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Chapter Text

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a person with Addamses blood in veins is doomed to love wholeheartedly and madly. As much as Wednesday had faith in the inviolability of her black heart, the harsh reality of her situation hit her over the head with a baseball bat, and not in a pleasant way.

Once again, Wednesday cursed fate and the entire lineage of her family (especially her parents, especially her mother). She mentally rehearsed a plan to win someone else's affection. Surely it could not be too difficult. Success was inevitable, and such an important matter could not be delayed any longer. Her feet led her to the door of the dorm as she thought about it. She listened to the sounds. Enid was in the room and seemed to be pacing around in a restless manner. Wednesday's heart thundered with a force that was unacceptable to him. She pounded her chest with her fist, trying to slow the beating of that muscle. As expected, it had no effect. She took in more air and exhaled. Her head cleared immediately, but it was just as quickly clouded by the numbness of love. Addams gave up trying to control herself, which was obviously a lost cause. She straightened her tie (one of the habits she had inherited from her father) and opened the door.

“Enid.”

Her roommate, who happened to be the love and death of her life, stopped at the edge of her half of the room. Lucifer, how frighteningly beautiful she was! Wednesday gazed eagerly at the girl's disheveled form. In this state she was like her wolf. Unruly, wild, free. Addams indulged in a brief fantasy of a blond beast galloping joyously down the endless corridors of the family mansion and breathtaking chases in the dark woods, lit only by the moon.

"Wednesday," Enid said, "we need to talk."

"I know."

Wednesday walked to the back of the room to her side. The Thing sat next to the typewriter and greeted her rather weakly. His body was sprawled across the dark wood, a sign of his depressed mood, but she had neither the time nor the inclination to inquire into the fickleness of hand. Wednesday ordered him out of the room with a familiar wave of her hand. She wanted to keep her life private from her family, if only for one day. To her annoyance, Thing was extremely reluctant to comply. With unusual impatience, she counted the seconds until it left.

"Wednesday-"

“I apologize, Enid, but I'll start first."

She felt her fingers tremble slightly. Trying to hide her excitement, Wednesday clasped her hands behind her back. Only willpower and pride prevented her from fleeing the scene of the crime she was about to commit. Addams doesn't run. Well, only tactically.

"All my efforts were in vain. I couldn't suppress the feelings, couldn't handle their power. You must know that I love you.”

Wednesday exhaled in relief. The agony had been unbearable, but it was over. A death worthy of her, indeed. She felt the guillotine pass through her throat. There was no more excruciating torture. Enid was silent. Wednesday, encouraged by this sign, continued. The words came out of her like blood from mouth.

"The torment, the suffering you inflicted on me, Enid, was unbearable. The cruelty with which your claws tore at my heart, the hunger with which your fangs dug into my soul, is commendable. Did you enjoy the taste of pain? One can only applaud such cruelty. How pathetic I am. I have fallen into the hands of someone who embodies everything I hate most, someone who was so proud of my lack of passions, my own inviolability.”

Wednesday paused for a moment to catch her breath. She could feel the insanity coming on. Dead. Everything in her was dead. Rebellion had been crushed by the monster, slicing through the last sane thoughts with a giant paw. Did the father feel the same? No, he fell into the arms of love without a shadow of a doubt. Wednesday was brought to her knees, stripped of the last vestiges of pride and the strength to fight on. And who was the greater fool?

"Rest assured, Enid, nothing can come between us. I know all about your pathetic family. We don't need their approval or support. These,“ Wednesday’s face crinkled in disgust at the mention of the Sinclairs, ”mutts will no longer poison your life. The Addamses are more than adequate in that regard, you'll be pleased. My parents will be unbearably smug about it, it will be unbearable. Of course, there will be the question of transporting your belongings. Don't worry; you won't have to go back to that place again. Lurch is extremely competent. But that's for tomorrow and is irrelevant now. Now I await your verdict.”

She mentally chastised herself for such a confused, unworthy confession. What had become of her great reserve? Addams hardly recognized herself. The whole speech she had painstakingly written at night, guarding Enid's sleep and longing for her feelings, lay heavy and forgotten in her pocket. But Wednesday blamed it on the charms of her lover, which had poisoned her whole being.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Wednesday?"

The scream sobered her. For the first time since she'd been in the room, Addams really looked at Enid. She was surprised to see that the girl did not look disgustingly happy. In fact, if the claws and protruding fangs were any indication, Enid was ready to jump up and tear her to pieces.

"You know," Enid continued more calmly, looking more intimidating for some reason, "if this confession wasn't the most insultingly shitty confession in the world, I'd thank you. Well, hopefully your... feelings will fade quickly. I'd hate to cause you too much agony."

Wednesday stood motionless, staring at Enid. Sinclair's words had stunned and angered her. A sickening pounding in her ears made it impossible for her to concentrate, to comprehend what she had heard. Wednesday tried to maintain her outward composure, not saying a word until she felt capable of coherent speech. Finally, she said icily:

"And that is all the answer I can get from you. Perhaps I know a reason why you could not be more courteous in refusing me.”

Brick by brick.

"Then I might ask you why you have declared your love, if it is to you humiliation, torment, and other bloody words you enjoy! I consider that a sufficient excuse for my rudeness. To love you against your will, as if I had personally chained you to me! No, I never asked for it, never wanted it. I'm just - ugh! And don't even get me started on your comments about my pack; I don't have the patience... Your self-righteousness is really something. You can't decide for me, treat me like a stupid puppet. I won't allow it. You have no right to judge and insult my family! But if that wasn't enough, I had other reasons for refusing. Of course, you must know all about them. If I loved you, or even had the slightest sympathy for you, I would have refused in any case. How can I agree to be with a person who has ruined the happiness of my friends with her own hands!"

At these words, Wednesday’s face became even more impassive and her body hard as stone. Protest burst from her chest, but she made no attempt to interrupt Enid's tirade. Enid, on the other hand, seemed even more enraged than was possible.

Brick by brick.

"I have every right in the world to find you disgusting. You don't have to apologize," Enid waved her hand dismissively at the door, "Thing told me something. At least it has some decency. Thanks to your actions, your completely uninvited interference, Bianca has broken off all relationship with Yoko! You dare not deny that you are the main reason for their breakup. They're all suffering deeply because of you. Yoko... Can you imagine your best friend melting away in grief before your own eyes?!"

Wednesday, stunned by the accusation, found her lips parted in a venomous sneer. The treacherous hand's betrayal came as no surprise. He had always been loyal to everyone but her. Enid's words quickly pulled her out of her spiraling thoughts.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

“I don't deny my part in this affair,” Enid's face flushed deliciously with anger and her hands clenched in a perfect chokehold, but she didn't let herself be stopped, "I did everything I could to distance Bianca from your... friend, a gesture of goodwill if you will. Well, I'm quite pleased with the result. I've been kinder to her than to myself."

Enid growled loudly and bared her fangs. Her hand waved menacingly at Addams. Lucifer, what a catastrophe this was! Wednesday’s heart was bleeding. She had not felt such agony since Crackstone. In response to her own pain, her words sliced Enid's skin with a blade. Addams took a perverse pleasure in her suffering. But she didn't mean to be deliberately cruel; after all, her love for this creature, unrequited though it was, overflowed in her chest.

Brick by brick.

"God, why do I even wonder? It's impossible for you, a heartless creature, to understand the feelings of others, let alone love!" she continued, pointing her finger at the seer, and then began to pace restlessly around the room, stopping suddenly as if struck by thunder. Enid slowly turned her head toward Wednesday. Anger distorted the girl's pretty features, making them grotesquely horrible. "But you've ruined people's lives before, haven't you? What about Ajax? Was that also a gesture of goodwill?"

"You are quite interested in the life of this mistake of nature," Wednesday blurted out, unable to contain the storm within him.

"How dare you insult him! It was you who put him in such a miserable position! How could I..." the werewolf whispered the last sentence, muttering something under her breath, but the seer couldn't hear what it was.

"Miserable'?" repeated Addams contemptuously, "Yes, he is indeed miserable. I would hope for nothing less."

Brick by brick.

Brick by brick.

Brick by brick.

"You made him an outcast of outcasts! Ajax was kicked out of Nightshades; his friends discarded him like a broken toy! At your whim, I'm sure. And you allow yourself to gloat? I can’t believe it! Your cruelty knows no bounds."

"You have never spoken so kindly to me. I'm flattered."

"I have no kind words for you," the werewolf spat venomously, "your greatest flaw, Addams, is selfishness! Your fixation on yourself blinds you.... I had hoped we were long past that. But you still haven't changed. You truly poison everything and everyone around you."

Wednesday bit the inside of her cheek for blood, holding back a sarcastic response. Indeed, love blinds one, and anger loosens the tongue.

"Perhaps I could have avoided such accusations if my confession had been more complimentary? Perhaps I should have flattered you, told you that I had no doubts or aversions? That would be a lie, Enid, of which you have accused me. I am not ashamed of my truth.”

Enid was shocked and didn't say anything for a while. She looked at the seer, feeling confused. Wednesday enjoyed the brief moment of silence. She felt the weight, which she had ignored since the break, come over her with new force. Being here made less and less sense with each passing second. Her feelings were a mistake. The confession was a mistake. Everything was a mistake. Part of Wednesday was glad to be rejected. Uncle Fester had always been murderously optimistic about his love failures, and she had decided to follow his path. She would be able to live her life as she had before. No distractions, no attachments.

"Didn't you hear me? Your rudeness is the least of the problems in this situation. But I'll answer you. I would have rejected you anyway," Enid said finally, "you are the last person I could ever fall in love with."

Wednesday gritted her teeth. She was clutching at the last drops of sanity she had left. Enid, like a really good student, had learned to hit the most painful points... No, she hadn't taught her anything. Enid had always been talented, even without Wednesday.

Brick by brick.

Brick by brick.

Brick by brick.

Brick by brick.

Brick by brick.

"You have said enough. I apologize for wasting your time."

With that, Wednesday left the room. There was nobody in Ophelia Hall. Her feet carried her as far away as possible from this cursed place where she had left her soul. The cold spread through her body like cyanide, which was a masochistic pleasure. Well, her parents were right about one thing. The time at the Academy was pure torture.

Absorbed in her thoughts, Wednesday didn't notice when she stopped in front of a row of trees. She allowed herself to close her eyes and listen to the sounds. The wind and occasional animal sounds accompanied her walk, giving her a pleasant sense of privacy. Only in the distance could the pitiful cry of a raven be heard, shattering the silence around her.

Diving deeper into her mind Wednesday ran her fingernails along the new walls. She saw that they were solid, but noted that it would be worth reinforcing them with an extra layer later. Seer slipped out of her mind and turned to look at the Academy.

“Farewell to all the feelings that expand the heart!”

The shade vanished into the Nevermore woods.

Chapter Text

As soon as the door closed, Enid collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion. Tears streamed down her cheeks, smearing her makeup, and she angrily wiped the wet streaks from her face. Over and over she went over the details of the disaster that had occurred. Wednesday Addams was in love with her! God, what a joke. The girl who has half the Academy after her is in love with Enid Sinclair. Of course, the attention of such an unattainable person was extremely flattering. But Addams' selfcenteredness, egotism, and inexcusable self-confidence suppressed any sympathy she might have had for her friend's situation.

"An ex-friend," Enid muttered. "We can't be friends anymore.”

Tears streamed from her eyes again and a sob escaped her throat. Involuntarily, she touched the long scars of Hyde's claws. How did it come to this? It seemed that the blood moon had brought them together in a way that would keep them friends forever. If only it hadn't been for that damn confession! I wish Wednesday had never confessed to her. Maybe then... No! Yoko and Ajax would still have suffered from the girl's cruelty. Nothing would have changed.

Enid picked up her phone and opened the camera. Her crying face stained with makeup stared back at her. She grinned wryly and opened the chat with Yoko.

Wolfie

Yoks are u free rn

Fuckula

Hey what’s wrong

Sure

R u ok???

Wolfie

Not really

Omw

Enid got up and went to the bathroom. Her eyes landed on the typewriter. She wanted to smash it to bits, but she stopped herself. She didn't want to see Wednesday again. She hoped that the feelings of embarrassment and humiliation would keep her as far away from Ophelia Hall as possible. If she were Addams, she wouldn't show up here. She didn't want to stay in this room, even now. It felt like the poison of their argument had seeped into the walls.

The reflection looked haggard. Enid brought her face close to the mirror, examining her own flaws. But she had enough bad thoughts for one day. She looked at the reflection and scolded herself, then quickly washed her face. The water washed away her anger and irritation. Having lived with a perpetually unhappy mother for many years, Enid knew that it was pointless to hold on to negative feelings.

Back in her room, Enid grabbed the things she needed for an emergency girls night and headed to Yoko's room.

"Oh, Yoko, how can I tell you?" Enid whispered. Her friend's heart had been broken, and she was just starting to heal. But to hurt her again? She wanted to expose Wednesday, but it might have the opposite effect. She didn't even know why Bianca had stopped having any relations with the vampire. Thing had said that Wednesday was to blame. She couldn't ask Addams about the interference directly. After such a big fight, she was unlikely to be honest with her, if she spoke at all.

“Damn it!” shouted Enid. Once again, her temper took over. As a certified Nevermore gossip queen, she should have known better! Her relationship with Bianca had been amicable at best, and now.... Best not to think about it now; the investigation could wait.

Enid felt light and calm as she stood in front of Yoko's room. She believed that a true friend could heal any heartache. She had a difficult childhood, being a late bloomer and not having many friends. Her older brother Elliot was the only one who loved her. Unfortunately, Elliot left home early and couldn't always protect her from her mother and other brothers. Going to Nevermore helped Enid realize that she was enough for many.

Enid knocked on the door and went into the vampire's room. Yoko was lying on the bed, but when she saw her friend, she sat up quickly and waved to her. Enid didn't need to ask twice. She ran and hugged her friend.

"Hey, pup."

"Hey, Yoks," the girls said, laughing happily.

"What's wrong? I'm always happy to see you, but I thought something serious had happened." Enid let out a sad sigh and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, don't be like that, wolfie. I know you; you have a lot to tell me obviously!"

"I don't even know where to begin."

"From the beginning?"

