There's Such a Sad Love

By Kristin

A/N: Okay, I hope this isn't like stuff already out there, but I'm trying my best. However, I do not own the labyrinth or anything to do with the movie.

Chapter One

The Goblin King stalked across his threshold, a magnificent velvet cape trailed behind him as he strode, and a menacing icy sneer was plastered on his face. Ahead of him was the only portal between the Labyrinth and the mortal world. He couldn't turn back now, he had to reclaim what was rightfully his and fulfill the destiny of his kingdom. It wasn't over, it was only the beginning.

"I am NEVER going to get this…." A frustrated Sarah Williams slammed a tired hand down on the table, sending a stack of note cards flying and her pen to roll off the table. She heavily sighed, watching as the pen fell absently. Okay, calm down, it's just a stupid pen. She reminded herself as she bent down to retrieve the pen. Lately, all she had done was beat herself up like this. It wasn't good, people warned her of the stresses she'd endure at college. And all she had done was turn a cheek and ignore them. She always knew she could do things by herself, her own way, she never would let anybody tell her what to do.

A lifetime full or memories, boxed inside childhood toys, were all scattered on the floor now of her apartment. Before indulging herself with a Musical History essay that needed to be done for the next day, she had gone through a little bit of it. Toby had claim of a few of those items, like her bears (namely Lancelot) and other stuffed animals; but a few things remained with her, like the labyrinth game, her notebooks, her books, her play props, as old dress…..and the thin red book with gold print titled The Labyrinth. Earlier, she tried to recite a few lines and was surprised by how much she could remember. It amused her for a time, then she tossed it aside after she convinced herself it was all a game, it was nothing, it wasn't real…..it was time for her to grow up, finally.

Still, as her back was facing the book on the floor, she felt drawn to it. The essay she was trying to write was in front of her, her eyes were on it, studying it, and yet she couldn't concentrate on it. That's why she couldn't get it, it wasn't sticking in her head. Only the few lines she practiced everyday replayed in her mind. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a break….

She sighed again and looked at the clock. It was nearing midnight, the essay needed to be done by at least 10 tomorrow morning, and she had been working since 9 that night. okay…, she thought to herself and concluded that she could take a five minute break. After all, she was on page 5 of the essay, only one more page to go and she could simply whip something up within the next hour or even tomorrow morning.

She kneeled onto the floor of her bedroom, sinking into the beige carpet. She crossed her legs and slowly reached for the book on the floor. A gold ribbon still held her place where it said: "Through Dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is great, you have no power over me." She read and reread that line several times then, recollecting memories by the lake……then the night it all happened.

Often something would strike her memory, it always happened randomly. And each time, she tried to push those thoughts of the Labyrinth and all it's magical beings to the back of her mind. In part, it ached her to think of the friends she missed. They told her that she could reach them whenever she needed. However, she never tried. Not after that night, anyway, she never tried. It was either fear of missing them afterwards or a certain disbelief, but Sarah couldn't tell. The only thing she knew was that she didn't want to try, she didn't want to bring back that fantasy back. She wanted to throw it away like she was doing with the rest of her childhood.

She flipped through a few more pages, becoming easily distracted by it's written word and enchanting verses. The clock chimed in the hour, one AM, before she even returned to reality. A cool draft nicked her shoulder. She looked up and saw that the window she could have sworn was closed,was not. "How strange…" she muttered allowed and she stood up to close it. The red book slid onto the floor in silence, she did not retrieve it, but rather let it lie there. It was open to the page she always had marked.

Sarah fought hard with sleep the next day during classes, nearly every second her head was tilting and her eyes were fluttering. Then as she was about to be engrossed by sleep, she'd jerk herself awake and remind herself that she was still in class. Not only she not sleep well the past night, her head filled up on her memories (good and bad), but this morning she had woken extra early to finish her essay which was given an extension anway.

It felt like eternity, but alas the end came. She gathered up her books to make leave and struggled to get out the door before anybody else.

"H---h---uh----Hey Sarah….." Zack Bentley called from behind her. Sarah gave one of her perturbed sighs and turned back around. The other students shoved past her with no care while she waited for him to catch up.

"Hi, Zack…" She said quietly, clutching her books against her.

"Hey…um…" He came to her side and ran a hair through his greasy black mop, the hair only just flopped back in his face and knocked his glasses slightly. "….what's up?"

"Nothing….I've got to get home, though," she told him as she started walking. He had probably expected her to stand and chat with him rather than start walking. Only she was too eager and he was just a pain.

"Oh, mind if I follow?"

"…Um…yes…..I meant that I am going back home, home…..to my parents house…" She said ineptly, not daring to look his way.

"Oh. That's cool….I guess….."

"Yea, I'm going for the weekend. My step-mother needs me to stay with my little brother while her and my father go away."

"Oh."

"Yup." She hastened her step, thankful now that she actually had something to do, fervent to get away from his advances.

"Well….have a good weekend then…." He stopped, to her liking, and turned to walk the other way. Sarah cast her eyes on him with a momentary feeling of guilt. She felt bad for always disappointing him, but she couldn't help how she felt. Not a guy since High School had much interested her. There was always something wrong with them, some reason she found in them that turned her off. It was almost like none of them were good enough for the littlest reason. She knew she was looking for something more.

Anyway, she continued to the apartment down her street. The wind blew her short black hair in her face. There was still that natural beauty that embraced her. The little girlish freckles and bright brown eyes. Just like her mother.

These days, Sarah and her Step-mother had been getting along fairly well. Otherwise, Sarah wouldn't have offered to take care of Toby this weekend, but for all the years of crap that Sarah had given her Step-Mother, she figured that she owed her that….a weekend of no children.

The apartment felt so lonely. Perhaps that was also why Sarah had chosen to stay with Toby. She was alone and often needed that fix of someone, anybody. Even her own family, the people she thought she hated most in the world. When she went away to college, she found they were the people she missed most in the world.

She let her books drop carelessly onto the bed. It was her way of letting go of work until Sunday, when she'd really take care of it. Of course, though, she'd take a little work with her.

As she packed, she side stepped the collection of her old junk. She crossed the floor to her table to straighten the papers she had out the night before, then felt them quiver in her hands. Another cold breeze struck her. She looked over the her left to see that the window was open again. It was nearing that bitter fall season now and Sarah knew better than to leave that open, but she couldn't figure why it had opened now and last night. "Must be broken…" she muttered to no one as she used her might to shut the window. This time she made sure to use her strength to secure it's closer.

On her way back to her open suitcase, she nearly trampled her book. She bent down to pick it up, only when she reached out her hand to grace it's pages, she noticed a white feather beside it. "How strange…" she looked toward the window and saw another on the sill.

She walked back to the window and peered outside. The sky was dim and gray, no birds should've been in sight and yet when she looked to the trees ahead, she could have sworn that in one of them was a white and brown owl, perched and staring her way.

End of Chapter one

I hope you kids liked that. I'm not too sure so far, I wasn't sure exactly what was to happen in this chapter, so I did the best I could. The next chapter should be better and a little more exciting and I'll bring back in the actual labyrinth deal. Okay? Okay. Be sure to comment, I will gladly take constructive criticism. My grammar isn't the best so if you see any problems, please tell me. And I'm not sure how this will be rated yet so I think I'll stick with teen for now. Okay, I think that's it. Thanks for much for reading!

PS- I apologize for the grammatical errors I made when I had written this version first. I have edited it now and it should be all good. I'm sorry.