Why hello everyone! It has been a minute hasn't it? Well life, school, and other such crazy things have been happening and this chapter just took some time in getting done. Well, those things and the fact that there was some ground that I really wanted to cover before I finished up this one and posted it. Thanks to all of those who have Favorited and Alerted and occasionally still drop by, it means a lot and has been keeping the fire under my butt to get stuff posted for you all to read.
Well without any further delay I give you the chapter you've been so patiently waiting for. :) Enjoy!
Fairer Tales 13: Down, Down, Down
The next few days were less than stellar in Alice's eyes. Between the strange dreams and the ever present task of dealing with being at the epicenter of the most recent high school related drama, she could barely catch a break. Her mood swings had become even more intense with the lack of a sound night sleep and keeping a lid on them was draining more of her reserve energy to the point where quick cat naps in class were happening with more frequency than her teachers were willing to forgive. When her educators felt that the calls to Gigi and Conall weren't nearly enough Alice found herself, once again, in the principal's office, only this time the one joining them was one of the school councilors and neither Gigi nor Conall were anywhere to be seen.
In some aspect, somewhere far separated from the school, Alice assumed that the ever hovering, ever "correct" Mrs. Groves was actually a wonderful woman, pleasant to know and wonderful to be around. But when it came to being a guidance councilor, at least in respect towards Alice, she found the woman extremely lacking and more of a hindrance and annoyance than an aid. Most of her interactions with the woman had been less than wonderful, her first encounter being her prodding into how her parents had passed away instead of just letting it go, convinced that her amnesia was just a front for a young girl "acting tough" and not wanting to discuss her "feelings". Other encounters had resulted on the basis that Alice hadn't answered the woman when she'd been calling her, only to have it pointed out once again to Mrs. Groves that her name was not Alex, Amy, Tiffany, or Jessica. The fact that she was the other point of this strained triangle of tension currently only served to tax Alice's ever waning patience.
"Alice I asked you a question, did you hear me?" Mrs. Groves stated waiting for a response from the stone faced grey eyed girl to her right. When no answer came she continued with her line of passive aggressive pestering.
"You know Alice I must say I'm quite shocked at your behavior recently, I thought we had gotten over this sort of acting out years ago. You're a senior now, I expect more from you. You have so much potential, what with your intelligence you could do so many things. Fighting and being violent with your peers, sleeping in class, this is not how you're going to get there. Tell me Alice what's your plan for college?"
"I'm not going." Alice stated blandly. If Gigi were here, she would have given her quite the sharp stare, that harsh stern look that only mothers seemed to be able to give. But she wasn't here, and Alice didn't feel like being cooperative, if this woman was going to dig for information she was going to have to work for it.
"You're not going?" Mrs. Groves tried to act shocked. "Why not?"
"Why should I?"
"Alice, mind your tone please." Mr. Whittaker stated calmly from behind his desk.
"Why not? Because it could open so many avenues for you, why with your intelligence-"
"Eidetic memory."
"Excuse me?"
"Since you're so keen on bringing it up, it's called an Eidetic memory, it means I can recall things really easily, in layman's terms, a photographic memory. I remember stuff, that's how it works. I read it, I learn it, it's there. It's not some magically great I.Q. that I was bestowed with, it's just how my brain works, I remember things better than most people. It's not 'special', it's just … convenient. An amusing parlor trick at best, an annoyance to others at worse."
Mrs. Groves paused, Alice knew she'd been waiting for a moment to ask the question she always asked, and she'd just given her the fader for it.
"Alice, now I know this is a sensitive subject for you, but I would like to talk to you about your parents."
"Gigi and Conall are fine, they're doing quite well actually."
"Alice, now you know I mean your real parents. I know it's something that is a painful memory for you, but I want you to know that I'm here for you; I think a lot of your out bursts lately are closely related to the lost you've felt and I think that discussing it would really help you."
"Really, you sure?" Alice began, something in her snapping, the dam of emotions that had built had a chink in it now, a small spout that sent a torrent of words from Alice's mouth. Unable to stop it or unwilling she wasn't sure, but it had started now and she wasn't sure where it was going.
"You keep saying you're so willing to help, so willing to listen, but you don't seem to be retaining anything after we 'talk'. I have amnesia, due to the trauma of the event, I don't remember what happened that night, before, after, what have you, but in your ever present state of 'wanting to help' you keep seeming to forget that. You forget that about as much as you forget my name, which by the way is Alice, which is why I didn't answer you when you called me in the hall earlier because it's not Alex, it's not Anise, it's Alice. Just in case you were wondering, what my plans for my future are, like most other things you've tried to find out about me, are none of your business. So if you don't mind I'd like to call my parents, because that's what they are, whether you want to admit it or not, so they can come pick me up so I can go home."
"Alice you're not in trouble here-"
"I want to go home Mrs. Groves!"
"Young lady I-"
"Mrs. Groves, I think I can handle it from here, thank you for your … help. I will speak with you later. I'd like to talk with Alice by myself for a moment. Thank you." Realizing she'd been dismissed Mrs. Groves silently stood and left the room. After giving the air a moment to clear and become less tense Mr. Whittaker spoke up.
