Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You collapse in your bed, sighing. Today’s classes were exhausting. Between Home Feakenomics and Mad Science honors, you almost went insane. You put in your earbuds and melted into the solace Bauhaus offered you. Your favorite band at the moment. Of course, your escape is short-lived, as most things are, when your door swings open and your good friend Enid walks in. She starts ranting before you can even take out your earbud.

“Woah, back it up Enid. I was listening to music.” You wave the earbud around. Her face scrunches up.

She plops down beside you. “Guess what!?” You hum. “I know gossip is— as you say— beneath you, so you get to hear it from me! I’m getting a new roommate! Isn’t this great?” You smile.

“That is great. Maybe now you won’t crash all of my alone time.” She groans.

“C’mon! We only have one class together this year, I didn’t even see you today! You’re like my best friend! If i didn’t crash your alone time I’d miss you too much!”

“You’ll see me at dinner, I promise. Now give me thirty more minutes of music time and then I swear I’ll meet you at your dorm.”

“No, don’t, I think my roommate will be here by then anyways. I’ll see you at dinner though! No escaping this!” She points her finger at you accusingly. “I’ll tell Yoko to make sure you don’t run.” You raise your hands in surrender as she stands from your bed and makes her way to your door.

“I promised, didn't I? Vampires can’t break promises.” She squints at you, but doesn’t say anything else before leaving. You put your earbud back in and fall onto your back again as the music fills your head.

—

Right before dinner rolls around, you make your way down to the quad to find Yoko, your roommate. You spot Enid and who you presume to be her new roommate immediately as they walk into the quad directly across from your table with the other vamps. You approach them a moment later, once they’ve made their way behind your table.

The two are quite a contrast standing beside each other. Where Enid is bright and colorful, the girl beside her is devoid of anything other than black, grey, and white. You find it intriguing, though, and start to wonder if this is what it looks like when you and Enid stand next to each other through everyone else’s eyes. Though, at least you usually have a hint of red.

“Y/N! You actually came!” Your blonde friend exclaims. “This is my new roommate, Wednesday! Wednesday, this is my best friend, Y/N! I bet you two will be fast friends!” You reach out your hand to the girl with pig tails. She eyes your hand before taking it warily.

“Nice to meet you. Hope Enid hasn’t blabbed your ear off too much.” You laugh slightly. She scowls.

“Unfortunately I still have my ears.” You nod.

“Don’t worry, the music she plays will have them falling off in no time.”

“Hey! Don’t bully me in front of me!” She pouts.

“All in good fun, Enid. You know I don’t mean it.”

“Enid!” Ajax shouts, running over, he nods in acknowledgement to you which you return. “You’re not gonna believe the dirt I heard about your new roommate. She eats human flesh. Totally chowed down on that kid she murdered. You better watch your back.” Enid steps back, revealing Wednesday to him.

“Quite the contrary. I actually fillet the bodies of my victims then feed them to my menagerie of pets.” You frown.

“What a disappointment, I would’ve loved sharing some flesh recipes with you.” You flash your fangs at Ajax, who shudders.

“Leave him alone N/N. Ajax, this is my new roommate, Wednesday.” He looks the new girl up and down and gasps.

“Woah. You’re in black and white… Like a living instagram filter!”

“Ignore him, Gorgons spend way too much time getting stoned.” You hum.

“Oh, but don’t we all? I’ll see you both at dinner.” You wink and take your leave.

—

The next day, you attend the fencing club– much to your dismay. You hate fencing. You used to be great at it, but now not so much. Now, all you have is your speed to give you an edge. Your current partner is your good friend, Xavier Thorpe.

Xavier and you are childhood friends, both of you were enrolled in Nevermore when you were eight. The earliest admissions in your class. Nevermore has a wide range of grades, going as early as pre-school, however, kids are rarely enrolled earlier than thirteen nowadays. It helped you and Xaver have a lot in common, too. You share a love for music, and both of you are artists too, but you sculpt, and he paints.

In other words, you were very close, which is what made losing this round even worse. The taunting would be brutal. Thankfully though, just as you are about to lose, Wednesday walks in and the whole room stops to look. She walks across the floor, and then stops in between you and Bianca Barclay, who was fencing Rowan.

“Ugh!” Rowan falls to the floor. “Coach, Coach, she tripped me!”

“It was a clean strike, Rowan.” As much as you hate to agree, you didn’t see Bianca pull anything unfair. She was just way better than him. You remove your mask and go to help the boy up.

“Maybe if you wined less and practiced more, you wouldn’t suck. Seriously Coach, when am I going to get some real competition?” You rolled your eyes at the siren’s egotistical rant.

“Are you okay?” He nods. You give him your arm and he hoists himself up.

“Anyone else want to challenge me?”

“I do.” You snap your neck around to see Wednesday stepping forward. This was going to be interesting.

—

Five minutes later, Bianca draws first blood.

“Your face finally got that splash of color it so desperately needed.” She boasts. You grab Wednesday’s forearm and drag her away.

 

“C’mon, let's get that patched up.” You gesture for Rowan to follow behind you. Wednesday shimmies out of your hold almost immediately, but you pay no mind, hearing her footsteps still one step behind your own. You drop the two off at the infirmary, giving them each a small nod goodbye before running to your dorm to shower and get ready before your next class. Of course, you did care about making sure they got their injuries taken care of, but it may have mostly been an excuse to leave club early so you could get started on your makeup quicker.

—

Later at lunch, Enid sits beside you with an exasperated screech.

“I cannot with Wednesday! She is so selfish! All she ever does is type on that stupid typewriter and judge!” You furrow your brows.

“What happened? You were so excited to get a roommate.”

“I know! But she’s a nightmare!” She cries before recounting the events of the night before. The two of them got into a fight after Wednesday removed all the color from her side of the room and split it with black tape.

“Not to play devil's advocate, Enid, but if I were her I probably would’ve done the same. She’s got a completely different style than you, why should she give up more than half of the room?”

“Okay sure! But what about what she said about my blog! That was totally uncalled for and 100% mean!”

“Yes, that was mean. But she is right, you do kind of go overboard with your exclamation points.” She huffs.

“I thought you were my best friend! Why are you taking her side?”

“I am your best friend. But maybe Wednesday is hurt that you wrote that article on her. Did you even ask her beforehand?”

“She doesn’t feel.”

“Everyone feels. Some are just better at hiding it.” She purses her lips. “You should apologize. And maybe invest in some headphones?”

“No, none of this matters anyways. She’s leaving tonight.” You furrow your brows.

“She is?” Enid nods.

“Yup! Some normie boy is taking her to the train station or something like that.”

“Hm. Smart.” You bump Enid’s shoulder with yours. “Will you win me something at the carnival tonight?” She frowns.

“You’re not going?”

“I’d prefer to keep my sanity, so no. I don’t mix well with children and their joy. Always leaves me parched.” You frown, rubbing your throat that was suddenly feeling dry.

“You can be so creepy.” You shrug.

“It’s a gift.” You flash your fangs at her with a grin.

—

Later that night, Yoko burst into your room with the news of Rowan’s death. You ran to Principal Weems’ office, but stop outside when you hear her lecturing someone. Wednesday. You decide to wait on the stairs instead. You only have to be patient for five minutes before the black and white girl passes you.

“Is is true?” She stops and turns around. “Is Rowan really…” You can’t bring yourself to say it.

“Yes.” Is her only response before she leaves. You break down in silent tears after that. A good friend of yours is dead, and you didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.

Chapter Text

The only downside to being undead is the lack of sleep you really do get. You never were alive, but you wish you could experience dreaming. You always wondered what it was truly like. Which is why you spend so much time laying on your bed with your eyes closed, hoping that maybe you’ll get lucky enough to catch a glimpse one of these days. So far, no luck.

Tonight was one that you could really use a dream, so you tried even harder. Yoko and Wednesday’s words echoed loudly in your head causing guilt over the past year to overwhelm you.

You and Xavier were the ones to uncover the secret Nightshades library when you were twelve, and Bianca was the one to reform the Nightshades two years later— and almost two years ago now— in the height of her and Xavier’s relationship. Rowan was the third person invited, right after you and Xavier.

You were far closer back then, of course. But something shifted in him a year ago, his telekinesis powers were driving him insane, in turn he became frantic and sloppy. His grades, class rankings, and relationships all slipped. He pushed everyone out, including you and even Xavier who’s been his roommate since Rowan enrolled in Nevermore.

You regret not reaching out more, wondering if you could’ve helped him. Though, hindsight is always 2020, isn’t it?

—

The next day, you get up as usual at six and get ready. Yoko woke up an hour later, immediately going on her phone and gasping.

“Y/N, according to Ajax who heard from Kent who heard from Davina who heard from Bianca— Rowan’s fine!” You whip your head towards her and gape.

“What? Let me see that?” You grab her phone out of her hands. ‘guys. wednesday totally lied abt the attacj. i saw rowan packing his stuff this morning.’ You furrow your brows. “That cannot be real..” You throw her phone back to her and leave the room, marching downstairs to Xavier and Rowan’s room. Sure enough, the door is wide open and Rowan is carrying a box out of it. “Rowan?” He stops in his tracks and smiles.

“Hey Y/N.” You frown. No. Something is off about him and his demeanor.

“Hey… What are you doing?” He clears his throat.

“I’ve been expelled. I’m going home.”

“What? Why?” As he’s about to respond, Mrs. Thornhill walks into the hall. You don’t tear your eyes away from Rowan’s, though.

“Ms. L/N! What are you doing down here?”

“I just… wanted to see if the rumors were true.”

“Rowan has a busy morning, run along now. Let him get back to packing.” You nod slowly, and then head towards the staircase as confused as ever. You know one thing though, that was not Rowan, and you needed to find Wednesday as soon as possible.

—

As soon as possible was an hour later in the hall. Thankfully, other than the two of you, it was empty.

“Wednesday!” You shout, running up to her. “I need to know what happened last night.” Her eyes ever so slightly squint.

“Why? Don’t believe me either?” You shake your head.

“Quite the contrary. I just saw Rowan and he was different. Really different.” This piques her interest.

“How so?”

“Honestly, I don’t know how to describe it. But there was something off about him.” She nods once.

“He used his telekinesis to pin me against a tree and tried to kill me over some drawing. And then some sort of monster tackled him and tore him apart in front of me.” You grab your stomach, nausea creeping in. “I yelled for help and Bianca Barclay went to get some but then I passed out. Now Weems and Sheriff Galpin want me to believe that there is no body and I am just crazy. But I know I know what I saw.”

“I believe you. But who would cover something like this up?”

“That I’m not sure of. But I’ll find out sooner than later.” You nod.

“Let me know if I can do anything to help.” She nods curtly before walking away.

—

“Ladies, c’mon! Sharpen those teeth!” Enid exclaims. You, her, and Yoko have been working on decorating your boat for the Poe cup for the past hour. You spent your first morning class coming up with the designs for it. “I think we need more scowl, N/N. This kitty is taking no prisoners. If Bianca Barclay wins again this year I will literally claw my eyes out!”

“I would pay money to see that.” You look behind your friend to see Wednesday. You’re not entirely sure how she keeps just appearing like that. Enid grins and jumps over to her.
“Howdy Roomie!” She leans in. “I’m so glad you decided to stay.”

“I thought you wanted your single room back.”

“Full disclosure, I don’t like living alone and Thing gives a killer neck massage.” She grins. She had been talking about Wednesday’s familial hand’s neck massage all morning. “It’s a win win. So, why the change of heart?”

“I refuse to play pawn in someone else’s corrupt game.”

“You mean Rowan?” Enid asks, a hint of skepticism in her tone.

“I witnessed his murder, Enid.” The raven haired girl insists.

“It’s just– we all saw him this morning. Very much, like, not dead.” At that, you decide to butt in.

“And very much not like himself. I’m with Wednesday, something is fishy there.” You wipe your paintbrush off and put it behind your ear.

“Oh come on you guys! He was fine!”

“I know. Which leads me to believe I’m losing my mind. It’s not nearly as fun as I had anticipated.” She frowns slightly. “You’re Nevermore’s gossip queen, what was Rowan’s story?” Enid winces.

“I don’t know much about him, honestly. Y/N? You two used to be close.” You nod.

“He was a nice guy. Got here when he was thirteen, inherited his telekinesis from his Mom, roomed with Xavier… He changed a lot last year. We think it had something to do with his powers. His Mom pressured him a lot to be able to control them.” You frown. “He was obsessed with this one vision his Mom had. I think he had a drawing of it somewhere.” She nods.

“I’m familiar with it.” You furrow your brows.

“Don’t tell me that’s the drawing he confronted you about.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

“Yoko! Flare those whiskers! The Poe Cup droops for no one!” Enid remands.

“What is the poe cup anyway?”

“Only my entire reason for living right now! Part canoe race, part foot chase, no rules. Each dorm has to pick an Edgar Allen Poe short story for inspiration. Y/N chose The Black Cat for us this year. You could grab a brush! Mrs. Thornhill just ordered pizza. Wanna take a stab at being social?”

“I do like stabbing. The social part, not so much. Besides, it’ll cut into my writing time.”

“No worries, just as long as your lakeside cheering us to victory on race day!” The blonde scrunches her face up. “Or you could just glare uncomfortably. That works too.”

“We’ll see. Have… fun.”

“You too! Bye Roomie!” Enid waves enthusiastically. You wave too, but only once before getting back to painting.

—

Botanical Sciences was one of the few classes you actually liked. Mostly because you got to sit alone, and tended to sketch the entire class. Today you got there just in time, finding Wednesday at your table. You frown slightly but sit down beside her.

“Was this the only open seat?” You glance around. Sure enough, it is. “Pity. I liked sitting solo.”

“I’m surprised. You have so many friends.”

“Exactly. I rarely get a moment of solitude.” You remove your earbuds and place them in their case. Though you haven’t been listening to music for a bit now, the feeling of them brings you enough comfort.

“Were you serious earlier?”

“When?”

“When you said that you would help.” You nod.

“Of course. What can I do?”

“I sent Thing, my right hand, to follow Rowan to the train station. He came back empty handed, though.” You frown.

“He didn’t find anything?”

“No. In fact, he lost Rowan in the bathroom. I’m planning on going back to the scene tonight. I could use some backup.”

“Yeah, whatever you need.”

“Good. Meet me at the gate at six. Do not be late.” You nod.

“Wednesday!” You turn your attention to the front of the class, where Mrs. Thornhill is walking around her desk. “We’re thrilled to have you join us on our journey into the world of carnivorous plants. Now, who can tell us the name of this beauty?” She gestures to the plant behind her, but before she can even breathe, Wednesday is responding.

“Dendrophylax Lendenii.”

“Otherwise known,” Bianca interjects, offended as ever. “As the ghost orchid.”

“First discovered on the isle of Wight in 1854.” Wednesday adds on.

“Very good Wednesday! Looks like you might have competition for first chair, Bianca. Wednesday, perhaps you can identify the ghost orchid’s greatest qualities?”

“Resilience and adaptability. It’s able to thrive in even the most hostile environments.”

“But its mere presence can change the ecosystem, causing the established plants to reject it.” Bianca shoots back.

“Usually because the native species is allowed to thrive unchecked. Nothing a weedwacker couldn’t fix.”

“You could certainly try.”

“Are we still talking about flowers?” Xavier chimes in from the desk to your right. The whole class laughs, even you let out a small snicker.

“Thank you ladies, for those illuminating insights. Clearly the plants aren’t the only carnivores in class today.” Thornhill says before going on with the lesson.

—

You arrived at the Nevermore gates a few minutes early, but Wednesday is already there, impatiently waiting.

“Finally. Come on, let’s go.” She turned and started walking away. You furrow your brows.

“I’m ten minutes early!”

“Which is ten minutes late. Pick up your pace.” You jog a bit to catch up to her.

“So what exactly is it that we’re doing?”

“Looking for clues. Keep up.”

“And we’re going to walk all the way there?”

“I don’t have any other means of transportation, do you?” You flush. Technically speaking, you do have a car, but it’s currently in the shop. You let your brother borrow it over Fall break and he wrecked it.

“Thanks to Marvin, no.” You mutter.

“Who’s Marvin?”

“My brother. He crashed my car over break.” Wednesday tsks.

“That would’ve been useful. Brothers.” She shakes her head. “Its only half a mile. We’re already close.”

“Do you have any siblings?” She side-eyes you.

“Why are you asking?” You raise your arms in surrender.

“Just making small talk.”

“I also have a brother. Not that it’s any of your business.” You hum, trying to imagine a boy version of Wednesday. The thought makes you giggle.

“Is he younger? Mine is older, you wouldn’t know it, though. He’s got the mind of an eight year old. Not literally— he’s just really immature.”

“Yet you let him use your car.” You frown. Yeah, and you’d regretted it within thirty minutes of him leaving when he called you.

“I know. Dumb decision on my part.” She stops suddenly.

“We’re here.” A jolt behind you causes you both to turn around, but you're grabbed by the wrist in the other direction, and pulled behind a tree. You look at your assailant to find the barista from the Weathervane. You can’t remember his name, but you know who he is immediately. He’s a part of the group that destroyed Xavier’s mural a year ago. He makes a shushing gesture. You glance around and sure enough, there’s a search team barely 100 feet from you complete with a do.

“Sorry. I didn’t want Elvis to pick up on your scent.” The boy says once the coast is clear.
“Thanks. How’d you throw them off?” Wednesday asks, at least one of you knows him. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bag of coffee. “Coffee grounds?”

“Deer hunting hack. One of the perks of being a part time barista.” He dryly jokes.

“I assume your father didn’t bring out the bloodhound to play fetch.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t tell me shit.” He glances at you finally. “Tyler.” He offers his hand. “Tyler Galpin.” That’s when it clicks that he’s the sheriff’s son.

“Y/N L/N.” You say, shaking his hand.

“You guys must think it’s weird I’m stalking him.”

“No. I consistently stalk my parents.”

“It is a little weird.” You comment. Wednesday just looks at you before walking away. You and Tyler both follow. You glue your eyes to the ground around you, glancing everywhere for anything Rowan could have left behind.

“Hey, what really happened last night at the festival? I swear I won’t say anything to my dad.” Wednesday stops and turns to look at him.

