I've always wanted the chance to fully include Vanessa's Curse in a story! Lucky me that I had a perfect target blorbo!

He's still cute when he's cursed, in my opinion. His real curse is of being adorable all the time.

FINALLY I'M REMEMBERING TO THANK MY BETA READER UPON INITIALLY POSTING. YIPPEE THANKS FOR THE HELP WE SLAY!!

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Hat Kid wasted no time bolting back through the door and slamming her back against it. Her fingers fumbled with the knob, searching for a way to lock it. She found nothing.

Footsteps were approaching outside in the hall. Her heart leaped to her throat. Hide. Hide! With a great wrenching movement, she threw herself away from the door. Hattie leaped over the broken piano, darted into the kitchen, and rolled under a table.

Fingers clasped over her mouth, she struggled to control her pounding heart. Her breath was shaky, shallow, and hot against her palms.

This was wrong. This wasn't how things were supposed to go!

What did Vanessa do to Elliot? Possess him? Mind control him? She did something to him, and now he...

An involuntary shudder ran through her as she remembered Elliot's burning scarlet eyes. She squeezed her own lids shut. She had to calm down. Figure out an escape plan. Figure out how to fix things. Don't die.

Click. The unmistakable sound of the door in the other room opening. Her eyes fluttered open again. Hattie scooched farther back under the table, pressing her back against the wall. Curled up uncomfortably, her mind raced. Did the door open by itself? Or was someone coming in?

Her ears strained to hear over the pulse of her heart and the ticking in her pocket, and caught the sound of padding footsteps over the carpet.

They're coming for me. Frightened tears pricked Hat Kid's eyes. She rubbed them away, holding her breath every second her hands weren't covering her mouth. Was Elliot looking for her, or was it Vanessa?

She didn't know which she would prefer. Vanessa finding her meant certain death, but Elliot...

What happened to him remained a big question mark. Was he evil like Vanessa now? He certainly looked scary enough now. But would he kill her? What would he do?

"Hello?" Elliot's voice floated through the rooms. Hat Kid's lungs seized. He didn't sound evil. He sounded like his normal, friendly self.

"You can come out! There's no need to be afraid..."

Nope. That was definitely evil and suspicious. Hat Kid narrowed her eyes.

She could see him enter the kitchen, even though she only caught glimpses of his boots past the legs of tables. He paced slowly, cautiously.

"I'm sorry if... that scared you. I-I really didn't mean to, but I'm okay! Really!" he pleaded. "Everything's okay."

There's a chance, a stray thought began, that Elliot's still his normal self. If Snatcher still begrudgingly loves Vanessa, then why wouldn't Elliot? There's a chance he's still nice, and he won't hurt me. I don't know for sure what's happened to him, so there's a chance.

Was the risk of showing herself worth taking? What would happen next? What would he do?

To calm herself, she focused instead on the rhythm of his footsteps. Several steps at a time, then a pause. Repeat. Always the pause. What was with his hesitations?

Her eyes widened when she recognized the gold clasps on his boots entering her vision. Elliot was right in front of the table she was hiding under. He stopped, and so did her heart. Hattie realized what he was about to do a second before he did it. Desperately, she shrank back, trying to make herself smaller and more obscure.

Elliot crouched down and looked under the table. The glow from his eyes bathed the shadows Hattie tried to cling to in crimson tones. He smiled, somehow oblivious to her terror. "Oh, there you are! Hello!"

Hat Kid pressed her hand harder against her lips as if that would somehow make her disappear.

Elliot's face softened. He bent down, patiently sitting cross-legged in front of the table. "I'm sorry if I scared you." He tilted his head, intently watching her, but it was difficult to tell while staring into the red reflective globes his eyes had become. "It's okay to come out. I won't hurt you."

Why does he keep reassuring me of that? Hat Kid watched him. Pressed so hard against the floor and the wall, she suddenly realized how badly she was shaking. Her eyes flickered back and forth from his face to his hand, which he peacefully extended.

Was it a trap? Was it a trick? He seemed nice enough... but how could she know for sure? Maybe there was some way to fight back or snap Elliot out of whatever Vanessa had done to him. She lowered her hands from her face.

"Come on," Elliot said gently, almost as if he were coaxing a frightened animal out from its hiding spot. Which Hattie supposed was pretty much what was happening in the situation.

With trembling fingers, she took his hand, making the silent decision to trust him.

His smile became one of pure relief. "Thank you," he murmured. He stood and pulled her with him, helping her up.

His hands were freezing. Hat Kid winced and tried to pull away, but Elliot's grip abruptly tightened around hers. She bit down a whimper.

He started walking, and Hattie unwillingly stumbled with him. What is he doing where are we going is he taking me to Vanessa-?

As Elliot pushed the door open, her panic flooded back in full force. She'd made the wrong decision, she realized. Her future was laid out before her clearly now. Was there a way to escape it? She struggled in Elliot's grip, unable to muster her full strength in her fright. Fear left her hindered and unable to coordinate her movements.

Just down the hallway was Vanessa, stalking toward them. She and Elliot met in the middle, with Hat Kid protesting weakly between them. The image of what was to come was all too clear. The queen reaching toward her, ice flooding her vision, five minutes scratched from her watch.

Vanessa gave Elliot an appraising look as her claws raised. "Thank you, my prince." Elliot smiled back, completely ignoring Hattie for the moment.

Vanessa gripped Hat Kid by the neck, the points of her nails digging under the girl's skin. Frost crept over Hat Kid's clothes and hair and skin. She squeezed her eyes shut-

-and when she opened them, she was back in the kitchen.

