Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (15)

Chapter fifteen,

Just a little bit longer

Sarah hesitated inside the carriage. Ray sighed. "Sarah, honey, I promise, if he tries anything, I'll be there for you. He knows plain well to leave you alone, and plus, I don't wanna share him. Chill." she said for the millionth time. Sarah gave Ray an odd look at her comment, but it was true. Sarah turned him down and Ray was interested. He and Sarah were not getting back up together, not that they had anything in the first place.

Ray finally coaxed Sarah out of the carriage and into the ballroom. There was no announcer this time, and Ray was glad. If there was, she was going to have to run after Sarah. And that would have been no fun, not in boots.

Ray and Sarah descended the steps, walking into the crowd. Ray got her and Sarah drinks and they wandered, looking for a conversation to jump into. Ray had no luck finding somewhere to slip into, when she heard something strange.
"I hear the King has been planning a contest to see who he should marry."
"Oh really?"
"It's about time, he's been alone for far too long."
"I doubt he's really doing such a thing."
"Oh, why?"
"Don't you remember? That mortal girl broke his poor heart. He won't look for another bride for a long while yet. Just like last time."
"You weren't alive the last time it happened."
"I'm older than I look."
"Right. I still think it's being planned."
"Well, I don't think it would be you."
"Oh, why not?"
"Don't you remember what I told you? That girl, another mortal, I don't remember her name, but he sent us away and let her stay. And she was so strange, she talked to him, looked him in the eye."
Thats when Ray popped in, dragging Sarah behind her.
"Is it so wrong to look a man in the eye when you're interested?" she asked. Sarah seemed completely lost. "Ray, what are we talking about?" she asked. "The King, and the possibility that he's looking for a bride." Ray told her. The four goblin women looked at Ray like she was a loony. "You can look any ordinary man in the eye, but the King? Certainly not." said the goblin that said Ray had looked the King in the eye. "Why not?" Ray challenged. "Nothing bad happens, his eyes just enchant you to no end, and his voice works wonders on the mind." she said with a smirk. Sarah nodded. "His eyes can lead you astray, and his voice casts a spell. We would know." she said, backing Ray up. She's starting to into the flow of things. Ray thought, watching the expressions on the faces of the goblin women.

It took the four goblin women a few minutes to realize who Ray and Sarah were, but when they did, they went crazy.
"You're that girl you actually turned him down?!"
"You're the girl who stayed late with him at the dinner?!"
Were what most of the questions were. Ray took it in, saying yes, she did have thing for the King, and was sure he like her back. Sarah was also true to her feelings, saying she didn't like the King at all, and was happy Ray had a thing for him. They talked on about this until the end of the ball.

Finally, Ray and Sarah tore themselves from the group of gossiping goblins. "You enjoyed that too much." Sarah said as they sat down in the carriage. Ray giggled. "Live with it. I like him, way too much for any sane girl. But when was I ever sane?" she said, knowing that some of the champagne had gone strait to her head. Sarah on the other hand, didn't drink much. "Well, at least your happy." she said, "I'm glad you like it here. Maybe.... Maybe you can fix some love-life problems." she said, quietly, Ray wasn't sure she heard her right. "So, I can hit on him, no hard feelings?" Sarah giggled. "Yeah..."

Ray wasn't quite sure how she got undressed or how she got into bed, but she knew Sarah had something to do with it. "Thanks." she said, her voice heavy with sleep. "Just go to sleep, Ray. You had one too many glasses of champagne." Sarah said, tucking Ray in. "Heh, maybe. But what can I say, it tastes good." and then she was out.

Ray woke up to the smell of bagels and locks and the sound of soft purring. "Toffee J.?" Ray mumbled. There was soft mew and Toffee J. rubbed his head against her cheek. "Morning." she said to the small cat. "How was your night? I had a blast." her words were slurred with sleep. "Oh, look who's awake." she heard Sarah's voice. "Sarah?" Ray asked, trying to pull herself away from sleep. "Yeah, it's me. And everyone else is here too." Sarah said as she helped Ray upright in bed. She rubbed the sleep form her eyes and saw the five little goblin women sitting around the table, a wonderful breakfast spread out in front of them. "Food, yum." Ray said a smile on her face.