"Yoko," Enid began seriously. She grabbed the vampire firmly by the shoulders and shook her slightly, "You must swear that nothing I tell you leaves this room. No! You are not to discuss this with anyone but me at all!"

“Jesus fuck, Enid, what the hell is going on? You're kind of scaring me."

"Promise!"

"Okay, okay! I promise I won't tell anyone! Holy fuck, put your claws away or you'll rip my damn favorite shirt," Enid squeaked and hid her hands behind her back.

"Sorry. I've been nervous for a while, and I'm finding it hard to control myself. To sum it up, Wednesday confessed her love for me, I accused her… of some things, and we had a big fight."

Nobody said anything. Yoko stared at Enid like she was crazy. To be honest, she wasn't sure she was sane. The vampire opened and closed her mouth, but she couldn't make a sound. After a moment, Yoko finally spoke up:

"Enid. What the fuck!"                                           

Enid wrinkled her nose at the nasty scream and recoiled from her friend. Yoko looked like she was going crazy. It was hard to tell if she was about to laugh or cry.

"Let's be consistent. Otherwise I'm going to die here for real. Wednesday, the Wednesday Addams, admitted her love for you. A person who thinks love is a cancer and a plague at the same time. Okay. That’s crazy shit. But…That might be hard to understand, but it makes sense.

"What sense can it make!" exclaimed Enid. "None of it makes sense to me! I don't understand where her feelings for me came from."

"Enid. My pookie. My best friend in the whole world. Be real. You're literally the only person Addams let’s do anything. Before you interrupt me, I'll make two points: first, you're very touchy, which extends to the devil's spawn, among others, who surprisingly haven't killed you for it; second, you can talk nonstop, which Wednesday hasn't killed you for either," Yoko cocked her chin, straightened up, and coughed dramatically. "Your Honor, Wednesday Addams definitely has a soft spot for Enid Sinclair!"

“Your argument is totally bullshit! For one thing, Wednesday lets his family touch her-"

“Babe, I saw her little brother try to hug her and then get shot in the knee.”

"Second!" Enid continued without paying attention to Yoko's comment, "Eugene also talks a lot and is still alive!"

"Babe, I'm telling you, it's because Bee Boy reminds her of her brother."

"That doesn't matter! The point is it just wasn't supposed to happen."

"Let's agree to disagree or we won't move on. And what did you say to her?"

“The fuck you mean what I say! It was pretty obvious,” snorted Enid. Yoko's lips curled into a smile that showed she didn't believe her. "It was only obvious to me."

“Don't get me wrong, but there's always been this tension between you two. We've all been waiting for you to finally realize it. I think Bianca was taking bets on who would be the first to confess," the werewolf stared angrily at her friend. The other girl raised her hands in a calming gesture and said, "Down girl. It's none of my business. But I don't understand why you two are fighting."

Enid hesitated and began to fidget nervously with the fabric of her skirt. Luckily, Yoko didn't rush her, giving her time to collect her thoughts. Finally, she could no longer hold back. She started to speak, and she spoke for a long time. Enid described the scene between her and Addams in great detail (and with a poor imitation of Wednesday). She left out the parts involving the vampire himself and a certain siren, of course. She felt like a traitor, as if she had helped Wednesday break up Yoko and Bianca. Enid promised herself that she would find out the details of the case at the earliest opportunity and, if the circumstances were right and Bianca fell victim to Wednesday's manipulations, she would reunite them.

After she finished telling her story, Enid took a moment to catch her breath and see how her listener was reacting. The vampire's face had no expression.

"Well, one thing is clear to me," Yoko said after a few moments of silence.

"What?"

"Wednesday played Mr. Darcy, which didn't please my dear Lizzie," Yoko laughed gleefully, "you always wanted to be the hero of a love story. As they say, fear your desires!"

"It's not funny!" Enid tried to keep a serious face, which was hard for her. "Okay, it's a little funny. But it doesn't make my situation any easier."

Yoko stroked her friend's head to show she understood.

"But seriously, Enid, why did you get so angry?"

"What do you mean? She ' loves' me even though she doesn't want to. She 'suffers' because of me! What a weird way to show love! I want to be loved and accepted completely, to be loved with happiness. And i know how she feels about my pack, but they are my family. I love them, and I know they love me too."

"I completely agree that Addams' choice of words was rather... crude," Enid grinned in a crooked smile.

"That was the understatement of the year!"

"She should have handled the matter more delicately. I can't believe I'm acting as the devil's advocate! But still, Enid, could you have expected anything different? You're the one who defended and said she was nice. 'She's just shy; it's her way of talking. She's not a bad person'. Using your logic and reasoning, Addams confession is peak romance. In a purely murderous way of course. Imagine what she's experiencing right now!”

Enid felt bad and agreed with Yoko, but she didn't want to. But she was still angry, and she had new reasons to be.

"Well, I hope she uses her 'all feelings are garbage' policy and recovers from her disappointment quickly. You're not judging me, are you?"

"Hell no way," Yoko replied confidently. Enid felt relieved.

"But what about Ajax?"

"What about him?" the vampire replied indifferently, which annoyed Enid. She felt like shaking her by the shoulders and screaming. How could anyone be so cold-hearted towards a friend?

"You tell me that! He told me a while ago that Wednesday had gotten him kicked out of Nightshades and his friends were avoiding him. I didn't think much of it at the time. I put it down to dislike because they never got along from day one, but I couldn't get his words out of my head and after..." Enid paused, glanced at her friend to make sure she wasn't paying attention to the hitch, and continued, "I was sure of it."

She was surprised when she noticed the guilty expression that flashed across Yoko's face. Before Enid could ask why, the vampire seemed relaxed again.

"We don't know much," Yoko said after a long silence, "I would tell you all the details, but Ajax never really came to mind after you two broke up. I decided he wasn't worth remembering. Now I regret leaving you in the dark. I'm really sorry, pup. "

Enid assured her friend that she held no grudge for withholding information and rushed her to begin the story.

"It was a few days after that crazy party a couple months ago, remember?" Enid nodded in agreement. "I was still suffering from a wild hangover (like everyone else), so I wanted to skip the meeting. But then Divina dragged me to the meeting. I was a bit mad, of course, but Bianca quickly put me in my place," Yoko was clearly embarrassed and would have blushed if she could have.

“God, you're so whipped it's not funny,” Enid rolled her eyes, for which she received an elbow in the rib and yelped in pain. A look of apathy flashed across Yoko's face, as it did whenever she thought of Barclay. The werewolf immediately regretted her stupid comment.

"Shut up and listen," she said, making the moment more serious. "The atmosphere was very tense. Guys were standing around in robes and masks. I thought something scary had happened if we gathered in full dress. But Ajax wasn’t. He was tied to a chair with his hands and feet tied up. He looked like a beaten dog (no offense to you, babe) not only because of his stupid, droopy look, but because of the, well, beating! It was like someone had used his face like an asphalt rag."

Enid's eyes opened wide, and she felt sympathy and disgust at the same time. She tried to remember if she'd seen him in those days, and realized she hadn't seen him in a week. She was surprised that he hadn't said anything about it. Even more surprising was the fact that no one at school had mentioned anything about his appearance.

"Don't worry. The wounds were already a few days old, so it's not Bianca's fault. She wouldn't have hurt him. Divina asked Ajax about his look, he said he got into a fight with some guys at a party, didn't share weed or something. Total bullshit if you want my opinion. Who in their right mind would beat the shit out of another dude over fucking weed? We tried to ask more questions, but the boss quickly stopped us. She was extremely pissed off.”

Yoko looked uncomfortable and was silent for a while. Enid took her hands in her own and squeezed them, showing that she understood how she was feeling. The deep wrinkle on the vampire's forehead softened, and she looked at her friend with appreciation before continuing:

"She said she was going to expel Ajax from Nightshades."

Enid mumbled, thinking deeply, as she twirled a lock of hair with her finger. This confirmed the story Ajax had told her.

"The guys immediately started protesting, but Bianca yelled at them, they quickly shut up. She said it was out of the question, and the decision was final. I honestly didn't care," Yoko said, sounding annoyed. Enid frowned and didn't say anything. After thinking about it for a while, she asked:

"Do you think Ajax lied about Wednesday's involvement in this? And Bianca didn't say anything about her?"

"She never mentioned her. Addams doesn't give a damn about Nightshades, but she wouldn't miss an opportunity to bring a Gorgon's head to Weems' table and since he walking around quite alive, then..." Enid laughed and her friend joined in.

"You're right. Besides, I'd still know if she was involved in something like that," Enid rubbed her chin thoughtfully, trying to remember any changes in her roommate's behavior. "And Wednesday was acting like her usual self. Sure, she's been pretty distant and secretive since the start of the semester, but sometimes she'd do really lovely things and then act like I didn't exist again. I thought it was because she was dealing with the pain of what happened with Hyde and Gates. But it could also be explained-” Enid stammered again, and, feeling the blush spreading down her neck, stiffened, "It could be explained by our conversation today."

Yoko just gave a wicked smile in response. Sinclair felt the tension in her body slowly go away. She was tired of feeling so emotionally overwhelmed. Enid lay down on the bed again and rested her head Yoko’s lap. Her scalp was massaged with cold hands, which made her happy.

"I thought we both realized that she's a foolish loser who doesn't deserve your love, and you shouldn't believe what she says, right?"

"No, I mean yes, but that's not what I was talking about. She didn't deny that she was mixed up in the Ajax incident. But she didn't confirm it either. Shit..."

"Pup," Yoko said, feeling tired, "I've had enough revelations and investigations for today. Get some rest for tonight, you need it," the vampire said, not waiting for a reply. Quickly, she tucked her in more comfortably and covered her with a blanket. Enid yawned loudly. Her eyes closed  and her thoughts became jumbled.

Yoko sniffed softly and gently rubbed her nose against the other's shoulder. Enid felt a surge of love and tenderness for her friend. She held the vampire's arm more tightly and closed her eyes. Thoughts were still swarming through her tired, restless mind. Just a few hours ago, she had lost a close friend. It had been painful. Enid also thought of Ajax, who had been unfairly kicked out of Nightshades. She felt sorry for the boy and hoped that things would get better. Was Bianca cruel and wicked enough to leave her friend? She hated to think badly of her, but her recent actions weren't helping at all. She felt annoyed. It was obvious to her that Bianca (and possibly Wednesday) was hiding something, but what? It was unlikely that Enid could show up at her door and question her about everything. Siren tended to avoid their company like the plague.

Eventually fatigue set in, no matter how much the werewolf tried to prolong her wakefulness for a few more minutes. Enid felt the excitement and confusion leave her body. Yoko was right. It was best to leave it at that and return to the mystery with full strength. With that thought, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Bzzz bzzz bzzz

"Shit."   

Enid growled disappointedly, half asleep, trying to fumble for her phone. The body next to her let out an angry hiss and curled up tighter in the blanket. The werewolf, trying to make as little noise as possible and not disturb her friend's sleep, quickly turned off the alarm. The clock read seven in the morning. She cursed weakly, realizing that she had forgotten to turn off her alarm for the weekend. Throwing the phone on the carpet, the girl lay back down, hoping to sleep a little longer. But sleep just wouldn't come, despite the lack of sleep. After tossing and turning a little more to try to fall asleep, Enid left it at that and began to get ready for today. Deciding not to wake Yoko, she quickly grabbed her things, wrote a note and left the room.

A short but good night's sleep had dispelled most of her worries, and Enid was going to use her newfound energy productively. On her way to her own dorm, she scrolled through her notifications and replied to a few messages. Sinclair decided to pass on several invites to hang out and gently but firmly declined to attend the fur party. Despite the improved relationship between her and the werewolves, she had no desire to engage in anything close to political conversation and conspiracy. Blood Moon werewolf status comes with a lot of perks, Enid thought ironically, but no one warns you that everyone will suddenly want to be friends with you. Fucking hypocrites.

As she climbed the stairs leading to her room, she faintly hoped that Wednesday had not returned. There was a small hope in Enid now that they might be able to rebuild their friendship someday. Definitely not at this moment. There were too many resentments and understatements that would keep them apart. Not to mention Addams' wounded pride. Enid slowed her pace. Her conscience told her she shouldn't have been so cruel to Wednesday. She had practically no experience with social interaction, let alone anything romantic. Tyler obviously hadn't given her a good example of positive interaction between lovers. Then again, they didn't love each other, just used and manipulated each other, even if Addams had more noble intentions. In her monstrous way, she opened her soul. Enid, in an equally monstrous way, rejected her. Quite deservedly, in her opinion, even if Wednesday hadn't organized Ajax's exile. A year earlier, she would have reconciled, made contact in any way possible. But now? Paradoxically, Addams had taught her pride in herself, a sense of self-worth. And even for her sake, Enid wouldn't lower that shield and wouldn't swallow the insult.

The door to the dorm now seemed like a portal to hell, not the last obstacle before a safe haven. Enid stood motionless, straining to hear. There were no keystrokes, no clattering of heavy boots, no sharp swings of the bow on the strings of the "big violin." The werewolf exhaled contentedly and unlocked the door. She wasn't wrong, Wednesday wasn't in the room. At all. The Dark Side was empty, everything was gone. Only the bed and the table stood lonely, reminding her that someone had been there. Enid involuntarily thought that the last year had been a fever dream, a fantasy of her brain. The only thing that reminded her of Wednesday Addams was her window. She squeezed her eyes shut, felt the moisture coming up, and counted to ten. No, Enid thought, I'm not going to cry! I've cried enough, this isn't worth my tears. It's for the best; everything will go back to normal.

A loud rustling interrupted her unpleasant thoughts. Instinctively, she growled and assumed a threatening posture. The fangs felt uncomfortable in her human mouth. Enid snorted and groaned at the taste of her own blood. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for prey. Taking a deep breath, she slowly made her way to her toy pile. At first glance, everything was in its place. But the werewolf's eyes could see many things.

Her hand swung up sharply and grabbed the suspect.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Thing!" roared Enid, "What the hell were you hiding in there like a fucking freak? I could have gored you!"

Sinclair forced herself to calm down, just like her mother had taught her. Despite having had quite a bit of transformation experience (for Enid), she struggled to regain her human traits. Elliot had suggested, when she'd asked him for more help, that her wolf had been inside her for so long that she was reluctant to give the reins back to her human side.

