Masked (A Hat In Time)

Other Plans

I genuinely thought this chapter was going to be more interesting, but it turns out it took a lot more words to write nothing than I thought. Huh.

---

Hattie and Bow shared a look as they headed toward Snatcher's home. Just ahead of them floated Jaide- well, the thing that possessed Jaide. And the Outlander was just a step behind, his ears continually flicking with annoyance.

Hattie found it hard to believe what was going on. Why was the Outlander so quick to obey whatever was in Jaide's mask? From his reluctance, it seemed like he literally didn't have a choice. She stuck a tongue out at the back of his head.

The Outlander sensed this, and his head whipped around 180 degrees. Both the girls cringed. Jaide paused, sighed, and slapped the Outlander on the back of the head. He jolted and turned his head forward again.

Hat Kid turned her gaze to Jaide this time, scrutinizing her. It was strange how she seemed so normal from a back view. But it wasn't Jaide at all. Who was it? What was it? Why did it suddenly change its mind about hurting them? What were its plans?

And what happened to Snatcher? And Moon? And the prince, Hat Kid suddenly realized. He wasn't there afterward when they'd been rescued from the shadows. Did not-Jaide hurt him?!

As they finally entered Snatcher's home, she got the feeling she was just about to find out.

Not-Jaide floated in first with the Outlander. The kids came in, and instinctively, Hat Kid's gaze fell on Snatcher's chair.

It wasn't empty like she expected it to be. Snatcher was there in his chair. Hattie's hopes lifted just for a moment. He wasn't reading, though. Or awake, she realized.

Moon was there too, and so was the prince. All three of them were unconscious. It kind of looked like the three of them were cuddling. Hat Kid stifled a laugh, then equipped her Camera Badge and snapped a photo.

Not-Jaide shot a glance at the three in the chair. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about them," she said absentmindedly. "Yeah, no, I didn't want to kill them. It turns out hurting people isn't as fun as some people make it out to be." She shot a pointed glare at the Outlander. He just rolled his eyes.

"So they're okay?" Bow Kid asked. Her voice sounded shaky, and she shot a look at the prince. Hattie's brow furrowed. He looked perfectly fine. What was Bow so worried about?

"Yeah, they're just asleep," Not-Jaide answered with a wave of her hand. Her eyes brightened. "Besides, it'll be fun when they wake up."

Hattie and Bow shared a glance. Hat Kid didn't like how hungrily she said fun.

"Anyway!" Not-Jaide clasped her hands together, a grin spreading across her face. "Time to take care of a few things. Namely, you." She shot a venomous look toward the Outlander, whose tail lashed angrily.

She looked back at the kids, the easy smile back on her face. "My plan here is to just get rid of him," she told them. "I'll banish him from this world forever and send him back to where he came from."

The Outlander looked confused for a moment, then his eyes suddenly widened. He looked genuinely terrified. Not-Jaide laughed. "Oh, now you put two and two together!" she exclaimed.

"Where he came from?" Bow asked, looking as confused as Hattie felt. "You mean..." she hesitated. "H-E-double hockey sticks?"

"Hell?" Not-Jaide said casually. Both kids flinched. Not-Jaide chuckled. "No, no, there's no such thing. I'm gonna send him back to the Underworld!"

The Underworld...was that the place in the shadows the Outlander had pushed them down to? Hattie shuddered and closed her eyes. She could still clearly see his face as they sank through the thick darkness- bright, twisted, and horrific. Thank goodness Not-Jaide had saved them from that.