Chapter 1~Not Again!
"Yes, should you need us, for…anything at all?" Hoggle tilted his head slightly.
"I need you, Hoggle." Responded Sarah. "I don’t know why, but, every now and then in my life-for no reason at all-I need you. All of you."
"Well!" Hoggle grinned. "Why didn’t you say so?"
Sarah turned to find her room full of her friends-Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus- and most of the many creatures she’d met in the Labyrinth. She squealed with joy and hugged them tight. A party! A reunion with her friends!
It seemed as though the image of Jareth was fading from Sarah’s mind-or at least while there was a party going on.
After what seemed a short time, though it had been hours after Sarah’s parents had gone to bed, Didymus, sorry to bring the evening to an end, quieted them all down.
"My Lady," he addressed Sarah nobly, "we must leave. Return to the Underground." Everyone groaned, but they knew he was right, and slowly began to fade away. "Good-bye, My Lady." Didymus bowed to Sarah, and he, too, disappeared-back to the Underground. Sarah sighed.
"How can they live in such a place?" She said almost to herself. She yawned and stretched-it had been a long, tiring day.
Sarah fell asleep instantly. Usually, she’d lay in her bed, thinking of nothing, and fall asleep in an hour or two. But the 13 hours it had taken to get Toby back had seized a lot of her energy. The party was the perfect way to forget, at least for the time being.
She had barely taken her first relaxed, peaceful breaths when a calm sort of light caused her to open her eyes. A soft, familiar voice whispered her name. Sarah saw a silhouette in the light-coming from her mirror? It was her mother!
"Sarah, take my hand." Linda smiled and extended out of the mirror. Sarah hesitated. This can’t be real. She thought. But, if it’s a dream, I’ll go.
Sarah, half hypnotized, took a deep breath and walked over to her mirror. Her mother’s hand was still waiting. Sarah grasped it, and, grinning, squeezed it lovingly.
Before Sarah knew it, her mother slowly pulled her into the mirror. Sarah felt her hand slip through. Then, her whole arm. Sarah continued to smile, despite the fact she was scared. Even if this was a dream, she had no idea what would be on the other side of her own mirror.
"Mom?" Whispered Sarah. Linda continued to pull her in. She stood on her vanity, careful not to break anything, and stepped fully into the mirror, leaving her world behind for the second time in two days.
As Sarah crossed over on the other side of the mirror, she saw that she wasn’t wearing her nightgown. Instead, she was wearing a long, white dress. A familiar dress. A ball dress.
Sarah realized she was wearing the white ball dress she had worn after Jareth gave her the peach. When they were dancing. The same white ball dress that her music box doll wore. Sarah looked at Linda, hoping to find the answers. Her mother’s features-the brown hair, brown eyes, kind smile-all began to fade. Just as her friends had when the party ended. Now, Sarah noticed, she was in a castle.
Blond hair, hard, blue and green eyes, evil smile-this wasn’t her mother!
"Hello, Sarah." The imposter sneered, and Sarah gasped. Not again! She told herself. This isn’t happening to me again!