"I'm sorry, Enid," a scarred hand gently stroked her friend in a comforting gesture, "I thought Wednesday was back."

Enid pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes.

"She changed rooms?"

Thing grimaced, confirming her guess.

"Said she couldn't stay here."    

"Why aren't you with her?"

Enid noticed that the usually energetic Thing was lethargic, barely moving his fingers.

"She and I had a fight. She said she didn't want anyone who couldn't keep her secrets for at least five minutes. Called me a traitor and sent me away, telling me not to come back."

"Oh, my dear," the werewolf whispered sympathetically. If only the Thing hadn't told her, this wouldn't have happened, "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have revealed you, but I couldn't stop myself."

Thing said he wasn't mad at her, he did it because he thought it was the right thing to do.

"But Wednesday is your family."

"And you're my friend."

Enid felt such a burst of love for him that she clutched Thing's calf tightly to her chest. He responded by hooking his fingers into the material of her shirt.

At the same time, her anger at Wednesday boiled over again. In a rush of her own resentment and anger, she pushed away everyone who wished her well. Even her own family. Enid, who had spent her life seeking a bit of affection from her parents and siblings, despised her. Morticia and Gomez were everything a werewolf could ever dream of. And she was jealous! Terribly jealous at the sight of soft gazes, kind gestures, and sweet words. After the last semester, Enid had thought that Wednesday had realized the folly of rejecting everyone and everything, but it seemed that she still chose the path of solitude. Be that as it may, it was none of her business.

She involuntarily pictured Wednesday lying alone on the ground, a bloody mess. What if Enid hadn't decided to run to the rescue, to confront Hyde, and decided that Addams wasn't worth risking her life for? Sickness rolled into her throat, and she forced herself to get rid of that horrible image in her mind.

"You can stay with me if you like. Of course, if you want to go to Pugsley's, that would be fine too. But I expect us to continue our tradition of weekly mani-pedis!

The Thing broke free of her grip, climbed up her arm over her shoulder and poked at her cheek, making Enid giggle at the tickling sensation.

"I will stay with you. I spend a lot of time with Pugsley anyway. By the way, he asked me to tell you that he'd like to hang out with you."

"Great! Then we'll find him today at lunch," Thing tapped out a rhythm with his fingers and agreed to the plan.

Remembering her aspiration, Enid walked over to the table and placed Thing on the small bed she had bought especially for him and dropped into a chair. She grabbed a blank notebook and her favorite pen with purple ink. Deciding to go into detective mode, Enid thought this case would need an appropriate title. The werewolf tapped the pen thoughtfully on her chin, foolishly hoping it would help, but nothing useful came to mind. She didn't feel as energized by this as she had thought she would yesterday. A night of peaceful sleep had relieved her of most of her negative emotions, but her enthusiasm was gone with it.

"What are you doing?" asked Thing, interrupting her brainstorming.

"I, my dear Thing, am thinking about my little detective project," she was silent for a while, then looked at her friend and exclaimed, "and I think you would be a useful partner in my plans."

Thing jumped down from his seat and quickly climbed onto Enid's shoulder to get a better view of the still blank page.

"You see, after the fight, I went to Yoko and we talked about a lot of things," Thing rubbed his fingers together curiously. She wondered how much there was to tell him. Of course, there was no doubting his loyalty and understanding, but it was still decided to keep silent about Wednesday’s confession. It would not do Enid any good to embarrass Addams in front of a member of her own family.

Enid recounted the conversation with Yoko in detail, almost panting at her own pace. Thing was "ooh" and "ahh" in all the right places, which amused the werewolf. It was amazing how one hand could be so emotional.

"That's a pretty... unusual story." Enid hummed in agreement, "And I've heard absolutely nothing about it from Wednesday or the others. You say it happened about two months ago?"

"Yes, after the party."

"Well, as you know, I was with Pugsley at the time, helping him settle into the Academy. I rarely crossed paths with Wednesday."

"I know, I know," Enid muttered disappointedly, the growl erupting from her chest again and her claws threatening to tear the notebook. She quickly pulled herself together and concentrated on her breathing. Still, she shouldn't take it out on her friend when it wasn't his fault. She shouldn't snap at all. Thing, sensing her mood, stroked Enid's arm soothingly, and she smiled gratefully at him.

Sinclair tried to put herself in a positive frame of mind. Remembering Yoko's joke, she chuckled and mentally called the case "Jane Austen." Thing looked at her curiously, but Enid waved away his silent question, saying it was just a silly joke. He didn't risk further questioning, for which she was grateful.

"So, what we have," she gripped her pen more comfortably, preparing to jot down her main thoughts, "is that Ajax was expelled from Nightshades two months ago for some unknown reason. It probably happened at this party... It's too much of a coincidence that he was expelled a few days later," Thing agreed.

"Besides, it was crowded, a large number of drunk teenagers aren't going to check what's going on," he pointed out, "but then we only have Bianca as the witnesses."

"Wednesday too."

"What makes you think that? How could she be involved?"

"Ajax blamed her for everything," Enid muttered, and began to trace the outlines of the written letters with her pen.

"He could have been lying too," Thing revealed uncertainly. Enid felt an irritation, but tried not to show it.

"Why would he lie about her? They didn't cross paths in any way, I tried to keep them away from each other, especially after we broke up," Thing laughed, remembering the horrified look on Enid's face when she was told that Wednesday had sent Ajax to the infirmary.

"See, he already had a motive!"

"No, that would be ridiculous. Ajax didn't hold a grudge against her, he's not that kind of person," they were silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

" You reminded me of a strange incident that happened around that time," Thing revealed, " Wednesday avoided Pugsley the whole time he was here, he had to go looking for her all the time. But one time she came to him herself," Enid listened to her friend with interest, but couldn't help but wonder why Wednesday was avoiding her brother. From the few stories she'd heard about her family, the werewolf realized that the siblings had always been close. Well, that was a question best left for another day, "She asked him about classmates, gossip and so on. I thought it was just anxiety. Wednesday always protected the younger ones from bullying. But then she told him to stay away from some guys (I didn't remember their names), especially Ajax.

"So he wasn't lying here," Enid said, "at least Bianca told Wednesday. Although I'm leaning towards her being directly involved. If we're going to stick with the theory that something happened at the party.... Hmm... Wednesday categorically refused to attend, which isn't surprising, and Bianca..." the werewolf grabbed her phone and took to Instagram. Enid and Barclay had never been close, reluctant to respect each other, but had grown closer, oddly enough; because of the Addams (they were the only ones who could have any influence on the mad girl besides Weems). Enid couldn't remember if Bianca had mentioned that she was going to the party. She checked the postings from two months ago by Divina, Kent, Yoko, and other students, but Bianca wasn't in any of the photos. Such a famous person couldn't help but be in the center of attention, which was why she wasn't there. "There's no confirmation that Bianca was there," Enid handed the phone to Thing to see for himself, "although there's no proof that they were together. But I have a feeling they were."

"Then it begs the question, how did they know Ajax had done anything? And what could he have done that they kicked him out for? Why couldn't they have told us?" Enid was silent for a while and nodded in agreement, thinking about his words.

"Trying to figure out what Wednesday was thinking was like trying to get a werewolf to jump through a burning hoop. Maybe they didn't want to get their hands on Weems and the other people who were involved, that's why the secrecy."

"I think it's more complicated than that," Enid couldn't find anything to argue with. Her intuition also told her that it wasn't that simple. But usually the truth was always on the surface; maybe they were missing something and not seeing the obvious? The rational part of Enid, not interested in conspiracy theories, argued that Bianca didn't like Ajax, had found support in the form of Wednesday, who had a grudge against gorgon, and had simply decided to get rid of him by kicking him out of her circle. It was just the right time.

"I'd say we're trying to make sense where there isn't any," Thing seemed to disagree, but didn't deny it.

Despite her conclusions, she asked the Wolf, hoping that she could confirm that she was right. To her surprise Wolf was quiet and gave no response, which was unthinkable. Ever since the Blood Moon herself, Sinclair had been subjected to unsolicited advice and opinions from her animal self. Apparently, she would have to deal with it on her own. Enid frowned, going over in her head all the encounters with the gorgon. She covered her eyes, remembering the day Ajax had told her of his unjust exile.

***

It was an unseasonably hot fall day. The sun beat down mercilessly, forcing Enid to hide in the pleasant coolness of one of the many common lounges. Not to mention the vampires who had locked themselves in their dorms, keeping their noses out of their safe havens. Enid collapsed on the empty couch and scrolled lazily through TikTok's feed, hoping for some amusement. Yoko was obviously hiding, flatly refusing to spend time with her friend, and the others were... somewhere. She was pretty sure that Kent and Divina were taking advantage of the nice weather and swimming in the lake. Enid wanted to join with Wednesday to take a break from investigating, but the girl hissed at her in a perfect imitation of a vampire, said she "would not turn to ashes before her time," and disappeared into the dark walls of the Academy to the roaring laughter of her roommate. But as soon as the laughter died down, Sinclair reluctantly realized that she was alone, with no one to entertain her. So she sat in one of Nevermore's many communal lounges. Much to her misfortune, Enid was there alone.

After sitting in silence for a while, about to return to her room, Enid heard footsteps heading toward her seat. The smell of weed reached her and made her nose wrinkle. There was no doubt that it was Ajax. He entered the room, glanced around lazily, smiled when he saw her, and hurriedly plopped down on the couch next to her.

"Hey, Jax," Enid said pleasantly. The awkwardness that still lingered between them depressed her. It was so painful to break poor Ajax's heart, but she couldn't help it. Even before her conversion Wolf hadn't liked Ajax, though she couldn't say anything (though the claws that threatened to rip gorgon's face off could say a lot), and after the Blood Moon she had expressed her opinion of him quite eloquently. And Enid, afraid of hurting the boy, had separated from him, crying for at least a few days. This annoyed Wednesday very much. Enid had to curl her up so Addams wouldn't send Ajax to the infirmary again . Anyway, the mourning of the short-lived relationship ended for safety reasons.

“Yo, Enid, whatcha doing?”

"Killing time," the werewolf replied, waving her phone. Ajax nodded, and they were silent for a while. Occasionally, he cast not-so-subtle glances at Enid, trying (it seemed to her) to stay close to the werewolf.

"Killing time, good," he murmured. Enid gave him a misunderstanding look out of the corner of her eye. Ajax seemed to be troubled by something. He slumped his shoulders and then straightened up, which was unlike his normally relaxed demeanor.

Enid felt a wave of sadness for him; she hoped she wasn't the cause of his upset. Ajax moved his leg nervously and wrung his hands, and as much as she wanted to reassure him, she decided not to stop him from collecting his thoughts and letting him tell his own story. Finally, after a few minutes of tense silence, he blurted out:

"Have you spoken to Bianca lately?" Enid was surprised by the question.

"No, not lately... Why?"

"And the others?"

"You're scaring me," Enid giggled, Ajax replied with a weak chuckle that didn't reassure her, "I talked to Yoko a few hours ago, Divina and Kent yesterday. Ajax, what's wrong?" she asked quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I... damn..." Ajax quickly adjusted his hat and rubbed his cheeks with his palms. Nervousness radiated from him in waves. He looked at Enid again and she smiled at him encouragingly. "I got kicked out of Nightshades," he mumbled lazily.

"What?" exclaimed Enid. Ajax just nodded with a wry grin. All the fight seemed to leave his body and he leaned back against the back of the couch. "Wait, how did you get kicked out? You kinda inherited a spot there, didn't you?"

"Uh-huh."

Enid waited for gorgon to continue, but much to her annoyance, he fell silent and sank into his thoughts. She fought back the resentment she felt and scolded herself for being insensitive to her friend.

"How can I help?"

"I don't think you can," Enid pressed her lips together, her shoulders slumping in frustration. Ajax noticed and patted her back, smiling slightly, appreciating his friend's willingness to help him.

"I still don't understand what happened."

"Well," Ajax said with a heavy sigh, "it's complicated. I don't know where to start."

"From the beginning?"

"I just don't know where the beginning is. One moment everything is fine and the next... I don't want to burden you with my shit."

"Don't be like that," Enid said in a playful tone, "I'm always happy to hear you out."

"I know. And I really appreciate it, ‘Nid," his mood improved. Not a shadow of his former scowl remained on his face, a broad smile lit up his face and his eyes glowed with joy, and Enid remembered what had made her fall in love with gorgon.

"Remember when I was in the infirmary for a week?"

“Yeah,” Enid wrinkled her nose, remembering how long it took her to apologize to the boy for her roommate's behavior. Thank the moon, Ajax was very understanding and didn't even hold a grudge against Wednesday, appreciating her loyalty to Enid.

"I think Wednesday," Ajax stammered, glancing quickly at Sinclair, "still hates me."

"What? No! Well, she... she doesn't like you much, but she doesn't like a lot of people. It's Wednesday Addams."

"I'm pretty sure she curses me in every language."

"She has a lot of speaking practice.

"Every time she sees me, she starts sharpening her knife."

"Wednesday is jealous of her things."

"Enid, she was reading a report on snake dissection and she was looking at me! I woke up the next morning with a bunch of dead snakes on my bed!"

"Well, ahem... I don'- God, really?" Enid covered her face with her hands, feeling a blush of shame spill over her skin. She was going to have to give Wednesday another long lecture (read "scream") about appropriate behavior.

"Hell, yeah. But it's not that scary," Ajax was silent for a moment, "forget it, it kind of freaked me out, you know, it's just not that big a deal."

"I apologize for her again," Enid groaned pleadingly. "But I'm not really sure what that has to do with your exclusion."

"Yeah, I was getting there. Just... listen to me, okay?" the girl nodded approvingly, encouraging him to continue. "I think Addams is the reason I got kicked out."

Enid's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why? She's not even a member of Belladonna."

"You see, she and Bianca are close. I think she somehow got Bianca to..."

An incredulous chuckle erupted from Sinclair, silencing Ajax. He frowned, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at the girl resentfully.

"See? Even you don't believe me."

"I'm really, really sorry, Ajax," she said calmly, "I just don't see the point. Wednesday wouldn't do this. No offense, but she's never cared about your society, let alone the members individually," unless it was personal , Enid added to herself.

