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As Lurch drove through the large iron gates towards Nevermore Wednesday looked up from her book towards the trees surrounding the ancient school. Snow and frost had covered the grounds and she was delighted to see that the colours of the early sunset were hidden behind the dark clouds.
Noticing her attention shifting, Thing moved from beside her to on top of her shoulder to join her in her observation of the school. Feeling him tapping excitedly Wednesday responded to him: “Yes, I’m also… interested in returning to this educational penitentiary. It is where I encountered my first genocidal maniac after all. And I still have unfinished business considering I have not been able to find any information pertaining to my stalker.”
As Thing taps out a response doubting that her motivations for returning are so single-mindedly focused upon her investigations, a notion she doesn’t dignify with a response, the quad, and above it the balcony upon which she could play her cello in peace last semester, came into view of the car’s windows. From here Wednesday could almost swear she saw her roommate’s disgustingly colourful clothes move behind her side of the half-decent-half-vomit-inducing window of the room they share.
As Lurch drove into the school proper, Thing took her phone and moved back down her side and into his usual spot inside her bag. Whilst Wednesday slings the bag across her shoulder she looks outside the window again. Much like the last day she was there the entrance to the school is filled with cars, with students and parents alike running through the plaza carrying moving boxes and suitcases filled with everything these insipid teenagers needed for the rest of the schoolyear.
As she stepped out of the family car, Lurch, ever diligent, moved towards the back of the Pontiac to start moving her possessions to her room. Looking around the plaza she saw that none of her… acquaintances nor her fellow hummer were there.
Though she had indeed sent Xavier a message through the phone he had given her, he had, to her slight chagrin, taken the liberty to make several of the people she had encountered aware of her number, including Enid, Eugene and for some strange reason even Bianca (though, unlike the others, Barclay had spared her the torture of meaningless conversation or well wishes and merely send her a text alerting her that she had her number and a single message explaining that she still wanted her on the Nevermore fencing team if she was allowed back).
Whilst walking ahead of Lurch towards Ophelia Hall and her room, she thought about the messages the others had sent her. Eugene, despite receiving a multitude of threats from her after his well-meant wishes for ‘Christmas’, had kept her annoyingly informed about his break. His mothers had apparently almost decided to pull him out of Nevermore as they feared for his safety, a possibility that had made Wednesday strangely uncomfortable (and not the good kind of uncomfortable she got from one of her uncle’s torture devices). Luckily he had managed to convince them otherwise, apparently using her of all people as an example of his social development whilst attending Nevermore.
She came to a stop in front of the door to her room. Before she could open it herself, it swung open and a widely smiling Enid dove in for a hug before she could move out of the way.
Allowing Enid to embrace her for a few more seconds, she gave her roommate a small cough as her only warning.
Luckily for her, Enid quickly understood that it wasn’t an allergic reaction to her colours and quickly released her, the smile on her face not dimming one bit.
“Sorry, I know your still not a hugger, but I could hear you coming up the stairs and I’m just so happy you came back!” Enid said.
“Get a hold of yourself Sinclair. It has only been a month since you last saw me.”
“Well, it has been closer to two months than one! And regardless you never even told me whether you would be allowed back here and you didn’t respond to any of the texts I send you. You could’ve at least messaged me to let me know you wouldn’t be visiting!”
“None of the dates that you suggested turned out to be suitable for me to escape my parents unnoticed.”
“Aaand, you couldn’t you just have, oh I don’t know, asked them?” Enid said questioningly
“Where would be the fun in that? Besides, if I were to ask them, they would insist on travelling along to properly meet you, and I might despise your mother but the rest of your family has not yet warranted such torture.”
“Speaking of your family, is Thing with you?”
Before the raven-haired girl could answer, the living appendage shot out of its bag on her back and quickly launched itself from Wednesday’s shoulder to the bright werewolf’s face, who in turn squealed in surprise and joy, spun out of the way and grabbed Thing mid-air. “Thing!”
