Work Text:
6:11 AM (CA) / 9:11 AM (NJ)
Enid wakes up too early. Her chest hurts in that Wednesday-shaped way and the house is too quiet and too loud all at once.
Her phone lights up before she even reaches for it.
WEDNESDAY:
Good morning.
I assume you survived the night.
Though if you died of heartbreak, let me know so I can begin training immediately.
Enid stares at the notification and melts.
She types back fast:
ENID:
morning wedns
i did not die
but it was close
like 92% tragedy rating
WEDNESDAY:
If you perish, do so when I am present.
It is rude to die without my supervision.
Enid snorts under her blanket.
ENID:
noted
will only suffer in ur vicinity from now on
WEDNESDAY:
Excellent.
Also, I had a dream that your mother attempted to kidnap you in a burlap sack.
I drowned her in a koi pond.
The fish were grateful.
Enid laughs way too loud for 6am and slams her pillow over her face to muffle it.
ENID:
u r so unhinged and i love u
dont actually drown her tho
WEDNESDAY:
No promises.
I am sharpening a letter opener right now in preparation for war.
ENID:
oh my god
its literally 9am where u are
why r u sharpening things already
WEDNESDAY:
To cope.
Enid stops breathing for a second because…yeah. Same.
ENID:
i cried so much last night
its stupid
i miss u so bad
There’s no typing bubble for a long time and her stomach drops. Then, finally, a response.
WEDNESDAY:
It is not “stupid.”
Your absence is a physical ache.
It is unpleasant.
I despise it.
Enid’s heart does a full somersault.
ENID:
wedns that was the most romantic thing youve ever said to me im crying again omg
WEDNESDAY:
Do not cry again.
It is making me feel…A sensation. And I do not like it.
Make it stop.
ENID:
its called love babe
u have it
congrats 😌
WEDNESDAY:
Revolting.
...Do not stop texting.
Enid presses her forehead to her knees, breathing shakily.
ENID:
never
u stuck w me
WEDNESDAY:
Good.
I will call you when you awaken again.
Go eat breakfast or howl at the sun or whatever you do in California.
ENID:
ur so lucky ur cute
WEDNESDAY:
Obviously.
Enid had been staring at the kitchen counter so long that the veins in the marble started to swirl, blurring together like watercolors left in the rain. The sizzling pan, the clink of plates, the coffee machine humming. Everything was sounded distant. Like she was underwater, drifting.
She only came back when Esther slammed her hands onto the counter.
Enid flinched.
“You’re sulking again,” her mother said, voice flat and sharp. “Honestly, Enid, this dramatic behavior is exhausting.”
Enid blinked hard. “I’m not—” She swallowed, digging her nails into her own skin under the table. “I’m just tired.”
“Right.” Esther snorted, wiping her hands on a dish towel like the action itself annoyed her. “Tired. You’ve been ‘tired’ for days. Lying around, moping, doing nothing. This is not how a productive young woman conducts herself.” She crossed her arms, eyes cold. “It’s pathetic.”
Enid’s chest tightened. “I miss my friends,” she murmured. “I just...feel lonely.”
“Lonely?" Esther's voice sharpened. “You have a family. You are not alone. Are we not enough for you?” She waved a dismissive hand. “Real wolves don’t whine about being lonely. Deal with it, skropha.”
Enid blinked fast, fighting the burn behind her eyes. “I’m not whining.”
“You are.” Her mother stepped closer, gaze slicing. “The world doesn’t stop because you’re sad. You don’t get to wallow and waste time just because you’re feeling sorry for yourself.”
Enid felt the words hit like claws, tearing something soft inside her. “…Okay,” she whispered. It felt like surrender. “I’ll try.”
“Good,” Esther said, already turning away, done with her. “Because this little weak routine? It isn’t cute.”
Enid stared again at the marble, throat tight, loneliness gnawing her ribs like something alive.
“You know,” Esther continued, tone suddenly bright, fake, “you need to find a mate. Felix and Howell helped me go through some potentials. We’ve narrowed it down to Bruno Yuson. Filipino boy, strong, good bloodline. We're meeting them tonight.”
Enid’s claw slipped, ripping a hole straight through her pajama pants into her knee. She barely noticed until her nails nipped her knee.
“Don't I get a say in any of this?” she asked, voice trembling.
Esther scoffed, actually laughing. “Why would you?” She began plating vegetables. “Girls are chosen. That’s how it works. Don’t they teach you anything in that little school?”
