It's Only Forever (a labyrinth fanfic)

Chapter 6

Sarah POV:

I was tired of hurting. I was tired of being used. I was tired of waiting. Some part of me wanted Jareth to take me back, but I had already denied him. So I'd just have to get there myself. I grabbed my Hansel and Grettel tote bag and hurried out the door. If Jareth could travel to and from the underground then so could I. There had to be more to it than just magical 'poof I'm where I want to be' powers. Some sort of secret that would let me get back to the underground.

My feet hurridly walked to the library. There were computers, books, and other resources there. I'd find something.

The library is a crumbling old building that was nearly empty by the time I got there. I padded over the ugly blue carpeted floors and sat in front of a computer. Where to start. I pursed my lips. Well, Jareth always traveled to the aboveground in the form of an owl so maybe that had something to do with it. For the next hour I opened tab upon tab of myths about owls. Did you know that owls were known as omens of death in some cultures? Oh and supposedly unmarried women turn into doves when they die while married girls turn into owls. Really nothing helpful.

Next I tried to pinpoint the weakest points on Earth. I had read in a book once that some fairies can cross realms where Earth's gravity is weakest. It turns out that the top of Mount Everest has the least amount of gravity. I frowned, there was no way I would be able to get up there. Luckily, I found a close match gravity whise. There wasn't much gravitational pull in the string of islands off of cuba. I sqiunted at the screen and began checking all of the islands.

Aha! The British Virgin Islands, one of the main sources of income is tourism and they speak English. I'd found my destination. I quickly began checking plane flights before I realized how crazy this was. Was I really planning on taking a plane to a place out of the U.S. just to maybe have the possible chance to try to go to the underground using experimental mythology magic that may or may not work if I can even attempt it? Just to get back to the labyrinth?

I bit my lip before the answer finally came. Yes, I was willing to go to the British Virgin islands for this. One way or another I was going back to the underground. Even if the cheapest plane ticket was about four hundred fifty dollars. Wait, four hundred fifty? I sighed, where was I going to get that kind of money? And that was just for the plane ticket. What about transportation? Or food? I didn't plan on staying long but still. 

I leaned back in my chair, I had about two hundred dollars saved in my bank account and I knew neither Karen or my dad would be checking it. How to get enough for the rest of the ticket and everything else was the problem. I puffed my cheeks out and blew the air out of them. A thought came to me. My dad's job payed more than enough and he had about forty dozen credit cards.

I shook my head, I couldn't steal from him could I? What would he say? But then again, if I never came back I'd never have to know. If I never came back... The realization hit me that I'd never  really planned on coming back. Ever. I rubbed my eyes, what was I getting myself into? My life here was okay. What was I doing looking up plane flights out of America? I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them before reaching over and shutting down the computer.

"I'm fine." I said. I truly believed this as I walked home, feeling the cold night air against my skin. Then I got home.

Toby was crying. No one was home. A letter was on the counter. 

Sarah, 

I'm sorry we fought about Toby. He deserves much more than that and I know you agree. He of course is not your child- he is mine and it's silly that you feel otherwise. I think we ought to forget and forgive. Also, I took your father out for a midnight dance. We left a few hours early due to traffic. Make sure you feed Toby and put him to bed. What you can feed him is in the cooler by the table.  I put food in there for you too since you insist on eating. Don't even try to get into the fridge. I put a lock on it when you were out so that you don't eat what you're not supposed to. Same with the pantry. We should be home around four or five in the morning. 

                                                 - With love, Karen 

I stared at the message. She locked the fridge? Toby wasn't my child but I have to spend my whole day, and night, looking after him? And she thinks its 'silly' that I feel the way I do? With love? I grabbed the paper and ripped into little pieces of confetti. That's it, I told myself. I'm done. This time for sure. I marched into my father's bedroom and began sifting through his dresser drawers. I knew he hid his credit card stash in here somewhere. Ah, there it is. I pulled out the small shoe box that had been hidden under his pants. I took two credit cards and slid the box back under his clothes. 

"Sorry dad." I said. I did feel bad but I also felt that my actions were justified. I slipped the cards into my pocket before heading upstairs. I needed to figure out what my next move would be. On my way to my room I realized that Toby was still crying. My patience with him was long since gone so I just stuck my head into his room and said, "Hey Toby, think of Jareth. You like Jareth. Jareth, Jareth, Jareth."

I heard Toby squeal with delight as I headed back into my room. Okay, what did I need to do? I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down a check list. 

- Get credit cards

- Reserve plane tickets

- Pack

- Find out how to get to the underground 

I checked off the first bullet point before considering the next one. Plane tickets. Sighing, I grabbed my tote bag again and headed back to the library.