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Chapter Text

Seven months have passed since she was cast out of her family pack. Seven months since the barely eighteen year old girl was sent to live on the streets, nothing but the clothes on her back and the phone in her pocket to her name. Enid Sinclair had been bouncing from job to job, every single one under the table. Some jobs lasted a few weeks, some a few days, and some merely a few hours, but a job was a job. The worst were when she was sent on a task but then the person refused to pay her afterwards. The money she had made was immediately put back into living, getting cheap clothes from thrift stores and finding cheap meals to eat. Once her day was done, she’d sleep anywhere she could find where she’d be safe from the elements. During her first two months in San Francisco, the girl found herself sleeping under bridges and in back alleys, everywhere else covered in anti-homeless architecture. Eventually, she moved on, traveling from city to city looking for anything that would free her from the pit she felt herself falling deeper into. 

No one wanted to give a real job to a homeless girl fresh out of high school with technically no experience. Add on the fact that she’s a werewolf, and she gets turned away almost immediately by every business she tries. A few of the cities she went to had stuff to help out, they’d provide shelter and food, but she still found herself in a rut. Even with the help they were providing, she would never make enough money to escape back to the real world. 

So she continued to wander, five months and seventeen different cities after she left San Francisco. The shewolf had hitched rides between major cities and hiked between minor ones. She had been forced to sell her cellphone to eat three months in, leaving her with nothing to search for jobs on. Enid had been forced to resort to knocking on people’s doors. The shewolf had been immediately sent away by nearly everybody, but she’ll never forget the stranger that allowed her to stay a week in their house. That had been the first time she had felt the hot water of a shower or eaten a delicious home cooked meal in three months. He had been a werewolf himself and he was so incredibly understanding of her inability to transform, and even offered to let her stay for as long as she needed. Everything went downhill once his pack found out. It’s been four months since.

And now the girl was deep in New Jersey, hiking across the state on a search for anything that she could possibly do to make a living. She had already stopped in a multitude of jobs, each one turning her down with varying levels of civility. Enid’s goal was to reach New York City. She’d never been, and she’d never spoken to anyone that had been there, but in her eyes it was her best chance at finding a permanent, legal job. A large city full of business and small apartments that would hopefully be nice and cheap. 

However, it seemed the next stop on her journey was a small town named Westfield. It was down the road from another small town by the name of Fanwood, where she had gotten exactly zero jobs. The sky slowly darkened above her as she entered the town. She glanced up to see the clouds slowly beginning to overtake the sun in the sky. Looking around, all that surrounded her was some kind of construction site and houses. With a sigh, she pushed herself forward. 

The werewolf slowly made the trek through the town, not acknowledging the new droplets of water that were landing on her dirty, battered shirt and jacket. She passed by a multitude of shops, each one without a place she could bunker down, until she came across a place she could. Ahead of her at the corner was a bus stop. 

Enid had slept in bus stops before. They were cramped, small, barely protected her from the elements, and she was always woken up early the next morning when the first bus arrived, but they were something. She was almost tempted to press her luck and continue, but with the rain slowly picking up and her legs ready to collapse underneath her, she decided it would be enough.  

The shewolf let out a long sigh as she collapsed back into the bus stop. The metal material dug into her back but it was so much better than the wet concrete she had slept on the previous night. How long she was there, eyes closed and limbs limp on the seats, she wasn’t entirely certain. It felt as if she had been there for both an eternity and no time at all. But, eventually, she opened her eyes and stared ahead, only to be met with something she hadn’t noticed before. Taped to the side of the box was a piece of paper that was currently getting drenched. She willed herself to stand up and grab it, before immediately crashing back into the seat. With a small hiss and a wince when her back collided with the bench, she read the paper.

Enid read it over multiple times. Nothing about it appeared safe or legit. It was all shakily written on a piece of printer paper, and the ‘Lane’ at the bottom looked hastily scribbled out. Across the top were the simple words ‘Looking for a live-in servant’. The requirements were rudimentary, only requiring that she can do things like cook and clean. The address across the bottom said ‘001 Cemetery Lane’ which only reads like a child’s prank. She let out a small chuckle before falling back against the bench. With a small sigh, she laid down in the fetal position. The sounds of rain pounding away above her and splashing onto her arms from below served as the perfect distractions to keep her awake for multiple hours. She squirmed, consistently turning to face the seat before feeling too vulnerable and turning back around. It wasn’t until the moon was at its peak that she drifted off.

Only four hours had passed when she was startled awake. Two men were talking inside the bus stop, though they both glanced towards her when she first awoke. Enid let out a small breath before sitting upright and standing. She stared out into the torrential downpour, her legs and clothing already drenched from the splash. She stared down the road at the endless business and homes that would inevitably reject her. After a beat, the shewolf turned to face the two behind her. They immediately met her gaze.

“D-” Enid let out a small cough, “Do you know where Cemetery lane is?”

The man on the left stared at her as the one on the right looked up towards the sky for a moment, before speaking, “It shouldn’t be too far. Three blocks that way,” he pointed deeper into the town, “and take a left. From there it’s four blocks and on the right.”

She thanked them, before turning back to the rain. With a final breath, she stepped into the torrent and hiked forwards. Every single step resulting in a splash of water. Even with her hood up, her head was soaked to the bone before she had even reached a block. The werewolf grumbled under her breath before picking up the pace. 

***

She meticulously watched the right side of the road as she approached her fourth block, wanting to be sure she didn’t miss it. It turned out however that her overabundance of caution wasn’t needed. The second the street came into view it stuck out like a sore thumb. The street almost seemed darker than the rest of the city, even underneath the torrential downpour. Sitting only slightly up the street was a manor. The mansion looked like it was ripped straight out of an old horror movie, dirty wooden planks making up the walls with black tiling for the roof. Large arched windows cut into every available space, accompanied by an arch doorway as the centerpiece. The trees surrounding the mansion were devoid of any greenery, yet the mansion itself was covered head to toe in deep green vines. 

Enid cautiously approached the door, every step reminding her of how dumb she is for thinking that this job is a good idea. Or hell that it’s even real. The second her foot hit the skewed ‘go away’ mat on the front porch, the front door swung open. No one was there at first, though she heard some kind of scuttling behind the door. After a moment of contemplating whether or not she should run, someone approached the door. 

She was wearing black leggings and a black hoodie, her hair drawn into pigtails. She seemed to be a good bit shorter than Enid, seeing as the werewolf was still looking down to meet her eyes despite the girl being up on the actual floor of the house. Enid glanced back at the woman’s face to see her deep, anger-filled eyes adjourned by large bags. The woman’s glare deepened as Enid sent her a smile, causing the werewolf to step away. 

“What are you doing here?” her voice alone almost commanded the werewolf run.

Enid stuttered slightly before taking a breath, “Sorry, it was probably just a prank.”

“Then lea-” she was interrupted by something at her side. Enid heard some distant tapping behind the door. The woman glared down at whatever it was, and Enid was even pretty sure she saw her signing something at her side, before turning back to the werewolf. She began to fidget underneath of the woman’s gaze, everything in her screamed that she should take off, but she found herself unable to properly move. Finally, the woman bit out, “Enter.”

And Enid, staring at the girl who was now walking back down the hall, glanced back into the rain. She stared down the road and towards the town for a moment, before letting out a sigh, staring into the darkness of the mansion, and stepping inside.

Chapter Text

Enid followed the strange woman into the manor, her eyes taking time to adjust to the darkness that seemed to permeate throughout the building. The front hall was caked in dust, with cobwebs stretching into every corner from the chandelier in the middle of the ceiling. What appeared to be hand-painted portraits dotted the walls.

Enid hesitated behind the goth woman, who immediately stopped upon hearing the shewolf’s feet drag, “Do I take my shoes off?”

The woman waited a moment longer, the dust on the art moving more than her. After multiple terrifying beats, she continued to walk forward without answering. Enid stared after her for a moment before glancing around the floor to search for any kind of shoe rack or mat to set her destroyed shoes on. Eventually, the werewolf found nothing and continued forward into the house. Enid followed the woman into the next room, which extended up towards the second floor. A large staircase painted the back wall that split half way up to go both directions. Surrounding the edge of the room was a large balcony, which Enid could see the variety of rooms sitting around. Dead center of the room was yet another large chandelier, once again adjourned by large cobwebs. The room itself was hardly furnished, only containing a few couches that would be midnight black if it were not for the thick layer of dust covering them. An unlit fireplace sat against the wall in front of them, with another black rug on the floor between the two. Enid would swear she saw a beetle scurrying across it as she entered. 

“Do not deign to annoy me with your presence, for you will be removed from the household immediately,” the woman was standing in front of the steps, “Thing will show you to your room. You may then shower. Once you have done so, you will find clothing and a piece of paper on your bed. Read it and then speak with me.”

Enid’s mouth hung open for a moment, before she shook her head and looked towards the retreating goth woman, “Wait, Thing?”

She didn’t answer. Enid prepared to follow her, before hearing tapping at her feet. She glanced down expecting to see a pet of some kind, but was instead met with a disembodied hand tapping around her toes. 

Enid froze, “What the fuck?”

She was vaguely aware that the woman had paused as she freaked out. The hand beneath her also seemed to be freaking out, its fingers moving rapidly into new positions. Enid could feel her irregular breaths coming out heavier as she collapsed against the wall, the only thoughts running through her head being that of her imminent death. Her vision was blurred, and she could only vaguely hear the sounds of footsteps moving towards her. 

After multiple panicky minutes against the woman’s wall, Enid’s senses slowly began to return to her. Her vision slowly returned to reveal said woman staring at her, one eyebrow raised and a small smirk gracing her lips, “Thing is the hand. Follow him.”

Enid didn’t respond as the woman turned this time, only watching as she walked upstairs and into what Enid assumed was her room directly at the top. Her eyes slowly peeled down towards the hand that still hadn’t moved from the middle of the floor. After a moment, it seemed to almost perk up before moving rapidly again. Enid watched it, before it clicked. Sign language. 

Enid wasn’t great at sign language, she had learned a little bit of it when she was younger because it seemed fun, but that was all. So as the hand contorted into different symbols, all Enid could do was watch in utter confusion until she finally picked up the word ‘me’.

The shewolf slowly pushed herself off the wall, keenly aware of the dust coating her back, before following the now scurrying hand down a hallway beside the stairs. The hallway itself was just like the rest of the house, dirty and grimy. Off the hallway were several offshoots. One of them was a series of doors, one was another hallway leading under the stairs, and the final one was a small alcove that contained a few more rooms. Enid followed the hand into said alcove until it led her to one of the rooms in the back. She pulled open the door, albeit with plenty of hesitation, to reveal yet another dusty, dirty room. This one held a single red and black bed in the center of the room, an oak dresser in the corner, and another door on the other side that Enid assumed was the bathroom she had been told to use to shower. When the werewolf turned to thank ‘Thing’, it was gone, so she instead shut the door to her bedroom and let out a sigh. The shewolf fell back against the door and shut her eyes, contemplating whether or not she should even take the shower or if she should sprint back out into the rain. The still deafening sound of it beating on the walls and roof gave her an answer. 

If you had asked Enid to tell you how much she’d crave a hot shower after four months without one, she would’ve sorely underestimated. The nearly scorching water running down her body soothed her aching muscles. She was tempted to sit under the water until it ran cold, but also knew that possibly pissing off her new boss… roommate… something… before she even began was probably a horrible idea, that is, if she even decided to keep the job. 

Enid collapsed against the wall and allowed the water to run down her hair and face. She could physically feel the dirt dripping from her hair as her fingers dug through it, bubbly soap getting lost in her fingernails. The woman who Enid would assume owned the place clearly didn’t want her here, and the shewolf could only assume she was even let in because ‘Thing’ had won whatever argument the two were having. Speaking of, Enid didn’t know what to think of Thing. She had seen a multitude of unique creatures at Nevermore academy, from the faceless to gorgons. Hell, even the girl herself was a werewolf, though barely. But Thing was a different creature altogether. Never before had Enid seen a body part completely separate from the rest of its body, yet alone one that still seemed to be alive and able to think critically. She let out a sigh as the water in her hair finished washing out, pure black shower-water running down the drain. 

Enid moved to her body from there, scrubbing every piece of dirt she could and being sure to clean the various cuts and scratches covering her body. The only places she couldn’t find one, she found a deep purple bruise instead. She winced through every single scrub before allowing the hot water to run down her one final time. Finally, the werewolf stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a deep red towel, content with just the feel of her now clean body in a fairly warm home, and re-entered the bedroom.

On the bed were sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a hoodie, all of which appeared to be at least two sizes too small and pure black, with a note sitting on top. Enid glanced around the room, before picking up the note and reading through it. On the sheet were three rules. Enid scanned through them. ‘Do not enter my room without knocking’, ‘Do not speak to me unless spoken to’, and finally, ‘If you are in my bedroom for any reason, do not read anything’. Enid read over the sheet a few more times, noting that this writing looked nothing like the sheet that led her here. Instead of sloppily being written out, this one looked like it had been printed, though Enid wasn’t even sure where she’d begin to look for a computer in this place. She read over the list one last time, before dropping it and the towel wrapped around her to change. 

When she stepped out of the room, she found her little alcove entirely empty. The werewolf stared down towards the entrance before slowly moving towards the door at the other end of the alcove, directly beside her own. She slowly opened the door, cautiously peering past it towards whatever lie on the other side, only to be disappointed when it revealed the foyer. Enid repeated this on every door in her alcove, quickly finding that there were two more much smaller bedrooms, three closets, a door to the upstairs, and a bookshelf. Learning how normal the area seemed was almost disheartening, but on the other hand was much more encouraging because that meant there was a slightly greater chance of her survival in this place. Finally, Enid felt comfortable enough with her surroundings and hiked towards the stairs. 

When she reached the top of the staircase, she hesitated in front of the door she assumed to be the woman’s. She stood outside of it for a moment, hearing the occasional tapping inside before a frustrated grunt followed by the tearing of paper. She took a breath, before slowly pushing the door open.

“Close the door and knock before I remove your hand and give Thing a new friend,” the woman said the moment the door clicked open. Enid couldn’t even see inside the room as she slammed the door shut, the house rattling around her. With a deep breath, she knocked, “Enter.”

This time, the woman didn’t yell as Enid pushed the door open. Her eyes immediately fell to the floor as she met the woman’s piercing gaze, “You wanted me to talk to you?”

The woman didn’t move as Enid fidgeted, willing herself to stay put. Finally, she answered, “I have given Thing my wallet. He will travel into town with you and you will pick out a new wardrobe. Once you return, you will find a list of your tasks on your bed. You are only to disturb me for meals or in the case of an emergency.”

Enid nodded, glanced at the door, and then up at the goth woman. Her midnight eyes were still staring deep into the girl’s soul. She stuttered as she spoke, “W-Well uh, what will I-I get paid?”

It was gone before she could be certain, but Enid swore a miniscule smile fluttered across the woman’s face, “You will be compensated for your work handsomely.”

Enid took in a breath, her eyes closed as she steeled herself, “I want to know before I stay.”

The werewolf stared into the woman’s eyes, doing her absolute best not to flinch away at her slowly deepening glare, “I will compensate you with one grand per day, any further questions?”

Enid froze, her eyes widening as she stared foward. In what world was the shewolf worth a thousand dollars per day? Over a hundred dollars an hour? Everything about this seemed shady. The crudely written note, the ghastly building surrounding her, the disembodied hand that was apparently very much alive, the bizarre payments, and most importantly, the violent-looking madwoman in front of her. The werewolf wasn’t certain she’d survive the night if she slept in the bed, “How much can I spend on clothes?”

The woman raised an eyebrow, “How much you must spend to fill the wardrobe is unimportant to me.”

Enid’s foot was tapping against her will, her nails scratching into her own arms and drawing bits of blood. She glanced away from the goth woman repeatedly, every single time finding her eyes drawn back in, “One last question.” The woman nodded, “What’s your name?”

They stared at each other for what felt like eternity, neither of them blinking yet alone moving. Right before Enid gave in and made the sprint for the front door, she answered, “Wednesday Addams.”

The shewolf sent a small smile, “I’m Enid.”

Wednesday kept the neutral look plastered on her face as she stared down the werewolf. Finally, Enid backed out of the goth woman’s room and let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, the door slamming as she did so. She stared at the dark wooden door which continued to rattle in its frame before turning to climb down the stairs. On the railing at the bottom was Thing, a wallet in his hand. Enid followed him to the front door, the sounds of the torrential downpour ricocheting around the house as the door hung open. She stared out into it, building up the confidence she’d need to re-soak herself, when she felt something tapping at her foot. She glanced down to see the hand holding a large black umbrella. A smile graced her lips as she picked it up and opened it, stepping out into the rainstorm.

Chapter Text

Rain splashed onto her pant legs as she walked towards the small town of Westfield. The pebbled road leveled underneath her every step. As she turned the corner from Cemetary Lane, the rain above her head immediately slowed to a small drizzle. Enid glanced behind her to see the torrential downpour still soaking the world underneath it. Slowly, the werewolf walked away, the rain so few and far between around her that her pant legs were beginning to dry. With a final blink, Enid turned and hastily walked into town. 

