After I got the breakfast stuff put away, I helped Misery down to the basement. She almost fell, but I supported her. She lay down on her bed of nails, sighing heavily.

"Karina? Do you think that being around me, especially on my birthday, will help with the intensity of my bad luck?" she asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

I didn't know how to feel. Part of me was offended, being that it sounded like she had no trust in me. But another part knew that she was concerned for my safety, even despite the fact I was a creature of good fortune.

"Don't lose your trust in me, Misery. Though I can't make any promises, I will make sure you survive every disaster that comes your way," I said finally.

She sighed again, and was silent. I went out to Ruby, who was folding clothes, to ask her some questions.

"So you had experienced a birthday of Misery's before. What happened?" I asked.

"She was almost dead, but luckily, we saved her before anything too drastic could happen," she explained.

She then went into further detail, retelling every bit of the story. I gasped when I found out she'd fallen sick.

"So the sickness was just random?" I queried.

"Yes! We ended up having to take her to hospital! And out of town too! The Gloomsville hospital had been burned in a fire. There is a new venue built now though," she replied.

I gasped. I hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. Misery was a good friend. Though she seemed a little on the dry side in terms of humor, she was a friend nonetheless. I cared for her too much to think about her dying or having to go to hospital.

"Hey Ruby?! I'm making a cake, and I'm wondering, should I put the new candles on?! They're not trick ones this time!" I heard Skull Boy call.

"No! I think the candles igniting a second time was actually Misery's bad luck! Don't put them on! Maybe write happy birthday with candy or icing!" she called back.

"I'll use the icing tube instead! It seems like a safer option!" he said, and I heard him walk off.

I then heard a groan from Misery's room, and I excused myself, running off to check on her.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Not again," was all Misery said.

"What?" I wondered, bending down to look her in the eyes.

"I don't want a cake! I don't want a party! I want to not die!" she cried, just as something fell from the wall and smashed into pieces.

It was a picture of three banshees. The third looked like Misery, and she was hugging herself. The frame had smashed, and the picture now had scratches from the glass, making it hard to tell who the third banshee was.

"What's this picture?" I questioned, picking it up.

"It's a picture from the day I was rescued from the ice flow," she answered, her eyes welling up.

"Oh. I'm sorry it smashed," I sighed.

"Stuff like that's bound to happen," she replied, her voice choked up.

It was silent for a second, and then I noticed her eyes had suddenly gone huge!

"Misery? Are you feeling alright?" I asked, but there was no answer.

I began to stroke her, but then she tensed up. She let out a groaning sound as her muscles tensed, and then a scream as they tightened to their fullest! The next thing I knew, she was jerking involuntarily! Her breathing was now nothing but a gulping hiccup!

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUBYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" I screamed.

Ruby was there in seconds, along with the rest of the gang. Misery seemed to be unconscious, thankfully, for it looked very painful.

"Oh no! She never had that happen before! Call an ambulance!" cried Ruby, and Scaredy, who had come just after hearing the excitement, began to shake with fear.

"Don't worry Scaredy. The doctors will figure this out," assured Iris.

"I sure hope so," I muttered under my breath.

The convulsions showed no sign of stopping. And once the paramedics arrived, it seemed as though nothing would work. They even injected her, but nothing happened.

"I guess we should take her to the hospital," sighed Iris, and the paramedics lifted her.

The jerking did decrease in intensity and rate, but she still jerked here and there. Her breath had come back, but seemed laboured, so they had placed a mask over her face.

"Who would like to ride with her," asked a woman.

No one said anything, so I decided I'd go with her. I racked my brain for ways to help her get her breathing back, but couldn't find anything. I didn't want to cast a spell in case I had to leave her at some point. It took her at least fifteen minutes before the convulsions finally stopped and snore-like breathing was heard. The horror wasn't over yet, though. As soon as we got to the hospital, Misery had come to, and not too long after, lightning struck her, causing her to seize up again.

"Whoa! Misery!" I cried.

"Make it stop!" she screamed, her speech broken from the pain she was in.

"What?" asked the female paramedic.

"The burning!" she wailed, beginning to cry in pain.

But it was too late. Lightning struck her again, and this time, it was bad. Her skin was completely burned now, and the crying increased in volume.

"I guess this is a result of the seizure," sighed the female to a male, who appeared to be the driver.

"Yeah," he sighed in return.

Luckily, there was no more lightning, but it had been a pretty close call. She could have died, and I wouldn't have been able to save her. Not even despite my good fortune.

"Just go to sleep," assured the female, wheeling her into the hospital.

"I'll try," she managed, her breathing laboured from the crying.

I followed, placing my hand on Misery's arm. This was going to be one difficult birthday to enjoy.