Chapter Text
Wednesday gazes deeply into the beautiful blue eyes in front of her, admiring the subtle ring of yellow that surrounds obsidian pupils; a small detail that can only be seen if one were close enough.
Which Wednesday was.
Their faces are only inches apart as they lay in bed next to each other, their heads both resting on the singular black pillow of Wednesday’s bed, leaving very little space between them.
Wednesday can smell Enid’s strawberry lip gloss.
She can feel the heat of the wolf’s breath tickling her chin.
They are very close.
So close that Wednesday couldn’t help herself anymore. Each breath of Enid’s that graced her face had whittled away any and all restraint she had left.
The eyes of the girl she loves more intensely than she ever thought herself capable were far too captivating for her to resist any longer.
Wednesday’s gaze flicks down to Enid’s pink lips while her hand moves up to gently caress the wolf’s wonderfully warm cheek.
She slowly begins to shuffle closer to Enid as she leans in, keeping her eyes glued to those tantalizingly kissable lips the whole time.
“The thought of your lips has plagued my waking hours and the prospect of sealing them against my own has haunted my unconscious mind.” Her words are barely above a whisper and her tone is sickeningly soft.
“Enid Sinclair, will you allow me to make my dreams a reality?” She asks in a slow and uncharacteristically nervous voice before her brown eyes look back up to Enid’s blue.
And that’s when she sees the look of poorly hidden disgust on the wolf’s face, causing the stronger-than-usual beat of Wednesday’s heart to freeze completely.
Enid pulls away from her and sits up in the bed as the look on her face morphs into pity with a small tinge of sadness.
“Oh, Wednesday…” The usual bright and happy tone of her voice is replaced with a hesitant awkwardness that makes Wednesday feel deathly nauseous. The tension in the air was a stark contrast to the previous mood that hung between them, and something tells Wednesday that they will never be able to regain that calming stillness that used to lay between them. “I- I’m sorry but I,” Enid pauses as her words sear Wednesday’s heart and split her very soul. “I don’t see you in that way, I… I love Ajax.” Enid looks away as she rubs her bicep nervously.
The raven’s hands begin to shake as an unsteady pit forms in her stomach, her heart clenches in pain while intense anxiety twists her insides. Her eyes begin to burn with magma hot tears that she tries to hold in, only to fail as those tears quickly pour over her cheeks.
Her entire body feels numb.
She can’t breathe,
She can’t think,
She…
She can’t handle this.
The rejection overwhelms her emotions and she begins to shut down on every front.
The raven moves to sit with her back against the bed's headboard before pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs, quickly burying her head in her knees until her eye sockets are pressing firmly against her kneecaps.
But it doesn’t stop the tears.
It doesn’t stop the self hate that burns Wednesday’s entire being.
At this moment she wishes for nothing more than death.
That single question had completely ruined their friendship and she could never change it.
Enid would leave her and they would never see each other again.
All because of Wednesday.
All because she could no longer keep her feelings in check.
She knew this would happen, but living it was something right out of her worst nightmares.
“Wednesday!”
She could faintly hear Enid’s voice as she no doubt tried to pull her from her curled up ball of emotional overstimulation. But nothing could pull her out of the hole she had just dug herself. The hole that had punctured right through their friendship, causing it to shatter into pieces, forever ending their time together.
“Wednesday!” She hears Enid’s voice, clearer now, but her mind is still stuck on the crumbling relationship before her.
She wanted to go back in time.
To undo her stupid little slip up and return to what they had, where Wednesday would slowly die and Enid would never know she was the cause.
But they never can.
She had irrevocably destroyed their friendship.
Enid will no longer be a part of her life,
And Wednesday can’t live without her.
She doesn’t know how she’ll be able to keep going without the warmth this girl brings her,
She doesn’t know how she’ll manage to sleep without the scent that makes her feel so safe,
She doesn’t know how she’ll be able to wake up every morning without that cheerful smile to greet her.
Wait,
Wake up.
When…
When did she…?
“WAKE UP!”
Enid’s concern-filled voice echoes in her ears while she’s violently shaken by her shoulders, the wolf’s claws piercing through the raven’s clothes and lightly pricking her skin.
“WEDNESDAY! PLEASE WAKE UP!”
It’s only then that Wednesday opens her eyes to see Enid’s face hovering above her. A wave of confusion nearly drowns her mind as she begins to piece together what’s happening.
She’s laying on her bed in their dorm room, just like she was in her dream, only now Enid is kneeling on the bed next to her while gripping her shoulders. The loose strands of dyed hair fell gracefully down the sides of her face as she hovered over and looked down at Wednesday.
Her face was twisted with concern and fear as her tears dripped onto Wednesday's cheeks.
But then Wednesday realized, Enid’s eyes were dry.
Wednesday brings her fingers up to her own face and feels the warm tears that were freely spilling from her own eyes. Once she fully realizes she was the one who was crying, her features unwillingly twist into a look of utter sorrow that takes over her face.
Enid doesn't hesitate before she uses her impressive strength to pull Wednesday into a sitting position while wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s body, trapping her in a hug that made Wednesday's stomach lurch and her mind flash with the image of Enid’s face pulling away from her with disgust.
“Y- you’re okay,” Enid begins but the shakiness of her voice causes her to pause before restarting, “You’re okay, Wednesday. It was just a nightmare.”
A wave of comfort washes over Wednesday, temporarily overshadowing the grief she feels at Enid’s rejection. For the first time since she woke up she takes a proper breath as she looks around over the wolf’s shoulder and takes in their surroundings.
They’re in their room, it’s early in the morning, and she’s covered in bandages.
She remembers what happened yesterday, how she had held Enid as the wolf cried herself to sleep. It’s why they were still wearing their clothes from the day before and why Enid was still in her now sleep-smudged makeup.
It means that Enid rejecting her had never actually happened, it was just Wednesday’s traumatized mind conjuring the thing that would cause her the most pain.
It means Enid doesn’t hate her,
It means she hadn’t ruined their friendship.
She hadn’t pushed Enid away and forced the girl to remove herself from her life.