The shewolf could feel Thing shuffling around in her jacket pocket, presumably getting comfortable. She glanced warily at the strangers on either side of the street. One incredibly obvious detail she noticed was how not a single person reacted to the distinctly more powerful area of rainfall. Enid watched as a multitude of people crossed the street to avoid the downpour, yet not a single one even glanced at it as they approached. Enid tore her attention away from them, focusing instead on putting one foot in front of the other. Every stride from the werewolf seemed to decrease the intensity of the rainfall around her. By the time she had reached the center of the town, the only water splashing on the ground was the excess dripping off rooftops. 

The intoxicating scent of freshly baked pizza and the delectable smell of grilled burgers and steaks permeated the air around Enid as she walked through the town. Every single step seemed to introduce a new smell that left her craving actual food, though if Wednesday was telling the truth she’d be able to afford any food she wanted pretty quickly. The werewolf passed by a multitude of restaurants and random other shops before finally noticing a bright pink turtleneck hanging in one of the windows. Flashes of her time at Nevermore, from a time before she was sent to live on the streets darted across her vision. Enid stared at the sweater, before glancing down at the outfit she’s currently wearing. Too small, all-black, not at all her style. It was still miles better than what she had worn prior to going to the Addams manor, but it was nowhere near as good as that sweater. She glanced down at the pocket that held Thing and Wednesday’s wallet, back up at the sweater, and then walked inside of the shop. 

She was immediately met with a burst of colour. The floor was a light blue tiling, squeaking underneath her soiled shoes with every step. The walls seemed to just be white, but were plastered in colourful posters everywhere there wasn’t colourful clothing. The counter laid in the middle of the room, plain white with a single person standing behind it. The woman met Enid’s eyes as the bell rang out above her head, but quickly glanced back down to the phone in her hand. The werewolf couldn’t help the small smile that was playing on her face.

Enid was a whirlwind as she shot around the store, picking out outfit after outfit to try on. Some were reminiscent of her old clothes such as the pink sweater, while others were brand new such as a bright magenta t-shirt or another turtle neck, this one made up of lovely shades of pink, purple, and blue. She found leggings and sweatpants of various colours and socks of varying lengths. The person manning the counter sent her a multitude of weird looks as she flew between the changing rooms and the clothing racks, sometimes just coming out for a differently coloured sock to go with her new outfit. 

Enid sat in the changing room, a pile of assorted clothing on the bench beside her, staring into the mirror. She was wearing a simple outfit, just a purple sweater and tie dyed leggings. Her ravaged tennis shoes sat in the corner leaving her bare feet to lightly dangle above the cold concrete floor. As she looked at herself, more memories of her life in Nevermore flashed across her eyes. Memories of her and her friends sitting at lunch together, her first date with Ajax, girls’ nights with Yoko and Divina. And then her last year at Nevermore happened, and god does Enid miss it. Every day. Tears dripped from her eyes despite her best efforts.

She shook her head and wiped away the still falling tears, closing her eyes, before re-opening them to glance into the mirror yet again. Every time a memory attempted to resurface she shoved it down, instead focusing on the positives. Just a few days ago the girl was tired, soaked to the bone, and covered in ragged clothes. Now she was running on a decent night’s sleep, was actually fairly dry, and had brand new, fresh, comfortable clothing on her back. She looked down at the pile beside her. There were at least twenty different outfits there, which was more than she technically needed. Enid longed to own them all, to get some semblance of her old life back, but this wasn’t her money. Besides, if she ever got paid then she could come back down here and get them again. 

Enid stood with a sigh, picking up the articles of clothing and sliding them on to a hanger. She analyzed each piece of clothing with diligence, deciding whether or not she wanted to keep it, or at least if she wanted to keep it more than the others. After seven shirts, she stopped, and looked around.

“Thing?” she whispered under her breath as she spun around the changing room, “You here?”

Immediately the werewolf was able to pick up on some faint shuffling underneath of her clothing pile. She rapidly cleared it away, freeing the disembodied hand. It tapped out something she couldn’t understand, before mimicking a sitting motion. 

“Thing?” it mimicked a nod, “How many outfits can I buy?”

It lay frozen for a moment, before scrambling over to her clothing pile and leaping on top of it. It jumped up and down a few times. Enid let out a confused ‘What?’ as her head tilted while she watched it, causing Thing to repeat the process.

“All of it?” she ventured, her voice trailing off slightly as she spoke. It only jumped again. Enid shut her eyes and thought for a moment, before taking a breath and re-focusing on the hand, “Okay, tap once for yes, twice for no. All of it?”

Tap.

“It’ll be a lot of money. Will Wednesday care?”

Tap. Tap.

Enid stared down at the clothes. There was no doubt in Enid’s mind that there was multiple hundred dollars worth of clothing sitting on this bench alone, but at the same time, Wednesday also offered an exuberant amount of money for her paycheck too. Maybe she wouldn’t even notice the money had gone missing. 

“So should I get this?”

Tap. Tap.

Enid felt even more confused, her eyes tracking Thing as it climbed down the clothing pile and leaped onto the floor. Finally, the hand stopped beside her tattered shoes and tapped at them, “Get new shoes?”

Tap.

Enid glanced between her clothing pile and Thing a few times, before grabbing the clothes and her old shoes and sprinting out of the changing room. Her eyes traced the walls of the store, searching for the shoe section, as she struggled to juggle the clothing begging to fall out of her hand. As she stumbled across the store, a hand met her shoulder. Once she heard the sound of a bag opening beneath her, she dropped the clothing into it and was met with the tired eyes of the employee. She sent her a ‘Thanks’ and a smile before grabbing the bag and continuing towards the shoe section.

She surveyed the shoe rack, her eyes immediately jumping to the brightest colours there. The rack contained shoes of various sizes and types, anywhere from small running shoes to tall leather boots. She skimmed over every single one, her eyes jumping from pinks to purples, until something in the middle caught her eyes. Bright yellow Converses sat directly between a set of pink and purple ones. Her eyes lit up at the sight of them as she dove down to the boxes below, desperately searching for her own size. Once she found it, she sighed in relief as the shoe met her own feet. The feeling of proper soles, tieable laces. She could feel tears springing to her eyes. 

Enid let out a content sigh as she re-packed the shoes into their box, a box they would immediately be removed from once they were paid for. She grabbed her bag of clothes, set the shoebox on top, and set both of them on top of the counter. The employee looked annoyed at the amount of things she’d need to check out, but still sent Enid a signature customer service smile. She responded with a much more genuine smile of her own, before watching the register screen slowly climb. Every single beep of the scanner sent a wave of anxiety through her, every beep causing the number on the screen to climb higher. She could already feel the anxiety gnawing away at her as it passed the one hundred mark, and there was still a large pile to be scanned. One item at a time the price climbed, breaking two hundred, three hundred. It didn’t stop until the total price read eight hundred-thirteen dollars, and seventy six cents. The werewolf gulped as her shaky hand moved towards the pocket with Thing inside. As her fingers slid towards the opening, said hand slid the wallet with the card already out into her hand.

Enid slid the card down the reader, before confirming the debit purchase. She winced as the reader beeped, allowing her to pull the card out. She slowly slid the card back into the wallet before handing it to Thing in her pocket. With a small wave to the cashier, she stepped out into the open air and let out a breath. Immediately, she fished Thing out of her pocket and held him out in front of her.

“That was a lot of money Thing, a lot more than either one of us could have expected,” Enid’s breaths were getting more sporadic as she spoke, she could feel her heart beating irregularly, “Please tell me she isn’t going to be angry Thing, that was so much money.”

Tap. Tap.

“What does that mean?” she was almost wheezing as she spoke, “Am I gonna die when I show up?”

Tap. Tap.

“Oh god this is a trap, I’m gonna die,” Enid glanced both ways down the street before turning back towards the manor, “I knew it was too good to be true, you both are gonna kill me.”

Tap. Tap.

“Please I’m sorry, I can leave!” she glanced down at the hand who was tapping twice and pausing, before repeating the process, “No not leaving, uh, what can I do?”

Thing stood still for a second, teetering on its fingers. It then mimicked a writing action. Enid let out a gasp of recognition as she turned around and re-entered the store. The woman at the counter looked up at her before immediately jumping back in shock. Enid glanced down at the frozen disembodied hand sitting atop her own, before sending the frightened woman an apologetic smile.

“Excuse me,” Enid ran up to the cowering girl, “Do you have a pen and paper I could use?”

The woman nodded, before shakily pointing towards the side of the desk. She let out an actual screech when the hand moved on its own, scurrying down to grab said pen and paper to scribble out some text. When it finished, Enid read it over. Immediately, a wave of familiarity ran over her. It didn’t take long for her to realize why. The handwriting directly matched that of the flier that led her to the manor in the first place. It was pretty easy to piece together what had transpired as she read the note. Thing had written up and sent out the notice without Wednesday’s permission, which explained her annoyance when Enid had appeared on her doorway. It also explained the argument that had occurred behind the door, and why Wednesday had so quickly changed her mind. Enid, much less scared of Thing but much more scared of Wednesday, left the store without so much of a glance at the trembling employee and traveled back towards the manor, a small skip in her step as her brand new shoes danced across the pavement. 

Just as the front door to the manor begins to echoe behind Enid, she hears Wednesday’s voice overtake it from up above her, “What was the fare of the transaction?”

Enid finds herself frozen in place, both from fright at her sudden appearance and anxiety due to her presence at all. She stutters for a few beats, her mouth in a perpetual state of motion, “A-About nine hundred.”

Enid gulps as Wednesday stares down at her in silence. She can feel the woman’s glare digging deep into her skull. Finally, she speaks, her voice resounding, “That is much lower than I had anticipated. Did you fill your wardrobe entirely?”

Enid’s eyes were immediately torn up towards the woman, who’s stare happened to not be a glare at all, but rather an inquisitive gaze, “Probably.”

The goth woman stared down at her a moment longer, “Good. I have left you a list of your duties, starting tomorrow. You will find it on your bed.”

Enid only stared slack jawed at the retreating woman. Only once her bedroom door clicked shut did she manage to shake herself out of it and continue to her bedroom. As she packed her new wardrobe in, she quickly realized that it was big enough to hold at least three times the clothing she had gotten. Enid spread the clothes out on the hangers to ensure that Wednesday wouldn’t notice it and get upset with her. Once the final pair of socks had been bunched up and tossed in one of the drawers, Enid took a step back to appreciate the sight in front of her. A rack of her actual shirts and sweaters, a drawer full of leggings, another full of underwear, another socks. A bright pink wool jacket hung off a hook on the side. She let out a content sigh before falling back onto her bed, only to hear the crinkle of paper beneath her. She slid to the side and grabbed it from underneath her. As Enid read down the task list, only one thought was replaying in her mind. I thought this would be longer.

Only two tasks were written on the list, both typed out neatly on the page. The first was to not bother her. The second was to keep the rest of the house clean. She read over it multiple times, even flipping it over to ensure there wasn’t more written on the back. She slipped her shoes off and slid onto her bed, letting out a small sigh as her head hit the pillow before looking back up at the paper. She was reading it through again when Thing tapped on her stomach. Enid giggled slightly at the feeling before glancing down at the hand to see him clutching slightly crumpled paper of his own. Grabbing it, she read it over.

The note helped to clue in a lot of the missing details from the prior event. Wednesday hadn’t been taking care of herself, though Thing wouldn’t dare tell her why. It wants her to do her laundry and cook meals for her. Enid glanced up from the note at the hand and whispered, “Won’t she just kick me out?”

Tap. Tap.

“How do you know?” Thing responded by jumping up on his fore and middle finger and bouncing back and forth. Enid let out a small chuckle as the hand scurried down the bed and out of her room, presumably to tell Wednesday the bad news. 

Enid fell back into her pillows fully, allowing her head to sink into it. She thought back to the goth woman. Wednesday was an enigma to the werewolf. Clearly born into some kind of generational wealth considering how carelessly she spent that money yet seemingly didn’t have a job, and more importantly seemed to be right around her own age. Despite this wealth, the woman didn’t seem to be using it at all. Granted, Enid had only been here a day so perhaps the woman threw extravagant galas every other day, but given the fact that everyone avoided this place like the plague, it was covered head to toe in dust, and Wednesday clearly didn’t want to speak to people, she doubted it. The woman didn’t seem to own anything that screamed wealth. The manor was large of course, but the inside was full of almost no furnishings. And up until Enid, there wasn’t even staff for it. The werewolf truly didn’t know what to think of Wednesday Addams. She let the subject drift from her mind as she began her descent into sleep, only to be awoken by a grumble emerging from her stomach. With a loud sigh, Enid contemplated seeing if she could find food or if she should go back to bed, before slowly sitting up and dragging herself out of bed as her stomach let out yet another loud rumble. She slid open the door before quickly realizing the issue. She had no clue where the kitchen was. Enid glanced back towards her bed as her stomach let out yet another grumble. She sighed, and stepped into the manor.

Chapter Text

The wooden floorboards creaked under the werewolf’s every step as she traversed the mansion. Enid began her hunt in the living room, hesitantly peering through the first doorway into what appeared to be the dining room. The room itself was massive, reaching up well above where she could reach. The decor in the room seemed antithetical to the rest of the house, with bright white walls climbing to the ceiling which held a large golden chandelier. The dark oak table in the middle of the room was painted in a bright red tablecloth. There were gold and red chairs that looked as if they had been ripped from a fairy tale surrounding the table. Along the wall were paintings of who Enid had to assume was Wednesday’s family. Headless suits of armour wielding what appeared to be a medieval battle axe were guarding the floor-to-ceiling windows at the other end of the room, both of them covered in long red and gold curtains. Enid glanced around the room to see if it connected to the Addams family kitchen, but there weren’t any other doors past the one she was staring through. 

It appeared to be a trend with the rooms that were coupled to the living room. Each room seemed as if it belonged anywhere but the mansion, from a room doused in its entirety by sunlight, despite the torrential downpour behind the window, or a room with fantastical plants taking up every square inch, growing up towards the ceiling and out from the planters. Enid glanced up the stairs towards the over-abundance of rooms around the balcony before shaking her head and beginning back towards the other hallway connected to her own room. She traced every possibility from the intersection. There was the almost unimaginably dark hallway underneath the stairs, though Enid was fairly certain she could see some doorways through it. Her other option was exceedingly less dark, actually leading towards what appeared to be a back door. Enid walked that way. 

As Enid peeled open the first door, a foul odor hit her nose. She flinched back, the door rattling in its frame as it slammed shut in front of her. With a cough, Enid waved the stench away and took a few steps back into a door behind her. She immediately turned and ripped it open, scanning the room to see if it was a kitchen. 

Enid regretted her decision almost immediately, her eyes immediately snapping to the guillotine sitting in the center of the room. Said guillotine was accompanied by a variety of torture devices. Stockades sat in the back, directly beside what seemed to be an actual electric chair. In the corner was an empty human-sized cage, surrounded by an assortment of other machines. There was a splinter-filled bed with a giant winch system on one side, long chain cuffs wrapped around it. Solid metal feet cuffs lie on the opposite end. Enid didn’t even want to imagine what the machine was for. Her eyes traced the various torture devices, falling on to what appeared to be some kind of coffin. The werewolf immediately ripped the door to the room shut the second she saw dried blood coming out of it. She could feel her blood rushing as she collapsed to the floor. Her chest was tightening, squeezing her heart until it couldn’t pump, forcing her breaths to come out in short bursts. The entire house was spinning around the girl as she began to whimper into the void. The entire world seemed to darken every time her trembling hands reached out for support. Enid felt like she was dying, which given what she just saw did seem like a very distinct possibility. Her arms wrapped in on herself as she fell into the fetal position, rocking back and forth against the wall with tears running down her face. 

Enid wasn’t entirely sure how much time had passed by the time her eyes caught notice of a small dot on the wall across the hall. Her eyes tracked along the slowly lightening wood grain, tracing every single detail. Every little bump. Her breathing gradually returned to normal, her vision returning with it. Her ribcage slowly waned off of her heart, giving it room yet again to pulse the blood around her body. She traced the wall further, following the wood grain towards the floor, and then towards her. Her eyesight traveled from the floor to her hand, tracing the muscles as they slowly untensed. Finally, the werewolf took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes clean of all the tears that had previously accompanied it. 

Her legs refused to move as she tried to force herself to stand, her arms barely doing any better. It felt as if whatever had just happened to her had drained her completely. Enid stared down the hall with tired eyes, praying that neither Thing or Wednesday found her in a vulnerable state, that is assuming neither of them had somehow placed her in that state themselves. The werewolf wasn’t dumb, she knew what that was. A used torture room. Enid begged her limbs to move as her mind wandered through the possibilities, yet none of them looked good for the goth woman who had taken her in. Though they did fill in a lot of the missing pieces. 

Wednesday Addams was an evil, dangerous, vile woman and Enid needed to get out of the manor before it was too late. The picture in her mind was slowly getting pieced together. Every single detail she had gathered up to this point keyed in to fill in the gaps of the puzzle, from people avoiding this place like the plague, to the weird lack of proper decor despite how rich she was, to even the existence of Thing. 