"Alice, a question. This dance this weekend, from our earlier encounter you said you were planning on going correct?"
"If you want to kick me out because of all of this, do it. I don't care."
"That's not what I asked. And though that may be true, you not caring, that's not really what I'm looking for." Mr. Whittaker sighed as he leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment, his line of sight on something far out the window that Alice couldn't see.
"I'm not going to keep you from attending the dance," he started again. "Though most in my position would consider it a way to teach you a 'proper lesson' about your behavior, I think you and I both know that whether or not you go, won't make as big of an impact on you as it may another student. If I remember correctly, I haven't seen you at many school events before, so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard that you were considering attending. I don't think sitting at home, making you 'think about what you've done' will solve anything here. Hence why, I'm still allowing you to go.
"I've spoken with both Mr. and Mrs. Toomey and frankly, I think we all agree that it may help for you to take your mind off of certain stressors that have been getting to you more recently. That being said Alice, if this negative behavior continues, my hands will be tied, and there will be repercussions. Is that clear?"
After a moment of silence Alice nodded. Principal Whittaker was among the few staff members in the school who hadn't treated Alice like some horrible wreck they needed to make their life's work; to attempt to repair her and make her better than she was before, and she was more than grateful to him for it.
With their agreement set, Mr. Whittaker dismissed Alice, and gathering her things she left his office and walked out of the school. The late afternoon sun stung her eyes as she headed toward the parking lot, ready for the walk home, only to run into the familiar silhouette of Willis and his bike, helmet in his hands, waiting. Waiting for her. Grin set on his face as always, he handed her the spare helmet, watching her put it on before he did the same with his. As she settled behind him, and held him close, she heard him call over his shoulder.
"So, where to friend?"
"Home, friend. Take me home."
Later that same day, Gigi found herself in her office, staring off into space. She had made a promise to herself long ago that after 5 in the afternoon she would leave her office, stop work and enjoy the rest of her day. Today had been no exception, really. She'd worked through the day, with an occasional break here or there. She'd gotten a call from the principal's office again, in regards to Alice, and though Mr. Whittaker had said that everything had been taken care of and there wasn't anything to worry about, she still found herself tense until she heard the familiar sound of Willis' bike pull up a long side the curb. A few seconds later Alice had wandered into the house but before she could make it upstairs Gigi had intercepted her, and instead of dredging up the same old story as of late, of Alice once again in trouble at school, she informed her they were going to go dress shopping. And much to Gigi's surprise, Alice actually seemed excited to go. Maybe they were both tired of all of this nonsense that had been weighing them down lately, or were seeking an excuse to ignore the past few nights of haunted sleep and welcomed the distraction. Whatever the case, they'd returned that night successful huntresses, their bounty now hanging on the back of Alice's bedroom door. And as the house had begun to quiet down for the night, Gigi found herself wondering through it, seeking the face of her old friend, forever in that frame she left on her desk.
Staring at the old family photo of her friends, in the dim light of her office, Gigi sighed. Another milestone without you, she thought touching the faces of Alice's parents locked behind the glass.
"I wish you could have seen her. She looks absolutely stunning in it. Of course Conall will take thousands of pictures of her before she leaves, like he always does. Her grandmother called the other day to see how she was doing, Alice was out, but she said she can't wait to see her all done up for the dance. Willis is taking her. Sweet boy. He's become quite the handsome young man lately, unfortunately I don't think Alice has quite noticed yet, much like you did when you two met." She laughed to herself, remembering the hilarious antics Alice's father had to go through simply to try and get her mother's attention.
"I'm worried about her. Of course I always worry about her. How she's doing, how she's missing you, how she feels here with us, if she's happy, you know. But … lately, it's been so weird. These last few nights really have me worried. Her dreams, oh gosh, that other night when she woke up, screaming like she was; it was like that when we first brought her back from the hospital all over again. Like she didn't even remember where she was. We thought the dreams were gone for good when they had stopped back then, and now… and now I don't even know what to do. I'm so scared she'll slip back to where she was, and we'll lose her all over again. I'm not sure what to do. I-" Gigi's thoughts were cut short. Her head snapped up, ears straining. The house responded with dead silence, but she knew she'd heard something.
Placing the picture back on the desk, Gigi stood slowly moving her way from her office, into the hallway. The television in the living room was off, only the soft ticking of the wall clock could be heard in the hallway.
There is was again.
Short. Faint. But there all the same; it came from upstairs. Gigi slowly ascended the staircase, stepping over the aged spots that would have squeaked under her feet. She knew those spots by heart, she'd snuck up on the boys staying up late pass their bed time when they were younger, or when they were wreaking havoc somewhere up the stairs. She paused at the top of the stairs, listening again, this time she heard it, clearly. It was coming from farther back down the hallway, pass the boy's rooms, the bathroom. As she rounded the corner she paused, facing the three doors before her, her and Conall's bedroom, the hallway closet, and Alice's door. When the sound came again, it clearly came from behind Alice's shut door. Maybe she left her radio on… But that idea was struck down immediately, for when the sound came again, Gigi noticed a faint light accompanying it, casting an eerie glow under the door. Placing a light hand on the door, Gigi steadied her breathing, and slowly pushed it open; what she saw next sucked the breath out of her.