And then come the horrid cries that she has no power to hold back.
She can’t help it.
The relief that runs through her body at the realization that Enid’s not going to leave her squeezes her heart and soul.
And so do Enid’s arms.
Wednesday buries her face in the crook of Enid’s neck as she lets her tears freely flow out of her, bringing her arms up and holding on to Enid as if she would disappear if she wasn’t properly tied down.
And Enid doesn’t complain,
All the wolf does is squeeze the raven even harder.
“It was just a nightmare, Wends.” She whispers in the raven’s ear as she rocks back and forth with the girl in her arms, letting her cry some very long overdue tears. “It’s okay, I’m here.” Enid’s reassurance that she’s still a part of her life only causes Wednesday to cry even harder; the memory of her dream, of losing Enid, only hurts her even more now that she’s being enveloped by the all consuming scent of the girl she loves.
But as she inhales Enid’s scent, directly from the source, she begins to calm down and her shameful cries start to diminish. Just knowing that Enid is still here, still willing to hold her in her arms like this while they sit in the same bed, means that Enid isn’t leaving her.
All she has to do is never confess her feelings to the wolf.
That would be easy.
She had pretended not to have emotions for the last decade of her life, what’s a few more months?
So, in that moment, she makes up her mind to keep her feelings to herself.
Of course, she’ll have to have a plan for what to do when she dies, but she figures she can just force Thing and Pugsley to handle everything after she passes.
With her decision made, and her tears no longer flowing, she takes a few more deep breaths of Enid, determined to make this the last time she ever indulges in the wolf’s scent.
She slowly begins to pull herself out of Enid’s arms, finding it takes much more mental strength than she had expected.
“Thank you, Enid.” Wednesday says with her usual even voice while she brings her lightly clenched fist up to her eyes to use her knuckles to wipe away her tears.
But Enid brings her own hands up to Wednesday’s face and cups her cheeks, quickly using her thumbs to clean the raven’s freckled cheeks.
“Do you wanna talk about what your nightmare was about?” The wolf asks with a delicate softness as she looks into Wednesday’s eyes with a gentle kindness. The affection and care she’s being shown while Enid has her face in her hands only makes Wednesday yearn for those pink lips, but with the yearning comes the guilt and fear from her dream, making Wednesday incredibly nauseous, to the point where she had to pull out of Enid’s arms and put some distance between them; lest she go back on her decision to take her feelings towards Enid to the grave.
The raven climbs out of bed, out of the wolf’s arms, and stands facing the large glass window of their room, keeping her back to Enid as her mind tries to decide exactly how to answer her question without spilling her overflowing cauldron of boiling feelings.
“In my dream, I lost you.” Is all Wednesday ends up saying, not entirely willing to fully expunge the details of her dream and inadvertently confess her feelings.
“Oh.” Enid says with heavy understanding as she sits on her heels on the black bed, staring at Wednesday’s back while she’s silhouetted against the just barely rising sun peaking through the large window. “I’ve had nightmares like that too,” She drops her gaze to the black blankets that sit between them. “Ones where you die.” Her voice gets quieter as she begins to reflect on her own nocturnal torments. “In them I-” She pauses as she holds back her own tears at just the memory, “I can’t move and- and I just watch as Tyler holds you down and snaps your neck.” Her voice has an increasing urgency as she speaks, clearly displaying her distress at these dreams. Wednesday feels not only sympathy for the girl but empathy; she too has had many dreams where the wolf gets torn apart in front of her by the claws of that spineless hyde. Many dreams where she loses Enid to the grave instead of her feelings. Wednesday knows exactly what the wolf was talking about, and it was almost comforting to know she wasn’t the only one who’s nights were plagued with the image of her roommate being eviscerated by that beast. “That's why I reacted so badly when you told us that you…” Enid trails off with an emotional rawness in her tone before she slowly and cautiously climbs out of Wednesday's bed and approaches the girl, gently placing her hand on the raven’s shoulder in a show of support. “Are… are you okay?” She hesitantly asks, as if deciding whether or not to voice her question at all.
When the raven turns around to respond all she sees is the tear glazed eyes of the girl she loves.
At that moment she realizes, for the second time this week, just how deeply the people she cares about have been affected by the events of their last semester.
She realizes how traumatized Enid was from her violent first transformation and subsequent fight.
She also realizes that the wolf needs their shared physical contact much more than she herself needs to avoid it.
So the raven quickly steps forward and wraps her arms around Enid’s waist, pulling the wolf close and instinctively burying her face in the crook of her neck. Enid quickly reciprocates the embrace as she brings her arms to rest around the raven’s shoulders, squeezing her tight against her body.
Whenever they embrace like this, even though the number of times they’ve done so is countable on one hand, Wednesday has always thought that their bodies were the perfect fit for one another. It was as if they were both a part of a two piece puzzle; that feeling brings her a sense that everything will be okay, a twisted and torturous feeling that things will all work out in the end.
“I will be.” Is what Wednesday eventually says, her voice muffled by Enid’s collarbone and her breath tickling Enid’s skin as she starts to subconsciously nuzzle her head against Enid's neck.
While Wednesday didn’t know what she was doing, Enid did; And the wolf was damn near over the moon at the fact that her dark and stormy roommate was scenting her once again. But this time, Enid wasn’t as shocked as before, and that allows the wolf to return Wednesday’s affections.
Enid tightened her hold on the raven while bringing one of her hands up to the braided hair of Wednesday’s head, pulling her even deeper into her neck and rubbing the side of her jaw against the girl’s temple; ensuring their scents mix to a degree that thoroughly pleases her wolf.
The two girls stood in each other's arms, scenting one another in the quiet of the morning sun as the warmth of the wolf brings life to the raven, and the raven’s naturally frigid body temperature helps keep the wolf grounded, leading to a mutual feeling of comfort between them.
But Enid starts to squirm in the raven’s arms.
It begins as small movements before quickly progressing to Enid removing herself from Wednesday entirely, putting a few inches of space between their bodies.
