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“Agnes, if you’re going to break into my room, at least hold your breath to maintain the silence.”
The redhead pops into view right next to Wednesday’s latest murder board. “Oops.”
“Why are you here?” Wednesday sighs. “Don’t you have class?”
“I got kicked out of potions.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“My cauldron burst all over the room.”
“Still not an explanation.”
Agnes shrugs. “Well I have a free period now. Do you need help on a case?”
“No.”
“You mean you’d rather have Enid help.”
Wednesday resists the urge to rub her temples. “Who I take on my cases has nothing to do with you being in my room during my writing hour. If anything, it significantly decreases your usefulness to me.”
“But we haven’t been able to bond as much!”
“I don’t bond with people.”
“Really? Because I could’ve sworn the other day you and Enid were sleeping in the same bed.”
The tips of the seer’s ears turn bright red, only exacerbated by her anger. “Enid had a nightmare.”
“I don’t climb into my roommate’s bed when I have nightmares.”
“You didn’t spend three months trapped as a werewolf in Canada.”
“Hmm.”
Wednesday clenches her fists. “We’ve told you to stay out of our room.”
“And yet neither of you have killed me yet.”
“That possibility is growing higher by the second.”
“But it would cut into your writing time.”
“Agnes.”
The redhead’s sly smirk appears. “Yes?”
“Leave.”
The smirk disappears. “But I just got here.”
“So?”
“So, I…” Agnes shifts shyly. “I thought maybe we could do something together?”
“We aren’t friends.”
“As classmates then?”
“We’re hardly that either.”
“Oh.” Agnes slumps.
Wednesday curses the disappointed blue eyes she sees in her mind that make her sigh and push back from her desk.
“What did you have in mind?”
The vanisher immediately lights up. “I was wondering if you could tutor me in potions?”
“I’m not a tutor.”
“But everyone knows you’re the smartest student in the school. And I’m failing!”
“That hardly seems to be my problem.”
“If you help me, I promise I won’t come into your room unless I’m invited.”
Wednesday’s eyes narrow. “I’ve no reason to believe you will uphold that promise.”
“I will! I swear!”
A beat passes as the seer weighs her options. While unlikely that the vanisher will stay out of her room for good, the idea of less impromptu visits does seem appealing.
“Fine.”
Agnes grins in triumph. “So can we start now?”
“No, it’s my writing time.”
“But Enid always interrupts your writing time.”
“You are not Enid.”
The sly smirk returns. “No, I’m not.”
“Leave,” Wednesday hisses. “And if I sense you back here before our lesson tomorrow I will put my new pocket knife to good use.”
“The one Enid gave you?”
Wednesday reaches for the knife.
The vanisher fades from view with a giggle.
“See you tomorrow!”
The window opens and slams shut, marking the redhead’s departure at last.
Wednesday grits her teeth and sets her fingers on her typewriter, intent on diving into her novel and forgetting the last ten minutes ever happened.
The door bursts open.
“Hey, Wends!”
“Enid.”
The werewolf dumps her backpack on her bed and marches up to the seer’s desk.
“I’m going into town to get a coffee. Do you want to come?”
Wednesday glances at her roommate. Then back at her typewriter.
“Fine.”
#1
“You’re two minutes late.” Wednesday stands with crossed arms in the empty potions lab.
“Sorry, Coach Vlad kept me late at fencing to correct my technique,” Agnes complains. “Maybe you can tutor me in that too!”
“Absolutely not.”
“Hmm fine. Everyone knows Bianca is better anyway.”
Wednesday scowls. “This lesson is over.”
“No, no, wait!” Agnes quickly dumps the items from her bag onto the table. Dozens of tiny vials of ingredients spill out. “I have everything we need. Please can you teach me?”
The seer sighs deeply. “Fine. But clean up this mess first.”
Agnes scrambles to do so, placing the ingredients neatly to the side. “So what are we going to make? Right now we’re learning how to brew wolfsbane in class.”
“We will not be making that.”
“But I could give it to Enid!”
“Enid doesn’t need it,” Wednesday says sharply. “She is in full control of her wolf.”
“Oh, I know. I just meant as a gift?”
“That seems a poor gift.”
“Not everyone is an expert in giving her things like you,” Agnes says slyly.
The seer’s predictable glare doesn’t quite hide the flush on her cheeks. “How about I brew a potion to take away your invisibility instead?”
The vanisher looks suddenly alarmed. “Can you do that?”
“Want to find out?”
“Nope! Just tell me what we’re making.”
“Fill your cauldron with two liters of moonwater and an ounce of dragon salt.”
“Okay…”
“We’re starting with a basic elixir.”
“But we’ve already made those in class!”
“I thought you said you were failing.”
“Well…yeah. But still.”
“Add three drops of phoenix tears. Stir counterclockwise.”
“Wait!” Agnes hurries to get the ingredients and measure them out.
“Stir the opposite way. I said counterclockwise.”
“That’s what I’m doing!”
“It most certainly is not.”
Agnes shakes her head. “So you’re saying I’ve been failing potions because I’ve been stirring the wrong way this whole time?”
“Your measuring technique is also poor. But luckily this elixir is more forgiving for mistakes.”
“Okay, what else?”
“Three frost nettle leaves. Two ounces of prism dust. One drop of honey.”
On and on it goes for a grueling ten minutes until Agnes is sweating over her cauldron. “I thought you said this was basic.”
“It is,” Wednesday insists. “You just made it complicated.”
“Well am I done yet?” Agnes huffs.
The raven peers over the cauldron. “Only one way to find out.”
“How?”
“Drink it.”
“What?” Agnes squeaks. “They don’t even let us drink potions in class! They just grade us on appearance!”
“I’m well aware of this school’s educational shortcomings.”
“I can’t drink it!”
“Fine.” Wednesday grabs the ladle and starts lifting it to her own mouth.
“Woah wait!” The vanisher holds out her hands in alarm. “What if it accidentally kills you or something!”
“That is virtually impossible with this particular brew.”
“Well what if it poisons you then?”
“I have a high tolerance for toxic substances.”
“Still…”
Wednesday takes an impatient inhale. “Agnes. I watched you the entire time you were making this and corrected your every mistake. The first rule of potions is to not be afraid of what you make.”
“O-Okay.” Agnes is actually somewhat surprised at the genuine advice.
The seer rolls up her sleeve to her bicep.
“What happened?” The vanisher gawks at a large gash on the seer’s arm. Expertly sewn, but looking very fresh.
“A perpetrator got in a lucky shot.”
“If you’re so good at potions why don’t you use them to heal yourself more?”
“I like the scars.” Wednesday leaves out the part where she also likes how Enid fusses over her while stitching her up.
“Right.”
Without further warning, the Addams lifts the ladle to her lips and takes a deep gulp of the elixir.
Immediately the wound on her arm closes, looking as good as new.
“It worked!” Agnes exclaims with a girlish giddiness.
“My tutelage is never inaccurate.” Wednesday rolls down her sleeve again in satisfaction. “And now I must return for my writing hour.”
“Thank you!”
“Tamp down the exuberance.”
With that, the seer exits the lab.
Agnes turns to her cauldron and happily starts cleaning up. Actually feeling proud of her potions work for once.
Yet as she puts her ingredients away, one vial makes her pause.
Fire nettle leaves.
That wasn’t something Wednesday told her to put in.
But the vial is mostly empty.
While the frost nettle vial is still full.
An easy mixup considering how much they look alike to the naked eye. And Wednesday hadn’t had a good enough view of which one Agnes put in to catch it.
Still. The elixir worked. And Wednesday said the recipe was forgiving for mistakes.
So Agnes shrugs her shoulders.
No harm. No foul.
--------
“Hey!” Enid sits up in her bed excitedly as her roommate enters. “How was your day? How’s your arm? How was tutoring Agnes?”
“My day was dreadful. My arm is fine. And tutoring Agnes was as tedious as I expected.”
Enid grins at the predictable response and hurries over to where Wednesday unloads her bag at her desk. “Your arm is fine? Let me see.”
The raven pretends to be reluctant in holding it out.
The wolf frowns and runs her fingers over smooth skin. “How is it all healed?”
“I used the elixir I taught Agnes how to make.”
Enid’s eyebrows shoot up. “You trusted her potions skills??"
“I trusted mine.”
Enid rolls her eyes. “Ever the overly-confident one.”
“Better than being overly-optimistic,” Wednesday shoots back.
“Would you rather I be full of cynicism?”
“That would be more tolerable.”
“Liar. You like me how I am.”
Wednesday tugs her arm back and turns to her desk.
Enid smiles at the silent confirmation. “Do you want to grab dinner? I’m craving pizza.”
“How original.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
35 minutes later, Wednesday finds herself sitting in a Domino’s, cutting her pizza with a knife while Enid devours hers across the table.
“Surely pineapple pizza is not worth such enthusiasm.”
“It definitely is over your mushroom one,” Enid shoots back. “Those get all slimy!”
“As does rattlesnake when cooked in its own venom.”
“That sentence should not even be legal to say.”