Wednesday Addams kidnapped people, tortured them, and killed them. Well, kidnapped didn’t seem to be the right word. More like tricked. It would explain the single high-brow dining room. The woman likely invited people over to fancy dinners before locking them in the despicable machines. It would even explain the dust, clearly her plan had reached its breaking point as the townsfolk began to realize, and now she had a new trap, one Enid Sinclair had fallen right into. The torrential downpour, the magical plants, the sentient hand? Clearly, Wednesday was some kind of witch. It was incredibly likely that the goth woman tortured her victims, before using plants to experiment on their agonized forms. Did that mean Thing was a prior victim? Was he kept here through magic or stockholm syndrome, because he clearly had a large amount of freedom. The only thing Enid didn’t know is why Wednesday would even let her out once she was in. Why risk the werewolf discovering the room and running away like she planned to do once her limbs would respond. 

“Hello Enid,” the werewolf immediately felt her chest re-tighten at the voice of the goth woman. Her head slowly tilted towards the woman who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow, Thing standing proudly atop her shoulders, “For what reason are you situated in the hallway?”

Enid’s mouth dumbly flapped open and shut, tears still dripping from her eyes. She stared into the woman’s murderous glare, willing her legs to work so she could take off into a sprint, “P-Please don’t k-kill me, or t-torture me, or e-experiment on me. I-I don’t want to d-die yet.”

Something shifted within the woman’s face as she stared down at the girl, though it wasn’t the intensity of the glare that she kept trained on the werewolf, “I see you were meddling in rooms you have no need to be in as of today.”

Enid gulped and lightly nodded, another tear rolling over her cheek, “I-I wanted to find the k-kitchen.”

“The kitchen is located behind the door to your right,” Wednesday remained unmoving, not even glancing at the door in question, “And I assure you, I have not used the playroom in over two weeks and do not intend to for another two.”

Enid could feel her eyes widening and her pulse quickening as she stared into the dark eyes of the goth woman. She only glanced away when she saw Thing scurrying off of her shoulder, though she immediately felt herself re-drawn in once he had moved out of eyesight. Her voice came out as a terrified whisper, “S-So I only have t-two weeks?”

A small sneer began to play at the woman’s face, her eyes lightening up with a form of what appeared to be glee. Enid slowly tried to rip her eyes away, constantly being ripped back in, before finally getting the distraction she needed in the form of a hand rapping against wood twice. 

“No?” she asked the hand, who was sitting in between the two women, “H-How can I trust you T-Thing?”

The hand teetered on its fingertips, unresponsive to the question. “Unfortunately Thing would…” Wednesday trailed off for a moment as Enid looked back up at the woman, “...win if I were to trick you into thinking I did have plans to torture you, which I do not as of yet. However, if it would make you feel more inclined towards… staying… you will be allowed to come and go as you please, and I will give you your payments daily as to ensure you have no inclinations to stay past when you begin to feel unsafe.”

The world blurred as her eyes flickered between Thing and Wednesday. Enid wasn’t entirely sure what to think as the two of them lingered just out of reach. Either of them could have grabbed her at this point, in-fact, Enid still wasn’t entirely sure her legs would function if she told them to yet, though they didn’t know that. She’s closer to an exit, though whether or not it was locked Enid didn’t know. Either of them could have taken her out in the shower without issue, and Wednesday had even offered her some cash, though she was obviously abhorrently rich. 

She willed her legs to work as she pushed her hands against the wall behind her, the crooks in the wood digging into her spine as it slid upwards. Her eyes flickered back to the door behind her, the pouring rain leading off into the vegetation that made up the backyard, and back to the two potential serial killers in front of her. She glanced down to the brand new, comfortable, colourful sweater she was wearing only because of the potential serial killers in front of her, ones offering a grand a day just to do some cooking and cleaning. 

“I’ll stay,” Enid’s whisper reverberated around the room. 

“I am appalled to hear that,” the floor creaked underneath the woman as she turned, “Thing will make you dinner for the night, return to your bedroom.”

Enid stared after the retreating goth woman until she turned the corner towards the staircase. Her eyes were then immediately drawn towards the hand that was scurrying past her feet and through the door to her right. The sounds of scuttling and soft foot-falls slowly faded as Enid stood against the wall, her eyes unfocused. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she had stood there, the grooves in the wooden wall behind her surely bruising her spine, before she finally pushed herself away and let her feet pull her to the bedroom she had been given. There werewolf let out an exhausted sigh the moment her head sunk into the soft pillows, the mattress molding itself around her back. The sounds of rain pattering against the window soothed her as a smile slowly widened on her face. Her eyes flickered between the various random dots in the ceiling, tracing them, searching for small, meaningless patterns to keep her distracted. It was when her eyes began to drift close that her door opened to reveal the disembodied hand with a fresh plate of food on top of it.The scent of a freshly cooked, bloody steak flooded her nose and immediately sent the shewolf into a hunger-filled craze, jumping up and staring towards the plate with desire. As Thing slid it onto her bed, she immediately began tearing in, savouring the taste as it slid down her throat. Her mouth watered more intensely with every bite. Her hands and teeth ripped through the meat, blood painting her lips. Once the werewolf finished and glanced down at the empty plate below her, she immediately noticed the unused utensils sitting alongside it. Enid smiled and thanked Thing before collapsing into the bed yet again, her stomach fuller than it had been in months. A content sigh escaped from her lips as her eyes drifted shut, her energy entirely sapped. A bit of fear coursed through her veins as darkness began to overtake her vision, but it was beaten out by the fatigue eating away at her. Finally, the darkness won out and the werewolf drifted off to sleep, her mind overtaken by nightmarish dreams.

Chapter Text

Darkness enveloped the girl as she blinked awake, cloth wrapped around her eyes. Enid gasped in shock as she attempted to rip it off, before realizing that her arms were trapped in some kind of cuffs. Metal bruised her ankles as she thrashed in her bindings, the wood underneath of her scratching into her back. She could hear someone shuffling around her, their footfalls light on the floor beneath them.

“Please,” Enid whispered, the blindfold already beginning to dampen with her tears, “I trusted you.”

“I am aware,” the goth woman’s voice reverberated around the room, sending chills down the shewolf’s spine, “That’s what makes this so much more satisfying.”

A sob escaped from Enid’s mouth as the chain wrapped around her arm began to pull along with the loud clanging of a winch behind her. The process was slow, her arms still not yet fully extended in the chains. 

“Please Wednesday,” Enid begged between sobs, “I’ll do anything, just please don’t do this.”

The woman didn’t respond, instead shuffling away from the tied down werewolf. A wince escaped from Enid as the chains began to speed up, her elbows immediately locking as her arms began to pull. Once her movement had been completely restricted, the chains slowed down to a crawl yet again.

“P-Please!” Enid knew it was too good to be true. She never should have followed that poster or trusted the two. Of course the werewolf hated living on the streets, struggling to eat and sleeping on whatever she could find, but it was better than being tortured in an unfamiliar place by a serial killer, “I-I can help out! However you n-need! P-Please!”

Wednesday let out a scoff from the other end of the room just as the chain clinked behind her yet again. Enid cried out as the muscles in her arms stretched to their breaking point, her limbs doing everything in their power to thrash about to no avail. Every inch of her body was full of excruciating pain as the chain began to tear into her shoulder.

“You will be given temporary relief once your shoulders have become dislocated,” Wednesday whispered into her ear, her hand softly stroking her hair, “But when I say temporary, I do mean it, so use that relief wisely.”

Another sob echoed around the room as begs spilled from the werewolf’s mouth. Slowly, the blindfold around her face was taken away and replaced with the obsidian orbs of Wednesday Addams. Enid traced her smirking face through her tears, shouting at her to set her free as the chains slowly stretched her. Her pleading eventually faded as the woman stared down at her, instead being replaced with empty sobs. Enid could feel her shoulder being stretched to its limit, the searing pain resounding throughout her body. It wasn’t until a loud snap came from her shoulder that a piercing scream erupted from her throat. 

Enid’s scream filled the manor as she sat up in bed covered in cold sweat, tears dripping from her eyes. Immediately the werewolf examined her trembling hands, before letting out a small sigh and falling back into the pillow. The pattering of rain against the window did well to sooth her, lulling her back into relaxation as her breathing returned to normal. Finally, Enid slid her feet out from under the covers and allowed them to fall onto the cold floor. 

She winced at the sound of an ear-piercing bell resounding throughout the manor as she was getting dressed. Enid let out a groan before pulling a colourful sweater over her head and stepping out into the living room. Standing atop the balcony was Wednesday, a small servant’s bell in hand. 

“Good,” she said, setting the bell down on the railing and causing a small ring to chime around the room, “You’re a well-trained wolf.”

“I’m n-” Enid started, before getting interrupted by the raised palm of Wednesday, her glare piercing into the werewolf’s soul. 

“I will ring this bell whenever you are needed upstairs, though you must still knock before entering my bedroom. Otherwise, you are to do the chores on the list,” Wednesday immediately turned, ripping the bell off of the railing with a loud clang sending a flinch through the werewolf. Enid watched as the woman stepped into her room, the door softly clicking shut behind her. She then glanced around the living room, otherwise spotless if you ignored the dust coating everything. Enid glanced around, before quickly realizing she had no clue where to find cleaning supplies in the house. She looked back down the hallway with the torture room, a shiver running up her spine, before flickering back around the room she was in. Enid traced the doors on the second floor, hoping to discern which could be a supply closet, when she was distracted by the sounds of tapping fingers.

“Where’s the cleaning stuff at Thing?” Enid looked down at the hand, who immediately began scurrying back towards her room. The werewolf followed the hand, who turned into her alcove before scurrying up to the door two over from her own. The closet was coated with dust with the exception of a cardboard box at the bottom. Inside of it was all the cleaning supplies she’d need.

“Thank you,” Enid smiled lightly before grabbing the duster from the box and stepping back into the living room. The second her foot came down on the carpeted living room floor, she got to work, brushing away at the dust and cobwebs as far as she could reach.

Enid meticulously dusted along the walls for over an hour, ensuring she got the dust out of every single nook and cranny. While the werewolf still wasn’t entirely sure whether she trusted the woman or her disembodied hand, she didn’t want to get fired immediately and not make any money off of them. So she ran the brush up and down the wall, its woolen bristles darkening with every swipe. Enid had been forced to hike to the kitchen every couple wipes, the duster almost entirely filled with dust and in need of being cleaned. Once she finished, Enid moved to the furniture, wiping the dust from the fibers one piece at a time. The entire process took a lot longer than she had predicted, though she hadn’t realized quite how much had built up since the last time it had been cleaned. By the time she had finished cleaning the entire first floor of the living room, multiple hours had passed. With a sigh, she dropped the duster to the floor and collapsed onto the couch. Her eyes were beginning to droop closed when she heard the shuffling of paper beside her. She peeled her gaze to Thing, who was standing atop a crudely written note which only read the words ‘You should cook something’.

Her head slowly turned away from Thing and towards the kitchen, her eyes following the floor until it was lost to perspective. She stared for a beat, her entire body unmoving, before collapsing onto the couch with a groan and rolling onto the floor. A small grunt escaped her as she pushed herself up, her legs trembling slightly before she began walking forwards. The shewolf dragged her feet along the carpet until she reached the kitchen door, pointedly avoiding looking towards the torture room directly behind her. 

The door to the kitchen fell shut behind the werewolf with a light thud, the doorknob rattling slightly. Enid balked at the sight of the room in front of her. The floor was a black and white tile, each tile coated intensely in dust but otherwise seemingly spotless. Small dots could be seen in the dust leading from the door towards the cookware. The stove seemed to be cast-iron, and almost Victorian in nature. Though with how rich Wednesday seemed to be, it may have been actual Victorian furniture. The shapes and patterns dotting the oven were too complex for the werewolf to even properly comprehend, though she could vaguely make out where the oven controls were. Dust painted her fingers as her hands brushed along the deep purple countertops that made up the island in the center of the kitchen. Enid assumed it was obsidian, though she wasn’t entirely sure. The counter itself seemed to be oak, with gold trims making up the bottom. The entire island was a rounded off rectangle with two barstools sitting at one end which were, as expected, covered in dust. Directly across from the island, on the opposite side of the barstools, lay the stove, another set of counters, a grandiose sink, and a fridge which appeared shockingly cheap, though still not normal for 2025, seeing as it was from the 90s. Surprisingly though, the white fridge worked well with the kitchen layout.

Enid pulled the fridge open to find it shockingly full, various foods lining the shelves and an assortment of dressings along the door. She pulled open the freezer to find an array of different meats, ranging from burger to rabbit.

“Did Wednesday buy all this?” Enid let the fridge thud shut behind her and turned to face Thing, who was standing atop the island.

Tap. Tap.

“Did you?” There was a beat of hesitation before-

Tap. 

The werewolf nodded her head, before she turned to the refrigerator and pulled it open the freezer, “Anything in particular I should cook?”

Tap. Tap.

Enid hummed in response as she traced the shelves of the freezer, combing it for anything that stood out to her. Her eyes stuttered before slowing to a stop as they caught on to the bratwurst sitting in the middle. A memory of the life she had lost flashing before her eyes. She remembered it vividly. Her mum had left for the day, having been called to help a pack mate across the state, so she and her brothers had been left with their dad for the night. Enid didn’t know why he chose that night to tell her, but he had told her, in front of all of her brothers, how proud of her he was and that he loved her. Enid remembered breaking down into tears in front of everyone. They had all wrapped their arms around her, holding her close as she had sobbed into their arms. Never before had the werewolf felt so loved, especially by her family. That night her father had made them bratwurst and broccoli noodles, something he had apparently loved as a kid. When she had tasted the first bite, she decided then and there that love did in fact make food taste better, because it was the best meal she had ever had. Only two weeks later Enid was evicted from her pack and sent to live on the streets.

Enid cleared her head with a shake, before grabbing the bratwurst from the freezer with a small smile. She quickly scanned the fridge and the cabinets for the remaining ingredients, her smile only growing as she found each one. She glanced back at Thing who only gave her a thumbs-up, before setting out all the ingredients individually, “Do you eat?”

Tap. Tap.

A grin painted her face as she got to work preparing the foods. The thud of the knife could be heard throughout the kitchen as she chopped the broccoli into pieces so that they would be ready to be dumped in the currently boiling pot of water on the stove. As the meal began to cook, Enid occasionally having to stir the pot or shake the bratwursts around in the pan, the smell of cheese and brats began to permeate throughout the kitchen. As the bratwursts began to split open, their hissing filling their air, Enid began the hunt for plates in the cabinets. 

“I see Thing failed to properly explain your job to you,” Wednesday spoke up from behind her, causing a spike of fear to shoot through the werewolf who jumped at the sound, “I will be sure to punish him for his transgressions.”

Enid stared at the woman who was standing in the corner of the room, nowhere near either of the doorways, “What do you mean?”

The goth woman’s sneer deepened as she stared at the anxious werewolf, whose foot was tapping along the floor rapidly, “It will take a dreadfully long time for the dust to properly build up in the living quarters again, and I do feel rather remorseful that the black widows are now without their webs.”

“W-What?” Confusion coursed through Enid’s system as her head tilted slightly at the woman, who’s glare only deepened. The werewolf pushed down the urge to turn and run from her gaze.

“I was not aware that you were an ignoramus. I will say it in terms that are more understandable for somebody of your intellect. Do not dust the rest of the manor nor touch the spiderwebs adorning the rooms.”

Enid could only nod as another hiss escaped from the brats behind her, a pang shooting through her heart at the insult. She slowly turned her back on Wednesday to finish preparing the meal in front of her, which luckily didn’t take long. When she turned back around, Wednesday was completely gone. The shewolf walked towards where she had been standing to see a single pair of footprints standing side by side in the corner, with none connecting them to the doorway. She ran her hands up and down the wall but unfortunately found nothing, before walking back towards the counter and grabbing the two plates of food. 

The stairs creaked underneath her every step as she hiked towards Wednesday’s bedroom. Said woman let out an “enter” as her hand rapped on the heavy door. She could feel Wednesday’s dark gaze following her as she pushed the door open, a plate in each of her hands. As she walked towards the goth woman, she allowed her eyes to trail around Wednesday’s room. The bed in the center of the room had black covers and pillows atop it, the ebony sheets along the side wrapped down into the dark oak bed frame. Wednesday was in the corner of the room sitting at a desk. Atop the desk was a dark candelabra, each of its three candles lit. Underneath that was a typewriter, though Enid didn’t dare read the paper in it without the woman’s position. There was a wooden dresser in the corner with a book sitting on it, and a window was at the back of the room, giving perfect sightlines into the torrential downpour surrounding the house. Otherwise however, the room was empty of any other decor, even along the walls.

The plate clinked on the desk as she set it down, acutely aware of Wednesday’s eyes following her every action. She slowly backed out of the room, their eyes locked onto one another as the floorboards creaked under her feet. It wasn’t until the door to her bedroom clicked shut that the shewolf let out a breath before sprinting down the stairs and sitting on the couch, plate still in hand. 

