The bedroom around her melted away as an overwhelming sensation of falling took over her. Stomach lodged in throat, and heart beating at a startling rate... a scream sat on her tongue but was trapped behind clenched teeth.

Meer moments passed before the sensation switch all too suddenly, wrenching the falling sensation in the opposite directing... like gravity itself was battling for her person, switching the push and pull on her body in every which way.
Allison focused hard on not vomiting, but it was incredibly difficult. Acidic bile would come up and burn the back of her throat as she forced the contents down.
Ugh.

Her head spun. Reality refusing to give her control of anything.

How you turn my world you precious thing.

Jareth.

She could hear him, but couldn't see him.

Live without a heart beat.

At this, Allison's person was flung hard against something cold, and stone with a force that caused her to bounce and skid before landing completely.

"Down in the underground." She mused at the baffling scene around her.

An endless room of staircases stacked in every possibly direction, leading to nowhere and everywhere all at once like some sick M.C. Esher painting.

Sarah use to have a book full of illusions like this place.

.... without you

Jareth

"Jareth!" She screamed, causing echoes to bound throughout the entire room.

"Jareth, show yourself. I wish it."

The right words.
She knew he couldn't ignore her wishes.

From high above her head, she could just see his figure leaning against a case smugly.
"You called for me my dear?" He asked innocently.

Allison gave him a quick nod.

His expression changed to one of impatience at the lack of an explanation.
"Well? What may I ask do you want?"

Allison's mouth dropped opened to speak without realizing she didn't quite have an answer.

Why had she summoned him?

"I... I don't like not seeing you." She forced out, and automatically regretting the way it sounded.
Jareth was gone in a heart beat, disappearing behind a staircase, leaving behind nothing but the echo of a chuckle.

Now frantic at the loss of him, she began searching. Like a venomous snake had been set loos and she had been blind folded.

Very dodgy work indeed.

Allison took a chance, and peered carefully over the edge of the ledge she stood on.

Standing directly below her on an opposite gravity field was the goblin king. Ally bit back the gasp that fought to bust free, and laid a hand to her chest in attempt to sooth her rapid heart.
Gracefully, the king stepped over the ledge until the gravity shifted, leaving him to stand easily next to Allison.
A bit to close.

"Why Allison, I had no idea you were quite so... fond of my company." He grinned wickedly.

Ally's brow automatically furrowed as she silently cursed her own name for the words she had chosen.
"I'm not." She shoved him back a safe distance.
"I just don't like not knowing were you are lurching."

"You mean you don't trust me?" He asked, a pang of sarcastic hurt dripping from his tone.

"No I don't." She glared at him.

His expression changed too fast again, reminding her of the episode back in her room.

Whiplash.

His features sat a bit to seriously for Allison's comfort.

"Good." He shot harshly.

"You are smarter than you look."
Stepping over the edge, he fell into nothing.

Surprised and concerned that he had just fallen to his death, she ran to the edge and took a brave glance bellow.

Bottomless.

And king less.

He had disappeared.

"Damn it." She cursed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Two hours.

Two hours she had blown running up and down stairs!

Allison tangled her fingers in her strawberry blond waves, and nearly ripped them from her scalp in frustration.

"Ugh!!! I don't have time for this!" She shouted, letting her own echoing voice mock her.

Her legs were sore from climbing.

Her lungs burned from panting.

Her heart writhed with the fear of failing... of loosing her aunt to this horrible place forever.

At a loss, Allison fell to her knees for a rest.
A hand at her torso, and the other bracing herself up off the stone.

"Smarter than I look." She grumbled, repeating his words.

He said this wasn't a game.
She knew it was a lie.
Jareth craved the game.
So why wasn't he playing right now?
Surly the sight of her wondering up and down stairs must've gotten old an hour ago...

But...

What if she was missing something?
A clue?

A hint?

What had he done?
What could be considered a hint to get out of this place? What had he done?
He walked, he sang, he taunted......

..... He jumped.