Chapter Text
This time of the day was one of Eleanore’s favorites, when the sun was shining bright in the sky, falling slowly behind the trees. Nevermore’s forest had this enchanting, attractive side to it, and Eleanore loved it. That place felt like home.
Her life at Nevermore was quiet. She just needed her books and her experiment goggles, nothing more. She had needed a time of adaptation when she first arrived here. Everything was so big, so full of people. People like her. This was unusual to her; she barely knew how to act in front of them. Growing up, she always felt like an outcast in her small village. She was feared by everyone. Including her own mother.
As she read in an empty classroom, Eleanore played with her dark curls with her free hand. It was her little ritual before heading to Professor Stonehearst’s class. She loved his lessons because she could learn more about her ability. Eleanore was an Undertaker, which was one of the rarest outcast abilities. Nevermore was good for her, since she could use her power as much as she wanted to. Without being thrown garbage in her face. Without people messing with her, wanting to chase her like she was an errant animal. No one knew what she could do. And she sure didn’t know the full potential of her power at the time.
She stood up from her seat to get to class. The hall was buzzing as the students left their classroom, and she rushed to reach hers in time. When she entered the room, Eleanore heard the faint sound of a clock ticking, and she immediately knew who was coming. “Careful there,” he said. She turned around and met her classmate– and rival.
“Night. You really like to be behind me in everything, don’t you?” She teased him.
His eyes darkened, a smirk on his face. “You shouldn’t brag so much about it, Swan. Your academic work has nothing extraordinary, you just have a rare ability that gives you a free pass, that’s all.”
Eleanore turned back and sat at her table as their classmates arrived. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you, Night. But I didn’t mean to hurt your ego.”
Professor Stonehearst interrupted them as he walked in. “Good afternoon everyone. Today, we’re gonna do something a little…different.” Eleanore leaned on her table to listen. “You will work in pairs, as usual.” She smiled at her friend, Larissa, her lab partner since always. Stonehearst continued “But this time, I will be assigning the groups.” The girls looked at each other, praying they would be paired together. Stonehearst announced the first groups, but then…
“Night. Swan.”
She looked at him, a horrified look on her face. Eleanore could see his jaw tighten. She walked towards him, an ironic grin on her face. She sighed as she sat down next to him. He threw a glower at her, and quietly said between his teeth “You better keep up. I won’t wait for you.” Eleanore fakes a laugh.
“He didn’t even give the project yet. How can you be so arrogant already? Maybe you'll be the one that needs time to follow my rhythm, uh?” She turned to him to see him bite his lower lip, attempting to hide a smirk. Was he mocking her? As she opened her mouth to say something, Stonehearst spoke again.
“Today won’t be all about mechanics.” Isaac winced. “I believe you already had the lecture about functioning anatomy with Professor Orloff. Our project will be a sort of continuation. Think of it as a… collaboration between our two courses.” Eleanore could feel her smile grow on her face. Her curiosity drew Stonehearst’s attention. “Yes, Miss Swan. In fact, can you give me a hand with the explanations? You are the prodigy in this field, after all.” As she stood, she felt Isaac’s eyes behind her back. She could feel the jealousy emanating from the DaVinci. A satisfied smile on her face, she went behind the desk next to Professor Stonehearst. “So. I will give you your project from last year.” He showed the mechanical animals they had to build at the end of the previous term. Eleanore had made a bird-shaped machine for which she had received the best grade in her class. Isaac had been furious, of course, to her pleasure. “There is an electrical circuit inside of it. Now, for the faint of heart, I must warn you. In the tray on your desks, there are frog’s hearts in a jar of formalin. I want you to put it inside the mechanics and ensure that the heart is well placed so that the electricity that is connected to your creation can animate it. Miss Swan, maybe you can show your classmates how it’s done.”
