Caveats And Cliches (A Labyrinth Fanfiction)

Chapter 9: Thank Your Lucky Stars

I startle awake in total darkness, desperately reaching for Jareth to see if he is still breathing. But my hand touches on bedclothes instead of his skin. I turn in confusion blinking helplessly at the dark. If I squint, I can just see the outline of the bed around me, but little beyond it. I try to sit up, but find myself hindered, entangled in cording that seems to be bonded to my skin somehow. I pull at one of the lines, trying to free myself. It holds firm, even when I give it a hard yank. I do manage to make it change color, though. It turns red and pulsates like a warning light, or a silent alarm. Now that it's giving off a bit of light, I can see that the cords branch off into a spiderweb of fine tendrils that wick out over my skin. They seem to be placed at random; two on just my right arm, one on my temple, and several across my back. Even though I can't figure out how to remove them, I don't believe that they are restraints. I'm so busy trying to determine what they are for, that I don't notice that another person has entered the room until she speaks.

"May I help you release your bands, Milady?"

A girl in a simple shift stands at the end of my bed with a lamp in hand that gives off a soft light. Her voice is gentle and sincere, but it nearly scares me to death. She sees me startle and quickly apologises.

"I did not mean to frighten you, Milady, but one of your bands separated, and I thought you might require assistance."

Though I have no idea what's going on, I manage to stutter out,

"Yes, yes, I do need assistance...please."

The girl moves to the side of my bed and places the lamp on a shelf above my head.  She gestures at it, and the light in the room slowly increases. I'm grateful for the illumination, finally able to observe my surroundings. But, looking around, I find there is little to see. On the wall in front of me is a large, odd looking cabinet and a doorway that looks like it might lead to a bathroom. To my right is a door; most likely the one the girl entered through. The most interesting thing about the room is that it is curved. The girl busily taps at a panel on the wall behind my bed. After a moment, the grip of the bands falls slack and they slither away; retracting to an unknown place in the wall or bed itself. She turns to me with a cheerful smile.

"Your percentages are very high, Mistress Davina will be pleased."

A stare back at her in utter confusion and her smile thins a bit.

"Forgive me, is this your first time receiving heliotherapy?"

"Yes... actually, I uh, I don't even know where I am."

The girl's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Forgive me, Milady. I assumed you were well acquainted with our work. Allow me to give you a proper introduction."

She dips into a well-balanced, ballerina style bow. When she straightens, she announces with great pride,

"Welcome to The Observatory. I am Galice, and I shall be your guide through the orb."

Before I get the full tour, Galice explains that the wardrobe has clothing that will fit me and leaves me to wash and dress. Sleeping in a real bed has done wonders for me, I practically run to the bathroom feeling refreshed and eager to find out where we are and what's happened since we passed out on the doorstep. But the word "we" makes me pause. I don't know what's happened to Jareth. It's entirely possible that he didn't make it. A memorial for the fallen Goblin King could be a stop on the tour I'm about to take. Galice wouldn't have been so lighthearted if he was gone. She would have told me right away. I comfort myself with this thought, even though I don't know anything about the girl other than her name. All the same, I rush through bathing and pop open the wardrobe looking for the easiest thing to throw on. The garments within look like they were stolen from a steampunk convention. Why am I not surprised?