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"Promise you won't tell anyone else?" Xavier looked deadly serious. Enid exchanged a look with Ajax.
"Xavier... is this something to do with why you broke up with Bianca?" Ajax asked tentatively. The breakup had come as a shock to all their friends; the two had seemed solid as a couple, and no one had seen them having any fights, despite it being a staple in many relationships within a boarding school. So, when Xavier and Bianca had one day come into lunch before immediately retreating to opposite sides of the courtyard, rumours to why were all over the school before the final bell signalled an end to class.
Enid had heard all the best and worst rumours there were to offer, from Bianca being pregnant (and Xavier either refusing to support the supposed would-be mother or disagreeing with Bianca's decision to abort the child, which sounded slightly more likely to Enid if you didn’t know either of them) to Xavier having a small dick and not being able to "satisfy" her (there were a strange amount of sex-related rumours about the former couple; people really would do anything to relieve themselves of their boredom, even at the expense of absolute strangers). To be honest, Enid was practically chomping at the bit to get even the slightest bit of info on the breakup; she was getting desperate at this point.
Xavier sighed before locking eyes with Enid. "This does not leave this room. I don't want even a hint of it on your blog, Enid."
She pouted a little before nodding, "Yeah, okay, I get it. This is private; I wouldn’t share this about any of you guys."
"But the same courtesy isn’t extended to Aidan and Clara from biology?"
"If you don't want your drama to be aired around the school, then don’t have a screaming match in the corridor," she snorted, rolling her eyes. They had only been together for two very volatile weeks, but after that, she had a ton of info to spill on her blog… which is probably what Xavier was worried about.
"Enid, please."
"Xavier, I promise. This isn't going online."
Ajax drew them back to the more important subject: "Hey, are you okay, man? You've been acting antsy for weeks now, even before the breakup."
The three sat on the floor between Xavier's bed and desk, a familiar arrangement for them since the start of their time together in Nevermore. Complete strangers to one another in the beginning, they didn't have any expectations to uphold each other to that they would’ve if they had only been friends with those in their socially dictated cliques. Xavier could relax outside of the constant media presence and expectations that were required as the lone son to both one of the world's greatest psychics and a fashion model, Ajax was able to causally interact with people his own age who understood why he sometimes made the dumbest social blunders possible and allowed him to break the rules he had laid out for himself and strictly followed for years, and Enid felt comfortable to experiment with the parts of werewolf physiology and social dynamics she chose to adhere to; she didn’t have to listen to the advice her mother had drilled into her for years if she didn’t want to. Without the relationship they shared, it was hard to say where they’d be, as the support they provided for each other was so integral to who they had changed into over the past school year. That’s not to say they didn’t have any other friends or that they hadn’t also had an impact on the trio, but something about who they could be when they were alone with each other kept them falling back together.
"Right- yeah. Yes, um, that’s exactly why I asked you two to come over. I don’t know how long it’ll be before what actually went down between Bianca and I gets out, but I, I don’t want there to be any misconceptions between us," Xavier said, looking up to quickly glance at both of their eyes before dropping back down to carefully inspect the wooden flooring. "Bianca and I broke up because she used her siren song on me."
Something cool dripped down Enid's spine at Xavier’s words, and horror welled up at the thought. She could immediately feel the itch at the bed of her fingernails as her claws tried to peek out at the thought of someone going after one of her pac- precious people. Sirens' abilities had always scared Enid more than she was comfortable with; the idea of someone being able to control her to do anything, with Enid being none the wiser, scraped at her nerves and had the hair on the back of her neck standing up straight. It took some effort, but with several slow, calming breaths, she wrestled her growing anger into submission.
"What." She growled the word, carefully restrained anger coating her voice.
"Do you know if it was the first time she’s done this?" Ajax asked, his forehead crinkling in concern.
"No- no. I think it was? Maybe? I don’t know. I didn’t think it was something Bianca would do... until she did it. It wasn’t even over anything important! We weren’t arguing; we were both just a little antsy after a long day and got impatient with each other." His voice rose a little before dropping to below his usual volume level. He was quiet and drew in deeper, casting an unsettling look on Xavier, who, while introverted, always seemed at ease with himself. "She just snapped at me a little, and it seemed like... it just slipped out. I almost didn’t catch it, but Rowan came in just as she did it. I don’t- I don’t know if that was the first time or if it was the first time I realised what she was doing."
Ajax shifted onto his knees and drew Xavier into a strong hug. Xavier slowly relaxed before letting out a deep, shaky sigh and turning his head into Ajax’s shoulder. Enid hadn’t even noticed the tight line of tension in his posture until that point. Ajax ran a slow hand through Xavier's hair and let his other hand rub comfortingly over his taut back, giving him something that Enid couldn’t at the moment with her nails practically at a hair trigger. The thought of hurting either of them like that, even accidentally, made her uneasy. And the idea of Bianca, someone she was good friends with outside the sometimes less than friendly competitiveness that sprung up between them, doing something so nefarious to Xavier, whom she had thought Bianca cared about, simply made her sick to her stomach.
