Chapter Text
As Wednesday sat in the back of the hearse, driving through the gates of Nevermore Academy, she couldn't help but feel a sense of gloom. The past year had been filled with challenges for Wednesday, from facing off against the twisted Tyler Galpin to narrowly avoiding death at the hands of her carnivorous plants teacher. But through it all, Wednesday had found an unlikely friend in the sunny Enid Sinclair and even managed to defeat the resurrected pilgrim Joseph Crackstone. And, as if that weren't enough, Wednesday had even acquired her first stalker. Truly a grim semester by anyone's definition, 'Overall, not a bad year,' Wednesday thought.
Lurch, Wednesday's undead chauffeur, opened the door for her as they arrived at Ophelia Hall, the dormitory that had been her home for the past year. He collected Wednesday's luggage from the car and headed towards her dormitory.
"I hope you kept your foil sharp", Wednesday turned to see Bianca, Yoko and Divina. "I expect us to win the fencing tournament this year," Bianca said.
"I'm still waiting for my rematch", Wednesday quipped over her shoulder as she followed after Lurch.
"Anytime Addams", Bianca called after her.
It had been a rocky start, but Wednesday had formed a tenuous alliance with Bianca after they worked together to defeat Crackstone and save the school. The attitude of Nervermore's students had shifted from regular whispering and avoidance to a general acceptance of her as one of their own after she had helped save the school. Wednesday didn't know if she liked this development but regardless, she still tried her best to be left alone. Unlike most of her peers, she didn't enjoy the company of others... mostly.
"I still want my rematch", Wednesday said as she turned to follow Lurch.
"Anytime Addams", Bianca called after her.
Wednesday couldn't help but smile as she entered her familiar dorm. With the contrast between Enid's bubbly rainbow decorations and Wednesday's monochromatic minimalism, the rooms opposing sides seemed like they should be in complete opposition, but Wednesday couldn't help but acknowledge how they seemed to complement each other. Lurch dropped off Wednesday's belongings and left; Wednesday unpacked and placed her beloved typewriter on the desk. Then, with an hour to kill before the first school assembly, Wednesday sat down to work on her new novel, which she had started over the break.
Wednesday was lost in thought when the door opened behind her, bringing with it the familiar smell of peaches and lemon. She turned to see Enid Sinclair, a bright smile on her face.
"Wednesday!" Enid yelled, running over and hugging Wednesday tightly. Wednesday instinctively pushed her back, uncomfortable with the sudden show of affection. Her cheeks grew warm.
"Sorry, it's just after last year; I kind of forgot the whole 'no hugging' rule because of the time you hugged me," Enid said, looking down at her feet, embarrassed.
"It was an exceptional case. I'm still not partial to hugs," Wednesday replied coolly.
An awkward silence filled the room until Wednesday prompted, "I trust you had a perfectly awful reunion with your family?"
Enid let out a sigh. "Don't you know it. My mother was relentless; she only wanted to talk about the pack and my role. She didn't ask me anything about the crazy year we had. She didn't even care about the scars! She's insufferable," Enid declared, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"Sounds like torture," Wednesday said, a slight smirk on her lips.
"Jealous", Enid quipped knowingly.
The girls shared a familiar look, enjoying the joke together. Wednesday appreciated the rapport they'd developed over the previous year. With most people, Wednesday felt out of sync and often put up sharp-edged walls to prevent them from getting too close. Still, somehow this werewolf girl had slipped past her shell and now felt easy to be around.
Wednesday took in her roommate; Enid had her trademark blue and pink-tinged blond hair and was wearing a trademark colorful sweater. Her scars had mostly healed over the break, with only three red lines still visible on her left cheek. Wednesday's attention snapped to Enid's neck, noticing she was wearing a poorly crafted green snood. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the sight of it. "What is that, Enid?" she asked, not hiding the disgust in her voice.
Enid looked down at the woven monstrosity with a smile. "Do you like it? Ajax gave it to me before we went on break. He wanted me to have something to remind me of him while we were apart," she explained, rubbing the snood affectionately between her fingers.
Wednesday scowled at the thought, her stomach twisting in disgust.
"That's a horrifying gesture," she replied dryly.
Enid chuckled at Wednesday's response. "I know, isn't it so romantic?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
But Wednesday was having none of it. "Not the adjective I'd use," she retorted.
