Not Long At All

Chapter Eighteen

David's POV: 

      "There are things you don't know."

      Ziggy's eyes watched Sarah and she frowned, thoughts already filling her head.

      "You-" He tugged at the duct tape before glancing between it and Sarah, "Listen darling, this isn't going to work."

      When she showed no sign of giving in, he sighed, exasperated, "Love, I'm a hand talker. Look at this, it's tragic." 

      Sarah turned to me, eyebrows arched in question. Shrugging, I handed her my box cutter- something we'd agreed to keep close, just in case. 

      "You can have one hand." She dragged the blade through the duct tape, before quickly ripping it from Ziggy's arm. Ignoring his gasp of pain, Sarah joined me back on the floor, "What do you know?"

      Ziggy held his arm closer to his face, "It's as red as my hair. Poor thing..."

      From the corner of my eye I could see Sarah gripping the box cutter and so cleared my throat, "Zig?"

      He quickly looked up, "Hmm? Oh. Well, I-" His gaze pleaded with me, "First, let me just say that while this may somehow be, in a small way, my fault- I never thought things would end up like this."

      "Still doesn't tell us much." 

      The two of us looked to Sarah, her face set. Ziggy licked his lips, mulling something over, "You obviously know about the Underground. Or at least about the Labyrinth. But there's more than just the that and the Aboveground. There's a Middleground. Consider it the supreme justice system." 

      Sarah nodded throughout his words, but I sat in a lost silence. Underground? Like tunnels? 

      Ziggy kept on, oblivious to my confusion, "Whatever you call it, luck, karma, blessings, the world's order, curses- those are all the Middleground. Normally they just like to play games, but when it comes down to it, they keep the order. There is a lot more order to magic than reality. And black magic?" His eyes rested knowingly on Sarah, "Well... there is no getting around that stuff. Either you return it, or you pay for it." 

      Sarah's gaze fell to the floor, and for the first time I saw a shadow of shame cross her face. I looked back to Ziggy, trying to piece everything together, "So there was black magic? What does that mean for us?"

      Ziggy shook his head, "Black magic is nasty stuff. Luckily for Sarah, she came back here. Think of it as a return. She didn't intend to keep using the magic so she didn't owe anything. You, on the other hand, " he met my eyes, "Broke their rules. Intentionally. It was basically the worst you could do."

      I blinked, "But- I mean, I am a notorious rule follower."

      Beside me, Sarah snorted and I looked to her, "What?"

      Realizing my defensiveness, she shrugged, "You just... weren't. Always."

      I squinted at her, and she shrugged again, eyebrows raised, before turning back to Ziggy, "So he broke the rules and got taken to Middleground. How do you come in?"

      "I was there too." Taking a breath, his eyes trailing towards the floor, "And it's a terrible place. What happens there. The things you see."

      He watched the ground absently and something in my stomach stirred, a vague feeling of nausea crawling up the sides. Sarah watched him, "That's where Jareth was."

      Ziggy nodded, "It was my job to... clean up." 

      The phrase hung over us before Ziggy looked up to Sarah, "But one day, I just- I don't know. Middleground doesn't have very many transport regulations, surprisingly. So one day I just grabbed him and ran. I got him out."

      Sarah frowned, "So you worked for them?"

      Another nod, "The sepulchrists. I worked for them, but-" He paused, "that's another story."

      Looking to Sarah, I could see the disbelief in her mouth, the way she pursed her lips, head tilted. She stared at him for a moment, "Why didn't you just put him back in the Underground?"

      Ziggy lifted a hand, "He told me he was from the Aboveground. That's all he would say. That and... Sarah."

      I shifted uncomfortably. There had very obviously been something between this Jareth and her. Having never been a part of it though, I felt like I'd been awkwardly thrust into a stranger's love triangle.

      Sarah, on the other hand, didn't seem to register that we were strangers and she looked my way, a sad love in her eyes. Unable to meet her gaze, I dropped mine and looked to my hands. I saw her look away in my peripheral, "And now they're coming after you?"

      Ziggy tilted his head to the side, slowly nodding, "Yeah... Me, us. However you call it." He looked to me, "They're coming after you. As far as they're concerned- you're officially in debt."

      Panic grabbed my heart, "But I don't remember any of that." I desperately grasped a string of optimism, "Are we sure I'm even the right person?"

      Ziggy stared at me, "Yes, love. I'm pretty sure."

      I nodded, unable to find a way around his certainty. Sarah pushed herself up, "So what are our options here?"

      I watched her before turning to Ziggy as he spoke, "Darling, your only options are to pay his debt or take down the sepulchrists."

      Sarah fidgeted with the box cutter, "Can you get us to Middleground?"

      Ziggy smiled, "Better yet, love. I can take you right to them."

      My fear propelled me up to stand beside Sarah, "Wait a second. Why don't we just pay the debt. Maybe it's not that bad. I had a really overdrawn library book once but after I turned it in, I only owed like a buck twenty five."

      Ziggy frowned at me, the corner of his nose raising, "The Middleground isn't a library, love. And you didn't borrow anything. You owe quite a lot more than money."

      I swallowed, a numbness pulling my fingertips. Ziggy leaned back in his chair, "Darling, you owe them a soul."

      The phrase seemed to stop time. The silence drew the air from my lungs and I was left in a dizzying breathlessness. Sarah looked back to me, concern drawing her eyebrows together. Meeting her gaze, my heart beat in my throat, keeping me from swallowing. She searched my eyes, going back and forth between them, and I couldn't help but feel as if she were saying goodbye. 

      Suddenly she turned from me to face Ziggy, "To the Middleground then."

      Ziggy grinned, "To the Middleground then."

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Hello my lovelies! ^-^

So glad to have had posted another chapter, even if in an untimely matter. How is everyone doing?

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter- I am so excited to go on an adventure with our new gang- I hope you are too! ^_^

This chapter is dedicated to @Zapps29 . They are absolutely lovely and were just a joy to speak with. Thank you for giving me the courage to upload this chapter!

Today's word is Nyctophobia- fear of the dark

As always, my lovelies:

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When things get dark, find a night light <3

p.s. I am so excited for the rest of this story! Thank you everyone for all your support ^-^