Chapter Two—Getting To Know You
I didn’t have time enough to wonder.
A throat cleared.
Turning around ever so slowly, I saw a
girl my age with maroon hair, wearing a green top and purple skirt, and on her
back…wings???
“Stephanie?” I ventured.
“AKA The Biting Faery.” She did not
seem pleased. “I got your message.”
“Already?” I winced. “That was fast.”
“Hon, don’t you know by now that the
words ‘I wish’ have a dangerous power when Jareth is around?”
“I’m sorry.” A long sigh escaped me.
“I just really wanted to meet you guys. But it’s not likely to happen any time
soon. We live all over the world, and not all of us can make it to the
Labyrinth of Jareth Ball.”
“Aw, it’s okay.”
The Biting Faery and I turned to find
a girl with surreal blue eyes, wearing a blue sundress to compliment them,
approaching us.
“You are?” Stephanie queried.
“My name’s Tawnya.”
“Tawnya!” I greeted happily, hugging
my fellow Listian.
“I wouldn’t get too chummy.” A second
voice next to us warned. “She’s the one who wished us here. Wherever ‘here’
is.”
Once again, our small group turned and
this time, saw two people. One had red hair and gray eyes. The other had blue
eyes and strawberry-blond hair. “Mollie.” Stated the former. “And this is
Touchnotthiscat.”
“Daisy, if you’d like.” The latter
girl smiled shyly. “What are we all doing here?”
“I’m Libby Sarah,” I told them. “This
is The Biting Faery, and that’s Tawnya.” I hesitated, biting my lip. “I sort
of…wished to meet the List.”
“And so Jareth eagerly took the
opportunity to grant that wish.” Mollie nodded.
More girls were coming to join us.
“Do you guys happen to know what’s
going on?” Questioned a short girl with blue-green eyes. She took off her
jacket to reveal a Father Ryan t-shirt.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Beth.”
“Oh, the Owl Charmer!” I grinned.
“Yup, that’s me.”
“I’m Northstar.” A girl with hazel
eyes spoke up. She wielded a pen and notepad, and after she waved to us,
immediately sat down began to jot away in it.
Next was a girl with black, wavy hair.
“Rave.” She said smiling. Looking around at the group’s faces, she insisted,
“Cheer up, guys!”
The last Listian had one blue eye, one
green eye. She wore a dress of sewn oak leaves; it was mystic and picturesque.
“Anony.” She bowed.
“I love your dress!” I told her.
“I love what you’re wearing as well!”
she complimented. I had on my “Sarah Outfit”, which consisted of a brown vest
over a white poet’s shirt, jeans, and my castle necklace.
“Thanks. Except the vest is the wrong
color…”
“Oh, that’s okay—”
“Hold it!”
Despite the fact that Stephanie hadn’t
actually yelled her order, we all ceased talking and looked at her.
“Libby, it’s been very odd, but after
I was done checking my mail, it was off to play practice.”
“I understand, Stephanie.” After a
hug, I said, “Jareth, you can end this now.”
Nothing.
“Come on, Goblin King. Do that voodoo
that you do and send The Biting Faery home!”
An evil laugh echoed above us. All of
us were instantly on our guard.
“Libby, what have you noticed about
your Listian friends?”
“We’re all obsessed?” I guessed
futilely.
“That you are. But alas, no. Try
again.”
The members and I took a long, hard
look at each other. We were all female, but that was too obvious.
“May I have a hint?”
“What country are you all from?”
“America.” I shrugged apathetically.
That was simple enough.
“Precisely. I believe your wish was to
meet all of the Listians, was it not?”
“Yes…” I suddenly felt ill. Stephanie
and I caught each other’s glance. She wouldn’t be going to play practice
anytime soon.
Because we had some traveling to do.