Every taste of the meal filled the werewolf with bliss, the food melting in her mouth with every bite. A moan escaped her mouth as she bit down on the first forkful of pasta. Enid still wasn’t entirely sure if she’d ever get used to eating real meals again. Her fork clinked against the plate with every bite, the sound reverberating around the otherwise silent living room. Enid stared around it, desperately wishing she had some form of entertainment. Granted, the shewolf would most likely be able to purchase one after just a few days assuming Wednesday was telling the truth about how much and when she’d get paid. As she shoveled the last bite of food into her mouth, her eyes began scanning the dustless room. She wanted to be proud of the work she had put into the room, but everytime her eyes caught a speck of dust coming from the balcony she was reminded of Wednesday’s insult. Reminded that she was never supposed to clean the room of dust, despite how counter-intuitive that seemed. Enid shook her head clear and jumped off of the couch, the sound of her feet colliding with the floor echoing around the manor as she walked back towards the kitchen to put her dishes in the sink. 

As the werewolf walked through the hallway, peering into her own alcove and at the decor along the wall, Enid quickly began to realize that she didn’t even know what else to do in the manor. If you ignored the dust and cobwebs in the building, it was spotless. There wasn’t a single piece of garbage or mess around the mansion. There didn’t even appear to be a stain inside the building, well if you exclude the blood stain that had traumatized her the night prior. She glanced around as her plate and fork clanged in the metal sink, stopping when she spotted Thing sitting atop the counters yet again, “What do I clean up around here?”

The hand seemingly stared back at her, unmoving for a few seconds, before mimicking a shrug motion with its fingers. Enid watched as Thing scurried off of the counter and out of the room, the sound of its fingers shuffling along the floor slowly fading out. A small giggle escaped the shewolf as she turned back to the sink and poured some soap into it to begin washing the dishes. The hot water splashed around the sink as she scrubbed the china clean, her skin warm from the water splattering along her arms.

Enid immediately noticed the green that stood out from the black bedsheets in her bedroom. Sitting atop her bed was ten bills, and she was pretty sure she could guess how much each one was worth. The shewolf immediately sprinted over to the cash and stared at the hundred dollar bills. Enid hadn’t even had this much money when she had lived with her family, yet alone in the seven months she had been on the streets. Wonder crashed through her system at the sight of the thousand dollars, ideas of the things she could purchase flashing through her eyes, before landing on a cellphone. First and foremost, a cell phone would be good entertainment seeing as Wednesday seemed to have no technology in the house in the slightest. Secondly, it provided a small security blanket in case the woman did end up being dangerous. Finally and most importantly, it would let her get in contact with Yoko for the first time in months, who she missed desperately. Enid stared down at the bills in her hand, before collapsing against the pillows behind her. Now all she had to do was see if Wednesday wanted her to do anything else before she went out to buy one, and Enid was not looking forward to disturbing the woman to ask.

Chapter Text

A muffled groan emerged from Wednesday’s room mere moments before her knuckles rapped along the door. Enid stood patiently outside of the bedroom, listening intently for any sounds of movement inside. After a few minutes of silence, a small sigh escaped from the werewolf as she turned towards the staircase, eyes downtrodden. The house creaked around her as her foot came down on the first step, only for the door behind her to let out a small click. Enid spun around immediately, her foot nearly slipping from underneath the werewolf, only being saved by her hands latching themselves onto the sturdy railing. Wednesday stood in the doorway, her eyes doing nothing to veil the anger within them.

“O-Oh,” Enid bounced on her heels, eyes latched on to the crevices in the wall beside the goth woman, “Wednesday.”

The glare in her eyes only intensified as her eyebrow raised, “Spit it out.”

Enid gulped, “C-Can I head into town?”

They stared at each other for a beat, Enid slowly backing away, “You do not need to ask for permission to leave the manor.”

Enid was down the stairs and in her room the moment Wednesday’s door re-clicked shut, the muffled sound of keys clicking playing out from behind the door. She quickly slipped on her shoes and dug around for the umbrella Thing had given her before sprinting back out of the room and towards the front door, her footsteps reverberating throughout the manor with every footfall. The black umbrella zipped open above her head as the ‘go away’ mat on the porch slid slightly underneath her feet. The spattering of the torrent deafened the werewolf until she had made it off of Cemetery Lane, in which the rain immediately faded to reveal bright beams of sunlight covering the town. Enid’s lips curled into a smile as she shook the umbrella out, water hissing off the pavement below. Her steps slowly morphed into skips with every stride, her smile wide as she practically danced her way into town. A few passerbys had sent the over-excited werewolf strange looks, but Enid otherwise made the hike into the center of town completely uninterrupted. 

Her eyes traced over every single store as she passed, reading the signs above the doors before peering through the windows to see what goodies lie waiting inside. The first few stores she looked at seemed pretty worthless to the wolf at first glance, though she passed by them without learning whether or not they had some interesting products hidden out of view. It was the fifth store that caught her eye, though it wasn’t the electronics store she was looking for. As her eyes caught onto the mish-mash of colours inside, her feet immediately stalled in place, leaving her to gawk through the windows at the furniture inside. Enid’s eyes trailed over everything she could see. She stared longingly at the multi-coloured bed in the corner and the purple, pink, and blue bean bags sitting beside it. A colourful lamp sat atop a white desk a bit further over along the wall, orange pillows dotting the area around it. She glanced down at the pocket which held her money, before glancing back up at the furnishings. After a beat, she steeled herself and pushed herself away from the store, continuing along the street. Besides, Enid wasn’t entirely sure whether or not Wednesday would get upset if she bought herself some furniture given the colour-scheme the manor seemed to have. She only needed to check four more pointless stores until she found the electronic’s store, its blue banner lit up above the windows.

The bell ringing out above her head caused her to wince as she entered. Enid glanced back down from the still swaying bell above her head towards the store in front of her. The white and blue walls bore a variety of electronics, from cell phones to laptops. There were small display cases lining the center of the store, creating a walkway atop the shiny wooden floor leading from the doorway to the counter, where a young boy was standing. A smile graced his face, though his dull green eyes betrayed the lack of real emotion in it, “How can I help you today?”

Enid stepped further inside, “Oh, I need a phone and a plan.”

A thud of what Enid assumed was his cell phone could be heard behind the counter as he stretched, “Budget?”

Enid glanced down at her pocket momentarily, before turning her gaze towards the door behind her. Despite it being out of view, her eyes trailed back towards where the mansion laid, “A thousand dollars?”

The boy behind the counter nodded, the uncombed blonde mop atop his head falling in front of his eyes. He shook it away as his hands slid across the keyboard on his laptop, the clacking of keys loud in the otherwise quiet store. Over the next few minutes, the boy asked Enid a variety of questions which she answered with relative ease. The inquiries led to Enid getting her hands on the newest iPhone, a brand new light pink case, and an unlimited data phone plan so she’d have some form of entertainment back at the manor. The door to the store shut with a light thud as Enid stepped back onto the streets, her pockets lined with considerably less cash but a brand new, and more importantly working thanks to the boy inside, cell phone. Her newfound excitement couldn’t be deterred by the rain pounding on the cement surrounding Wednesday’s manor, nor by the dust clouds that were kicked up as she stepped through the front door. 

“Did you manage to get what you required?” Wednesday’s voice rang out from the balcony above her, drawing the werewolf’s ire upwards. Both her voice and her face expressed a complete lack of emotion as she stared down at her.

A small smile played on Enid's face, “I did, thanks!”

Wednesday gave a curt nod. She turned to walk back to her room, prompting Enid to give out a small hop before sprinting into the kitchen. Dust scattered with her every footfall, until she was standing at the counter with her phone in hand, the smile on her face wide. She turned around to lean against the counter, only to be met with a strange feeling. The smile on Enid’s face dropped as she looked up from the phone in her hand just for her to immediately realize why. Wednesday was standing in the same corner as before, her face still devoid of emotions as she stared at the werewolf. Enid jumped up with a small shriek, her phone slipping out of her hands and plummeting towards the ground. She cried out as she dove after it, her elbow slamming into the cupboard. Just as it was about to shatter against the ground, Thing slid underneath her legs and managed to catch it, leaving Enid to sigh in relief and rub her elbow with a hiss. The shewolf groaned as she heaved herself back up onto her feet, phone back in hand.

“How did you get in here?” Enid asked the smirking goth woman, her hand still soothing her elbow.

“I walked,” she responded, the grin on her face falling, “Do not mind my presence.”

Enid stared at the girl for a moment longer, immediately spinning once her emotionless expression morphed into one of annoyance. She opened up google on her phone, deciding then and there that she’d wait to re-install and re-sign into everything when she didn’t have a potential psychopath standing directly behind her, and pulled up some music on YouTube. 

She ripped open the door to the fridge right as the first ‘Girl in Red’ song began playing, searching through it for anything to cook. Her eyes caught on a variety of ingredients before she turned back to where Wednesday was standing. Enid almost burst out into laughter at the look on the goth woman’s face, though she did manage to stifle any kind of audible reaction for fear of her life. The shewolf knew she hadn’t managed to hide the grin painting her face, though luckily Wednesday didn’t even seem to register Enid turning to face her, instead glaring at the werewolf’s phone with an intensity not even Enid had seen the woman give her. Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips tight with pure annoyance.

“Do you want anything in particular?” Enid finally said, prompting Wednesday to turn her glare on the werewolf. She flinched away from it, back hitting the open fridge door.

“Do. Not. Mind. My. Presence.”

Fear surged through the werewolf as she rapidly nodded at the woman, before quickly turning around and tearing ingredients out of the refrigerator. A quick hiss filled the room as she turned on the stovetop, the small flame licking at the metal grate. Enid slid a pan overtop of it and dumped some chicken inside, pointedly ignoring the feeling of Wednesday’s eyes boring into her back as the sound of sizzling began to harmonize with the music. She seasoned the meat properly, before falling back against the island with a drawn-out sigh. Enid sporadically pushed herself off the counter to check on the chicken as its aroma began to permeate throughout the kitchen. Once she was certain all the blood was cooked out of the meat, she chopped it into narrow slices and dropped it on top of the freshly prepared salads. With a final sprinkle of cheese, she turned to hand Wednesday her own bowl of chicken salad only to find her gone from her spot in the corner. The clang of the bowl hitting the counter rang throughout the kitchen as Enid let out a frustrated groan. She grabbed her own salad and shut the music off on her phone before dragging her way up the creaky stairs and knocking on the goth woman’s door. The clacking of typewriter keys drew to a quick end as the woman let out a ‘come in’.

“I made you a chicken salad?” Enid offered as she pushed Wednesday’s door open. The goth woman merely raised an eyebrow at her, before gesturing towards the desk. Enid walked towards it, purposefully ignoring the very clearly untouched plate of bratwurst from earlier. She quickly scurried from the room once the plate clinked against the desk, her own salad bowl gripped tightly in her hands. The stairs creaked underneath every step as she sprinted down and leaped onto the couch. She let out a satisfied sigh as her tongue met the first piece of cheese-covered chicken, before pulling her phone back out of her pocket and finally re-installing everything she remembered owning before, from social medias to random games. As the downloads ticked by, her salad bowl slowly emptied. Every bite left her satisfied and hungrier for more, thankful she’d never again need to return to the streets as long as she could last a few weeks here. With the empty bowl lying on the armrest, she stretched out along the couch and started signing into all her apps, finally allowing her contacts to sync up and her notifications to come in a swarm. The beeping from the phone quickly sent the wolf into a panic, her eyes glancing back and forth between the cell phone and her possibly dangerous boss just upstairs. As her fingers desperately searched for the volume button, she heard a shift from the room above her. Her heart began to race just as her fingers found the button and quickly pushed down, silencing the ongoing notifications. Enid lay in waiting, body tense and eyes locked on to the bedroom door for a few beats, before finally collapsing with a sigh when she heard the faint sounds of clicking start back up. 

The shewolf quickly returned to her phone, dragging down the notifications and reading through them one at a time. A large majority of them were worthless spam, or were just various social media notifications she could catch up on as she went to bed, but there were also plenty of actually important notifications intermixed as well, most of them being messages. The assault of messages from her friends asking if she was okay sent guilt crashing through her system. When she had originally been evicted, the only person she had told had been Yoko who unfortunately didn’t have the means to help, due to her living across country lines. That didn’t mean she hadn’t tried, searching for any way to send her money or to find her a place to live, but between Enid being cut off from nearly everything and her insistence not to tell the rest of her friends, Yoko hadn’t been able to. She had told Yoko the day she sold her phone, even telling the vampire she could finally tell her friends what had happened, but had shut the phone off before learning how her friend had responded. Staring at her was a notification that read ‘I’ll find a way to get ahold of you’, and she found herself too terrified to open it and figure out what the girl had said after Enid had shut her phone off that day. The shewolf shook her head with a small shutter and swiped the notification away, promising herself she’d return to it once she was done, before reading down further through the list. The next notification that really pulled Enid to a stop was under the name ‘Mom’. The text ‘So I do hope you're getting these’ was sitting on her screen. A horde of emotions raged inside of her as her finger trembled above the notification. ‘What if’s flashed across her mind. The possibility of them inviting her back, forgiving the fact that she had yet to transform. The possibility of her regaining a family, maybe even learning to properly transform so she could make her mom proud. The other side raged equally against her optimism, citing the distinct possibility that the messages were nothing but scathing remarks and cruel insults like the original messages she had sent after she had been sent away. With a final deep breath and closed eyes, her finger pressed against the screen and the notification menu closed to reveal the currently opening messenger. 

Enid’s eyes rigorously scanned every word, unable to be blinded by the tears flowing down her face. Her heart was torn in a battle of her emotions. The absolute lack of remorse and every single insult scorched her heart, yet the prospect of merely needing to wolf out to return to her old life sounded so appealing. She contemplated responding, but let her fingers drop from their position hovering over the keys. She wiped away the tears from her eyes as she thumbed open her contact list and swiped down to the bottom where Yoko’s contact sat. With a beat of hesitation, she tapped on it. 

A small chuckle escaped from the shewolf as she read the messages over, her eyes still slightly wet. She leaned back against the couch with a relieved sigh before typing up a message of her own, a small smile climbing onto her face.

Chapter Text

Enid anxiously awaited Yoko’s response as she lazily clicked between apps, scrolling through feeds to see what she had missed in the months she had been without technology. Her thumb trembled as it slid across her phone screen, a small smudge left behind. Slowly the shewolf managed to learn what her friends had been unable to tell her in her absence, such as Ajax and Xavier’s new budding romance, though with both of their aversions to airing their personal lives on the internet, the only update she had on it was a single Instagram post from Ajax. A small smile graced her lips at the information, only growing with the other things she had learned. Enid watched as posts flew by, each one depicting the further accomplishments her friends had managed to pull off, from Bianca getting in her first real fencing tournament to Eugene starting an, admittedly still small, blog about his bees. 

As the posts continued to glide by, each one accentuating how well her friends had been doing, she felt her joy for their accomplishments slowly being replaced with an unwanted and undeserved resentment. Seeing her friends progressing their lives while she was still stuck in limbo. Enid knew that it was at least partially her own fault. All the shewolf needed to do was tell anyone other than Yoko what had happened and they would’ve given her a home without a second thought, and she knew Yoko would’ve too if she could’ve, but she didn’t. When Enid was first evicted from her pack, her family, she was ashamed and frightened. She spent a week ignoring her phone, not wanting to tell anyone what had happened, but found herself eventually relenting after a particularly devastating rain storm and spilling her guts to the vampire. The two of them had gotten in a slew of arguments for the months leading up to her selling the phone, each one involving Yoko urging her to tell her friends what had happened, to find one of them and get a roof above her head, and Enid stubbornly refusing. She still wasn’t entirely sure why she kept refusing. Was it shame that she had yet to transform? Maybe it had been fear that they would reject her the same way her family had. Deep down she knew they wouldn’t, that her friends loved her and would do anything for her, but it didn’t stop her chest from tightening in dread anytime she pulled up one of their contacts. 

She was pulled from her spiraling headspace by a buzz from her phone, which was quickly followed by a second. Enid fought against the nerves flooding her system as she slowly swiped down and tapped on the notification, two more buzzes escaping the phone in the meantime.

The shewolf watched as a tear she hadn’t realized she’d shed splashed against the screen. Her fingers shakily hovered over the keyboard as she traced the messages on her screen. Just as her thumb pressed against the letter “H”, the screen changed to show an incoming call from the Vampire. She took a deep breath before accepting the call and bringing the phone to her ear.

“Yoko?” her voice came out a broken whisper despite her best efforts to put on a strong facade for the vampire.

“Enid thank fucking god you’re okay,” Yoko breathed out from the other end of the phone, “You are okay, right?”

She found she couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped, “I’m okay Yoko, promise.”

Enid winced at the breath of relief Yoko let out in response, guilt flooding every corner of her system, “Thank fuck. Tell me what happened and if I need to come get you. Do you have a roof over your head? Food? What abou-”

Enid pulled herself into a sitting position, pointedly ignoring the rambling of the vampire on the other end of the phone, the springs of the couch letting out a small screech as she shuffled. With a small breath, she glanced towards her terrifying boss’s room before interrupting the still ranting vampire, “Yoko. I’m okay. I have food, clothes, a roof above my head, money, a phone. I’m good, at least for now.”

“Well then how? What miracle pulled you out from the gutter and granted you a second chance?” Yoko’s worried voice quickly gave way to one of wonder.