“I thought Rowan was in danger. Turns out I was wrong. Then he proceeded to use his telekinesis to try and choke me to death.” The normie pales.

“Holy shit… why would he do that?”

“No idea. That’s when this monster came out of the shadows and gutted him.”

“Whoa… Whoa… so you really saw it? And it didn’t try to kill you?” Good point, you hadn’t thought about that. Why didn’t the monster try to kill Wednesday? Why just Rowan?

“It actually saved me from Rowan. That’s the part I’m trying to figure out. I came here to prove that he really was murdered and that I haven’t lost my mind. Yet.”

“Wait, guys.” You call, bending down to get a better look at something on the ground. Rowan’s glasses. Your stomach churns. “These are his.” They come up behind you, Wednesday rushes to your side.

“I knew it was a cover-up.” She says, grabbing them. As her fingers make contact with the glasses, though, her head jerks back and she falls backwards. You narrowly catch her.

“Wednesday!?” You exclaim. She recovers quickly but her breath is sped up.

“Fine. We need to get back to Nevermore now.”

—

Once you and Wednesday are back at the school, you follow her into the library where she explains the vision she had and what to look for. You knew exactly what book it was almost immediately. She described the last book Rowan had taken out of the Nightshades library almost exactly. But you didn’t say anything, how could you? You were sworn to secrecy just like the rest of the Nightshades. And there was even more pressure on you than most of them since you were one of the first members. There was no way you could spill now. Besides, maybe there was a book in the regular library that had answers in it.

You grab a purple book off the shelf and show it to the girl but she shakes her head.

“No. The cover was darker. More like a day-old contusion. Keep looking.” You put the book back on the shelf and continue looking. Thing, Wednesday’s literal right hand, climbed up to the shelves you couldn’t reach to search.

“I don’t usually find students in here looking for actual books.” You glance up to the stairs where Mrs. Thornhill is walking down. “Most sneak in to makeout.” You hold yourself back from making a joke.

“I once walked in on two vampires fanging. I will never unsee that.”

“Ah, vampire love. A beautiful thing.” You say sarcastically. Mrs. Thornhill breathes out a laugh.

“Is there something I can help you two find?” Wednesday holds out a sheet of paper that she scribbled the Nightshades logo on.

“Have you seen this before? It’s a watermark from the book I’m looking for.”

“Hm. I think that’s the symbol of an old student society.. The Nightshades, I believe.” Your breath slightly hitches, and unfortunately for you, Wednesday notices.

“Color me intrigued.”

“I was told they disbanded years ago.”

“Any idea why?” Mrs. Thornhill sighs and shakes her head.

“Sorry.” Wednesday quirks an eyebrow slightly but turns to the table beside her and slips the paper into her bag. “I wish both of you luck. If you need anything I’ll be over there.” She points to the far corner of the library and smiles before heading over there. Wednesday immediately turns to you.

“What do you know about the Nightshades?” You gulp.

“Um. Nothing. Why?”

“If you lie to me again I will have no trouble burying my dagger into your side.” You sigh.

“I’m sworn to secrecy, Wednesday… I’d love to help but… I really can’t say anything.” Her upper lip curls just slightly. You can feel the anger coming off of her. “The book might be in Rowan’s dorm, we can check there.” You offer up.

“I suppose if that’s all you’ll tell me now.”

“That's all I can say. But c’mon, Xavier should be on his run right now, but we need to hurry.”

—

You’ve been in Xavier’s dorm a million times over the years, but seeing it like this is hard. Rowan’s side of the room is completely empty. No posters on the wall, nothing on the desk, no bedding on his bed. You swallow down every emotion bubbling up and start sifting through Xavider’s things.

“I can’t believe I’m snooping through my friend’s belongings like this.”

“Don’t worry. He’ll never know we were here. The purple book has got to be in here somewhere. Thing?” The hand pops out of Wednesday’s bag. “Start looking.” You make your way over to his desk where Wednesday is clearly put off by something. Sure enough, it’s a sketch of her in his sketchpad. You bite your lip to stifle a laugh.

“Awh, looks like you're someone’s muse.” She glares at you and goes to turn off the lights before using a blacklight on Rowan’s side of the room. You keep looking through his desk in the meantime. But find nothing.

“Rowan’s full of surprises.” Wednesday mutters. She’s holding a Nightshade mask. She heads over to you, but footsteps near the door, so she grabs you and pulls you under Xavier’s bed instead. It’s a tight fit and she’s half on top of you, her hand is planted firmly over your mouth. Xavier walks in with Bianca right behind him.

“How’d you even get past the Housemaster? Use your siren powers?” He accuses.

“Not while wearing this… Would it kill you to not think the worst of me for once?”

“What do you want, Bianca?”

“To see how you’re doing. I’m sorry about Rowan, I know you guys used to be close.” You roll your eyes.

“Since when did you give a damn about Rowan.” Xavier asks.

“You were the one afraid he would do something to Wednesday. Isn’t that why you’ve been following her around like an eager-eyed puppy? Or is there something more?” Xavier walks over to his desk. “Seriously, what do you see in her? Do you have a thing for tragic goth girls with funeral-parlor fashion sense?”

“Seriously? This is Y/N all over again. Maybe I like her ‘cause she hasn’t tried to manipulate me.” You scrunch up your face. You didn’t know Bianca had problems with you.

“I make one mistake and you can’t forgive me, she treat you like crap and you can’t get enough.”

“Why are you so fixated on Wednesday?”

“Because she thinks she’s better than everyone else! I can’t wait to crush Ophelia hall tomorrow.” She joins him at his desk. “To watch her werewolf roommate crumble. It’s going to be a Poe Cup finale to remember.”

“I hate to think of what you’ve got planned.”

“Oh my games have already started. I like to win, is that so wrong?”

“And you wonder why I broke up with you.”

“You used to love my killer instinct.” She stands in front of him. “We were good together Xavier.”

“We were? Or is that just what you want me to feel?” Bianca scoffs.

“Trust me. Wednesday Addams is not the girl of your dreams. She’s the stuff of your nightmares.” She turns and storms out. Xavier stomps out the other door, and you and Wednesday make a break for it.

—

Once you're back in your dorm, you remove your makeup and change into lounge clothes before throwing yourself on your bed. You grab your phone out from your bag and unlock it for the first time since you met up with Wednesday, only to find almost a hundred notifications from Yoko and Enid. Yoko was poisoned with garlic and was in the infirmary and Enid was having a “full blown panic attack”. You jumped up immediately and run over to Enid and Wednesday’s dorm. The door is opened almost immediately after the first knock by a crying Enid who immediately pulls you in and hugs you.

“Enid, it's okay, Yoko will be fine!”

“No it’s not! How are we going to win the Poe Cup if I don’t have a co-captain!?” She yells. You open your mouth to volunteer but she cuts you off. “And don’t you dare say you can be the co-captain. We tried that last year! You suck!” You frown. She wasn’t wrong, though. “Why do all the bad accidents happen right before big things!” Enid starts pacing.

“It wasn’t an accident. Bianca did it.” Wednesday chimes. You startle, having not seen her standing besides you.

“How do you know?” Enid wonders aloud.

“Doesn’t matter. You and I are going to take her down tomorrow.” The blonde comes to a stop and is slowly overtaken with glee.

“Wait… you’re joining the black cats?” She takes a step forward, and Wednesday takes one back. “You’re willing to do that? For me?”

“I want to humiliate Bianca so badly that the bitter taste of defeat burns down the back of her throat.”

“Yeah, but, mostly you’re doing it ‘cause we’re friends, right?”

“I’m going to check on Yoko, I’ll leave you two to discuss game plans for tomorrow.” You say with a small smile. Enid returns it and hugs you tightly.

“Okay, thanks for checking on me. TTYL!” You give a small nod to Wednesday who’s eyes follow you out the door.

—

You spend the rest of the night at Yoko’s bedside. But when dawn rolls around, you get ready, doing your most cat-like eyeliner and even drawing whiskers on your cheeks. You don’t have your costume yet, though, so you just put on your school uniform and go back to the infirmary until it’s game time.

“Y/N! You’re here! Our costumes are to die for this year!” Enid exclaims, gesturing to herself. It’s a body-tight black bodysuit with patchwork throughout it. She also has a nose painted on along with some whiskers, and cat ears on a headband. You smile.

“Looking good Sinclair! Where’s Wednesday?” As if on cue, she walks out of the tent beside you wearing the costume too, but unlike Enid’s pink thread, all of Wednesday’s patches have white thread, and she doesn’t have anything painted on her cheeks or nose. She looks good. Almost too good for someone in a cat costume. You can feel yourself flushing just at the sight of her.

“Oh. Em. Gee. You look purr-fect!” Enid proclaims.

“The cat-look suits you.” You comment, nodding as you look Wednesday up and down. She makes eye contact with everything but you. “Is my costume inside?”

“Yes! Your’s is black with red!” You nod and walk into the tent, careful to close the flap completely before changing into the costume. Once you're satisfied you walk out and join the others. Enid squeals when she sees you.

“You look so good! One could even say you’re the cat’s meow!” She breaks out in laughter. You chuckle and roll your eyes.

“Oh whatever. Let’s get this thing started. What am I in charge of?”

“You and I are guarding the boat. Wednesday has the rest covered.” She grins. “Let’s do this!”

—

Unfortunately, you get stuck with the unfortunate luck of being first in the boat.

“What do we have here?” You look across the pier where Bianca’s boat is. “The runt of the litter.” She taunts Wednesday.

“For the record, I don’t think I’m better than everyone else. Just that I’m better than you.” Wednesday replies. You smirk.

“Hello Nevermore!” Principal Weems says over the intercom. “I want to welcome you all to the Edgar Allan Poe cup! This is one of Nevermore’s proudest annual traditions, dating back 125 years ago. Each team must row across to Raven island, pull a flag from Crackstone’s crypt, and hustle back without sinking or being sunk. First team to cross the finish line with their flag wins the cup and bragging rights for a year, as well as some special privileges. Let the Poe Cup,” She raises a gun in the air. “Begin!” She fires and you’re off. You start rowing immediately.

You make a pretty good start, but the Amontillado team is quick to pass you by. You still manage to keep a pretty good pace though, but then the other boys team catches up, sticking close to your left. They run into you and try to slice your heads clean off with a swinging axe, but you all duck and narrowly avoid it. They start to get ahead of you, but just as they do, something starts pushing their boat further to the left until their boat is snapped in two against a buoy.

You make it to the island in second place, not far behind the Amontillado team. Ajax and Xavier run to the crypt and once you make a complete stop, Wednesday runs off too.

“Stay here and make sure Bianca can’t sabotage our boat!” She shouts as she runs. Thing walks out from under the boat seat and Enid smiles.

“Thing, I need you to distract a couple of jokers.” Thing nods and does just that, throwing a rock at the boys and then flipping them off. The two remaining jesters chase after the hand, giving Enid the perfect opportunity to scratch up their canoe.

Wednesday doesn’t come back until the Gold Bugs are getting back into their boats with their own flag. You immediately start rowing when she gets in, but at this point, you’re in third. However, that doesn’t last long. The Gold bugs pass the Amontillados easily and you’re not too far behind them as the boy’s ship starts sinking. Wednesday looks at the boat in confusion, Enid smiles wryly.

“I just asked myself, WWWD? What would Wednesday do?”

You come up on the Gold bugs, but just as you are about to pass them, something pushes your boat away. Thing is quick to act, though, and jumps in the lake. Wednesday pulls a lever causing spikes to stick out of the boat. You inch closer and closer to the Gold Bugs till the spikes make contact, creating deep gashes all the way through their canoe and causing it to immediately fill with water. You keep rowing, and make it back to the pier. Enid and Wednesday grab the flag and carry it to the finish line together, with you running behind them as the crowd cheers.

“Oh my god! We did it! This is the greatest moment of my entire life!” Enid brings you in for a hug. “Admit it Wednesday, you kind of got into the whole school spirit thing.”

“You didn’t tell me it was a dark, vengeful spirit.” The raven haired girl smirks, you follow her eyeline directly to where Bianca is struggling to get out of the water and laugh.

Chapter Text

After all the excitement from the Poe Cup, what you were looking forward to most, was your meeting with the Nightshades. Of course, when you guys planned the meeting a week prior, none of you expected to add kidnapping onto the itinerary. But when Wednesday made her way down the staircase, you had no choice but to go along with the long standing intruder plan.

You stood in the shadows as Xavier put a bag over Wednesday’s head and the others tied her to a chair. You expected a little more struggle on her part, though. You point a projector directly in her face and press play. A video of a raven squawking plays. You all walk to your respective places within the circle. Yours has always been beside Xavier, but this time you stand on the other side of Wednesday.

“Who dares breach our inner sanctum?”

“You can take the mask off, Bianca.” Wednesday cooly responds. The siren does so and everyone else, including you, follows. “Wait, I preferred you with it on.”

“Just for the record, I told you this wouldn’t work.” You say. “Sorry Wednesday.” She glances at you in acknowledgement but doesn’t say anything.

“How did you get down here?” Xavier asks.

“Rowan showed me. Left pocket.” He goes to get it, but you flash your fangs and he stops in his tracks. You go up instead and take a folded out piece of paper from her pocket. “I tracked the watermark from the page to the Poe statue. Then I solved the riddle.”

“Wait– there’s a riddle? I thought we just snapped twice.” Kent says, bewildered. You all glare at him.

“Well aren’t you the brightest of the bunch?”

“The Nightshades are an elite social club. Emphasis on elite.”

“We have roof parties, campouts, the occasional late-night skinny dip.” Yoko adds on, smirking at the last bit.

“And Yoko’s an amateur mixologist.” Davina piles on. Ajax nods.

“She makes a killer virgin mojito. It can get pretty wild.”

“Wow. Do you guys even have a bed time?” Wednesday’s not the least impressed. You snort. “Last I heard, the Nightshades have been disbanded.”

“Yeah, the group kind of lost it’s charter when some normie kid died thirty years ago. But Bianca refounded it a few years ago and we have a lot of wealthy alumni so Weems looks the other way as long as nobody makes waves.” You nod in agreement with Xavier.

“Somebody like Rowan?”

“We booted that loser last semester. The question is, what are we gonna do with her?” Bianca asks. “Only members are allowed in this library.”

“I say we let her pledge.” You say.

“What? No way.”

“Why not? She’s a legacy.” Xavier replies for you, pointing to a painting on the wall of Morticia and Gomez Addams, Wednesday’s parents.

“After the crap she pulled in the Poe Cup there’s no way in hell. I’m barely okay with letting you stay, Y/N.”

“Oh cut the bullshit Bianca. You don’t have all the power here and you know it.”

“By adding her, we’d be making waves, hell, she’s a tsunami for christ sake!”

“Let me save you the trouble, I’m not interested in joining.”

“You’re seriously turning us down?” Yoko asks.

“Can you believe it?”

“Untie her.” Bianca says to Xavier. Wednesday holds up the rope.

“I freed myself five minutes ago.” She stands up. You hand her the paper back and she takes it before walking away. Kent blocks the exit. “Do you want a matching black eye?” She puts the rope against his chest and he moves immediately. She stalks up the stairs but stops and scowls at you all. “It's amateurs like you who give kidnapping a bad name.” She shakes her head in disapproval and then leaves.

“I can’t believe you’re friends with her.” Yoko spits at you. “She’s so… odd.” You raise an eyebrow.

“You do realize we are literally in a dusty old library right now, right? I don’t think any of us can talk much about being odd.”

“She thinks she’s better than everyone else–”

“You’d know a lot about that, Bianca.” You interject. “You know what, I don’t need to stand here and take this. Goodbye.” You storm out and make your way up to Ophelia hall.

—

The next day is outreach day, your least favorite of the year. You found Wednesday in the crowd, comparing something in the Nightshade book to the quad.

“What’d you find?” You ask, glancing over her shoulder. She glares at you silently. “Please, you can’t seriously be mad at the whole kidnapping thing. It’s not like we hurt you.”

“It would have been better if you had.” She sighs but raises the book so you can see. It’s a drawing of a girl who looks just like Wednesday facing a Pilgrim surrounded by flames. The drawing lines up exactly with where you're standing.

“Woah, that’s weird.”

“I know.”

“What’s it mean?”

“I’m not so sure yet.”

“All students need to report to their volunteer jobs at ten a.m sharp, followed by a community lunch at one. As you know, this year’s outreach day will culminate in a very special event, the dedication of a new memorial statue in the town square, which will also include performances by Nevermore students. As representatives of our school, I trust you will each put your best face forward.” Weems announces. Teachers start handing out envelopes to the students. You grab one from Mrs. Thornhill as she passes by you and Wednesday. Enid hops over with a grin.

“Yes! I got Pilgrim world! I have natural people skills and a love of performing so it’s kind of the obvi choice. What’d you guys get?” You and Wednesday both open yours. Weathervane. You frown.

“Ugh I got the Weathervane again.” Last year you spent all of outreach day mopping the floors in the cafe. You did not want a repeat.

“I got something called Uriah’s Heap.” Enid gives a look of disgust, you stare at Wednesday’s envelope in jealousy.

“Ew. It’s this creepy old antique store.. You’ll love it though!”

“If you don’t, come find me and we’ll switch. I love that store.” You sigh. “Why do all the good things happen to other people?”

“I’m crossing my claws Ajax and I will be outreaching together.” Enid looks over at him dreamily before sauntering over to Yoko.

“Wednesday! Don’t worry about your cello, I’ll have it brought to the town square this afternoon.” Weems says, alerting you to her presence behind you.

“My cello?”

“I caught your little rooftop serenade the other night. Impressive. I volunteered you to accompany the Jericho High School marching band at the ceremony. I’m sure it won’t be too challenging to play an upbeat Fleetwood Mac melody.” The principal smiles.

“As long as you promise to hang me as a witch afterwards.” Weems just smiles at her before walking away.

—

Once on the bus, you opt to sit with Xavier, with him and Enid being the only two of your friends that weren’t icing you out for talking to Wednesday. You rode mostly in silence, that was how most of your time with Xavier was spent, just sketching out ideas for future sculptures. You haven’t made time to sculpt in a while now. At least two weeks. You were starting to miss the feeling of clay on your hands.