Breakfast was great. Toffee J. sat by her plate and lapped at a saucer of milk. He never accepted anything else. They talked about the ball, and the conversation Ray and Sarah had with the gossiping goblin women. Zari and Bornia heavily backed Ray while the other three weren't against it, but weren't trilled either. "You should ask to attend a dinner with him" Zari said. "You can ask him to come here, have a simple dinner with you. I'll cook something special." she offered. Ray shook her head. "He knows plenty well I like him. For now, I'll let him muddle over if he likes me or not. But if he takes too long, I'll take you up on your offer." she said, taking a bite of her bagel.

After breakfast, Capeka said that Ray could have the day off so she could hang out with Sarah. After thanking the five goblin women, Ray and Sarah set off, looking for adventure. Toffee J. tagged along.

"So," Ray started as she and Sarah walked towards the city. "Where do you want to go?" Sarah shrugged. "I don't know. It'd be fun to see Ludo and Sir Didymus again." she said stopping. "Can't you call them?" Ray asked. Sarah nodded. "I guess, but wouldn't be a little odd to just call a giant red furball and a fox-thing on a dog into the center of the city?" Sarah asked, emphasizing how strange it would be. Ray sat down on a bench and thought on it. "We can go out to the woods just outside of the Underground. we can take a train to get there faster." and she took Sarah's hand and headed for the train station.

Tickets weren't as expensive like she thought they would be, but that didn't bother Ray in the slightest. The train was quiet and Ray and Sarah saw most of the Underground as the zoomed toward the edge. "It's almost steam-punk." Sarah commented. "Yeah, I guess it is." Ray said, looking out the window with her friend.

They found themselves at the forest station faster than Ray even thought. "Lets find a nice clearing to hang out." she said, taking Sarah's hand again and walking into the woods.

It only took a few minutes to find a clearing. Ray stood back and gave Sarah room. "Ludo, Sir Didymus, Ambrosia, Hoggle, I need to see you all again." Sarah whispered. Then the air began to shimmer, and slowly the forms of Ludo, Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ambrosia began to appear. "So cool." Ray said once they were all there. "Sarwa!" Ludo's baby talk could be heard as he hugged Sarah tightly. "Hey, Ludo. I missed you." she said. "Maiden, it has been much too long." said Sir Didymus. "Yes, it has." Sarah smiled, scratching Ambrosia under the chin. "Guys, this is Ray, my friend." she said, introducing Ray into the circle.

They talked for hours, sharing news and reminiscing. Toffee J. sat on Ray's shoulder the whole time, licking her cheek now and again. It was nice to meet "the gang" as Ray called them in her head. Time seemed to fly even faster now. "Sarwa stay?" Ludo asked. Sarah shook her head. "I can only stay just a little bit longer." she said. "Speaking of, I might even have to go now, so I can get my stuff I brought from home." her voice fell as she said this. "T'is alright, dear maiden. Even if you go home, you can still call us, and we can meet once more." Sir Didymus said. Sarah nodded, "Yes, I will call you all more often. Thank you."

The trip back to the shop seemed to be much faster then the trip to the clearing. Ray didn't think that was fair, but she didn't saw anything out loud. Sarah picked up her bag and hugged Ray good-bye. "Send me a letter?" Ray asked when they pulled away. Sarah nodded, "Totally." her smile started to fade. "Ray, thank you. I had so much here, and I might have given come to not hate him so much, but I still don't like him. Just FYI." she said. Ray giggled. "No worries. Even if you did start to like him, I wouldn't let you close to him." she said with a grin. Sarah shook her head and chuckled. "He suits you."