Alice lay curled against the wall, in the upper corner of her bed, moaning and whimpering in her sleep, writhing under the covers lost in more fit filled dreams. But that was not what made Gigi's blood turn cold. The frame of the window next to Alice's bed was glowing, as were the decorative iron scissors that held back the shears. On the other side of the window was a dark mass, there was no other way to describe it; one moment where she thought she'd seen many dark creatures with bright glowing eyes filled with mal intent, there was simply a large terrifying one. The creature shifted and undulated, a great mass of shadows and darkness, and it's only focus, purpose seemed to be to get Alice's window open and get inside. The window pane creaked under the stress of the creature's attentions as well as the pressure that was being placed on it from the inside, with iron barrier attempting to keep it at bay. The more furious the creature became in its actions the more Alice's sleep was troubled. The iron trinkets seemed to be harming it, it didn't appear to care much for the light they were admitting either, but not enough to deter it. Trapped in a sort of trance like state of… was it shock, or maybe disbelief? Gigi didn't know but whatever it was, it had her rooted to the spot, mouth agape.
Then the creature's eyes fell upon her. The undulating mass locked eyes with Gigi; teeth bared it appeared to be snarling at her. In that moment, a fire burst into being within her chest, setting fire to her blood and knocking her out of trance. Her sense of fury rising with each passing second, Gigi stepped forward into the room, returning the animalistic gaze of the creature beyond the window with one of steel fire and resolution.
"Get the hell away from my house." Gigi stated, a calm fury having taken hold of her very being. The creature roared at her through the window, slamming its collective hand against the window, causing the whole thing to shake under its weight and force. Gigi's hand passed over the light switch, illuminating the room; the creature screamed out, in pain or in fury she wasn't sure, but as it's yell echoed through the glass pane, Alice sat bolt upright shrieking from her most recent nightmare. Gigi watched as the creature turned and fled off into the dark shadows of the night, she didn't even notice when Conall had entered the room or when he'd walked over to the bed in an attempt to calm Alice. Eventually like the nights prior, they managed to calm Alice long enough to get her to drift off back into a strained state of sleep. Once she was sure Alice had nodded off Gigi turned her attention fully back to the window, catching Conall's attention as well. As they stood there, neither needing to say anything to the other in that moment, for the evidence on the outer sill was enough. The deep claw marks and gashes in the wood told the story of how every night that creature came, every night it came back strong and tried harder, more determined with each passing day. Gigi sat on the edge of Alice's bed, gentling tucking a loose curl behind her ear and lightly brushing away the trails of fearful tears.
"Nothing's going to harm you, not while I'm around. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. I promise."
It was an overcast Saturday morning and Gigi could barely keep her crimson curls out of her coffee. Conall watched as her head would dip ever closer to the scalding liquid, only to jerk back up a moment later.
"Hon," he called softly as he approached her. "Maybe you should go lay down for a while?"
Gigi absentmindedly shook her head, sighing, "I'm fine."
"No you're not. You're drinking coffee, you're never fine when you drink coffee." Conall stated pointedly as he grabbed himself a cup and took a seat next to his wife. "Was last night really that bad?"
"Not for Alice, thankfully." Gigi rubbed her eyes. With what she had witnessed the night prior, Gigi had resolved to stay with Alice while she slept, though she wasn't sure what she'd do about the beast she was certainly going to make sure that Alice would have a goodnights rest. After she'd come home from school she had practically run her into the ground doing things around the house in an attempt to exhaust her. She'd then convinced her to take a bath to relax, filling the tub with lavender suds, and just before bed had handed her a cup of sleepy time tea with honey. Normally Alice would have pushed the cup aside, not being a fan of most hot beverages, but Gigi's plan had worked and between the physical and mental fatigue Alice had accepted the cup readily and was out mere moments later. Conall had had to carry her upstairs to her room, and after tucking her in, Gigi had stayed next to her the whole night, keeping vigil next to the sleeping girl. As she had thought the creature came back; she had placed a few more small iron trinkets on the window and though they seemed to help, the creature was still intent on getting through the window, it's howls of determination still rang in Gigi's ears as she stared into her sepia colored reflection in her cup.
"Sweetie you can't keep going like this. Staying up is only going to wear you out as much as Alice."
"What am I supposed to do? That thing is going to keep coming back. Have you seen the window? The sill on the other side is almost completely torn away, even with the added iron last night, that thing is going to make it in soon. And what do we do then?" Gigi's head dropped as Conall rubbed her back.
"I promised them both I'd keep her safe."
"Hey now, we both promised. And we're both doing just that. We'll figure something out, don't worry."