Not wasting the distraction that Thing provided for her, Wednesday quickly moved inside, putting her bag down in front of the newly half-covered window.
She stepped through the window and leaned on the balcony, studying the gargoyle before looking out onto the equally colourless landscape.
Her thoughts drifted to the events that had taken place in and around the dense forest surrounding the school; the Poe Cup, blowing up Crackstone’s statue, wandering in search of the cave with Eugene, tracking Xavier with Fester, torturing the Hyde, stabbing Crackstone, confronting Thornhill with Weems, Weems falling to the ground, the mayor rolling over the car, Thing bloody in her hands, Enid,
The sound of the window creaking open behind her pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Thinking about escaping already? And here I thought we could have a normal semester this year. Or well, the Nevermore version of normal anyway.”
“I thought the same, until I was remembered how strongly you insist on activating my allergies.”
Enid leaned on the balcony next to her, a calm smile on her face.
“How about this, I promise to not paint Things nails too bright for the first few weeks, and you don’t try to escape this year.”
Wednesday’s face relaxed a bit as well.
“Deal, but you better don’t give him any glitter either.”
“Well I can’t promise he won’t get his hand on any, but deal.”
They stood in peaceful silence for a moment, before Enid broke the silence again:
“Your… butler already brought some of your stuff upstairs, pretty sure Thing is already looking for his moisturizer.”
“Oh, I packed that away in a hidden compartment he doesn’t know about yet.”
Turning her eyes towards a silent Enid, Wednesday saw her giving her a look that threatened defiance and loud ear-piercing music. Turning her eyes back to the less colourful landscape she responded to her roommate’s silence:
“I will give it to him before the night is over.”
“You better, you’re not the only one who will have to listen to him complain about his rough skin every evening.”
“You do realize that him torturing you will only make me withhold it longer?”
Wednesday could hear Enid shiver as a breeze came over the balcony.
“yeah, well I will just tell him you hid it and he will bother you long enough that it starts cutting into your writing time, and then we will see who had the last laugh.”
Wednesday’s eyes quickly flitted over to her now fully turned-around roommate, and as their eyes locked she realized that Enid clearly had every intention of stepping right inside and making true to her words. She was even sporting that cheeky grin she had on her face that she would have when she was gloating.
Not saying a word Wednesday quickly looked away, once more gazing out over the snow-covered treetops.
Enid, knowing full well that she had won, but also that gloating would end with a far more salty not-quite-goth girl than she wanted to deal with during their first week back, turned away from the miniature menace next to her. Looking back inside she saw the Addams’ completely silent butler carefully lay down the cello she knew would be played from her current spot the moment she left for the showers tonight. To be honest, she still didn’t understand how her roommate gets the oversized violin out the window, even with her right hand’s help. Said right hand was already searching the cello case for any indicator that the moisturizer he so craved was inside. She really hoped Wednesday would give him the bottle soon, otherwise he would come crawling to her and ask to borrow hers, and she just got an expensive new bottle for herself and she was NOT feeling like sharing it immediately.
Turning back to a certain stubbornly silent girl, Enid asked:
“Shouldn’t we help your butler? I know it’s his job and he gets paid for it, but it seems rude to let him carry all of your stuff all the way here alone.”
“Oh, Lurch doesn’t get paid.” Wednesday answered.
“Wait what?” Enid responded alarmed.
“And he takes pride in his work and it is no bother to him. Offering help will most likely do nothing but make him scoff at you.” The shorter girl continued unbothered. “You should get back inside by the way, I have no interest in cleaning up all the fur you are going to be shedding if you stay out here.”
Looking down at her hands, Enid saw that a tiny layer of fluffy dark grey fur had grown on her skin.
“Oh, guess I was colder than I thought. I’m only going inside if you’re coming with me though. I may have fur to keep me warm but you sure as hell don’t and I doubt sick Wednesday will be any more pleasant than regular you.”