“What did you get?” Xavier asks, closing his sketchpad and putting his pencil in his bag. You do the same, you weren’t quite done with your plans yet, but you were nearing Jericho anyways.

“The Weathervane, again. This is my personal hell.” He lights up.

“Hey, I did too. At least we’ll be mopping together.” He laughs. “Remember when we got Pilgrim World on our first assignment? That was hell.” You laugh, too. That was awful, you swore to never step foot in Pilgrim World again after that day. Not only were the costumes itchy, but the customers were rude and the employees were even worse.

“Yeah, those costumes were the worst.”

“And Mr. Johnson? He was such an asshole.” Mr. Johnson was the man in charge of giving the volunteers their assignments, you and Xavier were the youngest of the group and so he assigned you both to the kiddie side of the park. Long story short, you were caught riding the rides with Xavier and were kicked out.

“God he was. We did have fun for a minute there though.” He nods.

“We should go back soon. I wonder if he’s still there.”

“No thank you. I will never show my face around that theme park again.” He laughs. The bus finally comes to a stop and you and Xavier shoot up almost immediately. You walk together towards a covered mural. Xavier’s mural. His mood immediately shifts as you approach it.

“Why are you staring at a blank wall?” Wednesday asks, startling you.

“God! You have got to stop doing that!”

“It wasn’t blank last outreach day.” Xavier spits.

“Are you still stewing because I rejected your invitation?” Wednesday asks him.

“Y/N and I did go out on a limb for you.”

“Please. I’m just cannon fodder for whatever cold war you have going on with Bianca.” You don’t say anything, because, well, it is partly true. “I have more pressing matters.”

“Like what?”

“Like tracking down the monster that killed your roommate.” She nods to you. “Y/N’s been helping, ask her.”

“Oh my god, for the last time, Rowan was expelled.” He looks at you. “I can’t believe you’re buying into this. Everyone saw him leave.”

“Have you spoken to him since?” You ask. Xavier sighs.

“I texted him a few times but I haven’t heard back. I just figured he wanted Nevermore in his rearview mirror.”

“Or he’s dead.” Wednesday persists. Your friend scoffs.

“I don’t know why you care, it’s not like you knew the guy.” He walks off, but you and Wednesday follow him.

“I don’t know why you care so little. People can dismiss me and give me a million other excuses, but I’m not gonna stop.” She pulls the Nightshades book out of her bag.

“Oh great. Now you can add thief to your resume.” He looks at you. “Did you know she took that?” You shrug.

“If she hadn’t I would’ve given it to her.” He shakes his head.

“I don’t see what the big deal is about an old Nightshades journal anyways.” She turns it around to show him the drawing.

“You didn’t seem surprised last night when you saw this. You’ve seen it before.”

“Yeah. A couple of days before the festival. It was open on Rowan’s desk. I assumed he had stole it after we kicked him out so I confronted him about it and he went all ballistic on me.” Wednesday nods.

“He threw you against the wall with his telekinesis.”

“Uh… yeah. How did you know that?”

“Lucky guess.” You furrow your brows at her slightly. You knew that was from a vision, she recounted the exact one to you when she had the vision from Rowan’s glasses.

“It’s weird that you’re in this. I mean, this journal is like, thirty years old. And what’s Crackstone doing in there with you?”

“You know who that is?” You squint and inspect the pilgrim once again. He’s right, it is Joseph Crackstone.

“Huh. You’re right, I didn't notice that before. It’s Joseph Crackstone, Jericho’s ‘founding father’ or whatever. You should check out Pilgrim world.” Xavier nods and points to a banner on a lightpost that depicts Crackstone.

“Yeah, that’s him.” She hums and then walks towards the town square. You and Xavier exchange a look before following after.

—

You spend the next two hours bored out of your mind. Unlike last time, though, Xavier got stuck with cleaning duty and you made orders. Out of the two options, you definitely preferred this one, but you’ve never been a huge fan of coffee. A customer walks out and you grin.

“Chop chop, busboy!” You exclaim, watching Xavier sigh with great joy as he walks over to clean off the table. As he’s picking up the dishes and setting them on a tray, he glances over at the corner before walking over.

“I thought you were supposed to be at Pilgrim world.” He leans on the counter. You mimic him on another counter and watch as Wednesday appears.

“I deserted it while my sanity was still intact.”

“Oh? You want some coffee? It’s one of the many perks of this wonderful assignment.” He says sarcastically.

“I’m actually here for Y/N and Tyler.” Xavier scoffs.

“I told you he was bad news.”

“Twice. But who I speak to is my business.”

“Well, what can I help you with, Wednesday?” You ask, walking over to the counter she’s standing in front of. She rings the bell as you do so. Tyler walks out of the back and glances between the three of you before landing on Wednesday.

“You rang?” The pigtailed girl glares at Xavier and he takes the hint and walks away. Tyler sighs as he watches him. “Want your usual?”

“And some help. You too, Y/N.” She pulls out a map from her back pocket and places it on a table, you and Tyler walk over on either side of her. “You know the original Pilgrim meeting house, the one from the sixteen hundreds? Is it still around?”

“Uh.. what’s left is out in Cobham Woods. It’s pretty much a ruin.” Tyler answers.

“Show me.” She gestures to the map. He points to it.

“There, but it’s kinda sketchy. Squatters and methheads use it as a crashpad. My dad has to clear it out every couple of weeks.”

“What’s this about anyways? Did you find something at Pilgrim World?” You ask.

“No. Nothing. Yet.” She folds the map back up.

“You’re really becoming obsessed with this whole monster in the woods thing.” The normie boy says with a teasing smile.

“Would you rather I develop an obsession with horses and boybands? Thank you for the help.” She turns to leave but you furrow your brows and tap her shoulder.

“Woah, you’re not seriously gonna go alone, are you?”

“Yeah, wait, the ruins are kind of hard to find. I can take you if you just wait till my shift ends at two.”

“Principal Weems would hang, draw, and quarter me if I miss the big statue dedication. And as enticing as that sounds, I prefer to keep a low profile. Besides, I know my way around the great outdoors.” You shake your head, not feeling right about her going on her own.

“No, I’m going with you, let me change out of this uniform. I’ll meet you outside.”

“What? You can’t leave, you've only been here two hours!” Tyler exclaims. You glare at him and flash your fangs, he tumbles back a step and you walk past into the bathroom.

—

“This place is creepy.” You mumble as the two of you walk up to the meeting house. The wood is rotting and falling apart, and there’s something eerie about it.

“You chose to come.”

“And it seems like I made the correct decision.” You send her a glare. “Pardon me for wanting to make sure you stay safe.” Wednesday ignores you and walks inside, setting her bag down. You huff and follow her. Thing crawls out of the bag and waves, you smile and wave back. He then turns to Wednesday and makes a few small gestures.

“I was expecting more too.” She frowns. It’s kind of cute.

“Who are you talking to, little girl?” You gasp as an old man walks out from behind some rubble, directly behind Wednesday. She turns to him with no fear.

“Use the words ‘little’ and ‘girl’ to address me again and I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“This is my place! Get out!” He yells.

“Thing a hand here?” Thing immediately runs over and climbs up the man before choking him out. The tweaker screams and tries to pry him off, running around frantically. He ends up falling through a side door and running away once he finally throws Thing.

“Well, that’s one way to tackle homelessness.” You comment idly. You start looking around but don’t find anything.

“There’s nothing here.” Wednesday says, her tone slightly defeated as she kicks a can on the ground.

Thing, who had just returned, taps a few words on the ground.

“No, I can’t just touch something. My visions seem to happen spontaneously.”

He gestures more, this time making Wednesday grow agitated. You silently wonder how she understands him.

“I’d rather dye my hair pink than ask my Mother for advice.”

He touches a block of wood on the ground almost tauntingly.

“Oh, you want me to prove it to you?” Wednesday touches the support beam beside her. “No.” Then the wall above the fireplace. “Nothing. Ah,” She bends down and grabs a Taco Bell bag. “I bet this will give us some ‘real’ insight.” Her eyes go wide and she snaps her head back, but immediately goes back to glaring at Thing and drops the bag. “My visions are about as predictable as shark attacks.” She sighs and heads for the door you’re standing beside.

She grabs her bag as she passes it and then goes to open the door, but her head snaps back for real this time and she passes out. You just barely catch her and sit down on the ground with her head on your lap.

“Wednesday? Wednesday!?” You shake her frantically to no avail. Glancing at Thing for help, he just moves as if to shrug his nonexistent shoulders, still he jumps over and joins you. “How long does she usually stay passed out for?”

He shrugs again.

“Real helpful.”

He flips you off.

“Okay, sorry, but I’m not too big on nature. I can already feel the mosquitos flocking to me.”

He stares at you.

“Okay, maybe mosquitos don’t go for Vamps usually but I did just have a killer bag of blood this morning so they might try me.” He says nothing. “Jeez, tough crowd.” You sigh and glance around a bit, still not seeing anything of relevance, so you shimmy off your backpack and grab your phone out of your bag.

—

Thirty minutes later, you’re in the same position but now, you're soaked from the rain suddenly pouring down. Your makeup and hair are both completely ruined. Thankfully though, your prayers are answered and Wednesday chokes awake and sits up immediately.

“I saw her!” She exclaims. “The girl from my visions. Her name is Goody Addams and I believe she’s my ancestor from four hundred years ago.” Her head snaps over to the opposite end of the house. She stands up slowly and walks over, peering through the gaps in the wood.

“Wednesday? What is it?”

“I thought I heard something. Must’ve been the bearded man from earlier.” She looks back and you barely hold back a scream as the monster appears. She gasps and jumps back as it roars. You run over to her to drag her away, thinking it would rip through the woods and go after you in seconds, but it doesn’t, instead it growls and runs in the opposite direction.

“Holy fucking shit!” You yell. “Are you okay?” You turn her towards you and inspect her as quickly as possible. She nods quickly.

“Come on. Come on!” She grabs both of your bags off of the muddy ground and runs. You catch up to her at no time and keep her pace.

Once you make it back to the marked path, she hands you your bag. You put it over your shoulder and take a moment to catch your breath.

“I can’t believe that just happened.” You murmur.

“Look at this.” You follow Wednesday’s eyesight down to the ground where footprints seemingly change from that of the monsters into human prints. “The monster is human.” She leans down to inspect the print better.

“What the hell are you two doing?” You jump and turn around to see Xavier standing behind you.

“Oh my god. Does everyone want me to have a heart attack today?” You heave. He looks at you confused.

“We were following the monster.”

“Woah, wait, you guys saw it?” He looks around, getting increasingly nervous. “It’s here? Do you have a death wish or something?” He extends his umbrella to cover all three of you. Wednesday looks up at him incredulously.

“What exactly are you doing here?”

“I overheard you say you were checking out the old meeting house. Guess it’s lucky I showed up when I did.” You raise a brow at your friend.

“Well we did learn one thing.” You chime. “The monsters human.” Wednesday nods in confirmation.

“Its tracks turned from monster prints to human ones.”

“Show me.” She turns to the ground where the prints just were but frowns. The rain washed them away.

“They were just here. The rain washed them all away.” Xavier looks between you and Wednesday and chuckles.

“Okay. Sure.”

“I know what I saw.” Wednesday insists.

“I’m trying to keep an open mind.” You glare at him.

“Don’t be an asshole.” You elbow him. You all start walking, you crouch behind them trying your hardest to stay under the umbrella.

“I do think you guys might be right about Rowan. I texted him again today and asked if we could meet up over spring break. I said we could go snowboarding like we did last year. This time he texted right back saying he couldn’t make it.”

“Except he didn’t go snowboarding last year.” You clock immediately.

“Part of me wanted to blame his recent weirdness. I didn’t want to think something bad had happened.”

“The cover-up is always worse than the crime.” Wednesday says. Xavier stops and turns to her.

“Now, I need you to be honest with me.” He glances at you. “Why’d you come out to the old meeting house in the first place?”

“I was trying to learn more about Crackstone. Figure out how he’s connected to all this.”

“And you were trying to use your psychic abilities.” You frown at your friend. Wednesday’s powers have been kept pretty hush. To your knowledge, only you and Enid knew about them.

“What makes you think I have any?” She looks at you, obviously asking if you blabbed, you shake your head and shrug.

“Lucky guess. When’d they start?”

“About a year ago. When they happen it feels like I’m touching a live wire.” The three of you start walking again. “I usually enjoy that sensation.”

“Yeah, but, you can’t control it and that freaks you out. My dad’s a psychic.”

“Vincent Thorpe.” She replies knowingly. “My brother is his number one fan.” Xavier rolls his eyes. “Watched his Vegas special so many times I’m surprised it’s not imprinted on his eyeballs.”

“So I’ve lived with self-described master. The first thing he’ll tell you is visions aren’t to be trusted. They only show you one part of the picture.”

“Mansplain much?” You tease. He glares at you as Wednesday turns to look at him.

“I saw Joseph Crackstone in front of me just as clearly as I’m seeing you now. He gathered all the outcasts in the meeting house and burned them alive.”

“Okay, he was a sadistic asshole…So what? It was four hundred years ago it has nothing to do with what’s happening now.”

“You saw Rowan’s drawing. Crackstone was standing in the quad.”

“You’re creating a story in your head and using visions to back it up. They’re just telling you what you want to see.” You roll your eyes.

“Y/N was right, you are literally mansplaining my power.” He gives her a ‘really?’ look and then puts a hand up in surrender.

“All I’m saying is my dad, the expert would warn you that psychic ability isn’t rooted in logic. It’s triggered by emotions.” He looks her up and down and smiles. “And let’s be honest, emotion isn’t really your strong suit.” You elbow him.

“Asshole.” She turns forward and starts walking again.

“I believe Rowan was right. Something bad is going to happen and I need to stop it. Starting with that monster.” She eyes your friend. “Whoever it may be.” She picks up her pace and separates from you and Xavier, leaving him scoffing. You look between the two of them before jogging to catch up with Wednesday.

Chapter Text

Blood smoothies were one of your favorite treats. You don’t only drink blood, who doesn’t love a good steak once in a while? But blood is your main source of sustenance, and as much as you loved a simple bag of blood, mixing it up was fun and kept things from getting boring. And with your lifespan you’d shake things up as much as possible.

You sat alone in the quad, earbuds in with The Cure blasting probably way too loudly, and a blood smoothie in hand. This was your personal utopia. But, as usual, someone came along to disturb it. This time with a tap on the shoulder. You take your earbuds out and turn around on the picnic table only to make eye contact with Wednesday; the last person you thought would be tapping you.

“Hey, what’s up?” You ask. She sits down beside you stiffly. You can’t help but giggle at her, something about her is just so… cute.

“Thing and I are going to break into the morgue tonight to steal the coroner’s report on that homeless man. Would you care to join?” You raise your brows.

“You want me to help you break in somewhere? I’m honored.” You tease with a grin. She avoids eye contact. “As enticing as that sounds, I have to finish a project for Mad Science tonight. Will you fill me in tomorrow, though?” She nods curtly and stands. “Sorry Wednesday.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll make do.” She turns and walks away.

—

You stumble into class just as it starts and make your way to your table with Wednesday. She glances at you but says nothing about your tardiness. You had stayed in Mad Science for an extra ten minutes talking to your teacher, he was impressed by your project and wanted to know more details about it. You didn’t have the heart to tell him you did it in a night.

“Now, once the plant is pollinated, what do the male insects get in return?” Mrs. Thornhill asks as you zone into the lesson.

“Nada. Just like all the guys at the Rave’n.” Bianca replies, making the room erupt in laughter. You let a small chuckle slip. The dance has been the furthest thing from your mind. You have no clue what you’ll wear or who you’ll go with, but your mind does drift to a certain girl who may or may not be sitting beside you.

“Okay, okay, I know you’re all excited about Saturday, which is why I haven’t assigned any homework. But I do still need volunteers for the decorating committee.” A few people raise their arms eagerly. “Anyone interested come see me up here.” You start gathering your things and turn to ask Wednesday about her trip to the morgue, but Xavier is looming over her side of the table.

“What, you're not going to volunteer?” He asks teasingly. “Aren’t you pumped about disco balls and spiked punch? There’s even a DJ, Mc Blood Suckaz.”

“I would rather stick needles in my eyes.” She replies. He laughs dryly. “I’ll probably do that anyways.” She turns to get up, but drops a pencil on the ground.

“Or you could invite someone, you know, have a little fun.” Xavier leans down to get it and under his collar you can see huge gashes on his neck. You furrow your brows slightly. She takes the pencil from him and leaves, you wave at your friend but follow her out.

“Did you see that?” You ask once in the hallway. She nods curtly.

“Yes. And we’re going to investigate.” You sigh.

“As much as I don’t want to throw blame on my friend, okay. How was the morgue?”

“Enlightening. The monster has been harvesting body parts from each of his victims. Toes, a gallbladder, etcetera. I made a board, I’ll show it to you.” You nod.

“That’s interesting. I wonder what it’s doing with it.” You say with a frown. “I almost don’t want to know.”

“Does Xavier have a place he goes to be alone?” She asks, stopping in her tracks and turning to you.

“Yeah, the art shed. It used to be an old utility shed but we cleared it out together a few years ago. I use it to sculpt from time to time. I can get my key and we can go scope it out.”

“Okay. Meet me in the quad in ten.”

“Yes captain.” You salute her and then turn the opposite way to go to your dorm.

—

It was just your luck that Xavier would be in the shed when you and Wednesday walk up, thanks to Wednesday’s quick reflexes, though, you were hidden behind a tree by the time he decided to leave. You unlock the shed wordlessly and walk in, gasping at the sight when you pull the light string. He painted the monster at least ten times.

“What the hell…” All of your sculpting stuff was shoved into the far corner instead of on the big table where you left it.

“I suppose every artist needs a muse.” She picks up a stack of sketch paper and inspects it. One is just a charcoal drawing of the monster’s face, the other is a full body sketch of the monster in front of loops. “Xavier, you just became much more interesting.” She pulls the string again, turning off the light, and pockets the pictures. You go to exit first, holding the door open for Wednesday behind you. Once you start walking away, though, Xavier shows up.

“Y/N, Wednesday.”