"But what if we don't Conall? What are we going to do when that thing gets in? It's not even a matter of if now, it's a matter of when. Whatever that thing is, it's here for her, how are we suppose to stop it if we don't even know what it is? We're running out of options and the only one I can think of is- I can't do that to her, I couldn't do that!"
"Hey now," Conall pulled her close, shushing her as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "I know but it's okay, we'll… we'll think of something. We'll consider that much later if it comes to that, but for now, we'll keep doing the best that we can okay? Come on now, let's go get-" he was interrupted by a loud bang upstairs. The pair looked at each other confusion etched across their faces. Both of the boys had stayed over at friends houses last night so their usual shenanigans were immediately out of the question for the cause.
"Is Alice upstairs?" Conall asked standing, heading for the stairs.
"No," Gigi was right on his heels, "She went over to Ilex's house, to help her with something." Another loud bang resounded from the second floor, this time shaking the very house. Both bolted upstairs, following the banging to Alice's room, coming to an abrupt halt in the door way. Gigi's hands flew up to her mouth in an attempt to force back the scream that was threatening to tear loose from her throat.
Though Gigi had told him about the creature, nothing could have prepared Conall for the sight before him; a roiling mass of rage and determination hovered before the window of Alice's bedroom, malice etched on its shadowy face, it's sharp teeth bared and ferocious claws at the ready, slamming one after another at the base of the window continuing the work it had done the night before.
"W-w-what- Is that the thing that-" Conall could barely fine his voice. Glancing over at Gigi he saw her paled and shaking, hands still clamped firmly over her mouth, a small terrified nod was the only answer she gave. The creature roared, howling as it worked furiously at the window, as if time were running out for it, then by some moment that could only be called a miracle, sunlight split through a patch of clouds making its way over the forest, across the back yard, flooding the backside of the house, showering the creature in pure sunlight. At this the creature howled in pain as it fell into smaller strangely shaped shadows, scurrying away from the window, all fleeing, most expiring in the unforgiving light in the back yard, but a small handful, obviously stronger than the others, made it inside the dimly lit woods behind the house.
The house sat in an all consuming eerie silence. Sunlight continued to break through the clouds, here and there, chasing off the overcast clouds and brightening everything but the mood within the house. Gigi slowly slid down the door frame, ending in a slump on the floor, hands falling to her lap, as Conall went slack against the other side of the frame, shaken where he stood unsure of what he'd seen. The two pairs of weary eyes sought out each other and upon meeting they shared a similar feeling of defeat and overwhelming distress. As they continued to look at each other, both could tell that though they would hate the decision they would have to strongly consider now, their hands had been forced and there was nothing more they could do.
"Alice! Hurry up now! Willis will be here soon!"
"Coming!" Alice called from upstairs. She stood in her room, giving herself a once over in the mirror. She spun around once more in her dress, and couldn't help but crack a smile. Gigi's pick had been by far the best; it was a simple dress, 50's style, tight fitting bodice, dainty cap sleeves, cinched, tiny waist and full skirt that stopped just above her knees. The deep red was gorgeous and looked absolutely lovely on her, a simple black sash accentuated the waist making it look even smaller and trailed down the back of the skirt just right. They had scrounged around and found an adorable pair of black pumps to go with the dress and to finish off everything Alice had made sure to make it back from Ilex's to give Gigi enough time to wrestle her hair into a style reminiscent of victory curls in the front and sweet loose curls in the back. The whole look was perfect and for once Alice was actually excited to go to a school dance.
"Alice he's here!" Georgie called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Okay!" Alice gave a last sprits of her body spray, a quick check of the very simplistic makeup job she'd done before dashing out of her room and down the stairs.
Willis was standing just in the entry way when she came downstairs and into view, and his jaw nearly hit the floor; she looked stunning, his mind quickly tried to find another moment when he had possibly seen her dressed up and quickly found none. This wasn't the first time he'd ever seen her in a dress before but it was the first time he'd ever seen her like this in a dress. Alice blushed as she caught him staring, the both of them shuffling awkwardly as Gigi and Conall looked on.
"Well come on, hurry up and stand over there so we can get pictures over with and you guys can get going." Conall interjected after letting the awkward moment stretch out a second longer than necessary. At first the pictures threatened to be a set of those awkward teenage photos where the subjects stand a polite distance away from each other, hands pinned to sides, showing about as much emotion as a depression era snapshot. And that's how the first two were until Alice felt Willis' hand on her shoulder, she glanced up to see him smiling down at her, just as he pulled her into a hug. The gesture made her laugh, as he brought her close, occasionally tickling her to get her to smile even broader for the camera, at one moment stopping to whisper just behind her ear, "You look really lovely tonight."
That last moment caught her off guard, pivoting to get a better look at his face, she heard the distant click of Conall's camera as her eyes locked with his, as a small sort of realization began to form and blossom just at the back of her mind.
"Alright you two," Gigi's voice interrupted Alice's thoughts. "You had best be going, I'm sure the others are getting tired of waiting out in the car."
