Love Is Blind

By: CreativeImagination

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Sarah, Jareth, the Labyrinth or… (who won the Super Bowl?...) whoever won the Super bowl. If you'd like to sell me one of these, by all means I'll take it. But I do own my goblins, Conner (my muse) and a large crate full of peaches someone left in my writing area. Acantha, I thought I told you to stop bribing my goblins. I'll catch you one of these days -

When I was younger sometimes I'd close my eyes and pretend to be blind. I'd roam around my house, though it wasn't ever very hard, I knew it like the back of my hand. And when I grew tired of the game I'd open my eyes again and think to myself it isn't that hard. Sometimes I trick myself into thinking that I'm still playing that game, and I'll open my eyes and look around my room and see my bed and my books piled high. Sometimes I find myself crying after I open my eyes, because I still can't see anything. Sometimes in the middle of the night I'll open my eyes in my pitch black room and think, in the morning I'll open them again and will be able to see, it was all a dream and I can't see because it's so dark. And then in the morning I will, but I still see nothing.

Sometimes I think that sixteen years of sight isn't enough, and not a day goes by when I don't I yell at myself for not taking everything in. But damn me to hell if I'd let my father and Karen take care of me, not that they would. I've been blind for a year and a half now, happened when I was sixteen, and I'm still not sure how it exactly happened. My dad had been showing me how to weld, though now I can't recall why I wasn't wearing a mask, I think it's because we didn't have another one. We where at his shop that day and I sat down to practice what he'd shown me when somebody bumped into me. The flame cut right across my eyes, tearing and smoldering my eye tissue. I won't lie; it hurt a lot, what made it worse was the fact that I kept crying and the salt from my tears rubbing in the wound.

The doctors say I was lucky, that I could've burnt straight into my brain. Sometimes I wonder if I'd be better off that way. I can't remember colors anymore, or letters… or numbers. I know brail now, and I think my imagination has grown because I find myself picturing things I've never seen before. I can 'see' what people look like by touching their face, though this doesn't happen often, not many people let you go around touching them.

I go to a new school now, a school for kids like me. Kasia is my best friend, she is like me, she is blind, but she has always been blind. She says it is easier for her to be blind that it is for me, because I know what I'm missing out on when she doesn't. Ignorance is bliss, she tells me but I don't believe it. Sometimes Kasia cries at school, she plain as day breaks down but she won't let me hold her, she doesn't let anyone hold her. That is why I don't believe it. I think the most terrible thing about being blind is Karen. She treats me as if I cannot do anything anymore. It really bothers me.

"These are apples," she'll tell me when we go to the grocery store and she'll hold it up in front of me "and THESE are tomatoes." Even being blind I know what things are, I can smell and hear and touch. She acts as if because I am blind, every other part of me is defective. Sometimes she even speaks to me as she would to a child. "Hungry?" she'll asked "you want food?" I really do feel like I'm speaking to Tarzan sometimes. Me Tarzan, you Sarah. Sarah want food? Sometimes I humor her though because her way of speaking reminds me so much of Ludo. My friends don't visit anymore, but I think it's because I no longer have a mirror. The only mirror that I know of in my house is in Karen's bathroom, and god damn me if I venture into there.

So today, like any other day, I was making my way to school. I didn't have Merlin to guide me though and I was slightly worried of the traffic light ahead because I wasn't completely sure when to go. I counted to myself the steps I took, there was four hundred and thirty nine steps from my home to the first traffic light, I was on four hundred and seventeen. I'd traveled this way many times, but never without Merlin. Well, that's a lie, I came this way twice before without him but the first time I almost got hit by a bus. My cane clanked against the traffic pole and I pushed the button for the crosswalk, though I've always been sure that they never worked. I waited for about two minutes and listened. I didn't hear any cars coming so I stepped out into the road.

"One," I whispered as I took a step "two, three, four, five, si-"

SCREACH!

I heard the car swerve and I crossed my arms over my face, not that it would've helped any. If you think getting hit by a car if terrifying, try getting hit by one when you blind. Its three times worse when you don't know when its coming. Someone had quickly grabbed me by the hand and pulled me across the street.

"Good Gods!" he growled as he stopped "do you HAVE a death wish woman?" I was shaking at this point, slightly traumatized from practically getting ran over and now being chastised by a man I didn't even know. His voice did seem terribly familiar though.

"N-n-no," I shivered and picked my cane off the ground besides me "just blind." He paused a moment and waved his hand in front of my face. I caught it. "I said blind, not stupid." His hands were amazingly soft, I felt it for a moment, outlining his fingernails with my own. Suddenly I realized he must be flipping out, this weirdo girl touching him and I let go. "You don't work around here, do you?"