His theory was on the level of conspiracy. Wednesday was vengeful, vindictive and cruel, but she could never be called petty. And she certainly wouldn't have convinced Bianca to kick Ajax out of a company she didn't even like.

"I know how it all sounds. It's just... she seemed really smug after that. And was clearly watching my reaction. I know she doesn't like me," Ajax said dejectedly, "but not that much.

"I still think there was a very big misunderstanding," Enid replied firmly. "Were you told why you were kicked out?" the boy's face crumpled, and she felt uncomfortable broaching a painful subject.

"Fuck if I know," Ajax snorted unhappily, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought we were friends! Who does this to friends?" there was real anger and resentment in his voice. Enid silently agreed that it was extremely unpleasant. There was still a great deal of doubt in her mind that Wednesday would have gone to such trouble. Enid could proudly call herself an expert and Addams' best friend and couldn't imagine that the proud Seer would stoop to such a thing.

"Would you like me to talk to Bianca and Wednesday? They'd listen to me, we could fix everything."

"No!" Ajax blurted out quickly, surprising the girl, and repeated more calmly, "No. I don't want you involved in this. I also don't want you to fight with your friends. I've made my peace with that. You know, maybe it's for the best."

"Okay," Enid admitted uncertainty. She would like to work it out, but if Ajax didn't want it himself, then Sinclair should respect that.

"You know, it's just nice to talk about it, the others-well, they don't really want to spend time with me," an ironic chuckle broke out. "Please, can we just keep this between us? I'm... I'm still hurting over this situation, but I know I can open my soul to you."

His face brightened again and he turned his body towards Enid and opened his arms, inviting her into a hug. Enid smiled in relief and snuggled comfortably against him, ignoring the disgruntled growl of the Wolf that resisted their proximity.

"Ooh, Jax. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Ajax finally relaxed in her arms and snuggled even tighter against her.

***

Enid leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. She snorted, realizing that her 'investigation' was quickly beginning to frustrate her. The more she tried to make sense of it, the less she saw the point of her attempts, even though not much time had passed. Forcing herself to pull herself together, Enid patted her cheeks and stared down at her notes, gripping her pen tightly. Her only personal clues were Ajax and Pugsley. She jotted down a reminder in the margin that she should meet with gorgon soon, they hadn't talked in a while and she felt guilty, but she suppressed it, justifying it with a lot of busyness. Pugsley shouldn't be a problem either. Unlike his sister, he was an open and sweet boy who was always willing to help, even if the younger Addams didn't know anything about it.

"I think we can close the Ajax case for now," Enid concluded, handing the notes to Thing. He quickly took them and started to read them himself.

While he read, Sinclair decided to stretch her stiff body by walking around the room. The dark side of the dorm was depressing her. She doubted that Wednesday would return, so she had the opportunity to decorate an entire room to her liking, to bring the window back to its full color. Enid mentally arranged the furniture, the posters, the toys, the garlands, but somehow it all seemed wrong. As if the other side wouldn't allow itself to be colored, but would immediately suck the life out of any object that fell outside the invisible line. Maybe she was the one who didn't want to fill the other side with color. Frowning, Enid turned her back to the darkness, not wanting to think about it any longer.

Her gaze dropped automatically to a small cork board with numerous pictures pinned to it. The werewolf walked over to the board and examined it carefully. The happy faces of her friends stared back at her, and it calmed her soul. She brought her hand up to several pictures that showed their full company. Enid looked melancholically at Yoko and Bianca huddled together. The vampire was smiling broadly, flashing her white fangs, and the siren looked annoyed, glancing frustrated at Tanaka, but the corners of her lips were slightly upturned. It was a beautiful picture. Enid knew exactly which copy was on Yoko's desk.

"How is she?" Thing asked kindly, interrupting Enid's thoughts. The question brought a bittersweet smile to the girl's face, which always appeared when someone spoke of a vampire.

"She's better," she replied shortly.

Thing shared his hope that Yoko would soon be completely cured of this pain. Enid nodded in agreement. They fell into a comfortable silence for a while. She was still standing at the board, remembering her happiest moments. Enid looked at some pictures and pressed her lips together. The first one was of Wednesday and her at her first Poe Cup. Enid was frozen in a moment of triumph with a crazy grin, her hands digging into Addams' shoulders, grinning wickedly at someone behind the camera. The second picture was more recent, taken about two or three months ago. The girls were sitting together on one of the Academy's staircases, Enid pressing her cheek against the firm shoulder of Wednesday, who was sitting up straight as a shofar, her eyes fixed on the camera. She remembered how long she had tried to argue Addams into taking the picture, and how she had finally gotten her way.

Enid looked away from the board; she could no longer see herself happy around it. Was she overreacting? Perhaps. But she felt justified. At the same time, Enid felt the resentment poisoning her, she didn't like it at all. Even though the wolf seemed to enjoy it, snarling contentedly.

Still, the images unnerved her, pressured her and seemed to burn through her. Enid thought that despite everything Wednesday had done, they'd been through enough together for the werewolf to remember her fondly. But it didn't work. It was amazing how a few horrible acts could override all the good things Addams had done.

Enid turned around abruptly to the damned board and fixed her eyes on Addams' face. With a quick flick of her hand, she removed the photographs, walked over to the desk and tossed them into a drawer.

"Tell me everything you heard," Enid blurted out, startling her friend, who mumbled an apology. He tapped out an uncomplicated rhythm and walked over to the colorful bed and quickly climbed up the iron frame. Thing motioned her to the seat next to him, and Enid obeyed, collapsing beside him.

"I was on my way back here, it was lunchtime and there were no people, so I decided to take a shortcut through the hallways. Halfway through, I heard sobs and muffled voices coming from an empty classroom. The door was ajar, and I slipped in quietly. Imagine my surprise when I saw Bianca crying.

"Well, yes," Enid wrinkled her nose, "quite unusual.

"Wednesday stood close to her and patted her awkwardly for comfort, I think?" well, some things never change, Wednesday still just as sucks at supporting others, Enid noted. "They were talking very quietly, I couldn't make out much. But one thing I heard clearly was Bianca thanking her for her intervention and advice. You know that part," she nodded in agreement. There was a sense of understatement in her friend's tone, and Enid nudged him lightly with her hand, encouraging him to continue.

"Wednesday replied that Yoko wasn't worth wasting energy or tears on."

Enid's eyes flashed an unfamiliar yellow and a loud growl escaped her throat. She dug her hands into the bed's mattress and heard the material cracking, but she ignored it. The howling in her head grew louder. She could feel the wool running down her arms. Enid closed her eyes. No, anger wouldn't change anything; it would only make things worse. She had to be rational, not give in to animal impulses! But the urge to rip it out, to rip out the bitch's tongue, overwhelmed her. All remaining warm feelings, all compassion, were locked up so deep in her heart at this very moment that she should have been surprised by such intense disgust. How could she, how dare she! growled the beast in her head, The packmate is hurt, we can't let this go unpunished! Enid felt the metallic taste in her mouth again. In her mind she was disgusted with herself, but the twisted part of her enjoyed blood, even if it was her own.

"I'm with you, Enid," Thing gripped her palm tightly, digging his nails into the rough skin. The sting wasn't strong, almost unnoticed, but it helped ground her.

Enid forced herself to focus, visualizing again how the wolf was slowly transforming into a human. Her body shrinking, her bones breaking and rebuilding, her fur falling off, howls and growls turning into stifled moans and whimpers. Memories of a frail human body shivering in cold and pain on the forest floor were strangely comforting. She missed the days when her biggest problem had been her inability to wolf out. Now it was as if her life was a constant battle with herself, a battle with the beast for humanity. The family pack blamed Enid for denying her nature. She had tried, really tried, to accept the Wolf, but the bloody cruelty only disgusted her.

"Sorry, I'm still not controlling myself very well."

"Don't be, you're doing great, Cousin Worm wolf out every time people sneeze around him. He works at the hospital," she chuckled softly. Thing always had a way of cheering her up.

Sensing that Enid was not yet fully calmed, the Thing began to tell her various stories about his life and the Addams family. She enjoyed hearing about Fester's misadventures, though she could have done without the gory details. He cheerfully recounted another bank robbery in Washington followed by another of Fester's arrests. Thing taking offense at the insults to his burglary skills had left his accomplice to the cops and successfully escaped. Enid, accustomed to the Addamses antics and their strange relationship, laughed merrily.

"No prison could hold Fester for long!" he proclaimed smugly. Only Addams could be proud of something like that. "In fact, Gomez and I often place bets on how soon Fester can get out."

"And how many times have you won the bet?"

"Well, neither I have nor neither has Gomez," Enid raised her eyebrows in surprise and tilted her head to the side.

"How is that so?"

" Morticia's fault! She guesses every time, can you imagine? Damn seers..." The Thing showed displeasure all over his body, sending her into another fit of laughter.

Enid glanced at the wall clock and marveled at the fact that it had been hours since her collapse. She hadn't even noticed that she had lost all of her wolf features, though it was usually accompanied by an unpleasant sensation. The girl smiled weakly and thanked Moon again for her good friend. Unfortunately, even after several full moons as a complete werewolf, she often felt physically drained after her semi-wolfing out.

"You should get some sleep," Thing said. Enid started to flinch and tried to look more awake, but Thing quickly suppressed her resistance by slapping her arm. "Don't worry, I'll wake you up for lunch."

She fought it for a while longer, though she felt a yawn coming on. Thing threatened to force a sleeping pill into her if she didn't go willingly. Enid giggled at the cute threat and finally listened. She slipped under the covers, quickly found a comfortable position and closed her eyes. Sleep immediately took her into its embrace without any additional effort.

***

Thing woke her, as promised, thirty minutes before dinner. Enid reluctantly got out of bed and went to wash her face. Her eyes still looked puffy, but she hoped no one would notice, at least she could blame it on lack of sleep. She didn't feel like putting on makeup again, so Enid decided to leave it as it was.

When she came out of the bathroom, she noticed Thing sitting on the pile of clothes he had picked out for her. His choice was her favorite blue sweatshirt with the cute little wolf on the back. It showed signs of wear and had patched holes in places. She grinned at the memory of how her mother had been ready to destroy that "rag," but Elliot had managed to save the sweatshirt. The white pants were an ordinary but extremely comfortable pair that she usually only wore on weekends.

Enid thanked her friend and quickly changed her clothes, which made her feel even better. Thing jumped on her shoulder and after checking that she hadn't forgotten anything, they headed for the Quad. The hallway was filled with students walking slowly to lunch. She deftly maneuvered between the bodies, saying hello to numerous familiar faces along the way. Thing unaccustomed to such attention crept into the hood of his sweatshirt and hid. Enid was a little jealous of his ability to remain invisible.

The Quad was a cacophony of voices and flatware sounds, echoing in her head. She shook her head, trying to focus on the familiar voices, her eyes searching for her friends. Her gaze fell on Yoko's actively waving arms, apparently trying to explain something to Divina, who just laughed and rolled her eyes at the vampire's antics. At the table with them were Kent and Xavier. Enid wrinkled her nose slightly, her relationship with Thorpe was rather strained, and they had silently agreed to ignore each other's existence. She made her way to the food tables, feeling her stomach threatening to digest itself, and piled everything she could get her hands on that looked particularly appetizing onto a tray. When she was sure there was enough, she walked briskly towards the boys. As she approached, Enid could hear parts of their conversation.

"I'm just saying Mr. Smith is very suspicious," Yoko exclaimed, Divina sighed tiredly and rubbed the bridge of her nose, but decided not to comment on the statement.

"Dude, give the guy a break, he's what, 70 years old?" replied Kent. He was the first to notice Enid approaching and gestured for her to sit next to him, which she happily did.

"What's the conversation about?"

"Oh shit, here we go again..."

"Enid!" Yoko shouted happily, which made those sitting start and the others stare at her, but Divina gave them a threatening look and they lost interest. "You're my best friend," it wasn't a question, but Enid narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Let's assume so."

"Then you must agree that Mr. Smith is clearly not who he claims to be!" Enid habitually went over in her mind the information she had about the hapless, outcast history teacher.

"Yoks, I'm all for conspiracy theories, but I'm afraid Mr. Smith is just a regular old man," Divina looked at her appreciatively, which amused Sinclair, but Yoko just let out a sigh that was a combination of disappointment, betrayal, and condescension.

"That's the point! Too ordinary an old man, I tell you. Thornhill was a nice lady too, and what's the result? Smith's obviously hiding something; I've seen him sneaking into the kitchen at night... By the way, didn't you see him drinking out of a flask all the time? No normal person would drink from a flask."

"Oh my God, you've been watching Harry Potter again," Xavier and Kent groaned in unison, earning them grapes on the forehead from Enid's plate. Enid hissed at her friend, jealousy clutching the tray of food closer to her. The boys were about to throw something back at the vampire, but Divina quickly stifled that by slapping them. They screamed in pain, rubbing their sore heads and muttering something about "constant abuse".

"Shut the fuck up, it's a masterpiece of cinema!"

"Yoko, you're only watching this because of Emma Watson," Xavier said. Yoko's mouth opened; obviously ready to say something sarcastic in response, but Enid decided she didn't have the energy to listen to another argument, so she hurried to interrupt her friend.

"'First of all, I'm a million percent sure he just wanted a snack," Enid objected, bending a finger, "secondly, he's a teacher at a fucking school, a school for teenage outcasts , of course he's going to drink crap!" the others laughed in agreement, while Yoko crossed her arms over her chest and sulked.

"The guy is just trying to relax," Kent shrugged, "I don't blame him. Have you noticed Weems' eye twitching all the time? Hell, poor woman."

While the others discussed the principal and her nerves, Enid watched the quad. Addams never showed up, not that that was unusual. Bianca wasn't there either, but she'd been keeping her distance from her group for a long time. Enid didn't notice Pugsley, most likely, she decided, he was having lunch by the lake where he often fished. The boy still shunned large groups of people and avoided them at every opportunity. Thing had once told her of his fears, worried that Pugsley wouldn't be able to make friends. Unlike Wednesday, who shunned people out of disgust and hatred and approached them directly when necessary, he was afraid of people and worried that he would be the victim of bullying again. Of course, neither Enid nor Wednesday would let that happen. Although the werewolf was in favor of a... softer approach. She would make sure that Pugsley would find some loyal friends, not without the help of gentle persuasion, of course. She had often seen the younger Addams hanging out with the psychic boy and the siren girl from his class, and they seemed quite happy together, which couldn't help but make her happy. Enid remembered how encouraged she had been when Wednesday had confided in her about the matter (barely) and hadn't even checked on them personally. It was Sinclair's moment of triumph in every way.