“That’s so— like—nineteen-hundreds,” Enid snapped, breath shaking. “I have a future. I get to choose it.”
Her mother brushed past her, shoulder sharp, like she was a piece of furniture in the way. “Our traditions matter. Accept them before I make you.”
Enid’s hands shook under the table. Her throat burned. Her mind spiraled.
She wasn’t seen. She wasn’t heard.
And sitting there in her torn pajamas, chest aching, heart bruised raw, Enid realized something: Home didn’t feel safe. The room felt suddenly smaller, suffocating, like the walls had shifted closer without her noticing. And she was shrinking with it.
Her breath hitched. Her mother didn’t pause. Didn’t look at her.
“Now go pick out something nice to wear tonight,” Esther added casually, as if she hadn’t just carved her daughter open with the knife of tradition. “We’re visiting the Yusons after dinner. You’ll want to look presentable.”
Something inside Enid snapped. The words came out before they reached her tongue. “I’m not meeting him.”
Her voice was soft. Too soft. She wished it came out as a growl, but instead it trembled.
Esther froze mid-reach for a fork. Slowly, she turned, her expression morphing into something dangerous. She was staring down a misbehaving pup.
“What did you just say?”
Enid swallowed. Her throat burned. “I’m not meeting him. I don’t want—I don’t want a mate chosen for me.”
“You don’t know what you want.” Esther’s tone was silk dipped in venom. “You never have. That’s why you follow friends around like a lost puppy, desperate for scraps of attention.”
Enid flinched.
“And now you think you’re too good for our ways?” Esther continued, voice rising.
“I didn’t say that,” Enid whispered. “I just—”
“You will not embarrass this family.” Her mother’s nails dug into the countertop. “You will not throw away tradition because you can’t handle being alone for five minutes without having someone hold your hand and pat your head like a child.”
Enid’s claws pricked her palms, trembling violently now. She tried to breathe, tried to keep her voice steady, but it cracked anyway.
“I don’t want someone chosen for me because I already—”
The word stuck in Enid’s throat. Truth tasted like iron on her tongue, heavy and dangerous. She couldn’t say it here—not in this house built from expectations and cages.
Esther’s eyes narrowed, her voice a quiet blade. “Already what?”
Enid’s jaw trembled as she pressed her lips together. She could feel her pulse hammering in her teeth.
“Phone.” Esther extended her hand, palm open like a commandment. “Give me your phone. I want to see who you’re talking to. Who you’re defying me for. Felix told me how close you are to that girl.”
“Her name is Wednesday—”
Esther’s fingers clamped around Enid’s arm before she could finish, nails digging in as she grabbed Enid’s chin with her other hand and forced their eyes to meet. “Phone.”
Enid ripped her arm back, breath stuttering. “No. I’m not giving you anything. And I’m not going to the Yusons. You can’t make me—”
“I am your mother,” Esther hissed. Her eyes flashed red, and her claws slid forward with a soft, lethal whisper. She swung.
Enid dropped, barely ducking the strike. Air whipped past her cheek. The floor tilted for a second as her vision tunneled. She couldn’t stay. She couldn’t.
She stumbled back, turning down the hall so fast the world smeared into colors. Her breath shook, ragged and clawing at her throat as she fled before she could be ordered to stand still and take it.
Behind her, Esther’s voice floated after her. It was bright, sweet, pretending nothing had shattered.
“Dinner in an hour, boys!”
Enid shut her bedroom door as quietly as her shaking hands allowed.
The latch clicked.
And then she folded in on herself, soundless, shoulders shaking under the weight of everything she couldn't say. Not here, not to her, not yet.
And she broke.
9:26AM (CA) / 12:26PM (NJ)
WEDNESDAY:
Report your status.
It is morning. You should be conscious and irritating by now.
ENID:
lol rude
good morning 2 u too sunshine 😇🌞
WEDNESDAY:
Do not call me that again.
Are you eating breakfast?
ENID:
yup!! 🍳☺️ all good here
home cooking is great!!
WEDNESDAY:
You paused too long before lying.
Elaborate.
ENID:
I DID NOT LIE 😡
I paused bc ur intimidating okay
WEDNESDAY:
I am not intimidating to you.
We’ve kissed. That negates fear.
ENID:
YOURE SO SMOOTH WHAT THE HECK
anyway im fine! rly!! 🫶
WEDNESDAY:
The overuse of exclamation points suggests otherwise.
ENID:
im just excited 🥺✨
“I think she’s going to send me away.”
“I haven’t slept. I’m scared.”
