Francine lay motionless in a hospital bed, her eyes tightly closed, with breathing tubes leading into her nose and mouth. Around her bed stood a mournful lot, including her parents, Catherine, Muffy, Marina, Alan, Beat, and Arthur.
"Have you done everything you can for her?" asked Mrs. Frensky, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
"I'm afraid so," said the doctor, who lowered his eyes to avoid looking at the woman's face.
"Isn't there another clinic...or another surgeon..." Mr. Frensky asked haltingly.
"We're doctors, not miracle workers, Mr. Frensky," said the doctor calmly. "At this point, the only remaining question is how long you want her to remain in this state."
"Oh, Frankie!" Catherine began to sob uncontrollably, and her parents embraced her.
"She was too beautiful for this world," mumbled Beat quietly.
"So that's it?" Muffy protested. "You're just going to leave her like that? How much will it cost to make her better? Just give me a ballpark figure."
"It's not a matter of money," said the doctor sadly.
"So young," grumbled Alan. "It's not fair."
Beat, her eyes moist, leaned over and kissed Francine gently on her unresponsive cheek. "Good night, sweet princess."
"She was like a sister to me," said Arthur, his voice breaking. "I'll miss her."
Alan started to leave the hospital room, and motioned for Muffy to follow him. As soon as they were in the hallway, Muffy asked, "What is it?"
"I want you to tell me exactly when and where this happened," Alan demanded.
As Muffy told Alan the particulars of Francine's accident, Beat came out of the room and walked by them, weeping. Arthur followed after her, hoping to offer some comfort.
"Some time between eleven and twelve?" said Alan impatiently. "Can you be more specific than that?"
Before Muffy could respond, she heard Marina's voice in her mind, saying, "It was 11:14 am, Muffy. I looked at the wall clock in the hardware store."
"It was 11:14 in the morning," Muffy told Alan.
Further down the hallway, Arthur tapped the grieving Beat on the shoulder. She turned and threw her arms around the boy's neck.
"What kind of world is this?" she wailed bitterly. "How can evil men be allowed to do such things to innocent girls?"
Arthur didn't answer, but simply held Beat in his arms and felt grateful that she didn't have hair puffs.
After Alan thanked Muffy and departed down the hallway, Muffy saw Marina standing in front of her. "Got a minute?" came Marina's voice in her head.
Muffy started to open her mouth. "Don't say it," Marina's voice continued. "Just think it."
"Sure," Muffy thought. "What do you want?"
"I won't force you to help me," thought Marina, "but I could really use your help."
Muffy's expression became stern. "If you want to go after Odette," she mentalized, "you're on your own. If you couldn't save Francine with your powers, then I'm not putting myself in danger for you."
"Would you put yourself in danger for Odette?" said Marina's voice in her mind.
"Why should I?" thought Muffy. "She doesn't even like me."
"Think what it would mean to your families." Marina transmitted an image into Muffy's brain of a newspaper headline, MUFFY CROSSWIRE RESCUES LAWYER'S DAUGHTER.
"But you're the one with the powers," Muffy replied mentally. "You'd be doing all the work. Why should I take all the credit?"
"I could go into the compound by myself and get her out," thought Marina, "but I want to keep my powers a secret. Since you're the only witness to the kidnapping, you're the perfect cover for me."
"What compound?" thought Muffy. "And why do you want to keep your powers a secret?"
"If people find out about my powers," thought Marina, "they'll treat me like a mutant freak."
"Not if you use them for good," Muffy insisted mentally.
"Forget it, Muffy. They only tolerate Superman because they can't destroy him."
"Okay, whatever," thought Muffy. "So what's this compound you're talking... er, thinking about?"
Marina paused before commencing her next thought. "What do you know about the Church of the Higher Power?"
"I'm happy with my own church, thank you," Muffy thought back.
----
Alan marched through the front door into his house, a stern, determined look on his face. Jason was sitting on a chair in the living room, but Alan seemed not to notice him.
"There you are, Alan," Jason said to him. "I came over as soon as I heard what happened to Francine."
Rather than respond, Alan walked single-mindedly through the living room and in the direction of the garage. He didn't bother to remove his jacket, scarf, mittens, or wool hat. What a grouch, Jason thought.
The door to the garage slammed shut as Jason continued to stare at the wall.
Then he leaped to his feet. "Oh, no!"
Hurrying to the garage, he found to his horror that the folding door was closed, but Alan was nowhere to be seen.
Muttering angrily to himself, he pulled aside a plywood box in the corner of the garage, and looked behind it.
It was as he feared. The time tricycle was gone.
"Fool!" exclaimed Jason.
(I know you're tired of cliffhangers, Hufflepuffer, but I DON'T CARE! MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! To be continued...)