Enid let her eyes flicker to Wednesday’s door one last time before beginning the story, “Okay, so a few days ago I was sleeping on a bus stop,” she ignored Yoko’s coos of pity, “when I found a really poorly made flier. It was a job offer for a live-in servant.”

A loud laugh escaped from the phone, “So you got a job as a butler then? No offense, but how?”

“Like you said Yoks, I needed a miracle. When I showed up it turned out the flier was written by an actual hand,” Enid glanced around the room for said hand, her eyes not finding it. She hoped Thing wasn’t listening into her gossip, despite her not actually saying anything bad about it, “And I know what you’re thinking, but no, this was just a hand. No body, but it can move and it communicates through writing and I think sign language,” Enid tried her best to ignore the questions Yoko was spitting at her involving Thing, but couldn’t keep herself from giggling at the Vampire’s confused state, “Anyways, I show up and it turns out the house is owned by this really terrifying woman who clearly didn’t want me there, but she let me in anyw-”

“Why?” Yoko interrupted. Enid immediately tore her eyes back up towards the woman’s room, before sighing in relief when she didn’t see her. 

The truth was, Enid didn’t know truly why she had been let in. While she obviously didn’t know the girl much at all, what she did know was that it wasn’t due to pity or an urge to help the werewolf. She knew Thing had something to do with it, maybe even everything to do with it, but she still didn’t know exactly what had caused Wednesday to let the werewolf into her home.

“I’m not sure,” she finally mumbled out, her mind still flickering between possibilities. After a few moments, she silenced her thinking and continued, “Anyways, doesn’t really matter, what does matter is that I got in and was given my jobs. God then I got to take a shower Yoko, and you don’t know how good that felt.”

“I bet pup,” Enid could hear the smile in her friend’s voice, “But backtrack a minute, what are you doing? Also you said a few days ago, you already got paid?”

“That’s the weird thing Yoko, I’m already done with all the jobs I was given. I was just told to basically clean and cook, but there’s nothing to clean and she doesn’t want me to cook anything else for her today. Also she’s paying me every day which is…” Enid trailed off, knowing how her friend would react to learning about how dangerous the woman likely is, “Later.”

Yoko doesn’t push the topic, “That’s it? Well easy work is easy work, you’re sure this isn’t some scam though?”

“Yeah I’m pretty sure,” Enid fidgets in her seat, suddenly feeling claustrophobic, “Like I said she pays me every day and she pays me well.”

“Well-paying? What’s considered well-paying to a wolf that has never had a job prior to this?” Enid was glad to hear the teasing tone in Yoko’s voice.

“A grand a day?” Enid half-asked, because while everything she knew told her that was an exuberant amount of money, it was true that she had never worked a day before the past few. Her chest flooded with a mixture of joy and triumph when she heard Yoko let out a loud gasp and knock something over through the phone.

“You’re fucking with me right?” the vampire’s voice came out rapidly, only speeding up when Enid confirmed its validity, “Holy fucking shit Enid that’s absurd. I can’t believe this. And the house is already clean?”

Enid bobbed her head back and forth as she drawled out her response, “Well, not exactly. The house was basically spotless, no dirt, everything organized, but it was covered head to toe in dust. I spent almost all of yesterday dusting the living room, but she got upset with me when she found out. I guess it’s just meant to be like that.”

“Only you ‘nid,” Yoko’s light chuckle escaped through the phone, “Anything else or do I get to drag you back to the payment every day thing which!” the vampire paused for dramatic effect, “I wouldn’t even have questioned if you had just moved on you silly little wolf, but now I sense drama!”

Anxiousness quickly replaced the joy the werewolf was feeling at the prospect of letting Yoko in on how potentially dangerous the girl was. There was a non-zero chance the vampire would find a way into the country and to Wednesday’s house just to take her across the ocean and away from the goth woman, “You aren’t gonna be happy…”

Immediately the mood shifted. Enid could feel the tension even despite the thousands of miles between them, “Spit it out.”

“On my second day here, I stumbled across a room…” Enid stumbled over her words as Yoko urged her to continue, “And… there was some t-torture stuff inside.” Her statement ended in a whisper, leaving her choking out the final, “It looked used…”

A few beats of tense silence passed, Enid waiting for Yoko to snap, to blow up at her, only for her voice to come out in a whisper, “You promise me you’re okay Pup?”

“I promise,” Enid breathed out, her shoulders sagging in relief, “She pays me daily and I’m free to leave whenever.”

“Do you feel safe?” Yoko’s voice still hadn’t risen above a whisper.

Enid hesitated, her mind retelling everything that had happened since she stepped inside, “Not always, she’s kind of scary and I still think she might just kill me sometimes, but normally I do. She doesn’t like to interact with me much, so I normally feel a lot more at ease.”

Yoko let out a humm of approval at the same time Enid heard a click sound off behind her. Her head whipped towards the wall to find the space behind her empty, dust swirling in the air. Cautiously she turned back towards the couch and set the phone back against her ear. The feeling of claustrophobia that had been haunting her slowly faded away as she continued her conversation with Yoko, one that ended fairly quickly afterwards. By the time their call trailed to a close, the smile had returned to Enid’s face. Her feet skipped along the wooden boards of the floor as she moved from the couch to her room, before pausing right at the edge of her little alcove. She took a few steps towards the thing that had caught her vision, directly where she had heard the click prior. As she neared it became increasingly clear what it was, two foot prints lightly dusted the otherwise dustless living room floor in front of the wall. Her eyes traced up the steps, unable to tell if any footsteps were trailing up them considering all of her own footsteps filling the dust, and stared at the goth woman’s still closed door. Nausea flooded her system as a shudder ran down her spine. With a quick turn she sped back to her room, glancing over her shoulder one last time before entering the alcove.

Chapter Text

As Enid came to the next day, it was to an intense feeling of paranoia washing over her in the form of a cold sweat. Nightmares had haunted her every sleeping moment, terrors of Wednesday silently watching over her, planning out her demise, before enacting said plan. Her body trembled as she shot up, the blankets over her falling to the floor with a light thud. Shaky breaths escaped her mouth in rapid succession, each one quickening her heartbeat. Enid wasn’t entirely sure how long it took for the panic to pass, but once it had she found herself unconsciously checking every corner of the room before dragging herself out of bed. 

The floorboards creaked as she moved around the room, the exhaustion in her system barely allowing her to lift up her feet. Enid had hoped that having an actual bed, roof, and full stomach would allow her to get a good night’s sleep but apparently she was wrong, though she blamed Wednesday and her terrifying aura for the issue. The shewolf quickly slipped on all of her clothes, today sporting a much simpler outfit, though it also contained much more colour than anything she had worn prior. With a yawn the woman glanced back towards her bed, only to freeze up at the sight of cash sitting on her end table, cash she was certain wasn’t there when she fell asleep. 

The exhaustion in her system gave way to the chill that moved down her spine. In a blink the werewolf had crossed the room and pocketed the wad of bills, before dashing out the door with a small bang. When Enid turned the corner to find herself face to face, or rather shoe-to-shoe with a shadow, she abruptly skidded to a halt, fear coursing through her veins. Her eyes traced the shadow upwards, not taking long to reach the person emitting it. Standing directly outside of her alcove was Wednesday, her arms behind her back and her eyes holding a fierce glare. 

“O-Oh,” Enid’s eyes didn’t leave the woman’s gaze as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, “Good morning Wednesday.”

The anxiety in her system slowly climbed as the girl continued to stare, unmoving with all but her eyes, which were tracing the werewolf’s outfit, “I had hoped your wardrobe would darken as time went on. It appears I was incorrect.”

That hadn’t been what the werewolf was expecting, “I’m sorry, I can get darker clothes if you want.” She hoped her voice didn’t come out as pitiful as it sounded in her head.

Wednesday continued to stare, though this time her eyes remained as unmoving as the rest of her body, before finally giving her one last once over and turning on her heel, “That will not be necessary. Now go about your day.”

Enid’s head tilted slightly as the woman walked back towards her bedroom, “O-Okay. I hope you have a nice day as well!” Wednesday didn’t respond, though she heard tapping at her feet in her place, “Oh hey Thing!”

The hand responded with a thumbs up, before leaping upwards and sprinting towards the kitchen. Enid giggled as she watched it skid across the ground before pushing through the door. After a few beats, she glanced up towards the now vacant staircase and followed Thing. 

She didn’t need to spend long in the fridge before finding some eggs and bacon she could prepare for both herself and the goth woman. The flame licked the bottom of the pan she laid out as she cracked the eggs overtop. It wasn’t until she had put in four that a question immediately came to mind, “Thing?”

Tap. 

“Does Wednesday like scrambled eggs?” 

Tap.

A small wave of relief washed over the werewolf as she cracked the fifth and final egg. She slid the bacon onto a second pan, the sizzling resounding around the admittedly large kitchen. She hummed absentmindedly to herself as she bounced between pans, ensuring both were cooking to her liking. The anxiety that had previously been flooding Enid’s system alleviated as the bacon browned, her senses being overtaken by a smell she hadn’t smelt in months. She could feel her mouth salivating as the food slipped from the spatula onto the two plates laid out in front of her, droll almost dripping from her mouth at the mere sight of the two dishes. With a small skip to her step, the werewolf filled the pans with soapy water and moved towards Wednesday’s room, only to be stopped when a loud bang erupted from within, followed by what sounded like a growl. Enid froze up, her foot barely hovering on the bottom step. Her eyes nervously watched the upper door, even as Thing scurried through it. The resounding bang of the door slamming shut behind the hand shocked the girl out of her trance, sending her leaping in the air and slowly scurrying back into the kitchen, her eyes not leaving the goth woman’s door until she was around the corner. 

The werewolf leaned against the kitchen door as it clicked shut, eyes closed and a sigh of relief escaping through her quivering lips. Enid wasn’t sure whether or not that had been Wednesday or just something in her room, but either way the shewolf had no intention of finding out. After a few moments of steadying her breath, she opened her eyes only to find herself face to face with dark brown orbs. The ear-piercing sound of a shattered plates being the only thing to queue her in on the now splattered breakfast meal. The goth woman stood a few feet in front of her, her hands joined behind her back and a purely neutral expression on her face. 

A few beats of staring into the woman’s eyes passed, before Enid snapped out of her stupor and glanced down towards the shattered dishes, “I’m s-so sorry. I-I’ll clean it up. I’ll buy you new dishes if you want. I’m so so-”

“Enough,” Wednesday interrupted, immediately silencing the trembling werewolf, “Do be sure to clean up the mess, but do not worry about replacing it. We have more than enough already, and I can afford more when it becomes necessary.”

Enid nodded her head rapidly, before slowly pushing past the woman whose eyes were following her every movement. “So…” Enid trailed off as she grabbed a rag from the cupboards, “Do you need anything?” 

She could feel the woman’s eyes boring through her skull as she leaned down to separate the broken dishes from the scattered foods, “I merely wish to watch you work today. Treat this day as you would any other, I merely wish to observe.”

Her hand stopped for a moment, before resuming the task at a much slower rate. Thoughts of what she could find to do to satisfy the goth woman shot through her head. Whether or not she could find an actually dirty room, or search the mansion head to toe for even a speck of dirt to clean off. Hell maybe she could even find a way to redust the living-room, Wednesday would likely appreciate that. Luckily, she was snapped out of her catastrophizing by the woman herself, “I am aware of how little work you have to do, so you do not need to busy yourself with a useless task to satisfy me. I would have picked up on your poor attempt at deceit quickly anyways. Finish cleaning up your mess, prepare yourself another breakfast, and then go about your day.”

The tension drained from her muscles in a flash, a small smile crawling onto her lips, “Just my own breakfast? I can make you whatever you want.”

Enid glanced up at the woman as she pursed her lips, though she quickly returned to her cleaning. After a few moments of silence she heard Thing tapping out something behind her, even rapidly picking up as time went on. The werewolf didn’t dare turn around on the off-chance she was interrupting an argument between the two, before Wednesday finally answered, “Prepare me a small breakfast.”

She nodded, before pushing herself from the ground and stepping out of the room. For the first time since she met the woman, she didn’t find herself needing to let out a breath once the interaction was over, instead finding herself feeling much more relaxed than she had yet today. Of course, this didn’t mean there still wasn’t an inkling of fear each time she met the woman’s gaze, and that inkling quickly overtook her body if said gaze turned into a viscous glare. 

It only took a few seconds for the shewolf to find the broom and dustpan in the closet, quickly returning to finish cleaning up her mess. The ceramic clattered against the garbage can, the sadly ruined meal flopping on top of it, before she scrubbed clean the two pans and let the fire taste the bottom of them yet again.

“How do you like your eggs?” Enid asked, her head tilted slightly back at the woman.

“Raw,” she responded without hesitation.

Enid’s hands stuttered in their effort to pull the eggs out of the fridge, “O-Oh, okay.” 

Wednesday remained silent for a moment, her eyes drilling a hole through Enid’s skull, before she finally spoke, “Over-easy”

Her head lightly nodded up and down, before cracking two eggs in the pan for the woman. As they began to sizzle, Enid felt the anxiousness creeping back in. Despite all Enid could cook, one she couldn’t was the over-easy egg. She had tried once, just for the hell of it, and had failed miserably. The yolk had cracked and her over-easy became scrambled in a blink. After that she had never tried again, not out of any form of shame but more out of no necessity. No one in her family ate over-easy eggs so she never felt the urge to actually learn to make them, though now she thoroughly regretted that decision. Maybe she should’ve just given the woman raw eggs. 

Enid kept her mouth clamped shut as she began the process, closely watching as the egg cooked through. Just as it neared the point she’d need to flip it, Wednesday spoke from behind her, “You’d do well not to mess up the dish, for I’ve already lost two today.”

The small bout of anxiety that had been clouding Enid’s chest quickly enveloped her, the hand gripping the spatula trembling as it slid under the eggs. She slowly flipped it, urging it to land in-tact, only to let out a small sob as it splattered against the pan. Enid found herself falling to the floor with a whimper, the spatula clattering as it fell from her hand as fear enveloped her. She didn’t dare look up as Wednesday stood above her, staring into the pan. She could hear the clinking of metal and more sizzling from above her, until it eventually passed and the shadow around the werewolf melted away. On trembling legs she pulled herself back above the island and easily found the woman in the room. She was standing directly across the island, a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her and a small grin on her face. Her eyes seemed to be tracing her tear stains as she spoke, “You would do good to clean the spatula, and then you may prepare yourself a meal as well.”

Enid urged herself to turn and obey the woman, to not push her any further, but her body refused to listen, her lips moving against her will, “I-I’m sorry, please don’t be angry.”

Wednesday’s eyebrow raised as she stared back at the werewolf, “It would take much more than eggs to anger me, though I must admit that watching you squirm has provided me with much more entertainment than I had expected.”

The werewolf found herself unable to help the whine that escaped, before she flushed in embarrassment and turned back to the skillet. It didn’t take long for her to scrub down the spatula so that she could return to the stovetop, immediately scrambling her own eggs as they hit the pan. The sizzling of bacon once again echoed around the kitchen as it touched down on the second pan. Neither of them spoke as the dish slowly cooked to a finish, the aroma filling the room. She only turned once the food had slid from her plate, surprised to find Wednesday standing in the same spot as before, her eyes still trained on the werewolf. Enid glanced down at the girl’s plate to see that only a bite or two had been taken out of the eggs, a fork lying discarded beside it. She did her best to shake off the worry that she had messed up as she dug into her own food, barely holding back the groan that begged for release at the taste. Her eyes slowly found their way back to the goth woman’s, who only continued to watch her eat, unblinking the entire meal. 

“So,” Enid hesitantly began in-between bites, “What do you do?” The woman didn’t answer, her face remaining expressionless. Enid took it as a prompt to try a different question, “Any interesting stories?” More silence played out, “How about a more work-related question, any visitors?”

“Unfortunately,” she bristled slightly.

“Who?” Enid prompted, before taking another bite of her food.

Enid watched as the expression on the girl’s face finally shifted slightly, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what had changed. After a few moments, Wednesday answered, “My family.”

A light smile climbed onto Enid’s face, “Any clue when?”

The change in expression was much more noticeable as her lips tilted downwards, her eyebrows furrowing slightly, “Eleven days.”

Enid ahhed as she bit down on the last piece of food on her plate. Her feet thudded against the ground as she swallowed, “You done eating?”

Wednesday only nodded, her neutral expression repainting her face. Enid dug through the cabinets for something to wrap the dish in, and let out a small cheer as she found it. It didn’t take long for the werewolf to store the leftover eggs in the fridge and scrub clean the single plate and two pans. The water pipes let out a squeak as the sink drained behind her. Wednesday’s eyes followed her dripping hands for a moment, before snapping back to her own eyes.

They remained locked in a staring contest for what felt like hours, the clock mounted on the wall behind her ticking away, until Thing burst through the kitchen door and managed to grab both of their attention. It didn’t do much with said attention, instead climbing onto the island and standing between the two women. Enid looked back towards Wednesday, only to find her eyes firmly latched onto Thing. A few beats of silence passed before it finally moved, tapping out something she couldn’t understand.

“It is not broken, it has withstood much worse,” Wednesday responded, a viscous air surrounding her voice. Once again, Thing tapped out a response, “Then you must be incompetent.”