“She grabbed me yesterday.”
WEDNESDAY:
If you are being mistreated, I expect to be informed immediately so I may dismantle the culprit.
ENID:
haha omg no nothing like that
WEDNESDAY:
You’re lying.
ENID:
just tired!! promise 😌
WEDNESDAY:
You do not promise well.
ENID:
HAHA IM GOOD 💛
i’ll text u after chores okay?
WEDNESDAY:
If your mother is forcing labor upon you I will burn her lavender garden.
ENID:
please dont 😂
brb!! Love you!
ttyl! 💕
Enid pressed her palms to her eyes, hard enough to see stars. She had been holding it together all morning. Smiling through the texts, laughing where she was supposed to, pretending she hadn’t flinched when a cupboard door slammed downstairs.
She sat cross-legged on her bed, breathing shallow and shaky, trying not to fall apart.
A soft tap. Then another. A faint skittering sound on wood.
Enid froze.
Slowly, she lowered her hands.
There, perched on her windowsill was Thing. His fingers drummed gently.
Enid blinked once.
Then again.
“…what— how—?” her voice cracked, surprise tangled with relief so fierce it hurt. “Oh my god. Wednesday sent you to babysit me, didn’t she?”
Thing pointed two fingers at his eyes, then at her.
Watching you.
Her throat tightened painfully. “I’m not a kid.”
Thing rolled himself into a sarcastic shrug.
Enid swallowed. “I’m fine.”
Thing signed back bluntly.
Liar.
Her breath caught.
Thing crawled closer, crossing the bedspread with steady, quiet taps. He reached her knee, hesitated, then rested his fingertips gently against her wrist.
Enid didn’t mean to break.
But the moment warm skin met hers, her chest crumpled, and a messy, broken sound escaped her.
“Oh.” She covered her mouth. “Oh god—please don’t—”
Thing squeezed her wrist.
A tear slid down her cheek. She swiped at it angrily.
“I can’t cry right now,” she whispered. “She’ll smell it. She’ll—”
Her voice cut out like someone unplugged it.
Thing signed, sharp and protective: It is okay to be scared. I am here now. You are safe.
Enid let out a trembling laugh, half-sobbing. “Next full moon I’ll rip her face off. Swear.”
Thing tapped her hand three times. He was steady, slow. Supportive.
She wasn’t alone anymore. That had to mean something, right?
Thing nudged a tiny folded note onto the bedspread. Wednesday’s handwriting. Sharp, elegant, unmistakable.
If she harms you again, I will harm her.
Do not hide from me.
Enid’s lips quivered into a smile. “I miss her.”
Thing patted her hand. He knew.
6:57PM (CA) / 9:57PM (NJ)
ENID:
uhhh did you send a surprise??
WEDNESDAY:
Specify.
ENID:
Thing??
WEDNESDAY:
Ah. He arrived.
ENID:
You sent Thing to spy on me??
WEDNESDAY:
He’s supervising.
ENID:
No, he’s literally spying!!!!
WEDNESDAY:
If you were being spied on, you would not have seen him.
ENID:
...fair enough
WEDNESDAY:
He tells me you haven’t been eating regularly.
ENID:
tattler
WEDNESDAY:
Enid.
ENID:
It’s not a big deal. just been busy.
WEDNESDAY:
You do not lie well when typing.
Nor when breathing.
Explain.
ENID:
I’m fine
promise
just a normal summer! family things!! wolf stuff!!
WEDNESDAY:
Stop deflecting.
ENID:
I just…
idk
miss you and everyone
and it’s kinda loud here
and I feel like if I keep moving nothing bad will stick
WEDNESDAY:
Enid.
ENID:
I said I’m fine!!!"Mom tried to claw me & I think she hates me"
"I don’t feel safe"
Thing scared me at first but
it’s nice not being alone for a sec
WEDNESDAY:
I knew something was wrong.
You have sounded unlike yourself for days.
ENID:
I’m just being dramatic lol
summer brain
pls don’t worry okay?
WEDNESDAY:
Too late.
I am already concerned, irritated, and sharpening a dagger.
ENID:
lol don’t stab my mom
WEDNESDAY:
I did not say it was for your mother.
ENID:
Wednesday 😭
you’re ridiculous
WEDNESDAY:
Thing will stay with you.
He will contact me if anything worsens.
Or if your mother does something regrettable.
By which I mean something I will make her regret.
ENID:
you’re intense and scary and i miss you so much it’s stupid
WEDNESDAY:
I miss you as well, mi lobita.