"No ma'am, just us Mrs. Toomey. Everyone else is driving separately. But," Willis continued turning back to Alice. "She's right we should get going. You know before you change your mind or something."
"I bought a dress and high heels, I doubt I'm changing my mind good sir." Alice teased right back. Gigi and Conall gave the generic parental spill about driving safe and being back before too late and having a good time as the two teens finally made their way out the door and down the walk. Willis' dad had let him borrow his car, and just before he opened the door he paused as if just remembering something.
"I got you something." His grin was wide, but not his usual cheeky one, this one was completely genuine. As they stood at the curb he reached inside his pocket, producing a closed fist, holding it out waiting for her hands to come beneath it to catch whatever it was it held.
"I didn't really have time to wrap it but you know, it's the thought that counts right?" Alice felt something weighty fall into her cupped hands and as Willis moved his from over top of hers, she saw in her hands amongst a small nest of leather cording, a pendent. It was about the size of half dollar, but looked like antique silver. The most stunning part was the detailed carving of a wolfs face staring back at her, the boarder surrounding the pendent held small blue stones, one at the top and bottom and one on each side.
"I can't accept this!"
"Sure you can."
"No, Willis, this is… I can't I-"
"Will it help if I say it wasn't expensive?"
"Where did you get this?"
"Now if I told you, it would hardly be a surprise right?" His smile was met with questioning eyes, causing him to scuff at the ground with the toe of his shoe. "My family, well, it's a long story. Could you, maybe, just accept it for me, with the promise that I'll tell you the story behind it later? Is that too much to ask right now?"
Alice heard the earnest tone of his voice, and for a moment felt bad for questioning the gift.
"Would you do me the honor?" was her answer as she handed him back the necklace, turning around and pulling her hair to the side. And as she felt the weight of it settle against her skin and the faint tug of the cord around her neck, something about it felt comforting and just right. As she turned back to ask him how it looked, her eyes caught movement farther down the sidewalk. Approaching at a rather lazy speed was Abigail, her mother was ahead of her, on the phone while walking the dog, chatting along as her daughter dragged behind her. And while Abigail's mother simply smiled politely and gave a quick little wave as she continued on, Abigail and Alice's eyes met, and in that brief moment it seemed as if in the time that she'd been out of school Abigail's mood had changed significantly. Though her face was blank except for the slightest traces of contempt, her eyes told a story of nights that may have been just as dogged and restless as Alice's had. But, as brief moments usually are, it was over before Alice could think any more of it; Willis had opened the door for her and had helped her into the car, closing it and rounding the car before hoping in himself and pulling away from the curb. But something had seemed odd about Abigail, and the curiosity of it threatened to take hold of her, consume her thoughts for the whole evening, and it might have too, if she hadn't, at that moment felt Willis take her hand in his as they headed down the road.
Jareth's mood with those around him had vaguely improved, though he hadn't seen a reason in letting them know this. Instead he had once again decided to take leave of the Underground and venture to the Above, in search of his latest quarry. It had not taken him long to find her; his owl form swooped over the parking lot of the school, coming to rest on a light post as he watched the boy she was often with help her out of a vehicle, and offer her his arm as they jovially made their way towards the building front. And as he watched them go, he saw the closeness of their proximity to one another, the way they laughed and joked with one another, and the way the boy often glanced at her so intently; he'd be damned if he simply remained outside, watching, this night.
Getting inside had been easy enough, a simple cast of invisibility around him had been more than sufficient. He followed so other students down the hallway and into a large open auditorium that had been decorated for the night's festivities. Balloons were tied everywhere and streamers were hung about as well. Glittered confetti speckled small tables that held snacks and punch, while other tables simply had center pieces that exploded strands of iridescent stars and sparks. But most of these tables were empty, patiently keeping charge of forgotten snacks and punch cups while the chairs around them had been used to hold the jackets and purses of students who were dancing in the center of the room. It was near one of the occupied tables he found his girl.
The room was crowded, loud and distracting, what with all of the students, music and lights flashing here and there, but he had found her just the same. His Alice stood next to that boy, his arm casually placed around her waist as they stood by and chatted with their group of friends. She looked positively intriguing in her dress, the simplicity of her makeup accenting her already relatively exotic features, but the most grating thing was when she kept casting a glance back to the eyes of the boy who stood beside her. He would stand for it no longer.
As Jareth approached them he took on a glamour disguising himself as a modern teenager; his wild hair tamed and cropped short, his features now more youthful according mortal standards, his clothes still dark but semi formal to match those around him. The perfect guise for the environment, so Jareth was slightly unnerved when he felt a hand clasp his shoulder, gripping it decisively, halting him in his tracks. He turned and came face to face with his cousin, in a similar glamour, looking less than amused.
"How did I know I'd find you here?"
"What is it you want cousin?"
"Nothing," He said, removing his hand. Though it did not show on his face, Jareth was confused by his cousin's actions.
"Nothing? What, no chastising, no lectures, just nothing?"
