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“A fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my heart, and for a brief period I once more relapsed into insensibility.”
- Edgar Allen Poe “The Pit and The Pendulum” 1842
Nevermore Academy
Front Gates
To say that the whole of them – the entire student body, instructors and school staff – breathed a collective sigh of relief, was a severe understatement.
It was so disorienting to be woken suddenly, only to realize the school was somehow under attack and about to be burned down. With all of them in it.
It was why the majority of them, standing at the gates to Nevermore Academy, were stunned into silence.
Because they had all been saved apparently - by Bianca, Wednesday, Enid and Eugene.
Xavier pointedly glances at Ajax. He and his Gorgon friend know that once the hugs are out of the way, the 'heroes' need to get to the infirmary. Outcasts had a whole host of reasons to never trust Normie health care facilities, so Nevermore had a full clinic.
Ajax makes a move first, nodding at Xavier and then gesturing towards Bianca and gathering Enid in his arms to get her going. Meanwhile, Eugene and the rest of the students and staff move towards the school as well. Everyone starts making their way, prompted by the instructors no longer under the Siren's song, to return to the school's main hall.
All of them, except Wednesday.
Xavier looks at her, willing himself to be impassive. He refuses to show weakness for her like he did earlier in the courtyard.
Besides he's still experiencing the sting of the past couple of days, like the argument in the Nightshades library – What's to like? The words bounce around his brain like a slur. Not to mention getting his ass locked up because she convinced the authorities that he was the Hyde. Come to think of it, the timing of Sheriff Galpin choosing to transfer him this night was kismet.
Actually, he kind of wants to scream at her that she shouldn't flatter herself when it comes to him.
Sure, he tried to take down Crackstone in a feeble effort to protect her.
Whatever.
Xavier's not religious by any means. But he's prayed to whichever deity that would listen, to help him not want anything to do with her. He's even been desperate enough to consider running in the opposite direction. As if that would remotely work.
In the end, he called her toxic and told her to leave. He's surprised as shit at how painful it was to do so.
But of course, she didn't. Lucky for all of them. Lucky for him, he notes.
So, here he was at her side.
Again.
Fucking, pathetic.
Xavier told her she had no idea who her real friends were. He pointed out how he was always there, the one who believed her from the beginning. It wasn't that he liked Wednesday as she claimed. It wasn't as simple as that.
It's as he said, he's tried. Yeah, it was an asshole move to ask Bianca, his ex-girlfriend, help with forgetting the Goth girl – but something, something tells him it would have been a losing battle anyway.
Wednesday had somehow seeped into his pores and crawled under his skin. Plus, it's like she's indelible – he couldn't scrub her from his person no matter how much soap he'd go through.
Xavier continues to study her. The fact that this normally opinionated and vocal girl is so quiet is kind of disconcerting. He notices how she sways slightly, her eyes heavy and damp. No, they weren't tears, he tells himself. Wednesday Addams doesn't cry, does she?
He steps closer and reaches out slowly to tentatively tug on her jacket sleeve.
“Come on,” he says, letting go the moment she turns to follow him. She could burn him with a look, he hates to think what would happen if he held on to her jacket too long and their hands accidentally touch.
Perhaps he'd spontaneously combust, he thinks flexing his fingers. Wouldn't that be fan-fucking-tastic?
He seriously doesn't mind playing with fire every now and then. He chances a glance at her. This definitely wasn't one of those times though.
Xavier proceeds instead to look straight ahead as they walk, and she follows him wordlessly into the school. The silence except for their footsteps is deafening. He gets more agitated by the quiet that settles between them as she continues next to him, up the steps and down the long corridor towards the infirmary.
He wants to say something, a word of thanks or comfort or...both? He needs to say something because he's about to explode with everything he is feeling all at once.
But men don't have feelings, let alone talk about them. Ask his dick of a father. Good old Vincent Thorpe would rather psychically probe without permission anyway, he thinks sullenly.
Even more shitty, is at the moment, all he can do is feel.
But what exactly?
Anger? Absolutely, for a multitude of reasons. Specifically, towards Sheriff Galpin, Wednesday, Tyler, anything and everything that just happened.
Disbelief? Yes. Principal Weems was dead. Thornhill revived a dark entity, centuries old that wanted to cleanse the world of Outcasts.
Awe? Yup. He glances at Wednesday furtively.
Embarrassment? Fuck, yes. He can't help but dwell on how Wednesday jumped in front of that arrow for him.