Do not pretend with me.
Tell me next time your world begins to fracture.
I will not allow you to crumble alone.
ENID:
okay
I’ll try
WEDNESDAY:
No.
You will do.
ENID:
yes ma’am
WEDNESDAY:
Good girl.
ENID:
🫠
okay I’m gonna go pretend to eat a granola bar so Thing stops judging me
WEDNESDAY:
He is incapable of judgment.
He is, however, proficient in disappointment.
ENID:
oh I felt that
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Esther said, voice cutting through the room like a knife. “I heard all about your first time at Nevermore. You beat a Hyde, Enid. So why aren’t you like that here?”
“I don’t know.” Enid crossed her arms, jaw tight. Her patience and strength were fraying. She was tired of being told what she should be. Of never being seen for what she was.
There had been a full moon last night. She’d wolfed out, but but it wasn’t like before. Not wild. Not vicious. She didn’t want to hunt; she wanted to play. Run through the dirt. Roll in the grass. Chase rabbits just to let them go. Breathe.
Violence didn’t live in her bones. It never had.
Her mother hated that.
“I think you do know.” Esther’s tone sharpened. “You did it to save that Addams girl. I heard all about it from the Donahues.”
Enid froze. “What exactly did you hear?”
“You like her,” Esther spat. “I’ve tried to be patient. Three weeks under my roof, and I let you pretend to be normal. But this moon made it obvious, you can’t be what you were born to be.”
“Mom, what are you talking about?”
Enid’s heart kicked painfully in her chest. She’d guessed this moment was coming. Dreaded it. She thought of her Go-Bag upstairs, tucked beneath her bed. Birth certificate inside. Spare clothes. Toiletries. Prepared by necessity, not paranoia.
She’d hoped not to need it so soon.
Cian poked his head into the living room. “Hey, does anyone wanna watch a mov—”
“Not now, Cian.” Esther’s claws slid out, glinting. “I need to understand why your sister’s acting like this. Ever since that nasty Addams girl infected her with homosexuality—”
“Mom—”
“It’s okay, Cian,” Enid whispered. “I’m fine.”
Cian’s fingers twitched anxiously. “Enid...go to your room.”
“No, she’s staying right here,” Esther snapped. “We’re not done.”
“I think you need to cool off, Mom.”
“I think your sister needs to explain why she is courting a human. And a girl.” Esther curled her lip, disgusted. “It’s not natural. All of your brothers are set to marry a perfectly good werewolf girl, and your little sister wants to disgrace our lineage for some—some corpse-obsessed psychic—”
“Mom,” Cian warned.
“Your father and I already agreed. If you don’t get yourself under control, Enid, you’ll be attending a wilderness school in Colorado. They know how to deal with wolves who forget themselves.”
Enid’s blood ran cold. “No. I’m going back to Nevermore.”
“You have no choice.”
“Those places sign away your rights and starve you,” Enid snapped. “I’d rather die.”
“One last chance,” Esther warned. “Break up with that girl, and—”
“I’m not breaking up with Wednesday.” Enid stood, claws digging into her palms. “And I’m not going to your prison school. Try to send me, and—”
Esther moved too fast to see.
A flash of claws, then a crack. Pain exploded above Enid’s brow.
Warm blood spilled down her face.
She staggered back, hand flying to the wound, heartbeat roaring in her ears. Her mother lifted her hand again, ready to strike—
Cian was suddenly between them, blocking the blow. “Enough.”
“Move,” Esther snarled.
“No.” His voice shook, but he stayed. “If you keep pushing her, you’re going to lose her for good.”
Enid blinked, vision swimming. The metallic taste of blood coated her tongue, drowning the air with iron and panic. She stumbled back a step. Then another.
Her mother’s voice was still rising. It was angry, hateful. It echoed through the house as she fled toward the stairs.
“Give her time, Ma!” she heard Cian shout. “She’ll come around!”
Enid’s door shut behind her with a trembling click. She didn’t waste a second.
Go-Bag. Strap. Window latch. Thing climbed on her shoulder.
Her hands shook as she shoved it open. She grabbed the tree branch, boots slipping, breath shaky.
And then she was outside, hitting the ground running before her mother’s footsteps could reach the hall.
She didn’t look back.
She didn’t dare.
She just ran until the only thing behind her was the hush of the woods and the ache in her chest. The house disappeared behind the trees, along with the last frayed thread of safety she’d ever pretended existed.
She just needed the bus stop.
Anywhere but here.
Anywhere but with her mother.