Masked (A Hat In Time)

Rebuilding

I like to think that the first thing that Snatcher did when he escaped from the dungeon was run into the forest, cross the bridge, then turn around and destroy it with a blast of flame.

You know...burning his bridges.

Kind of a pun...but very symbolic.

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The plan was ironed out the more everyone talked about it. The finished product was this:

1. Snatcher, Jaide, Moonjumper, Hattie, Bow, and Snatcher's minions travel to the manor. They'd rebuild the bridge, then destroy the ice walls that blocked them from reaching the area. They needed a quick escape, after all.

2. Jaide, Moonjumper, Hattie, and Bow go to the back of the dungeon to find the prince. Snatcher, with his minions, draws Vanessa out of the house. Snatcher will give a signal to let those in the back know that she's out of the manor.

3. They go into the dungeon. They get him out. One of the ghosts teleports him back to Subcon and doesn't leave until they're okay.

4. The kids and the remaining ghost let Snatcher know that he's out of the dungeon, and they start to evacuate. If the fight drags out, they kill Vanessa....or at least try.

5. Destroy the bridge again, and make sure the prince is okay. Never have to deal with something like this again.

Hattie was just a kid, so she didn't know much about strategy, but she couldn't find any flaws in the plan. She also trusted Snatcher, Moon, and Jaide to know what they were doing. They were probably wise. Being dead for 500 years had to give you some sort of wisdom that came with old age. Or maybe that was a bad way to think about it.

She paced around outside Snatcher's home restlessly as Bow just leaned against the tree. Hat Kid was fine with the plan; she was happy that they were going to save the prince. But she wanted to save him now. She wanted to bust into the manor, break the chains, and whisk him away. She also wanted to fight Vanessa.

But no. She couldn't. Too many things might go wrong. Trying to fight Vanessa would probably give Moon and Jaide a heart attack, and it was likely that Hat Kid would become a lovely ice statue.

Her impatience was horrific to deal with. Hat Kid wanted to beat something up, but all the spiders in the forest probably wouldn't be enough to quell her rage.

How could the prince do this!? How could he hurt himself like this!? She cursed herself for not noticing the morning he left- wait, that happened earlier this morning. It felt like a lifetime and a few seconds all at once.

She cursed herself for not paying much attention to how he seemed off. Hat Kid remembered feeling a little concerned since it felt like he was lying about getting a night of good sleep. Why hadn't she paid more attention!? She could've insisted that he wasn't okay, and they could've comforted him. They could've prevented this.

A horrible thought stopped her in her tracks. Did he leave...because he was upset that they'd have to leave the planet? She winced. Hat Kid couldn't help but remember the look on his face when they told him they were leaving: a mix of shock and sadness.

Did he hate them now? Was he angry at them for having to leave? No, he was too nice for that. He was so happy around them otherwise. He couldn't be angry.

And it wasn't like they had a choice. They had to go home. Right? They had to go home, and they had to leave all their friends behind. It had become a fact of life to them. No matter how much fun you have, no matter how many people you meet, no matter how attached you get to them, you had to leave.