“Xavier… hey.” You reply.

“What were you guys doing in there?”

“I was just grabbing stuff.” You pause. “Whats with the freaky paintings?”

“Nothing it’s nothing. Don’t worry.” You glance at Wednesday awkwardly.

“It’s fine. Anyways, Wednesday and I are gonna go.” You point towards the school. He nods.

“Right. Yeah. Bye.” You and Wednesday start walking away faster than you probably should.

“Quick thinking.” She comments. You smile.

“What can I say? Just quick on my feet.” She glares at you.

“Don’t get too cocky.” You laugh.

—

“I give up. I’m never finding a dress at this rate.” Yoko says with a groan. You’ve only been looking for an hour. You found yours pretty quickly. A simple dark blue halter top dress that fits you perfectly. It has an uneven flowy bottom and some light frills on the collar. It was perfect.

“We still have one more store, I’m sure you’ll find it soon.” You grab her shoulder and shove her towards the door, before walking to the next store only one block down. As you approach, you see Wednesday and Enid standing in front of the doors. “Hey you two.” You call out as you approach. Enid squeals and runs to hug you both.

“Are you guys dress shopping too?”

“I am. Y/N found her dress ages ago. You have to help me!” Yoko cries. Enid wraps her arm around her shoulder comfortingly.

“I need to go. I have pressing business to attend to.” Wednesday chimes. Her roommate frowns and turns to her.

“But… I thought we were bonding.”

“I feel I’ll only slow you down. You’re a gazelle. I’m a wounded fawn. Cut me loose and go run with the pack.” She nods to the store where you can see a handful of students already shopping. You scowl slightly, not looking forward to the noise.

“Are you sure?” Enid asks. Wednesday nods, causing Enid to smile and grab Yoko’s hand to drag her in.

“So, you’re going to the dance?” Wednesday asks, glancing down at the paper bag in your hand. You hold it up and smile.

“Yup. Memories or whatever.” She hums.

“Who are you going with?”

“Oh, I don’t have a date yet. What about you?”

“I’m not going.” You nod with a frown.

“Makes sense.”

“Okay.”

“Okay… are you going to see Sheriff Galpin?” You recall her mentioning bringing the drawings from Xavier’s shed to him. She nods curtly. “Okay. Let me know what you find. I’ll– um– see you later.” She once again nods. You give a small wave and then walk into the store, closing your eyes tightly in embarrassment once you're in.

—

You sit in your room at your desk sculpting an anatomically correct heart, earbuds in with The Breath of Life playing. You’ve barely made time to sculpt lately, you almost feel rusty. It doesn’t help that you also don’t have all your regular equipment, but after what you saw in the art studio earlier, you’re not so sure you’d be able to work there. A tap on your shoulder pulls you away from your focus with a startled jolt, so you take out one of your earbuds and turn around. It’s Wednesday, again.

“This is becoming a habit, you know. You have to stop sneaking up on me.” You gently place the heart down and wipe your hands off on a rag.

“Eugene and I found the monster’s lair.” You widen your eyes in shock.

“What? How?”

“He recognised the circles behind the monster in Xavier’s drawing. I was going to ask you to come but I couldn’t find your dorm. I haven’t been up yet.” She glances around, your room was completely black with hints of white, grey, and red. Yoko’s side had a bit more color, but not enough to throw off the theme.

“Ah. I’ve been hiding in here. Couldn’t get the creepy paintings out of my head so I decided to sculpt.”

“Not in the shed?” You shake your head with a dry laugh.

“Not until he takes down the monster stuff. Anyways, did you find anything?” She nods and pulls out a tooth from her backpack. “Wow. That’s gross. Anything else?”

“A myriad of animal bones and handcuffs on the wall.” You furrow your brows.

“Hancuffed? Was it chained in there or something?”

“Not sure yet. I’m going to investigate further later. But for now, I need back into your art studio. I need something with Xavier’s DNA on it.” You frown but nod.

“Okay. I need to get a few things anyway.” You grab your keys from your desk drawer and stand up. “Let’s go. And please, can we not get caught this time?” She stares at you.

“No promises.”

—

True to her word, as soon as you get into the shed, she grabs a bloodied rag from Xavier’s stool and puts it in her bag. You go over to your supplies and pocket a few modeling tools and some red paints. Just when you think you’re in the clear, though, Xavier walks in.

“Why the hell is she in here?” He angrily asks you.

“How do you know what the monster looks like? Or are these all just self portraits?” You look at the ground, feeling conflicted. On one hand, you don’t think Xavier’s the monster, on the other hand, there’s some pretty damning evidence literally surrounding you.

“Oh what, you think it’s me? I saved your life.”

“So did the monster. Or was that you the night Rowan died?” Wednesday replies, quick on her feet.

“You are so out of line right now. Y/N, are you seriously just going to let her talk to me like this?” You meet his eyes which are full of betrayal.

“Look around, Xavier. You’ve been painting that thing nonstop. That’s a little weird, even for you.” He glances around as if he’s ashamed with a gulp.

“Yeah. I know. This creature’s been haunting my dreams for the past few weeks. I try to block it out but I can’t so I just… come in here and paint it. When I was painting this one the claws came out of the canvas and took a swipe at me.” He points to the unfinished painting on the easel. “That’s how I got these scratches.” He gestures to his neck.

“I thought you were able to control your ability.” He shakes his head.

“Not when it comes to this thing.”

“Maybe it’s your guilty conscience.” Wednesday shoots.

“I told you I’m not the monster, okay?” Xavier replies, getting more fed up by the second. Wednesday pulls the drawings out of her pocket.

“So you just happened to draw pictures of it, down to its lair in the woods? Those are some pretty vivid dreams.”

“You were in here.” He realizes. “You brought her in here earlier.” He tells at you. “That’s why you guys were so weird afterwards. I can’t believe you.” He shakes his head. “I thought we were closer than that.” You open your mouth to respond but he scowls. “Just get out. Go!” You frown but leave, grabbing Wednesday’s arm on your way to drag her out too.

“I can’t believe that just happened.” You murmur once outside.

“I didn’t realize you two were so close.” Wednesday comments.

“We were both enrolled when we were really young. There wasn’t anyone in our class for two years, so we bonded.”

“Why’d you get enrolled so young?”

“My Stepmom’s Mom got sick so they moved to Florida to watch over her. They never ended up leaving afterwards though and the sun is way too much there for Vamps so they sent my brother and I to Nevermore. I was eight and he was ten.”

“I didn’t know your brother was an outcast.” You laugh.

“Yeah, we both got the vamp gene from our Mom. Riley graduated though, I’m sure you’ll meet him on family weekend.” As you approach the school, you face Wednesday. “Anyways, I better head up. Enid, Yoko, and I are all getting ready for the Rave’n together.” She nods once.

“Did you ever find a date?”

“No, I’m going solo this year.”

“Ah. I hope you have… fun.” You smile.

“Thanks Wednesday. I hope your night is excruciating and painful.” Her lips twitch slightly as if fighting a smile.

“They all are.” You laugh.

“See you tomorrow.”

—

Getting ready was painful. Not literally (other than when Enid stabbed you with a safety pin trying to pin the top of your dress together) but you were sure your ears were going to bleed from all the pop music you were being forced to listen to. Still, getting ready with your friends was nice. You loved your girls.

You were about to put on your shoes when something was slid under the door. You picked it up, it was an envelope addressed to you. You opened it nervously, but as you read it, your heart felt like it was going to explode. Wednesday wanted to go to the dance with you. You can’t help but grin. You slip your mary janes on and head for the door.

“Guys, I’ll meet you at the dance, I have to go get something.” You call out, Enid and Yoko stick their heads out of the bathroom and smile at you.

“Okay! You look so good!” Enid exclaims. You give a little twirl and bow before walking out. Your heart pounds in your chest as you walk over to Wednesday’s dorm and knock on the door. When she answers she’s not exactly Rave’n ready.

“Y/N.” She looks you up and down.

“Hey. I got your invite.” You hold it up. “Guessing you had Thing slide it under my door?”

“Good guess.”

“I’ll be honest it kind of took me by surprise.” You say, scratching your neck awkwardly.

“Me too.”

“Not that I’m not honored, though. I was actually kind of hoping we could go together.” You admit nervously.

“I… Give me a few minutes.” She slams the door in your face before you can reply.

“Well okay then.”

—

Five minutes later, the door opens and she walks out in a beautiful black frilly dress. Her hair is up instead of in its normal braids and she looks breathtaking. Your heart almost stops.

“You look beautiful.” You say with a smile.

“You don’t look bad either.” You laugh.

“Was that a compliment from the Wednesday Addams?”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“I’d never.” You offer an arm out and she takes it, making awkward eye contact with you the whole time.

“Wednesday? What’s going on?” Eugene asks, walking up to the two of you in full camping gear.

“Eugene.” You glance between the two matching what Wednesday was doing.

“Oh. I get it. I’ll go check out the woods by myself.”

“No. Do not go alone. We’re going tomorrow night.” He nods and walks away dejected.

“What was that about?” You ask.

“No idea. Come on.” She tugs you and you walk arm in arm into the Rave’n. You can feel eyes on you almost immediately, so you opt to stand slightly behind your date, not that it works, with these heels you’re way taller than her.

“Wednesday Addams, what a surprise. Y/N. You both look absolutely stunning.”

“Mrs. Thornhill.” Wednesday greets.

“Did you two come together?”

“Yes.” She says. You look down to hide your smile.

“Well I hope you have a lovely time.” She smiles and walks away.

“You wanna get some drinks?” You ask. She nods and drags you over to the punch bowl. Enid walks up to you humming happily.

“OMG! I love the look!” She says to Wednesday. “So… when did you two decide to come together!?” She asks. “I need all the deets.”

“It was a last minute decision.” You reply with a smile. Wednesday pours you both a glass and hands one to you.

“Well I think you guys are adorable together!”

“I can’t say the same.” Wednesday says, glaring at the boy Enid brought. You recognise him immediately, Lucas Walker. Mayor Walker’s son and a menace to Outcasts. Last year he and his buddies terrorised you for months after you defended Xavier against Tyler. Your resentment towards him and his buddies was yet to fade.

“It’s not what it looks like.”

“Good. ‘Cause that pilgrim already has two strikes in my book.”

“Lucas is trying to make his ex jealous and I’m trying to make Ajax jealous. It’s a win-win!” He walks over grinning with his hands in the air.

“Wednesday, I come in peace.”

“That’s a shame. I brought my pocket mace.” She pauses. “The medieval kind.”

“Be nice to Enid.” You say to the boy with a glare and a casual flash of your fangs. You turn around and walk back out of the dance, Wednesday on your heels. You sit down on the chairs outside with a huff. “I can’t believe she brought that dickhead. Him and his friends are pure bullies.”

“I know. I caught them attacking Eugene on outreach day.” You frown.

“I thought I scared them off last year. Not well enough apparently.” You laugh dryly.

“What do you mean?”

“For two months he and his group followed me around Jericho whenever I made trips into town to harass me. All because I stood up to Tyler when he destroyed Xavier’s mural. They got a little too close one of the times though and I bit one of them. Haven’t bothered me since.” She doesn’t say anything in response, but she’s got an expression on her face as if she’s thinking deeply about something. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m trying to decide what death would be most painful for them.” You laugh and shake your head.

“They aren’t worth it. Trust me.”

“Okay. But if you change your mind, let me know.”

“Will do.” You look at her and smile. She doesn’t let any emotion show on her face, as usual, but she doesn’t look away either. “Do you wanna dance?” It falls out of your mouth before you can stop yourself. She doesn’t reply but she stands and offers her hand to you which you take with a grin.

After dancing with Wednesday for the entirety of Goo Goo Muck by the Cramps, you find yourself filled with glee. Her dance moves were strange but so were yours. It was a perfect match. You even almost got a smile out of her when the song ended.

“I’m going to go get us some drinks.” You say with a breathy laugh. “I could use one.”

“I’m going to sit down.” You nod and walk over to the punch table where Enid stood looking around nervously. She lights up when she sees you, though and gives you a knowing look.

“You guys make such a cute couple! I can’t believe you got her to dance.” You giggle.

“We aren’t a couple, but yeah I can’t either. All I did was ask, too.” You pour yourself a yeti-tini. “Where’s your date?” You glance around but don’t see him.

“Not sure, he said he’d be back soon though! We’re kind of hitting it off.”

“Oh?” She nods eagerly.

“Turns out we have a lot in common!”

“That’s great Enid, I’m happy for you.” She shines in response.

“Yo yo yo! It’s almost eleven a’clockity, so haul it out on the dance floor one more time! Before the Rave’n say nevermore.” MC Blood Suckaz says over the mic. Enid squeals and jumps into the fray, you turn around to find Wednesday right behind you. She offers you her hand, so you chug your yeti-tini and set down the glass before taking it and heading to the dance floor. One dance was surprising, but two was earth shattering-ly shocking.

“I’m really glad you decided to come, Wednesday.” You tell her with a smile. “I hope it’s been okay for you too, I know that this isn’t really your thing.”

“The company is worth it.” She murmurs. At that, you can’t hold back your grin. Everything is perfect, for a moment. Then something red drips on Wednesday’s forehead. You furrow your brows.

“Wednesday, I think you’re bleeding.” Then another drop, and another, until you and her are both covered in blood. As is the rest of the school, everyone runs around frantically screaming. You stick your tongue out just as Wednesday tastes some off her finger. You spit whatever it is on the ground.

“They couldn’t even spring for real pigs blood.” She says with a frown. The crowd gets even more crazy, and you get bumped into a few times, getting completely flung into Wednesday, who falls backwards into Mrs. Thornhill and a few students. Her head falls back and you immediately know she’s having a vision.

“Wednesday! Are you okay?” You exclaim, she looks at you completely terrified.

“Eugene is in the woods, he’s in danger.” She runs for the exit, you rush behind.

—

Once in the woods, you stick close to Wednesday as you both frantically call out Eugene’s name.

“Eugene!” You yell in tandem.

“Over here!” You finally hear in response. You immediately take off towards his voice, leaving Wednesday in the dust. You’re much faster than her.

“Eugene, where are you!?” You come to a halt as you hear a growl. You’re too late. The monster is here. Eugene lets out a blood curling scream. Wednesday catches up to you, her breathing heavy. You run a bit more in sync, then you finally find him. Covered in blood, laying on his back. You gasp and approach him. Wednesday falls to her knees beside him, she’s close to hyperventilating at this point. She moves her hand towards him, but you grab it and pull her back.

“Wednesday you can’t touch him.” It comes out quieter than you want.

“Oh my God!” You both turn around to see Mrs. Thornhill as she runs up. “Is he alive?”

—

It’s almost comical how different the night went. From being perfect to the worst of your life in less than ten minutes. You didn’t know Eugene well, other than in passing, he was younger than you, but he was kind and undeserving of the fate he beheld. You and Wednesday followed him as far as you could, but they wouldn’t let you on the ambulance, and Weems wouldn’t let you go to town this late. So you stayed behind in the Ophelia hall hallway. Sitting in complete silence beside your date, still covered in red paint.

“I shouldn’t have gone to the dance.” She whispers. You glance at her.

“You can’t blame yourself.”

“I can. It was my fault. I should have told you the truth.” You furrow your brows.

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t write that note, Thing did. I was going to go stake out the cave with Eugene tonight. And I bailed on him, instead.” Your heart shatters.

“Oh.” You whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She looks at you as if the answer is obvious, but doesn’t say anything. Tears well up in your eyes. “Okay.” You stand up. “I should go shower. Goodnight, Wednesday.”

—

You laid down in your bed for an hour and tried to reach your dreams before giving up and making your way to the art studio. Your heart in your hand, and tears welled up in your eyes that you’re sure haven’t moved all night. The light is on when you get there, you go in anyways, startling Xavier.

“Sorry. I just couldn’t sleep.” He nods wordlessly and you walk over to your station to start working.

“It looks good.” He says, gesturing to the heart.

“Thanks. It’s getting somewhere.” You murmur. “I’m really sorry Xavier.” He once again just nods, then sits beside you and you put your head on his shoulder instinctively and he wrapped his arm around your back in response. Xavier was your brother in every sense of the word other than biologically. It gave you some comfort to be with him after tonight.

“I’ll take the paintings down in the morning.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you really think I’m the monster?” You think about it for a moment.

“Not right now.” Though not a great reply, he accepts it, and for a while, neither of you move.

Chapter Text

Family week snuck up on you like a snake in a tall field. You were excited to see your family, but you missed Wednesday like crazy. You didn’t realize how much you enjoyed having her around until she wasn’t. And it was your decision, she tried to talk to you, but you just couldn’t. After the Rave’n you felt rejected and embarrassed. You couldn’t understand why she didn’t tell you the truth from the start.

Avoiding Wednesday was hard, too. You shared a lot of classes together, thankfully though, only sat next to each other in Botanical Sciences which you only had twice this week and you ended up skipping just so you didn’t have to deal with her.

You managed to make it to the weekend with your brain intact, a miracle you were grateful for. Saturday morning you anxiously got ready far before you needed to, and waited on one of the benches in front of Nevermore. You watched the sunrise and listened to music as you waited, they’d be here early, they always were.

At about seven, you heard the familiar roar of your Dad’s old jeep wagoner. It was holding on by a thread but your dad refused to give it up. It was everything but reliable. You jumped up and couldn’t keep yourself from grinning as they approached. Riley stuck his head out of the window and grinned with his fangs.

“Y/N!” He yells. You jog over to the parking lot and rock back and forth on your heels as they park. Once your dad has gotten the jeep to park, Riley jumps out and bounds over to you, crushing you in a bear hug. “I missed you girl!”

“I missed you more Riles!” You giggle. Your dad gets out of the car next and picks you up in his hug.

“There’s my little girl!”

“Hi Dad.” You murmur into his shoulder. You hug your stepmom, Silena, next. Though no one would ever replace your mother, she was everything you needed in a mom and more. She was also your goth inspiration, when you were eleven she would dress you up and teach you absolutely everything she knows about the culture. And that was a lot. “Hi! How are you?”

“I’m doing great, sweetie. How’s it been here? Your calls are always so lacking!” She says, half teasing. You laugh.