Ray handed Sarah her mask. "Take it, to remind you that this wasn't a dream, that you did actually go to that ball, that I'm still here." she said. Sarah took it gently in her hands. "Thank you again for everything, Ray." and then little goblins flooded into the shop from everywhere. "Time to go home." they said, snickering here and there. "Bye." Sarah said and then the goblins took her away.

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (14)

Chapter fourteen,

Reunited

Ray was busy finishing her dress, she had doodled a particularly nice dress that she wanted to wear, and had been working on it for the past two days. She would find a mask to match it later. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "It can't be the mailman. He came by earlier. Maybe he forgot something...?" Ray said, walking to the door.

"Sarah!" she exclaimed, seeing Sarah standing there in the door. Sarah seemed to be equally surprised. "Ray?" she asked. Ray smiled, "Come in, come in." she said, hurrying her friend inside. In the door way stood a few very small goblins all looking very expectant. "Oh, here." Ray said, digging a few coins out of her pocket and handing them to the goblins.

Sarah had put her bag down and was looking about the shop. "Wow." she said, bewildered. Ray giggled. "It was a lot messier when I first came. I've organized it a lot since then, come upstairs." she said, picking up Sarah's bag and showing her upstairs.

Sarah followed slowly behind, her eyes wandering everywhere. "Ray, wow." she said as Ray pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Ray went over to the sink and poured them both a glass of water. "Thanks. I thought you might like it." she said, handing Sarah a glass and then sitting down herself. "So," Ray started, "How'd you get away?" she asked. Sarah took a sip of water. "Said I was going to Nikki's. My parents won't call, and Nikki never knew." she answered. Ray nodded. "That works. So, I'm gonna make me a place to sleep so you can sleep in the bed. Or, if you don't care, 'cause I don't, we can both just sleep in the bed. Friends do that, right?" she asked, picking up Sarah's bag once more. Sarah shrugged. "I don't care." Ray smiled. "Alright then. We can go right to making your dress now."

Ray came back just as Sarah was finishing her water. "So, pick a color or a theme. Or both! We also have base dresses that we can add onto if you like." Ray said, showing Sarah downstairs. She was so excited to get started. Her dress was almost finished, so she could spend time on Sarah's now.

Sarah followed behind her. "I dunno. How about blue? A light blue maybe?" she asked, sounding a little off. Ray turned around and looked Sarah in the eye. "He's not here. He's not going to bother you. Okay? You're alright, here with me. Chill." she said. Ray knew Sarah hated it here, and the Goblin King. Ray couldn't blame her. If she had a younger bother, taken away, even if by her own wish, and then didn't get him back when she asked, she too would be a little hostile towards the King. Butthats how things worked. Life just wasn't ever fair. Sarah seemed to be taken aback by Ray's sudden outburst and nodded. "Sorry." she said quietly. Ray put an hand on Sarah's shoulder. "T'is alright. Now c'mon, we had a dress to sew. Light blue you said, right?"

Ray found a plain light blue gown, much like the one she had worn when she first got here, but it a different color. Sarah stood on the stool in front of the mirror while Ray was busy making sure it fit right whenHoggle walked in. "Sarah! You came!" he said, surprised and happy. Both Ray and Sarah giggled. "Hey, Hoggled." Sarah said. "How can I help you?" Ray asked. Hoggle shrugged. "I was wondering if you made suits. I need one for the masquerade." he said. Ray shook her head. "No, I don't. But Capeka does. I'm sure she wouldn't mind coming in to sew you a suit. Do you know where she lives?" Ray told Hoggle . He nodded. "Uh, Yea. Thanks. See ya later, Sarah." and he left. Ray and Sarah looked to one another and just started giggling. So was the way with girls.

By the time Hoggle came back with Capeka, Ray had made Sarah a beautiful blue fairy. Or, at least, she was a beautiful blue fairy in progress. "Wonderful job, Ray. Is this Sarah, your pen-pal?"Capeka asked. Ray nodded. "Capeka, Sarah. Sarah, Capeka." she said, introducing them. Sarah nodded and Capeka welcomed her. Then she and Hoggle went to another stool and mirror to start their work.