Eleanore nodded, and put her gloves on. She took her machine in one hand, a pince kocher in the other and took the little heart out of the jar. She had almost missed the pungent smell. It was reminding her of her experiments during summer time. Her smile dropped when she caught Isaac’s eyes on her. She felt something cold drop in her stomach when she knew what he was doing. He was studying her. Waiting for the moment when she would fail. She took a deep breath. She won’t fail, not in front of the others. Especially not him. Eleanore didn’t care if she was showing off, she needed to prove to him she was better than him. Because she knew she was. She carefully put the heart inside the machine. She could feel her skin electrify. She felt the electricity throughout her entire body. But her fingers were warm. Too warm. She felt her power grow inside of her, and ran out of breath for a moment.
But Isaac saw it.
She concentrated, not listening to the whispers. She heard a pulse. But was it hers or…
The machine made a little noise, and started moving. Stonehearst was in awe. The bird-machine spread its wings and began to fly across the class. All of her classmates applauded her. All except one.
He seemed…furious. His jaw tightened, and his lips were pressed in a thin line. His hand clenched on his pen, and when Eleanore sat back, he didn’t even dare to look at her. Eleanore’s lips twisted in a discreet smug grin. Take that, Night.
The students began to work. “So, what do you wanna do, Night?” He didn’t answer. “Well, I guess I’ll leave you to the mechanic part, since it’s your field of expertise.” She could hear the faint ticking of his heart stutter. With an annoyed smile on his face, he turned to her. “You really like to show off, don’t you ?”
“Oh, because you don’t ? Mr. I’m-jealous-because-someone-is-better-than-me-at-something.” She said in one breath.
Isaac scowled. “Have you ever thought of shutting the hell up?” He whispered between his teeth. “Seriously, has no one ever told you how irritating your voice is?”
Eleanore took a look at him. His face was marked with anger. His fine features were tense, his knuckles white. “Jeez, calm down. Fine, just tell me what you wanna do, I’ll take the other.” He didn’t deign to respond and seized his mechanical animal. They worked in silence, as per their respective habits. For once, Eleanore was not satisfied with herself. Their “discussion” left a bitter aftertaste, and she did not enjoy their work as she was supposed to.
The hour was passing with the noise of the metal against the desks, whispers and the disgust of the students. They were not used to handling organs like this, like Eleanore was. “Very good work, both of you.” Stonehearst arrived at their side. “I knew you two would make a great team. This exercise was made for you. No need to tell you that you’ve both passed it, and with the highest grades.” Eleanore smiled, but Isaac remained stoic.
By the end of the lecture, students left the classroom, leaving Eleanore and Isaac alone. Neither of them spoke while they put their stuff back in their bags. She wanted to say something, but nothing came out of her mouth. She just stood there, her bird-machine in her hand. “You- you want to keep it?” she asked. For the first time since their argument, he glanced at her. His eyes were dark, and she could see him holding something back .
“No. I don’t want anything from you, especially something humiliating.” He strode toward the door.
His words made her blood freeze, and she swallowed. She supported his gaze with clenched fists. “I’ll just ignore the last part of your sentence. I don’t know what was so humiliating for you. We both passed the test, you should be thanking me.”
He ceased.
“I’d rather die than thank you.”
And he left, leaving Eleanore alone with her thoughts.
✭ ✭ ✭
When she got out of the classroom, Eleanore saw Larissa waiting for her. “What happened?”
“Nothing, he’s just being a dick. Like always.” Eleanore whispered that last part. Larissa took her arm, and together, they left the hall to go outside.
The sun was down, leaving a pink hue to the sky. The wind was lifting Eleanore’s black hair, her white streak passing in front of her eye. She put it behind her ear and glanced at her friend. With her blonde hair and her red lips, she was her opposite. But maybe that’s why they got along so well. They sat at the fountain to do their homework before dinner. Eleanore cherished those moments with her because she was the only one who was comfortable around her. Others paid little attention to Eleanore. Her ability was too horrific, disgusting for them.
When the night sky finally arrived, the girls left to eat. The dining hall was noisy but warm. They went towards the Ophelia Hall table, where Morticia Frump already sat. “Good evening girls.” She said, almost like a whisper.
“Evening. It is surprising that Gomez isn’t he-” Eleanore was interrupted by the doors of the dining hall opening wide and loud.
“Cara mia.”