Yoko poked Enid in the shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked you what you're doing for the holidays."

"I don't have any concrete plans," Enid began, remembering her last conversation with her brother and parents, "but Elliot and Emily wanted to take me on a little trip! Well, it depends on his job, but they promised to take me somewhere anyway."

"That's cool, wolfie," Divina smiled broadly and Yoko nodded in agreement, knowing full well that Enid always hated going home for the holidays, but a trip with her beloved brother was another matter.

"Yeah, Mom's not happy, doesn't want me to miss the full moon with the pack," Enid rolled her eyes and snorted, "Evan always stays on campus for the whole winter break, but she's never complained about it. Let's not talk about it," the others nodded, Sinclair felt the tension she hadn't noticed release, "who else has plans?"

"I'm staying," Yoko said. Enid was a little surprised, the vampire always came home for the holidays, her father always insisted on it. Yuji Tanaka was a very caring father who suffered from being separated from his only child. Enid sometimes envied their bond, she had none of that with Murray. "There's some kind of conflict going on between the vampire clans right now, my father doesn't think it's safe for me to return to Japan just yet."

I'm sorry, Yoks."

"Nah, it's okay," Yoko waved her off, you couldn't tell from her face if she was upset. It might be worth talking to her later. "What about you guys?" she nodded to Divina and Kent.

"Holidays are still, what, two months away?" He frowned, as if wondering how much time was really left, "Like two months!"

"A month and a half, dude," Xavier muttered, but Kent ignored him.

"Guys, why are we thinking about this now?"

"Because," Divina rolled her eyes at her brother, "some people are more responsible than you. Dad wanted to go skiing, so we're going to some ski resort."

"Shit, again? Last time we all ended up in the hospital!"

"What, what's wrong?" asked Xavier interestedly. Divina covered her face with her hands and muttered to herself.

"Every few years, Dad decides that he was definitely born to be a great athlete, but he just didn't get a chance to prove himself."

"So?.."

"Long story short, he wasn't born a great athlete," Kent blurted out anxiously, reaching for his phone. He searched for something on the phone for a while and then handed it to Yoko, who had Enid pressed against her.

A chuckle erupted from the girls. Enid could barely contain her laughter at the picture of the unlucky family. The photo had obviously been taken a long time ago; the twins looked about four years younger. Mr. Daren looked the most crippled of the family, appearing to be made entirely of plaster, with only his face uncovered. He wrinkled his nose and looked away from his wife, who was yelling at him. Mrs. Daren herself stood beside her husband's bed with a broken arm. Divina sat next to her with a broken leg and abrasions on her face, staring at Kent, who was taking the picture. Kent himself was wearing a neck brace. Yoko handed the phone to Xavier, who decided not to hold back his laughter.

"Dude, what have you been doing? You look like you've been thrown off a cliff." Divina and Kent gave the artist a sour look, but he didn't look embarrassed.

"Dad's latest attempt at snowboarding."

They roared with laughter. The other students looked at them curiously, but soon went back to their own business.

"You, huh, weren't far from the truth," Yoko gasped with laughter.

"Div, if you don't survive the holidays, can I pick up your vinyl with Taylor?"

"Oh, Kent, then I'll take your Playstation."

"Shut up, you fools," muttered Divina unhappily, "we're not going to die. Well, I'm certainly not! Let Kent take it from here, I'll lock myself and my mom in the spa."

"The fuck, why me again?"

"Because you're the one who gave Dad the idea! Remember how you wanted to watch the ski races that night?" Kent sat there with the face of a victim, having already realized his mistake. "He started looking for a suitable ski resort that very day!"

"Damn it," the boy hissed and began to pound his forehead on the table. Xavier grinned and stopped his friend, saving him from a concussion.

"Well, you know I only go home in the summer," Xavier muttered, the others nodded in agreement, "so I'm staying again."

Enid felt Thing stirring in her hood and tapping on her back. She looked at the time on her phone, there wasn't much time left until the end of lunch and she decided to go look for Pugsley.

Enid quickly said goodbye to her friends, who were still discussing holiday plans, and walked towards the lake. Indeed, the closer she got, the stronger was the distinctive smell of wilted flowers and powder that characterized the younger Addams. The boy was sitting on a small dock, occasionally throwing something into the water.

Boom!

Enid's eyes widened and she quickly glanced around the room hoping that she was the only witness to Pugsley's "fishing". The girl breathed a sigh of relief and hurried over to him. Although she was fascinated by the quirks of the Addams family, some things annoyed her. Grenades, for example.

"Pugsley!" she shouted. Addams jumped slightly and turned around, and when he saw Enid, he smiled a wide, crazy smile. He had another grenade in his hand and waved it vigorously, beckoning the werewolf over.

"Hey, Enid!" Thing peered out of its hood and jumped at the boy. "Hello to you too, buddy!" The Thing greeted him with equal enthusiasm.

"Damn it, Pugsley, how have you not been caught yet?" she snatched the grenade from his hands. The boy shrugged nonchalantly and pulled another from behind his sinus.

"Uncle Fester taught us well about hiding from the scene of a crime, though I'm not as good as Wednesday," he pulled the pin and threw the projectile into the water faster than Enid could stop him. Sinclair squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of the explosion.

Boom!

Dead fish floated to the surface, Pugsley shrieked gleefully and punched the air with his fist.

"That's it, you've had enough," Enid blurted out, grabbing all the remaining grenades. She doubted she'd taken them all, because Pugsley was sure to be hiding some in the folds of his clothes. Thank the Moon, he nodded obediently and calmed down.

As the youngest in the family, Enid had never understood what it meant to take care of the youngest. Not that she had been cared for much as a child. Sure, she took care of her friends and pack, but it wasn't the same. Even in Nevermore, she was a "child" among her friends, especially to Yoko. Her relationship with Pugsley was a new experience for her. It was strangely exciting to realize that he was like a younger brother to Enid. He was easy to care for, the boy was insanely affectionate and tactile, and the werewolf was happy to share the support and love she provided. It was almost funny how different Pugsley was from Wednesday. Where she had sharp edges and hatred, he was all softness (which was certainly not a sign of weakness, despite what some personalities thought) and tenderness. Enid saw him as a reflection of herself, and feared that Wednesday’s cruelty was not good for him, even if she had no intention of harming him. But Pugsley looked at his sister with stars in his eyes. Just as Enid had looked at her mother as a child. She shook her head and pushed those thoughts away. Pugsley was fine, Gomez and Morticia were extremely loving parents, she had nothing to worry about.

"Why aren't you with your friends?"

"Ah, Daphne has a run and Derrick is out."

"What do you mean?" asked Enid, confused.

"Well, we had movie night. This time it was my turn to pick, so I chose my favorite horror movies. To make a long story short, Daphne was... not thrilled and clung to us as her last hope. We decided to play a prank on her," Pugsley scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, his hair standing on end.

"Oh, no," Sinclair groaned. Out of the corner of her ear, she'd overheard the Quad discussing how an angry Daphne had been running around campus, spitting venom at anyone who got in her way. Well, now the rumor made sense. Enid filed the information away, it would make a pretty hilarious post for her blog.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Pugsley. "Derrick dressed up as Jason, you know, from Friday the 13th, and I dribbled paint." Enid wrinkled her nose, remembering that horrible night and the even more horrible feeling of paint on her skin. "Yeah, I agree, the paint is just awful," the boy nodded, pursing his lips, "but I couldn't find any pig's blood on such short notice!"

"Yes, a problem indeed," the werewolf stretched with disbelief in her voice, but Addams paid no attention to her tone.

"Anyway, even the dead heard them. Especially Derrick. Amazing creatures, sirens," the boy concluded respectfully, "I want to knock people out with a scream too!" Enid didn't know what to say. She was shocked and impressed at the same time.

"Jeez, is he okay?"

"Yeah; you know, it's been tough running with all that weight, but it's a great workout!" the werewolf grinned, imagining the scene. Derrick was huge, three heads taller than Pugsley. It was a wonder he was able to get away from the furious siren.

"Tell me, if your friend was knocked out by a siren's scream, why aren't you?" asked Enid, vaguely guessing what he would answer. Pugsley brightened and flashed another crazy smile, as if just waiting for her to ask.

"I'm Addams!" Enid groaned, she'd heard it a hundred times before.

"Okay, I should be used to that. But I wasn't looking for you for biology class, Addams," the boy hummed questioningly, taking a pebble from his pocket and throwing it into the water. Thing who had been silent the whole time perked up.

"We should spend some time together," Thing revealed, and Enid nodded in agreement.

"I know we have a busy schedule right now," Pugsley said unsurely, running a palm through his hair. This month promised to be the hardest yet. Before the long-awaited vacation, the teachers had decided to give numerous tests and exams. Enid, who was always procrastinating, thought with trepidation about the amount of work that lay ahead of her. Even Yoko, who doesn't care about her studies, began to worry, "But maybe we can meet next weekend? Thing and I have a mani-pedi on Saturday."

"I definitely can't next week," Pugsley said regretfully, "I promised the guys we'd do weekend sessions. Daphne will rip my head off if I run away again!" Enid hummed and patted him on the head.

"Atta girl, Addams is hard to control," Thing agreed.

"Look, I have my last exam on the 6th of December, and you have yours on the 8th if I remember correctly," Pugsley and Thing looked slightly surprised at her information, "after that we'll be free as birds, we'll meet that evening!" Enid grinned and clapped her hands.

"Deal," Addams smiled, grabbed the werewolf's hand and shook it with all his might, making her grimace.

Enid was just about to ask Pugsley what he was doing today when her instincts kicked in. She heard someone's loud heartbeat and heavy running. Apparently, Pugsley heard it too (Sinclair could never find a normal explanation for it) and his whole body was ready to break free.

"Addams!" came a shout that made Enid's sensitive ears ache. She turned to see Daphne approaching them fast. Serena was upset, to say the least. Her entire face was red with rage, her hair twisted like a gorgon's snake, and her eyes blazed with a lust for revenge.

"Oh, bye, Enid!" muttered Addams. Before Enid could answer, Pugsley dove into the lake and swam rapidly away from the shore. The werewolf shrieked at the horrible sensation of the cold water splashing over her.

Daphne ran to where Pugsley had just been. She was bent over and breathing heavily from her run.

"Are you all right?" asked Enid in surprise.

"What… a bastard, ah... ran away again," Siren gasped. She straightened up, clasped her hand to her chest, and looked out over the lake. The surface of the water showed a small disturbance where Pugsley had apparently been swimming. Enid was concerned that he still hadn't surfaced to take a breath of air.

Turning her attention back to the Siren, Enid noticed that she had an alarmingly satisfied smile on her face. She had often seen a similar expression on Bianca's face when Barclay was confident of victory.

"Idiot," Daphne muttered, more to herself than anyone else, "you can't beat me in my own element!" with that the girl jumped into the lake with far more grace than Pugsley and quickly began to close the gap between them.

Finally, Addams' head emerged from the water and he looked around nervously, gulping for air. His eyes widened comically as he realized how fast the retaliation was coming to him. Pugsley swam even faster. Of course, it wasn't enough. Soon there was a familiar scream and an even louder cry of victory. Enid laughed and clasped her hands to her stomach.

Chapter Text

The last carefree weekend is over, replaced by a frantic cramming of everything. Instead of the usual monotonous whispering (more reminiscent of boring preachers than excited teenagers) of terms, formulas, and phrases, the corridors of the Academy were filled with the sound of nervous anticipation. Joy and anticipation were replaced by nervous expectation of the inevitable.

Enid had never been known for her patience, let alone her persistence. It wasn't in the wolf's nature, she asserted firmly when Divina once again poked her head into the book to the low chuckle of Yoko, who suffered the same fate a moment later. Kent was surprisingly the most diligent student (not counting his sister, who had taken it upon herself to be the tutor among them), occasionally pointing out errors in Xavier's work, getting more annoyed by the second. All in all, it was a rather idyllic picture that reigned in Nightshade's library.

Their work was interrupted by the vibrating of Divina's phone, and she hurried away from her friends, apologizing. When the siren's footsteps faded, the boys immediately dropped their studies and collapsed into their chairs with a groan.

"I don't understand," Enid whispered, kneading her stiff neck and shoulders and crinkling at the unpleasant crunch, "why I have to teach anatomy to all the outcasts!" Xavier and Kent hummed in agreement with her. "Well, yes, all knowledge is important and all, but why do I have to know," she glanced at an open page in her book, "the characteristics of the Zu-Te hair? They've been dead for thousands of years, for god's sake."

"Well," Yoko began in an arrogant voice, "it's not like I'm complaining about having to pass werewolf history."

"Girl, you've been whining about it all week," Enid parried, Yoko huffing and rolling her eyes, not giving her the dignity of a response.

When they heard Divina's stomping, they fell silent and turned their noses back to their notes. Their study sessions were the only way they could spend time together now. Their schedules were too different, especially Yoko's, most of whose classes started in the evening and could end late at night.

"Nid," Enid felt a stab in her leg and looked up. Kent was holding the crumpled sheets out to her. "Would you take a look at my essay?"

"Sure," Kent smiled at her gratefully, and she returned the smile. To her surprise, she and Kent had become quite close, taking most of their classes together. They were both interested in psychology and wanted to study it in college after high school, though Kent wanted to be a child psychologist and Enid was drawn to werewolf psychology.

Kent's essay on the effects of the lunar cycle on the behavior of normie’s wasn't bad. He'd obviously done a lot of research for the paper, but his writing style veered from scientific to conversational, which made Enid cringe unhappily. She highlighted all the mistakes she found and wrote down little tips on how to improve the text on a separate sheet of paper. After a quick glance at what she had written, she was satisfied and returned the revised essay to Kent. He thanked her and immediately began scribbling on a blank piece of paper.