As she expected Wednesday immediately looked like she was going to protest the fact that people, or at least she, would get sick from these temperatures but Enid was having none of it, and simply grabbed her roommate’s shoulder and dragged her towards the window.
Considering she didn’t immediately feel a knife stuck in her somewhere, Enid was pretty sure that despite the death stare directed her way, her gloomy friend was not that upset by being forced out of the snow that was starting to fall.
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Thing’s movements were becoming increasingly erratic and Wednesday revelled in it. Lurch had left half an hour ago, but not after having been thoroughly annoyed by Thing’s constant need for assurances that, yes the car was empty, yes he had carried everything to the room and no there was no loose bottle left behind in the car either. Not long after Lurch had started his trip back home, Enid received a text from Yoko asking if she could come help the vampire decorate her room, and most likely to catch up after the extended break.
This however had left Thing completely at the mercy of his terrible master, a pact Wednesday would remember the disembodied hand of, with the disappearance of his lotion, she knew Thing would have to come to her to either get it back or to get her to order more. Until then however, she would simply continue her work on the next manuscript. She had used the break to edit the manuscript of her last book and plan out the next mystery Viper will solve and she was confident that, as long as there were no unforeseen interruptions to her schedule, she will be able to finish the next book by the end of the school year, giving her all of summer-break to, ‘convince’, an editor to publish her books.
Thing’s search stopped just before her ten-minute estimate. Wednesday knew better than to underestimate the appendage and she knew full well he must have started suspecting her of foul play the moment the bottle wasn’t with the rest of his belongings inside her suitcase. She calmly kept her eyes on her typewriter whilst listening for Thing’s movements towards her desk. Most likely he would try to get the upper hand on her by going either for one of her knives or her throat.
Wednesday could hear the slow, careful movement of his fingers as he crept closer to his goal.
She could feel her heart beating a tiny bit faster from the suspense, but she quickly brought it back under control. Whether Thing had impeccable timing or just had a lot of luck, he had chosen that moment to push himself off the ground towards the knife hidden in the seams of her jacket. Her momentary distraction gave Thing the opportunity to actually touch her, something Wednesday chastised herself for.
Before Thing could actually take her knife she quickly threw herself on her side, landing on Thing before rolling into a crouch. Thing, the little coward, immediately realised his opportunity had been lost and quickly started running towards Enid’s half of the room, trying to use Wednesday’s allergy as a defensive barrier.
He didn’t get 3 feet before the hilt of one of his soon-to-be master’s knives hit him in the side and send him rolling until he was swiftly captured and put in a very familiar position next to the typewriter. He tapped an acknowledgement of his defeat and felt the grip that was bending his thumb uncomfortably slightly loosen.
“I don’t think I will have to threaten you again, will I?”
Quickly affirming that there was no need to threaten him with the drawer again, Thing knew he would once again not be allowed to lessen the family’s worries about Wednesday’s health and misery whilst they were at Nevermore.
“Good. But this time, you are also not to speak freely about me to Enid, my parents worrying is bothersome enough and I have no desire to placate her every time I need to investigate my stalker.”
Thing hesitated for a moment, after all gossiping with Enid during their manicures was something he had been looking forward to all winter break.
Wednesday turned to open up the desk drawer.
‘Well, getting manicures at all is far better than scratching at wood for the next 5 months.’
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As the bright werewolf entered her room to take pick up her roommate for dinner, the raven-haired girl was sitting at her usual spot at her desk. She was glad her friend had kept her promise, seeing as the more talkative of the Addams was already glimmering from the layer of lotion that coated his skin.
“You ready for dinner roomy?” she asked with her usual upbeat tone.
“Please, I was ready long before you entered this room.” The response came from the smaller girl as she stood up and walked over towards the door.
“Great! Let’s go then!” She said as she turned around with a tiny bounce.
Closing the door behind they walked side by side down the stairs towards the dining hall.
“By the way, do I need to ask about the knife next to my bed?”