“I hardly see how it would matter even if it wasn’t.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Enid waves her hand. “Wednesday Addams, notorious Nevermore rebel.”
The seer looks unamused. “Your titles could use some work.”
“Oh? What would you like to be called then? The shining knight that saved the whole school?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“The brave heroine that vanquished our enemies?”
“Enid.”
“The daring raven who single-handledly rescued us all?”
“Detestable.”
“You kinda liked that one didn’t you.”
“No.”
“Then why are your eyes shining?”
“They aren’t.”
“Are.”
“No. Besides,” Wednesday’s knife clatters to her plate in annoyance. “It is not even accurate.”
“Oh?”
“I was not single-handed.”
Enid grins. “Is the great Wednesday Addams admitting she had help?”
“Barclay did stab Crackstone.”
“Hmm is that all?”
“Eugene sent bees at Thornhill.”
“I suppose.”
“And Xavier was…there.”
Enid’s fists clench on the table. “Please. Xavier didn’t do shit that entire semester! All he did was hit on you and mope around and-”
The trace of a smirk on the raven’s lips has the wolf’s eyes narrowing.
“You know what? I take it back. From now on your title is Wednesday Addams, most irritating roommate ever.”
The smirk on the raven’s face only grows. “Then why haven’t you moved out?”
“Maybe I like being irritated!” Enid blurts out, coming dangerously close to crossing the unspoken line they seemed to toe more and more these days.
Wednesday takes a sharp inhale as the rest of the world seems to blur at the edges until only blue eyes remain.
It isn’t until her pizza clatters to her plate that she realizes the world actually is blurring.
“Wednesday?” Enid reaches across the table in concern. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I…” The seer grasps her head.
“Is it a vision?” Enid is by her side now kneeling next to the booth.
“I-I don’t know.”
A gentle hand brushes against the raven’s forehead.
“Shit! You’re on fire!”
“That seems unlikely,” Wednesday mutters sluggishly.
“Come on. We have to get you to the infirmary.” Enid hauls her roommate to her feet.
Wednesday stumbles with her out the door. “I’m fine.”
“Like hell you are, you can barely stand.”
On cue, the raven collapses further against the wolf who easily catches her.
“Wends!”
The seer’s eyelids start to droop.
“Come here.” The werewolf lifts the tiny girl up bridal style and starts jogging back to the school.
“This is unnecessary,” Wednesday grumbles into Enid’s ear, even as she tightens her grip around the taller girl’s shoulders.
“Stop talking!”
The werewolf starts sprinting then. Her speed and worry only increasing when the seer actually follows her command.
She bursts into the hospital wing a few minutes later.
The nurse sighs upon her entrance. “What did you two get yourselves into now?”
“I don’t know!” Enid quickly lays the now unconscious Wednesday on a bed. “She just started to collapse at dinner and is burning up!”
“Sounds like the flu.”
“Addams don’t get sick.”
“A ridiculous rumor.”
“Please, this is different!” Enid insists desperately. “I’ve never seen her like this before.”
“Did she eat anything out of the ordinary?”
“No. I mean mushroom pizza is disgusting but-”
Enid’s eyes go wide.
“The elixir!”
“Elixir?”
“Wednesday was trying to teach Agnes how to make a basic elixir but Agnes is terrible at potions and it clearly went wrong!”
“And naturally Addams drank it,” the nurse mutters dryly.
“She’s stubborn.”
“You don’t say.” The nurse checks the seer’s vitals and runs a few tests before nodding. “It does seem to be a side effect from the potion. Nothing to do but wait it out.”
“For how long?”
“Hard to say. But with her stubbornness I would expect it to pass quickly.”
“T-That’s good.”
The nurse eyes the young werewolf sympathetically. “I will be in my office if you need me.”
“Okay.”
After the nurse exits, Enid sits by Wednesday’s bedside and grasps her hand.
“I told you you were over-confident.”
She stays like that for hours. Hunched over the bed, running her thumb over the seer’s knuckles.
Until at one point she shifts a bit, and the fingers she’s holding tighten their grip.
Her eyes snap up to Wednesday, who by all accounts still appears to be asleep. But the grip on her hand doesn’t lesson, in fact, it pulls her closer.
“Wednesday?”
Another tug on her hand.
Enid follows it this time. Letting it pull her to the edge of the bed where she sits hesitantly.
“What is it? Are you okay?”
Another tug.
Enid leans back in the bed so she’s shoulder to shoulder with her roommate.
The seer drops her hand.
The wolf lies there stiffly, wondering what just happened.
But then she feels a nose press into her shoulder and a hand grasp the hem of her shirt.
Her heart simultaneously melts and combusts.
They’ve shared a bed before. But only when Enid would climb into Wednesday's after a horrible nightmare.
Never did the seer initiate it.
And never did they cuddle. No matter how much Enid’s inner wolf begged her to do so.
With hesitant movements, Enid raises her hand and rests it on top of the one on her shirt. She’s pretty sure Wednesday is still 99% out of it, so she doesn’t make any further contact than that.
But she falls asleep to the steady thrum of the raven’s pulse under her finger tips soon after.
Wednesday wakes up at dawn in what she assumes is a strawberry field given how much the scent of the fruit invades her nostrils.
But even before her eyes snap open, she realizes how wrong she is.
A strawberry field would not be this warm. Nor hold her this close.
She takes in the scene before her.
Enid is sleeping peacefully. A sight she has never grown tired of even after nearly three years of rooming together.
Yet it’s different from this angle. Looking up at the wolf from where she’s (horrifyingly) resting on Enid’s shoulder.
It’s beautifully suffocating.
Then, to make matters worse, blue eyes blink open. And Wednesday wonders if her lungs simply forgot how to inhale air altogether.
“Hey.” Enid tilts her head with a small smile. “How are you feeling?”
“I…” Wednesday does a quick self-assessment. “Feel fine.”
It’s a lie. She feels better than fine. In fact, she feels more well-rested than she has after any other night’s sleep. But she’ll be damned if she thinks about the implications of that.
“That’s…good.” Enid’s eyes flit to where their hands are still intertwined on her shirt. “Um, do you-”
Wednesday sits up abruptly. Leaving them both suddenly freezing on one side.
“I must go review Agnes’ ingredients. She clearly has something mislabeled.”
Enid watches the seer scramble out of the hospital wing with a disappointed expression.
“Right.”
#2
“You aren’t supposed to be in my room, Agnes.”
The vanisher pops up in front of Wednesday’s closet. “The deal was only if you tutored me in potions, which you haven’t done in days!”
“Your failure to properly identify ingredients landed me in the hospital wing.”
“Luckily Enid was there to save you. As usual.”
“Get out.”
Agnes’ expression goes from sly to pleading. “But I have an exam tomorrow and we have to make a strengthening potion and I can’t! I’ve tried a million times!”
“A statement I know to be impossible.”
“Please! I’ll bring you double the quads for the next month! I’ll even get Enid furraccinos!”
“Fine.”
Agnes grins in relief. She knew that would work.
“I already have the recipe and ingredients with me.” The redhead empties her bag onto the dorm room floor.
Wednesday eyes the recipe. “Is that printed off the internet?”
“Um, yes?”
“Why is it not a recipe from your textbook?”
“Our teacher said we have to make a unique one and this is the best one I found. It got my roommate an A just yesterday.”
“That doesn’t make it viable.”
“But I don’t have time to search for another one!”
Wednesday huffs in exasperation. “Fine. But I’m making it this time and you’re just going to watch. Read me the instructions. Carefully.”
Agnes does. Checking and double checking each ingredient and measurement along the way. Until finally the cauldron sizzles with the perfect reddish liquid that the recipe describes.
“Try it.” Wednesday holds out the ladle.
Agnes hesitates. “But you made it. Shouldn’t you?”
“This is your project.”
“But you said the first rule of potions is that the brewer has to try it.”
“That is nowhere near what I said.”
“But-”
Wednesday sighs and lifts the ladle to her own lips, figuring she’d get rid of the vanisher faster this way.
The potion burns going down her throat, but the fire quickly turns to raw energy in her veins.
“H-How do you feel?” Agnes asks anxiously.
Wednesday stands and takes in her surroundings. “Enhanced hearing, vision, and smell.”
“I guess that counts as strengthening?”
The seer goes over and lifts up her entire desk easily. “And enhanced physical strength.”
“Yes!” Agnes jumps up. “I did it!”
Wednesday looks unimpressed.
“I mean, technically you did. Kinda. But I can definitely replicate this tomorrow!”
“So your need to be in this room no longer exists.”
“Yep! Thank you, Wednesday!”
Agnes rushes to pick up her items from the ground, including the printed out recipe.
Yet despite her meticulous focus while reading the instructions, she had failed to notice one thing at the very bottom of the paper in tiny gray print.
Page 1 of 2.
------
“You’ll never believe what happened today! Ajax accidentally asked out Roxanne instead of Bianca and Bianca was pissed and- OH MY GOD!”
Enid drops all of her school books in the middle of the room.
“WHAT THE HELL??”
Her claws slip out instinctively.
The giant beast in front of her growls ferociously.
A werewolf.