“Mon cher.” Larissa and Eleanore looked at each other and laughed silently. Morticia Frump and Gomez Addams were inseparable. As soon as he sat next to his beloved, he took her hand and began to kiss it. Eleanore looked away, only to see Isaac sitting next to his roommate. Of course.
“Jeez, you really can’t hold it,” he muttered. Eleanore agreed in silence, eating her meal as fast as she could. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Morticia and Gomez's demonstration of love combined with Isaac’s presence made her almost nauseous. She got up and excused herself.
The halls were empty, only illuminated by the moon. She strolled for a while, enjoying the peace, which was rare in this school.
Her legs instinctively took her to the music room, filled with unusual silence. She sat by the piano and brushed the keys. Taking a deep breath, she pressed a key and let the music take hold of her. Her fingers danced on the piano. The echo in the room filled her with satisfaction as she continued playing. It had been a while since she played the piano, but she didn’t struggle. Eleanore loved every moment, the music echoing through her entire body.
By the end of the song, she felt a little smile growing on her face. She stretched and stood to go to her room. When she arrived at the door to go out, she heard something. Her heart began to race, her palms became sweaty and a knot formed in her stomach. Someone else was here. And listened to her play. Eleanore rushed into the hall to escape from whoever was there. She didn’t run, didn’t scream. But at the same time, she didn’t hear any other sound coming behind her. She arrived in her room in Ophelia Hall, so nervous that she dropped her keys. She bent down to pick them up when…
Tic, tic, tic…
It couldn’t be…
Petrified, she rushed to open the door and locked herself in. She dropped her stuff on her desk chair and went to the bathroom. Taking deep breaths, Eleanore checked in the mirror and all she could see was how pale she was. She still trembled. Her tired eyes searched for her medication, but she couldn’t find it. She opened the tap and splashed water on her face. She put on her pajamas , and laid down in her bed, waiting for sleep to come.
But she couldn't sleep at all.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard the same sound and anxiety grew in her stomach. She was alone, the shadows of her gloomy room messing with her mind. Eleanore took a book and tried to read, but the words kept dancing in front of her eyes. She closed it, put on her hoodie and her big socks before heading to her desk. She took her vials, her notebook and a scalpel. She retrieved the dead mouse that she found earlier, and proceeded to cut it open. Cold blood over her hand, she inhaled and began to work. With its heart between her fingers, Eleanore let her power grow inside of her. She felt it flow in her arms, until it reached her fingertips. Her heart tightened, and she thought that her chest was on fire. She placed the little heart inside the mouse’s body, waiting for the pulse. She held her breath.
It came within a second. Eleanore closed the animal with a thread, and suddenly, the wound closed too. She opened her eyes wide and exhaled.
“That’s new…” she murmured.
The little creature moved on her desk, and Eleanore caught it by its tail. She lifted it up in her hands, and caressed it.
“Well, hello you. Welcome back.” she whispered to her new companion. The mouse squealed as an answer. The moon was bright, shining in her room. She took the mouse inside a cage, and gave it something to eat. She returned to her bed and slipped under the duvet. Her chest still hurt, so she rubbed it to make the pain go away. She felt less anxious, but despite her exhaustion, she couldn’t manage to sleep.
✭ ✭ ✭
The next morning was rude to her. She barely slept, and had to drag herself to her classes. Larissa walked with her, and screamed suddenly.
“AAH! Eleanore, it’s th- it’s that a mouse in your pocket?!”
Eleanore took the little animal in her hand and presented it to her friend. She had to raise her head to see her. “Yes. Larissa, I want you to meet Slurp. Slurp, this is my friend Larissa.”
“Where did you- nevermind, I don’t even want to know.” Larissa said, shaking her head in disapproval. Eleanore put Slurp back into her pocket, and they arrived in the empty classroom. Larissa sat next to her friend and unpacked her stuff. “Have you been sleeping well?”
Eleanore glanced at her friend briefly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Must be the moon or something.” Her voice was sharper, and her palms were sweaty. She adjusted her hair, playing with her white streak.
“Or perhaps you wanted to play God again.” said a low voice that was not her friend’s. They turned to face the one who talked.
