Chapter Text
Chapter 1:
It was a serene and quiet autumn morning, the rain pattering against the windows gently, and racing each other as they slid down to land onto the windowsill. The sun peeked through the grey clouds and sent stray rays of pale sunlight to land on some spots on the rooftops, highlighting the vibrant moss growing in between the tiles. The rain made an almost lullaby like sound as Enid laid on her bed, surrounded by colourful stuffed animals and about a million throws and quilts, creating a nest-like look to her bed. Her eyes bore holes into the ceiling, also coated with colour. On her walls posters of bands (such as her favourite Paramore, and a few others such as Florence & The Machine, Girl in Red, Phoebe Bridgers, My Chemical Romance, and Chappell Roan) were plastered, together with little cat, star, and moon stickers, polaroid's of her adventures (and one of Wednesday and her tucked by her bedside) were stuck up with colourful washi tape, and fairy lights and doodles in all the gaps. Her hands were placed by her side, finger nails painted in all the colours of the rainbow, as usual, and fidgeting with one of the blankets that she was laying on.
The rhythmic tap-tap of the typewriter echoed in the background, paired with occasional squeaks of the chair or the ruffling of clothing, creating a rather calming atmosphere to the average person. However, Enid’s mind was racing, and she couldn’t seem to find an off switch for it, so this ever-lasting silence was torturous.
Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.
“Hey, Wednesday?” Enid called, keeping her eyes directed straight at the ceiling.
The tap-tapping paused for a moment, with a slight creak of a chair, before resuming again.
This time Enid looked over, breaking the eye-contact she’d held with the ceiling for over an hour, to observe her roommate. Perhaps she had been to engrossed in her work to notice?
“Wednesday, did you hear me?” Enid asked, slightly louder than before, staring at Wednesday’s back while doing so.
“Yes, Enid. I did” She replied, not taking her hands of off her typewriter keys.
Tap-tap-tapping away.
“Then why didn’t you respond?” Enid asked back, irritation breaking through ever so slightly, as she propped herself up on an elbow and peered at Wednesday more intensely.
“I didn’t feel the need. Anyway, what is your question?” She responded plainly, turning around her chair to stare directly at Enid, her big, brown eyes holding an essence of genuine interest, yet her stoic expression showing her as the most disinterested person ever.
“Well, uhm, do you want to come with me down to the local café in Jericho for a drink or something? I might ask Bruno to come too” She smiled, putting on her best pleading expression.
“I do prefer rainy weather” Wednesday said, before turning back to her work, and Enid knew this was her way of saying yes- however, before Wednesday replied, a flicker of an emotion Enid hadn’t seen before presented itself onto the goth’s face, was it… excitement? No, it couldn’t be: excitement for what?
About an hour later, when Wednesday had finished with her chapter, and Enid had finished getting ready, they exited the dorm together. They were complete opposites: Enid wearing a baby pink jumper, with a rainbow mini scarf, a blue denim skirt, patterned tights, pink converse, and a yellow raincoat, and Wednesday wearing a striped black and white turtle neck, with black cargo-like trousers, black Dr. Marten boots and a black leather jacket. They couldn’t have looked more different if they tried.
Enid practically skipped down the stairs from Ophelia Hall, while Wednesday trailed behind, like an alpha wolf at the back of a pack. They trailed down into the courtyard of Nevermore, where the rain had ceased to fall from the bleak clouds and instead puddles had formed on the pavement and in the mud, temporary reminders of what used to be. The smell of petrichor lingered in the air.
As Wednesday and Enid inched closer to the middle of the courtyard, Wednesday caught sight of the other werewolf seated on a bench, hunched over and scrolling on his phone; she pretended to not notice him. Enid, on the other hand, squealed and ran up to him, initiating a hug that roused him from his hunchback. They embraced in a fierce kiss, Bruno towering over Enid, his hand weaving itself through Enid’s colourful locks, and vice versa with her hand threading itself through his brown curls. An odd feeling placed itself in Wednesday’s stomach, something like a heavy boulder being placed there, refusing to move, pulling the strings of her heart down towards it. It must’ve been something she ate that morning for breakfast- some out-of-date yoghurt or something.
Her gaze unconsciously wavered away from the intertwined couple to lock themselves onto the floor, examining the concrete, and the little tufts of weeds growing in between the gaps, water streams travelling down in between the gaps as well.
She heard footsteps come running over, splashing in accumulated water, and before she had a chance to see who it was, Enid yanked her arm and dragged her towards the middle of the courtyard.
“Come on Wends, let’s go!” she exclaimed, the grip on Wednesday’s wrist still tight as a handcuff on a prisoner.
They walked out of the gates of Nevermore as a three- well more Bruno and Enid linking arms and Wednesday walking next to them. Nevermore was rather deserted, most people away as it was the beginning of the autumn break, and so they walked mostly uninterrupted. The only interruption occurred from the security guard asking them where they were off to, and to make sure they’d be back by 10pm due to the security measures still being enforced upon them because of the Hyde on the loose. They had explained to the guard that they were venturing down to the café and would be back well before 10pm, wishing him to have a lovely rest of his day. But as they walked away, Wednesday reminisced on the fact that that Hyde had kissed her- and not only that but she had loved him, something unheard of for her, and they’d even shared the same saliva. Disgust coursed through her at the thought of ever touching him again, or even merely looking at him.
As they approached the Weathervane café, the memories of everything that had happened there came flooding back, like a tsunami that couldn’t be stopped, but a tsunami with more force than water levels; the memories filled Wednesday with more hatred towards herself and Tyler than sadness.
“Enid, I’m going to get a new book, I want to master my raven powers more, I’ll meet you back here in an hour. Get me a black coffee please” she said, tapping Enid’s arm to redirect her attention to be away from her boyfriend.
Something like disappointment flavoured Enid’s voice in her reply: “Oh, okay, have fun Wends!”
Wednesday detached herself from the romantic couple and walked further down the street, walking past the bookshop, and the library, and the second bookshop. She didn’t stop until her feet had dragged her all the way to the edge of the graveyard, next to a heavily overgrown hedgerow. She dragged her fingers along the different shapes leaves of the hedge, feeling for the dent in the green overgrowth, and after a couple seconds she found the entrance. She hadn’t gone there since the summer, and as she squeezed herself through the small, makeshift doorway, bramble thorns tugged at her braids and reached to keep her there, a painful embrace- one that seemed tempting, but should never be accepted.