"What would you have me do?" He merely shrugged. "If I advise you against something you never listen to me. The more passionate I am about it the more it seems to drive you towards it, so why bother, hmm?"
"So why are you here?"
"Well, if I can't stop you, I might as well make sure that if you're going to do something possibly stupid that you don't make it into something completely idiotic."
"Oh?"
"Yes and well, I might as well have some fun myself right?" though Derrick's grin was mischievous, Jareth was cautious about his cousin being here. "What?"
"I find this hard to believe of you cousin."
"Believe what you want Jareth I-" as his word halted, Jareth saw the attention in Derrick's eyes dart elsewhere, somewhere over his shoulder. Turning he found them tracking movements of a girl in a short Grecian styled dress of soft pewter, and though her massive mane of curls had been clamped down at the base of her neck with an ornamented clasp, her sheer height marked her as Alice's Amazonian friend he'd seen in days past.
"Oh my dearest cousin," Jareth said, not bothering to mask his mocking tone. "Has thou fancy been caught by some mere mortal girl?"
His cousin's choice of words was not lost on Derrick, but he'd get him back for them later, at the present moment he was quite curious about this young lady not far from them.
"Judge me not cousin, we've shared many a night of pursuit, and as you've said before, what should it matter that she mortal." Jareth watched as his cousin disappeared into the throng of students, mingling in, as he made his way around so he could approach the girl from behind. It was an approach they had both used often enough before, a slight tap on the arm would be next, an offering of a hand and an ask to join in a dance. Jareth, frankly, didn't care about his cousin's pursuit, it only benefitted him more that there'd be one less pair of eyes to distract if he were to get any time with his own interest. But his eyes turned back to the table he noticed that the two had left behind the others, and after a quick pan found them popping in and out of the massive sea of students ebbing and flowing to the beat of the music.
The night quickly became an aggravating one for Jareth. He wasn't sure how, but the pair always seemed just out of reach, or if he spotted her alone she wasn't that way for long, that infernal boy would reappear and sweep her away, if not him, one of her friends. And if it weren't for the words of Derrick playing over in his head, he might have done something rash and idiotic in order to get what he wanted. As for his aforementioned cousin, he seemed to be having a swell time with his Alice's friend.
At the moment when he barely stand it any longer, he finally saw her over by the snack table, alone. Like a shark, he made a line for her only to have his path intercepted by none other than his cousin.
"There you are cousin!" He took hold of his shoulders, amusement painted over his face. "I've been looking everywhere for you! That girl! She's highly amusing, quite interesting actually; I think I may be starting to see why you've chosen to venture up here, the young women up here definitely have more intriguing qualities. Speaking of which where's your girl gone to?"
Derrick glanced about curiously only to have his face fall when his eyes returned to Jareth's face.
"What?"
Pinching the bridge of his nose Jareth bit back the urge to strangle his cousin. In the time he'd gotten his attention, she had once again disappeared, leaving Jareth at his most annoyed he'd been all night.
"If I didn't know any better Derrick, I'd think you were doing this on purpose."
"What? You don't mean to tell me you've yet to get your hands on the girl? What's wrong with you tonight? Is the new environment throwing you off so much?"
"Shut up!" Jareth snipped. He wasn't in the mood for his cousin's teasing, harmless or no, he was in a foul humor about all that had transpired, and as if to add salt to the wound, not only had his Alice wandered off but it seemed as though she had completely disappeared from the room. He could find her in no corner, and not amongst the churning mass of her peers; the same, unfortunately, could be said for her companion as well. Very rarely did Jareth end a night's "pursuit" empty handed, but he had resigned a temporary truce on the matter for the night, for he would never admit defeat, and simply come at it with a new plan of attack on the morrow.
"Hey, wh- where are you going?"
"Home." He stated resolutely.
"Already? But what about-"
"Do what you will with your time, I am not about to waste mine further. Continue in your wooing of your quarry, bed her too for all I care, I'm done here for tonight." Derrick held back, noticing Jareth's mood darkening as he spoke. He'd be fine in the morning, Derrick surmised as he turned his eyes back to the crowd in search of his own "pursuit", and besides just because he was in a sour temper it didn't mean Derrick couldn't have any fun.
The seething Goblin King stalked pass all the young mortals, making his way to the door, his glamour shifting back to invisibility as he returned to his normal form. As he crossed the threshold of the door, he spotted two figures coming towards him. His Alice, hand in hand with the boy named Willis, and as they walked pass him, without his doing, time seemed to slow just enough for him to see more than enough. The interlaced fingers as they held hands, the way this boy's eyes sought out hers, her thick dark lashes hiding her grey eyes as she turned her face from him in an attempt to hide the blush that was creeping into her cheeks, the smile they both shared. Time regained its composure as the couple passed him by, just as Alice placed her head on the boy's shoulder, and with his anger reaching a dangerous peak, the Goblin King transported himself back to the Underground, with fire in his eyes and clenched fists.