It was too much and too heavy to process.
His tongue feels swollen and he feels woefully inept. They enter the infirmary finally and fumbling his words, he only manages a pained “Wednesday,” before being interrupted by a timely 'tut'. The girl is guided in the direction of an empty examination table by a nurse.
Now, he follows Wednesday.
Glancing around he sees Bianca getting her eyes checked to see if she's possibly concussed. Enid's cuts on her face are being tended to by a nurse as Ajax helps by gently cleaning her hands.
It's then that he notices Wednesday move closer to him. She's mere inches away, looking straight through the center of him and before he can react – to give her space or, if he had the balls, the opposite and perhaps embrace her – she leans her head against his chest.
She leans her head against his chest.
He gulps. He forgets to breathe. He wants to duck his head down and feel the hair on the crown of her head against his lips, but she's gone.
She's going to deny it later. Act like she would never do such a thing and that it never happened.
He's fine with it.
Besides, the spark of wanting the same gesture from Wednesday that Enid received earlier had abated.
He doesn't believe he deserves any kind of acknowledgment from this girl after the way he's behaved and everything that's transpired since she got to Nevermore.
Wednesday made it pretty clear from the very beginning how she wanted to keep everyone, him included, at arm's length. He should've taken the hint. She may have momentarily screwed up his life, but no, he doesn't deserve squat from her.
The gravity though, of Wednesday's actions is not lost on him. Just moments before, she barely accepted a hug from her roommate, but their emotions got the better of all of them.
Near death experiences, the possible end to all Outcasts by an undead demon will do that he guesses. Taking an arrow to the shoulder for him, effectively saving his life and Enid's timely wolf-out will do that as well.
The nurse has her already seated and is helping her remove her school blazer and sweater vest. He sees the blood soaking through her white school shirt and guilt twists his gut. All he knows is that he wasn't strong enough to prevent it.
His father would agree, he thinks darkly.
On the other hand, Dr. Kinbott would remind him he's only just about to turn seventeen. He's saddened, reminded of her. He hates Tyler so much the more.
Santiago, Sheriff Galpin's deputy is suddenly there in the doorway and waving him over. He's in a daze and numb as Santiago motions him out the door. She's saying something about being dismissed of all the charges against him, but first if he could come down to the station to sign papers and collect his things.
He realizes it's to avoid a possible lawsuit by his father and he should be overjoyed and ecstatic. Touching the spot on his chest that oddly enough, still tingles from Wednesday's touch, he can't focus on anything else. He allows himself the faintest of smiles for a different reason.
He doesn't catch how Wednesday's eyes follow his movements as he exits the infirmary. Or, how her brow furrows slightly in what on any other person would look like concern.
After the station on his way back to the school via Deputy Santiago again, he makes a mental note as they drive pass the lone cellphone store in Downtown Jericho.
Nevermore Academy
Hamlet Hall
For the second time, Xavier is in a ridiculous daze.
Wednesday Addams let him tease her. He can't hold in the snort of disbelief as he finishes boxing the last of his books.
Yes, gifting her a cell phone was a little extravagant. But it was worth it, as he remembers her expression and how their interaction was light and bordering on friendly. Not to mention, there was actually some banter.
She joked about his boldness. He figured she was capable of her own kind of humor – just never dreaming it would ever include him. But the phone was his gift to her, it just made sense to pre-fill his information beforehand. Honestly, he didn't expect a phone call. But when he said he'd settle for a text, she actually blinked.
Then, call it courage or madness, he took another chance and cheekily asked if she knew what a 'text' was. That's when he saw it. The smallest smirk accompanied by her eyebrows shooting up in what he hoped was amusement. He won't forget how her faint freckles danced along the bridge of her nose as her face relaxed.
He doesn't really expect her to text or call over the break because he didn't give her the phone as something to hold over her. He just hopes she's open to a bit of communication. But in all seriousness, he just wanted to make sure if she ever found herself in another situation like what happened with Crackstone or Thornhill again, she'd have something to use to get help.
He grabs his last box of things and makes his way out of his dorm room, more than a little pleased from his final interaction with Wednesday. Somehow, even if she didn't reach out to him over the break, or Gods forbid, decide not to return to Nevermore – he still believes they'd continue to be a part of each other's lives. He laughs out loud at that last thought, not caring if anyone is around to see him practically cackling like a madman.
End.