It mimicked what appeared to be some kind of spasm on the table, before collapsing in a limp pile. A beat passed before Thing was up again, furiously signing something at the goth woman. She glared at him for a few seconds, neither seeming to want to relent, before turning back to look at Enid, “We are unfortunately going into town.”

The werewolf nodded her head, “Can I ask why?”

Wednesday stared at her for a moment, the second moment that passed only increasing the intensity of her gaze, before she finally answered, “Thing is an inept fool, and it is due to his mistakes that I must acquire a new typewriter.” She didn’t acknowledge the furious tapping of Thing beside her.

“Oh, okay,” Enid’s foot was anxiously tapping against the cabinet, the sound lightly echoing around the room. Her mind was still replaying the interaction in her head as she stared at the goth woman, “Wait, Thing’s a he?”

Her head twisted to look at the disembodied hand, who didn’t give an affirmative or a negative. It was Wednesday that ended up responding, “We are unaware of the gender Thing was prior to his dismemberment, himself included. However, both father and mother have referred to Thing by ‘he’ for as long as I have been on this dreadful Earth, and he has never expressed his discontent.”

“Good enough for me,” Enid could feel a grin sliding onto her face as she twisted back towards the goth woman, though it was quickly deterred once they locked eyes. Wednesday wasn’t glaring, her eyes didn’t appear to hold any contempt, yet the mere stare of the woman sent Enid into a state of fear. She found herself unfortunately reminded of what Wednesday could do to her when Thing pushed the door open behind her, allowing Enid to catch sight of the torture chamber’s door, even if only for a second. With a small shiver, she jumped out of her chair, “Want to go into town now then?”

Wednesday’s eyes remained locked onto Enid’s figure as she slid past her and towards the hallway. It was only as her hand pushed against the kitchen door that the goth woman finally spoke, “Yes.” 

The kitchen door clicked shut behind Enid as she began down the hall, being sure to listen out for any movement behind her. So far she hadn’t heard the woman move once, not even during her near panic attack when the woman was above her. This proved no different when Enid reached the front door and found herself face-to-face with Wednesday yet again, who was holding an umbrella and standing beside the door. No words were spoken as Enid slipped her own shoes and jacket on, nor as they pulled open the front door into the torrential downpour.

Chapter Text

The pattering of rain on the pavement was the only sound Enid could hear as the two women walked side by side into town, though it gave way to a light morning fog as they stepped off of Cemetery Lane. She could feel Wednesday’s eyes on her as they walked, yet every time she looked at the goth woman she was staring ahead. Said woman stood a good five feet away from Enid at least, her hands occasionally breaking from their clamped position at her back and twitching towards her pocket when the werewolf glanced at her. 

“So…” Enid began, her footsteps stuttering momentarily, “What happened in your room earlier?”

Enid hadn’t seen it, but she had felt Wednesday’s presence beside her disappear. As she turned on her heel, it was to find said woman scrutinizing her. Wednesday’s eyes seemed to be analyzing every part of Enid, tracing her shoes up to the creases on her face. Her face was neutral, yet something seemed to be flickering in her eyes. After a few moments of anxiety-inducing silence, she finally spoke up, “I am unaware as to what you are referring to.”

Enid felt tempted to drop the subject, but found her mouth responding despite her wishes, “There was a bang and something else.”

The silence from the woman was deafening, the only sounds being the occasional passing car and the werewolf’s footsteps pounding against the cement. Enough time had passed that Enid had assumed the woman wouldn’t respond when she did, “It was a lapse of control. It will not happen again.”

This time she was able to convince herself to drop the subject, fear coursing through her at the thought of pushing Wednesday any further. The rest of the walk to town, while short, only left Enid becoming more anxious at the lack of conversation and the constant feeling of the woman’s eyes on her. The few pedestrians they passed seemed to avoid the pair like the plague, often sending fearful glares towards them, though Enid would wager they were more towards the goth woman beside her. Glancing over at said woman, she seemed entirely indifferent to the fact that she seemed to be a social pariah, that or she was masking her true feelings on the matter better than anyone Enid had met. She prided herself on reading people, yet she wasn’t able to read anything from Wednesday besides her love of tormenting the werewolf, though Enid still wasn’t entirely convinced that wasn’t due to the panic that overwhelmed her every time the woman so much as looked in her direction.

Enid glanced through the windows of the passing shops as they walked, some enticing and others beyond boring. While she couldn’t be entirely sure Wednesday wasn’t window-shopping, her indifference to the passing stores told Enid it wasn’t likely. Especially considering that she could still feel Wednesday’s constant gaze on her. The gravel from the sidewalk skidded under her stuttering steps as they passed the furniture store from before. The misstep had barely occurred, Enid hardly even registering it had happened, yet Wednesday stopped and stared into the store.

There was a beat of silence before Wednesday spoke, “I presume this store has caught your attention due to the monochrome furnishings in the manor?” her gaze snapped towards Enid’s.

Enid shuffled slightly, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, “Kind of. It would be nice to have some colour in my room at least,” she trailed off, her eyes locked onto a pebble against the sidewalk. Enid counted roughly ten seconds before anything happened. Wednesday slipped past her, hardly noticeable. Enid’s eyes followed the girl behind her for a moment, struggling to understand what the conversation had meant. After a beat, she pushed the thought away and followed behind the goth woman.

It wasn’t until the fog slowly began to lift that Wednesday slowed to a stop, turning on her heel and walking down a small alleyway. Enid followed behind the woman, the concrete beneath her feet crumbling with her every step. 

Despite walking into town with her, this was the first time Enid had actually paid attention to Wednesday’s grace as she walked. Each step floated across the concrete, her shoes seemingly hovering above the ground instead of pounding against it. Her head was held high and her back was stiff. Her very presence exuded a level of confidence Enid envied. Yet a second later, she both heard and watched as Wednesday’s foot slammed against the ground, her heel digging into the concrete as she turned into a shop buried deep in the alley. 

You wouldn’t realize the shop was there unless you were looking for it. Its poor positioning was already a downside, but coupled with no windows, a dark metal door, a plethora of trash littering the exterior, and a single small sign above the door, Enid wasn’t even sure how the shop was still open. 

Following Wednesday through the door opened her up to the smell of oak, ink, and rust. Dim lights lined the ceiling and cobwebs clouded the corners. The shop was full of dark shelves containing anything from ink ribbons to likely faux gold necklaces. In the corner to her left was a small black countertop with an elderly woman behind it. She seemed to be about Enid’s height and sported a wide smile at the sight of the two of them. There was a silver pendant hanging on her pink floral shirt. Her hair was both short and curly, its colour a mix between silver and white. If anything, Enid deemed her to be a pretty stereotypical antique shore owner, though one thing did stand out as strange. Her attitude towards the two of them, Wednesday in particular. Unlike the rest of the town, the older woman was watching Wednesday with a distinct fondness in her light blue eyes. Said fondness carried over to her voice whenever she spoke, “Wednesday my dear, welcome back! What can I get you today, some more ribbon?”

Wednesday’s posture slackened ever-so-slightly, her hands unclasping and falling to her sides. She didn’t hesitate as she nodded and responded, “Evening madam,” a beat passed, “While I am not opposed to purchasing more ribbon, I find myself in need of a new typewriter today.”

The older woman ahhed in response, “Old thing finally give out then?”

The store was silent with the exception of the light aircon as Wednesday hesitated, “Yes.”

“I’ve been telling you for years Wednesday,” the smile on the woman’s face only grew as she spoke, “It wasn’t going to last forever. You know where they are.”

Wednesday nodded before turning on her heel and sauntering to the back of the store. As she vanished into the mess of shelves, the woman turned her gaze to Enid. Her smile was still warm, but she could tell that it was more strained than it had been with her macabre boss, “And who might you be missy?”

 Enid’s eyes widened slightly, “O-Oh, I’m Enid!” She reached her hand out, fingers stretched in waiting for a handshake. 

“Call me Mrs. Weaver,” her hand met Enid’s in a firm grip.

The two waited in awkward silence for a moment, before Enid asked the question that had been on her mind since she saw the place, “How are you still open?” Enid looked up to see the bewildered look on Weaver’s face. She could feel as the blood visibly left her own, eyes falling open in a mixture of shock and remorse. She continued in a rushed panic, “No offense! I just mean, you’re so tucked away. I wouldn’t have known this place existed if it weren’t for Wednesday.”

The older woman’s smile seemed to relax, her eyes brightening ever-so-slightly, “We wouldn’t still be here if it weren’t for our little girl in the back there.” Her hand gestured in the direction Wednesday had gone, her eyes only seeming to brighten more.

“She’s in here that much?” Enid glanced back towards the goth woman, who was looking between a variety of typewriters sitting on the shelf. Her fingers were running up and down the buttons, occasionally pressing down a few times and watching how the machine reacted. 

“Oh no not like that, though she is in here more than anyone else,” The woman sat down in a chair behind the counter, a light groan escaping her, “We almost did shut down a few years ago, until we started getting checks in the mail to cover both the shop and our lives. For a while we didn’t know who was sending them, just that they were the only thing keeping us afloat. After about a year, Morticia came in and accidentally sold out little Wednesday here.”

Enid glanced back at Wednesday yet again, watching as the woman grabbed a typewriter from the countertop and began her hike back towards the counter, “Morticia?”

“Oh do you not know Morticia? I had assumed you were friends.”

“I have told you before that I do not have any friends,” the typewriter let out a small thud as it hit the countertop, followed by smaller thuds of what she assumed was ribbon, “Enid is my maid, and I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn’t share my personal life with her.”

The woman hummed as she accepted the cash Wednesday was handing her, “Weird choice for a maid. I thought your family only went for people covered head to toe in black.”

Without her werewolf hearing, Enid was sure she wouldn’t have heard Wednesday’s grumble of, “I didn’t have a choice,” over Weaver’s laughter.

“Well, I do hope you and your maid have a fantastic day!” she let out as Wednesday grabbed her supplies and turned towards the door. Enid smiled at the woman behind the counter who reciprocated in kind before turning and following Wednesday through the door. A piece of paper crinkled under her feet as she stepped out into the alley, Wednesday already beginning towards the street ahead of her.

“Do you want me to carry those?” Enid jogged up beside the woman, matching her pace. Wednesday didn’t respond, not even glancing in her direction as they walked. The sound of the wind howling escaped from the alley as they approached the main street, and it was then that Enid noticed the darkening clouds in the sky above them. She glanced over at Wednesday, her mouth opening in warning when she noticed the goth woman’s eyes glancing up at the clouds. Her mouth snapped shut as their paces sped up. 

Enid glanced down towards Wednesday’s pocket, “Do you want me to grab the umbrella?”

She glanced up at the clouds again, her eyes seeming to squint in a glare. They walked in silence for what felt like minutes when a loud burst of thunder permeated the air, “Hold the umbrella. If any water gets on my typewriter, you will find yourself locked in the iron maiden until I next need your services.”

Enid gulped, fear coursing through her veins as she slowly pulled it from the woman’s pocket and lifted it above them. It didn’t take long for the rain to begin, and it took even less time to turn into a downpour. She took a breath and stiffened her arm to the best of her ability, making sure the umbrella was closer to the typewriter than anything else. They were only a few blocks away when the downpour began to pick up again, the splattered raindrops nearly reaching the bottom of the typewriter. Enid knew that Wednesday had noticed, her eyes tracing the drops that splashed and the typewriter slightly raised, but she still wasn’t sure if one of them touching the machine would result in her largest fear coming to fruition. 

By the time the two had reached the mansion, her arm was trembling, an ache she knew would carry over the next few days permeating through it. A few drops had splashed along the bottom of the machine along the way, but Wednesday had brushed them aside without a care so Enid found herself more hopeful than terrified of what was to come. The umbrella let out a loud zip as it shut, drops of water scattering along the wooden porch. Enid shook out her arm as Wednesday entered the manor, the front door clicking shut behind her. 

A loud thud escaped as Enid slid down the front door, the planks cold underneath her as she sat on the ground. Thoughts of the goth woman swirled, every piece of conflicting information she’s gotten on her fighting for dominance in her own head, yet Enid still couldn’t figure out which pieces went together to create the real Wednesday. She watched the water crash into the pavement around her with a small sigh, her head falling back against the door. Thoughts of the goth woman’s torture chamber, her cold demeanor and occasional threats and insults fought against the one Mrs. Weaver had mentioned in the shop, the type of woman to keep a random small business afloat. Why? For all Enid knew, it was a long-winded scheme to gain Weaver’s trust and then kidnap her for the chamber but the shopkeep already seemed to trust Wednesday, so she suspected it wasn’t quite that. So why? Enid racked her brain, selfish ideas at the forefront but the hope that it had been a selfless act, that Wednesday wasn’t actually evil incarnate lurked in the back. Her head fell into her hands with a groan as she shook her head and pushed herself up. Her hand hesitated over the doorknob for a moment, before she grabbed it tightly and let herself back inside the manor.

Chapter Text

The creaking floorboards were the only sounds Enid could hear over the eerie silence permeating the manor. Wednesday and Thing were nowhere to be seen, presumably having gone to her room. She could faintly hear the sounds of water droplets falling off the umbrella behind her as she moved towards her own room. Her arm hung limp at her side as her feet trudged along the ground.

Enid’s sigh echoed the slow whine the bed let out as she collapsed on top of it, her eyes immediately drooping shut. She stayed like that for a few minutes, her mind blank as she focused on her breathing, willing herself to relax. Finally, she pulled out her phone and turned it on as she fell back against the pillows. Her thumb dragged along the screen as she checked her various notifications, only stopping when she came across new texts from Yoko. Without a beat of hesitation the notification had been opened and the messages were loading to the screen.

An involuntary giggle escaped as she read the messages, her face lighting up as she turned onto her side. Her mind replayed the events that had occurred just today alone, the suspicious amount of “bonding” the two had shared out of seemingly nowhere. The werewolf was half-convinced it was all a ruse, the fear of the playroom still playing at the back of her mind, but Enid found herself strangely trusting of the woman after the journey. Granted, she still felt anxious being near Wednesday and her stare sent chills down her spine, but that was a large improvement over the crippling fear that had consumed her prior. 

As she waited for the response text, she mulled over the few conversations the two had shared. A small squeak escaped the mattress as she shifted to her other side, her phone falling to the bed with a thud. The thought of Wednesday having a family hadn’t really crossed her mind, if anything she seemed the type to kill her family just to inherit their wealth and somehow get away with it. She shifted again, her arm aching with every movement, yet her energy was building with every racing thought. Enid wasn’t sure that was a fair statement, seeing as Enid herself was still alive. That being said, blackmailing the fortune away, possibly at the threat of murder, d id seem like something she could believe. Yet even that seemed less believable with each passing second. There was no way she’d be handing out a thousand dollars a day to some random homeless half-wolf if she’d go to such lengths for money. 

The issue therein lied within her own inability to see Wednesday as part of a functional family. She seemed detached, unemotional, and cold, all things that felt like they’d be impossible to build a proper relationship with. She couldn’t imagine the goth woman upstairs picking up and spinning a younger sibling as they cheered, nor could she imagine her gripping her parents tightly in a hug when they arrived. Nothing about Wednesday nor her life made sense. Each potential answer, each tiny piece of information, only seemed to enhance the mystery of the woman. Her frustrated groan was interrupted by her phone vibrating against the bedspread.

Enid’s thumb dragged across her screen as she typed out her wordy response, recounting the entire day thus far to Yoko. The vampire in question remained unresponsive until Enid had finished, a process that took more time than the werewolf would ever care to admit. The three blinking dots telling her that Yoko was typing stayed lingering at the bottom of the screen even as she got bored and opened up Instagram. 

“I do not understand why you bother to devote time nor energy to the soul-sucking void that is technology,” Wednesday spoke up as the posts began to load in. She stood tall in the doorway, the door pushed back against the wall.

The fright that overtook Enid was considerably less than it had been even a few hours prior, her eyes still wide and heart still pounding out of her chest as she looked over at the gothic woman, yet she found she didn’t have any desire to run screaming in the other direction. With a small headshake, she responded, “It helps pass the time. Plus, I haven’t been able to talk to my friends in months.”

Wednesday stared her down for a moment, her hands clasped at her front and her lips tight, “A deplorably short amount of time.”

Enid’s face lit up in an angry flush as she jumped up from the bed, her feet hesitating as she tried to walk towards the woman, leaving her planted in place instead, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Her lips quirked slightly upwards, her eyes seeming to twinkle in the faint light. They stared for an eternity, the fear that Enid had went too far, that even challenging Wednesday was enough to make her snap consumed the werewolf, “While I have not been unfortunate enough to experience myself, despite my best efforts, Fester is quite fond of the insanity that comes with prolonged isolation. His descriptions of tormented mental states and vicious reactions are quite enticing.”

The rainstorm outside felt deafening as the two stared each other down, Enid’s eyes occasionally flickering away from Wednesday and towards her currently vibrating phone on the bed. She found she wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about Wednesday’s statement, mainly because she wasn’t entirely sure whether or not it was serious. Wednesday’s eyes seemed to hold some mirth, the faint grin painting her face only adding to the possibility, yet the mirth shared its space with irritation. She steeled herself as she met the woman’s eyes yet again, “Fester?”