“Enid?” Wednesday questions as she watches the wolf curiously, secretly hoping that whatever happened wouldn’t stop their embrace for long.
“Sorry, it’s just, there’s something...” Enid says as she reaches into the raven’s hoodie pocket and pulls out whatever was just uncomfortably poking her in the leg.
It’s only once the mystery items are out in the open that Wednesday realizes just what Enid had taken from her pocket.
The pamphlets.
Wednesday watches with baited breath as Enid looks over the pieces of paper in her hand. The expressions on her face flow freely from curiosity to confusion to what seems to be sadness? No matter what emotion it was, it scared the raven.
“Is this why you were in the werewolf student center?” Enid eventually asks with a soft and quiet voice, “To get these?” There is no possible lie she can tell that would make sense, and even if there was Wednesday wasn’t sure she could muster the willpower to tell anything less than the absolute truth while staring into those heart-stealing blue eyes.
“Yes.” Is all Wednesday can say as a lump of guilt and fear begins to form in her throat. She feels like a child who was just caught stealing a cookie from the jar.
“Oh…” Enid quietly replies as her brain works on deciphering the text on the paper and the reason the raven would have them. “Did…?” She trails off as her gaze awkwardly drifts between Wednesday and the pamphlets. “Are you…?” She tries a second time but falls short from a complete sentence once again, “Is… is this because of me?” She finally asks as she holds the pamphlets into Wednesday’s line of sight.
Enid’s face was so easy to read that it paradoxically became unreadable. The massive mix of swirling emotions in her mind was played over every part of her face; her brows furrowed and her eyes watered, her lips formed a smile while her nose scrunched up.
Wednesday couldn’t tell if Enid was angry, sad, happy, or disgusted. And that only served to terrify the raven even more than she already was. She could feel her anxiety rise to horribly oppressive levels as she began to panic, trying desperately to think of something, anything, to tell Enid that wouldn’t expose her feelings and end their friendship.
“Enid, I…” Wednesday begins, but her mind comes up empty, only filled with the memory of the dream she had less than ten minutes ago. She drops her arms off of Enid’s waist and lets them hang lamely at her side, feeling entirely defeated and helpless as she watches the beginning of the end of her life, as Enid turns her down and unknowingly dooms her to death.
“It’s okay.” Enid reassures her, reaching out to grab Wednesday’s wrist before trailing her grip down until she’s gently holding the raven’s hand in hers, squeezing lightly as she patiently waits for Wednesday to find her words.
But then, to the start of both of them, a knock on the door splits the silence of the room, causing the two girls to look towards the entrance in shock.
When the handle to the door begins to turn Enid lets go of Wednesday’s hand, putting the pamphlets in her skirt’s back pocket before quickly standing between the raven and the intruder while letting out a low, threatening growl.
The protective actions of the wolf sent Wednesday’s heart into overdrive; it felt otherworldly to be able to let her guard down like this, knowing that, no matter how distracted she is, she could always count on Enid to be there to jump to her defense at a moment's notice.
So, while the wolf watched the door, the raven watched the wolf; The former with anger filling her eyes, and the latter with love overflowing from hers.
The wooden door swung open and the figure that was obscured by the stained glass window slowly came into view.
There stood an average size woman with pale white skin, black hair in a short pixie cut, and vibrantly bright brown eyes. She was wearing black suit pants with a short sleeve button up in Nevermore’s signature purple.
“Excuse me, ladies.” Even though her voice, tinged with a French accent, had a bit of a rough quality to it, her tone was nothing but sweet, causing Enid to drop her guard and Wednesday to raise her own. “I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself before the start of classes today. I am the new staff member in charge of supervising Ophelia hall; Elizabeth Flores.” Something about her name caused Wednesday to eye the woman with suspicion and distrust.
“Flores?” Wednesday asks with curiosity, wondering how a woman who could not appear any more stereotypically French could have one of the top ten most common last names for Mexican citizens. “How does one of such apparent French descent end up with such an unapologetically Mexican surname?” But all the woman, this Elizabeth Flores, does is smile a bright smile that can almost, almost, rival Enid’s boundless joy.
“I took my wife’s last name.” She beamed a nauseating smile at the two students as she holds up her hand, showing off the small band of ruby embedded gold that adorned her ring finger
That managed to shock both Wednesday and Enid, and for the same reason too; this was the first out-of-the-closet sapphic authority figure either of the two had ever met.
“Qui a avoué en premier?” (Who confessed first?) Wednesday asks, curiosity getting the best of her as she hopes to get even the slightest bit of advice for her own feelings.
“C'était moi!” (It was me!) She cheers out with pride as her smile grows, nauseating the raven even more than she already was.
“Saviez-vous qu'elle était saphique avant?” (Did you know she was sapphic beforehand?) Wednesday wasn’t hesitating, speaking clearly and quickly, determined to get her answers as soon as possible.
“J'avais des soupçons.” (I had my suspicions.) A smug smirk spreads across her face as a slight blush takes over her cheeks, no doubt remembering some moment from her past.
“N'avais-tu pas peur de ruiner ce que tu avais?” (Were you not afraid of ruining what you had?) The raven presses the dorm mother even farther, desperate to know what led to her success, hoping she could somehow emulate it for her own gain.
“Terrifié.” (Terrified.) She says with her unwavering smile still resting on her face, “Mais j'avais confiance qu'elle ne laisserait pas mes sentiments changer les choses.” (But I trusted that she wouldn't let my feelings change things.)
“Quel optimisme révoltant.” (What revolting optimism.) This causes the woman to smile as her eyes shift between Wednesday and Enid.
“Ne t'inquiète pas, je suis sûr que les choses s'arrangeront entre vous deux.” (Don't worry, I'm sure things will work out between you two.) Her words cause Wednesday to narrow her eyes and glare at their new dorm mother, already displeased that she could read her so well, something that normally takes years of knowing the raven to manage.