A black werewolf.
With soft brown eyes that look incredibly familiar.
“...Wednesday??”
The wolf’s ears flick back.
Enid retracts her claws and takes a step closer.
“What happened??”
The beast makes an exasperated sound.
Enid glances around the room and focuses her senses, locking on to a strange new scent.
“Don’t tell me you drank another one of Agnes’ ridiculous potions.”
The wolf lets out something that Enid thinks was supposed to be a huff, but comes out as more of a whimper.
“Hey,” Enid says softly as she steps closer. “It’s alright.”
She reaches out and gently grazes the wolf’s ear.
Wednesday pulls back with a sharp glare, shaking out her fur.
“S-Sorry.” Enid immediately retracts her hand.
She pulls out her phone to look for any clues about the potion gone wrong, missing how the werewolf gives her an almost longing look.
“I can’t find anything about an antidote. We’ll probably just have to wait until it wears off. But that didn’t take too long last time.”
Wednesday plops down in annoyance, her giant tail nearly knocking over her cello.
Enid can’t help the grin that comes to her face.
Wolf Wednesday is adorable.
The beast huffs, unamused at Enid’s amusement. Which only makes Enid smile more.
“Do you want to go out to the fields? I bet the potion will wear off faster if you burn some energy.”
Wednesday rolls her eyes as if to say, I am not a dog.
Enid crosses her arms as if to say, yes you are.
Oh how the tables have turned.
The beast grumbles a bit before standing reluctantly.
Enid smirks and grabs a few items to toss into her bag before opening the window.
“Be careful.”
Wednesday rolls her eyes again. But the effort it takes her to squeeze out of the small opening without shattering the window surprises them both.
They walk to the fields as the sun starts to set, getting plenty of double takes along the way. The school was used to seeing Wednesday walking around with a werewolf, but certainly not the other way around. Yet everyone still has the good sense not to bother them. Especially given how the black werewolf growls threateningly on the way by.
The field is thankfully empty when they arrive. And Enid leads them to a more secluded area before stopping and standing there expectantly.
Wednesday doesn’t move.
“Well? Go play! Run around!” Enid waves her hands.
The wolf scoffs indignantly.
Enid rolls her eyes. “Come on. It’s not that hard. I know you can do it.”
Another scoff.
“Fine. Will this help?” Enid pulls out a rubber ball from her bag, the one Wednesday usually uses to play with her.
Wednesday scowls at it.
Enid throws it all the same.
“Go fetch.”
Wednesday continues to stand there trying to look offended. But the twitching in her tail gives her away.
“You do know I’m a werewolf?” Enid smirks. “I know you want to go fetch the ball.”
Wednesday stamps her foot.
Enid points. “Go.”
Wednesday goes.
In a flash, the ball is dropped once more at Enid’s feet.
She blinks.
That speed may have even rivaled her alpha abilities.
For a second, she considers transforming too. She had always dreamed of running as a wolf alongside Wednesday. A true pack experience.
But no. She doesn’t know how badly the potion got mixed up, and decides she needs to stay human just in case.
Besides, if her wolf saw Wednesday’s, she’s pretty sure it would do something crazy embarrassing like try to scent her best friend.
Enid picks up the ball again.
Wednesday huffs at it again.
But as soon as it's in the air, she chases after it anyway.
On and on this goes for another 20 minutes until Enid can tell Wednesday is growing fatigued. Or perhaps just tired of the game.
“Do you want a treat?” Enid holds up a can of the werewolf biscuits Wednesday usually feeds her.
The beast growls in annoyance, but when the treat is thrown, she snatches it out of the air on pure instinct.
Enid laughs in delight and throws some more. “Now you can’t tease me about how I act as a wolf.”
Wednesday swipes at the girl with her tail, knocking her to the ground.
Enid splutters and sits up. “Oh is that how you’re gonna be?”
The beast’s eyes glisten in amusement as it goes back for the biscuits, but Enid snatches them away.
“Oh no. No more treats for you.”
Wednesday growls.
“Don’t growl.”
Wednesday growls more.
“If you want the treats so bad, come and get them.” Enid holds the can up teasingly.
In another flash, the werewolf has Enid pinned to the ground with a giant paw, the biscuits scattered to the side.
Enid stares up at the magnificent creature in awe. She’d seen Wednesday’s wolf when they swapped bodies, but not like this.
Not this close. Not this gentle.
The paw moves off her shoulder and onto the ground. But the brown eyes above her don’t waiver.
“Wednesday.”
Enid slowly holds up her hand again.
This time, the wolf doesn’t flinch away.
Her fingers find the soft fur of the wolf’s head where she scratches lightly.
Wednesday’s eyes slip closed for a fraction of a second.
Enid reaches out with her other hand now. Her throat feeling tight at the trust and intimacy her best friend is allowing her.
“You’re…You’re a great wolf, Wednesday Addams.”
Wednesday looks away bashfully and starts to pull back. But she doesn’t go far as she lies down next to Enid, curling herself to block out the wind. Something Enid had done many times before with Wednesday in human form.
Enid smiles and grabs a blanket to throw over the beast.
They lay like that under the stars until they both fall asleep.
When Enid wakes later that night, Wednesday has already changed back and is fully dressed in the set of clothes Enid brought for her.
“Sooo.” Enid grins and leans toward her roommate. “How’d you like being a werewolf again?”
The seer huffs and turns away. She doesn’t remember everything that happened, but the things she does remember certainly don’t help the embarrassment prickling up her spine.
“At least I didn’t get the so-called zoomies like you.”
“Hey!” Enid sits up in offense. “If the potion had lasted longer you definitely would’ve! It’s an uncontrollable thing!”
A flash goes through the seer’s mind of how she had her roommate pinned to the ground mere hours prior.
Uncontrollable.
Wednesday shakes away the memory and starts walking toward the school. “We should get back. We need dinner.”
“You could just say you’re hungry,” Enid says knowingly, scurrying to catch up.
“No.”
“Lying to a werewolf about werewolf appetites isn’t the smartest move.”
“You assume false information.”
“Uh huh. And you make a more stereotypical wolf than you think.”
“I don’t.”
“Yes you do.”
“Enough.”
“Do you want a biscuit?”
“...No.”
#3
“It worked!”
Wednesday sighs from her secluded corner of the library. “What, Agnes?”
“This luck potion!” The redhead waves a vial of blue liquid in front of the seer’s face.
“I highly doubt that.”
“Why?” Agnes frowns. “I made it just the way you said.”
“It’s supposed to be clear, not blue.”
“But I swear it worked! I tried it like you said I should and it’s been a great day!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! I aced my pre-calc test, found Eugene’s missing tarantulas, and Pugsley asked me to the sophomore dance!”
Wednesday wrinkles her nose in disgust. “Why would you want to go with that oaf?”
“Your brother is sweet.”
“One of his most abhorrent qualities.”
“You’re just jealous he had the guts to make a move and you don’t.”
The seer’s ears redden. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Agnes slumps tiredly. “Then you must be the only one in the entire school that doesn’t.”
“Careful.”
The vanisher disregards the empty threat and holds out the blue potion. “Try it.”
“Why? You already did.”
“Maybe it can help you with a certain werewolf,” Agnes suggests slyly.
“I don’t need help,” Wednesday growls.
“Hmm, okay, suit yourself.” The redhead moves to leave.
“Wait.”
Wednesday holds out her hand.
“I must study the potion. It should not be blue.”
Agnes smirks and hands it over. “Best of luck with your studying.”
The seer’s scowl remains long after the redhead vanishes from sight.
She peers keenly at the vial in her hand. But a flash of pink and blue hair in the window distracts her gaze.
Her eyes follow the color around the courtyard wistfully as Enid laughs with Yoko and waves off the pathetic wolves that follow her like puppies.
One wolf doesn’t scamper off though. He hovers over Enid, obviously trying to start a conversation, or, even more likely, ask her out.
He only leaves when Yoko finally shoos him away with a gnashing of her fangs.
Wednesday grips the potion tightly as Enid disappears from the courtyard.
Then, in a rare impulsive decision, she uncaps the vial.
And downs the entire thing.
--------
“Damn, Addams, what’s wrong with you today?”
Bianca twirls her sword effortlessly after carving yet another scratch into the raven’s arm.
Wednesday grits her teeth. “A flèche after a feint was ill-advised there.”
Bianca shrugs. “Still got me the point, didn’t it? I’m just surprised you didn’t see it coming. Just like all my other moves today it seems. You want to call it?”
The Addams juts out her chin defiantly. “No.”
“Suit yourself.”
Three minutes later, Enid is wincing as Wednesday’s blood hits the mat again.
Yoko nudges her friend where they sit observing from the bleachers. “Did you two have a fight or something?”
“What? No!”
“Huh. That’s a first.”
“We don’t even fight that much anymore!”
The vampire shrugs. “I’m just saying, usually whenever Addams is struggling this much it’s because of you.”
“Hey! I have nothing to do with this!” Enid whisper-yells as the swords clash again in the background. “And I don’t have as much influence over her as you think!”
