Work Text:
The sun rose before the full moon had fully disappeared beneath the horizon. Wednesday Addams did not indulge in the sunrise.
No, she strode down the tree lined path with her eyes turned deliberately towards the earth. No single patch of sunshine, no matter how temptingly it shimmered through the gaps of shaded darkness, had ever caught her attention.
The light did not interest her, nor did any of its other forms. She utterly refused to characterize a person as sunshine, and resented all who attempted to do so.
Other people were far easier to bend to her will than the rays of the sun, or at least they used to be. Lately, as much as she hated to admit it, the current of events had been far beyond her control.
Still, every promise she had made, Wednesday intended to keep.
Ahead of her stood the paneled wood doors of the Lupin cages, imprinted with the tonally appropriate request to not wolf out. Howling could often be heard from within when the full moon waxed in the sky, which provided a delightful lullaby for Wednesday’s slumber.
Now, as the morning sun fully embraced the early day’s sky, it was silent. Only the rhythm of Wednesday’s firm footfalls broke the stillness in the air. She pulled the creaking door open and stepped inside.
There were multiple cells lining the halls of the Lupin cages, many of which were occupied by teenage werewolves after the full moon of the prior evening. Some were still within, asleep beyond the call of the sun, while others had already escaped and left their cell doors ajar.
Wednesday’s feet carried her to one such door that had been left half open in what must’ve been a panicked frenzy. She could picture it in her mind, Agnes scurrying here for help and Enid frantically joining her despite the immense risk.
All of Enid’s belongings were still spread out on the bed within. Pink blankets, multicolored pillows, and a horrendously squishy yoga mat were the only colorful things occupying the space. They were all that Enid had left behind.
Wednesday let out a quiet exhale as she stepped into the open door. She was here for a reason; she’d promised to come let Enid out in the morning.
This was a promise she could not keep. Regardless, she was there.
She knew Enid had run from here all the way to the tree where Wednesday had been buried alive. She had resorted to her wolf form on the worst possible night and paid the ultimate price for it. Wednesday could still see in her mind the look in Enid’s eyes before she bolted into the woods, could still feel the rush of unwelcome emotion and the scratchiness of her own throat as she demanded Agnes to follow her.
It was ironic, Wednesday thought sardonically, that the person she had spent so many weeks trying to save ended up saving her instead. She never wanted it to happen like this.
Out of one black knit pocket, Wednesday withdrew a black plastic bag. With just a few shakes it opened to be much larger, plenty big to store all of the precious colored items from the cell. Even if she had wanted to, carrying that many pink objects would cause hives to erupt across her body. This was better.
If she was lucky, the clothing would give her a vision. If she was unlucky, it would peel her skin right off. She wasn’t sure which was the more desirable outcome.
Wednesday gingerly added Enid’s belongings to the bag one by one. She touched them only as long as she needed to, and then tied the bag shut. Their shared room would be the best place to store it at least for the time being.
Going to the cages wasn’t the only thing she had promised to Enid. In fact, it was the lesser of the myriad of deeds she owed to her roommate.
She had promised that she would not let Enid be alone. She vowed to find her if she wolfed out and couldn’t return. To be part of her pack, part of her life. She would do whatever it took to keep those promises.
Wednesday stepped back towards the exit of the cell, still with her body turned into it. Every scrap that reminded her of Enid within it now resided in the black bag, leaving the room as nondescript as every other in the cages.
That feeling, the same one as the night before, snuck up Wednesday’s throat. She tried to shove it down, put it back into the box it was placated within as they fought against the Galpin family the night before, but it refused to be stifled this time.
Wednesday would not cry.
She pursed her lips, refusing as well to even blink. Her only true friend, her best friend, had been here less than a day ago, and now she was gone. She had to flee because she chose to save Wednesday’s life, because she had put Wednesday above her own health, safety, and sanity.
Enid was the one person outside of her family who Wednesday would do anything to protect. She had spent so much time this school year trying to save her, and had been going about it in all the wrong ways. After their body swap she understood and trusted in Enid’s strength, but for her to sacrifice herself like this was the last thing she had wanted. This was…
Wednesday, in this regard, had failed. That feeling was another she desired to avoid, the crushing weight of the mockery of her errors. Her inability to take down Isaac, to free herself from the encasement of earth, led to this.
It was impossible to keep her promise because Enid wasn’t there to be let out in the morning.
Wednesday could not cry. There were too many things she needed to do.
The room was soon behind her, its cell door firmly shut and not to be opened again.
Her number one priority, what she most needed to do next, was go look for Enid. She promised after all.
But it was more than that. It wasn’t just a promise to a friend.
Enid had said Wednesday was part of her pack. It was an honor that Wednesday vowed to live up to. She would not fail again.
A few more werewolves were awake on Wednesday’s journey back out of the Lupin cages, black bag in hand. She didn’t pay them any mind.
She needed to make a call to her uncle Fester.