"Well...." Karyn began. "Honestly, we were so excited by the possibility that this thing was real that we didn't really think about it," she finished lamely.
Jon's mother could do nothing but sigh. "And that's exactly what I mean. I honestly thought you were more responsible than this."
"I am sorry, Mother but-" Jon began before noticing a sudden flash from the desk where the bookmark lay. "What...what is that?"
Jon's mother nearly ran to the desk, then tentatively held her left hand over the bookmark. Jon could have sworn he heard her curse under her breath.
"There's a time limit. This thing wants more input. If we don't give it what it wants it will try to fill in the blanks itself with what it already has to work with." She looked pointedly at Jon. "That means you'll be stuck as the character in this book. On your own."
"Well, do something! You know magic, stop the countdown!" Karyn exclaimed. Jane sighed again.
"I can't. I don't know who you got this from, but this magic is far beyond me. I'm afraid all that's left to do is ride this thing out." Jon groaned in dismay. "I think there's time for me to do a little magic of my own before we use the bookmark. I can cast a glamour that will make sure no one notices our absence for the duration of the spell," Jane continued.
"Um, we?!" Both Jon and Karyn exclaimed at once.
"Yes, we!" Jane's voice sharpened. "You two clearly have no idea how to handle this situation. You've given me no choice but to come with you. No matter what this shopkeeper said, we have no way of knowing what you'll face once you're in that book and you two have already shown you can't handle it. Now be quiet. This requires concentration," As she ended her tirade, Jane raised her left hand, pinky and index finger pointing out, and circled the room three times. On her third round, a distinct shimmering could be seen about every object of the house.
Jane gasped from the exertion. "Now," she began, out of breath. "We have to choose our characters. You first, Karyn....I need to rest a moment."
Karyn gulped, and tentatively gripped the bookmark.