Yoko snorts. “These entire sessions are literally her just showing off for you.”
The werewolf’s cheeks go bright pink. “She isn’t showing off for me!”
“Well she sure as hell isn’t showing off for anyone else. Didn’t you see her do that flip the other day and look at you directly afterward?”
“S-She just likes to fence! And she’s good at it! That’s all!”
“Not right now she’s not.”
More of Wednesday’s blood spills on the mat. This time from her cheek.
Enid’s inner wolf growls at the sight. And before she knows it, she’s jumping up from the bleachers and going over to the mats.
“Wednesday, practice is long over, maybe it’s time to call it for the day?”
The seer looks over with sharp eyes, as if just realizing Enid is there. Which Enid would totally use as evidence that Wednesday is not showing off for her. Except that she’s too confused by the deeply discouraged and almost sad look that crosses the seer’s face before her mask of aggravation slips back into place.
“Fine.”
Wednesday throws her sword in its case and stomps to the locker room to change.
Bianca turns to Enid with a curious expression. “Did you two fight or something?”
“Why does everyone assume we fought??” Enid screeches.
“Um,” Bianca backs up toward Yoko. “No reason.”
Enid huffs and heads toward the locker room, ignoring her friends knowing looks on the way out.
She finds Wednesday changed back into casual clothing, locking up her gear with more aggressive movements than usual.
“Hey.” The wolf goes over to the raven. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Enid.”
“The five fresh wounds you have all over suggest otherwise.”
Wednesday shoots her a glare and starts moving toward the exit, but Enid catches her arm.
“Hey.” Enid raises a hand to the raven’s cheek and studies the gash on it intently. “Let me stitch this up. Else it will scar.”
Wednesday stares into blue eyes.
“You’re just jealous he had the guts to make a move and you don’t.”
Surely Pugsley could not be more adept at something than she is.
“Enid.”
The wolf’s fingers trace over the seer’s jaw. “Yeah?”
“Would…Would that be so bad?”
Enid tilts her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Wednesday frowns, not entirely sure where she was going with that question either. It just sort of came out of her. As do her next words.
“I have many scars.”
“I know?”
“Are they so bad?”
“N-No. They’re beaut- um,” Enid coughs. “They suit you.”
“I…see.”
Wednesday looks at the ground. Her attempt at asking her roommate to dinner reduced to an embarrassing display of vulnerability about her appearance. How utterly horrifying.
Enid shifts on her feet. Not exactly sure what’s happening, but feeling nervous herself.
“So, um, do you want to go back to the room and I’ll stitch it up? Or-Or not! If you want the scar that’s fine too. I just meant-”
“Yes.”
The two roommates exit the locker room and start back toward their dorm. They walk shoulder to shoulder quietly until they reach the stairs of their balcony.
Then Wednesday trips on the final step.
“Woah! You okay?” Enid’s arms circle her roommate’s torso as she checks over her worriedly.
The seer scowls through her flush. “Yes. They must’ve raised that step.”
“Ha, sure. It definitely wasn’t you being clumsy.” Enid smirks as she reluctantly lets the girl go.
“I am not clumsy.”
“Oh? The way I see it, if I wasn’t here, you’d be sprawled on our balcony right now.”
“It’s the blood loss,” Wednesday insists through gritted teeth.
Enid laughs. “Sure. Speaking of which, let's get you patched up.”
As dreadfully humiliating as the last two hours have been for Wednesday, the next twenty minutes almost make up for it.
Something about the wolf’s warm and caring hands stitching her up always seems to melt away the day’s tension.
“Aanndd good as new!” Enid grins at her handy work as she places the last bandage on the seer’s cheek.
“That is not how first aid works.”
“Well it’s how my first aid works.” Enid winks.
The flutter in Wednesday’s stomach disrupts her ability to say anything to the contrary.
She leans forward to grab the medical kit next to the wolf. But blue eyes must have her miscalculating the distance. Because her forehead knocks directly into the other girl’s.
“Ow!” Enid jerks away and holds her head.
“I-I apologize.” Wednesday stutters through the throbbing of her own skull. More horrified at her actions than cognizant of the pain.
Since when is Wednesday Addams clumsy?
“It’s fine.” The wolf laughs a bit. “Next time I can just give you the kit though.”
“Right.”
Wednesday stands and moves to get as far away as possible, walking on autopilot toward the object she often seeked out in times of unease.
Her cello.
With rapid movements, she drags it, along with her chair and music stand, out to the balcony.
The sun has long since set, but Wednesday welcomes the cold winter air on her fingertips as she moves them over the strings.
Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights rings out clearly. Muscle memory taking over.
At least at first.
But then Wednesday’s thoughts wander to the wolf just inside her dorm. And suddenly her cello is making an awful squeaking sound that hasn’t been heard since her early days of taking lessons as a three year-old.
She huffs and drops her bow to the ground in frustration.
“You know, everyone has off days, Wends.”
The raven glares at her roommate leaning against their window. “I don’t.”
Enid shakes her head. “I mean, your off days are still better than 99% of people’s on days. It’s not a big deal.”
Wednesday sets down her cello to go stand by the railing, arms folded in front of her. “I have not had a day like this in over a decade.”
“Ha. Maybe you were just due for one then.” Enid comes over and nudges the shorter girl lightly with her shoulder.
The raven frowns deeper at the suggestion. Whatever Agnes gave her, it surely wasn’t luck potion. Wednesday was no closer to achieving any of her endeavors. Least of all with the roommate beside her whom she had just made a fool of herself in front of.
“You know, it’s kinda nice,” Enid says thoughtfully, looking out to the silent school below.
“What is?” Wednesday grumbles.
“Seeing you be so…human.”
The seer side eyes her friend. “An ironic thing to say as a werewolf.”
Enid rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. You’re just so perfect. All the time. And the rest of us are just like, trying to keep up.”
“It’s unnecessary to keep up with something you already are, Enid.”
“...What??”
Wednesday turns to the wolf who is looking at her with a shocked expression. And it’s only then that she realizes what she just said.
Curse this potion.
“W-Wednesday, do you mean that?”
“Must you ask for validation?”
“Maybe I just want you to say it.”
The seer hesitates, wondering if the potion is just going to spit out something for her again. But nothing comes.
She takes a deep breath. Ignoring the intense feeling of nausea in her stomach.
Pugsley is not the bravest Addams sibling.
“I don’t say things I don’t mean, Enid.”
The werewolf blinks and starts to lean the slightest bit closer. Staring at her best friend’s lips.
“Then d-do you-”
Wednesday nearly launches herself over the balcony railing as she vomits up blue liquid.
And there’s only one thing on her mind as she starts losing consciousness.
Killing Agnes DeMille.
#4
Wednesday doesn’t get to kill Agnes.
It was on her to-do list, really. But then an actual murder happened. And she’s been busy ever since.
“Where is your hyde camp?”
Wednesday stands above Tyler Galpin who kneels on the ground, hands tied behind his back with steel chains.
Tyler grins. “It’s good to see you too, Wednesday.”
Enid shoves her claws in the hyde's face. “Answer her or I will send you to hell right now.”
Tyler turns his wicked grin on the wolf. “Oh I’ll answer her. Only her.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Then no answers.” Tyler looks pointedly at the seer.
Wednesday crosses her arms, weighing her options.
Tyler senses his chance and leans into it. “Just you and me, Wednesday. Like how it all started all those years ago in the woods with Rowan.”
Enid grabs the chain around the hyde’s neck roughly. “It didn’t start with you! And it sure as hell isn’t going to end with you!”
Tyler sneers and whispers in Enid’s ear. “You really think it’s going to end with you, Sinclair?”
A flicker of doubt passes through the wolf’s features, but the chain tightens around the hyde’s neck as Enid growls back.
“Either way. Don’t forget who put you in these chains, Galpin.”
The werewolf’s claws start to draw blood on his shoulder.
“Answer her,” Enid demands.
“No.”
The chain is pulled tighter.
“Want to try that again?”
Tyler’s eyes grow comically wide as panic sets in.
And Wednesday has never been more enamored by the alpha in front of her.
But unfortunately, this is not what they came for.
“Enid.”
“What.”
“Let him go.”
The wolf turns on the raven wildly, yellow overtaking the blue in her eyes.
“But he’s just trying to make me leave so he can be alone with you!”
“I know.”
Enid lets out a predatory growl as she shoves Tyler to the ground. “Why do you always let him get away!”
“I don’t.”
“You are right now!”
“He’s literally tied up.”
“Yeah, thanks to me! But now you’re just letting him get rid of me!”
“I’m not-”
“Yes you are!”
“We need information!” Wednesday snaps. “Another student was just killed!”
“Fine!” Enid throws up her hands. “You two have fun with…whatever the hell this is!”
Wednesday frowns, suddenly panicking herself for entirely different reasons than Tyler. “Enid, that’s not-”
“Whatever!”
The werewolf grabs her bag and sprints away at a blazing pace.
Leaving only a raven and hyde.
Tyler laughs from his spot on the ground. “One day you’re going to lose that guard dog.”
Now Wednesday grabs the chain, cutting off the hyde’s air supply.