“Just so you know,” Wednesday began, switching to English in order to include Enid in the conversation. “The last dorm mother manipulated us, lied to us, knocked me unconscious with a shovel after murdering the last head administrator, chained me up in a crypt, used my blood to resurrect a multi century old bigot, and then held me and some other students at gunpoint.” Wednesday watches with a smile in her eyes as the new dorm mother recoils in horror at her words. “You have very big shoes to fill.” While the woman was still taking in the extent of her words, Enid turns to look at Wednesday with worry and sadness on her face before she reaches out and tentatively grabs the raven’s hand, interlacing their fingers while silently communicating her concern through her enchanting eyes; wordlessly asking the raven if she was okay. Wednesday responded by squeezing Enid’s hand for a brief second, reassuring the wolf that she was.
“Oh, well in this case I do hope to disappoint you, Wednesday.” The woman says after quickly recovering with a smile on her face. “Also, I do not like being called the ‘dorm mom,’ it just feels a little creepy to me; I’m not your mother and I won’t act like it. I’m here to make sure you are safe above all else. I prefer the term ‘dorm supervisor,’ but please, call me Mrs. Liz!”
“Of course, Mrs. Liz!” Enid cheers as she turns her attention back to the woman in their room. “And don’t worry, I’ll make sure Wednesday behaves.” The wolf adds on, earning a glare and squeeze of her hand from the raven.
“Oh, yes! That reminds me, there will be a few rule changes this semester.” Mrs. Liz says with a sudden bit of authority to her voice. “First off, I’m removing that antiquated ‘no boys’ policy. That doesn’t stop you all from having sex, it only stops you from being safe about it. On that note, I have added an assortment of condoms to the bathrooms so please, help yourself if needed. I would much rather you all have sex in the dorms with the proper protection instead of sneaking around and getting pregnant.” She pauses to let out a small chuckle. “I still remember my roommate’s big pregnancy scare.” She shakes her head in disapproval of the supposed roommates lack of precaution.
“You were a student here?” Enid asks.
“You’re an outcast?” Wednesday questions at the same time.
“Yes, to both.” Mrs. Liz says with a wide smile. “Graduating class of 2017! I’m a fate weaver. I can see the strings of fate that connect people.”
“Oh, that’s, like, the red string on the pinky, right?” Enid’s light and curious voice fills Wednesday’s ear as the girl practically yells out her question in excitement.
“Exactly! But there are more colors than just red and the finger it’s on depends on the meaning. Plus, the strings can be braided together to mean a whole lot of different things.” She briefly looks down at the hands of the two girls in front of her, her eyebrow raised before her gaze returns to their eyes with a smile on her face. “For example, a pink string means two people are dating, but, when mixed with a blue string there is some uncertainty in one or both of them; and, if it’s attached to the index finger, that means that person is thinking about their relationship with more logic than emotion. The quality of the string also matters, if it’s frayed and thin, that string is destined to break if no effort is put into maintaining it.”
“Whoa!” Enid says with amazement in her eyes. “That’s so cool!” Her voice resembles that of a little kid being told they're going to get ice cream. “Can you tell me about my strings?” Wednesday looks at the girl and sees just how excited she is to hear about her future, not realizing that was already done.
“I believe she just did, Enid.” The raven says to the wolf with a light and more delicate tone, hoping to break the news to her gently.
“Oh.” Is all Enid says as she looks to the ground and confusion twists on her face; her mind going through the example Mrs. Liz just gave and realizing how closely it matched her feelings for Ajax. It was upsetting to hear just how half-assed she was being in her relationship.
“Don’t worry Enid,” Mrs. Liz chimes in, seeing how deflated Enid now looks. “I can also see that things will end up for the better. Just focus on living your life, you’re too young to be worrying about fate anyway.” Her soft tone helps convey the honest truth behind her words, but it doesn’t fully take away the look of sadness on Enid’s face.
“Fate is cruel and demeaning,” Wednesday takes over the attempt to cheer Enid up. “No one should spare even a half-thought about its rancid trappings.” She gazes deeply into Enid’s eyes as she squeezes her hand in reassurance. “Your life is your own Enid, nothing will change that.”
“Aww,” Enid looks into Wednesday’s eyes with an emotionally charged gaze. “That’s so sweet Wednesday!” She has that look on her face that tells Wednesday she’s holding back from pulling her into a hug, something that Wednesday dissuades by squeezing her hand once again, unwilling to be caught in such a compromising position with a stranger in their room.
“I agree,” The interloper speaks up, adding on to the raven’s words of reassurance. “Fate can often be changed by the barest hint of an action, such as a butterfly flapping its wings.” She smiles at the girl whose future she had just read out like a child's story book. “But anyway,” Her tone shifts to what Wednesday can tell is her ‘supervisor’ voice. “It’s time to get to the heart of the matter, so to speak,” She says as she looks at Wednesday. “Principal Thorin wants to see you.” Her words cause Wednesday to deflate with annoyance.
“Of course he does.” She rolls her eyes as she lets out a long sigh of exasperation.
“Well, you did kinda stab some students.” Enid chimes in, earning herself a glare from the raven who’s hand was still in hers.
“I admit to nothing,” Wednesday calmly says to the dorm supervisor before quickly whispering to Enid. ”Snitch.” But there was no real anger behind it, if anything it was uncharacteristically playful.
“I’ll make sure Wednesday gets there.” Enid says to the woman intruding in their shared space. They stand in silence for an above average length of time as the dorm supervisor just looks at both of them with a soft smile. “Um… is there anything else?” The wolf questions, her tone a little weirded out but still polite nonetheless.
“Oh! No, there isn’t. That was all!” Mrs. Liz smiles brightly at the blonde girl before her gaze shifts between the students in front of her. “It was wonderful to meet you two and, if either of you ever need help with anything, or if you just want to talk, my door is always open!” She says with her wide smile before turning around and making her exit, closing the door behind her and leaving the wolf and the raven alone in their room.
The two of them exchange a look of curious disbelief, wondering if the other had the same thoughts about the woman.
“She seems nice.” Enid smiles and breaks the silence with her cheerful tone of unwavering optimism. Wednesday just glances at her with a look of cautious distrust.
