The door burst open, ripped off its hinges by a powerful blast of yellow. Hat Kid stepped through, Vanessa on her heels as the walls came crashing down behind them. A shower of sparks nibbled at her feet. Hat Kid ducked under them, throwing herself into the blue carpet.
Heat washed over her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw bits of wood scatter around her, lighting small fires wherever they landed.
A hand grabbed the scruff of her coat. Hat Kid barely had time to complain before Vanessa dragged her back to her feet.
"Hurry," she said, as if Hat Kid didn't know already.
Taking a look around, Hat Kid was surprised to find herself back in the blue room. Same blue walls, same blue bed in the corner. A blank painting hung by the side.
A frown crept onto her face. She was sure this was the door to the hall. Last she'd seen, there was only one way out of the attic.
Then again, she'd woken up here before. Maybe she was wrong.
"Where's the hall?" she asked, and she turned to Vanessa.
Vanessa frowned. "The hall? Is that where we're headed?"
"It's where the door in the attic is supposed to go, right?"
"Yes. Yes, it is." Vanessa blinked, and her lips pulled down. "How did we end up here?"
"I don't know!" Shaking her head, Hat Kid grabbed Vanessa's dress. "Nevermind. Let's go this way!" she said, and she dragged her toward the door on the other side.
With a thwack, Hat Kid's umbrella forced it open. The red bedroom stood before them. The bed still sat in the middle of the room, and by it, the moonlight cut trails of silver into the wall of flames through the windows. Hat Kid steered Vanessa toward them.
Dust rained down on her hat. Hat Kid looked up, and her eyes widened as the ceiling buckled above them.
She skidded to a halt. Wood came rushing down before her, blocking their exit. Hat Kid growled in frustration. She turned instead to the next door. Her umbrella smashed it to bits in a single swing, and Hat Kid charged through back into the hall.
Only, it didn't lead into the hall. Hat Kid blinked, confused to find herself back in the blue bedroom.
She glanced back at where she remembered the blue room to be. She hadn't run in a circle by accident, had she?
Something bit her toes. Hat Kid yelped, jumping back. At her feet lay a circle of tiny sparks, the same ones that had chased her out of the attic.
A horrible thought wormed its way into her head. She stamped it out, just as she smothered the small fires beneath her boot. Vanessa yelped as Hat Kid dragged her to the door again.
Once again, a bright red carpet rolled out beneath her feet. Hat Kid stopped. Clenching her teeth shut, she held back a frustrated groan.
It's like the house doesn't want us to leave! she thought, and she dragged a hand over her face.
Growling, Hat Kid looked at the door they'd come from. Then she looked at the other door. She glanced at where the windows had been, then at the fire burning all around them.
Where do we go now?
As much as she hated to say it, she didn't know. She'd been chasing after the timepiece for all this time. Now that she had it, she had to get out, but which way was she supposed to go?
Hat Kid reached up into her hat. Her fingers emerged with a bubbly yellow vial in her grasp, and she hurled it at the wall.
The ceiling groaned. Hat Kid threw herself to the side, just as a wooden beam tore through the floor beside her.
Another potion appeared in her hand. She threw that at the wall too, then another. Explosion after explosion ripped into the wall. Bits of wood scattered everywhere, until finally, Hat Kid could see a hole begin to form.
She reached into her hat again and pulled out a fizzy yellow bottle. She shook it. Allowed the bubbles to scatter in the mix. Taking aim at the hole, Hat Kid let it fly.
A pillar of ice shot up in front of her. The glass shattered over it, and the mix dissolved into a yellow cloud. Curious, Hat Kid glanced at Vanessa.
The mist falling off her fingertips glowed bright red in the firelight burning all around them, stretched out toward the wall. Slowly, Vanessa clenched her fingers shut. The walls creaked, and when Hat Kid turned back, she saw the ice bury itself into the wall.
Cracks spread out around them. Chunks of the wall fell to the floor as glittering blue spikes grew out from inside. Vanessa jerked her hand back, and with a groan, the entire wall came crumbling down.
The blue room was waiting for them. Over the bed and through the other door, a long table stood in beyond it. Hat Kid glanced back at the way they'd come, and all she found was a smoldering pile of wooden scraps blocking the door.
"Uh... Thank you..." Hat Kid said, glancing over at Vanessa.
Vanessa looked surprised. She scanned around herself, at the fire burning all around them, before pointing to herself. "You're welcome?"
Without a moment to lose, Hat Kid jumped through the hole. She sprinted across the blue bedroom, and she stumbled into the dining hall. She gazed out to the right, where the windows would have been. On the other side of the wall, pinpricks of torchlight followed her as if they could see her through the glass.
