Sunlight spilled across the polished wood floor of Sarah's apartment, brightening the room with a soft golden glow. Stretching slowly, Sarah yawned and pulled back the plush comforter of her bed. Her fuzzy slippers padded across the room and into the kitchen, falling into her morning ritual of coffee and toast. The cozy studio was small, but adequate, just enough for what she needed. She had moved out to LA when she was nineteen, and with the help of her family and some friends she settled in to a fairly decent area on the outskirts of the city. She had found a room with decent rent, close by to all that she needed. Furnished according to her unique tastes, the apartment was calm and gentle, colored in soft browns and crèmes and taupes. Tiny figurines of fantastic and mythical creatures dotted the room, peering out at her from behind corners. Sarah sank down into her chair, languidly sipping her morning coffee. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed loudly and pondered her strange dream.

The Labyrinth. It was something that she had put at the back of her mind long ago, and rarely did she attempted to revisit what exactly had happened to her within those thirteen hours. To real to have been a dream, and to fantastic to be reality, she had simply given up thinking about its existence years ago. It had certainly brought her a great deal of clarity, she thought admittedly, in all aspects of her life. That night had changed her, and she had learned to balance her newfound maturity with her childish enthusiasm and innocence. She developed close bonds with all those she pushed away before, promising herself to never again take those she loved for granted. She had become a gifted writer, finding a means of allowing her imagination to run rampant. She poured out her fantasies onto the page, living her adventures by the tip of her pen.

Sarah frowned as she stood and placed her dishes in the sink. The dream had left a tense, ominous feeling hanging thick in the air, like an approaching storm. She felt as though she was standing at the edge of some great monumental change, waiting to be pushed over the brink. Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind, she pulled on a beige knit tank top and squeezed herself into faded jeans. Her car keys clinked together as she grabbed them off the table, heading out the door and on the way to work.

The bell above the door chimed with a soft tinkling sound as Sarah swept into the store. Sarah leaned over the counter and threw her bag underneath. A rush of air flew by behind her, and she turned around sharply to see a girl with spiky multicolor hair roll by on a ladder.

"Good morning, Starshine!" She sang as she wheeled across the shelf. "The earth says hello!" Sarah smiled up at her warmly as she began to prepare the store for the day's business.

"Mornin' Ami. What's up?"

Ami arched her back and tilted her head upwards. "Lights, the ceiling...sky somewhere..." Sarah rolled her eyes and chuckled at her coworker.

"Brat. Hey, did we get that new shipment in?"

From there the morning dissolved into the regular morning banter and routine duties. She hummed softly as she worked, her dreams dissolving like mist as she busied her mind with work matters. Reaching up to put a book on a shelf, she paused for a moment, and realized what song she was humming. His song, the one he had given to her, the song from her dream. Immediately she stopped and yelled to the back, "Ami! Turn on the radio, will you please?" She shook head, going back to stacking books. "Just a dream, just a silly dream…" she whispered softly to herself.

The day carried on, coworkers and customers came and went, and soon Sarah was left with only books for company. A quiet calm settled over the small bookstore, the lamp on the register counter pouring soft, yellow light onto the aged wood of the bookshelves. Sarah leaned back and breathed in, enjoying the musky scent of hundreds of books and collected imaginings. Lost in her own thoughts, Sarah nearly fell right out of her chair when the clock behind her chimed loudly.

"Alright then, time to close up." Sarah said, getting up from the front desk. She flicked off the main lights, glancing over her shoulder at the glow emanating from the back office. "Damn, I thought I turned that off." The shadows of the tall bookshelves loomed over the aisle ways, making them seem imposing and treacherous. The air felt suddenly heavy and thick as Sarah made her way to the back of the store. She flicked off the back light, plunging the entire store into complete black.

"Well that was intelligent. Way to spook yourself out of your mind Sarah" She muttered to herself. Her hands stretched out in front of her she cautiously walked forward. Two aisles down there was a sudden crash of books falling to the floor, followed by a soft hissing sound almost like a laugh. Sarah stood frozen in fear, her heart beating so loudly she was sure she could hear it.

"I-is there someone in here? Y-you'd better just stay where you are! I have-I have a weapon!" Fumbling in the dark she took hold of the first firm thing she could find, her water bottle from earlier that day. Holding it at the ready, she inched forward and peered around a bookcase. She squinted at the isle, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, when something soft and warm brushed by her leg. With a loud scream she jumped and ran to the other end of the store, smacking sharply into a wall. Breathing heavily she gripped the shelf behind her, her other hand clenched tightly around the bottle. Clinging to the wall she sidestepped towards the door. Just a few steps and she could make it. Another crash of books towards the back of the store cut through the silence. Sarah bolted for the door, fumbling with her keys to get it open. She pounded on the glass in panic, and heard a sharp hiss directly behind her. Sarah spun around quickly, her back against the door. Sitting on the register counter was a large tomcat, it's back arched and its black fur on end. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sarah sank onto her floor, her legs feeling weak and watery.

