Mom wouldn't let me come to see you Sarah, I tried nearly every day to get her to bring me here I swear," Toby rambled out quickly, almost desperately. "I couldn't come to see you alone. They have a rule about visitor under thirteen not being allowed to visit without an adult, but I'm thirteen now and since I'm family, they let me in. I don't know how long they'll let me stay, I told Mom I had football tryouts. I road my bike over, Sarah I've missed you."
Sarah didn't say anything, just stared at Toby's open hands,
"Sis say something," Toby pleaded. His sister sat before him, but her appearance had changed. Her hair was longer, much longer. It was tangled and looked like it hadn't been bushed in days. She looked thinner too, her cheeks were hollowed in and dark circles laid under her eyes. Her arms were covered in dark, tiny purple bruises. She was in a flimsy white outfit that she was practically swimming in. She looked terrible.
"Sis, what are they doing to you?" Toby's eyes narrowed slightly, but his eyebrows pullrf together in worry. What had happened to his sister? "Sarah you know I believe you right? I know your're not..."He didn't want to say 'crazy'. He didn't believe that she had 'gone off the deep end' as his Mother often told him whenever he brought Sarah up. He knew his sister was not a liar, and that she shouldn't be here.
"It's all my fault you're here," Toby lowered her voice. As soon as the words left his mouth, Sarah's hand finally clasp onto Toby's. It happened so fast that it took Toby by surprise. It also much have caught the attention of the guards standing at the doors, because the all seemed to inch forward a bit, giving Toby a questioning look. He tried is best to return their looks with a slight smile letting them know everything was alright. The guards seemed to be relax a bit again.
Toby looked back at his sister, who was staring at him dead in the eyes. Her brown orbs were wide, and she looked as if she were about to cry. She looked as if she were about to say something, tell him something important. Yet no words came out of her mouth. Her pale lips parted ever so slightly, but she didn't say a word. Toby could read her face though. He knew Sarah wanted him to know that this was not his fault. But Toby couldn't help but think so. He didn't remember much of what he first saw, just something about the mirror in her room. And of course, his Mother refused to talk about it.
"I'm going to get you out of here, somehow Sis," Toby mumbled. Suddenly, the visitor door swung open and Karen stood there. Toby jumped and Sarah retreated her hand to lap, peeking at Karen threw the vail of her messy hair.
"Toby!" She stormed in, giving the guards a shock. "What on earth are you doing here?! You know that this is the last place on earth you should be! Ever!"
She quickly came over and grabbed Toby's forearm, hauling him to his feet.
"Football try outs?" She hissed, "Mitchell called to tell you that you left your bike chain at school and he picked it up for you." Mitchell was Toby's best friend. The school they attended was close by so the always road their bikes to and from school. In Toby's haste to get to the hospital, he much of forgotten to put the chain in his backpack.
"Mom-"
"I don't want to hear it, not a word. You're in big trouble, very big trouble! You couldn't even come up with an excuse to get you out of this if you tried. And I will be making sure you won't be allowed back in this facility again!"
She glanced Sarah over once, with little to no emotion at all. Then Toby was being dragged away from here. The guards open the door for Karen. Toby managed to turn and say one last thing.
"Sarah, I will get you out of here, I promise!"
Then the door was shut and Toby was gone. Sarah was wheeled back down the white halls. But instead of being sent back to her room, she was taken to the food hall, where she would once again pick at her food. She was sure that was the last time she would ever see Toby again.
Toby didn't speak a single word to Karen the entire way home. He was so angry, at everyone. How could his parents allow Sarah to be locked away in that terrible place! She looked terrible, awful. It wasn't fair at all. He had promised her that he would get her out of there, but he wasn't sure how. They pulled up in front of his two story White House and got out of the car, slamming the door as hard as he could behind him.
His Mother was calling out to him but Toby didn't want to listen, he didn't want to hear anything that she said to him. They kept Toby from his sister all this time.
"Toby!" Karen shouted up the stairs, " As soon as your Father gets home tonight we are going to discus this! I want you in your room until her gets here."
Toby shut his door with a thundering crack. As he waited for his father to come home, he pondered. He thought of any way he could help Sarah, anyway at all. He picked up a stuffed bear his sister had given him long ago. Lancelot, had a cozy spot on one of his shelves in his room. He looked the old bear over once and suddenly and idea stuck him. A crazy, insane idea, but Toby was going to try it anyways.
That night his Mother and Father both sat him down and tried to make him understand. Yet it was more of Karen talking, and his Father agreeing quietly. Toby kept his cool, and apologized for doing what he did. When his Father asked him why he went, he told them he just wanted to make sure she was alright and he was curious about the place. When everything was settled down and Toby agreed to being grounded for two weeks, Karen went downstairs to make dinner. They ate and talked like normal, like nothing had happened. After, Toby showered, and told them goodnight. He laid in his room well into the night, and when he was sure his parents were asleep, he was on the move.
He tip toed out of his room, down the hall and slowly opened the door to Sarah's old room. Most of her things were shoved to one side. The bed had been stripped of its sheets and blankets. Several boxes of things like Christmas decorations and other junk sat in a corner of the room. Sarah's mirror still remained where it always had, now with a white sheet covered in a fine layer of dust atop it. Toby slowly pulled the sheet, and it slithered down and off the mirror like a snake. He was pretty sure he remembered the words, or at least something close to them. He was sure these were words he had heard his sister say a hundred times over.
"Hoggle, I need you."
Thanks for reading everyone, and as always, thanks to my Beta!