With a weary sigh, Enid returned to her discarded anatomy notes and spread them out in front of her. Her notes had never been neat; there was no consistency to them. She pressed her lips together as she picked up a thick black notebook, slightly worn from frequent use. Enid remembered when Wednesday had given her the notebook, filled with detailed diagrams, realistic drawings, and horribly graphic descriptions of various outcasts. At the time, she said she just wanted Enid to "shut up and stop crying," but Sinclair ignored the rude comment, clutching the notebook to her chest like a treasure. She continued to cry anyway, but out of happiness and gratitude.

She knew Wednesday was watching her, felt her stare on the back of her neck, but just as Enid felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and turned around, Addams was already walking in the opposite direction. Wednesday seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Her presence was felt in every corner of Nevermore and Jericho, but she kept her distance. Thank God for small mercies . She had enough problems; she didn't want to deal with this one.

Enid was struggling with herself and her feelings. Being the kind person she was, she had a hard time accepting the anger that still lingered after so many days. Even when the pack hurt her, she chose to let it go and move on. It was the same with Wednesday, or it should have been. She was still in pain, and that feeling allowed Enid to ignore the warm feelings that remained inside her. Maybe she could forgive her, like she had after the Gates mansion, but the vision of Yoko wiping bloody tears from her pale cheeks and the lost look on Ajax's face as Kent and Xavier walked past him was before her eyes, and thoughts of forgiveness disappeared. Her therapist would say it was worth letting things go and not poisoning herself. A large part of Enid didn't want to let go, to taste the perverse pleasure of anger. She blamed the wolf.

Anger was her fuel. The full moon was approaching (as a blood moon wolf, she felt its approach more intensely), and while before Enid had felt stiffness and painful cramps, now it was as if her body was feeding on the negative emotions and felt no pain. The wolf in her head raged madly, demanding blood, and to spare herself a loud, angry howl, she ran into the woods to hunt. Once her bloodlust was satisfied, Enid, having regained full control, would sit under a tree for hours, drowning in disgust at the poor animals' blood that covered her heated body. She felt disgusting, she was disgusting. The wolf had told her that Enid was "more than this, because she's more than this"...whatever that even meant. She was terrible at cheering her up.

She shook her head, clearing her mind of any unnecessary thoughts. Concentration was at an all-time low, Enid hadn't completed any of the tasks she'd set for the school day. She ran her palms through her hair, squeezing it.

"Babe," Enid felt a slight sideways nudge from Yoko. The vampire looked slightly concerned, and the werewolf rushed to reassure her with a weak smile, but it probably wouldn't work. Yoko knows her only too well. "You're tired."

Enid had already opened her mouth to object, but her friend stopped her with a careless gesture. Sinclair slumped her shoulders and felt the remnants of resistance leave her body. Yoko smiled affectionately at her, took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Don't deny it, I know you like the back of my hand," Enid just rolled her eyes.

"It’s okay, Yoks. It's just... a lot of work. And thoughts."

"I see."

She was about to add something else, but they were interrupted by the sound of Enid's phone alarm. Enid took a quick look at Divina, but she didn't notice anything as she told Xavier and Kent off. Yoko put a hand on her shoulder and urged her to get up.

"Go get some air," Enid nodded gratefully to her friend and headed for the library exit.

Stepping out into the fresh air, she took a deep breath, enjoying being out of the musty room where the smell of dusty books was almost suffocating. After standing still for a few more minutes, Enid unlocked her phone and smiled when she noticed that it was Ajax texting her.

Snakes

hey nid

wanna hang out

this saturday

new coffee shop opened up

She smiled, holding the phone close to her chest, and thought about it. Of course she wanted to spend time with the gorgon, they were still close (not to mention Enid wanted to ask him more about Nightshades). Enid hoped Ajax didn't expect them to get back together. It was unlikely their relationship would survive something like that again. Perhaps he just wanted to spend time with her and talk without any romantic intentions.

Wolfie

sounds fun

im in

Snakes

gr8

meet me in quad at 10

Wolfie

sure

Snakes

can't wait:)

Enid closed the app, and headed back to Nightshades’ library with a deep sigh. Once downstairs, she noted that the guys still remained in their seats, but apparently Divina had called a break because everyone had collapsed in their seats practically lying down. Even Divina looked tired, and she felt bad that the siren had to handle their whole group on top of her training. Maybe after all this round of exams they could have a girls' night out.

She plopped down in her seat, and Yoko immediately moved her chair closer to her. Enid decided to act like she hadn't noticed it and stared at her notes, not understanding what was written. The vampire didn't like being ignored. He pinched her friend's side, and she jumped up. Enid looked angrily at Yoko, but Yoko just giggled.

"Come on, you look much more cheerful. Spill it."

"Ajax suggested we go to a new coffee shop this weekend," Enid said, rolling her eyes. Yoko's eyebrows went up, and she showed her very white fangs.

"I thought you said you and Ajax weren't right for each other," Xavier said, looking at them strangely. He had been playing a game on his phone. Enid could feel the color spreading down her neck. She punched her in the shoulder, telling her to be quiet. "Damn it, more violence," Yoko said annoyed, making Enid smirk.

"We're not together. We're not going to be together. You know that."

"Then why are you going on a date with him?"

"It's not a date!" Enid looked around again, hoping the others weren't listening to their conversation. "We're friends," she said.

"No, honey, he's totally flirting with you."

"Wow, not everyone is flirty like you," Yoko playfully raised her eyebrows at that, winking at her friend. "I think I'm his closest friend right now." It's only fair that he wants to spend more time with me."

Yoko mumbled, thinking about it, but didn't say anything more. She didn't like that Ajax was spending more time with Enid. Yoko was always honest about how she felt about the gorgon. When he was in Nightshades, their relationship was quite normal. However, after the exile... Enid thought it had to do with Bianca's attitude towards Ajax. She thought that Yoko trusted the siren too much, but she hadn't said anything about it. Sinclair didn't want to fight with her best friend.

"What about Wednesday?" This question made Enid tense up again. Why she even asked about her, she thought irritably.

"What about her?"

"Enid," Yoko said gently. Enid hated that condescending tone. "It's okay to miss her."

"It's not! I don't miss her at all," she responded with a hint of annoyance. "Just so you know, we haven't talked since that day."

"What's it like living alone again?" Yoko suddenly asked, making Enid blink at the abrupt change of subject.

"It's... good. Not used to it. Now I can sleep at night without the annoying sounds of keys and cello."

The vampire stared into her face, scanning every detail, making Enid feel extremely uncomfortable. Yoko gently cupped her hand around Enid's jaw, forcing her to look directly at herself and, not satisfied with her discovery, pressed her lips together.

“You're not sleeping well,” Yoko said sternly. Sinclair muttered in discomfort, hiding her face with her hands.

"Can't we just drop it?

"Nu-uh, we can't," Enid let out an upset howl. The others noticed, but Yoko waved her hand dismissively and they went back to their business. "Are the nightmares back again?"

“They didn't disappear,” Yoko's left eye twitched, but the vampire didn't interrupt her, ‘it's just... much easier to make sure it was just a nightmare when she was in the room,’ the girl muttered.

Enid shuddered when she remembered the terrible vacation when the awakened wolf had run wild through her, keeping her from sleeping. The only time she was quiet was at night, and even then, she was exhausted and couldn't sleep more than two hours at a time because of the nightmares. Waking up in a cold sweat, she tried to convince herself that it was just a disturbing dream.

She feels an arm wrap around her, and Enid tenses up for a second. But she quickly realizes it's Yoko trying to comfort her.

"You can always come to me. Or you can call. Anytime."

"I know," Enid says, smiling a little.

"You better!" Yoko said, grinning, but her red eyes showed that she wasn't amused. To make her friend feel better, Enid held out her pinky finger and tilted her head to the side. The vampire hummed in skepticism, but she put her pinky out and touched it with another's. Divina's voice interrupted the moment, announcing that the study could end for the day. Enid smiled in relief, quickly putting her things into her bag and nudging Yoko toward the exit. Kent ran quickly outside.

"Actually, Yoko, can you wait a minute? I'd like to talk to you," Divina said. The vampire nodded and told Enid not to wait for her. Enid pouted, but didn't stop her. More than anything, she wanted to get back to her room.

She quickly left the library and went to Ophelia Hall. Enid felt like someone was following her. But her instincts weren't telling her that there was a problem, so she decided to ignore it and walk faster. To her surprise, the pursuer also sped up and got closer and closer. Enid stopped herself from making a loud noise and turned quickly, which made the person following her stumble.

“Xavier,” Enid said in what appeared to her to be a neutral manner, but judging by the look on Thorpe's face she failed to hide her irritation.

"Sinclair."

There was an embarrassed silence.

"Do you want something?" Enid asked impatiently, tapping her finger on her thigh. This was a nervous habit of hers that annoyed her mother. Xavier gave a casual shrug and moved closer to her, looking her over. In the light, the boy looked very tired. His cheeks were sunken, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Enid hadn't noticed this earlier. To be honest, Xavier looked like a dead man who had just come back to life. His barn fit that description perfectly.

Despite his dejected appearance, he seemed annoyingly calm, but she thought it was an act. There was a kind of smugness in his eyes, as if some secret had been revealed to him that Enid wasn't privy to. What a prat. Once again, Enid wondered what Bianca saw in him.

"I wanted to talk," he finally replied, pushing his hair back with one hand.

"'Talk then."

He grinned.

"No need to be so aggressive," she just rolled her eyes, not dignifying him with a response. To her surprise, the sneer disappeared from his face, replaced by a frown, and wrinkles creased his forehead. It seemed to Enid that the boy had turned into an old man.

He ran his palm through his hair again, but now it was a nervous gesture, not an attempt to appear charming as before. Enid suppressed her disgust. As much as she disliked Xavier, Thorpe looked troubled, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Someone else might have bought it, but Sinclair knew better.

"You should stay away from Ajax."

Enid blinked. Then blinked again, staring at Thorpe, but he was standing straight, chin slightly raised. Well, so much for suppressing resentment.

"I don't see why I should listen to you," Enid said defiantly.

"I'm just giving advice to a friend," Enid held back a chuckle and a sarcastic comment. Her eyes narrowed. Maybe she would learn more from Xavier.

"Well, forgive me if I'm skeptical about that advice ."

"I'm serious, Enid. Stay away from him."

"You're telling me I shouldn't hang out with your best friend?" Xavier pressed his lips together and shifted his gaze, staring at the pattern on the wall.

"He's not my best friend," the artist muttered.

"I know," Enid replied easily, "it's hard not to notice you and Kent avoiding Ajax," the venom in her voice made Xavier snort irritably, "and he doesn't even know why!"

"I'm sure Yoko told you," she nodded.

"That doesn't explain your relationship. He didn't do anything."

"Yes, he did."

"And what did he do?" Xavier fell silent again. "You left Ajax just because he got kicked out of your stupid little society? That says a lot about you!"

"I believe Bianca," an unhappy laugh broke out of Enid.

"Since when?" she blurted out sarcastically. "You didn't trust her when you were together, why would you start now?"

“You know, I don't know why I'm trying at all,” he grinned, ”I may not know why he got kicked out, but if even Wednesday and my-”

"So it's about Wednesday," Enid growled, making Thorpe jump. He looked at her in surprise, but quickly pulled himself together. After a moment of tense silence, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Ah, so the rumors are true," he was met with silence and continued, "Trouble in paradise?"

"None of your fucking business," Xavier held up his hands.

"My, my, no need to be so defensive. Just a little curiosity. All of Nevermore is wondering what could have separated the famous duo."

" None of your fucking business ," he nodded pleased, deciding not to poke a metaphorical stick at the sleeping wolf.

"In case you were wondering, Wednesday didn't say anything," Xavier stretched, "but as you know, actions speak louder than words, especially with her."

Enid was getting tired of this conversation and wanted to end it soon, so she decided to play along.

"What do you mean?"

"You see, Wednesday never hides her disapproval," Enid rolled her eyes as if she didn't know. Despite the rift in their relationship, she was the one who understood Addams the most.

"And that's your point? Wednesday dislikes everyone.”

"Then why did she try so hard to keep her brother and Eugene away from Ajax?" a look of surprise flashed across Enid's face. Well, she didn't know anything about Eugene.

She could explain the Pugsley incident with simple concern, after all, Wednesday had spoken of his "weak character" more than once, but Eugene? Of course, the protection extended to Bee Boy, but Wednesday had become convinced of Ottinger's ability to protect himself after last year.

After last semester, the Nightshades had taken a liking to Eugene, often inviting him to hang out with them. After the students learned of his contribution to saving the academy, however, they all grew to respect him. Eugene literally blossomed under the attention of the older ones, who were genuinely interested in him and his hobbies. Enid knew he was the most popular student in his class. Despite all the attention and new friends, Eugene still considered his closest friend Wednesday and put her first.

Of course, Addams' opinion would be the deciding factor for him.

Noticing the confusion on Enid's face, Xavier grinned that obnoxious, snobbish smile that annoyed her. She felt like sinking her claws into his stupid, smug-

The claws digging painfully into her palms brought Enid back to reality. She shook her head to rid herself of the cruel thoughts, even though they were very tempting.

"It's still not enough," she didn't let Xavier get a word in edgewise and continued. " Thank you for your concern for my well-being, but I will decide for myself who I want to be friends with," Enid said ironically. Without waiting for his reply, she turned and started to walk away from him.

"I warned you!" Thorpe shouted after her, but she did not turn back.

Enid was relieved to be back in her dorm. Xavier had alerted her, but she couldn't explain the reason for the excitement. She shouldn't let him get into her head.

"Fucking Xavier," Enid hissed, ruffling her hair.

She looked around the room, but the Thing wasn't there, which annoyed Sinclair. Enid had hoped she could talk to her friend, relieve the tension and get the thoughts out of her head. Unfortunately, she was alone with herself.

Deciding not to torture herself any more than necessary, Enid walked over to the table and pulled out the notes she and the Thing had made. She added a reminder to talk to Eugene. The werewolf frowned, realizing that she hadn't talked to the bee boy in a long time either. Enid felt guilty again for neglecting her friends and promised herself to make it up to them.