"Thanks you, miss." Hoggle said as he left. Capeka came around to see how Ray and Sarah were doing. Sarah wore a puffy light blue gown with see-through blue fabric draped loosely around it. Along with that, Sarah had long fingerless gloves with a sash attached. Jewels were in the process of being sewn on to give it sparkle. Ray had cut off the spaghetti straps and left it sleeveless. "I'll add wings and the rest of the jewels tomorrow morning. Then we'll go get masks." Ray told Sarah. Sarah nodded and looked at herself in the mirror. "Ray, this is beautiful!" she said, all her worry seeming to be melting away. Ray smiled. This is good. She needs to enjoy herself here, just this once.

The sun was setting now and Ray's stomach grumbles loudly. Sarah giggled. "I never thought you would sew so much you forgot to eat." she said with a smile. Ray had just helped her out of her dress and put it on amanniquine. "Hehe, yeah. I really get sucked into my work. But lets go get some dinner. Capeka, would you like to join us?" Ray asked, putting on a jacket and slipping on her heeled sandels. Over time and with the huge amount of balls she had attended, Ray had gotten used to heels. Capeka shook her head. "No 'hun, but thank you. Have fun, you two." she said, waving good-night.

Ray and Sarah stayed at Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner and ate and talked. Ray introduced Sarah to Gutaki and Zari and that was a blast. But then they had to close up, so Ray and Sarah headed back to the shop. On the way, Toffee J. began to follow Ray again. "Oh, hey Toffee J." she said, picking up the small cat. "See, this isToffe J. Isn't he just the cutest?" Ray asked, showing the little cat to Sarah. Sarah gently scratched him between the ears. "He is cute." she said with a smile.

Once they got to the shop, Toffee J. ran off. "Aw." Ray said, sadly. "Maybe he'll come back in the morning." she said, opening the door for Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Maybe. He did last time, right?" she asked. Ray shrugged. "Yeah, but whatever. He's his own cat."

"So, what does your dress look like?" Sarah asked as Ray rummaged through a chest a jewels and pins. "Oh, um..." Ray blushed. "You might not like it all that much..." she said, finally finding the pin she was looking for. It was a diamond-shaped topaz. Sarah cocked her head to the side. "Why won't I like it?" she asked confused. Ray sighed. If only Sarah didn't hate the Goblin King so much. "It's sorta like, um,y'know, his outfit." Ray said, feeling really uncomfortable. Sarah just stared at her. "What?" she asked, not looking so mad as confused. "How are you going to that off?"
"Here, I'll show you what I have so far. I still have to finish up a few things, but it's almost done." Ray said, showing Sarah over to a mannequin that was covered with a cloth. Sarah stood and waited. With a deep breath, Ray pulled the cloth off.

Ray's dress was a plain blue-gray sleevelss gown with a V-neck. Over top the dress was a black leather tailcoat with a tail that was just a bit longer than the dress and a large collar that stayed stiffly in place, just like how Sarah had described the King's jacket so many times. Sarah just stared at it. "Oh.." she said. Ray couldn't tell if she was mad or not. I hope she isn't... Ray thought, she didn't want to have offended her friend.

"So...?" Ray asked, looking at Sarah worriedly. "It's..." Sarah started, "It's good. I like it." she said, giving Ray a smile. Ray sighed, glad that Sarah was alright. "I just, never thought I'd see a dress like this. It's, I just saw him wearing it when I first saw it, it was.... Odd." Sarah said with a unsure smile. Ray burst out laughing. "Him, in a, dress? Sarah, you're great." she said, her sentences broken with giggles. Sarah laughed with her. "I don't, know. It just, popped into my head." she said, giggles overflowing from the both of them.