Isaac.
Great, Eleanore thought. She froze and her heart skipped a beat. “Wait a min-” her eyes widened and anger ascended within her. “That was you! You were the creep lurking behind me last night, weren’t you?!” She snapped and stood up to point her finger at him. “I should’ve known when I heard that heart of yours.” She smacked his chest with her finger while shouting at him. Isaac looked at her, shameless. He took her wrist and approached her, dominating with his height. Larissa stood up.
“And?” He said, a deadpan look on his face.
Eleanore was speechless. She withdrew her wrist.
“Get off me. Now.” She pulled back, rubbing her arm. He had left a red mark on her. Larissa pulled her back, to keep her away from Isaac. “I don’t want you near me ever again. You fucking creep.” she ordered. Larissa took her to sit far from him, not without casting a deadly gaze at him, and other students began to barge in. Gomez and Morticia arrived, “I feel a lot of tension here, my friends. What did you do amigo?”
Isaac frowned and sat at his desk, leaving his friend without an answer. Class started, but Eleanore still felt uncomfortable. The knot in her stomach wouldn’t leave her. Her leg bounced under the table, and playing with her fingers didn’t help her at all. Even Slurp squeaking in her pocket didn’t make her smile. She looked at her wrist, and surprisingly, the mark was gone. “What the he-”
“Eleanore, are you okay ?” Larissa murmured.
“Yeah, fine, don’t worry.” She responded softly.
At the end of the class, Eleanore rushed out the door as fast as she could. She didn’t wait for Larissa and went straight to the bathroom. She threw her bag on the floor. Gasping, she held on tight onto the sink, and looked into the mirror. She was pale– more than her usual porcelain-doll skin. Her green eyes reflected her nerves. Her chest tightened, so she sat on the floor, waiting for the anxiety to go. She took Slurp in her hands and caressed it gently. Doing so calmed her down, but her mind was still a mess of thoughts. Why was Isaac following her last night? And why the hell would he listen to her play the piano? None of this made any sense, and Eleanore shivered at the thought. She breathed through her nose deeply. The knot in her chest loosened, but an uncomfortable sensation remained in her body. The worst part is that he didn’t even deny all of it. He didn’t even try. She was astonished.
“Can you believe it, Slurp? Looks like I have a not-so-secret admirer. And not the one one could ask for… God, why would he do something like that?” she whispered. She froze. “Maybe he was too pissed because of the experim-”
She heard footsteps. She stood up immediately, putting Slurp back in her pocket. She took back her bag and hurried to get out of here. She bumped into something– or someone.
“I’m so sor-” she stuttered before hearing that sound. That ticking sound. She raised her head to meet Isaac’s dark eyes. “What the fuck are you doing here, Night? Last night was not enough for you, you had to follow me to the bathroom?!” She hissed, letting her anger speak for her. His jaw tightened, and so did his fists. He looked like he was trying to say something, but nothing came out of his mouth. He scratched his neck and rolled his eyes before focusing on Eleanore.
“I saw you rushed outside Orloff’s class, before I got the chance to apologize,” he said, almost with shame.
Eleanore could not believe her ears. “Before what?”
“Don’t make me say it again, Swan.”
Her laughter was filled with sarcasm. “You, apologize? Isaac Night, Nevermore’s cold genius, apologizing? Is this some kind of a joke to you?”
“Believe me, it was not my idea. Gomez forced me.”
“Oh, I know you wouldn’t do it on purpose. You’re too proud for these trivial matters. But go on, I’m all ears.” She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. She had a satisfied smile on her face, and was waiting for Isaac to talk. But seeing her like this, Isaac winced.
“You know what ? Nevermind. For once, you’re right. I won’t do this shit.” He mumbled, turning his back on her. Eleanore stood there, unamused. She could feel her heart pulsing in her fingers, her stomach writhed. Clenching her fists, rage consumed her. She stared at his back as he walked away, plotting for her revenge. He wanted to play? He’ll pay the price. She will have her apologies, no matter what. Even if she had to take them out of his mouth herself.