“So did ’Thornhil’ until it no longer suited her.” Wednesday shoots back in her dark and broody tone, causing Enid’s expressions to shift into one of concern with a healthy dose of fear. “Now, we need to prepare for a no doubt grueling day of socializing while being drowned in pointless worksheets.” She says as she lets go of the hand in hers, turning away from Enid and walking to her closet. She retrieves her shower supplies and a fresh change of clothes before making her way to the door. But, before she leaves she turns around and waits for Enid to grab her own toiletries.
“Are you ready for another fun semester at Nevermore?” Enid asks as she skips up next to the raven with a cheerful smile spread across her lips.
“You have no idea.” Wednesday responds as she opens the door and steps out of the comfort of their shared room and into the hell that was going to be today.
The two girls walk next to each other down the main hall as students and teachers alike frantically scramble about, getting ready for the first day of the new semester.
Dark brown eyes graze over the wolf as Wednesday takes in the adorable sight of Enid’s new winter uniform. Her attention being solely focused on the girl next to her caused her gait to sway left and right, occasionally brushing their shoulders together as they walk, sending a jolt of electricity through her whole arm.
As they pass one specific set of doors Enid looks between them and Wednesday before coming to a stop in the middle of the hall. That’s when Wednesday realized, after finally peeling her gaze away from the blonde wolf, that they were standing next to the larger than average doors of the dining hall, behind which was a myriad of smells; smells that the werewolf was far more attuned to than the raven.
“Go,” Wednesday says with an amused and soft tone. “Have breakfast with your friends.” Enid is about to protest before the smell of food makes her stomach growl, causing a tinge of embarrassed pink to color her cheeks. “Not only did you skip both lunch and dinner yesterday, I also know how eager you are for some inane socializing regarding your lackluster break from this stone entombed hell-hole. I would rather arrive fashionably late so as to not be subjected to all of the pointless drivel about whatever uninteresting activities your friends' families were involved in.” She finishes with a roll of her eyes as she imagines the unbearable amount of, ‘oh my god’s and ‘no way’s that conversation will contain.
“Are you sure?” Enid asks delicately as she looks into the raven’s eyes. Another question was being asked in between the lines. The unspoken question of, ‘Are you okay?’ made Wednesday’s emotions waiver. The fact that the wolf was here, making sure she was okay while willing to offer her comfort and care, filled the raven with a desire to show the wolf just how deeply she appreciates her continued support; support that no one else in her life, save from her family, has ever offered. So she decides to speak in Enid’s love language, physical contact.
“Yes Enid.” Wednesday says as she takes a small step forward, bringing herself into the wolf’s personal space and wrapping her arms around Enid’s waist, pulling the girl into a hug in the middle of the busy hallway. “Thank you.” She says into the crook of the wolf's neck as Enid returns the unexpected affection, bringing her arms around the raven’s shoulders and pulling her close. Wednesday very subtly rubs her head against the wolf’s neck, desperate to get even closer to Enid’s comforting warmth as her admittedly growing nerves begin to take over.
“I am so happy you like hugs now.” Enid says as she nuzzles even closer to Wednesday, ecstatic that her touch-hating crush was allowing more hugs than ever before.
“I do not like hugs, Enid.” Wednesday retorts as she unravels her arms from the wolf and takes a step back, only barely able to keep the, ‘I like you,’ to herself.
“Right,” Enid says with a teasing layer of disbelief in her voice. “Just admit it Wednesday,” Her tone changes to be deeper, yet still playful, as she leans down closer to Wednesday’s face. “You love it when we hug!” She says with a smile as she delivers a cheerful wink, causing a sudden increase to Wednesday’s heart rate as well as a desire to retaliate against Enid’s teasing.
“Your confidence has grown quite a bit, hasn’t it.” It’s not a question but a statement, delivered with a subtle smirk before she stands on her toes and whispers her next words into the wolf’s ear with a low voice. “I must admit, it is a very attractive look on you.” Wednesday’s smirk only grows when she falls back on her heels and sees the blush that overtakes Enid’s face.
But then Wednesday realizes what she had just said;
She had just admitted, to Enid, that she finds the wolf attractive.
A lump forms in her throat as the sound of her own panicked heartbeat fills her ears.
The sudden anxiety of her mini confession forces her to fall back into her accustomed emotional defense mechanism of running. So she quickly turns around, only then realizing that almost all of the students in the hall had stopped to watch the spectacle of their embrace.
Her thundering heartbeat only grew stronger at the anxiety of being the focal point of the large mass of her peers.
The seer sends her well-practiced, soul-chilling glare towards the sea of shocked and confused faces that were staring at the two of them, forcing most of them to turn their head and continue on with their day.
With the suffocating presence of their gazes still tingling against her skin she begins walking away without any other words, leaving Enid in her stunned and blushing silence while she takes off down the hall at her surprisingly fast pace.
The overbearing sea of intrusive students grows smaller by the step, and, by the time she reaches the part of the school where the principal's office resided, they vanished entirely, allowing Wednesday a breath of peace.
But that breath is short lived as she prepares herself for whatever form of conversation she’s about to have with the new principal.
Without knocking, or acknowledging the secretary sat at his desk, Wednesday pulls open the large wooden doors of the principal's office and walks inside, still savoring the feeling of comfort Enid brought her in order to make it through this horrid meeting.
The bright lights, student chatter, and cheery atmosphere of the hallway instantly gives way to the dark, oppressive silence of the office as soon as the doors slam closed behind her. The unnerving feeling of the room only serves to make her feel at home.
As she approaches the desk, and the figure sitting behind it, she looks around the large room and instantly notices the lack of Weems’ personal effects. All of them were now replaced with various degrees of hunting trophies and war medals. The heads of normal and mythical creatures were mounted on the walls and a large portrait of the room's new occupant hung above the mouth-shaped fireplace.
“Wednesday Addams,” The principal says in his loud, commanding voice. “So nice of you to finally show up.” His tone is the typical, displeased administrator voice that she’s heard more times than she can count; this man is far from the first gruff and stoic authority figure she’s been up against, and she doubts he will be the last. “Take a seat and we can begin.” He finishes by motioning with his hand to the tacky leather-cushioned chair between them.