“Tell me where the hyde camp is or I’ll call her back. And then no amount of begging will save you.”
-----
Wednesday finds Enid at the edge of the woods, checking her watch impatiently.
“So did you get your information?”
“Yes, I-”
“Good.” Enid turns on her heel and stomps back toward the school.
The seer hurries after her. “Enid.”
“What?”
“Tyler’s in Santiago’s custody.”
“Fantastic. I’m sure I’ll see him again in a few weeks when you let him out!”
“That’s not going to happen-”
“Yeah. Whatever.”
The wolf storms up to the school gate.
Wednesday tries to reach out. “Enid, I don’t want-”
“I said whatever!”
“But-”
An invisible force crashes through the gate and knocks the two roommates to the ground.
Enid splutters and looks down at her now soaking wet uniform.
“What the…AGNES!!”
The redhead pops into view. “Oops.”
“What did you just spill on us??” Enid screeches.
“Umm…water?”
“Then why is it purple!!”
“It’s special water?”
“Agnes.” Wednesday climbs to her feet and glares at the purple stain on her pristine white shirt. “What is this?”
The vanisher shifts nervously. “Interrogation potion?”
“What? That’s not a thing!” Enid glances at Wednesday. “Is it?”
“No.”
“It was just something I made to help you guys get answers out of Tyler easier,” Agnes explains.
“Well you’re about fifteen minutes too late for that!” Enid hisses.
“My bad.”
“What does this potion do?” Wednesday presses.
“Um, it was supposed to help you read his mind?”
“And what is it going to do to us??” Enid yells.
“I guess we’ll find out?”
“Ugh!” The wolf throws up her hands and starts toward her dorm again. “This day just keeps getting better and better!”
Agnes blinks at Wednesday. “What did I miss in those fifteen minutes?”
The Addams only provides a death glare in response.
Up in their dorm, Enid has already changed out of her potion-stained clothes when Wednesday arrives, but the seer can tell her mood has only soured further.
“I expect whatever the potion does, it will wear off quickly since we didn’t drink it.” Wednesday heads to her closet to change.
“Great,” Enid grunts. “I love being a lab rat because of your murderous ex-boyfriend.”
Wednesday storms out of her closet in only sweatpants and a tank top. “He’s not my ex-boyfriend.”
“Does he know that??”
“I’m not responsible for how childishly Tyler behaves.”
“Well you’ve certainly tried to control him enough!”
“That was one time.”
“Really? What about that time he threw you out a window!”
“I wasn’t trying to control him then!”
“Well it all has the same result!” Enid clenches her fists as she stomps to the middle of the room. “He gets away and still thinks that you-you-”
“What?”
“Care for him!”
“I never cared for him!”
“You kissed him!”
Wednesday looks murderously incredulous. “Do you really want to have a debate about who we’ve kissed?”
“W-Well at least I haven’t kissed a serial killer!”
“I didn’t know he was a serial killer then! Unlike you who went to the gala with Bruno who you knew was a cheater!”
“Only because you didn’t ask-”
A loud crash makes the roommates jump apart.
When had they even gotten so close?
Thing waves from atop his house, the jar of teeth he just knocked to the ground scattered below him.
Hello. Hi.
“What!” The two roommates yell in unison.
Oh so your voices do work? Thing taps curiously.
“What do you mean?” Enid huffs. “Haven’t you heard us yelling?
Uh, no.
“What?”
You’ve just been standing there getting closer and closer looking increasingly like you’re going to murder each other. I thought you were possessed.
The horrific realization dawns on both roommates at once.
“Great!” Enid throws her head back. “Now I have your voice in my head to top off this fantastic day!”
“I wasn’t the one who started this debate,” Wednesday spits back.
“No, you were just the one who started all these ridiculous cases in the first place!”
“I didn’t ask you to follow me!”
“You didn’t ask Tyler either. But somehow his stupid face always pops up around you!”
“You want to talk about people being followed? Your wolf pack trails after you like a group of lost dogs!”
“Well that’s better than-”
You two are doing it again! Thing pounds his fists on the table.
“Ugh!” Enid’s claws slip out as she starts to shake with frustration. “Let’s just…not talk! Okay??”
“Fine by me. Silence is preferable anyway.” The raven stalks over to her desk and sits down.
The werewolf digs her claws into her fists. Wednesday Addams is by far the most infuriating person she has ever met.
She could just stomp over there, shove her up against the desk and-
Shit shit shit.
Enid pulls that thought back with the effort of lassoing a tornado.
She glances nervously at the seer.
If they can hear each other’s thoughts right now, surely Wednesday just heard how much Enid desperately wants to kiss her.
But Wednesday doesn’t even seem fazed. Only sets her fingers on her typewriter and begins her migraine-inducing typing.
“If it bothers you so much, wear your headphones,” the seer snips.
Oh so that thought Wednesday could hear.
Interesting.
Except that it’s really not. Because it’s far more maddening. And just a tad disappointing.
A part of Enid really wants Wednesday to know how much she wants to kiss her. How much she hates that Tyler got to do it first.
But alas.
She grabs her headphones and slides them on, hoping they’ll block out any further intrusive thoughts. Both from her roommate and herself.
Across the dorm, Wednesday sighs in relief when she hears kpop music blasting through the headphones.
So Enid hadn’t heard her ludicrous thoughts of pressing the wolf up against the window and wiping out all memories of previous kisses for both of them.
Good.
#5
“If you’re trying to burn down the laboratory, there are far more efficient ways of doing so.”
“I’m not trying to do that!” Agnes runs from window to window trying to clear out the smoke she created.
Wednesday sighs as she steps further into the classroom. “Why did you start without me?”
“I thought this potion would be easy!”
“What is it?”
“A love potion.”
“...What made you think that would be easy?”
Agnes shrugs sheepishly. “I mean, love is just chemistry, right?”
Wednesday stares for a moment. Only a few years ago she would’ve agreed. Feelings were just science. Neurons firing. Hormones spiking.
But then she met an annoyingly bubbly werewolf who made feelings seem far more than just chemicals reacting in her overdeveloped brain.
Agnes tilts her head knowingly. “Or not?”
“Emotions cannot be fabricated on a whim.” Wednesday steps up to the cauldron and dumps the spoiled contents out to start over. “Such potions are less about the technical precision of the brew and more about the objective of the brewer.”
“So you have to put the love into it.”
“That is not technically possible.”
“It’s what I heard.”
Wednesday rolls her eyes. “I suppose if that’s how you want to view it.”
“Have you made this then?” Agnes asks curiously.
“I’ve never had a need for it. And by all accounts you shouldn’t either. It’s not in the curriculum, and there are better ways to torture my brother.”
“It’s not for your brother. I just wanted to make it for fun. I’ve gotten pretty good at a lot of the other potions you taught me, and this one seemed like a different challenge. Besides, it’s not a real love potion, it just enhances feelings that are already there.”
“How detestable.”
“I can go ask Enid to help me instead,” Agnes suggests slyly. “She’d probably be better at this anyway.”
“No.”
Something about the idea of Enid brewing a love potion makes Wednesday’s stomach swirl. Too many people in this school are already infatuated with her anyway.
Present company not included.
Agnes raises her eyebrows. “So will you help me?”
“Fine.”
20 minutes later, Wednesday Addams is actually sweating. Something Agnes has never seen in her two years of knowing the seer.
“Uh, it says the potion is supposed to look pink right now.” Agnes holds out her textbook.
“Did you give me the wrong ingredients again?” the seer growls.
“No.”
“And you’re sure you read every instruction properly?”
“Yes!”
“You must still be reading something wrong!”
“Or maybe you aren’t doing what you said!”
“What does that mean?”
Agnes shoves the ladle in the seer’s hand. “Put your feelings into it!”
“I don’t have feelings,” the Addams grinds out.
“Oh please.” The vanisher crosses her arms. “The potion started turning pink as soon as I said that.”
Wednesday scowls down at the cauldron.
Sure enough, the brew turns more and more pink as unsolicited thoughts of a certain werewolf cross the raven’s mind.
She drops the ladle. But it’s too late. The potion already smells overwhelming like strawberries.
Agnes smirks triumphantly. “And the student becomes the master.”
Wednesday huffs and grabs her bag, eager to hide the flush on her cheeks. “I better not see any of that end up in my brother’s cup.”
“I’ll let him know you care so much.”
The seer shoots one last withering glare at the redhead before making a swift exit.
Agnes grins and starts scoping the potion into a vial. Not to use. Just to…study.
When she’s done, she grabs her textbook and hurries to her next class.
Never once reading the footnote at the bottom of the recipe.
*Enhances platonic love only
----------
“Here’s your furraccino!”
Enid grins as Agnes pops out of thin air and places the to-go cup in front of her.
“You’re a lifesaver, Agnes.”
“Wednesday put me up to it.” The vanisher smirks knowingly.
Enid flushes and takes a big sip of the drink. Then almost spits it back out.
“Ah, what the hell is that??” The wolf chokes and tries to swallow her gags.