The giggling finally stopped when they both ran out of breath. "We should go to bed." Ray said, pinning the topaz pin to the tail coat to give it some sparkle. Sarah sighed. "I thought you liked to stay up late." she said, following Ray upstairs. Ray laughed. "Yeah, I do like to stay up late, but I don't really get to anymore. Life had speed up for me. There's so much to do now, and whenever there's a ball, "no rest for the hardworking"y'know ?" Ray said, making little quote marks with her fingers. Sarah chuckled and shook her head. "You're so grown up, Ray." she said looking down. "I am older you. But, Sarah, why are you so hell-bent on growing up? It's really not all that great, not in your world anyhow. Just be you, you'll feel so much better." Ray encouraged. Sarah looked up with a smile. "Thanks, Ray.

They stayed up much later just talking like they used to in bed. But finally they both couldn't keep their eyes open anymore. Ray let her mind wander, and slowly slipped into unconsciousness. But she could tell Sarah had a harder time falling asleep.

Toffee J. woke Ray up in the morning. "Oh, hey Toffee J. You want some milk?" she asked, her eyes still only half open. He mewed softly. Ray stretched and got up out of bed. Sarah was still sleeping and ray let her sleep. It was dawn, the mask shop wouldn't even be open yet. "You can sleep for another hour or so. Then we need to go." Ray said, putting the blankets over Sarah, it was a chilly morning.

Ray poured Toffee J. a saucer of milk and a glass for herself. "So, how was your night?" she asked the small cat. He mewed and shrugged. "Okay, huh? You can sleep here if you want. I don't care." she said, petting him. He was so soft! Toffee J. mewed and began to purr which sounded funny when he was drinking. Ray giggled. She loved cats.

Finally she couldn't wait anymore and she woke Sarah up. "Sarah, it's time to go. We can get breakfast on the way there, 'kay?" she said softly. Sarah rolled over. "It's cold." she mumbled. Ray chuckled. "Yeah, you can wear one of my jackets. But it gets a lot warmer later in the day." she said. Sarah moaned, but got up out of bed.

After grabbing a bag of hot biscuits, Ray showed Sarah to Hidden Faces. "Oh wow." Sarah said with a mouth full of biscuit. Ray nodded in agreement. "Totally."

They walked around the shop, just looking at all the masks at first. "This place is so cool, Ray." Sarah said, looking at a white angel mask. "Heh, Yeah." Ray said, drawn to a demon mask. "Almost like his..." she said, remembering what Sarah said about the Goblin King's mask when she had danced with him. The difference between this one and the one Sarah talked about was that this mask only covered half the face and the face was a dark-amber in color and the horns were black. "Would you like to purchase that one?" asked a familiar voice. It was the goblin lady form before. Ray smiled down at her, she was about a little bit taller than half of Ray's height. "Oh, um..." Ray thought back to her dress. It matches. "Yes, but I'm waiting on a friend, can you hold it for me at the counter?" she asked. The lady nodded, "Sure honey." and she took the mask down and hobbled over to the counter.

Ray wandered around the shop until she found Sarah. She was looking at a crescent moon mask almost the same color as her dress. It also had little blue gems on it. "I can get that one if you want it." Ray said, seeing Sarah's face. She was obviously very much in love with the mask. "Oh, really? But it's so expensive..." she said, turning the tag for Ray to see. "Three-hundred coins....Oh well. I'll get it for you, this should be the ball of your life, splurge won't ya?" Ray said, nudging Sarah in the ribs playfully. "Really? You'd get it for me?" she asked, the joy in her face obvious. Ray giggled. "Why not?C'mon, I already found mine." she said, taking the mask down gently.

The goblin lady was very careful to wrap the masks well, so they wouldn't brake or crack on the way back. "Have fun at the ball!" she called after Ray and Sarah as they left the shop. "Thanks!" Ray said, with a smile. "So, you like your mask?" she asked. Sarah nodded her head vigorously. "I love it! Thank you, Ray. You're the best friend ever." she said, hugging Ray. Ray hugged her back. "Right back at you."