Wednesday slowly does as she’s told and sits in front of the large oak desk while the new principal, Asmodeus Thorin, stares at her with his large bushy eyebrows slanted in displeasure.
She dutifully ignored the glare he was sending her as her gaze lazily swept over the desk between them. It was very minimal and meticulously organized, a sure fire sign of him being ex military. On the corner was a picture of him, a woman with curly brown hair, and two kids; both the same age and both with wolfish grins, large canines and everything. The kids and the woman were both obviously werewolves, but he didn’t have that wet dog smell that all other lycanthropes carry around with them. Well, every werewolf other than Enid, and Wednesday still hasn’t gotten to the bottom of why that was the case yet.
Regardless, he was not a wolf, and he didn’t seem like an outcast either.
So, a normie was in charge of the school now.
Wednesday had gained an inherent distrust for normies over the course of her life; the kids who killed Nero, her uncle’s wife who tried to kill her whole family, the bullies who tormented Pugsley, the woman who claimed to be Thornhill, Tyler.
It’s why she entered into this conversation with disdain and apprehension.
She finally focused her gaze on the upset face of the new normie principal, giving him the sign that he was allowed to begin.
“I assume you know why you are here.” His voice was thick, rough, and full of disapproval.
“Because this sexist, patriarchal society we live in deems a woman’s right to feel safe as less important than a man’s right to free speech.” She temporarily drops her usual mask of passive displeasure as the anger in her flared, the memory of Enid’s defeated tone while she described the fear of being assaulted by a group of students makes Wednesday want to see blood flowing from their arteries.
“Because you assaulted and injured six students yesterday, with a silver weapon, a substance that is entirely forbidden from this campus.” He raises his voice as he nearly yells at her, displeased with the borderline hostile tone Wednesday had taken with him. He leans back in his chair as he exhales, changing his tone to be less angry yet still very much displeased. “I am aware of the previous reports against the werewolves in question and action has been taken. Their punishment has already been served and their pack has been disbanded, you however are not going to be let off the hook for possessing and using a deadly weapon.”
“I possess these ‘forbidden’ weapons because I saw first-hand how the staff of this educational penitentiary have absolutely zero ability to protect even a single student in the event of an emergency.” She raises her own voice as the man in front of her tries to pin the fault of the fight solely on her. “Three of your students, myself included, have permanent scars due to the school’s lack of action last semester. If I had even the slightest shred of confidence that this school could keep myself and those I care for safe, then, and only then, would I be willing to relinquish my only form of self defense.” Her eyes narrow and her jaw clenches as she stares down the man who’s trying to dismiss her fears without offering any alternative.
“If you are caught with any kind of weapon on your person again you will be punished, and not by the school, but by the law.” His voice drops to a deadly neutrality as he leans forward in his chair. “The police will be notified and your punishment will be in their hands.”
“That’s reassuring,” Wednesday all but scoffed at the idea of the sheriff getting involved. “Those incompetent ‘peacekeepers’ are incapable of finding a burning funeral pyre on a moonless night.” Her tone shifts to a subtle smugness that doesn’t go unnoticed by her audience. “I will have no trouble keeping my weapons and my freedom after any search they decide to conduct.”
“Miss Addams!” He’s very obviously fighting to keep his temper in check, something that Wednesday can’t help but to find joy in. Riling up authority figures has always been a favorite pastime of hers. “I am not as lenient nor forgiving as the late Principal Weems. Do not count on me extending any of the same special privileges to you that she had.”
“Weems hadn’t given me any special privileges,” Wednesday’s voice is low and borderline seething as she glares at the principal, “She had given me respect.”
“And it was that respect that led to her death at your hands!” His accusation sends a wave of molten fury cascading down her spine and causes her mind to flash with an intense desire to throw him in a wood-chipper and watch as the winter forest becomes red with his liquefied entrails.
“If you truly believe that I killed Weems then you should be a lot more worried about getting on my bad side,” She stands from her seat and places her hands on the desk, leaning in and looking down at the man who was still fuming in his chair. “If what you say is true then that means I killed Nevermore’s last head administrator, don’t be so sure that I’m not above doing it again.” She practically spits out her last words in a tone of unmitigated vitriol.
“Get out.” He seethes in a low voice as he rises from his seat, tilting his chin down and glaring at her with barely contained rage in his eyes. “Get the hell out of my office.” He raises his voice only slightly as he stabs his finger towards the door. Wednesday wastes no time in leaving his oppressively patriarchal stench, quickly making her way to the exit. “The next time I see you in here will be the last, Addams!” She hears him yell as the large wooden doors close behind her.
She takes off down the hall in anger as her hatred for the new principal magnifies in her mind; another normie who has near unquestioned power over her left a sour taste in her mouth, already having to deal with Sheriff Galpin was bad enough, now she had to act like the cis male’s idea of a proper lady at school too.
The tension in her jaw increases as she clenches it in an attempt to quell the turbulent emotions that were boiling up inside of her.
The emotionally stunted raven doesn’t know what to do with all of these swirling and conflicting feelings that twisted her mind and her heart.
A series of unhelpful desires worm their way to the forefront of her brain as she tries to deal with her caustic emotions.
She wants to scream into the void and curse the world for existing.
She wants to sink a knife deep into someone’s flesh, either her own or someone else’s, she didn’t care.
She wants to curl into a ball and forget about the crushing guilt that pooled in her gut at his insinuation that she had killed Weems.
She wants…
She wants a hug.
She wants to fall into Enid’s arms and complain about how biased the universe was against her and her happiness, to cry against the wolf’s warm body and bury her face in that spot in Enid’s neck that was made for her head to rest in; just like she had this very morning.
Imagining the warmth of Enid’s arms while savoring the remaining scent her wolf had left on her manages to calm the burning tears threatening to overflow from the raven’s eyes while also increasing her desire to be held by the girl she loves.
She increases her already urgent pace through the halls as her desperation for god forsaken comfort grows.