Agnes frowns. “A furraccino? They didn’t have whipped cream, but they made it the same-”
“This is not a furraccino! It tastes like pure ground up coffee beans!”
“What? But it looks correct-”
“It’s not!” Enid screeches, still gagging.
“Huh. Maybe they mixed up you and Wednesday’s drinks?” Agnes peers into the to-go bag she got from the Weathervane.
Then freezes.
The entire bottom of the bag is bright pink.
She had slipped the love potion into it in a rush after class. But she hadn’t expected the vial to explode everywhere.
Enid frowns suspiciously at Agnes’ horrified face. “What, did they mix up the drinks?”
The vanisher quickly closes the bag. “Um, yeah I think so! I’ll go get you another one-”
“It’s fine, I’ll just give this to Wednesday and-”
“No, don't do that!”
Enid blinks as the redhead snatches the cup out of her hands.
“I-I’m just going to bring this back to the Weathervane and complain. Maybe get a refund, you know?”
“Uh, sure, but I can pay you back-”
“Nope!” Agnes squeaks as she sees Wednesday making her way over. “All good! Got to go! Um…sorry!”
The vanisher runs off before Enid can ask what exactly she’s sorry for. Or why she looked like she’d just seen death itself appear.
“What was that?” Wednesday walks up to the table Enid is sitting at and glares suspiciously in the direction Agnes left.
Enid shakes her head. “Beats me.”
Wednesday sits down next to her, and the werewolf smiles to herself at the fact the seer chose to sit so close despite all the other seats being available.
She leans toward the raven, trying to ignore the sudden onset of heart palpitations in her chest.
She’s going to ask. Now. Because suddenly it finally seems like the right time.
“Wends?”
“Yes?”
“D-Do you want to get ice cream with me tonight?”
“It’s the middle of winter.”
“Is that a no?”
Wednesday immediately straightens at the dejected tone. “It’s not a no.”
Enid’s grin chases away the chill in the air. “Great, it’s a-”
“Hey, guys.”
Bianca plops down in the seat across from them.
“Hey!” Enid greets over-enthusiastically, instantly distracted from her previous conversation. “It’s so good to see you!”
The siren tilts her head. “I just saw you in class but…thanks?”
“Yeah, but it’s just nice to have you around, you know? I mean, everyone at the school loves you, but you hang out with us!”
“Okay…” Bianca raises an eyebrow. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing!” Enid frowns in confusion. “I’m just saying how great you are.”
Bianca glances at Wednesday who is giving the werewolf her signature side-eye scowl.
“Right.”
“And you were amazing in fencing today! Totally better than Wednesday!”
“Ha.” Bianca snorts, figuring Enid is just trying to rile the seer up. But then she realizes the wolf isn’t even looking at her roommate. Which is absolutely not normal. “Wait…you’re serious?”
“Of course!” Enid grins. “I wouldn’t lie to you like that.”
“Um, is this some weird power dynamic game between you two? Because if so, I really don’t want to be involved in your flirt-”
“No.” Wednesday growls, her posture impossibly stiff with aggravation. And hurt.
“What do you mean?” Enid asks, looking confused again. “I was just giving you a compliment, Bianca.”
The siren slowly nods. “Sure. Which I appreciate. But-”
“Have I ever told you how cool your eyes are?”
Bianca blinks rapidly. “Um. No?”
“Well they are. Even more blue than mine!” Enid elbows her roommate. “Aren’t her eyes really blue?”
“She’s a siren,” Wednesday grinds out through gritted teeth.
“Which is also so cool by the way!” Enid points back at Bianca. “You could totally like, mess up this whole school with your powers, but you don’t.”
“That applies to a lot of people here, including yourself.”
“Eh, my powers aren’t that special,” the werewolf insists. “Even Yoko’s are cooler.”
Bianca glances at Wednesday again who is now just glaring at the table. And the siren can’t quite believe the rush of pity that goes through her for the girl.
“Well, Addams’ powers are the most unique ones at the school.”
“Yeah, I know.” Enid waves her hand. “I’m just saying you guys have cool powers too. I mean, even Ajax-”
Wednesday stands up abruptly, nearly knocking over her chair in the process.
“Where are you going?”
It’s the first time Bianca has seen Enid look at her roommate in the entire interaction. But the familiar puppy dog pout still makes an appearance. Though she’s 100% sure Wednesday doesn’t notice it.
“Away.”
“Oh, but Yoko and Divina will be here soon and we’re all going to dinner in town-”
“I’m sure Barclay will accompany you.” Wednesday shoves all her items into her bag.
“I’m going with Ajax,” Bianca tries to interject helpfully, but neither roommate seems to hear her.
Enid turns more fully to Wednesday. “I mean yeah, she’s coming and that’s awesome and all but-”
“Then have an awesome time.”
“Wends-”
The seer stalks away and out of sight.
Enid slumps in her seat.
Bianca studies the werewolf. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I-” Enid rubs her head. “I just feel kinda weird.”
“I figured as much.”
“You noticed?”
“You said my eyes are really blue.”
“God,” Enid groans. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“You could go talk to her?”
“No. She’s not going to want to right now.”
Bianca sighs. “Come on. Let’s go meet Yoko. I’ll grab you a coffee on the way. Maybe you’re just caffeine deprived.”
“You really are an amazing friend.”
“That’s sweet, Sinclair. But if you keep that up you’re going to get us both murdered.”
“Ugh, I know. Wouldn’t be the worst way to go I guess.”
“Now you’re starting to sound more like your lovesick self.”
“Shut up!”
--------
Enid returns back from dinner earlier than Wednesday is expecting. Meaning she doesn’t have time to flee the room.
“Hey.”
The werewolf walks up to the seer’s desk.
Wednesday doesn’t respond.
“Um, I’m sorry about earlier. I don’t know what was up with me.”
More silence.
“I-I don’t actually think Bianca is better at fencing than you. I mean you’re amazing at like, everything. And Bianca’s good, but she’s not you. And I don’t know why I was saying all that stuff earlier. I was feeling really weird and it all just came out of me, and I totally blame it on the awful coffee Agnes gave me earlier and not really how I feel-”
Wednesday whips around sharply. “What coffee?”
Enid blinks. Out of all the things she was saying, that’s what Wednesday is focusing on?
“Uh, I don’t know. She gave me this furraccino, but it tasted terrible. Like plain black coffee or something. She said the Weathervane mixed up our orders.”
A look of horror passes over Wednesday’s face before it morphs into one of pure dejection.
“I see.”
Enid frowns at the expression she doesn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
The seer turns back to her desk quickly to hide the pain on her face. “Agnes should be more careful with the orders.”
It’s a deflection. Enid knows. But she can’t fathom what exactly about a messed up coffee order would have Wednesday retreating behind her walls like this. So she does the only thing she can do and presses onward.
“Right. Anyway. Um…do you want to go get ice cream now? I saw the shop just got this disgusting liquorice flavor you’ll probably love.”
“No.”
“Oh, you don’t have to get that flavor, I was just-”
“I mean no.”
Enid blinks, barely realizing it’s to hold back the tears that well up in her eyes.
“Oh.”
Wednesday’s throat suddenly feels raw. She hates when Enid looks like that. And it has her considering just going and getting the stupid liquorice ice cream anyway.
But she can’t. Not right now.
Not with the knowledge that Enid drank the love potion and gushed over Bianca Barclay of all people. Someone who in many ways was just as intelligent as Wednesday, but far more in tune with people’s feelings.
No wonder Enid likes her better.
Wednesday grabs her investigation bag and heads toward the door. “I’m going to follow a new lead.”
Enid doesn’t respond. Doesn’t insist on going with her.
And when she closes the door, Wednesday hears sniffling on the other side.
But she proceeds down the steps anyway.
Because one crying roommate is enough.
+1
“That’s not going to work.”
“You’re just saying that to piss me off!”
Wednesday crosses her arms. “I’m saying that because I’m right.”
“No, you’re saying that because you don’t like to do anything that I want!” Enid yells back.
“Well maybe what you want is unreasonable.”
“What does that even mean??”
“Exactly what I said.
“Ugh!”
Enid plunges her paint brush into the pink paint and then splatters it all over the black skull design Wednesday just made on the canoe.
The seer stares at the ruined artwork with clenched teeth. “Very mature.”
“What?” The werewolf challenges. “If we can’t use dragon scales on the outside I’m choosing something more reasonable and saying we don’t need drawings of human remains on our boat!”
“You asked me to help with this.”
“Which you haven’t done at all! You’ve just been standing there and criticizing me while drawing this stupid bloody skull!”
“Well what would you like me to draw then?” Wednesday grinds out, grabbing her own black paint brush and wiping over the pink paint haphazardly.
“I don’t care!” Enid shouts, oblivious to the many people in the field staring at them now. “The point was for you to help me design this canoe to win Poe Cup like the last two years we’ve done this! But if you want to just paint over my work and shoot down all my ideas by all means!”
“You painted over my work first.”
“Oh my god! You are so stubborn!” The werewolf throws up her arms, flinging pink paint everywhere, including onto Wednesday’s braids and cheek.