Enid rolled her eyes at Wednesday's patented response. "He was so sweet, Wednesday. He messaged me all the time while we were on break," she gushed.
But Wednesday had heard enough. "We have an assembly to attend," she cut in, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction. She could tell Enid was about to launch into a nauseating recount of her holiday romance with Ajax, and the thought made her stomach turn.
"Oh, right! Let's go," Enid said, grabbing Wednesday's arm and pulling her out the door.
The two friends joined the rest of the students at Nevermore Academy in the courtyard, where they were greeted by Yoko and Divina.
"Yoko, Divina!" Enid waved over to her friends who joined her and Wednesday.
"Hey Enid, good break?" Divina asked.
"Not really, but it had its moments," Enid said as she ran her finger over the snood.
Wednesday spotted Xavier standing off to the side, looking gloomy as ever and took the opportunity to avoid hearing the complete recounting. She made her way over to him.
"Hey, Wednesday," he said as she approached, his face brightening.
"Xavier, you're looking...the same," Wednesday replied matter-of-factly.
Xavier chuckled. "Thanks, I think. You didn't text me back over the holiday."
"You didn't expect me to?" Wednesday asked dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"No, of course not. But I hoped you at least kept in touch with Enid," Xavier said.
"Why would you think that?" Wednesday asked.
"Because she's the only person you could stand last year," Xavier replied with a smirk.
Wednesday looked over to where Enid was still chatting with her friends, a mix of emotions swirling inside her. On the one hand, she was glad that she and Enid seemed to have picked up where they had left off, but at the same time, something was different.
"She sent me messages, but I never replied," Wednesday said, turning back to Xavier.
"Really? That's cold," Xavier said, shaking his head.
"Have you met me?" Wednesday replied with a shrug.
"Fair point," Xavier acknowledged.
Just then, a voice boomed across the courtyard, signaling the start of the assembly. Wednesday and Xavier made their way over to join the rest of the students.
"Students of Nevermore, welcome to the first day of the new year! I am Principal Kurman" The short, pudgy man with pale skin and a noticeably receding hairline stood at the head of the crowd. He wore a pair of wire-framed glasses perched on his nose. His outfit consisted of a crisp white dress shirt tucked into a pair of brown pants and a green cardigan sweater. His whole look gave off the impression of a middle-school math teacher. Yet, despite his unassuming appearance, he spoke with confidence.
Wednesday noticed Xavier tensing up beside her. "Do you know him?" she whispered. Xavier nodded but didn't say anything.
"I can never replace the beloved Principal Weems, but I promise to do my best to carry on her legacy and ensure that Nevermore remains a top-notch educational institution for all of you. I am deeply invested in the care and safety of every student at this school, and I hope you will give me a chance to prove that to you. Some of you may recognize me from my show 'Amazing Arthur,' but teaching has always been my true passion. So when I heard about the loss of Principal Weems, I knew I had to act. I hope you will welcome me with open arms and allow me to make this year the best it can be."
With that, the presentation was over.
"So, who is he?" Wednesday asked, turning to Xavier.
"He's one of my dad's famous psychic friends," Xavier said, his face twisting into a grimace. "Dad says he's a second-rate hack."
"Some friend," Wednesday mused.
Xavier snorted. "Last I heard, his ratings were in free-fall. So they cancelled his show."
"So Nevermore is a fallback for him," Wednesday replied, "How noble," her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Wednesday looked over at the spot where Enid was standing with Yoko and Divina. Just then, Ajax appeared out of the crowd and poked Enid in the back as he slipped in beside her. Enid laughed as she saw him and threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.
Wednesday turned away, feeling her stomach turn at the sight of their affection. "Looks like some people are happy to be back, at least," Xavier said, following Wednesday's gaze.
Without another word, Wednesday turned and headed off towards the halls.
"Where are you off to?" Xavier called after her.
"Therapy," Wednesday called back over her shoulder.
Wednesday arrived at the office of the former dorm mother for Ophelia hall and resident hyde controlling psycho Ms Thornhill. She knocked twice, and a strange voice wafted out from the room, "Come in."
Wednesday opened the door to find a new face staring back at her.
"Hello, Wednesday; my name is Gloria Bellweather."