It’s that urgency that compels Wednesday to push open the doors to the dining hall with more force than necessary, causing the doors to slam into the walls they were attached to, letting out a loud bang that stops all conversations and draws the attention of everyone in the room.
Wednesday freezes as a mass of anxiety forms in her stomach.
Being the center of attention like this has always been a source of discomfort for her. It makes her feel like she’s about to be executed by an angry mob, and, while death is a tempting prospect, the thought of being the source of entertainment for the mindless masses makes her nauseous. She tries not to squirm under their gazes as she looks over the crowd with her well practiced death-glare, forcing a large number of them to turn away and return to their pointless socializing.
As she glares at the sea of students she sees a blonde head of hair and their accompanying blue eyes, looking at her with concern.
Brown eyes meet the blue from across the room and Enid smiles.
In that instant everything else fades away, the eyes of her peers no longer mattered to her.
All she could see was Enid and her comforting smile.
The tension in her body dissipates; her shoulders very subtly fall and her clenched jaw relaxes.
She begins to move with a desire to hear Enid’s voice, to inhale her scent and feel her warmth.
But as she gets closer she sees that next to Enid, with an arm wrapped around her waist, was her snake haired boyfriend.
Her gait falters, her stomach twists, and her heart drops.
The intense desire to cry comes back once again as acrid, heartbreaking jealousy fills her chest.
It's only through her years of experience at repressing her emotions that she’s able to force the tears back and keep her face neutral.
As she’s walking up to the couple she averts her gaze from Enid, and the gorgon attached to her side, to look over the rest of the table's occupants.
Sitting across from Enid was Bianca, who looked at Wednesday with a raised eyebrow, which Wednesday chose to ignore. On the sirens left sat Divina, who was engrossed in her girlfriend next to her. Across from Yoko, and next to Ajax, was Eugene, who was heavily engaged in a conversation with the person sitting next to him, that someone happened to be none other than her own brother.
Wednesday sits down across from Pugsley, on the opposite corner of the table from Enid, doing her best to avert her gaze from the wolf and her attached snake, as if pretending they’re not there would make the pain in her heart stop.
But it doesn’t,
Of course not.
Nothing about pain is that simple.
What she needs more than anything is a distraction from her overwhelming emotional torment. Thankfully there was something sitting directly across from her that had already piqued her curiosity.
She lets her gaze fall on her brother, who was currently engaged in a conversation with her fellow hummer, Eugene. Her first thought was that the two of them seem like an odd pair, but as she watched them interact she noticed how normal it felt. They got along well, better than she’s ever seen in terms of Pugsley’s friends, mostly because Pugsley has never had friends before. A trait that she herself used to share with him, until she had met Eugene. Perhaps it was fitting that they both befriended the non-judgemental, bee-obsessed loner as quick as they did.
“Hey Wednesday,” Pugsley says with his cheerful happiness that’s usually only reserved for the privacy of the Addams manor. It seems he’s warmed up to Nevermore far sooner than she had anticipated. “This is my roommate, Eugene!” His childish joy helped to ease Wednesday’s hectic emotions, just seeing how relaxed he was here was an intense contrast to all of the previous schools they’ve been to together. It gave her hope that things will be better for him from now on, even after the curse takes her.
“Wednesday, are you okay?” Eugene asks, concern evident in his voice as he looks over the bandages that still adorn her face. “I went to the nurse’s office the day before yesterday and she said you ran out at three in the morning?” His gaze flicks between all of the different cotton patches that hide her mostly healed claw wounds. “Why are you covered in bandages? Did something happen?”
“I saved her ass is what happened.” Yoko’s unwanted addition to the conversation draws the rest of the table’s attention to their topic. “She was about to be mauled by Logan and his losers until I showed up.”
“Your concern for me is unnecessary, other than a bruised ego and a few claw marks I am perfectly fine.” Wednesday reassures Eugene, knowing how he likes to worry over those he cares about. She still remembers being told that, as soon as Eugene was out of his coma, the first thing he did was call to make sure she was okay. “And I already thanked you for your assistance, Yoko.”
“Oh my god, guys,” Enid says from the other end of the table, practically whining out the last word. “Can we please talk about something else, I already feel guilty enough about that and talking about it only makes me feel worse.”
“Why would you feel guilty about Addams losing a fight?” Bianca asks the wolf sitting across from her, but, before Enid can begin to answer, another voice chimes in with their own opinion on the events of yesterday.
“Wednesday only got in the fight ‘cause she was defending Enid’s honor.” Divina says with an odd bit of smug joy lacing her voice.
“Whoa,” Pugsley interrupts as he glances over Eugene and Ajax to look at Enid as she leans forward and covers her face with her hands, “We should change the subject, Enid feels really bad right now.”
“Dude, that’s so fucked.” Ajax says to Pugsley with a hostile tone, causing Wednesday’s guard to raise and her hand to reach for her dagger. “Just because you have weird psychic powers doesn’t mean you can tell everyone what she’s feeling.” Wednesday is about to speak up and put the snake boy in his place, but before she can, a voice to her right beats her to it.
“Dude,” Yoko mocks Ajax with a low voice before glaring at him and speaking with obvious displeasure. “Enid already said she was feeling guilty, it was the whole conversation we were just having, Pugsley was standing up for her.”
“Babe.” Divina tries to get Yoko to drop it by placing a hand on Yoko’s arm and using what Wednesday can only assume is her ‘strict voice.’
“I’m just saying, he should actually pay attention to his girlfriend before trying to start shit.” The vampire grumbles as she glares at the gorgon, causing a layer of tension to brew in the air.
An awkward silence settles over the group as the conversation dies off. While Wednesday normally revels in awkward silences, this time is different. This time it directly involves Enid, and the girl looks even more like a stereotypical guilty dog than ever before. And Wednesday felt like she was the one to blame.
So, filled with a need to do something, Wednesday reaches into her backpack and pulls out the banshee head that still rested within, unceremoniously dropping it neck first onto the table and drawing the attention of everyone seated there.