“It’s been hectic this year. How’s Florida? Sunny?” She huffs and nods.

“I swear it gets hotter by the year.” She loops her arm in yours and glares at your dad and brother. “Well? Get the suitcases! Me and my stepdaughter have things to catch up on.” You cackle.

“Yeah boys! Get to it!” You and Silena giggle to each other and walk into Nevermore. “C’mon, I have to show you my room, you’re going to love it.”

“I’m sure I will! You’ve always had great taste.”

“I got it from you.” She smiles in response, you could see tears welling up in her eyes.

“Awh. I missed you, N/N.” You poke her side and scrunch up your nose.

“I missed you more Silly.” You grab her hand and drag her up the two flights of stairs to Ophelia Hall but stop in your tracks when you reach the top and see Wednesday leaving her room.

“Y/N.” She greets.

“Wednesday.” Silena comes up beside you with a smile and glances between the two of you. “Oh, this is my step mom, Silena. Silena this is my… um this is Wednesday.” Silena offers her hand but Wednesday just stares at it. You glare at her until she relents and takes it for a pathetic shake.

“Nice to meet you Wednesday.”

“Pity, my goal was discomfort.” She glances at you again before walking past you and down the stairs. Silena looks at you in confusion, you just sigh and squeeze your eyes shut.

“Come on.” You unlock your dorm and walk in. Silena takes it in with a grin.

“This is beautiful, sweetie. I love it. How’d you even get that up there?” She asks, pointing up to the black lace canopy over your bed, seemingly floating.

“It’s held up by string, it was really easy.” She hums and takes a seat on your bed.

“So, who was that?” You sit down beside her and groan, flinging yourself onto your back before you start recounting the events from the past few weeks.

—-

It was around ten when you and Silena met back up with Riley and your dad in the quad. Most families had arrived by then, so you sat down at one of the picnic tables chatting away.

“So how’s my car? Any word on that yet?” You ask your dad. He glances at Riley and smiles nervously.

“About that, we haven’t really gotten to it yet.” Your face drops immediately. “The shop has been busy, sweetheart. It’s on top of my to-do list when I get back though. Promise.” You squint your eyes at him warily.

“If it’s not done by summer break I will drain your blood, Dad.” He raises his hands up in surrender.

“Parents, family, welcome!” You turn your attention to Weems. “Nevermore was created as a safe haven for our children to learn and grow no matter who or what they are.” You all clap. “I realize most of you have heard about the unfortunate incident involving one of our students.” You look down at your hands, feeling like every eye in the area is on you. “But I’m happy to report that Eugene is on the mend and is expected to make a full recovery.”

“He’s not on the mend, he's in a coma.” You spit, quiet enough where only your family hears. Riley puts his arm around your shoulders and brings you into his side. You melt into it immediately.

“So, let’s focus on the positive and make this Parents’ Weekend our very best yet.” The crowd claps once again, and Weems steps away from the microphone.

“Did you know him? The boy?” Riley asks.

“He was a friend of a friend. I actually met him for the first time that night.”

“I’m sorry, N/N.” He whispers.

“It’ll be okay. Maybe.” You reply back in a similar tone. Your dad clears his voice.

“So, do you have any sculptures to show us?” You shake your head.

“Not yet, I’m working on a heart right now though.” Silena furrows her brows.

“You really haven’t sculpted anything since that flower a few months ago?” Huh. You hadn’t realized it had been that long.

“I guess not. I’ve been kind of busy.” You scratch your neck awkwardly.

“Thorpe!” Your brother exclaims, standing up suddenly and sending you falling into the table. Xavier walks over to your table with a grin and hugs your brother before moving onto your dad and Silena. “How’s it been Xavier?”

“Good, it’s been good.”

“Are you still with that Bianca girl?” Silena asks as he sits down on the other side of you.

“No, uh, we broke up a few months ago.” She frowns.

“Shame, I liked her.”

“So, how goes the paintings?” Your dad asks. You and Xavier exchange a glance before laughing. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

—

Around two, you and Riley steal your dad’s car keys and make your way to the parking lot with shit eating grins.

“Where are we even going to go? There’s nothing to do in Jericho.” You say through a laugh as you start driving.

“Coffee?”

“Ugh that’s a great idea.” You haven’t been in Jericho since you went dress shopping. Your mind flickers to Eugene almost immediately. “I’ll meet you at the Weathervane, I need to go visit Eugene.”

And visit you did, you picked up a get well soon card from the hospital gift shop, a bit lackluster, but it was all you could think of to get. You felt awkward as soon as you walked into the room. He was hooked up to a tube, looking nothing like the boy you met the other night.

“Hey, Eugene. This is a bit weird. I know you don’t know me, I’m Y/N. I hope you get better. I’m sorry about the Rave’n, I wish I would’ve picked up on what was happening. Maybe I could’ve stopped this.” You set the card on the table and turn to leave, jumping slightly when you see Wednesday in the doorway. “God, you have got to stop doing that.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh, I just wanted to come see him.” You fidget with your sleeve.

“You didn’t know him.”

“I saw him get sliced open by that monster. Pardon me for feeling a modicum of guilt.” You growl out.

“Why do you feel guilt?” You raise your eyebrows in shock.

“You cannot be serious right now…” You shake your head. “You are infuriating, Wednesday.” You walk past her without another word.

—

“Sis? Hello?” Riley asks, waving his hand in front of your face.

“What? Sorry.”

“All good. Where’d you go?”

“I was just thinking.” He stares at you to continue. “Just been having some trouble with this girl. She’s infuriating me.”

“Oh? My little sister having girl troubles? I never thought this day would come.” He teases. You grab a napkin, crumple it into a ball, and throw it at him.

“Shut up.” You cover your face with your hands.

“So, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Her name is Wednesday. I thought we were getting close, and she even invited me to the Rave’n with a note but at the end of the night I found out it wasn’t her doing. She had plans to stake out the woods with Eugene. Because of me, Eugene went alone and is now hanging on for dear life.”

“Don’t you mean because of her?”

“I mean, I guess. But I should’ve picked up on it. She wasn’t dressed when I went to her dorm and Eugene showed up with full on camping gear strapped to his back. It was obvious.”

“You like this girl, right?”

“Unfortunately.” You scowl.

“So talk to her.”

“It’s not that simple. Wednesday practically talks in riddles. You can never tell what she’s thinking.”

“Maybe she can’t tell what you’re thinking.”

—

Riley’s words echoed in your head for the rest of the afternoon. Thankfully, your Father wasn’t angry you took his car, so you got off scot free and joined him and Silena for dinner.

The Addams family was a presence you couldn’t ignore— as much as you wished you could— the family of outcasts stood out even here, with their gothic attire and tortured expressions. You could immediately see where Wednesday got her gloomy appearance from.

“So that’s her?” Riley asks in a hushed voice. You nod, only glancing up to follow his line of sight before turning back to the meat on your plate. “Yeah, that checks.”

“Y/N, Riley, Silena and I have some news.” Your father says nervously.

“What’s up Pops?” Riley asks before shoving way too much food into his mouth.

“We have decided to move.” You and Riley both look up at that. “To Rhode Island.” You raise your eyebrows in shock. “In fact, we’re moving back into your mother’s family home permanently.”

“What?” You ask, bewildered, but not upset in the slightest. Your mom’s home was a constant in your life, every summer and winter break the four of you would vacation there together, and you don’t remember it being anything but that ever.

“I know that it might be a little strange for me to be there, but I promise you that I won’t change anything about the house. Your father and I are just getting older and we don’t want to keep going across the country just to see you guys.” Silena says. You smile.

“Mom would’ve loved you Silena, she’d be honored that you’re living there. When do you guys move?”

“Soon, a month, we think.”

“What about the shop?” Riley chimes. Your father’s auto shop was a big part of your dad’s life, he loved it almost as much as he loves you guys. Riley used to want to work with him, maybe even take it over one day.

“Well, we’ve been looking and I found this nice shop up for sale on a great street, so we’re going to scope it out this week. I was hoping maybe you’d come, Riley.” You can visibly see as Riley fills with joy, he tries to act normal and just gives a happy nod, but your dad and Silena both let out a laugh, and after a moment, you join in too. Your happy moment was cut short though, when Sheriff Galpin and a group of cops stroll into the quad. You watch as Principal Weems walks up to him just to get ignored.

“Gomez Addams.” He calls, walking straight up to Wednesday’s Dad. The man stands up and looks at him, putting on a charismatic smile.

“How can I help you, sheriff?”

“You’re under arrest for the murder of Garrett Gates.” He cuffs him. You stare in shock for a moment before looking at Wednesday, she looks slightly shocked. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have a right to an attorney,” He starts pushing him through the quad, as Wednesday’s brother stands up looking absolutely heartbroken. “If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you.”

“What the hell?” Riley asks, breaking the silence that fell upon your table.

—

“Wednesday?” You call, chasing the girl up the stairs.

“What? I have things to attend to.” You catch up to her.

“What happened back there? Are you okay?”

“Other than having a disgrace for a father, I am fine.” She grits out.

“Did Sheriff Galpin say he murdered someone?”

“Yes, he did.”

“Well, did he? Murder someone?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to find out.” She stops and turns to you. “Since when are we speaking again?” You bite your cheek.

“Since I saw your dad get arrested for murder and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I thought you hated me.” Maybe Riley was right, you think to yourself.

“I was hurt. I felt… played.” You murmur, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

“That was not my intention. Now if you will excuse me, I have a murder to solve.” She walks past you without another word. You shake your head and turn around to go find your family once again.

—

The next day, you and your family sat on a picnic blanket with Xavier, chatting about the moving plans. Xavier even offered to help, which your dad took him up on immediately.

In the back of your head, though, all you could think about was Wednesday. Her words sounded in your head repeatedly, “That was not my intention.”

You wondered what she could mean by that. Did she not mean to hurt you? Was she not playing you? You were still trying to figure out whether her whole I Don’t Care act was real or fake. Half of you believed it was the former, the other believed she was just using you this whole time.

“Y/N.” You snap out of your daydream and glance up startled. Wednesday was standing in front of you, her eyes trained on you and only you. Your family, however, all looked at her.

“Wednesday. What can I do for you?”

“I need to talk to you in private.” You gave a tight lipped smile to your family and stood up before following Wednesday who had started walking as soon as you moved. Once you’re far away from the other families, she turns to you. “I talked to Sheriff Galpin about Garrett Gates, the man my father is accused of murdering. He isn’t budging much.”

“Have you talked to your Mom?”

“Mother isn’t being very forthcoming. I will try again, though.”

“I hope it goes well. For what it's worth, I don’t think your dad murdered him. Too bad you can’t do your own autopsy on the body, huh?” She looks down for a moment before her eyes widen a bit.

“You’re a genius. I have to go.” She scurries off leaving you standing alone by the tree line, confused.

—

That night, everyone gathered in the quad to say their goodbyes. Your least favorite part of the weekend.

“You better come visit now that you guys will only be a state away.” You say into your dad’s shoulder.

“I will, Pumpkin. I promise.” You move onto Silena next, hugging her almost as tightly as you hugged your dad.

“You too.”

“I will, don’t you worry. You need to call me once in a while!” She pulls away and glares at you.

“I will! I promise!” She shakes her head and kisses your cheek before letting you go. You go up to Riley and he meets you with a bear hug. “I’m gonna miss you, Riles. Have fun at college.”

“I will, I’m going to a party as soon as I get home.” You pull away to give him a suspicious look. “Okay fine no I’m not. I actually have a test.” You laugh.

“I hope you fail miserably.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” He replies sarcastically.

“Okay, we need to load up. Come one now.” Your dad says as he looks at his watch. “Be good, Y/N. I love you.”

“I love you too, Pops. Bye Riles I love you. And bye-bye Silena I love you the most.” Silena gives her very best evil laugh as your dad and brother glare at her.

—

“Y/N.” You turn around from your dorm door to see Wednesday leaving hers.

“Hey! How’d it go with your Dad?”

“He’s a free man. Garrett Gates was killed by nightshade poisoning. Not my dad.”

“How’d you find that out?”

“I did what you said.” You tilt your head to the side.

“What did I say?”

“To perform my own autopsy. His bones were blue.”

“Wait, what? Did you go grave robbing?” You ask, shocked.

“Yes. I even spent a couple hours in jail. It would have been enjoyable if it were not for my parents and their incessant pda.” You laugh slightly.

“They seem very in love.”

“Sickingly so.”

“I’m glad you figured it out.” You give her a small smile.

“I should have told you the truth about the note.” She says after a beat, almost pained.

“Yes you should’ve. I forgive you, though.” She nods once. “Why didn’t you?”

“I didn’t want to.” Your heart stops for a moment, but before you can think of a reply, Enid walks up the stairs.

“Are you two talking again!?” She asks gleefully.

“Yes, we are.” You respond, making eye contact with Wednesday who softens slightly.

“I’m so glad! I hated the past week, like I think I might be traumatized. I cannot have my two besties not talking.” She swings an arm around your neck as she continues to talk about her “trauma” from the past week. You don’t pull your eyes away from Wednesday’s though.

Chapter Text

Birthdays stopped meaning much to you when you were thirteen. It was then that you realized you would have as many as you wanted, and decided to only celebrate the ones up until you turn fifty and stop aging. Still, your idea of celebrating was different from others. You didn’t tell anyone when your day came along, and just went on a long run followed by a day in the art studio.

You did love celebrating other people’s birthday’s, though, which is why you’re currently hiding in Crackstones Crypt with your fellow Nightshades, Ajax, Kent, Xavier, Davina, and Yoko, waiting for Enid to come along with Wednesday. When Enid told you it was Wednesday’s birthday, you came up with the idea of throwing her a party in the crypt, and Enid was quick to agree.

“She’s coming in! Places!” You whisper-shout. You all rush to hide as the door opens slowly. From where you are, you can see Wednesday shining a flash light around and inspecting the crypt. Kent coughs, and you all send him a glare.

“Whoever you are, show yourself.” Wednesday says, pointing the flashlight your way. “Try anything and you’ll lose limbs.” You grin and stand up with the others.

“Surprise!” You all exclaim. Her face immediately drops.

“Happy birthday to you,” Enid walks in with the lit cake as you all start singing. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Wednesday, happy birthday to you.” You all walk in front of her. She turns to Thing who snuck up behind her.

“I should’ve known you were behind this. What part of no party under the penalty of death did you not understand?” You furrow your brows, previously under the impression Wednesday would enjoy this. That’s how Enid and Thing made it sound, anyways.

“Y/N did the cake design! But the pink balloon was my touch.” Enid chimes. “Why don’t you make a wish?” The pig-tailed girl turns back to Thing, but something catches her eye.

“Wait, it’s latin.” She bends down and looks at some writing on the wall. The cake totally forgotten much to Enid’s dismay. “Fire will rain when I rise. That was burnt into the lawn..” You walk over to get a good look at it. The cryptic message sent shivers down your spine when you saw it last week, but you assumed it was Lucas and his buddies playing another prank.

“We’re never eating that cake, are we?” Ajax asks, his voice laced with disappointment. Enid blows out the candles as Wednesday reaches forward and touches the letters. Once she gets to the middle, her head snaps back and you react before you can think and catch her.

“Shit!” You yell.

“Oh my god! What happened?” Davina screeches.

“She’s having a vision, fuck.” You gently adjust yourself so that you can pick her up. Though you yourself aren’t super tall, you’re taller than Wednesday, and picking her up is easy. “We should get back to Nevermore.”

—

It was rare that you went to Jericho without being dragged by your friends, but today was one of those days. You hit up your usual spots, Uriah’s Heap, some bookstores, and some convenience stores before heading into The Weathervane to finish your evening off with a coffee. When you walk in, you immediately spot Wednesday reading a book. You smirk and walk over.

“Hey birthday girl.” You say in a hushed tone, sitting down across from her. “How’s today been?”

“Not nearly as torturous as I wish.” She replies bitterly. You give a breathy laugh.

“What are you reading?”

“A book about Crackstone. I need to know how he’s connected to all this.” You hum.

“I hope you can. Do you want coffee? On me.”

“No need.” You look up to see Tyler standing with a smile. He sets down a latte with “Happy Birthday” written in the foam. “I know you’re usually a quad kind of girl but I’ve been working on that all week.

“Birthday, yes. Happy, never.” She replies. “Is there anyone Thing didn’t tell?”

“Well who do you think delivered the cake?” She glances between the two of you. You raise an eyebrow at him, Enid didn’t tell you where she got the cake from, now you see why. “I went with a ninety-eight percent dark chocolate ganache knowing you’re… preferred color pallet.” You roll your eyes, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Wednesday. Tyler points to the knitted… snood? On the table. “Is that Enid’s gift?”

“It’s perfect if you’re fleeing a war-torn country on foot.”

“Oh come on, don’t you like a day that’s all about you?”

“Every day is all about me. This one just comes with cake and a bad song.” He nods slowly.

“So… If I asked you out to a non-birthday, song-free dinner…Would that be something you’re interested in?” She once again looks at you, this time, though, you’re staring at Tyler with a scowl. He doesn’t pay any mind. For a moment, you wonder if she was going to accept.

“I have a tight deadline. Emphasis on dead.”

“Term paper?” He asks, deflated.

“It’s about how whitewashing the sins of our past will come back to kill us all.” He nods.

“Oh. Well, good luck.” He goes back to the counter.

“Cruel. I like it.” You say, a smile spreading across your cheeks. Wednesday rolls her eyes and pulls out a paper from the book in her hands. She slides it across the table and you grab it. It’s a drawing of a gate. You immediately recognise it from the art shed. “I’ve seen this, I think Xavier drew a picture of this gate a while ago.” She shuts the book and grabs her bag.

“Show me.”

—

The tune of Scuiri Scuira by the Blonde Redheads reaches you as you approach the open art shed, you walk in, nodding your head along slightly. Xavier is painting, but he looks at you with a smile when you walk in.

“I need your help.” Wednesday says behind you. Xavier’s smile turns into that of a cocky grin causing her to roll her eyes. “Don’t gloat.”

“What do you need, some drawing lessons?” She hands him the drawing. “Line works a little shaky.” You turn the music down and go over to your heart. You finished it last night, but it wasn’t fully dried by the time you left in the morning. It came out better than you thought. Thing walks over to the corner of the room and snoops around a bit.