Gloria Bellweather sat at her desk, her bronze skin glowing in the soft light of her lamp. She exuded confidence, her sharp angular features and steel grey eyes seeming to take in every detail of the short gothic girl standing before her. Gloria was an athletic, powerfully built woman with shoulder-length black hair. She sat at her desk, radiating a cool confidence. Wednesday couldn't help but feel a little impressed by her ability to make such a strong first impression.
Sitting at the edge of her desk facing Wednesday was Principal Kurman.
"Wednesday", he smiled genially. "How nice to meet you; I understand I have much to thank you for."
Wednesday returned the man's smile with a blank stony stare.
"Right, well," Principal Kurman said, clearly taken aback, "why don't you have a seat." gesturing towards the chair in front of Ms Bellweather's desk.
Wednesday sat in the chair, the two adults staring at her, making her feel awkward.
"Wednesday," Gloria said, sitting back in her chair. "As I'm sure you are aware, due to exceptional circumstances, you couldn't complete your court-ordered therapy sessions."
"A happy accident", Wednesday quipped.
"Yes, well, the court has made an exception given the events of last semester", Ms. Bellweather continued.
"You mean the multiple homicides that culminated in the school almost burning down by a rampaging undead pilgrim?" Wednesday interjected.
"Ahaha, ha ha…." Principal Kurman stuttered, "I, yes, exactly. It does sound so strange, but it is the truth, isn't it" He said, almost more to himself than anyone else.
"I'm sure you're going to love it here," Wednesday said, looking at him with a disingenuous smile.
The gesture seemed to unnerve the fidgeting man even more.
"Yes, well", Ms. Bellweather continued. "You have to finish the remaining sessions."
"I didn't realize there was another trained therapist in Jericho," Wednesday said.
"There wasn't", Principal Kurman interjected.
Wednesday looked at the new Dorm Mother, raising an eyebrow. Matching wits with this formidable woman might be fun.
"Sounds awful", Wednesday said.
"It'll be a swell chance for us to get to know each other and hopefully bring a pleasant spark to your day.", Principal Kurman said with a delighted pep.
Wednesday snapped her head around to look up at the Principal.
"Excuse me?" She said.
"Principal Kurman is a trained psychologist; he's more than qualified to handle your prescribed sessions", Ms. Bellweather added.
The poor man, Wednesday thought. But, hopefully, his conviction was more substantial than he looked.
Night had fallen as Wednesday reached the courtyard on her way back to her dormitory. The moonlight bathed the grounds in a spectral glow, Nevermore's tall gothic arches and stone facades casting long, eerie shadows. Tangled and gnarled branches from the trees stretched towards the stars like ghostly fingers, reaching out for comfort. The wind whispered secrets through the night air, adding to the sinister atmosphere. A deathly stillness hung in the air, interrupted only by the occasional haunting howl of a distant animal. It was a scene of dark beauty, and as Wednesday stepped into the courtyard, she felt a peaceful serenity.
A blood-curdling scream punctured the silence, shattering Wednesday's peaceful moment. Alarmed, Wednesday sped towards the source, the sound growing more intense with every step until she stumbled upon a ghastly sight: a young student cowering on the ground, covering her head with her arms as if to hide beneath them, and looming over her a monstrously large, shadowy arachnid, blade-like fangs radiating malice. Undaunted, Wednesday grabbed the knife she kept inside her left boot and fearlessly charged at the beast, hoping that if she could plunge her blade into its legs, it would give the girl a chance to escape. With an elegant thrust of her arm, Wednesday's blade found its target, slicing through the air with impeccable accuracy and plunging straight into the creature's nearest leg. Or so it should have. Instead, her blade sailed through, the momentum of her thrust carrying her with the motion. Wednesday spun around in anticipation of a retaliatory attack, but the monstrous creature was gone.
'An illusion?' Wednesday thought. She could hear the sound of someone running towards them.
The soft whimpering behind her brought Wednesday's attention back to the girl at her feet. "Your safe now," Wednesday said. "It was just an illusion."
The girl's eyes were wide with terror, tears streaming down her face. She shook her head, and Wednesday suddenly noticed the girl's uniform was wet with the unmistakable stain of blood pooling across her shirt.
"Wednesday?" Came a familiar boy's voice.
Wednesday turned to Eugene and yelled, "Get the nurse now!"