"No," he said plainly "how can you tell?"

"Most people around here work with their hands," I shrugged tapping around with my cane "so I assumed…"

"You," he paused a moment "you weren't born blind, were you?" I paused, normally people couldn't tell if you were born blind or not, unless you were blind yourself.

"No," I shook my head "I had an accident, burnt out my retinas. Doctors can't help it any so, I live on." I tapped the ground a few times with my cane and started walking. "Thank you, by the way." The man followed, though he didn't say much which worried me.

"You have a good sense of direction, don't you?" his voice seemed amused with the question, which worried me more. I nodded, though I couldn't help but smirk. I'd had a good sense of direction in the Labyrinth too, ever since then it seemed that I never got lost. Sometimes I think that if I hadn't been through the Labyrinth I'd be dead by now. I would have killed myself or still be pining over the fact that my blindness wasn't fair. I'd stopped crying once my eyes healed and got back into the world. After the Labyrinth, well… I learned that things like this just couldn't get you down. My cane clinked again, this was the second traffic light and the man paused a moment.

"Maybe I'll have better luck this time," I muttered with a smile. I waited and felt as if the man behind me was uncomfortable. "Can I ask your name?"

"Anthony," he muttered and I nodded. "And yours?"

"Sarah," I said and held out my hand. His grasp was firm, which I'd learned meant he was domineering. He let go of my hand on an 'up' shake which meant he was artistic and he'd squeezed my hand softly, almost unnoticeably, which meant that he knew me. The fact that he squeezed it so softly indicated that he didn't wish for me to know him. And I didn't know anyone named Anthony, and he said he didn't work around here… I racked my brain. I stopped before I got to school and faced the man. I wanted to ask him who he really was, I wanted to put my hands on his face and define every grove so I could jog my memory. But something about him scared me, made me nervous to even turn towards him.

"Would you do something for me?" he asked "would you take your glasses off?" I paused a moment, take my glasses off? I wasn't exactly sure what I looked like, but I heard Karen say that my eyes were the most grotesque thing she'd ever seen and for me to keep those glasses on at all times.

"I shouldn't," I said "I've been told that my eyes aren't my most attractive feature. In fact, they very well may cause you to lose your appetite." He ignored my statement and took hold of my sunglasses and gently took them off. I could here them clink as he folded them in his hands. I kept my eyes shut, tighter than a locked door. "No," I growled "give me back my glasses."

"Just," he pulled back a bit "open your eyes." His voice was gentle, it surprised me actually, I'd never heard someone's voice both kind and pleading at the same time. I opened my eyes slowly, though I did not want to. I felt like crying again, just showing someone how much I'd lost. Someone I didn't even know! I knew my white scarred tissue stared back at him, my eyes a dingy brown because of the film that'd coated my eyes. I couldn't take it anymore and turned my head away. I was ashamed, I didn't like this feeling of being so helpless in front of this man. He pitied me, I knew, I could feel it radiating off of him. He just stood there, looking at me, I'm sure with a sickened expression on his face.

I held out my hand for my glasses but he placed his hand there instead. Quickly I pulled away from him, my mouth twisting in a hurt expression. Tears rose from, it seemed, the very bottom of my soul and lingered in my eyes. I didn't let them fall, no one had ever seen me cry, they never would. I heard his clothing ruffle as his hand placed in mine, my glasses. I took them and clumsily put them back on my face.

"Thank you," I breathed and turned away, my cane tapping here and there.

Author's note: Conner! Why the hell am I writing ANOTHER story?

Conner: uh… because you… want to?

:sighs: do you realize that I've got a jillion other stories going?

Conner: yes.

So why am I writing another one?

Conner: Because Valentines Day is coming and I felt like making you write something romantic.

Romantic?

Conner: Yes, romantic.

How is being blind romantic?

Conner: would you just shut up and type? I know what I'm doing.

Since when?

Conner: write it or I'll kiss you.

:starts typing frantically: GUYS! My muse is threatening me with romantic implications again. :grumbles: and my goblins aren't helping me anymore, they've taken HIS side. Figures, make the GIRL suffer well :rolls eyes: I suppose I need to tell you that you should look at my info page since its most likely you've got a V-tines card there from me. Also, a list of muses that needs homes are there. - Please adopt one today.

Conner: Authoress?

Hum?

Conner: I was just kidding you can stop typing.

:stops: thank you.

Conner- oh your welcome.