At the airport

Marnie has finalized her travel plans and said goodbye to Stephen and Katie. The last part involved hot, sweaty sex, of course, of the type that would normally make Marnie sad to think about leaving them, even if only for a few days. But she knows that it doesn't matter where she goes—Uhazral will find a way to **** her into increasingly lewd and dirty situations. If she does find a "cure" for this curse of hers, she wonders, will it be before she stops wanting to be cured?

The airport is not busy, and the normally hectic dance of boarding pass, baggage tags, and security is a smooth one today. Marnie has no checked luggage, just a small overnight bag. She puts her laptop and phone in a separate basket before slinging the bag onto the security scan conveyor. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices the two guards—one male, one female—at the metal detector looking in her direction. They appear bored; the sedate pace so far today must mean they haven't seen much in the way of "action."

Marnie expects to breeze through the metal detector. She's wearing a blue sundress that clings tightly to her modest bust before flaring past her hips. Her lack of underwear means she has to be careful about bending over, lest the short hemline rise too much. But it also means that aside from the dress, her flip-flops, and the amulet permanently—

Shit.

The detector beeps harshly, and the bored-looking male guard motions for her to stop. Marnie frowns and obeys. He approaches and waves his wand, telling her to raise her arms. The wand crackles and, predictably, beeps as it passes over the amulet.

"Ma'am, could you remove the necklace and step back through the scanner, please?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't take it off," Marnie says, as meekly as possible.

"Excuse me?"

"Really, I can't—go ahead and try." Actually, Marnie isn't sure what will happen to the security agent if he tries to remove her amulet. But it's worth a try.

Instead, the guard's eyes glaze over, and he merely shrugs. "My colleague here," he says, tipping his head to indicate the woman to his left, "will have to search you. Please cooperate, and it will go quickly."