Chapter 1: Birthday Blues

Sarah smiled. It was not a happy smile, or a joyous smile. It was a sad smile. Especially considering it was her eighteenth birthday. She was surrounded by her family. But no friends were present. She still did not have any friends. And despite her family's best efforts to hide that fact from her, it was still blatantly obvious!

Althought she was surrounded by pretty brightly colored streamers, and tons of decorations, it still did not help to hide her fear. She had some definite trust issues; she always had. Well, maybe she could remember a time when she had been almost normal. But that was before she had encountered the Goblins, and their haughty, arrogant King.

"Aren't you going to blow out your candles, hun?" Karen's crisp voice brought her back to present. She tried not to remember her ordeal, anyway. Maybe it was all just a nightmare... "We're waiting."

"Yes," She broke from her trance. Sarah found herself falling into them more and more often lately. She had no idea what that meant. "Thank you all for throwing me this party, even though I really don't deserve it."

Toby just watched on in silence, as the three "grown-ups" of the house had their party. He was always that way, very quiet. Sometimes Sarah wondered if he remembered what happened three years ago. He was about to turn five now, and he would be starting school soon. While he was quiet enough at home, she often worried over whether he would tell the other children about the Goblins or not.

"Oh, nonsense dear," Robert, her father, told her.

"Don't be silly, Sarah. We're your family, and we love you very much. Now just make a wish, and maybe something nice will happen."

This was perhaps the nicest Karen had been to her, since her ordeal. Karen never said anything, but she was almost certain that her stepmother knew something sinister had occurred that night. Something that had been enough to frighten Sarah for a long time. She was no longer frightened, but she certainly was wary of any strangers which passed her way. And

"I wish... I wish..." That was when Karen murmured something. "What?"

"I said, you're not supposed to tell us what your wish is."

"Fine." 'I wish I was a Princess, in a land far far away... Then I wouldn't have to deal with this world, or this place, or these people, anymore!' And with that, she blew out the candles. She was tired of living in such a world, devoid of any wonder or happiness, where everyone was uniform and the same.

"I'm tired," Toby commented, bored. It was getting kind of late.

Karen silently tilted her head toward the kitchen, in an effort to get Robert to go with her. Thankfully, he understood her silent signal.

"I'll be right back, Sarah. I have to help Karen with something in the kitchen."

Did they think she was stupid? She knew that meant they were going to talk about her. But Sarah knew she had to keep up appearances, for Toby's sake, if for no one else's.

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In the kitchen, the two were talking in hushed voices, so as not to be heard by their children.

"Doesn't she have any idea at all?" The blonde demanded.

"I'm afraid not. This isn't going to be easy, but we will have to tell her eventually."

"Maybe we're lucky she's never had a date," She was wringing her hands nervously. "That way this will be so much easier. But it's just such a shame that she's never had any real friends."

Robert looked at his wife with sadness and regret in his eyes. "Well, don't beat yourself up over it. We can make today memorable for her, at least."

"You're right," She picked up a brightly wrapped present from behind the counter, and headed for the door. "Let's get this over with."

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To say it had been a bad day would have been a lie. But Sarah had noticed that everyone's mood, including her own, had been very glum all day long. What was with these people?! It was a very nice party, but she did not understand why her family was acting this way towards her. It was as if they thought they might never see her again. She could tell that even Toby had sensed that something was wrong.

But now that she was alone in her room, she could shrug it off, and play dress-up, and forget all about her troubles. Sarah knew she was too old for dress-up games, but somewhere deep in her heart, she had always treasured those words "Go back to your room. Play with your toys and your costumes." That was he had said to her, and that was what she did. She found that more and more, she hung on his every word. She had memorized it all completely. Every last word he had spoken to her, she knew by heart. And deep inside, where only her darkest secrets were kept, that sickened her!

She was done playing dress up for now, but not because she was content. No, but Sarah felt her eyelids growing heavy, and she knew she had to get some rest. She had come of age, become a woman now, and that meant she would have to eventaully give some things up. She knew that. She just couldn't bring herself to stop being the same person she had been when she had seen him three long years ago. It felt like forever...

Sarah completed her nighttime ritual of changing into her much-too-childish nightgown, brushing her teeth, and saying goodnight to the photos of her mother. What a pity that she had never really known her mother. The only thing she even knew about the woman was that her first name was "Linda". And when this new actress, Linda Williams, came on the scene, she had assumed it was her mother. Ever since then, she had made it somewhat of a hobby to collect newspaper articles, magazine clippings, and anything else she could find related to Linda Williams.

"Goodnight Mom."

Robert had tried telling her that Linda Williams was not her mother, and that his Linda had a different last name, but she had refused to listen. The actress looked so much like her, it was pathetic. And so she continued to be strong-willed, and do as she wished. Tonight, sleep would not come easily for her. But at last, it finally came, as her breathing slowed, and her eyes closed slowly; her mind slipping from consciousness...

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Sarah's dreams were filled with horrible things. She dreamed of death, and violence, and destruction! It was enough to drive her mad, wondering how and when this had all happened. it just seemed so real... And there was a woman, wearing a faded brown cloak.

She could not see the woman's eyes, but she felt so familiar to Sarah. It was like she had known her all along. She saw a man who looked like her father, with a pained expression on his face. But he did not act like her father. Before the dream ended, Sarah could see that the woman was carrying a bundle; it was a child. She gave the child the the man who looked like Sarah's father. But he did not act like Robert did...

Before the girl seeing the dream could figure out what to make of it, the woman was gone. She had given the baby to the Robert look-alike, and vanished. The dream had a very sad, painful, scarred feel to it. It was like she was feeling someone else's memories...

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Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth, or anything or anyone from the movie. Original plot idea belongs to HellSingGurl, so you can thank her for inspiring me for this story! Some OCs are mine, and original places, and etc.

A/N: Well, here is the first chapter of my brand new fanfic. Please R&R, I am anxious to know what readers think of this one. I will try to update as often as I possibly can! And as always, thanks for reading!

-Kaline Reine