“I am not even the most stubborn one here!” The raven slams her own brush back in the can, splattering black paint on Enid’s arm and shoulder.
The wolf’s nails dig into the canoe as she holds her brush out like a weapon. “Oh I am so going to-”
“Woah! What the hell??”
The roommates briefly snap out of their heated staring contest to glance at the person that just came up to them. But then quickly resume their glaring once they realize it’s just Yoko.
“I was gone for three minutes!” Yoko exclaims. “Three minutes and I come back and the hull is all shredded-”
“Because of Enid,” Wednesday snarks.
“And the bow looks like it barreled through a graveyard-”
“Because of Wednesday,” Enid shoots back.
“And you two are covered in…” Yoko looks rapidly back and forth at the pink and black paint everywhere. “Each other!”
Both girls flush and quickly attempt to wipe off the excess paint on their skin.
“It’s Wednesday’s fault,” Enid mutters.
The seer looks over sharply. “That statement is false and-”
“Enough!” Yoko snaps her fingers in between the roommates. “I’m going to finish this canoe the way I want to build it. And you two are going to go to your room and get out of your messy clothes and figure this out!”
“Yoko!” Enid splutters.
“Now!”
Wednesday crosses her arms while Enid stomps her foot, both pouting in their own way. But neither are really equipped to fight a 60 year-old vampire right now, so they reluctantly storm back toward the school. The rest of the gawking students parting to make way for them.
“Damn, grandma.” Bianca comes up and stands beside the vampire. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
Yoko sighs. “They’ve been fighting all week. It’s exhausting.”
“They just need to make out.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
Bianca shrugs. “They’ve been mad ever since Enid was acting weird the other day, giving me excessive compliments.”
“So they just took their weird flirt-fighting thing a step too far.”
“That’s what I thought too, but this seems different.”
“Maybe they’ll take my suggestion and kiss and make up right now.”
Bianca snorts. “Yeah. Right.”
The two roommates don’t kiss and make up. In fact, they fight more often now than ever. So much so that Agnes has never been more grateful for her powers of invisibility. So far she’s been one of the few Nevermore students that has avoided the ‘wrath of Wenclair’ as everyone is calling it behind their backs.
But her luck was bound to run out some time.
“Hey, kid.”
Agnes jumps in her seat and looks up at the vampire who just came over to her. “Y-You can see me?”
Yoko rolls her eyes. “No. But you’re literally casting a shadow on the ground right now.”
The vanisher fades into view sheepishly. “Right.”
Bianca comes over and stands next to Yoko with crossed arms. “You may be able to hide from them, but not us.”
“O-Oh?”
Yoko sighs. “We know you have something to do with whatever is going on with the two ridiculous roommates.”
Agnes blanches. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You literally ragebait them all the time.”
“But I haven’t recently! It’s not as fun to do when they’re already always angry.”
“Exactly.” Bianca nods. “And why do you think they’re always angry recently?”
“I don’t know?”
“Well luckily, we do.” Yoko pulls a textbook out of her bag and opens it in front of the redhead. “Addams was tutoring you in potions, right?”
Agnes nods hesitantly.
“So did one of your potions go awry? Because Bianca and I have thought through literally every other possibility for their fight, and everything comes back to Enid acting weird after drinking a coffee you gave her.”
The vanisher’s eyes go wide. “I-I don’t know what it did. I wasn’t there.”
Bianca sighs. “Look. We’re not trying to scold you or anything. We’re just saying…fix it.”
“Please.” Yoko adds. “Because in all my immortal years, I’ve never had as bad of a headache as their fights induce.”
“There’s probably a potion for that,” Agnes comments eagerly.
The vampire looks unimpressed. “Just focus on fixing the roommates, yeah? Get them to talk or something.”
“I’m not sure there’s anything that can make them do that.”
“Well try. Else we’ll probably wake up to the school on fire some day soon. Again.”
Agnes nods and slumps in her seat as Bianca and Yoko walk away.
Fix it.
It’s not like there’s some magical potion that makes anger and hurt go away.
But…
She grabs the book Yoko left on the table.
She knows she messed the potions up plenty in the past. But she feels confident in this idea.
How hard could it be to make a simple serum?
And even though two wrongs don’t make a right. Maybe six wrongs do.
---------
“Agnes.”
The vanisher turns with a wave. “Hi.”
Wednesday crosses her arms and glares at the younger girl. “Where’s Enid?”
“I didn’t kidnap her again if that’s what you mean.”
“Then why did you leave me a note saying you did?”
Agnes grins. “I didn’t. I just said if you want to find your werewolf come to the clocktower. I didn’t say I took her.”
The seer glowers even further and looks around the empty room, realizing the whole thing was a ruse.
She turns on her heel to leave.
Only to nearly be bowled over by a werewolf.
“Agnes! What do you mean if I want to find my raven I have to-” Enid blinks and spins toward the person she just rushed by. “...Wednesday??”
Said raven just stands there in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.
Enid spins back toward Agnes. “Okay, you have some explaining to do right now else my claws will definitely slip!”
“I didn’t know how else to get you two in the same room without drugging you.”
“You could’ve just asked us!”
“Would you have said yes?”
“That’s…beside the point!”
“Why are we here, Agnes?” Wednesday grinds out.
The vanisher sits on the ground. “Have a seat.”
“No.” Wednesday turns to leave again.
“Yoko and Bianca blocked off all the exits.”
Enid grits her teeth. “Those treacherous snakes.”
“There’s nowhere to go.”
“I could jump out the window,” Wednesday mutters in all seriousness.
“Like hell you will,” Enid automatically snaps back.
It’s the first semi-nice thing either one of them has said in days.
Agnes pulls out a canister filled with black liquid and sets it in the middle of the floor.
“Sit.”
Enid huffs and plops to the ground.
Wednesday follows, sitting as far away as possible.
“What is that?” Enid asks, nodding at the canister.
“Poison,” Wednesday answers.
“How do you know?”
“It’s black. Meaning whatever potion it's supposed to be has been tainted.”
Agnes looks offended. “I brewed this one perfectly. I’m sure of it.”
“Okay, but why is it here!” Enid exclaims. “What are you gonna do? Shove it down our throats?”
“No.” Agnes shakes her head. “One of you is going to willingly drink it. Then you can leave.”
“Is this some sort of torture technique??”
“It won’t physically harm you in any way. I tested it myself.”
“Oh. Great.” Enid nods. “It will just mentally harm us.”
“It shouldn’t do that either.”
“Shouldn’t??”
“This is ridiculous.” Wednesday moves to get up. “We can overpower Barclay and Tanaka.”
“The rest of the Nightshades are helping them too,” Agnes interjects. “Even your brother.”
The Addams’ eyes darken with betrayal. “I will fry that oaf on the embers of this school.”
“Or you can just drink the potion.”
Enid groans. “I really need new friends.”
“We’re being good friends right now.”
“In what universe??”
Agnes shrugs. “It was either this or Bianca siren-song you guys to get you to talk. You’ve been destroying the school with your arguments like two dueling hurricanes.”
Neither roommate stops their glowering, but they do look mildly sheepish.
“Fine!” Enid starts to reach for the canister. “I’ll just drink it and get it over with.”
“No.” Wednesday snatches the bottle away.
“What? Why?”
“I’ve spent years building up an immunity to toxins.”
“Well I’m a werewolf!”
Enid dives for the potion, but the seer rolls away, resulting in the wolf sprawling to the ground.
She glares up at the raven.
“Seriously??”
“This poison won’t harm me.”
“When you say it like that it doesn’t sound at all reassuring!”
“It wasn’t meant to.”
Enid lunges again, tackling the seer to the floor. “Wednesday, don’t-”
The black liquid is already gone. Downed in a single gulp.
Agnes grins. Just how she predicted this would play out.
“Wednesday!” Enid hovers over her roommate and studies her with concern. “Are you okay?”
The seer sets the bottle aside smoothly. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”
“Oh! But…” Enid looks back at Agnes in suspicion. “Is that really it?”
Agnes tilts her head curiously. “I don’t know. Wednesday, do you want it to be?”
“No.”
Enid frowns at the girl below her and pulls them into a seated position. “What do you mean no? You don’t want to leave?”
“I do want to leave.”
“Okay, so let’s-”
“But I don’t want you to.”
Enid shakes her head in confusion, growing worried at the abnormal dilation of the seer’s pupils. “You want me to stay here?”
“No.” Wednesday sounds frustrated now. “I want you to stay.”
“What does that-”
“With me.”
“Oh.” The werewolf blinks. Suddenly cognizant of Wednesday’s hand tightly gripping the hem of her shirt.
It sends shivers up her spine.
But there’s definitely something wrong.
She whips around to Agnes. “What did you give her??”
“Just a simple truth serum.”
“What?? That is so not cool!”
“It’s really mild though. Look.” Agnes turns toward Wednesday. “Tell me one of the Addams Family’s biggest secrets.”
“I will lock you in our dungeon.”
“See?” Agnes nods. “It doesn’t actually make you say anything too revealing. Just loosens the lips a bit.”
“But what was the point of this?” Enid asks in exasperation.