Alice didn't see Gigi when she came into the house that night. Her mind was all a flutter with the events of the evening. She didn't notice the faint light coming from her office as she lightly padded up the stairs, shoes in hand. She was oblivious to everything as she shut the door to her room, sweeping about it as she changed into her night shirt, scrubbed the make up from her face. Even as she plopped on to her bed to brush her hair, all she noticed was the faint humming that was coming from somewhere in her chest as her mind played the night over and over again.
A soft rapping at the door alerted her to the red headed woman who now stood in the door frame.
"May I come in?"
"Yes!"
"So, how was the dance?"
"Worth it! You're right, I'm glad I went." Gigi smiled softly as she sat behind Alice, taking the brush from her hands and sitting it in her lap as she removed the last few pins Alice had missed from her hair.
"So it was worth it after all hmm?"
"Yep!" Alice grinned to herself, as Gigi began brushing her hair, yawning as the gentle tugging of the brush began to sooth her body and mind.
"Well, you'll certainly have to tell me all about it sometime."
"Definitely, first thing in the morning! Promise!" Gigi was thankful for Alice having her back to her, so she could not see the faint wince that came over the older woman's face.
"Yes," she began as she put on a faint smile, turning Alice to face her now. "Tell me all about it in the morning. For now, bed time, alright?"
"Okay." Alice yawned again, before throwing her arms around her godmother's neck. "Goodnight Gigi."
"Sweet dreams Alice." She squeezed the young girl as she hugged her back. Kissing her on the forehead, she stood to leave the room; pausing at the door she waited until Alice was comfortable under the covers before she turned off the light and closed the door behind her.
Jareth was draped rather unceremoniously over his throne when Derrick found him. All goblins who had any sense left in their tiny addled heads had been up and long gone by now, not wishing to be in the path of their ill tempered monarch. The scowl on his face was nothing compared to the anger boiling in his eyes; one hand absently maneuvering crystal orbs while the other kept a steady drumming rhythm on his knee, his mind far away from his body.
"So how were your festivities." That he had noticed him at all was what had taken Derrick by surprise, his tone was laced with venom, his question anything but.
"Well enough." Derrick ventured. "How are you…"
"Doing? Feeling?" Jareth's head turned, in a very cat like manner, his eyes locking on to Derrick. "Pray tell cousin, where are you planning on taking this questioning?"
Before Derrick could hazard an answer Jareth turned away from him, and back to his prior thoughts, so Derrick assumed, until his voice came once again.
"Make no mistake cousin, tonight's 'mishaps' have done nothing to persuade me away from my goal. Quite the contrary in fact, it has done nothing more than convince me that I may need to apply a more direct approach."
"Jareth, are you trying to say I had something to do with what happened tonight?"
"Derrick I know you," Jareth glanced over his shoulder. "For you to be able to pull off a level of such trickery, the amount of planning needed for it, far overtaxes your abilities."
"Well gee, thanks." Derrick loathed the underhanded jab, mostly for its unnecessary nature.
"You know," Derrick began, his own temper now starting to stir. "No one made you go after this girl, no one encouraged you, enticed you, or even dared or bribed you. If you're looking for someone to blame for your shortcomings tonight, you've only got yourself."
"Oh is that so?" Jareth rolled off of the throne and to his feet with feline grace and advanced towards his cousin. "And how exactly did your night turn out? You seem as unruffled as when your unwelcome self first appeared tonight, did your plans turn sour or did she not live up to your expectations?"
"Taunt me all you want Jareth, you're the only one here not a step closer to what it is he wants."
Derrick's last comment had hit home. He saw the fire raising up to full force in his cousin's eyes as his face became stone, un-moveable and unreadable. Just as his mouth began to open, it snapped shut again as a great tolling of strange and eerie bells began to ring throughout the castle, vibrating the very walls. Derrick knew this sound well, he had learned it quickly when he first came to stay with his cousin, it was a summons to the Above. A wished away child.
Derrick watched as Jareth stepped back from him, magic swirling around him cloaking him in dark clothes and a cape of pure night. Any mortal who looked upon him now would see before them a looming force and impending danger; coupled with his current foul temper, Derrick hoped, as his cousin vanished from the throne room, that whoever had called upon him was ready for what they had wrought, for this night, there was no way the Goblin King would show any mercy.
When Jareth materialized he found himself in a dark hallway, the occasional flash of lightning from the storm that had arrived with him illuminating the small space.
Immediately before him was the shape of what he assumed was a woman, sitting on the floor legs pulled close to her, head hidden in her knees, hands somewhere in her lap. Just to his left stood a closed door, to which he was certain gave access to the room of the wished away child.
Looking back to the floor he gazed down at the figure before him and noticed her slightly rocking, the occasional muffled sniff coming from somewhere within the bundled up shape.
"Do you know who I am?" his voice was cold and vicious. The woman slowly lifted her head just enough for him to make out part of her face, a quiet nod was her only reply.
"Then you know what you ask." Another nod, her eyes shifting away refusing to look at him.