"So, what do you want to do?"
Xavier lifted his head out of the curve of Ajax’s shoulder to lock eyes with her. "I don’t know."
"What? Xavier, come on! Don’t you want to report this to Principal Weems or something? There are rules about things like this for a reason." She exclaimed, equally desperate and indignant on his behalf.
"Enid, please. For the moment, I just want to get some comfort from my best friends. Bianca’s told me how she sometimes has difficulty controlling her voice, even with her necklace. I want to believe that’s what happened, at least for now. We can find out if that’s true later. There’s no point in making a big deal if it turns out to be a misunderstanding."
"Xavier, even if it is a misunderstanding, she used her siren song on you. That can be really serious. What if you’re not the first person she’s done this to?" Ajax persuaded him, holding him closer and pressing his forehead into Xavier’s hair, the dark blue beanie standing out against the colour of his hair. Enid softened at the sight and let her instincts take hold, allowing herself to plaster herself over Xavier’s back, covering his blind spots. She couldn’t look into Ajax’s eyes like this, but she knew exactly what he’d be saying to her mentally. Xavier was theirs to protect, just like they were his. They were to be here for him for as long as he allowed them to be and would follow any decision on what to do about Bianca that he made, even if they disagreed.
Curled up against Xavier’s back like this, Enid could feel more than hear him gulp. "Can’t we just talk about this tomorrow, please?"
"Yeah, okay, man."
Enid sighed and nodded her head against his back. They hadn’t done anything like this in a while, and it was nice to just sit with her best friends quietly. Listening to the sound of their breathing and the relaxing beat of their hearts. Ajax adjusted a little to move an arm that was trapped under her to around her shoulder, and in return, she let one hand claw into the back of his soft jumper.
Even though she had agreed to let it go for now, the thoughts kept spinning around her head. Bianca, doing something like this—it just didn’t seem to click. How could anyone do something like that? Not at least to Xavier, who was gentle and always self-assured, who cared for all of his friends equally, even when they didn’t entirely deserve it, and was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt after what she had almost done. Enid’s nerves tensed; Bianca had better not mean it. Things wouldn’t go so well if she did, that’s for sure. The layers of information Enid had on her and could find out within a few hours—she was practically salivating at the thought.
It was at this moment, while Enid was half-plotting a twenty-page revenge plan, that the door slammed open and Rowan walked in.
The three jolted apart before realising who it was and drifting close again. "The fuck, man. There’s no need to go slamming doors," Ajax snapped, seemingly uneasy and weirdly uncomfortable. Enid squinted at him, trying to puzzle him out. His hands fluttered over Xavier’s thigh that was pressing against him and Enid’s hip where it had fallen when they shifted apart, and her stomach dropped a little. She hadn’t even noticed how much weight she was putting on him until that point, and he was probably feeling the strain of their combined weight without a stable surface to lean back on. And he wouldn’t be able to move without dislodging them, because if he did that, Xavier would likely draw away, leaving them unable to give him the support he needed. Enid melted at the thought—Ajax was always so nice and often at his own expense, although it was still sweet to see him being so selfless. Instead of fully withdrawing, Enid slid to the side, allowing Xavier to sit up more comfortably while still covering his back.
Rowan’s face was sickly pale and more ashen than usual. He looked strangely gobsmacked, either by the fact that Ajax and Enid were in his and Xavier’s dorm, despite it being a regular occurrence, or by something else, and his fingers jumped from the cuffs of his hoodie to the wide pocket and back. "Uh, you- um, you’re not supposed to be on this side of campus, Enid; it’s getting late."
She frowned and rolled her eyes. "Thank you, but that’s none of your business, Rowan."
Xavier’s eyes narrowed at his roommate’s panicky appearance. "Something up, Laslow?"
"Up? What? No, no. Nothing’s wrong."
"You sure?" He drew the words out slowly, with the trio watching his roommate squirm like a worm on a hook.
Rowan gulped and glanced from side to side before dashing forward and dropping down onto the bed. "I take it you haven’t checked your phones recently?"
Enid immediately patted down her sides, searching her jeans’ pockets. "No, I turned it on silent when I got Xavier’s text."
"I only get alerts for certain people."
"I never take it off silent," Xavier said.
All three had their phones out and noticed the influx of new messages. Xavier and Ajax shared a grim look as Enid mouthed along to the headline of the news link that Yoko had sent her.
"24-year-old former Nevermore alumni and outcast activist Sophia Reyes was found dead under suspicious circumstances; more news to come."
"…What?"