"Robert, I'm telling you, it turned to dust! No, not dust, glitter! And it just blew away!" Karen was pacing around the kitchen in her robe and slippers, clutching the gilded envelope. Robert was seated at the kitchen table trying to hold a squirming Toby. He looked longingly at the coffee maker. On Saturdays he usually got to sleep in and enjoy a big breakfast, but today Karen had woken him early to tell him Sarah was missing, and that she was convinced it had to do with this mysterious letter she's found in Sarah's room.

"Karen…" Robert hesitated. "I'm not trying to doubt you, but…how could that happen? Ow!" Toby suddenly bucked in his father's grasp, headbutting Robert in the nose and wriggling free in the process. Robert gingerly patted his sore nose and straightened his glasses. The frames were thick and black. Robert thought they made him look like more of an intellectual. He knew he was up for partner at his law firm this year and he needed anything to give him an edge.

Karen sighed and picked up her wiggly toddler. Don't you run away too. She buckled him snugly in his booster seat and opened a container of strawberry yogurt for him. Toby gleefully plunged his entire hand into the container and licked his fingers with a smile.

Karen turned back to Robert. "I know how it sounds, but I know what I saw. Give me a little credit. And how do you explain this weird envelope?" she asked, setting on the table in front of him. "Robert, I'm worried."

Privately, Robert was worried about Sarah too, but also a little annoyed. He was sure she had just snuck out. After all, Sarah was a teenager, and a headstrong one at that. She has a lot of her mother in her.

Robert picked up the envelope and frowned. "Miss Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth," he read out loud, peering through his glasses. He looked up at Karen. "You know, it sounds just like something out of those stories she loves to read. Maybe she finally found a friend that enjoys them too, and they got caught up in doing some sort of play acting thing." Robert set the envelope back on the table, stood up, and walked over to the coffee maker. "Hand me two mugs, will you? I'll get this started if you'll make scrambled eggs. Yours always turn out better than mine."

"I cannot believe you're talking about food right now," Karen said crossly, but she got the mugs down and grabbed butter and eggs from the fridge. Toby has to eat anyway. "It's not like Sarah to go out without telling us."

Robert snorted. "Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that you were complaining to me about how she never came home on time and she always made us miss our dinner reservation?"

Karen paused, a guilty expression on her face. "Okay, so maybe she's had a few issues with keeping track of time in the past, but she's gotten a lot better…lately. Besides, being late and sneaking out are not the same thing," she emphasized as she grabbed her favorite pan. "Do you really think she'd stay out all night like that without telling us?"

"Maybe she didn't," Robert pointed out. "Maybe she got up early and snuck out to meet a friend." He realized as he said it how dubious it sounded. Sarah was not known for being an early bird. "Then again, she is more of a night owl," he mused out loud.

"Owls!" Karen exclaimed, nearly crushing the egg she was cracking in her excitement. "Yes, that's it – the owl!"

"Owl!" Toby repeated gleefully. Like many children his age, Toby was fascinated by all kinds of animals and loved learning their names.

"What are you two going on about birds for?" Robert asked, confused.

"On the back of the letter, there was a black wax seal on it." Karen hurried over to the table and flipped the letter over. The barn owl's face stared back at her. She held it up to Robert. "See?"

He took it and shrugged. "So?" Robert kept up the nonchalant act, but as he sipped his coffee his brain had started to catch up. He ran his finger over the owl seal and across the thick, heavy paper. He flipped the envelope back over, noting the gilded edges. The calligraphy on the front was impeccable. Kind of a lot of trouble to go to just for acting out a fairytale story.

"You don't get it," Karen said, frustrated. "The owl. It's not just any owl, it's the exact same one. The one that was on the pendant I gave her for her birthday. I just realized that's why it looked so familiar."

Robert felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He remembered how Sarah had gasped when she saw the pendant. How she had immediately put it on.

"We talked about that strange owl, the one you said you had been seeing at the park, around the house," Robert said. Karen nodded, remembering the odd conversation. They shared an uneasy glance. Karen suddenly felt a chill, rubbing her arms through her housecoat.