Hat Kid hesitated, mind racing. Okay, so trusting Elliot was a no-go. He'd find her if she hid.

What if she ran? Vanessa was outside, but she could always avoid her, right?

The door opened in the other room. She tensed. She forgot that Elliot would be coming, and now it was too late to hide.

She stood awkwardly as he entered the kitchen and caught her gaze. With the same gentle smile and tone as before, he exclaimed, "Oh, there you are!"

Hat Kid backed away, feeling her back bump against the table she'd hidden under. Elliot approached with a friendly smile, stepping around the long table. "I hope I didn't scare you," he was saying. "I know you were tense, and it might've looked like she was hurting me, but I'm okay!"

"Right," Hat Kid murmured. She moved backward, keeping the table's edges between them.

His smile wavered. "I'm okay," he repeated, urgency entering his voice. "Really. I-I've never been better." He circled the table, and Hat Kid matched his movements, keeping the barrier between them. He faltered. "It'll be okay," he said, a twinge of annoyance tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Sure." Hat Kid carefully kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to make a move.

Elliot stared at her from across the table. "I know it seems odd, but Vanessa and I will be getting back together," he explained. He inched his way to one side of the table. "She's not that bad a person. I can show you- you'll be safe with me! I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then why are you trying so hard to get me, huh?" Hattie retorted, shifting to the other side.

"Vanessa told me to," he answered, stopping again. A flicker crossed his face, making Hattie wonder if he was afraid of her. With a forced smile: "She really wants to meet you. I can't disobey my princess."

"What you can't do is think for yourself," she muttered.

Elliot frowned at her. "No- what? You- I-" he sighed heavily. "Just get over here."

"Then catch me, loser." Hat Kid stuck her tongue out.

He darted to one side. She dodged to the other. "Please, kiddo," he said, a strained note in his voice. "I- I don't want to make Vanessa angry with me."

"Sounds like a you problem." The kitchen door was to Hattie's back. She could turn and run right out of there, and hopefully, she wouldn't run into Vanessa along the way.

"What does that mean-?" Elliot shook his head as if getting rid of the confusion. "Okay. I... whatever. This is idiotic. Please get over here or so help me-!"

Hat Kid spun for the door, cutting Elliot off. He yelped in surprise and reached for her, darting around the table. She panicked and drove her shoulder into the table's corner, flipping it over. Plates, silverware, and glasses crashed to the floor, the tablecloth folding over and slumping to the ground.

Elliot froze, seeing the mess, and Hat Kid's hand stalled over the knob. Just outside, Vanessa's voice reached them. "What was that noise...?"

Hat Kid stumbled away from the door and slunk past Elliot. He was petrified, whispering to himself. "Oh, no. No no no!" Anxiously, he ran a hand through his hair, staring at the table's wreckage before him. "Vanessa's going to kill me when she sees this..." He bent down, assessing the damage, looking worried. "I-I can fix this... right?"

She slid past him. Elliot let her go, too preoccupied with trying to set the table back up again. Hat Kid let out a breath of relief and slid into the connecting room. She entered the hallway just as Vanessa left, meeting Elliot in the kitchen.

Well, that was one crisis averted. Light on her feet, Hat Kid traveled down the hallway and to the second floor. She closed the doors at the foot of the staircase. Again she pondered how the confusing design choice would once again save her.

She took a deep breath, gratefully taking every moment to calm down. Her heart was drumming in rhythm with her ticking watch. She itched to check how much time she had left, but she needed every moment to plan.

Breaking more things would stop Elliot, at least. And maybe Vanessa too? That was useful to know.

Pacing down the hallway, she surveyed her surroundings. There were plenty of tables to overturn and paintings to destroy if she needed to, and much more in the two rooms. The thought of having the opportunity to trash Vanessa's room almost made her smile. Ultimately, though, she'd rather not have the opportunity at all.

How could she fix things? She couldn't really fight back against either of them. She couldn't even get close to Vanessa; she'd be instantly killed. And the thought of attacking Elliot, even in his affected state, made her mouth go dry.

Especially after she'd promised to save him if something went wrong. Great job she was doing that.

Hattie took a deep breath. Her nerves had somewhat calmed by now. Her hearing sharpened, directing her attention to footsteps and muffled voices below.

They were coming after her. They had to be. She could hear the noises below growing louder, the tones of voices growing sharper. Vanessa sounded annoyed, and Elliot sounded terrified and apologetic.

Thumping footsteps sounded from the stairwell. With her head clear again, Hat Kid considered a place to hide. These rooms weren't the best- she could be chased through one doorway and caught by someone just on the other side of it.

She paced to the staircase at the end of the hallway. Her heart pounded faster with each approaching footstep. Should she go to the attic? No, that was a dead end. But what if they didn't see her go in it? Hattie could hide there for a good, long time.

She'd barely taken a step when Vanessa burst through the doors at the top of the staircase. Red flooded Hattie's vision as the queen stalked down the hallway toward her, Elliot tagging behind. Hat Kid cringed and made a decision to go up the stairs.

Stupid! They'll just catch you in the attic!

Halfway up the staircase, she noticed a doorway she'd never seen before. Maybe she'd glanced over it during her first time here. It was likely; she'd been eager to escape. But should she hide...?

"Why try to run?" Vanessa cooed, sounding dangerously closer than Hat Kid had expected. "You know you won't make it. Just give up!"

Fat chance, Hat Kid thought spitefully. She threw open the mystery door, revealing a musty, pitch-black room. She cringed, swallowed her fear, and entered, closing the door softly behind her.