"Would you run for the child." He watched as the woman hesitated, before slowly shaking her head no; a flash of lightning illuminating faint reddish curls. Jareth felt a surge of disgust at her refusal, humans so willingly wished away their child, many before had refused their chance to win back a wished away child and it had done nothing more than to add to his disgust of humans from the Above. So quick to make their decisions while those below were cursed to go without, how willing they were to be rid of something so precious, it infuriated him, and his agitation only grew with each passing summons.
"So be it." His final words rang out as a surge of magic pulsed through the house, coating everything as it went. The door to his left blew open, striding into the room Jareth turned towards the bed to collect the child; what he saw before him set his anger that night to new heights as he and the wished away were swept up in the magic, disappearing back to the Underground.
Conall stepped out into the hallway to find Gigi sitting in a ball next to Alice's door.
"Hon?" Conall knelt beside her, resting a comforting hand on her shaking shoulders. "Genevieve talk to me?"
Gigi lifted her head slowly, eyes red and swelling from all the tears, in her hands the two decorative cast iron scissors that had once sat on either side of Alice's window. Tears continued to flood down her face as a ragged sob found its way from her throat, over her lips. Hands shaking she turned to look at Conall.
"What have I done?" came the tortured voice, barely a whisper. Emotion tore loose from within her chest, the weight of everything that had happened feeling like a crushing blow to her whole being. The ornaments fell from her hands, hitting the wood floor with solid thuds as she threw her arms around the neck of her husband, her whole body wracked with sobs and coughing.
"What have I done? Oh God, Conall, what have I done?" All Conall could do was pull his wife close, gathering her up in his arms, holding her tight and try to comfort her. But no comfort would come, for they both knew the weight of what had come to pass, and though in the morning they may try to convince themselves it was for the best, that it was all they had left that they could do, the tortured words from that night in the hallway would haunt them, ringing in their ears like a tolling bell.
"What have I done?"
The labyrinth at night was an interesting creature to witness, its shifting movements similar to the ebb and flow of the ocean; sometimes Derrick found it soothing, tonight wasn't one of those nights. He had resigned himself to waiting up for Jareth to return from his summons Above; how long the wait he wasn't sure, but he'd spent many a late before doing other things, simply sitting and waiting wouldn't be so bad.
As he leaned against the window frame, his mind left the throne room, roaming back to earlier in the evening, back to the strange and fascinating girl he'd met that night. Though he would loathe to admit it to Jareth, there was something different in this girl than others he'd met before Underground and it was making her more desirable the more the he dwelled on her. It wasn't her beauty that had him hooked, though it had been enough for him to come in for a closer look, she was far more intriguing than that; beauty was abundant in the Underground, in Fae and Human alike, no she had a spark that had drawn him in like a moth to a flame. She was far more rambunctious, tenacious even, but more over she seemed as though just below the surface sat a strength that cued his curiosity even more. She was no mere waif like some of the Fae women he saw about his everyday life, no she was something more.
But it didn't matter, the thought eliciting a sigh from him. He'd almost instantly curbed his fascination with her, fighting his instincts, refusing to get too invested, knowing the consequences for his actions, and that they'd be much greater and more painful for her in the long run. He'd even gone as far to make sure that she didn't know his name and that, in turn, he never asked for hers. Though the pursuit would have been interesting he couldn't bring himself to be okay with the lack of interest he knew he'd experience later on. Besides times had changed, and it wasn't like one could simply spirit themselves Above and run off with a mortal lass simply because one felt inclined to do so; personally he'd never really much cared for the idea of it and was rather glad it had fallen out of fashion.
Derrick's mind was brought back as he felt the familiar rush of magic that surrounded his cousin on nights like these begin to flood back into the throne room. He turned watching, expecting the flood of magic sparks in the center of the throne room to produce his cousin; as he watched on, they swirled and danced around, creating a small cyclone of shimmering light, picking up speed and becoming brighter, before dissipating, as though someone had exhaled heavily, sending glittery bits across the floor, vanishing as though they'd never been there.
Still as the night, lay a figure in the center of the floor, the only inclination of the being before Derrick actually being alive were the faint steady breaths that came with sleep. Tilting his head with faint interest, Derrick pondered the most recent wished away, wondering what their story was, and how much, if at all, would it vary from the others. His thoughts stalled however, when the wished away rolled over, revealing the all too familiar face he'd seen over the past few days. Another wave of magic churned up as a second cyclone of sparks welled up in the center of the throne room, this time producing Jareth once it dissipated. But Derrick couldn't bring himself to care, his jaw nearly grazing the floor as he stared on at the sleeping figure before him. The path that his eyes took from the sleeping girl to Jareth's face must have occurred at least a dozen times before his mind had finally broken loose from the shock. The girl before him… the girl named Alice… was here, in the Underground… what had Jareth…
"W-what have – What have you done!?"
WOOOO! We did it! We finally made it Underground! Oh my goodness, so... much... effort! But it's okay because you guys are still reading and that makes it even more worth it! Fret not though, there will be more to come (hopefully sooner than this chapter came out but you know, do what you can, right?)
Comment, review, what ever you like guys! And as always thanks again for sticking around! :)