“I saw that in a vision, I was hoping you’d recognise it. Y/N said she thinks you’ve drawn it.”

“Yeah.” He points to a drawing on the wall.

“When did you draw this?”

“A couple days ago. I started having those dreams again, like before.” He sits down on his stool. You walk over, worried, and place a hand on his shoulder.

“Was the monster in them?”

“No, but I could feel it in the shadows. You know, kind of lurking in the back of my mind.” He looks at you and smiles. “I’m okay though, Mom.” You shove his shoulder.

“Pardon me for being worried.” You mumble with an eyeroll.

“Focus. Do you know where this is?”

“It’s the old Gates mansion. I pass it on my solo runs.” You glare at him.

“You go on solo runs? What the hell man!”

“I can never keep up with you!” Thing snaps twice causing you all to look at him. He pulls a sheet off of a canvas revealing a painting of Wednesday playing the cello. It’s good, but a little creepy. Wednesday walks over to it. “Listen.. After I found you guys in here I wanted to forget about you but I couldn’t, so I just painted.” You glare at him. How many guys were going to hit on your crush today? You weren’t sure if you could handle another.

“You are so creepy.” You say. Wednesday doesn’t say anything, she just turns around and leaves, with you and Thing hot on her trail. “Sorry about him.”

“It’s fine. You and I are going to break into the Gates mansion.” You raise your brows.

“Oh are we now?” She stops and turns to you. “Okay sorry, of course I’ll come.”

—

The sun is almost set by the time you arrive. You open the gate wordlessly and hold it open for Wednesday, she walks through and leads the way. The mansion is overgrown and falling apart, but there’s something about it you can’t help but be obsessed with. She leads you to the front doors, a beautiful ornate wood set, but as you study them, you can see movement through the glass. Wednesday sees it too, so she grabs your wrist and you run behind some bushes on the side of the mansion. Mayor Walker walks out, you and Wednesday share a look of confusion. She studies him as he walks over to his car, and by the look on her face, you know you’re about to be pulled into something bad.

“Thing, a distraction.” She looks at you. “Follow my lead.” The mayor picks up his phone and tries to call someone, but you can tell he gets a voicemail by what he says next.

“Sheriff, pick up your damn phone. It’s Noble. Listen, I may have figured out who’s behind all of this.” Thing throws a pebble, making him turn around to look for the source. “It’s a long shot so I’m going to have to lay it out for you.” Wednesday grabs your hand and lightly runs behind him and over to the trunk of his car, which she opens and climbs into. You give her a panicked look, but climb in too.

The trunk is cramped with the two of you in it, you have to lay down if you want to avoid being seen by Walker, so you end up laying down in the fetal position, facing Wednesday. You look at everything but her. With her face this close to your own, you were nervous enough as it is. Her deep brown eyes would only worsen that feeling. Wednesday, however, stared at you the entire ride.

When Mayor Walker finally gets out of the car, you slowly sit up to watch him walk up to the Weathervane. As he crosses the street, though, a car shows up and slams into him at full speed before driving away as fast as it can. You let out a shocked sound, and look at Wednesday whose brows are furrowed. You open the trunk and both of you get out, running over to the mayor just as Sheriff Galpin does.

“Call nine-one-one!” He makes eye contact with both you and Wednesday and sneers.

—

After hours of questioning from the police and Weems, the only punishment you received was no more off campus privileges. You didn’t mind much though, you probably wouldn’t even want to go into town until they’re restored. However, knowing Wednesday, you’ll probably be sneaking off campus in no time.

“Do you have your car yet?” Wednesday asks, scaring the daylight out of you as you grab a book from a shelf.

“Shit! Wednesday!” You grab your heart and catch your breath. “I seriously need you to stop that. And no, my dad is supposedly fixing it when he moves into his new shop. There’s no telling whether that’s true though.”

“I need to get back to the mansion tonight. Any suggestions?”

“We can always walk again.” You offer.

“It’s too risky with the monster still out there. Especially after what happened to Mayor Walker. I will not put your life in danger.” A slow smile appears on your face.

“My life, huh?”

“Are you not coming with me?”

“Well if you insist. I don’t know anyone with a car, you?” She sighs.

“Yes, but you’re not going to like it.” She raises a brow. “Think you can put your grudges on hold for a night?” You furrow your brows, a playful smile on your lips.

“I suppose so. Who is it?”

“You’ll see tonight. Meet at the gates at eight.” You nod.
—

When you arrive at the gates, Wednesday is getting into a car with who you quickly realize is Enid. You get in the backseat and scowl when you realize whose car it is.

“Really, you called Tyler?” You ask Wednesday.

“Play nice.” She says.

“Uh, Wednesday… I thought this was a date.” Your jaw slightly drops.

“I thought this was a girls night out!” Enid exclaims.

“What is going on here?” You ask.

“There’s been a change of plans.” Wednesday says ominously.

“Wait, so are we not going to the Gates mansion?”

“We are, they just didn’t know it.”

“Okay but did you have to tell him it was a date?” You lean forward, looking directly into Wednesday’s eyes. At this point, she knew your feelings for her, so there was no point in hiding it. “Could’ve told me it was, I would’ve come more enthusiastically.”

“You have plenty of enthusiasm as it is. What do you need more for?” You sigh.

“Okay can you two not flirt right in front of me?” Tyler says, you turn and flash your fangs at him.

“Don’t piss me off.” You spit.

“Drive.”

“So, um. What are you two wearing?” You glance between Enid and Wednesday.

—

If you loved the Gates mansion during the day, it was something of your dreams at night. You were the first out of the car when you arrived, you bounded over to the gates like it was a museum.

“We’re not going in there… right?” Enid asks, coming up behind you just as Wednesday reaches your side.

“I know.” You and Wednesday both reply. She starts picking the lock on the gate.

“Okay, this isn’t what I signed on for.” Tyler says warily.

“Ditto!”

“I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday by going to dinner or a surprise party.” She pulls the lock off and turns back. “I want to do this.”

“Count me the fuck in.” You say, grinning.

“You should’ve just said so, you didn’t have to trick us.” Tyler continues.

“If you wanna go you can. Y/N and I are going to check out the garage.” You practically swoon. Wednesday leads you over to the garage doors and tries to get them open to no avail.

“Let me try.” Tyler walks over and tries, pulling on the door as hard as he can, but once again it doesn’t open. He sighs and turns to you guys. “This is pointless.”

“Can I try?” Enid asks shyly. She hands her flashlight to Wednesday and walks over to the set of doors, she pulls twice and it opens. She shrugs. “It’s a werewolf thing.” Wednesday walks in with the rest of you following behind. A red light flickers on as you inspect the room. Wednesday immediately walks over to a car covered by a sheet and removes it. It’s the blue convertible that hit Mayor Walker. You share a knowing look.

“This is the car that hit the mayor.” She says.

“Okay, this just took a dark turn. We need to call Tyler’s dad right freaking now!” Enid pleads. Wednesday turns to her and squints slightly.

“Why? So he can take us back to Nevermore and get us expelled? Not gonna happen.”

—

This adventure has proved to be your favorite yet also the worst so far. With the discovery of the Gates’ pilgrim worship altar, the missing body parts, and the hyde showing up, you definitely got your share of adrenaline. Now, though, you’re back in Tyler’s home, somewhere you never wanted to be, with him, Wednesday, Enid, and Xavier who showed up suspiciously soon after the hyde attacked Tyler.

You sit beside Enid as Xavier patches up Tyler and Wednesday paces the room.

“Not to make this about me, but I am having a full blown panic attack right now! We need to get back before Weems discovers we’ve been gone.” You grab Enid’s hand wordlessly just as the door opens and Sheriff Galpin walks in.

“What the hell happened?” He asks, he sizes up Wednesday before walking up to her angrily. “This was you, wasn’t it.” You stand up just as Tyler gets in between them.

“Wait, Dad, please. I’m okay.”

“Sheriff, I understand you’re upset, but I think you need to see something.”

—

“I don’t understand… it was all here.” Wednesday murmurs as you, her, and Sheriff Galpin look around the garage of the Gates Mansion. “The.. the body parts, the blue cadillac, the altar and the bedroom filled with fresh roses.” Wednesday says, utterly confused.

“Yeah, well, it’s all gone now.”

“Someone cleared it out after we left. Listen, yesterday, I told you all signs pointed to this house, and I was right.”

“So that’s your justification for almost getting your friends killed, huh? From this point forward, you are strictly forbidden from contacting my son, and you are forbidden from pursuing anything to do with this case, understood?” The heartbroken look on Wednesday’s face is hard for you to look at.

—

The walk of shame to your room is unbearable. Wednesday was able to convince Weems to let you go without repercussion, but you knew it was hard for her. You wanted nothing more than to hug her and tell her you weren’t upset.

Instead, you gave her a sad look and walked into your room, surprised to see a heap of pink sobbing into your bed.

“Enid?”

“Y/N, can I sleep here tonight? Please?” Enid asks with tears in her eyes. “I can’t be around Wednesday right now.” You frown.

“She didn’t mean to put us in trouble.”

“Are you seriously defending her after what happened tonight? I'm actually traumatized, N/N!” You purse your lips and sigh.

“Fine, stay as long as you need. Yoko won’t mind.”

“Thank you Y/N!” She gets up and hugs you tightly. You hug her back, exhausted.

Chapter Text

You’ve been to a few funerals in your lifetime. Your grandma, great aunt, your Mother’s best friend, and your mom’s when you were six. You usually check out at them, something about vampire funerals is different. A life supposed to last forever coming to an end was a strange experience for a young vampire such as yourself. The mood at vampire funerals is also very different, it was more of a celebration. It was their decision to die after all, and they all lived very long lives that lasted more than two hundred years each.

This was weird for you. Not only because it was a human dying, but because everyone was devastated by that fact. You couldn’t help but watch Lucas Walker and his sister throughout the whole ceremony. It almost touched you how upset they were.

But you had a job to do. The only reason why you’re even here is because Wednesday was sure his killer would show up to the funeral. You were tasked with keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious, but so far you haven’t seen much. The rain didn’t help, it was pouring out and Wednesday also tasked you with holding the umbrella you decided to share. It wasn’t until the end of the service when people started leaving that you saw someone in the tree line watching from afar. You elbowed Wednesday immediately and she followed your line of sight, as soon as she looked at them, they took off sprinting. Wednesday starts running, and you close the umbrella quickly before following.

It takes you less than a second to pass Wednesday, giving her the umbrella as you do, you chase the disguised figure through the forest until you lose it and come to a stop.

“Hello?” You ask, glancing around confused. Wednesday catches up and looks around too.

“Where’d they go?”

“I don’t kn– AH!” You feel an intense vibration spread throughout you from your back and fall forward. You can hear more electricity and then the cane in the umbrella falls onto you. You grunt and stand up, a completely white faced man stands in front of Wednesday wearing a sick grin.

“Still as sharp as ever, my pig-tailed protege.” You furrow your brows as you glance at Wednesday’s face and see a genuine smile erupt on her face. Your stomach twists in knots and you gulp.

“Uncle Fester?” She chuckles slightly.

“Oh my god.” You mutter, committing this moment to memory as you stare at the girl in awe. Fester takes off his hat and giggles. You grab the cane and the umbrella and fix the two before offering your hand to Wednesday’s apparent uncle. “I’m Y/N.” He takes it and gives you a small shock causing you to rip your hand away and rub it on your shirt. You frown at your friend. “He’s mean.”

“Fester Addams, nice to meet you! You know, I’ve always respected Vampires, one time I met a vampire who didn’t have fangs.”

“How’d they get blood?”

“Straws mostly.” You shake your head solemnly.

“No way to live. If you can’t bite a friend here and there, are you really living?” He sighs and shakes his head.

“That’s what I always say.” You tilt your head at him. Fester was most certainly not a vampire.

“How long have you been stalking me?” Wednesday says, starting to walk back towards the town.

“Just blew into town this morning and was hit with a wave of nostalgia.” The kooky man replies, catching up.

“I thought you didn’t go to Nevermore.”

“I didn’t. Your dad got all the brains. But I used to drop in on him.” He pauses. “Usually from the ceiling with a dagger in my teeth just to keep him on his toes!” He grins and Wednesday returns it.

“Of course.” She chuckles slightly. Oh what a beautiful sound. Fester comes to a stop and you almost run into him.

“He filled me in on what's been going on. Monsters, murder, mayhem… what fun!? I told him I had a job in Boston but that I’d come check up on you.” He gives her a softer smile.

“What kind of job?” He glances at you. “She won’t tell anyone anything. She’s a… friend.” You give her a sly grin. Maybe you do wish you’re more than a friend but at least she’s acknowledging that, right? Fester winces.

“If I were you I’d be pretty scared!”

“Of Wednesday? Always.”

“The job?”

“Let’s just say I’m going to need somewhere to lay low for the next few days.” He raises his eyebrows hopefully. Wednesday smiles again.

—

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been in here.” You say, looking around the bee shed.

“These are some sweet digs! Oo! It even comes with snacks!” Fester exclaims, walking over to the bees while rubbing his hands together.

“Those bees are hibernating. They’re practically Eugene’s children.” You give Wednesday a sympathetic look. You know how much she blames herself over him. Fester chuckles to himself and goes to get a handful of the bees. “That means do not eat them!” She yells. Fester turns around, one bee in his hands, and she glares at him until he puts it back with a shake of his head.

“You know, when you give me that death stare of disapproval, you remind me of your mother. Speaking of scary things, do you know what kind of monster you’re dealing with?” Wednesday pulls the folded up drawing of the monster out of her pocket and shows Fester.

“I haven’t been able to identify it.” Fester takes it and oohs.

“It’s called a hyde.” You and Wednesday share a look as he gives the paper back to her and she puts it back in her pocket.

“As in Jekyll and Hyde?” You ask, the book Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rushing back to you. He nods.

“You’ve seen one before?” Wednesday asks.

“Mhm, oh yeah. In ‘83 during my vacay at the Zurich Institute for the criminally insane. It’s where I got my first lobotomy!” You furrow your brows. “But you know, lobotomies are the same as tattoos, you can never just have one.” He shrugs.

“Tell us about the hyde.” He sighs.

“Olga Malacova. Jeez. She had it all. Beauty, brains, and a penchant for necrophilia.” He chuckles. “Olga was a concert pianist. Until one night she transformed in the middle of a Chopin sonata. Massacred a dozen audience members. And three music critics!” He smiles and nods.

“What triggered her? Or did she just change on her own?”

“No idea…” He shakes his head. “I only saw her in group electroshock therapy.” Wednesday huffs.

“There’s never been any mention of Hydes in any outcast book.” She seethes. “And Nevermore is reputed for having the best collection.”

“Yeah, I mean I only know the book. I didn’t know they were real carnivorous beings.” You add on.

“Have you tried Nathaniel Faulkner’s diary?” Wednesday looks at him blankly, he points at her and hums. “Before he founded Nevermore, Faulkner traveled the world, cataloguing every outcast community.”

“How do you know this?” She asks.

“You think your parents can’t keep their hands off each other now? Oy vey. I showed up unannounced one night in Gomez’s dorm. Let’s just say I wasn’t interrupting a pillow fight.” He giggles.

“Uncle Fester!” Wednesday reprimands. “The diary. Where is it?”

“Nightshades library.” You furrow your brows and exchange a look with Wednesday. “Your father parked me there and said I should settle in for a long stretch. That’s when I found this nifty little safe. I was hoping for a stash of jewels or cash but instead I found a diary.”

“I’ve never seen a safe in the Nightshades library.” You say.

“We’ll go tonight and Uncle Fester will show us it.” Wednesday responds. “In the meantime, lay low. And don’t touch the bees!” She grabs your forearm and drags you along as she leaves the shed.

“So… I’ve officially met one of your family members. Things between us really are getting serious, huh?” You say with a teasing grin.

“You’re delusional.” She lets go of your arm and wipes her hand off on her jacket.

“One day I’ll get you to admit that you like me.”

“I’d rather be covered in copperheads.”

“Sounds like a great Christmas present for you.”

—

“Jeez, what took you so long? You’re never late.” You say as Wednesday finally approaches the Edgar Allen Poe statue.

“I was busy dealing with a moody werewolf.”

“Enid? Be nice, she’s just hurting.”

“So I’ve been told. Come on.” She stands in front of the statue and snaps twice. You enter the secret library closely behind her. “Uncle Fester?” She calls out once she reaches the bottom. Instead of her uncle, Xavier walks out holding a book.

“Who’s ‘Uncle Fester’?” He asks.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well since I’m an actual Nightshade I don’t have to explain myself. What’s your excuse for creeping around in the middle of the night? And why are you dragging Y/N along with you again.” He places the book on a shelf.

“She wanted to come. We’re researching.” Xavier stops and turns to you guys.

“On the monster?” He takes a step forward. “I’ll save you some time, there’s nothing in here matching that thing.”

“Isn’t that convenient.” She replies, turning away.

“You know what your problem is?”

“Xavier.” You warn. Wednesday takes a deep, angry breath and walks towards him.

“I would love to hear your piercing insight.” He shakes his head and crosses his arms.

“You don’t know who your real friends are. I’ve been on your side since day one! I literally saved your life. I believed your theories when no one else did, and what do I get in return? Nothing but suspicion and lies. Not to mention the fact that you’re dragging my best friend with you everywhere turning her against me too! You’re fucking poisonous!” You’d be lying if you said that didn’t sting a bit. You glance down at your shoes.

“Fine, you want honesty? Here it is.” She takes a step forward. “Everytime the monster has attacked, you have been right there.” He scoffs. “Starting with Rowan at the harvest festival, then on outreach day, you arrived just minutes after the monster disappeared, yet you say you didn’t see it.”

“Didn’t realize proximity was a crime.” He raises his hands and storms past you.

“Then there’s your drawing obsession. You have drawn the monster dozens of times, yet you’ve never seen it, or so you claim. You even drew where it lived, and when Eugene and I went to investigate it, you tried to kill him so he wouldn’t expose your secret.” He takes a step towards Wednesday.

“You think I would hurt Eugene?”