“WHOA!” Pugsley yells out in amazement at the battle-trophy laid out in front of him; the proper response to seeing such an item. “You have a Banshee head?” She can’t help but smirk at the wide eyes of her little brother as he looks into the dead eyes of the headless spirit.
“Yes, I am going to extract its vocal cords tonight if you would like to assist me.” She extends the invitation, knowing how much Pugsley likes to play with her discarded taxidermy parts.
“Hell yeah I do!” Pugsley nearly jumps out of his seat with excitement at the prospect of the dissection taking place later tonight, and Wednesday can’t blame him, she’s been looking forward to this as well. Besides, it’s been a long time since she was able to inflict any sort of torture on her brother and this would be the perfect opportunity to do so.
“What the fuck, Addams?!” Barclay makes her displeasure known as she stares at Wednesday in stunned disbelief.
“Oh-my-god, Wednesday!” Enid yells out as she brings her hands up to block the Banshee’s head from her view. “Put that thing away before I pass out and die.” Her face twists into one of utter disgust, thankfully replacing the look of pain and guilt she was wearing.
“God damn girl!” Yoko cheers as Wednesday begrudgingly returns the banshee’s head to her black leather bag. “How are you the most terrifying and deadly outcast at Nevermore? You’re just a human.”
“I am an Addams.” Wednesday responds with indignation at being reduced to something as basic as ‘just a human,’ even if Yoko meant no offense. “We know how to kill before we learn how to roll over.” She says with a smirk at the memory of Pubert setting the house on fire three times before his first birthday.
“OH!” Pugsley yells out as he looks towards his roommate with wide eyes portraying just how excited he is. “That reminds me!” He reaches down into his pocket before pulling out a slip of paper. “I thought of some more questions about bees last night!” He turns his attention onto Eugene as he nearly vibrates in his seat. “Like, how many bee stings does it take to kill someone? And do the bees know they’re gonna die if they sting something?” Wednesday watches fondly as the light in Pugsley’s eyes is quickly mirrored into Eugene’s at the prospect of discussing his favorite topic with someone who was genuinely interested.
“I should have guessed you two would bond over insects.” Wednesday says as she looks between the two. “Your obsession has bordered on creepy for years now, Pugsley. Perhaps Eugene will help you fully commit.” She then repeats something their father has said many times in their lives. “An Addams never does anything half-hearted.”
“Is that why I feel such a strong sense of longing from you,” Pugsley teases as he leans in closer, making sure to lower his voice so only Wednesday can hear, or at least he tries to. “You’re still thinking about Enid?” He smiles a devious grin at her, as if daring her to retaliate, and worst of all, she can hear Yoko stifle a laugh at Pugsley’s words.
“Eugene,” Wednesday says as she shifts her gaze from her brother to her club member. “I suggest you answer Pugsley’s questions with a hands on demonstration.” She returns her attention to Pugsley as she stares him down with her own subtle grin. “Perhaps you have inherited father's bee allergy as well.”
“Wait, Wednesday.” Eugene looks at her with wide eyes before asking with concern in his voice, “Are you allergic to bees?”
“Deathly.” Wednesday responds with as close to a smile as she’ll allow herself in public. “My throat and eyes swell until I can no longer see or breathe and I go into anaphylactic shock soon afterwards.” She still remembers the day she discovered her allergy, it was a terrifyingly thrilling event that she has yet to find an equal to.
“Why the hell would you join the beekeeping club then?” Yoko questions her decision making as she stares down Wednesday with pure disbelief in her expression.
“How do you expect me to enjoy something if there’s no chance of dying?” The question isn’t rhetorical, she actually wanted to know how people enjoy things without the subtle threat of death lurking in the background.
“That explains Enid.” Pugsley absentmindedly added, not entirely thinking of what he was saying. That is until someone else speaks up from the far end of the table.
“What does that mean?” The girl in question asks, not following how Pugsley made that connection and slightly afraid that he was somehow insulting her.
“Oh, uh.” Panic colors his face as he tries to answer Enid’s question without giving away Wednesday’s feelings, or the fact that the curse is killing her. “Just that Wednesday’s allergy to color makes it dangerous for her to be around you, so it makes sense that you’re friends.” He ends his sentence with a raise in his voice, as if he was asking a question.
“Wait, you’re actually allergic to color?” Enid asks Wednesday with the same kind of concern in her voice that Eugene had shown her, “I thought that was just a joke?”
“When have I ever told a joke?” This time her question is rhetorical, but Pugsley decides to answer it anyway, testing Wednesday’s patience and jeopardizing his own fate.
“What you said to mother when we first dropped you off at Nevermore was pretty funny, especially now.” Pugsley smirks as he practically stares into her eyes with mischievous joy. “I think it was something like, ‘I am nothing like you, Mother. I won’t fall in-”
“Eugene,” Wednesday quickly interrupts her brother with a swift kick to his shin before he can let slip the truth about her feelings to the three people at this table of eight who don’t already know. “If Pugsley experiences a bout of insomnia then I suggest you strangle him, it will help him fall asleep.”
“How will that help?” Eugene questions the logic behind her statement, not entirely following the Addams’ twisted way of thinking.
“It will remind him of home.” Wednesday responds with a smirk as she stares down Pugsley, subtly reminding him how lenient she’s been by leaving him alone the past day and a half.
“You strangle your brother?” Bianca butts in with a tone that sounds like Wednesday just murdered a puppy in front of her. It was beyond amusing to see.
“Only after I’ve thrown all of my knives at him.” The raven says with a devious smirk as she stands from her seat and grabs her bag. She spares a quick glance towards the other corner of the table, just in time to see Enid and Ajax share a quick peck on the lips.
Wednesday turns around before her pain and disgust taints her facial features. Her heart clenches and her stomach drops. Any hope she had left for her future had dissipated in that moment.
She quickly walks away from the table, not bothering to say anything or even look at the group as she makes her way out of the dining area and into the hall.
And, just as she had anticipated, the clock tower's bell chimes three times as the heavy wooden door closes behind her, marking the start of classes for the day and the beginning of Wednesday Addams’ last semester alive.