“My uncle.”

Enid ignored the rush of satisfaction at the idea of her being correct in her made-up version of Wednesday’s family, instead nodding lightly. After a beat of hesitation, she finally spoke up, “So what’s up?”

Wednesday’s eyes latched onto Enid’s hands as they played with the ridges of her shirt, the texture soothing as she ran her thumb up and down it, “Why I am here is of no importance to you.”

Her shirt began to scrunch together as she pressed on it, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Wednesday, “But…” She trailed off for a second, her mind fighting between whether or not she should press, “But this is my room… right?”

The uncomfortable silence dredged on for far too long, Enid’s fidgeting only picking up as Wednesday’s stare drilled into her. Her eyes snapped between Enid’s for a beat, before she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. She stared after the swirling dust for a moment, her jaw slightly agape, before falling back against the bed with a frustrated groan. After taking a deep breath, she slid her hand across the comforter until it hit her phone. 

Enid rolled her eyes at Yoko’s offer, only wishing it was possible, before reading through the message another time. Then again. The thought of it being entirely selfish, of no desire to help that poor old woman had of course been on the forefront of her mind. She knew it was the most likely option, but Enid clung onto a strange hope that it wasn’t entirely selfish. Despite Wednesday being the reason Enid wasn’t on the streets, she knew the woman hadn’t wanted it. Everything about her screamed dangerous, psychotic, or at the very least sociopathic, so she found herself clinging onto that hope that Wednesday wasn’t entirely apathetic to the world around her.

Her grin only grew as her phone blew up in her hand. With a small giggle and a quick stretch, she slipped the still vibrating phone in her pocket and stepped out of her room. She could vaguely hear some kind of conversation in Wednesday’s room, muffled sounds echoing through the door before pausing as she likely waited for Thing’s response. She pulled away from the urge to attempt to listen in, instead opting to cross the living room in search of a room she remembered noticing originally yet not putting much thought to at the time. She passed the beautifully furnished dining room and pulled the first door on her right open, glad to see it was exactly the room she had been looking for. Unlike the dark and dreary atmosphere found in the rest of the mansion, this room seemed to be doused head to toe in sunlight, the windows lining the far wall only highlighting the bright sun high in the sky. Enid pulled open the door to the room again and peaked through it, her eyes slowly blinking in confusion at the rain pounding against the windows just through the alcove. After a beat, she re-entered the sun-covered room and moved towards the bright windows. Even with her ear pressed to them, she couldn’t hear the sound of rain outside. She searched every piece of the window for a lock so she could force it open, yet every side seemed completely smooth. With a disgruntled groan, she yanked open the door and walked back into the alcove, before immediately turning towards the window here. 

Her fingers traced every inch of the window until she found the lock, her excitement climbing as she lifted it open. The wind howled as it came open, her shirt immediately getting soaked in the intense storm. Through squinting eyes she pushed her head into the downpour, peering towards the sunroom’s window only to find rain pounding against the glass. She slammed the window shut with a groan, water dripping onto the carpet from her drenched hair.

“I do hope you had a reason for that asinine action,” Fear seemed to paralyze the half-wolf at the sound of Wednesday’s irritated voice behind her. Despite her wishes, her body remained frozen for what felt like hours, Wednesday’s eyes drilling through the back of her skull, “I do not have all day.”

A slow, agonizingly high-pitched squeak wailed out as Enid slowly turned on her heel to face the woman, water still occasionally splashing against the carpet and eyes pointed at her own feet. Finally, she came to a stop, Wednesday’s shoes in the corner of her vision. She slowly angled her head up to meet her irritation-filled eyes, her lips thin as she glared down at the cowering werewolf, “I-I’m sorry.”

Silence stretched for a beat, “I did not ask for an apology, I asked for a reason.”

Enid’s shoulders trembled as she spoke, her hand vaguely gesturing towards the sun room, “I just wanted to know how the room worked.”

Wednesday’s eyes softened almost imperceptibly, “Should you be curious about anything in the manor, ask either me or Thing.”

“I heard you two talking and didn’t want to interrupt,” Enid spat out without thinking. The truth was that the thought of asking either of them had never passed her mind, her curiosity had taken over. 

If Wednesday picked up on her lie, she kept it hidden as she nodded slightly, “Mother spent many nights researching this enchantment. I had hoped it would be used for something entertaining, such as boiling Vampires alive and cataloging their wails,” Enid flinched slightly, her hand instinctually moving towards her pocketed phone, “Unfortunately, she had just done it in order to read with a natural light. She claimed it improved the experience, though I believe she has been cursed.” 

Enid nodded along to the story, her muscles relaxing as Wednesday seemed to simmer down. A moment passed as the two stared before it was interrupted by a tapping turning the corner. Thing sprinted past Wednesday with two towels in tow, his fingers skidding along the ground as he dropped them at her feet. Enid didn’t hesitate to grab one and began meticulously drying herself off. The towel was soaked within minutes, her clothes and hair still damp and sticking to her. With a small grimace, she reached for the other towel and began wiping away at the floor. It soaked through faster than the previous towel had, the damp carpet still soaking through her knees as she pulled away. When she glanced up towards the brunette who hadn’t moved the entire time, she only gave a brief nod. 

Her knees ached as she pushed herself up, Thing grabbing the soaked towels and sprinting back out of the room. She watched in awe as not a single drop of water managed to touch the floor in the process. Her arm throbbed as she stretched them above her head, a small groan escaping her mouth. Wednesday only stared, her eyes leveled on her own until she had finished, when her eyes quickly trailed up and down her entire body, “I suggest you rid yourself of your ruined clothing and meet me in the common room.”

Enid gave a small smile and a nod before sliding past the woman and moving towards her bedroom, shaking her shoulders out as she slid out of her view. It didn’t take long for her to shed her damp outfit and replace it with a dry, albeit slightly more muted one. Her fingers combed through her hair, yanking out the occasional knot, before she let out a small breath and glanced towards the door. Her anxious bouncing was interrupted by a shrill bell ringing out, the ear-piercing chime causing her to wince as she pushed herself back into the living room.

She wasn’t surprised to find Wednesday standing on the steps instead of sitting on the couch, her back stiff and the bell clasped in her hands at her back. Her eyes followed Enid as she stepped in front of her, doing her best to match her confident posture. The two stared at each other for a second before Wednesday spoke up, “You expressed confusion at my presence in your room, which leads me to believe you have forgotten our earlier conversation. I will be accompanying you in your tasks today.”

An embarrassed flush crossed her face at the reminder, something she had forgotten in the mess of swirling thoughts she had been struggling with, “I’m sorry.”

“Go about your day, I will come and go as things beckon.”

Enid stared up at her for a moment, unsure of what she should do next, though she ripped her gaze away as Wednesday’s passive stare turned to a glare. After a beat of hesitation, she took slow steps towards the sunny room. She could practically feel Wednesday’s gaze piercing into her back with each step, though she never glanced back to see if she had been followed. 

Sunlight spilled into the hallway as she pulled the door open, painting her skin in a golden warmth. A quick glance towards the window showed the sun in the exact same place outside, yet the rest of the clouds in the sky had moved in what appeared to be a natural fashion. She looked away from the windows, turning her head towards the back of the room where she found a wall lined with bookshelves. The shelves reached higher than Enid could, every single one packed to the brim with various books except one, where what seemed to be a single book was missing. In front of the shelf was a dark table and two ink-black cushioned chairs. She gracefully saunted towards the chair only to unceremoniously flop into it, relishing in the feeling of the sun bathing her skin and the cushion fitting to her back. As she opened her eyes, it was to Wednesday standing just outside of the doorway, narrowly avoiding the incoming sunlight.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before Enid mimicked a small shrug and pulled out her phone, sighing as she pulled up Yoko’s messages from earlier.

“If this is some kind of ploy to keep me away from you, you will not succeed,” Wednesday’s voice echoed right beside her, making Enid flinch and tear her gaze towards it. The woman was sitting in the other chair, the discomfort clear on her face.

“It wasn’t a ploy,” she reassured, a placating smile on her face, “I just needed some sunlight.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, her fingers tapping against her knees, when Wednesday spoke, “Continue.”

Enid couldn’t help but find the humor in the statement, Wednesday’s eyes flickering to her own as she let out a small giggle. She sent a small smile her way, before stretching her arm out above her head.

She slipped her phone into her pocket with a content sigh, before turning to look at her macabre boss. Said boss was staring her down, an impassive look across her face, though one eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly when Enid’s gaze met her own.

“So what are you writing up there?” Enid hesitantly began, her hand slowly gesturing upwards. 

Wednesday stared back at her for a moment, her neutrality returning as Enid fidgeted in her seat, “Since when was conversing with me part of your schedule?”

Her fingers anxiously tapped against her legs, “Well, I’m socializing.”

“Socialize with somebody else.”

Enid locked eyes with the goth woman, her fingers wrapping around her thighs in a tight grasp. The two remained locked in a staring contest for a moment, before Enid took a deep breath and spoke up, “I want to socialize with you.”

Wednesday’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, irritation filling them. Enid pushed past the warning signs, “Wanna tell me more about your family?” Her glare only intensified, pushing Enid back in her chair, “What about any friends?” Another beat of silence passed, Wednesday’s neutral frown slowly transforming to a scowl. Enid’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke, “Maybe you could tell me what the deal was wi-”

“What is the purpose for your vagrancy?” Wednesday interrupted, her eyes containing a gleam Enid couldn’t quite pin. A surge of anxiety-filled anger flooded through her at the invasive question, her face flushing red and nails digging through her leggings.

The two remained locked in a dangerous silence for a few minutes, their eyes locked onto each other’s, unblinking. Slowly the anger dripped from Enid’s system, especially as Wednesday’s glare deepened. After a final beat, she sighed and flopped back in the seat, “I can’t transform.”

Her eye twitched as she gestured for the half-wolf to continue, “Well, I’m a werewolf and no one in my pack has failed to transform in a long time,” she trailed off, tears springing to her eyes at the memories of her mother’s messages, “So I was evicted until I manage to.”

Wednesday’s face didn’t betray any of the emotions she was feeling at the short story, the perfect picture of impassiveness with one exception, her eyes flickering between Enid’s own. After a few seconds, she spoke, “I have never heard of a werewolf failing to transform in the modern age. I had assumed it was impossible.”

Enid deflated in the cushions, her lips turning downwards in a frown as she struggled to hold back tears from spilling. Her voice came out in a small whisper as she spoke, “We did too.”

The only sign Wednesday had heard the sentence was her small nod, before she pulled her gaze away and stared out the window. Enid took the opportunity to wipe the tears from her eyes, sucking in a breath in a hope to calm herself. Slowly, she managed to reign in her emotions and relax yet again, pulling out her phone and browsing through various social medias as they sat in silence. Wednesday occasionally glanced towards her, but most of her time seemed to be devoted to staring out the window. Enid had tried a few more times to start a conversation, but had been promptly ignored by the goth woman, not even subjected to her glare. The only sounds filling the room were the rare vibration of her phone in her hands and the constant chirps of birds outside. Right when Enid herself was preparing to find somewhere else to loiter, the sunlight finally becoming too much against her skin, Wednesday stood from her own chair and hastily moved through the door on her left. She let her macabre boss vanish, deciding to wait another few minutes to ensure the woman had gotten wherever she wanted to go before following suit, stepping out of the room and back into the dreary world that was the mansion. She slipped through the living room before turning down the hallway and heading towards the kitchen, her stomach letting out a small rumble as the door swung shut behind her. 

The cold air from the fridge swirled around her, the low hum of what sounded like a washing machine echoing through the wall behind it. Her fingers ran along the various foods in the freezer, only stopping as they brushed over the slightly damp package of beef. She let the door fall shut as she scanned the rest of the kitchen for any other ingredients she could need, before pulling them all out and dumping them on the counter. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she opened up her Spotify and pressed play on her favourite playlist, yelling out the lyrics to her favourite songs as they began to echo around the room. She rolled the beef between her palms, flattening it into a burger, before letting it sizzle against the skillet. Enid sang along to each song as it played, singing which was soon met with over-exaggerated dancing, her feet twirling and clicking along the ground as she spun around the kitchen, a smile wide on her face as she belched out the lyrics to different songs. As the latest song came to an end, she did a wide spin, only freezing as she noticed Wednesday standing in the corner, a pained look on her face as she watched. Enid froze in place, her one foot lifted off the ground, the only sound in the room being the sizzling burger behind her. Her foot slowly fell back towards the ground as a new song picked up, its bright lyrics echoing around the kitchen only serving to accentuate the awkwardness perpetuating it. 

“Hey,” her voice was quiet, barely audible above the pop song, “Are burgers all right?” Wednesday gave her a small nod, before turning her glare to the shewolf’s phone, “Do you want me to shut it off?”

Wednesday didn’t acknowledge her, instead keeping her glare locked onto the cellphone. Enid stared for a second, before shrugging and turning to flip the burgers. It didn’t take long for her to start singing again, though this time she was sure to restrain her urge to dance around the room. Even as Wednesday’s glare dug into the back of her skull, Enid continued on, hoping that if she refused to acknowledge it then her boss wouldn’t act on it.

One of the calmer songs from the playlist filled the room, though calm for Enid still meant fairly high-energy pop, as she slid the burgers onto some buns, turning towards the goth woman with a smile and gesturing down towards them and the toppings she had laid out. Wednesday looked between them for a second, not moving from her spot in the corner, before walking towards the counter and grabbing the plain burger. Enid let out a small sigh before turning to prepare her own food, only to find Wednesday standing on the other side of the island when she turned around. She didn’t hesitate to bite into the burger, the savory juices flooding her mouth as Wednesday watched, her burger lying untouched on the plate in front of her. 

Her hand wiped away some of the juices dripping from her lip as she contemplated how to approach another conversation with the woman, though hopefully while avoiding diving into hard topics again. It only took a moment to recall what had worked previously, “Okay, so another work-related question,” Wednesday only gave a light nod in response, “Should I be prepared for anything with your family when they visit?”

Wednesday’s eyes narrowed as their staring match went on, her frown only deepening as her eyes latched onto Enid’s own, “They are overbearing and will likely want to ask you far too many questions.”

“Overbearing?” She offered, gesturing with the burger still in hand before taking another bite. Wednesday’s face went back to one of neutrality, leaving Enid to nod at her before turning towards the fridge and digging for something to drink.

“They are likely to smother you, the undesirable kind,” Enid jumped slightly when Wednesday answered from behind her, her eyes flickering back towards the goth woman before grabbing a random juice from the fridge and pouring it into a glass. 

“What exactly do you mean by that?” She didn’t move from the counter, still holding the carton in hand despite the full glass. After a few seconds of silence, she internally sighed, put the juice away, and spun back around to face the goth woman whose face had once again transformed into the epitome of impassivity, “Well, anything else I should know?”

Wednesday didn’t answer at first, instead staring at the drink gripped in her hand, “There is likely to be five guests, though if Fester finds himself on the run again that could change.”

“On the run?” Enid wasn’t shocked when she didn’t receive an answer, instead sipping at the drink and taking another bite of her own burger, “Do you d-”

Wednesday stood up, a dangerous glint in her eye, spitting out a quick, “Do not prepare me dinner,” before vanishing in a blink, the kitchen door swinging shut behind the macabre woman. Enid watched with a gaping jaw for a moment, before doing her best to flush out the disappointment that was flooding her, though it only worsened when she saw the untouched burger sitting atop the island. She immediately deflated, lips turning down as she took another bite. After a moment, she shut the music on her phone off and began dumping the dishes in the sink to soak, being sure to save the burger for leftovers later. Her feet dragged along the dark oak wood as she trudged back towards her bedroom, a downtrodden frown painting her face.

Chapter Text

Enid slowly stirred, her eyes fluttering open to the gentle creaks of the bed beneath her. The stillness of the early morning was punctuated by the rhythmic cadence of her breaths. The room was awash in a pale blue light, a ghostly hue that filtered through the window and cast delicate shadows across the walls. She rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep that clung to her mind like a thick, soupy mist. As she turned her head to the side, her gaze landed on the end table beside her bed. It was the same as it had been the day before, with a crumpled wad of cash sitting on its surface. Enid’s heart skipped a beat as she gazed at the money, a small shiver running down her spine that vanished as soon as it had appeared. She pocketed the cash with a resigned shrug, her thoughts already turning to the day ahead.

A throbbing ache seemed to consume her arm as she sat up. She stretched out, her muscles protesting against the movement. As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet hit the cold, creaky floorboards with a resounding thud, she rubbed the grittiness of sleep from her lashes. With a flick of her wrist, she opened a nearby drawer, revealing a vibrant skirt and matching sweater combo. The colours were a welcome contrast to the otherwise morbid mansion, and Enid couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She quickly dressed, her fingers fumbling with the buttons as she struggled to fully wake up.

As Enid padded into the kitchen, the biting chill of the tile seeped into her bare feet. The click of the door closing behind her was the only sound to interrupt the silence engulfing the room. Her gaze darted to the corner where Wednesday seemed to lurk only to find it empty. A small pang of disappointment stabbed at Enid’s chest, though it vanished with a quick head shake. 