Eugene and Pugsley were in the same year, and given Addams' schedule, Enid had no doubt that it would be difficult to catch Ottinger for a long conversation. Maybe they could run into each other in Jericho, or Enid could just text him, which was the most obvious and easiest option.

Wolfie

Genie

it’s been ages since we last saw each other

wanna hang out this weekend?????

theres a trip to Jericho

Ajax and I will be there

just let me know if u wanna join!!!!!

Enid ended the chat with Ottinger without waiting for a reply. To her surprise and horror, Eugene had adopted some of Wednesday’s habits, especially her disinterest in the phone and social media. He was rarely online and might not respond for days. Enid also texted Yoko about the strange encounter with Xavier. She hummed, instantly receiving a reply from her friend.

Fuckula

idk girl its so weird

like

what kind of warning is that

Wolfie

i know right

but it still a potential clue

to be honest

i’m a little worried

Fuckula

why

do u think something actually happened there?

Wolfie

idk

maybe?

i still think is a huge misunderstanding

Fuckula

do u want me to talk to Xavier?

or lock him in the barn

Wolfie

NO

but thanks bestie

Enid held the phone to her chin and tapped it, humming under her breath. She covered her eyes and thought about the conversation she had with Xavier again and again. After a while, the metaphorical light bulb above her head lit up.

u give me an idea

Fuckula

s[dgfhghkljasdf

shit no

u know I was kidding

last time IT DIDN’T END WELL

just a little reminder btw

Wolfie

don’t be nervous

just a short walk

Fuckula

that’s what I fucking afraid of

Chapter Text

"Enid!" Yoko hissed loudly, causing Enid to roll her eyes once again. “Jesus fucking Christ, why did we think sneaking into that fucking stinky barn at night!”

Well, the statement about stinky was correct. Despite having a weaker sense of smell than wolves, vampires still had quite a developed sense of smell. Not to mention Enid's poor wolf nose. The barn reeked of paint, charcoal, and sweat—a disgusting combination. They hadn't even gotten close to it.

"Yoko," Enid said, stopping abruptly and causing the vampire to crash into her. The werewolf didn't even stagger. "The point of this operation is to be undetected . We're sure to get caught if you keep going!" They almost got caught by Weems, who was fortunately neither a werewolf nor a vampire; otherwise, they definitely would have been spotted. The girls suspected she could sense when someone was trying to break the rules. The girls suspected she could sense when someone was trying to break the rules.

"Okay," Tanaka muttered. "But can you explain the nature of this 'operation'?"

The main benefit of being friends with a bored vampire was that she would agree to any stupid plan he could think of.

"Xavier had visions of Hyde last semester," Enid began as they made their way to their destination. "He was drawing him. I think he's having visions again. He practically spouted off! Plus, he looks like he hasn't slept in a year."

“That's all great, but how does that apply to us?”

"Besides good old-fashioned curiosity? He was too concerned about me hanging out with Ajax," Yoko mumbled uncertainly. "I know that's a weak argument, but it's the thought that keeps me going."

Yoko's tense shoulders relaxed as she ruffled her friend's blonde hair.

"That's okay, baby. If it'll make you feel better, we'll do it.”

Enid smiled gratefully, took Yoko's hand, and squeezed it weakly.

“I hope Xavier didn't draw the third coming of that bastard Crackstone.”

As they approached the barn, their faces crinkled more and more at the smell. Yoko made dramatic sounds of nausea, though she clearly didn't need to breathe like Sinclair did. Enid ignored her and walked to the entrance, gazing at the lock. She realized with disappointment that there was no way they could open the door without damaging it.

"Any ideas?" Enid asked.

"Let's go around."

Sinclair nodded in agreement. Unfortunately for them, all the windows were locked from the inside.

"Damn, it's just a shack, and it's like we're storming a fortress," Yoko stared at the lock and poked at it with an iron object in an attempt to open it, but to no avail. Sinclair walked around the barn once more, scrutinizing it closely. One of the walls caught her eye. As she approached it, she noticed that several of the timbers were loose. A triumphant smile spread across her face.

"Yoko," she called quietly. "Over here!" In a flash, the vampire appeared beside her. Enid nodded to the side and took hold of one of the logs. Yoko understood her without words and mirrored her friend's actions. With a little effort, they discovered a small passageway—just enough room to squeeze through. The girls looked at each other. Yoko, with an amused martyr's face, decided to go first. She slipped inside but apparently tripped over something because there was a muffled thud and quiet scolding, which made Enid giggle.

"Come on," Yoko said, holding out her hand to Enid. Enid took her hand and struggled to squeeze in, banging her head against the beams.

"I regret refusing to learn how to pick locks," Enid muttered. Yoko threw her a skeptical glance.

"And who would teach you?" I didn't know Nevermore offered that sort of elective,” Yoko said, stretching out.

"Wednesday, of course," she replied grudgingly. The vampire decided to keep her comment to herself.

It was incredibly stuffy inside the barn, making Enid feel dizzy with a dull ache in her skull. Ignoring the urge to flee, she pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight. However, there wasn't enough light to fully illuminate the room. Yoko followed her example.

The inside of the barn looked creepy, like an abandoned haunted house. Enid tried to calm her mind. She had seen enough horror movies to know to stay away from places like this. Chiding herself once again for her not-so-smart decisions, she moved forward.

Most of the paintings were covered with cloth, but some were exposed. Most of them depicted landscapes and people Enid had never seen before, as well as a structure that looked like a small castle. Enid moved closer to the painting of the castle and scrutinized it closely. As much as she hated to admit it, Xavier was talented. However, the image itself was strange. The structure stood in an empty field with no trace of vegetation, and the disproportionately huge tower cutting through the sky detracted from the gothic castle's atmosphere. In fact, it was difficult to call it a castle; it looked more like a tower with ridiculously small outbuildings on the sides. Regardless, Enid was strangely attracted to the sight. However, she didn't think that was what was keeping Xavier awake.

"Enid, come here," the werewolf said. He threw one last glance at the castle and walked over to Yoko, who was holding a dirty cloth.

"What's this?"

"I can't figure it out. It's like he just covered the canvas with black paint," Enid said. She swept the flashlight across the canvas and noticed an odd curve. It was hard to tell if it was an unfortunate stroke or something hidden. Enid looked around and noticed a lamp on the floor. Overjoyed with her find, she hurried over to it and lit it. The room was illuminated by a soft light, much better than the light from their phones. Sinclair immediately felt much cozier.

“Do you think we won't be spotted?”

"It's unlikely the teachers will be patrolling outside the barn. At least, I hope so."

Enid turned back to the black painting and brought the lantern up to it. Her eyes widened when she saw that the canvas wasn't completely black.

"What the hell," Yoko muttered.

The lantern light now clearly illuminated a figure standing in the corner of a dark, shabby, stone-covered room. The figure itself looked menacing, with a huge, broad-shouldered body covered by a black cloak that allowed it to blend in with the surroundings. The darkness swirled around it. It seemed to be looking directly at Enid, though the 'creature' had something that looked like a helmet or a mask on its head (though she wasn't sure, maybe it was a 'face'), but completely smooth, with no hint of slits for eyes, nose or mouth. A chill ran down the werewolf's back. If this was Xavier's dream, Enid could understand his insomnia. She couldn't explain why she was so scared. The werewolf's nose twitched restlessly as he inhaled the panic-filled air, which smelled of death and blood. Enid could practically feel the tentacles of fear emanating from the painting and reaching for her. Sinclair, overcome with irrational terror, hurriedly stepped away from it. The wolf rampaged, growling shrilly and calling for the painting to be destroyed. Yoko, also frightened by what she saw, quickly threw the cloth back over the painting.

“ What the fuck ! Did you feel it too?!” shouted Yoko, pressing her shoulder against her friend's.

"Yeah," Enid whispered. It seemed to her that, once the painting was hidden, the darkness had been banished and was trapped on the canvas once more. The wolf fell silent but was still awake, ready to attack again.

“Jesus fucking Christ, I hope Xavier never fucking brings that thing back to life,” the vampire rubbed her eyes furiously, apparently trying to rid herself of what she was seeing, ”let's get on with it, I want to get out of here as fast as possible.”

Enid hummed in agreement and walked over to the nearest closed painting. She pulled the cloth down and jumped back with a squeak.

"For fuck's sake," she hissed. She clutched her chest and caught her breath. Thank the moon, no longer did she feel the suffocating torment and clammy nightmare that the previous image had evoked. Now, only excitement and echoes of pain remained. Her pounding heartbeat echoed loudly in her head.

The canvas depicted a pedestal on which stood a blood-covered helmet, which made her feel slightly nauseous. She realized it belonged to the "creature" and shuddered. Though it didn't have any markings or decorations, the helmet clearly looked like a piece of armor, except for the sharp edges near the jaw. Though... Still in a daze, Enid missed that a piece of the helmet from the left eye to the corner of the mouth had been ripped out.

"Well," Yoko said after a few minutes of staring, "we can be sure that Xavier is dreaming about this. Only these two paintings are emitting something.”

"Let's check some more," Enid said uncertainly.

They opened half a dozen more paintings, and they all resembled that first terrifying one, only the creature was standing in different places in the room. The creature seemed to be slowly approaching them. Surprisingly, the closer they got, the less the canvases exuded the odors of blood, fear, and nightmares. But the stench didn't disappear completely.

The girls didn't know if this was a shared hallucination.

With trembling hands, Enid returned the cloth to the spot where the last painting had been. She nodded to Yoko at the next painting, which appeared to be the biggest of all. She stood absently, as if preparing to leap. Yoko, as wary as Enid, approached the painting hesitantly. The vampire pulled the cloth down sharply. After a few moments, an incredulous chuckle escaped her.

"Damn, he's totally obsessed," Yoko whistled.

The painting depicted Wednesday, but Enid could tell with certainty that it was the Wednesday from Xavier's fantasies. She had a soft, loving smile on her face that was not unlike her own. Not to mention the strange outfit that revealed more skin than Addams would ever allow, and the equally strange pose. Enid squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look. It simply couldn't be her. Before her was an imposter with Wednesday's face, which made Sinclair feel sick to her stomach. Her claws protruded involuntarily again. Her hand moved forward as if to tear at Thorpe's vile creation but stopped quickly. She couldn't let him know that someone was here.

Enid couldn't help but feel angry toward Xavier. Throughout her childhood, her grandma Melody had emphasized the importance of respecting one's gift, no matter what it was: werewolf, siren, or seer. But this? The gods should be punished for such abuse. However, she doubted that Xavier believed in outcast gods like Enid's family.

"I don't even want to think about what he's doing with that," Enid said in disgust, turning away from the canvas. Yoko nodded gravely and returned the cloth to its place.

They explored the entire room but found nothing interesting or familiar. There were a few potentially interesting paintings, but none of them were connected to the "creature" or Ajax. Enid didn't know how she felt. On the one hand, she was disappointed that they hadn't found anything. Well, she hadn't found anything that could be connected to her and her friends. On the other hand, it was good that Xavier's dreams weren't related to Ajax. That meant she didn't have to pay much attention to what he said. Yoko was just happy that they would be leaving this place.

After climbing out of the barn and replacing the beams, the girls moved farther away from the structure. They found an inconspicuous bench in the shade of the trees and plopped down on it, tired. They couldn't have been there for more than an hour, but Enid felt as if she had experienced centuries of fatigue.

“Despite all the creepy shit, it was fun,” Enid only glanced at her friend incredulously, ”what? I'm serious! I'm even starting to understand Wednesday's addiction to it.”

Enid frowned, remembering where Wednesday's obsession most often led.

"I don't think she's a good example."

"Hmm," Yoko shrugged, throwing her arm over the back of the bench. "Then you are."

“Huh? What do you mean?"

"Uh, you know, you have all the makings of an adrenaline junkie. You're very similar in that..." Tanaka rubbed her neck, embarrassed, as if regretting having said it at all.

"It's not—"

"Look," she said soothingly, interrupting Enid's protest. Sinclair bristled, but remained silent. “You're both passionate personalities. There's nothing wrong with having things in common.”

"The last thing I want is to be like her!" Enid muttered, quickly ashamed for sounding like a whiny child.

"Enid, I know it's still hard for you, but you've been around each other for so long that it's no surprise you've influenced each other." Though I'm sure she didn't change you,” Yoko said affectionately, smoothing a disheveled strand of the werewolf's hair.

"But... I have changed. Sometimes I can't even recognize myself,” Enid whispered.

"No, you've become yourself. You've been buried under the expectations and disappointments of your family for so long that you haven't allowed yourself to fully blossom, ” Enid said, throwing her head back and feeling the tears threatening to spill. I started counting my breaths. Yoko patted her shoulder gently and began humming a simple tune under her breath.

Enid stood up, pulling the vampire with her. An unpleasantly cold wind blew, and even though she couldn't feel cold, Sinclair shivered and burrowed deeper into her jacket.

"Come on. We've had enough adventures for today."

***

For Enid, the days that followed merged together. She had hoped that, once she was certain that Xavier hadn't had visions of Ajax, she would be able to exhale with relief. In a way, she was. She wasn't really worried about the gorgon at the moment. Now, she was afraid of that creature. Of course, there was no evidence that it posed a threat to Nevermore or to her personally. It was possible that it had nothing to do with the academy. After all, Wednesday often saw visions of unknown people.

It would have been easy to forget about the gorgon, but her nightmares about Hyde were joined by dreams about the creature. Surprisingly, the creature didn't harm her directly. It just followed her, watching and exuding darkness. Enid felt foolish for being afraid of the obscure shadow. She started sleeping with a nightlight so that she wouldn't be in the dark.

Yoko still seemed stunned, but the girls didn't discuss their outing any further. Their friends and the other students watched in amazement as the girls clung to each other more than usual. Kent jokingly asked if they were dating and got smacked by Divina for it. Enid would have been embarrassed earlier and started stuttering and waving her arms nervously, but now she couldn't find the strength to do so. She just laughed, feeling a kind of relief. Yoko, not so favorably inclined, threw a baleful glance at the boy but quickly lost interest in him.

Tired from a hard week, Enid was looking forward to seeing Ajax. He had written to her a few more times to check in on her and talk about all sorts of things, which she found very sweet. She thought that if he had been more attentive and involved as a boyfriend, she wouldn't have broken up with him. However, she quickly pushed those thoughts aside; they just weren't working as a couple.