"A cat. I was freaking out over a cat. What is wrong with me today?" She looked up at the cat. "How did you even get in here?" Sarah pulled herself up slowly and walked towards the creature. It hissed loudly and leaped up, climbing out of a high open window, vanishing into the night. Hands on her hips Sarah stared up at the animal's retreat. "Answers that question I guess. I really need to stop hanging out in the horror/mystery section."

Yous finished yets? Lady's coming. No more times./Almost dones! Yous were to be keepings her busy/Dids that. Gots scratched by the yowler toos./ Dones/ Just in times! Lady comes./ Shhhh…

Sarah's shoes clicked across the damp pavement outside. Clouds swept over the full moon, casting shadowed light over the ground. Sarah felt suddenly uneasy, and her eyes darted around the empty lot, not sure of what she expected to see. A cold wind ruffled past, blowing her hair about widely and seeping into her skin. Dry leaves swirled around her feet, and the trees around swayed hauntingly before her, as if they danced. The clouds parted, letting the gentle blue light of the moon spill over her as she turned her face towards the sky.

Look look! She glows. She glows with Labyrinth light/Courses she does! That's why she's ours./ No noises else she hears yous/Look/Shut up/You shut up/Shhh…

For a moment, Sarah thought she could hear strange voices carried on the wind, but brushed it off to her already active imagination. She quickened her pace, her steps echoing through the stillness. Reaching her car, she quickly climbed inside, shutting and locking the door. Smoothing a hand through her hair, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "What is wrong with me today! It's sleep. Gotta be. Need more sleep. That's it." Turning the key in the ignition she started towards home.

/Yous sure this works/Courses it does! Sees them bigguns do it all the times. No problems./Sleepy times…

Yawning, Sarah turned a corner down a one way street and blinked as she saw a large truck blocking the road up ahead of her. She pushed her foot down on the brake…and nothing happened. Shocked, she slammed her foot down hard. Still nothing, in fact the car was gaining speed as it rolled downhill towards the obstacle. Panicking Sarah looked around for an exit and found nothing. Rather than collide with the truck before her, Sarah swerved the car to the right, pitching forward down a steep hill. Sarah screamed and covered her face with her arms as the car rolled through the air. Her head smacked hard on the steering wheel and the car landed with a crash onto the ground. She felt something warm and wet trickling down her forehead, and the world around her faded away to nothing.

/Pull! Gets her fast! Now before it too lates/ Pull! Pull!/

Sarah stood on a vast gray plain that stretched out in all directions, the sky overhead covered with dark and ominous looking clouds. The ground beneath her feet was cracked and dry. Her hand rose to her forehead but she felt no trace of the wound she knew should be there. "What's going on?" Sarah said with a trembling voice.

"Well that's not exactly how I would have done it, but I suppose they got the job done. Nearly so at least." A voice echoed across the plain from no source that Sarah could see.

"Who's there? Who are you? Where am I?" Her own voice echoed surreally through the air as she turned wildly about, trying to find the source of the voice.

The voice chuckled gently. "Too many questions, little one. And it's not time for them to be answered quite yet. It's the time to move forward." The voice said as it swirled around her.

"I wish you people would stop saying that. Move forward to what?"

"Haven't you learned not to make foolish wishes little one? Don't make that face at me. Let's make things a bit easier for those that need you. Walk." White sand blew across the plain, settling in front of Sarah in a path that stretched into the distance.

Sarah sighed and crossed her arms, but grudgingly walked down the path. "Does this mean I'm dreaming?"

"In a sense. In fact I wouldn't be here if you weren't dreaming. You had to be asleep for what we needed. If it's any consolation, I really do wish there had been some other way. They were a bit more…enthusiastic about the whole thing than I would have hoped."

"Who were?" She asked, relaxing slightly as she ambled along.

"The Goblins of course. They caused your ride to break."

Sarah stopped on the trail. "They did what!"

The voice continued nonchalantly. "It was the only thing they could think of really. Serves you right for trusting that cheap hunk of metal. Back in my time we had real cars. Why I remember my first…" The voice trailed off, faltering slightly. "Well now, I guess I don't. It's been such a long time…"

Sarah was about to reply when she felt something invisible wrap around her middle tightly, then yank her backwards down the path. Air rushed past her as she flew, her vision of the plain and path blurring. Surprisingly, the voice still echoed around her.

"They do seem to be persistent. Things must be worse than I thought. Just follow it Sarah, trust them. It's time to move forward now." Then the voice left, and Sarah felt herself not flying over a plain, but plummeting downwards towards the Labyrinth. She saw the castle beneath her as she fell, rapidly coming closer. Sarah covered her face with her arms and shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the crash when she hit the ground. But it never came.

"We gots her! We gots her! Banjo brings you the Lady, all backs in the Underground, justs like he said!" A high-pitched voice rang.

"Sarah? Are ya alright?" A familiar gravelly voice said. Sarah opened her eyes slowly, her vision blurring, than focusing again on the scene in front of her. She lay curled in an enormous chair of ivory and marble, cloth hanging from the sides. The walls and floor of the room were light stone, and a shallow pit was carved in the center. Faded tapestries hung on the walls, as well as a small clock with an odd number of hours. Creatures of various shapes and colors were scattered about the room, the three most familiar standing in front of her, looking at her anxiously.

"Hoggle?"