When they got back to the shop, Capeka was there working on Hoggle's suit. "Morning girls. Were you successful?" she asked, looking up form her sewing. Ray turned the sign on the door over to say "closed" and closed the blinds. "Yeah, we both found masks. How are you?" Ray asked, ushering Sarah over to the stool and mirrors.Capeka shrugged. "Alright. I haven't sewn a suit in a while, but it's turning out alright." she said, holding up the suit for Ray and Sarah to see. It was a plain black suit with gold trim and smoke-like embroidery. "I can't seeHoggle in that." Sarah said as Ray helped her into her gown. "I don't know Hoggle like you do, but I can't see him in it either." she said with a giggle.

Ray spent the next hour making Sarah a pair of wings, just like the wings the fairies had, but they were smaller, so Sarah didn't have to worry so much about sticking someone in the eye. After that, Ray sewed on the rest of the jewels. "Here," she said, handing Sarah her mask. "Try it on with the dress."
"Alright.." Sarah said, taking the mask and tying it on.

It took her a moment to get it tight, but when she looked up, Ray couldn't help but feel proud of herself for making such an outfit. "You look awesome, Sarah." she said. Capeka nodded. "Very beautiful, dear. Good work, Ray." she said, taking a small break from her work. Sarah turned this was and that, looking at herself in the mirror. "Ray, Capeka is right, you did wonderful. Thanks you, so much!" Ray blushed. "Thanks, guys." she said, happy that Sarah was enjoying herself.

"Now, lets see your dress." Bornia said. Ray turned around to see Bornia and Alopa standing behind her. "You did a wonderful job on Sarah's dress." Alopa commented, setting her bag down and walking around Sarah. "Yes, quite nice." Bornia agreed. "But go on, get your dress on and lets see what else e need to do."

Ray came out a moment later, wearing her dress and jacket. "Something's missing..." Sarah said, much to Ray's surprise. "What?" she asked, getting up onto the stool. "Boots. You need leather boots. And gloves. And you still need makeup."Sarah said. "I thought you didn't like to think about him." Ray said, looking herself in the mirror, making sure everything looked okay. "I don't like to think about him, but what choice do I have, you've got the hots for him. I might as well be a good girlfriend and give you feedback." Sarah explained with a sigh. "Thanks, Sarah."
"Don't mention it."

From there, Ray just had to cut a little bit off the bottom, it was still too long in the front, and she had to sew the pin onto the jacket, so it wouldn't fall off during the ball and she dug out a pair of gloves with just the tips of the fingers cut off. "Now, lets find some shoes." she said to Sarah. Bornia and Alopa had left and Capeka was finishing up Hoggle's suit.

It took forever to find shoes that fit, but when they did, it was worth all the work. Ray found some blue strap-heels for Sarah, and Sarah found Ray a set of black-leather boots that buckled up the sides. Hoggle came by then, to pick up his suit. The ball was only a few hours away.

Ray was putting her dress on when Sarah tapped her on the shoulder, "How are we going to get to the castle?" she asked. Ray giggled. "He didn't tell you in your invite? He's sending us a carriage." she said. "Oh.." Sarah said, and Ray could tell she was slipping back into suspicion. "If he bothers you I'll stare him in the eye 'till the end of the world, he'll hate that, 'kay?" she said, turning to face Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Thanks. Could you help me with my dress?"

Once Sarah had her dress on, Ray went to getting her makeup done and her hair fluffed. Once she was done, Sarah looked like the queen of the fairies. "How can I help with your dress?" she asked Ray and Ray buckled her jacket on and slipped her gloves on. "You can do my makeup," she said. Sarah smiled. "Alright, have a seat."

It didn't take long for Sarah to do Ray's makeup and Ray was grateful, the carriage arrived just as she was tying her mask in place. "Lets dance." she said, and they set off towards the castle.

Labyrinth II: Return to the Labyrinth (13)

Chapter thirteen,

Six months and a wary visit

Six months since Ray's dance with the Goblin King, and Sarah was glad she was still in contact with her "missing" friend. Like she had told Ray in her letter, no one really seemed intent on looking for her. It was just "Okay, Ray's gone, oh well. Moving on." that almost made Sarah cry, how little people really cared.

