Masked (A Hat In Time)

Banishment and Resurrection

Me, writing: I should keep this chapter COMPLETELY serious.

Me, done writing: I had one job.

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When Jaide and Hattie appeared in the room again, Bow relaxed and moved away from the Outlander. She'd been staying close to him the whole time, scrutinizing him and poking him with her umbrella. Bow Kid had to be ready for him to leap at the prince and stab him again.

But he hadn't moved at all, except for the expressive movements of his ears and the frustrated lashes of his tail. He glared at her like he wanted to kill her, but he didn't do anything.

"What did I tell you?" Jaide said, her yellow eyes as bright as her grin. "He's practically harmless now!"

The Outlander turned his murderous gaze to Jaide. She ignored him, instead opening the massive book she now carried.

Bow Kid moved towards them, thankful to finally get away from the little demon. Hey- she recognized that book. She glanced over at the ice-blue Dweller, who had moved over to a corner so it wouldn't be in the way. Bow Kid smiled a little when she saw it, then turned back to Hattie and Jaide. "That's Jaide's book," she said.

Jaide huffed. "No, it's my book," she grumbled. Whatever possessed her looked annoyed. "I just let Jaide use it after guiding her to its location. It's full of my spells that I have collected over thousands and thousands of years." She flipped through the pages rapidly. "The only problem is that means there are also thousands of spells in here, and it's super difficult to find the right one..." she trailed off, mumbling to herself.

Bow Kid glanced over at the sleeping pile on Snatcher's chair, feeling a little anxious. For some reason, every time she looked away, she felt like they would disappear. But they were still there. Snatcher had shifted a little in his sleep so his tail was curled around Moonjumper and the prince almost protectively. A smug smile grew on Bow Kid's face, and she whipped out her camera.

"I already took a picture," Hat Kid whispered.

"I know, but I want one too," Bow Kid whispered back, snapping the picture. So cute! Snatcher's gonna hate me for this.

"A-ha!" Jaide suddenly exclaimed. Both girls whipped around to find her with a triumphant grin. "I found the right spell! Just give me a moment." She let go of her book and moved away. The book hung in midair, staying open on the page Jaide wanted. Both kids stared at it.

"What's she doing?" Hattie asked Bow.

Bow Kid shrugged, watching her as she floated over to Snatcher's chair. "I dunno, you went with her," Bow replied.

With a glowing yellow finger, Jaide reached out and poked Snatcher, Moon, and the prince on the head with a quiet "boop!" and moved away again.

Their eyes opened. Snatcher blinked a couple of times, looking confused, then his expression turned to alarm when he saw Moon and the prince lying on him. "Hey!" he yelled, shoving them off his chair and untangling his tail from them. Moon landed face-first on the ground and immediately jolted up with a yelp of pain, and the prince landed on top of him.

"What was that for?!" Moon snapped angrily, moving the prince off of him. The prince also landed on his face, but he just lay there.

"I-I'm sorry!" The prince apologized to no one in particular, his voice muffled by the floor.

Out of the corner of her eye, Bow Kid could see Hattie pulling out her camera for one more picture.

"What the heck happened?" Moon asked, looking around. He looked around, and his eyes landed on Jaide. He looked terrified.