Her feet shuffled along the cool tile towards the cabinets, her stomach growling impatiently. Her fingers drummed against the wooden doors as she rifled through their contents, searching for something to appease her hunger. The sound of clanking metal and rustling wrappers filled the air as she moved jars and boxes around, her eyes scanning the shelves for something simple to eat. The fridge hummed steadily, the only other sound in the room. She let out a groan of frustration as she came up empty-handed, her stomach letting out a mournful growl. She turned to the fridge, muttering under her breath, “Doesn’t she just have like, cereal or something?”

The lively notes of a pop song erupted from Enid’s phone and filled the kitchen. Lazily wandering over the contents of the fridge, Enid’s eyes landed on a carton of eggs. Her fingers grazed the frigid plastic, savouring the chill as she plucked out several eggs. The gentle thuds of the shells against the bowl resonated throughout the room as she deftly cracked them open. She added a dash of vanilla extract and sugar, stirring the mixture vigorously as she slowly poured in splashes of milk. The mixture gradually transformed into a creamy consistency, and she began plunging slices of bread into it before dropping them onto a hot skillet. The sizzling sound filled the air as the intoxicating aroma of vanilla and sugar permeated the room.

Enid hummed along to the melodies coming from her phone, her voice a pleasant accompaniment to the sizzling French toast on the skillet. With each flip of the bread a fragrant butter smell rose up, filling the kitchen with a tantalizing scent. She couldn’t help but steal a quick glance towards the empty corner of the room, where the light cast eerie shadows against the walls. As the scent of freshly cooked French toast cooked the room, she deftly cleaned up her cooking supplies, taking care to leave the kitchen spotless aside from the soaking dishes in the sink. She quickly moved out of the kitchen and up the stairs, taking care not to spill the fresh meal on the way.

Enid’s knuckles rapped sharply against the wooden door, the sound echoing through the dimly lit room. The plate in her hand was slowly cooling, and she felt a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach as she waited for a response. Finally, she heard Wednesday’s voice from inside the room, low and commanding, “Enter.”

Pushing the door open, Enid stepped into the gloomy chamber and found herself face-to-face with Wednesday Addams. The gothic woman stood in the center of the room, her piercing gaze fixed on the plate in Enid’s hand. As she approached, a cloud of dust swirled around Wednesday. She hesitated a moment, then extended the plate towards her employer who accepted it with a delicate grace. Wednesday’s eyes flickered briefly to meet Enid’s before settling back on the dish, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease as she watched Wednesday’s gaze linger on the food. 

Her heart sank as she watched the steam rising from the plate fade away by the second in Wednesday’s hand. She shifted nervously, waiting for her to speak, to move, to do anything. The only sound to break up the eerie silence being the downpour just outside. Finally, Wednesday’s gaze returned to her, their eyes locked in a tense silence. The chilled air in the room felt heavy, and Enid could feel a trickle of sweat sliding down her temple. Suddenly, Wednesday spoke, her words cutting through the quiet like a sharpened blade, “I detest sugary sweets.”

Enid froze for a moment, her eyes locked onto the plate in her macabre boss’s hand. Slowly, she trailed up to meet her stare. Her mouth flapped embarrassingly for a second, a light flush crawling up her neck. “I-I’m sor-” she began stuttering out.

“Don’t,” Wednesday interrupted, her voice sending a deep chill down Enid’s spine. Its frigid tendrils crept through her bones, her hands trembling at her sides. Enid’s heart sank as she faced Wednesday’s icy glare. The room felt suffocatingly quiet, with only the sound of their breathing filling the air. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead as Wednesday’s words sliced through her, “You are an abysmal being, an amalgamation of everything I despise.”

Enid’s throat went dry as Wednesday’s eyes bored into hers, flashing with an emotion she couldn’t decipher. “The drivel you call music makes me want to tear apart my eardrums piece by piece,” Wednesday continued, her voice the epitome of calm despite the chilling glare in her eyes.

Tears pricked at the corners of Enid’s eyes as Wednesday’s words hit their mark. “You are an incompetent, bumbling fool,” Wednesday went on, her voice sounding eerily like her mother in that moment, “If it weren’t for Thing’s persistence, I would have already locked you on the rack and been done with you,” Wednesday finished, her voice low and dangerous. Enid could feel the threat in her words, quickly backing out of the room with a mumbled apology. 

Enid’s heart pounded in her chest as she raced down the stairs, the sound of her hurried footsteps echoing in the otherwise silent room. Her vision blurred with unshed tears as she neared the bottom, and she stumbled slightly, her hand grasping at the banister to steady herself. The scent of her French toast wafted from the kitchen, but Enid ignored it, too consumed by her emotional turmoil to even contemplate eating. She made her way into the alcove, her steps slow and heavy, until she reached the sanctuary of her bedroom.

Collapsing onto the bed, Enid buried her face in the soft comforter, muffling the sounds of her sobs. Wednesday’s voice echoed with that of her mother in her head, words of degradation and contempt haunting her being. Tears streamed down her cheeks, leaving hot trails in their wake, and she rubbed furiously at them with the back of her hand. She blindly fumbled with her phone, her fingers shaking as she struggled to unlock it. After several attempts, the screen lit up with a burst of bright light, allowing her to quickly navigate to Yoko’s number.

Enid sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes swollen from crying. Her arms wrapped around herself as she waited for the phone to finish ringing. She anxiously tapped her arm along the soft comforter, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she shouldn’t bother Yoko this early in the morning, but she needed someone to listen, someone to understand, someone who she wouldn’t need to explain the whole situation to.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Yoko picked up the phone with a yawn. Enid could hear the exhaustion in her voice, guilt flooding her system, “What it is Wolfie?”

As soon as Enid heard the sound of Yoko’s voice on the other end of the phone, her heart lurched in her chest as she struggled to hold back tears. She felt so alone, so helpless. “I-I’m sorry Yoks…” she managed to gasp out between sobs.

Immediately, Yoko’s voice went from tired to urgent, her words coming out in rapid succession. Concern laced her tone as she responded, “No no no no, Enid, it’s okay. What’s wrong?”

Enid drew in a shuddering breath, her hands shaking as she clutched the phone to her ear. She could feel the weight of Wednesday’s words heavy on her chest, suffocating her with their cruel truth. How could someone she barely knew cut her so deeply? She could feel the sting of tears in her eyes, blurring her vision.

“It’s just Wednesday. She… she snapped…” Enid’s voice wavered as she spoke, her words barely audible above the sound of her own ragged breathing. 

Yoko’s voice crackled over the line, laced with concern and anger, “Did she hurt you? I’ll fucking kill her.”

Enid shook her head, even if Yoko couldn’t see it, and wiped away the fresh tears on her cheeks, “Not the way you’re thinking. I know it’s dumb, but she just said a lot of stuff and it…” she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence as her emotions threatened to consume her. 

The call was silent for a moment, the only sound coming from Enid’s muffled sobs. Yoko’s voice was soft when she spoke again, “It reminded you of her?”

Enid’s throat felt like it was closing up, as if a fist hand clenched around it and refused to let go. She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down, but it was like trying to breathe underwater. Her voice was barely a whisper as she managed to choke out, “Mhm.” Even that simple sound felt like it took all the strength she had left. She could feel the tears still streaming down her face, the salt of them stinging her raw skin.

The air around her felt heavy, as if it were trapping her within its own weight. She could hear the sound of her own ragged breathing, loud and harsh in her ears. Enid closed her eyes, trying to block out the world around her, only to be met with her own mother screaming those exact same words at her. She could feel the soft fabric of her skirt against her legs, the warmth of her phone against her head. She could smell the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, and the underlying tang of her own distress. It was overwhelming, the sheer intensity of her emotions. An intensity she hadn’t felt since her first week on the streets.

Enid’s body trembled as she fell onto the bed, the mattress creaking under the weight of her shaking form. Her phone fell from her hand, landing against the comforter with a small thud. The walls of the room felt like they were closing in on her, every inch of the space suffocating her. She clawed at her chest, her breaths coming out in short, sharp gasps that did little to ease the tightness. It felt like she was drowning in her own emotions. Her hair was a tangled mess, the strands sticking to her face in damp clumps as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out everything around her. She could still hear Wednesday’s voice ringing in her ears, the cruel words blending with her mother’s and echoing like a never-ending taunt.

She tried to take a deep breath, to steady herself and focus on her surroundings, but her mind refused to cooperate. It was like she was stuck in a nightmare, reliving the moment over and over again. The room was spinning around her, the walls a blur of colours and shapes that made her feel dizzy. She tried to hold on, to find something to anchor herself to, only to find there was nothing but the empty air around her. She could feel herself losing control, the fear and pain merging into a single, overwhelming force that threatened to break her apart. 

Her mind felt like it was spiraling, locked in a deep fog and unable to comprehend the sensations flooding her body. The world around her felt like a twisted, distorted version of reality. As she tried to focus on the present moment, she felt a strange sensation brush against her leg, jolting her into a state of terror. Her body began to shake violently, her hands clenched into fists. 

The comforter beneath her rustled and shifted, the sound echoing loudly in her ears. Her hair stuck to her forehead in damp clumps, the sweat beading on her skin as her breathing grew more laboured. After what felt like an eternity, she felt something warm and unfamiliar press against her cheek. Her fingers twitched with the urge to push it away, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. The unfamiliar sensation taunted her, the strange sounds it emitted sending shivers down her spine. It felt like she was losing her grip on reality. The fog of her mind was thick, like a heavy blanket smothering her thoughts and senses.

Suddenly, amidst the chaos and confusion, she heard a faint sound, like a whisper in the wind. At first, she didn’t know if it was real or just a figment of her imagination, but then it came again, a little louder. The sound seemed to slice through the fog, clearing a small passage into the world around her. As the fog began to dissipate, she tried to hold on to it, to keep it from slipping away and exposing her to the harsh reality of the world, but another whisper came. Then another, each one bringing the world to a grinding halt and the fog slowly fading away. It was like a soft, familiar melody chiming in her ears, the sound becoming clearer with each passing moment. 

Yoko. It was Yoko’s voice, soft and gentle, calling out her name and trying to reach her through the fog of fear that had engulfed her. The sound was like a lifeline, pulling her out of the darkness and back into the light. With each word, the fog lifted a little more, until Enid could finally see the world around her, and felt the comforting presence of Yoko through the phone. 

“Enid,” Yoko whispered through the phone, “Breathe honey.”

Her heart raced as she obeyed, her fingers tangled within each other in a firm grip against her chest as she took a shaky breath in. She repeated it, and slowly but surely, her chest began to loosen, her heartbeat gradually slowing down to a more manageable pace. 

As Yoko continued to talk, Enid felt her muscles relax. The tightness in her shoulders and neck ebbed away, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion. She reached up to grab the phone that was balanced against her ear, only to be met with another hand holding it there. With a quick shriek, she jumped back, the phone clattering against the bedspread. Thing quickly followed suit, flopping beside the device in a heap. She stared at it for a moment, before bursting out in a giggle. 

Enid let out a long, shuddering sigh as the last remnants of tension dissipated from her body. Her muscles, once wound tight as a spring, now felt loose and pliant. She leaned back against the headboard, the cool wood pressing against her spine, and closed her eyes for a moment. 

With a small, wry smile, Enid reached up to brush away the tear stains that marred her cheeks. The skin felt rough under her fingertips. She looked back up at Thing, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She sent him a small smile and mouthed a “Thank you.” With a deep breath, she lifted the phone back up to her ear, settling back into her pillows. 

“Hey Yoks,” She breathed out, her throat raw.

Yoko’s voice was soft and gentle on the other side of the line. “You good now Nid?” Enid could feel the warmth of her concern radiating through the phone. She responded with a short affirmative before thanking her and hanging up the call. 

Enid’s hand, with the phone still gripped tightly in it, fell against the mattress with a small thud as she snuggled deeper into the blankets. She took a deep breath, inhaling the faint scent of lavender that clung to the blankets, before closing her eyes and sinking further into the softness of the bed. 

As she settled in, Enid’s gaze flickered over to the end of the bed, where Thing stood motionless, a silent observer to her every move. She gestured towards him, a silent invitation for him to join her. After a moment of hesitation, he began to shuffle over to her side of the bed, his tiny form quickly scurrying across the bedspread. 

She smiled, feeling a warm sense of companionship in Thing’s presence. He was a strange creature, yet his presence brought her a form of comfort in her time living with Wednesday. The room was quiet, save for the soft rustle of the sheets and the sound of Enid’s breathing. 

Enid’s gaze flickered to Thing’s movements as he settled in on the bed, her mind still reeling for what just happened. In a small voice, she whispered out, “Are you really the only reason I’m alive?”

For a few moments, there was only silence. Enid waited, her heart pounding in her chest, wondering if Thing had heard. Finally, he responded; Tap.

Her heart felt like it was in her throat, the resounding tap echoing in her mind. She looked down at the marred hand, feeling a revitalized sense of panic rising in her chest. “Should I leave?” she whispered, the words barely escaping her lips.

Tap. Tap.

She slowly nodded, her eyes flickering to the door in fear, before slowly returning back to Thing. The room was quiet again, the only sounds were the soft rustling of the sheets as Enid settled back into the bed, and the rain splattering against the window. The faint light filtering in from the window grew dimmer, casting a cool glow across the room. She could feel her eyes growing heavy, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to her. Yet just as she was about to drift off, her stomach let out a loud growl. She groaned, a flush of embarrassment climbing her cheeks, but Thing simply hopped off the bed and scurried out of the room.

Enid lay in bed, her mind drifting in the soft sounds of rain tapping against the windowpane. She breathed in the cool, damp air and exhaled slowly, trying to let the weight of the day melt away. After a moment, she sat up, her muscles aching. She rose from the bed, her movements slow and unsteady as she made her way out of the room and to the kitchen. As the door creaked open, she was greeted by the warm, cozy scent of cooking vegetables and the gentle hiss of steam from the stove. 

Enid couldn’t help but stare as Thing’s sharp blade sliced through the vegetables with precision, the knife hitting the cutting board in rhythmic thuds. As the scent of vegetables filled her nose, she realized just how hungry she actually was. Suddenly, Thing dumped the colourful chunks into the hot pan, the sizzle and pop of the food made her stomach growl. As Thing stirred the food around, its smell only intensified. 

Enid felt a twinge of guilt as she watched Thing, feeling like she was skirting her duties. She couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy as she looked at the perfectly chopped vegetables, wondering if perhaps the reason Wednesday snapped was that Enid wasn’t as good as Thing was.

“Isn’t this my job?” Enid asked hesitantly, though everything in her prayed that Thing would say no, even if just for the day. 

Said hand turned to face her, a potato bouncing between his fingers. He paused for a moment, before tapping once on the countertop. Enid slouched slightly, her eyes drooping as she let out a small sigh. Then, to her surprise, Thing tapped twice. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with confusion. For a moment, they stood frozen in time, before he turned back to the pan.

Enid took a seat at the island, her gaze fixed on the hand as it moved with practiced ease across the countertop. The enticing aroma of the meal wafted over to her, and her stomach grumbled in anticipation. Yet despite the delicious scent, she couldn’t quite tell what was being prepared. The dish was foreign to her, but still, she was certain it was going to be amazing. 

As the hand finished the meal, he spun around to face her. She couldn’t help but watch in awe as it set the plate down in front of her with a gentle clatter. Steam rose from it, revealing a colourful array of exotic spices and herbs. The smell was almost intoxicating, and Enid’s mouth watered at the sight. 

She looked up at him, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, “Thank you.”

Enid’s eyes followed Thing as he left the room, the disembodied hand carefully balancing a second plate. The door clicked shut, leaving her alone in the spacious kitchen. She leaned forward, her nose twitching as the aroma of the food filled her nostrils. The warm, rich scent of herbs and spices mingled with the smell of freshly baked bread, making her mouth water in anticipation. 

As she dug into the meal, she savoured the explosion of flavours in her mouth. The tender meat melted on her tongue, its rich taste lingering long after she swallowed. The creamy, buttery mashed potatoes were the perfect complement, their smooth texture a soothing contrast to the crispy crunch of the roasted vegetables. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the taste of the food. 

Halfway through the meal, Enid opened up her phone and started browsing through Instagram. She scrolled through countless photos of her friends' lives, an unwanted twinge of envy at the sight. 

Enid’s fork scraped against the bottom of the plate as she shoveled in the last few bites of the sumptuous meal. She closed her eyes, letting out a soft moan as the flavours danced along her tongue, leaving a warm, satisfying aftertaste. Finally, she pushed the plate away and leaned forward against the island. 

With a sigh, she slipped her phone into her pocket, wincing slightly as she noticed the battery level drop to nineteen percent. She stood up from her seat, feeling her legs wobble slightly under her weight. She made her way to the sink, carefully placing the plate down with a soft clink. Her footsteps echoed softly off the floor as she shuffled towards her bedroom. 

As she pushed through the door, Enid collapsed onto the soft bed, exhaustion immediately flooding through her. Her eyes drifted closed, and her body relaxed into the comfortable mattress. The temptation of sleep was too much to resist as she shifted under the covers, feeling the soft fabric of the sheets brushing against her skin. She let out a long breath, her body falling tense before gradually relaxing as she allowed herself to be consumed by the sweet pull of sleep.