“Let’s not forget your oh-so-convenient appearance after Tyler had been attacked at the Gates mansion.” He takes another step, this time getting right in Wednesday’s face. You love Xavier, you really do, but it takes everything in you not to growl at him.

“If I am the monster, then why haven’t I killed you yet?” Nope. You step in between them and let your fangs show.

“Back the hell off, Xavier. You really aren’t helping your case.” He scoffs, taking a step backwards.

“Back to thinking I’m the monster, huh?”

“Yeah. I am.” You say, not letting your voice waiver, feeling absolutely filled with guilt.

“I can’t believe you, of all people, are still buying into this shit. What happened to you coming to me for comfort after she betrayed you at the Rave’n. What happened to letting me spend all of parents weekend with you?” He shakes his head. “This is all bullshit. You can get your stuff out of my studio by tomorrow morning or it’s being trashed.” He storms out, leaving you crushed.

“Are you alright?” Wednesday asks quietly after a beat.

“Yeah. Where’s Fester?” On cue, he jumps out from being a pillar.

“How long have you been lurking?” Wednesday asks.

“Long enough to get a good slice of the drama! Things were getting pretty heated there. I love a good betrayal.” He giggles, before looking off to the side with his forehead scrunched together. “I’d recognise that patter anywhere…” Thing climbs up on a credenza, Fester immediately lights up and walks over there. “Hello Thing!” The hand stomps its thumb on the surface. “You can’t still be mad about the Kalamazoo job! It wasn’t my fault!” Thing wastes no time in jumping up and choking Fester out. You give a shocked look. “You said you could crack that safe in thirty seconds! Five minutes later we were still there.” Wednesday rolls her eyes.

“Enough.” Fester and Thing stare at her frozen in place, one of Thing’s fingers in the bald man’s mouth, the rest perched on his shoulder. He pulls it out slowly. “Show me the diary.” Thing shoves the finger previously in his mouth into Fester’s ear, who retaliates by electrocuting him. Fester then walks over to a painting on the wall of Ignatius Itt, a painting you’ve never paid too much mind to.

“Iggy was Faulkner’s right hand. Trained generations of Nightshades. And behind Iggy Itt…” Thing hops up and swings the portrait to the side revealing an old safe. The hand climbs up a stack of books and then cracks his knuckles. “Can you crack this one smoothly or do I have time for a snooze?” Thing tries different combinations, at least ten, before finally it cracks open. Wednesday reaches forward and opens it fully, the only thing there is a journal, just as Fester remembered. She grabs it and studies it with amazement. Going as far as to give you and Fester each a miniscule smile. You internalize it immediately, because, of course you do.

—

“Now these are some sweet digs!” Fester exclaims, looking out of Wednesday’s spiderlike window. You scrunch up your nose.

“Nah. Too much sun in the daytime. I’d burn up.”

“You handle it just fine outside.” Wednesday replies.

“Do you ever see me spending too long outside in the sun?” She thinks about it for a moment.

“No.”

“Exactly.”

“How’d you swing a single?” Fester asks.

“My former roommate couldn’t handle my toxic personality.” You furrow your brows.

“Wait, what do you mean former? Enid's coming back to your dorm, right?”

“That is her decision.” Your eye twitches slightly.

“I love Enid, but I cannot keep sharing my room with her, I’m going crazy. She and Yoko are up all night.” Wednesday gives you a questioning look.

“So are you.”

“Yeah but at least I’m not loud.” You huff. She rolls her eyes and turns back to flipping the journal's pages. She stops and her breath hitches, so you and Fester both rush over. The pages she was on detailed the hyde.

“Here it is. Faulkner describes hydes as artists by nature, but equally vindictive in temperament." She glances at you and you immediately understand. Xavier. “Born of mutation, the hyde lay dormant until unleashed by a traumatic event or unlocked through chemical inducement or hypnosis. This act causes the hyde to develop an immediate bond with its liberator who the creature now sees as its master.” She pauses. You can feel your heart speed up, this is the closest you’ve gotten to finding this creature in the entire month you’ve been looking. “It becomes the willing instrument in its master’s agenda.”

“Anyone willing to unlock a hyde is a next level sicko.”

“So, we’re not looking for one killer, but two.” You say, your voice shaky.

“The monster and its master.” Wednesday confirms. You go to speak again, to ask what the plan is from here, but before you can, someone knocks on the door and quickly opens it. Ms. Thornhill walks in with a smile. You glance behind you where Fester just was, but he’s nowhere in sight.

“I didn’t mean to startle you two. What are you doing in here, Y/N? It's about to be lights out.”

“Well Enid’s been staying in my room and it's a bit crowded for my liking.” You blurt out.

“That’s actually what I came to discuss with Wednesday, Enid has requested to move into Y/N and Yoko’s dorm for the rest of the semester.” Wednesday seems genuinely surprised at this, and you can’t help the scared expression your face contorts into.

“She did?” You both ask.

“When there’s a falling out, I like to get both girls’ perspective on what happened. You two seemed as thick as thieves!” She glances at you. “And so did you and Enid, are you not looking forward to sharing with her?”

“Ultimately thieves turn on each other. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“And I love Enid but the room is a bit cramped.”

“Deflect all you want but we all know you care for Enid. And, Wednesday, you have to admit, she did manage to bring out a warm spark in you. Oh, don’t worry, just a tiny spark.” She smiles softly. Wednesday crosses her arms. “Part of the dorm experience is making friends with people who you wouldn’t usually connect with. And those friendships often turn into lifelong bonds.”

“I would rather buy a rope.”

“Is it really so difficult for you to admit you made a friend and now that she’s gone you might actually miss her?” Thornhill asks, exasperated.

“I’ll survive alone.” You glare at her.

“What am I, chopped liver?”

“Practically.”

“Okay then. How about you and Enid just switch dorms then?” You furrow your brows.

“Wait, what?”

“I think that might work well. I’ll put in the paperwork for your transfer. You have until the end of the week to change your mind.” She gives you both a smile and then walks out.

“Fucking hell.” You mumble, rubbing your face.

“Uncle Fester?” Wednesday calls out. A stuffed animal falls from Enid’s pile of them, she walks over. “Uncle Fester?” You watch with a raised brow as Wednesday removes one of the stuffies revealing Fester’s face.

“Hey! This will have some perks! At least you two will have more alone time!” He gives an exaggerated wink. You look at him in horror.

—

“Okay, why are we meeting here again?” You ask as you, Wednesday, and Fester all walk into the Weathervane.

“Uncle Fester and I found some information on Xavier we thought you should know.” She walks over to her regular booth. You sit next to her and Fester sits across from you.

“How? What information?”

“We followed him this morning. He’s been having secret meet ups with Kinbott.” She pulls Faulkner’s journal out of her bag.

“Wait, what?”

“She has to be his master.”

“You followed Xavier?”

“Yes. I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d one: feel guilty for some strange reason I cannot begin to understand, and two: because you would probably try and talk me out of it.”

“Fine. You might be right.”

“As usual. Anyways, the hyde lays dormant until unleashed by a traumatic event or unleashed by chemical inducement or hypnosis. She must have figured out he’s a hyde and used hypnotherapy to unlock him.”

“That makes sense. There’s still part of me that can’t believe it though.” Her eyes soften at you just slightly, not a lot, but just enough for you to notice.

“Your emotions sicken me.” You glare at her.

“I think the kid behind the counter has clocked me…” You glance over to see Tyler looking at you guys. You groan. “Yup. He’s walking over. I’m gonna put him in a Romanian Sleeper Hold.”

“Please do.” You say eagerly, a smile taking over your face.

“Stop, he’s not here for you.” You scowl at Wednesday’s defense.

“Hey, uh, made you a quad on the house.” Tyler sets down a mug in front of Wednesday. Fester giggles.

“Thanks kid!” He grabs the mug and downs it. He grabs the ketchup bottle and hands it to him. “I need a refill on this puppy.” Tyler stares at it puzzled.

“This is my Uncle Fester.”

“Oh! Uh, nice to meet you.” He offers him his hand to shake, Fester takes it and zaps him, making Wednesday smile slightly, and you grin. “Woah, is that the monster?” He invites himself to sit down with you, causing you to scoot into Wednesday.

“It's called a hyde.” She pushes the book to him. “Your father gave you explicit instructions not to be near me.”

“Yeah, well my dad’s not here and I’m on break.”

“Well I’m here.” You spit.

“Apparently the hyde needs to be unlocked by someone. Its master.”

“Holy shit.” He murmurs.

“Tyler! What did I say?” You glance behind you to see Sheriff Galpin walking up to the booth. Tyler jumps up immediately, and when you look forward, Fester is no where to be seen. You and Wednesday both stand up too.

“For the record, I was the one who sat down with Wednesday.” The sheriff looks between his son and Wednesday before sighing.

“Alright. Here,” He hands him a flyer. “It’s a bank robber suspect. And he’s a real creep. You haven’t seen him, have you?” You look at the paper and raise your eyebrows when you see the suspect is Fester. You share a look with Wednesday.

“No.” She replies.

“Yeah, he’d be pretty hard to miss. I’ll pin it on the bulletin board.” The sheriff looks at Wednesday and then shakes his head before leaving.

“Thank you. But you didn’t have to do that.”

“Are you kidding me? Y/N probably would’ve drained my blood right here right now if I said anything. Plus, I wouldn’t want to.. Incriminate… your family.” He pauses. “So.. um about rescheduling our date.”

“Between the monster and my uncle I–”

“No excuses. How about tonight? At eight?” Wednesday glances at you with wide eyes.

“She’s busy going out with me tonight, actually.” You say with a sickly sweet smile. “Right Wednesday?” She just nods once, her eyes going back to their usual dead stare.

“Oh. Um right. Okay.” The boy frowns.

“Okay. Can we go now? The normie-stench is killing me.” You ask Wednesday with a slight whine to your voice.

“Getting hungry?” Tyler asks. You turn at him with wide eyes.

“If I was, you’d be the first to know.” You flash your fangs.

“Alright, down dog. Let’s go.” Wednesday grabs your forearm and drags you out of the cafe as you gape at her.

“You did not just call me a dog! And after I got you out of a date with that normie loser too!”

“Speaking of, I wasn’t aware we had something planned tonight.” She stops, still on the sidewalk outside of the Weathervane.

“We don’t I just said that to–” She gives you an exasperated look, her eyebrows raised. “Oh! I mean, of course we do! We’re going on a date.”

“Where?”

“Um… it’s a surprise…” You say slowly, thinking of your words as they fall out of your mouth. “Just meet me at the gates at eight.” You run away from her in the direction of the shops.

—

So you had about four hours to prepare for your date with Wednesday. You spent a small fortune on a boatload of battery operated candles, a picnic blanket, and some flashlights, before heading over to the Nevermore graveyard and setting up a picnic. By the time you were done, you had just enough time to make it back to Nevermore and change into comfier clothes before going to the gates where Wednesday was already waiting.

“Late to our first date? Not a great sign.” She says annoyed when you show up. You check the time.

“I’m one minute early, actually. Not my fault someone is eager.”

“Eager to go to bed, maybe.”

“Whatever, I know you’re obsessed with me.” You offer her your hand which she studies for a moment before taking. You smile at the win and start leading her to the cemetery.

“So, where is it that we’re going?” She asks after a moment.

“It’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises.”

“Don’t whine, we’re almost there.” You approach the cemetery gates with a small smile, once your there, you let go of Wednesday’s hand and stand in front of her. “Here.” You hand her a flashlight from your bag and take out your own. “For when it gets dark.” You explain.

“The cemetery.”

“The cemetery! I’ve always wanted to explore one at night and I thought maybe you’d like to as well? There might be a picnic waiting for us, too.” You pause. “So? Do you like it?”

“It’s adequate.” You grin.

“Great, c’mon.” You grab her wrist and drag her into the graveyard, you stop at each grave and read the inscriptions with Wednesday. She stares at you with a small curve of her upper lip every once in a while, each time you catch her, she returns back to her cold stare. You don’t mind though. How could you? She’s there with you.

Once you’ve made it to the back fence, you lead her over to the picnic you’ve set up. You both sit down and you start unloading food. It’s mostly things you’ve seen Wednesday eat around mealtimes, trying to play it safe. And it pays off, as she eats at least one bite from everything you packed for her.

“Sorry it’s all store bought, I didn’t have a whole lot of time to prepare.” You say, scrunching up your nose.

“You bought all this?”

“Well yeah, you think I just have thirty battery operated candles laying around?” She gives you a pointed look. “Okay, yeah, I see where you’re coming from. I am already planning how I’ll repurpose these.”

“Of course.”

“So, come up with any ideas on how to take down Kinbott and Xavier?” She shakes her head.

“Not yet. There’s something I’m missing, I can tell.” You purse your lips.

“You’ll figure it out. I know you will.” She looks at you with soft eyes.

“Thank you… for helping me with the investigation.” Her voice is light, but you could tell it took a lot out of her to say that.

“Anytime.” You smile. “Hey, you know, I never gave you a gift for your birthday.” You reach into your bag beside you and pull out the heart you sculpted. “It’s not much but…”

“It’s perfect. Thank you.” She takes it and studies it in her hands for a moment before looking back at you. You make eye contact with her before flickering your sight down to her lips, it’s slight, but she notices it. You start to lean in, but before your lips can meet, a flashlight blinds both of you.

“What the hell!” You both look up to see Sheriff Galpin standing in front of you with two officers behind him. “What are you two doing out here?” You glance at each other. “You know what? I don’t care, just get back to the school. Now.” He turns around and ushers the officers away. You huff.

“Only my first date would get ruined by a normie.”

—

Around two hours later, Wednesday barges into your room and tells you to go with her. You immediately follow, ignoring the curious gazes of Yoko and Enid. She takes you back to her dorm which is completely trashed.

“What happened?”

“When I came back to my dorm it was like this.” She replies.

“Why’d you take so long to come get me? Is there anything missing?”

“They took Faulkner’s diary, but worse, whoever destroyed my room also tried to kill Thing.” You look at her shocked.

“What? Is he okay?”

“He’s alright now. He’s with Fester, he’ll keep him safe.” You place a hand on Wednesday’s shoulder.

“That’s a lot, though.”

“That’s not all. Bianca and Lucas Walker gave me this.” She hands you a file on Laurel Gates. “Apparently before his death, Mayor Walker was looking into Laurel Gates.” You glance through the papers. “She has to be Kinbott. I mean, think about it, the fresh flowers in Laurel’s room were the same I saw Kinbott leaving in Eugene’s room. She also likes hypnotherapy. Not even to mention the fact that she’s been holding secret sessions with Xavier.”

“Dear god.” You whisper. “I knew you’d figure it out. What do we do now?”

“I’m going to confront Kinbott tomorrow and then call Sheriff Galpin to arrest Xavier. You might want to stay away from the art shed. Check on Thing for me while I handle the rest.” As much as you feel like she’s brushing you off, you also don’t particularly want to be there for Xavier’s arrest, so you nod.

—

You watched Xavier get taken away from your balcony. Thing sent you away an hour ago, signing that he was feeling better now and to go find Wednesday. You knew where she was though, and you didn’t think you could stand finding her. And you were right. Watching from a distance was hard enough.

You ended up calling Riley. He couldn’t believe it. You still barely can. But you stayed outside long after the call, soaking up the sunlight that burned your skin until the sun finally set. It was then that Wednesday showed up.

“Hey. Everything go well?” You wipe your eyes off. She leans on the railing beside you.

“It went fine.” She looks at you. “You’re not wearing your makeup.” She observes.

“Nope… I took it off earlier.”

“You look… dreadful.” You raise your eyebrow.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Yes.” You smile slightly.

“Well, thanks then. I guess.”

“Did you watch from up here?”

“Yeah. I saw Thing first, of course. But after an hour I think he got tired of me.” You give a breathy laugh.

“I told you not to watch.”

“I know. I should’ve listened but I needed to see it for it to really click, I think.” She nods.

“This whole thing has taught me a lot.” You glance at her.

“Like what?”

“Like who I can trust.”

“Really? Am I on that list?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” You giggle.

“That’s good news. What does it mean, though? That you’re ready for a second date?” She looks away from you, but shuffles closer, and closer, till her arm is against yours. She stares into your eyes, and this time, she’s the first to look at your lips, right before she leans in slowly, almost unsure of her actions. You meet her half way, kissing her softly. When you pull away, you smile and reach your hand up to her cheek. She smiles slightly too, and then leans back in, kissing you once more. This time though, her head snaps back right after your lips meet, and her eyes go back. Your eyes widen as you stabilize her. She comes to quickly, out of breath and frantic.

“It’s not Xavier. It’s Tyler. The hyde is Tyler.” She blurts. Your heart drops.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean it’s Tyler?” You ask, starting to shake at this point. Wednesday grabs your shoulders.

“Go get the Nightshades. We’re gonna need some help.”

—

Luring Tyler here was easier than you thought. All Wednesday needed to do was ask him to meet up from Enid’s phone, and he was right where you needed him. There were ruins nearby Nevermore, so you and the Nightshades all hid behind columns while Wednesday waited in plain sight.

“Hey… I was surprised you wanted to see me.” Tyler says as he approaches Wednesday. “I kind of thought you and Y/N were… you know, together.” He smiles. “So is this a date?”

“It’s a surprise.” Wednesday replies. The normie boy chuckles and takes a step closer, way too close for your liking. Wednesday walks right past him though. “When I came to Nevermore, romance was the last thing on my mind. But you opened my eyes. And suddenly, it all makes sense.” Tyler lets out a breathy laugh again, clearly confused. “Xavier and Y/N warned me about you, but I didn’t listen.”

“Ironic now, huh?

“Ironic would’ve been framing Xavier for the murders while the real Hyde helped me put him away.”

“Wait… You don’t think–”

“I don’t think. I know.” She takes a step towards him. “Kinbott probably discovered your secret during one of your sessions. So she unlocked you. But why’d you kill her? I thought Hydes were typically loyal to their masters.”

“Wednesday this is nuts..”

“On outreach day, I told you I was going to the meeting house. You tried to stop Y/N from coming with me. Did Kinbott send you to try and spy on me? I have to hand it to you, Tyler. Wounding yourself at the Gates’ mansion, that was a masterstroke of misdirection.”