"Well, it's not like Sarah's been kidnapped by some…by some bird, is it?" Robert said, exasperated. He was feeling more worried by the second. Sarah doesn't even really have good friends. Maybe a boyfriend?

"Bird!" Toby happily repeated. While his parents were distracted, more of the yogurt had gotten on his face and hair than in his mouth. Karen sighed again and grabbed a wet paper towel to clean him up. He fussed a little but brightened again when she set a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him. "Thanks, mama!"

Karen gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze, then turned back to Robert. "What should we do?"

Robert ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm not sure. Maybe we should stay home this morning and think this through, or Sarah might just turn up. I guess we could call the neighbors and see if anyone saw her leaving," he said. It sounded unlikely even to his ears as he said it.

"I'll call Mrs. Dot," Karen volunteered. Robert sat back down at the table. Karen set a plate of eggs and a glass of orange juice in front of him and started to walk down the hall to the landline phone. He didn't have the heart to tell her he had lost his appetite. As he picked up his fork and moved his eggs around his plate, a thought suddenly struck him. "Karen!" he cried.

Karen was so startled she dropped the phone, which dangled awkwardly from its cradle. "What is it?"

"The owl pendant. Where did you get it?"

Karen furrowed her brow. "Claudette's. That little boutique shop on 6th Street."

"Let's go there right after breakfast. Maybe someone there can tell us if it means anything."

"Shouldn't someone stay here, in case Sarah comes back or calls home?"

"Good point," Robert agreed. "I'll go, so you can stay here with Toby." At the sound of his name, Toby smiled his sweet smile at his daddy. Robert patted his head affectionately, then abruptly pushed back his seat. "I'm going to go get dressed."

"Okay." As Robert headed upstairs, Karen glanced at the uneaten breakfast and sighed for the third time that morning. She retrieved the dangling phone and slowly dialed the number for their next-door neighbor, which was on the emergency list Scotch taped on the wall next to the phone. If anyone had seen Sarah, it would have been their well-meaning, but somewhat nosy next-door neighbor.

"Hello, Ms. Dot? Karen Williams. Yes...yes, that's right, and how are you? Oh, glad to hear it….well, yes, we are fine…it's just that Sarah wasn't home this morning at breakfast, and we wondered if maybe you or Harold had seen her…no? Oh, thank you, I'll wait."

Karen tapped her fingers worriedly against the wallpaper while she waited for the neighbor to return to the phone. She heard Robert's heavy footsteps coming back down the stairs and he poked his head inquiringly around the hallway toward her. She shook her head no and whispered "Dot's checking with Harold." Robert looked grim as he went to grab his coat. Karen twisted the phone cord around her fingers anxiously and pressed her lips together in a thin line. Maybe we're overreacting…she could just be at the park.

"Oh yes, I'm still here…he hasn't seen her? Well, okay, thank you for checking. If you do see her, please let her know we are looking for her…no, no it's not really like her. You know. Teenagers," Karen laughed weakly. "Um, by the way, have you noticed any owls around the house lately? Oh? Um, no reason really…Robert and I were just talking about it over coffee this morning. Yes, you too. Bye now."

Karen hung up the phone slowly. The chills just would not stop. She felt the need to keep Toby very close to her. She poured a cup of coffee and sat down right by his side.

"I'm heading out," Robert said. "I guess I should take this envelope with me so I can show it to the clerk at Claudette's."

"Yes, that seems like a good idea," Karen agreed. "We'll get dressed in case we need to go out again after you get back."

"Alright," Robert said. He gave Karen a quick peck and added one on Toby's blonde head for good measure. "See you soon."

Karen watched him leave and made sure he locked the door behind him. She sat back down to finish her coffee and thought about how silly she would feel if Sarah were to just show up for lunch. Something is wrong, though. I can feel it. But what can it have to do with an owl?

AN: Hi everyone! Finally, finally - an update! I'm still here! Woohoo! Okay, so please don't be too mad that after SUCH a long wait this chapter didn't feature Sarah...or Jareth...AT ALL! I know you guys want to hear about them too, and you will...in the NEXT chapter! In the meantime, please leave me a review to let me know what you think of where the story is going! Thank you so much for reading!