Hat Kid's umbrella shattered it into a million pieces. Behind her, she heard Vanessa trip as they leaped through the window. She looked back in concern.
Vanessa flung her hand out, freezing over a hole in the floor Hat Kid hadn't noticed before. Her boots squeaked as they stepped over the slippery surface. Her hands flew out in front of her, and suddenly, she found herself skidding toward the wall.
In an instant, the hat on top of her head changed into a fluffy blue one Her arms flashed white, and a thick layer of ice crawled over them. Letting her boots carry her forward, Hat Kid reached back, and she smashed through the wall.
They passed into the kitchen, sprinted through the piano room. The bathroom walls stood in their way, but Hat Kid bashed them in too. Together, they stormed through the game room, weaving around burning tables and falling shelves.
Then, as they stepped into the hall, a glimmer caught her eye. At the very end, the tiniest shred of moonlight peered at them through the door.
Hat Kid's lips stretched into a grin. She ran faster, the way out almost within reach. The floor shook. She could hear the faint sounds of the walls crashing down on the floor above them. Still, she pushed her legs to go faster. Just a few more feet and they would be out of this evil house.
"Look out!"
She felt Vanessa's hand slam into her back, and Hat Kid tumbled over the floor. She jumped to her feet just in time to see a wooden avalanche break through the ceiling, pinning Vanessa beneath.
She gasped. Vanessa turned herself around, and she clamped her hand on the wood. Hat Kid heard it crackle, saw mist rise up from around her, but when nothing happened, she started to really worry.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice. "Why can't you make any ice?"
"It's too hot," Vanessa replied. She grabbed the wood again, but all Hat Kid could see was mist curling around her fingers.
Hat Kid rushed back to her side. When Vanessa saw her get down to try to lift the debris off her, she hissed.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting you out of here!"
Vanessa looked at her, then at the door beyond. Something flashed across her eyes. "You have to go."
"I already told you, I'm not going to leave you alone!"
Hat Kid yelped, and she stepped back to avoid Vanessa's swipe. Vanessa swung again, and this time, the tiniest sharp of ice formed between them.
Finally, Vanessa collapsed. "Why?" she muttered, her voice barely audible over the crackling fires all around them. "Why won't you leave? I'm letting you go, and you're staying behind to help me? Why can't you go, like everyone else?"
Hat Kid paused. "It's not right," she said after a moment of thought. "It's not right what everyone else did. It's not right what you did either, but leaving you all alone when you needed help is worse."
Letting a layer of ice take shape around her arm, Hat Kid bashed it against the wooden rubble.
The floor shook beneath them. A crack appeared in the floor. Hat Kid glanced down, and when she saw the floor starting to break, she knew she wouldn't be able to break through in time.
The gears in her mind turned, desperate for an idea. Her eyes drifted down to her umbrella, tucked back beneath her cape.
With a click, the top came loose, dragging its chain behind it. "Grab this," Hat Kid said, and she clamped it around Vanessa's arm.
She gazed back at the door. The fire had begun to spread into the hall, creeping in to block her way. She reached up, and she grabbed the rim of her Ice Hat.
Another flash lit up the room, and as it faded, her Sprint Hat took its place. Hat Kid jumped forward, and in a puff of smoke, her scooter appeared in front of her.
Grabbing the handlebars in one hand, her umbrella in the other, Hat Kid drove forward. The chain snapped tight. Her scooter's engine roared as she sped it up. Behind her, she saw Vanessa reach for the chain with her other hand and grab on tight.
There was a snap. Wood gave away, and with a cry, Vanessa popped out. Hat Kid's scooter took off toward the door in a burst of speed. The flames stretched up to grab her, to slow her down, but she drove straight through them.
The moon grew brighter. The door drew closer. Hat Kid closed her eyes, turned away, and braced for impact.
Bits and pieces of the door scattered into the snow as Hat Kid's scooter turned back into magic dust, sending her flying. White rose up to meet her, and before she knew it, Hat Kid found her face stuffed with snow.
Beside her, she heard someone else crash into the snowbank. Hat Kid lifted her head, flakes of ice dripped down her face, and to her relief, she found Vanessa lying in the snow, coughing out a puff of mist. A little burnt, a little dazed, but still in one piece.
They were free.
We're almost there.
Next chapter will arrive sometime within the next two weeks. It could be as soon as next Tuesday, or it could be as late as the Saturday after next week.
Until then, I wish you all well, and stay safe.