But at least she knew Ray was alright. At least she could still talk to Ray. At least she still cared. And Ray seemed to be enjoying herself plenty in the Goblin City. That still sent shivers up Sarah's spine. She knew that the Goblin King couldn't ever get to her ever again, but she was worried for Ray. What if he was just toying with her? What if it wasn't real, the feelings Ray had for him?

With summer break coming to an end, Sarah was worried she wouldn't have as much time to write to Ray, to make sure she was still okay. But, they only wrote a few times a week now anyways. "I'll live." she said, walking home from her walk in the park. "And Ray seems to be doing alright." Sarah shrugged, walking into the house through the back and picking up the letter on the windowsill.

She went up to her room and opened the letter. Ray had gotten wax and used the seal for her shop to close her letters now. It was pretty cool to say the least. Now Sarah didn't have to remember to send her letters with and extra envelope.

Sarah unfolded the letter and read it.
"Sarah,
I'm glad that you still care enough to worry. But you see, this is the reason I wanted to leave; no one wanted me there. Yeah, I had you and maybe a few others, but from what you're telling me, you're the only one who really cares. And I like that, thank you.
But moving onto more happy news. Toffee J. came back. He woke me up this morning. So cute! Oh, and theres a masquerade ball this weekend. I'm going to stop by that mask shop again to try and get an idea for what to wear, and I want to know, what would you like to wear?"
Sarah stopped for a moment there. "Did she just write what do I want to wear?" she asked herself. Sarah read on to see.
"Yeah, I can see your face right now: WTF, RAY?! Hehe, but yes, I just asked what you wanted to wear. The King sent me two invites; one for me, and one for you. I don't really know what he's up to, but I'm sure it'll be alright.C'mon , you don't have to dance, I rarely do. You just have to cling to me and have some fun! You can say you're going camping in the woods behind your house or something and disappear for a few days! It'll be so much fun to see you again. And you can see the shop, meetBornia and the girls, see Toffee J. and I can show you around a bit."
Sarah was interrupted by the calls of her stepmother. "Sarah, honey! There's a letter for you down here." she called. "Coming!" Sarah said, getting up and getting the letter.

Sarah had to wait to open her new letter and continue Ray's until after dinner. Ugh. She has the worst timing.. Sarah complained, glaring at Karen for a moment, before going back to finishing her food.

When she was allowed away from the table, Sarah went back up to her room and continued Ray's letter.
"A note came with the invite for you, it said "Send this to the mail house, it'll get o Sarah from there." and I did so. I hope you got it. It looks like an ordinary letter, with the to address and the return address, but if you look at it, the return address makes no sense. Anyways, that's your invite. I didn't open it, promise.
Hope to see you soon!
~Ray."
Sarah stared at the other letter. The return address on the other envelope. It did make no sense.
"G.O.B. Lin King
P.O. box # 654
Center Goblin City, NW 09876"
Well, at least Sarah knew that the invitation got here. And maybe it made some sense.... In a really really really strange way that only Ray and Sarah would understand. "He makes no sense." Sarah said, looking warily at the envelope. "Here goes nothing..." she said, opening it.

The letter inside the envelope looked like the letters that Ray sent, except the handwriting was very fancy and neat, and in a shining green ink. I really don't want to read this.. Sarah thought, a knot had formed in her stomach. It's probably some sort of trap. He's using Ray to get to me. her chest was starting to throb. But Hoggle said that he couldn't hurt me anymore. Does that mean even if I do go, he won't be able to hurt me? Oh I just don't know. Sarah sighed. "Hoggle, I need you." she whispered. Her parents were still awake, but Sarah needed help now, she couldn't wait until everyone else was asleep.

