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“Be careful with this one,” Charles said as Scooter hopped up into the chair of the Uncursing Machine. “It feels…worse than the others.”
“Yeah…” Scooter mumbled, putting her comfy bucket hat aside. “I’ll bail if anything happens.”
“Good.”
Charles handed Scooter the sickle handle first.
“I’ll be watching out,” Charles said, lowering the helmet onto Scooter’s head and starting up the machine.
“Thanks, Char,” Scooter said with a little smile.
Charles smiled back and fastened the leather cuffs over her wrists and ankles.
”Is it too tight?” he asked.
”Nope. See you on the other side.”
”Good luck, bud.”
Scooter’s eyes closed and she leaned back in the chair.
Charles stepped back a few paces with a sigh and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.
The machine hummed.
“There’s the curse separated,” Charles muttered.
“Good,” Jessica said, briefly glancing up from her desk. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Charles.”
”Least I can do, especially after the Gator Incident,” he said with a shrug. “Thought I’d be in that fortress forever.”
Scooter twitched and muttered something, causing Charles to push off the wall and quickly check on her.
”She alright?” Jessica asked.
”Yeah,” Charles sighed, giving Calliope a quick scritch behind the ears. “Just talking to whoever’s in the memory.”
“Wonder what she’ll say when she comes back this time.”
”Heh. I wonder,” Charles laughed. “‘Gee, coach, d’you think Mirabelle will ever marry me?’”
Jessica chuckled.
”Wasn’t that bad being called coach, I admit, even though I hate baseball…or whatever sport it was.”
”Why, Jessica, how ever can you say that?” Charles gasped dramatically, putting a hand to his forehead. “It’s The Great American Pastime!”
”Have you ever played it?” Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow.
”Nope.”
Charles grinned and leaned against the wall again.
”You can sit down,” Jessica said, going back to her work. “Could take a while.”
”I’m alright,” Charles said.
Scooter suddenly jerked violently in the chair, her wrists straining against the cuffs.
”Scooter?” Charles asked, rushing over just as she slumped in the chair. “Kid?”
His eyes widened and his blood ran cold.
“Jess, she’s not breathing!”
”What?!”
Jessica’s chair slammed to the floor.
Scooter’s body tensed suddenly and she drew in a gasping breath before her chest began rising and falling.
”Thank God,” Jessica breathed, rubbing her face with both hands. “That’s never happened before.”
Charles checked the machine, his heart thumping.
”It’s running normally,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on…”
Scooter slumped in the chair again and Jessica gasped sharply.
”Again?” Charles exclaimed, darting back to Scooter’s side. “C’mon, kid…”
Scooter jerked back to life again and began breathing.
”We need to get her out, Charles!” Jessica cried.
”We can’t!” Charles burst out, holding both hands to his head. “She has to come back on her own!”
“What should we do?!” Jessica exclaimed.
Charles put a hand on her shoulder.
”Just make sure she keeps breathing each time,” Charles muttered, feeling cold sweat on his neck.
Scooter once again went still for a moment before jerking and clenching her fists, still pulling hard against the restraints.
“What’s happening in there, kid?” Charles said, putting a hand over Scooter’s. “We’re here…”
Jessica followed suit and shakily put her hand over Scooter’s other hand.
”Oh, please be over soon…” Jessica mumbled when Scooter slumped in the chair once again.
Charles brushed a thumb over Scooter’s hand as she took a ragged breath, then resumed breathing normally.
”I’m so sorry,” Charles whispered, squeezing Scooter’s hand. “I shouldn’t have let her do it, Jess. I knew something was wrong!”
”Charles, no, it isn’t…”
Scooter let out a scream and thrashed against the restraints; Jessica jolted back.
Scooter sank down in the chair and Jessica clapped both hands to her mouth.
”She’s breathing,” Charles said, taking her hand again.
”Good, good…” Jessica said quietly.
The machine began humming loudly, then let out a faint chime.
”That’s it!” Charles exclaimed, feeling a jolt of relief in his chest.
The sickle clattered to the floor and Jessica nudged it away.
Charles quickly removed the helmet and restraints, then scooped Scooter up and hurried to her bedroom.
Jessica ran ahead and opened the door.
”Thanks, Jess,” Charles said, setting Scooter gently on her bed. “Kid? Can you hear me?”
He tapped her face and was about to put two fingers to her wrist when he saw they were bleeding.
”I’ll get the kit,” Jessica said, running from the room.
Scooter’s eyes opened halfway and she gazed around the room before staring up at Charles.
”Hey, Scoots…can you hear me?” he asked gently, lightly squeezing her hand.
She mumbled something.
”What?”
”…see you in 66 years…”
“So it’s gone?” Scooter asked while Jessica bandaged her wrists.
”Yup, you did it,” Jessica sighed heavily. “You’re sure you’re not having trouble breathing?”
”Yeah, why?”
”You…you stopped breathing…multiple times,” Charles mumbled.
”Oh.”
Scooter stared at them, then looked down.
“There was a scarecrow…”
Jessica closed the first-aid kit and left the room.
”He kept killing me…over and over…”
”I should’ve stopped you,” Charles choked out, hugging Scooter tightly. “Something was wrong with it…but I still let you go.”
“Hey, Charles…it’s ok,” Scooter murmured, patting his back. “I knew it too. There’s always something wrong with the things.”
”But this time was worse.”
Charles patted the back of her head, let out a shaky breath, then drew back.
”Jessica called the doctor. He’ll be here in the morning.”
”No, it’s fine,” Scooter said. “I’m alright. Really.”
”I want to make sure,” Charles insisted firmly. “In the meantime, here.”
He held out a cup of water and two rolls.
”Bert sent over some cheese rolls earlier,” he said. “You need to eat something.”
”Thanks, Char,” Scooter said, taking the cup and rolls. “I’ll drop by the bakery later to say thanks.”
”Not for a day at least,” Charles sighed, shaking his head. “No artifact hunting either.”
”But…the next artifact…” Scooter protested.
”It can wait!” Charles snapped.
Scooter stared at him in surprise, then nodded and slowly began eating a roll.
”…I’m sorry…” Charles mumbled, rubbing his face. “I didn’t mean to get angry…it’s just…”
”Now that it’s over, it’s like a bad dream,” Scooter said after finishing the roll. “But it must’ve been scary for you and Jessica. I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
”No, that’s not…” Charles sighed. “You’re the one who was in there.”
”Maybe, but we still need to take care of each other, no matter who’s going through what,” Scooter said, holding out the remaining roll to Charles. “There are more of these, right?”
”Yeah…Bert sent a whole box,” Charles said, taking the roll.
”Good,” Scooter said with a nod, lowering her voice a bit. “And fine. I’ll rest. But when Jessica comes back, you and I convince her to eat and get some rest.”
”That’ll be a mission in and of itself,” Charles chuckled, ruffling Scooter’s short hair before taking a bite of the cheese roll. “I’d almost prefer being stuck in the Gator Castle again.”
“I heard that,” Jessica huffed from the doorway, causing the two to jump.
”How long have you been standing there?” Charles asked with a nervous laugh.
”Oh, I heard you from out there,” Jessica said, striding into the bedroom with a white box. “You two whisper like a freight train.”
Scooter burst out laughing and Charles joined in a moment later.
Jessica cracked a faint smile.
”We’ll all take a short break,” she said, opening the box and taking out a roll. “But I don’t want to make a habit of it!”