“Okay stop! Do you know how insane you sound right now?” He asks, panic lacing his voice. “I’m not a monster. And if you really thought that I was, why would you risk bringing me to the woods alone?”

“Who said I was alone?” You nod to your fellow Nightshades, and all of you walk out, surrounding Tyler.

“Okay, I don’t know what kind of sick joke you're playing, but I’m out of here.” He tries walking away, but you place your hand on his chest and shove him backwards.

“Oh no you’re not.” You glance at Bianca, understanding her cue, she walks over.

“You’re coming with us.” She siren-songs him.

—

You make sure each window is covered in the art studio as Wednesday finishes tying Tyler up. He struggles against the chair, but the chain is too tight for it to matter.

“Where the hell am I?” He asks.

“Somewhere no one can hear you scream.”

“What’s with the chains?” He yells, pulling on them more.

“Don’t ask stupid questions.” You walk over to her side.

“Wednesday, this is crazy, I’m a normie.”

“That’s only half true.” Wednesday grabs a photo of an old fencing team. “Do you recognise her?” She points to one of the girls in the back. “Perhaps if I hadn’t been so distracted by my own mother hogging this photo, I would’ve noticed yours in the back. Your father fell in love with and married an outcast.”

“Fine! My Mom was an outcast, that doesn’t make me a monster!”

“According to her personal medical records-” She says, grabbing a file.

“You stole my mom’s medical records?”

“Thing did, from your garage. Her post-partum depression triggered her condition.”

“My mom had severe bipolar disorder.” Wednesday takes a step closer to him, getting in his face.

“We both know that’s a lie. She was a hyde. And your father has been living his life in dread, never really quite knowing if she had passed her condition onto you.”

“Are you really all just gonna stand there and let her do this?” He yells, looking around the room.

“Uh, guys? Enid just texted. Thornhills suspicious.” Ajax sounds. “How long till he morphs into that… thing?”

“I’m not the monster!”

“You are. I saw it in a vision. You, morphing into the hyde and chasing Y/N.” You furrow your brows. She didn’t tell you that.

“Wait, he’s doing what in the vision?” She sets her bag down and takes out a saw.

“You’re basing all this after some vision you had? Is that something you can trust?”

“Wednesday, what are you doing?” Bianca asks, eyeing the saw.

“Just some light torture. Don’t worry. It won’t leave a mark.”

“Wednesday, hold on.”

“Wait, are you being serious?” Ajax asks. Wednesday turns to him.

“There’s only one thing that a Hyde understands. Pain.” She grabs a taser out of her pocket and tases Tyler's neck. Everyone around you yells for her to stop until Bianca pulls her off of him.

“That’s it! I’m out!” Yoko exclaims, storming out. Kent, Davina, and Ajax all follow too.

“Wednesday, I didn’t sign up for this. Let’s go to Weems. Explain everything.” Bianca pushes.

“Weems won’t help. And Tyler is always one step ahead of his father.” She pulls out another taser. Bianca glances at you.

“You heard her, he’s chasing me in that vision. I’m fast but not that fast, Bianca. This is our only shot.” You say, desperate.

“You guys are on your own.” She shakes her head as she walks out.

“Don’t– No! Don’t leave me here with them! Please! Don’t!” Tyler screams. Wednesday tases him again to shut him up.

—

“What is Kinbott, or should I say Laurel Gates, using you for?”

“Wednesday please…”

“Tyler, the body parts in the basement of the Gates’ mansion. What was she collecting them for?”

“I don’t understand, why are you doing this!?” She sighs and grabs a hammer, just as she does though, you hear sirens sound and see red and blue lights outside the studio.

“Wednesday!” You shout. “Put it down!” Before she can react, though, Sheriff Galpin storms in with his gun on Wednesday.

“Step away from my son! Drop it!” Another officer comes in and grabs you, cuffing you immediately.

—

“What were you thinking!?” Weems scolds as she escorts you out of your cell.

“I was thinking that he was going to kill me! Wednesday had a vision of it!” You explain. She grabs your jacket and drags you out to the lobby of the station. Wednesday is still in Galpin’s office, but as soon as she sees you, she rushes out and gives you a once over. Galpin follows her out, a sneer stuck on his face.

“You two are lucky Sheriff Galpin isn’t pressing kidnapping charges given the circumstances.”

“Of course he’s not.” Wednesday spits. “How long have you known?”

“Excuse me?” He asks.

“Did you already know when I gave you that claw from the cave?”

“Wednesday, that is enough!” Weems yells.

“Xavier Thorpe is our hyde. We got evidence thanks to you. That’s why I’m giving you and your little girlfriend a pass.” He shouts.

“Tyler is going to turn on you too.”

“Let’s go.” Weems says. Wednesday gives Galpin one last glare before walking out of the office, you hot on her trail.

“Wednesday, wait!” Tyler shouts, running over to her. You step in between them, your fangs showing. Galpin runs out.

“Tyler no! What are you doing?”

“Please, Dad. I just need to talk to her. She was my friend. This is a police station, what’s going to happen?” Galpin sighs and looks at you. You scowl but step aside, letting him approach Wednesday. He talks quietly, so that you can’t hear him. But by the furious look on Wednesday’s face when he walks away, you can tell it was nothing good. You rush over to her and set your hand on her back as you two walk out together.

—

Waiting on the steps in front of Weems office reminds you of the first day you met Wednesday. Oh how things change. You never would have expected Rowan’s death to be the catalyst into some monster investigation. Nor that you would partake in it. The past two months went by so quickly it almost felt like a dream.

Hearing the doors open, you jump up. Wednesday walks out, her eyes glued to the floor.

“So? How bad is it?”

“I have been expelled.” Your eyes widen.

“What? There’s no way. What do you mean?”

“One of the conditions Galpin had for not charging me was my immediate expulsion.” You shake your head.

“No, no, that’s not fair at all. I helped you and all I got was detention for the rest of the semester.”

“It’s not my first expulsion, and I doubt it will be my last.” She starts down the stairs. You fall in step beside her.

“You don’t have a phone.”

“Impeccable observation.”

“No, I mean, how are we going to stay in contact?” She stops and looks at you.

“Do you know how to write?” You furrow your brows.

“Of course I know how to write what kind of question is that?”

“Then that is how we will stay in contact. Do not expect me to reply daily, I keep myself busy.” She starts walking today, not noticing the hurt displayed on your face. You follow her, now slightly behind.

“It’s going to be weird not seeing you everyday.”

“You have plenty of friends, you will be fine.”

“You’re not exactly a friend, though.” She stops again and turns to you, her eyes slightly softer than before.

“We will see each other again. For now, though, we need to focus on getting Tyler arrested before I have to leave. I need to go see Xavier.”

—

You were in Wednesday’s room the second she got back from the jail. You put yourself to work alongside her and Enid, packing up her things. You don’t let yourself cry, not in front of Wednesday, despite feeling the overwhelming urge to weep in her arms. Enid picks up a taxidermy rat as you fold Wednesday’s clothes and stares at it, her tears falling freely.

“I can’t believe I’m actually gonna miss your creepy, lifeless eyes waking me up in the morning.” She glances at Wednesday to make sure she’s listening. “It won’t be the same without you.” Wednesday looks at her questioningly for a moment before continuing to pack.

“So I assume you’ll be moving in with Y/N and Yoko, leaving me in the past?”

“Not ever. No offense, Y/N, but both sides of the room are already black and white. There’s no room for me and my colors.” She sighs. You just roll your eyes as a smile appears on your face. “What about you? Will you forget about me?” She asks almost timidly. Wednesday glances at you, panicked, but you just urge her on with your eyes.

“Enid,” She sighs. “The mark you have left on me is indelible. Anytime I feel queasy at the sight of a rainbow or hear a pop song that makes my ears bleed, I will think of you.” Enid nods and takes a deep breath.

“Thanks… I guess.”

“I always believed relying on other people to be a sign of weakness. That inevitably, they would lead me to disappointment. Turns out, I’ve been the disappointment.” Wednesday says, packing up her books.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve learned so much from you!” Enid starts. “Most of it is admittedly criminal behavior, but, most people spend their entire lives pretending to give zero effs, and you literally never had an eff to give.”

“She’s right.” You chime, Wednesday furrows her brows at you slightly. “You don’t care what others think, it’s admirable.”

“Well, neither do you.” She replies.

“That’s not true, I care a lot. More than I’d like to admit.” You laugh slightly. “You’ve helped with that, though.”

“I don’t suppose you have some sneaky plan to somehow elude Weems, do you?” Enid asks, her hopes high.

“No, Xavier was right. If I’m not here, then that prophecy cannot be fulfilled.” She frowns slightly. “But it kills me to leave while Tyler is still walking around free.”

“If he tries anything, we have a school full of gorgons, vampires, and werewolves ready and waiting.” Wednesday doesn’t seem too convinced, so you walk over to her and Enid, placing an arm on the blonde’s shoulder.

“We’ve got this, Wednesday. And when we finish him off, I’ll send you a letter with all the gruesome details.” You say, aching at the thought of her leaving.

“I’ll be expecting it.”

“On a good note, I got a text from Eugene’s Moms! He’s awake!” You smile alongside Enid, as relief washes over Wednesday’s face.

—

“Last bag.” You say to Wednesday as you load it in Weem’s trunk. You stand alone with her, once again trying to keep your tears contained as you close the trunk and turn to her. “So, you gonna forget about me?” She rolls her eyes.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Because, who knows when the next time we’ll see each other is.” You say, breathing a laugh as though it’s funny.

“Sometime this summer, I’m sure.” She replies. “The drive from Rhode Island to New Jersey is less than a day. You have a car, do you not?”

“If my dad would ever fix it, then yes, I do.” She nods once. “So was that you inviting me to visit you, then?” You take a step towards her.

“Depends, are you planning on forgetting me?” You smile and shake your head, taking another step so that your faces are mere inches apart.

“Never.” You place a hand on her cheek, asking for permission to kiss her. She closes the distance herself, your lips meeting softly. As you pull apart, you give her a small smile, she returns it just barely. “Be safe, please?”

“No promises. I do love danger.”

“At least don’t die, okay?”

“Death is inevitable.” She says, deadpanning. You laugh at her.

“You’re insufferable.”

“Yet you’ve kissed me, what, three times now?” You look up as if calculating the number yourself.

“Not nearly enough, don’t you think?” You don’t wait for her response before leaning in again.

—

It’s been two hours since Wednesday left, and so far you still haven’t broken down. You took your sculpting stuff to the art shed and started taking down Xavier’ Hyde paintings and piling them in the corner. You dug through his older works and hung them up instead, trying to make the studio feel how it used to. Once satisfied, you parked yourself in front of an easel and started painting, something you haven’t done on a canvas in a while.

You were absolutely enthralled. Siouxsies and The Banshees played in the background as you let the art take control of you. You weren’t a da vinci by any means, no, this was a skill. One you’ve honed since you were a baby, and one you will continue to practice till the day you die.

Your focus was completely unbroken until the door to the shed slammed open and Enid ran in with Thing.

“Y/N! It’s Wednesday! Thornhill and Tyler have her!” She pants. “They’re planning on resurrecting Crackstone to burn the school down!” You drop your paintbrush and take off your apron in a rush.

“Let’s go! Crackstone’s Crypt isn’t that far from here.” Thing climbs up your side and parks himself on your shoulder, grabbing onto your black lacy shirt for dear life as you start running. Enid keeps up for the most part, but halfway there, she falls to the ground groaning. “Enid!?” You rush to her side.

“I-I think I’m wolfing out…” She seethes, pain completely over taking her. “Go! Keep going! I’ll catch up!” You frown and hesitate, but get up anyway and keep going to the crypt. As you approach it, you see two shadows, one you realize is Wednesday immediately, and quickly after, you make out that Tyler is the one beside her. You run even faster as he gets close to Wednesday.

“Hey!” You yell, Tyler snaps around and growls as he sees you. He transforms into the beast and you come to a halt as you take the gruesome sight in. Fear courses through your veins, but thankfully, you snap out of it pretty quick and dart to the left as he starts chasing after you.

You run faster than you’ve ever ran, pushing yourself harder than ever as you race through the woods with the Hyde on your tail. So far, with your head start, it’s looking like you’re just as fast as he is. Your size is definitely an advantage, though, with him being slapped by branches and leaves every few seconds. You continue on until you hear a howl, and a growl, and what sounds like a bark. You look behind you just in time to see Enid and Tyler get into a tussle. You say a silent prayer, and turn to head back to the school, hoping that Wednesday’s made it back.

Once you get to the gates, you’re immediately overwhelmed by seemingly the entire Nevermore student and staff population. You run over to the Nightshades where they were gathered in a group, save Bianca.

“What’s going on?” You ask, winded.

“Where were you?” Yoko immediately asks, hugging you.

“I was in the art studio but I just came from getting chased by a Hyde. Where’s Wednesday?” Ajax shrugs, as the rest of your friends stare at you in shock.

“Bianca just went in after her, but we don’t really know what’s happening.” The gorgon says. You nod.

“Y/N!” You follow the sound of your name to see Xavier running over and embracing you hard. You return it immediately.

“Xavier, oh my god.” You whisper into his shoulder. “I’m so fucking sorry.” He pulls away and shakes his head.

“Doesn’t matter right now, okay?” You nod.

“When’d you get back?”

“Thing broke me out an hour ago.” You look at the hand on your shoulder and smile at him. He shrugs. “I was just in there but Wednesday told me to leave. It’s not looking great. Crackstone has some sort of magic scepter.” You frown with worry.

“I have to get in there, I can’t leave her to face this alone.” You try to leave, but he stops you.

“Y/N, no. Wednesday told me to make sure you stay far away.”

“What? She doesn’t even know I’m back.”

“I was coming to find you in the woods.”

“Fuck.” You mutter.

“Enid?” Ajax whispers to himself. You follow his line of vision and smile when your eyes land on the girl. She’s keeping herself covered with her bright pink jacket, but every inch of skin showing is covered in blood. The gorgon runs over to her and walks her back with an arm around her shoulder.

“Where’s Wednesday?” She asks. You all glance at each other, none of you wanting to be the ones to break the news. But before any of you can, she gasps and runs past you. You look over to see Bianca, Eugene, and Wednesday all walking towards you.

You let out a huge sigh of relief as you run over too, reaching them just as Enid and Wednesday hug. Once she sees you, Wednesday pulls away from Enid and looks you up and down for any sight of injury. When she’s satisfied, she pulls you in for a hug too, and as you make contact with her, all the tears you’ve held in for the past day pour out of you as you sob into her shoulder. She was safe.

You hold her for what feels like forever, until she pulls out of the hug, and places a hand on your cheek to wipe away your tears, and pull you into a kiss. The crowd around you cheers, but you don’t care. No, the only thing that matters now is that you and her are together, and she is safe.

—

You didn’t let Wednesday leave your sight the rest of that night. You stayed in her room, taking up “way too much” of her personal space as she put it.

She didn’t really mind, though. No, she wanted you close too. Needed you close. Watching you being chased by Tyler was the most terrified Wednesday had ever been in her life. She sent Xavier to find you after she got shot because she knew he was the only person who loves you even close to as much as she does. A different way, sure, but she knew she could trust him to find you.

Not knowing whether you were alive or dead was the worst feeling ever, and once she held you in her arms, she swore that she’d never have to wonder again.

—

The next day, Wednesday helped you pack up all morning. With the death of Weems, classes were cancelled for the rest of the semester. You weren’t particularly happy with this, now it would once again be months before you could see Wednesday, but you understood why it happened.

“Okay, did I miss anything?” You ask, setting down a suitcase on the pile of your trunks.

“No. I wanted to give you this, though.” Wednesday says, pushing a box towards you. You take it cautiously and open it. A beautiful crystal ball sat inside, you gaped at it and glanced up at her.

“So we can talk. Don’t expect regular calls, though. I will be busy.” Realization dawns and a sly grin appears on your face.

“This is an enchanted crystal ball.. You’re gonna miss me!” You tease. She rolls her eyes.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Your grin only widens at that, and you place a kiss on her cheek before setting the box gently on top of your things. You grab your phone out of your pocket and sigh, reading a notification from Silena. She was on her way up to help pack up the car now.

“My Step-Mom is here.” You say, deflating as you realize these are probably the last few minutes you’ll have alone with Wednesday for a bit. She takes a step forward and cups your face. “I’ll miss you.” You whisper. She doesn’t respond verbally, but pulls you down for a kiss which you happily oblige. Your hands fall to her waist, and you bring her in so that she’s flush against you.

“Woah!” You immediately pull away from Wednesday and look at your door with wide eyes to see Silena standing in the doorway with a similar expression.

“Hey..” You say nervously.

“I didn’t see anything.” She replies, slowly shaking her head as she grabs two suitcases and walks out the door. You and Wednesday look at each other and you have to stifle a laugh at the shocked look on her face.

“Come on, your parents are probably here too.” You grab the box she gave you again and a trunk and start walking out, with Wednesday grabbing a suitcase and your last trunk before falling you out.

On your way downstairs, you stop, seeing Xavier lugging his stuff down too.

“If you wait a minute, I can help you with that.” You say. He laughs and shakes his head.

“No, it’s okay. Thanks though.” You shrug.

“Your funeral. Are you coming over soon?” He nods.

“Of course. Sooner rather than later, I think. Dad wants to send me to Reichenbach.” You furrow your brows.

“What? No way, he can’t do that.” Xavier shrugs.

“It’s probably for the best. My reputation here is kind of squashed now. Some of the underclassmen have been freaking out every time I walk past them.” You frown.

“You’re innocent, though.”

“It’s not that easy. It’s okay, though. I hear the art classes are great there.”

“Stay in touch. Or I will hunt you down.” You warn.

“I will.” You sigh.

“I guess I’ll see you soon.” He nods.

“Bye, N/N.”

“Bye, Xavier.” You turn and continue walking down the stairs where Wednesday was impatiently waiting.

—

With everything that happened the last few months, you found yourself completely zoning out as you stared out the window on the ride home. Rhode Island was just how you remembered, which offered you some solace as you got home, but all you wanted was to be in Wednesday’s arms again. You’d definitely be using that crystal ball soon.