Hoggle appeared in her room a few minutes later. "Sorry for taking so long, I had to figure out where Ray's shop was again, I was invited to a masquerade ball. Really strange. But anyways, I'm where,what'd you need?" He asked, seeming almost just as uncomfortable as Sarah about going to the ball. "Um, I was invited to the ball too." Sarah said uncertainly.Hoggle looked as if he was about to scream so Sarah shushed him. "Everyone it still awake. So we need to be quiet." she said in hushed voice.Hoggle still seemed baffled. "How does he expect to get you to the Labyrinth? He can't touch you!" Hoggle said, mimicking Sarah's thoughts. "I don't know, but I'm sure it explains everything in this letter. I'm just too scared to read it." she said handingHoggle the letter.

Hoggle read over the letter several times before he spoke to Sarah. "You can wish yourself into the Labyrinth for the duration of the ball, and a little more so you can find a dress that fits and a mask. "Hoggle said, handing the letter back to Sarah. "Like Ray did, but it would only be temporary. That's the extent of his power with you." he said with a sigh. Sarah let go of the breath she hadn't known she was holding. "Really? You sure?" she asked.Hoggle nodded. "It says everything on the invitation." Sarah looked down warily at the letter. "Calls me if you need more help, but I have to go now."Hoggle said as he faded away.

Sarah didn't know how long she spent just looking at the invitation. Finally she brought herself to read it, it was just a piece of paper with words on it. It wasn't like it was going to comet to life and drag her back to that horrible place.
"Dear Sarah,
I know you don't want to here form me, but I thought, since you and Ray talk so much, you would like to see her again.
I'm having a masquerade ball this weekend, and I thought it would be convenient for you to come then. Ray would love to make you a dress. She's quite good at sewing now if you hadn't heard.
If you do decide to come, wish a hope you do, find a good time to disappear, give yourself at lest an extra day or so, Ray needs to make your dress still, and then wish yourself here, to the Goblin City, for however long you will be staying. Since you can't stand to have me around, I'll send my goblins to take you to Ray's shop. When your time is up, you'll be sent home. Easy as that.
So hurry, you don't have much time.
~Goblin King"
She read. Sarah didn't know what to do. She had two days to decide.

Sarah spent the next two days couped up in her room, only leaving when she had too. Should I go? she would ask herself over and over again. Finally she decided. "I'll go. But only for Ray. You hear me?" she asked the air around her, knowing that he might as well be hiding in the shadows, watching her every movement. "I'm only going for Ray. This has nothing to do with you!" and that was it.

Who's house could she pretend to be going to? A sleepover. The whole weekend. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There were a few people, but Sarah needed someone who had easy-going parents that went to bed early. "Nikki, maybe..." she said, thinking about it. Yeah, she coudl sya she wa going to Nikki's, and her parents knew not to call late, and Sarah and Nikki did get along enough to have a sleepover now and again.

Sarah got the phone form downstairs, to make it seem like she was calling someone. Once back up in her room, Sarah began to pack, simple things that she wanted to take with her. And if she left for her "sleepover" with no bag, her parents might ask more questions than Sarah could handle.

"Dad?" Sarah asked, walking down the stairs with her packed bag. "Sorry this is so last notice, but I thought Nikki and I could have a sleepover this weekend. Two nights. It's been so long, and her parents already said we could." she said in, trying her best to sound like she normally would in this sort of situation. Her dad took the bait. "Oh, yeah. Sure honey, just be careful. You want a ride?" he asked, going for his keys. "Uh, no. I'm good, we're meeting at the park for a bit first anyways." she said, maybe a bit too fast, but her dad shrugged it off. Good save. she told herself. "Alright then. Be careful. Have fun." her dad said and she was out the door.

Sarah held Ray's letter and the invitation in her hands. She bit her lip, but wished herself away anyways. "I wish the goblins would take me away form here, just until Sunday afternoon. Right now." she said, closing her eyes.

The giggles and horrible chuckles of the goblins came form all around her. Sarah was frozen to the spot. "This way, hehe." said horse little voices from the bushes. "Yeah, hehe, come this way." they told her, drawing her into the woods. "Just a little bit more, hehe."