The Way Forward Is Sometimes The Way Back:

Sequel to Labyrinth

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape, or form own Labyrinth, its characters, its scenes, or quotes. They all belong to the geniuses Jim Henson, George Lucas, David Bowie, Brian Froud, Dennis Lee, Terry Jones, & Trevor Jones. I only own this fanfic storyline and the characters I made up (if I make up any).

Chaper One: Life Can Be Easy… It's not always swell…

Sarah sat alone in her room, fingering her old stuffed animals and toys that she had so cherished. Was it really that long ago? Sarah asked herself. Was it really that long ago that I was imagining myself in another time and place, pretending to be in my own little world? She picked up her stage tube of lipstick, as memories of her journeying through a mystical land to reclaim her baby brother, Toby, invaded her mind. Was it really that long ago that I was surrounded by true friends? Was it really that long ago that I had some sort of purpose in my life? Sarah sat down on her bed, fingering the tube, then slowly laid down on her old bed. Her long, dark brown locks spread over her pillow as tears gathered in her eyes as she recalled all that was happening to her. Was it really that long ago that I was happy?

Since Sarah had returned from the Labyrinth with Toby, she was really unable to have her "happily ever after" ending…

Everything seemed to be back to normal. Sarah gave up her childish games and gave her favorite teddy bear Lancelot to Toby. Her father and her stepmom, Karen, continued to treat her the same, not taking much notice in her changes of behavior towards Toby. Toby, after the Labyrinth, began to develop a bond with Sarah, as Sarah did with Toby. Her parents, however, continued to pay more attention to Toby. Sarah learned not to hate Toby for it, but bottled up the emotions she carried against her parents' neglect. Many a theater performances Sarah starred in were forgotten and they were even late to Sarah's high school graduation. Torn between not wanting to leave Toby and desperately wanting to leave her parents, Sarah set off to Julliard School of Dance, Drama, and Music with a scholarship in Drama. Things did not get much better for Sarah at Julliard.

Sarah soon realized she was, as her parents had haughtily told her, "a small fish from a small pond trying to make it in the ocean." Sarah tried to make friends, but found it difficult, as many alumni did not share her same interests and thought her obsessive interests strange. She found it much harder than she had though it would be and Sarah soon began to feel like she was drowning. From there, things only got worse…

After enduring 2 miserable years at Julliard and finally lasting to her Junior year, a year from graduating, Karen called Sarah: her father was dead. He had a heart attack suddenly and quite unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Even though he had neglected her, Sarah was still grievous, and took leave from college to return home and console Toby, who was only 10 years old. Karen was of no help, ignoring Sarah, making her feel even more meaningless than she felt living under her roof before. And soon, Sarah started to lose Toby. He slowly became detached from everyone, Karen, Sarah. Then he began to ignore everyone and go off into his own world. Soon, he began to lash out at everyone for any reason. Karen blamed Sarah, not knowing whom else to blame and not wanting to blame her baby boy. Sarah soon began to sink back into her solitude and loneliness as Toby explicitly told her to never come near him. Everything Sarah had put faith into was slowly disappearing and soon she dropped out of Julliard.

Two years later, when things had already slipped from bad to worse, things slipped from worse to terrible. Sarah had been living at home in a broken-household, Karen unable to fix the damage and Toby acting out and then finally doing the unthinkable.

Toby declared, most seriously, that after having Sarah "breathing down his neck" (as he said) for two years, one of them had to go: Sarah or him. Karen and Sarah did not take him seriously until they discovered one day that Toby had disappeared. He later contacted them that he was staying away from them, with a friend and he wouldn't return unless Sarah left… for good. Karen, fearing losing her son after losing her husband, ordered Sarah to take what she wanted from her room and leave.

Sarah had just been fighting with Karen when she finally gave up and came in her room.

Sarah, still lying on her bed, finally let the tears gathering in her eyes fall. How could everything have gone so horribly and awfully wrong? Sarah's tears became more profuse as she began to recall her journey through the labyrinth. I had friends! Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus… they really cared about me! Her profuse tears turned to sobs as she remembered her last encounter with… him. I can't even bring myself to think his name! I gave up everything… I could have had everything… He would've given me the world and I threw it back in his face! Sarah calmed herself enough to get up and sit in front of her mirror. Her face, tear-streaked and red, reflected a girl that Sarah didn't know. This wasn't her. This wasn't what she was. This wasn't what she wanted to be.

Suddenly acutely conscious of what she wanted, Sarah stared into the mirror and said in a firm, steady voice, "I wish the goblins would come and take me away…" She closed her eyes and said strongly, "…right now!"