“To get us to stop fighting,” Wednesday mutters. A thin line of sweat forming on her forehead as she attempts to fight off the potion.
“How?”
“By getting me to say that I thoroughly despise it.”
Enid looks over in shock. “Y-You do?”
“Of course I do,” Wednesday snaps in annoyance, mainly at her inability to hold her tongue. “Who actually enjoys fighting with their best friend?”
“So…I’m your best friend?”
“And I am yours.”
Enid’s stomach flips at the statement. Even if it’s the truth, she’s never heard Wednesday say such a thing like that before. Almost like a demand.
She brushes the hand still grasping her shirt.
“Yeah, Wends. You are mine.”
The seer pulls away swiftly, horrified at what she just let slip.
Enid tries to close the distance again. “Wednesday. I hate fighting with you too, you know. And honestly? I’m not even really sure why we are.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I mean, I was hurt you didn’t want to go to ice cream with me-”
“I did want to go.”
“...What? So why didn’t you?”
“I’m a better fencer than Barclay.”
Enid’s eyebrows shoot up. Not exactly the answer she was expecting. “Well yeah, you’ve totally won way more matches. I didn’t really mean to imply that you weren’t-”
“My powers are stronger.”
“I know they are-”
“My eyes are prettier.”
Enid can’t help the mildly confused chuckle that escapes her. “I mean, that’s kinda subjective, but I don’t disag-”
“Subjective,” Wednesday says bitterly.
“Yes?”
Wednesday stands up and heads toward the exit.
Enid jumps up too. “Wait! I…I don’t understand.”
“I have nothing more to say,” Wednesday grinds out, sounding like the words take an enormous amount of effort.
“O-Okay. So are we okay?”
“We will be.”
Despite the serum, the statement sounds entirely unconvincing. Leaving Enid’s nerves even more frayed than before.
Does Wednesday not want that to be the truth?
God, she should’ve been faster in grabbing the potion.
Damn this raven.
Wednesday takes another step away.
“Just one more question!” Agnes calls out desperately, realizing if Wednesday leaves now the fight won’t be resolved.
“No, Agnes.”
“What do you really think about Enid Sincl-”
“Addams. Enid Addams.”
Agnes blinks. “What?”
Wednesday grasps her head. “What?”
Enid’s jaw falls to the floor. “WHAT???”
Time freezes in the clocktower.
Three shocked expressions etched into history.
Then one of them bolts out the door.
“Wednesday, wait!”
Enid rushes after her roommate once she finally recovers enough of her mental faculties to move. Though she gives a certain redhead a sharp glare on the way by.
“We’ll talk about this later, Agnes!’
The vanisher grimaces as the werewolf scurries out the door. She may need to sleep in Yoko’s room for protection the next few weeks.
Enid speeds down the steps of the clocktower, practically jumping each set in an effort to catch up to the elevator Wednesday has already taken.
When she reaches the bottom, the raven is nowhere to be seen.
“Wednesday!”
Enid rushes to their room.
Empty.
So is the music room. The fencing gym. And all of the seer’s favorite spots in the woods.
Shit.
Enid racks her brain.
The library?
No.
The graveyard?
Nope.
Where else?
Oh.
The fields.
She bolts there at breakneck speed. But screeches to a halt when she gets to the edge.
Wednesday is there. Back turned. Walking under the moonlight.
Even with the darkness and distance, Enid still thinks the braided silhouette is beautiful.
Yeah. She can definitely get on board with Enid Addams.
“Wednesday!”
The seer keeps walking, though she doesn’t pick up the pace. Knowing how pointless it would be to try to outrun a werewolf.
Soon Enid is right in front of her, pink highlights shining in the moonlight.
“Hi.”
Wednesday crosses her arms over herself and looks at the ground.
Enid’s heart clenches at the rare vulnerable posture. “I’m sorry about Agnes. What she did was totally not okay and I can definitely like, tear up her room with my claws if you want me to.”
The seer predictably doesn’t respond.
“Wednesday.” Enid takes the tiniest of steps closer. “I-I want to ask you something. But I need to know if the potion has worn off first.”
“Why does it even matter anymore?” Wednesday huffs.
“Because I want you to have the choice to not answer if you want. Or…lie.”
Wednesday doesn’t look up from the ground. “It wore off ten minutes ago.”
“Look me in the eye.” Enid pleads. “Please.”
With a sigh of resignation the seer complies. Only for a moment. But it’s enough.
The shadow in Wednesday’s pupils is gone. Revealing the soft brownness Enid loves so much.
“Your eyes are definitely prettier than Bianca’s.”
Wednesday scowls and turns away. “If you’re just here to patronize me then-”
“No, wait!” Enid grabs the girl’s wrist to stop her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just…meant it.”
Wednesday’s frown deepens, but she turns back to the wolf. “Are you going to ask your question then?”
She doesn’t actually want to be asked. But she figures there’s no getting around it now.
“No.”
The seer’s eyebrows scrunch in confusion.
Enid shakes her head. “You’ve done a lot of answering tonight. So I’ll answer this time.”
“Answer what?”
“Whatever you want to ask me. I-I promise I’ll answer honestly.”
Wednesday stares at the werewolf in front of her.
She’d spent the last half hour roaming the school grounds, wondering why she said Enid Addams. Something beyond humiliating. Something not even true.
But now as she stands here looking at the most pure-of-heart being she’s ever met. She knows why she said it.
“Well?” Enid asks nervously.
Wednesday takes a deep inhale. “Why…Why do you hold romantic affection for Barclay over me?”
Enid’s jaw drops to the ground for what has to be the millionth time that night.
“What??”
The seer looks away again. “I am just your best friend. While she interests you more.”
“That’s…I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
“You said you would answer honestly.”
“I am!”
“The love potion Agnes accidentally gave you says otherwise,” Wednesday spits out.
“What love potion??”
“The coffee.”
“...THAT’S WHAT THAT WAS??”
“Yes.”
“Oh my god, no!” Enid shakes her head wildly. “I do not like Bianca like that. At all!”
“But your behavior suggested-”
“Did I ever say that I loved her?? I just gave her a few awkward compliments! Like in a friendly manner!”
“That’s not how love potion works.”
Enid pinches the bridge of her nose. “Wednesday. Agnes clearly doesn’t know how to make any potion properly! She probably fucked that one up too!”
The seer frowns for a moment. She had never considered that possibility.
“So you’re saying…”
“I’m not in love with Bianca!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
“But how do you know-”
“Because I’m in love with you!”
Now Wednesday is the one with her jaw on the floor. But she quickly masks it with her usual skepticism.
“If you’re just saying that because of what I said earlier-”
“I’m not.” Enid insists desperately. “Do you really think I would do that?”
Wednesday stands there in silence for a minute while she finally absorbs the words.
“You’re in love with me?”
A small smile comes to Enid’s lips. “Yeah. Like, crazily.”
Wednesday stares for another long moment, feeling fire in her veins that has nothing to do with the lingering effects of the potion.
“Ask me your question.”
“What?”
“The one you were going to ask earlier.”
“Oh, um. Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Enid scratches the back of her neck. “W-Why did you call me Enid Addams? I mean, it wasn’t an objective truth.”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh.”
Wednesday summons the courage of her father. The courage of her surname.
“But just because it isn’t an objective truth now…doesn’t mean it can’t be in the future.”
Blue eyes light up in the moonlight. “Yeah?”
“I-If you want.”
“Do you want?”
“I would’ve thought my answer made it obvious.”
Enid shifts closer, directly in the seer’s space now. “Maybe I just want you to say it.”
“…You were right.”
“Woah. Did the serum kick in again?”
Wednesday rolls her eyes, but leans in so they’re only inches apart.
“It didn’t start with Tyler. And it sure as hell isn’t going to end with him either.”
“Who is it going to end with then?” Enid whispers.
Wednesday stands on her toes and kisses her roommate. Melting into it as she grasps the hem of Enid’s shirt to tug her closer.
Suddenly she feels like a werewolf again.
Uncontrollable.
Desperate to feel the warmth of her pack surrounding her. To be closer to her best friend. Her mate.
Enid must feel it too. Because she pulls Wednesday in by the hips so that the space between them is non-existent. Then presses forward and deepens the kiss.
She moans when she tastes the black coffee on the seer’s tongue. It tastes like the love potion. But not bitter this time. Not fake.
More like a promise. Like a future.
When they finally pull away, Enid rests their foreheads together.
They stand like that for a while, simply basking in the moment.
Until Enid nuzzles the seer’s nose with her own.
“You didn’t answer my question,” she murmurs cheekily, pressing another quick kiss to the shorter girl’s lips. “Who is it going to end with?”
Wednesday pulls away only enough to focus on clear blue eyes.
“Enid Addams.”
Up in the clocktower, Agnes flips through her potions book, trying to figure out where she went wrong again. She finds nothing. Until a tiny piece of paper falls from between the pages. The messy handwriting of one Yoko Tanaka scrawled across it.
Only makes you say what you want to be the truth.
This fic was inspired by this amazing art by @3kakishere on twt!