Sinclair ignored Yoko's hints about a reunion; it just couldn't happen. Still, she worried that she might break Ajax's heart again. Enid hoped that if she brought someone else with her, Ajax would understand that they could only be friends. Unfortunately, her plan to invite Eugene along on their walk failed. Obviously, she couldn't invite anyone else because of Petropolus's conflict with them. A few days later, Ottinger responded, apologizing and declining, citing workload and fatigue. Though, he promised that Enid could always come help with the hives ( ew ). The werewolf didn't know how to tell the boy that she wouldn't be able to visit the hive. Fear of bees was the least of her reasons for doing so.

More and more people are realizing that Wednesday and her aren't talking anymore. As Xavier said, Nevermore is very interested in their relationship. Dozens of people have written to her blog with questions, as if she would ever answer them. Thankfully, they didn't dare approach her in person. Wednesday would certainly have...

No! She must not think of her! It was all in the past; she needs to move on. But even after so many days, it was hard to come to terms with it and find peace of mind. Enid tried with all her might to suppress the warm, friendly feelings that had left their mark on her soul, but it was difficult. She persisted in reminding herself of what Addams had done. Addams had done something she shouldn't have done.

On particularly bad days, when even fatigue couldn't make her sleep, Enid wondered if she'd been a good friend since she'd given up on her so easily. With what ease she had thrown away everything she had.

Lying on the uncomfortable bed, the werewolf stared blankly at the dark side, scrolling through memories of Wednesday loudly writing a novel, polishing her cello and changing strings after a particularly rough session, reading a ridiculously huge tome that barely fit in her hands. Occasionally a creature would appear in Wednesday's place, marching toward her with firm steps reminiscent of a march. Enid, to reassure herself and the she-wolf, shone the flashlight across the room. There was no one there but her.

She would never admit it, but sometimes, when Thing goes to Pugsley's room, she falls asleep to ASMR with typewriter sounds.

The next morning, Enid acts like nothing happened, shoving all thoughts and feelings back into the box. Yoko would tell her that it isn't exactly healthy. Enid would counter that her brain needs background noise to calm down.

In the morning, Enid pretends that the room doesn't seem too empty.

In the morning, Enid got up and moved on.

She plugged the speaker into her phone, turned on her favorite playlist, and headed into the shower, letting the cheerful beats wash over her as she tried to wash away the cold sweat and clammy fear. She carelessly tossed her dirty clothes into the hamper, set the shower to near boiling, and stood under the hot jets of water. A groan of relief escaped her lips as she felt the tension from the night before drain away. Pressing her forehead against the cool tile, she stood for a few more minutes. If she wanted to be on time for the meeting, she couldn't be delayed. She allowed herself a few more blissful minutes, and then began her usual routine with a disgruntled hum.

As she climbed out of the shower, she groaned when she heard the extraneous noise and took a deep breath. The smell of her familiar hand lotion soothed her. Thing had returned from Pugsley. Thank goodness! Now, Enid wouldn't have to agonize over what to wear.

She quickly put on clean clothes, dried her hair, and walked out of the bathroom feeling more alive.

Thing was sitting at her desk leafing through a fashion magazine but was quickly distracted by Enid, who greeted her cheerfully.

"Hey, Thing! How was your time with Pugsley?"

" Great! We've been working on modifying the explosives to be more lethal. "

Enid's smile faltered for a second but quickly returned.

"Cool. I still can't understand his obsession with explosions, but let the boy have his fun," Thing chuckled.

" Well, Granny, what have you been up to? " She growled playfully at him and shrugged. The werewolf walked over to the closet and critically examined the clothes.

"Nothing. I haven't had the energy for anything but studying and sleeping lately.”

Thing sympathized with her. He'd seen how hard Sinclair studied for tests, pushing himself to the point of exhaustion.

Enid tossed a few outfits onto the bed but was dissatisfied with them. They all looked too flashy for a meeting with a friend and too appropriate for a date—something she was trying to avoid. Noticing her hesitation, Thing ran up to her and climbed onto her shoulder.

"Will you help me pick out an outfit for my meeting with Ajax?"

The hand agreed, shivering in anticipation. "I want to look cute, but not like 'we broke up but I want to get back together,' but more like 'we broke up and we're going on a totally platonic walk,' you know?"

" Of course, the snake boy won't realize what hit him! " Enid laughed loudly and weakly slapped the Thing, causing him to dramatically sprawl on top of her in a dead man's pose.

"No way! You and Yoko are awfully alike!"

Thing jumped off the werewolf's shoulder and onto the bed. It rummaged through the clothes, feeling the fabric. He didn't seem entirely happy with Enid's choice. She decided to observe him without interfering. After all, Thing knew about fashion and gave useful advice. A few minutes later, he shot her an annoyed look and rushed over to the closet. He meticulously inspected its contents.

While Thing was busy making his options, Enid decided to start doing her makeup. She decided not to hide her faded scars and limited herself to soft pink tones; she wasn't in the mood for anything bright or garish. Once finished, she scrutinized herself in the mirror. Satisfied with the result, she turned her attention back to Thing. He was pedantically smoothing the nonexistent creases in the clothes he'd prepared for her.

“Thanks, Thing!” said Enid gratefully, which made Thing wiggle his fingers in awkwardness.

He understood her perfectly, though he said there was nothing special about it. He picked out a worn pair of light blue baggy jeans, an oversized white shirt with a little wolf print on the back (a gift from her mom when she got home that surprised her), a pair of pink Converse, and a teddy jacket to match the shoes. While she changed, he picked out a few accessories for her: cute star earrings and a rainbow quartz pendant that she had bought on one of her trips to Jericho.

Enid walked over to the mirror, twirled around in front of it, and, feeling pretty enough, took a few pictures and sent them to Yoko.

With about twenty minutes before her meeting with Ajax, Enid decided to head out early and take the longer route to the Quad. Despite the fact that the day was set aside for traveling to Jericho, the corridors were empty and quiet. Usually everyone took the late shuttle, wanting to sleep in longer. Enid was glad fewer people would stare and whisper at them as if she were a werewolf who couldn't hear them. Enid wasn't ashamed of the gorgon, but, surprisingly, she only liked gossip when it didn't involve her.

When Enid reached the Quad, she noted that it was practically empty, except for a few miserable vampires lying half-asleep on tables and sipping blood. A few of them waved at her, so she smiled back. Thanks to her friendship with Yoko, who had more influence among the Fangs, Enid had made acquaintances even before the Blood Moon. She looked around for a familiar cap, but Ajax was still nowhere to be seen. There were still seven minutes until ten, so the girl sat on a bench in the sunlight.

Enid checked her social media and smiled at Yoko's response, in which she praised Enid's outfit. She was replying to messages from Elliot and Kent when Ajax's loud voice interrupted the silence, calling out to her. Fangs shot the boy with a displeased look. Feeling a little embarrassed, Enid went to meet Petropolus so they could head into town sooner. He was dressed as plainly as she was which made her happy. On the other hand, it was unlikely that he owned any decent clothes besides his school uniform.

Ajax greeted her with a tight hug—thank the Moon, he had washed off enough of the weed smell that she could ignore it—and a toothy grin that made her respond in kind. His enthusiasm was highly contagious. Enid felt guilty again for ignoring the boy for so long, even if unintentionally.

On the way to the shuttle, Ajax talked about his plans for the day and where they could go before stopping at the coffee shop. He listened to her opinion after each suggestion, which amazed her. Even after everything that had happened to him, it seemed that the gorgon hadn't lost his cheerfulness.

After they sat down on the half-empty bus, Ajax offered Enid one of his headphones, which she gratefully accepted. They rode in friendly silence, listening to the soothing beats of synthwave. Gorgon wiggled his foot to the music while staring out the window. Every now and then, he cast glances at her. If she noticed, he sent a relaxed smile and looked away again.

Finally, they reached the town. Ajax helped Enid off the bus, which was completely unnecessary despite the girl's clumsiness, but she appreciated the gesture.

"Well, shall we go?" said Ajax, grabbing Enid's hand and pulling her closer. The wolf growled angrily, but Sinclair suppressed it.

They headed to Uriah's Heap, which surprised her a little. Now, after her conversion, she no longer had such an aversion to the place. However, her human side was not thrilled by the sheer number of dead animals watching her. When they entered the store, the worker greeted them enthusiastically and went back to her duties. The smell of dust clogged the werewolf's sensitive nose, making her sneeze several times. Ajax held out a napkin, which she gladly accepted.

The gorgon pulled them toward the stands of creepy animals. Enid barely held back an anguished groan, forcing a smile.

"Why did you choose this place?" Enid asked, looking at the makeshift puppet theater that Ajax had set up with stuffed skunk and hare puppets. He looked down, appearing embarrassed. He was still cradling the stuffed animals, absentmindedly running his fingers through their fur, which looked oddly cute.

"Uh," he said, his face turning red. "This is kinda awkward."

"Come on," she said, punching his shoulder lightly. She must have misjudged the force, though, because he cringed.

"I wouldn't make fun of you for anything," Sinclair assured him. Ajax was silent for a while, as if gathering his thoughts. He held out his hands to her. Noticing that he was still holding the creepy stuffed animals, he blushed even more, put them back down, and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets.

"You remember that day of volunteering, right?" Waiting for an affirmative nod, the gorgon continued. "Well, that was the first time we spent time together, then. Like, for real. It was a nice day."

Enid nodded again and walked further toward the creepy jewelry. Ajax followed at her heels.

"I thought it would be symbolic, you know? If we start our day from here."

Sinclair was surprised by the boy's thoughtful act. Had she still been in love with him, she would have lost her head at that moment. She wondered once again why he hadn't been half as charming when they were dating. Perhaps she wasn't the right person to bring out that side of him, or maybe he had simply grown up.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Her reaction cheered him up, and Petropolus stopped looking so shy.

With newfound confidence, he took her hand again and led her over to a booth filled with old equipment. Dozens of old cameras lay in chaotic disarray on the shelves, but Enid could only recognize one: a worn Polaroid. She picked it up and twirled it from side to side. It was very similar to the one she had played with as a child. It had originally belonged to Elliot, but the camera hadn't survived Evan's destructive hands. The oldest Sinclair child had given it to Enid. Of course, the Polaroid could no longer take pictures, but Enid loved imagining herself as a journalist or paparazzo. The victims of her photo hunt were plush toys. Smiling at the memory, she put the camera down and began looking at the others. Her gaze caught on another camera; it was in even worse condition. There was no visible identifying inscription on it, and a large crack crossed its body. Still, it seemed surprisingly familiar.

"Oh, it's a Leicaflex!" Ajax exclaimed, snapping Enid out of her reverie.

"You know about cameras?"

"A little," he shrugged. He flicked the camera buttons. "My dad was really into photography. The whole house is littered with that stuff."

"My grandpa too!" She twirled the Leicaflex in her hands. "I think he had one just like it," she said affectionately as she handed the camera to her friend. "Grandpa took pictures of anything he could get his hands on. Usually, it was Grandma,” she said with a chuckle, remembering how many times Grandpa had suddenly jumped out in front of his wife with the camera, trying to capture her fright.

"I think it's an SL2," Ajax muttered, sinking into his thoughts.

To avoid distracting Ajax from the cameras, Enid walked farther away. She stopped briefly to enjoy the smell of old pages in the antique books, but none of them interested her. It was the mannequins dressed in antique Gothic clothing that caught her eye, though. She stepped closer and scrutinized the fragile lace. She couldn't suppress the urge to touch, gently running her fingers over the black fabric. The dress was gorgeous but completely unsuitable for her figure and taste. No need to think about that. She thought it would be a great post for her blog. She could even interview some of the older fangs. Enid wrote down some ideas and took pictures of the clothes.

"Enid," Ajax said, coming up behind him. "Damn, what a piece of garbage." The boy smirked as he walked over to the racks and pulled off a shirt with a suspicious pink stain and a neatly stitched hole in that spot. Apparently, the shirt belonged to the unlucky duelist. “Can you believe people used to wear something like this?”

“I think it's quite beautiful,” she worried that the gorgon might unwittingly damage the fabric, and gently but insistently took the item from his hands, hanging it in place.

“Well, thank god we don't have to wear shit like that,” he continued, “like, it would be too... pretentious and pompous, “ Enid just shrugged, “though I know some people who like it, “ Ajax bent his legs at the knees, trying to make himself lower, and made a ridiculous, frowning face in a failed attempt at parody. The hint was obvious. She sent him an uncertain smile, hoping he wouldn't pursue the subject any further. To her relief, Petropolus quickly got the hint.

They stayed at Uriah's Heap for a few more minutes before deciding to move on. They went into a few more stores, but nothing caught their attention except for the nice day planner Enid bought at the bookstore. They decided to go to the new coffee shop that Ajax had mentioned. After last semester, Jericho had seen an influx of tourists who wanted to see the ashes of the tragedy. Enid swore she'd seen Hyde merch in the gift shop, which was disgusting. Of course, they wondered where the local "friendly neighbor Tyler" worked. The Weathervane had become a very crowded place, which put off the usual visitors. Not that Enid wanted to go there after everything that had happened. She was glad for the new coffee shop and the chance to replace the bad memories with new, happier ones.

The coffee shop, called "The Sanctuary," was located in an inconspicuous spot that couldn't be spotted without a clue. You couldn't see anything through the windows, but that seemed to be the point.

Ajax stopped in front of the door, grabbed the handle, and turned around.

"Should we?" he asked in a pompous tone that amused her. Deciding to play along, Enid straightened up, cocked her chin, and nodded dryly. The gorgon bowed and opened the door for her. She couldn't hold back a quiet laugh.

As soon as Enid crossed the threshold, she was greeted by the delightful aromas of coffee and freshly baked goods. Strangely, she couldn't smell any odors outside. The girl looked around the space. Unlike the bright and open Weathervane, Sanctuary was dark and dominated by shades of blue. It was gloomy, but not oppressive. Enid would describe it as a hug after a long, hard day. Part of the coffee shop was filled with bookshelves and beanbags on which people were sprawled out. An old stereo system stood in the corner, playing a quiet, relaxing tune. The tension she hadn't noticed before seemed to have left her, and she felt satisfaction spill over her body.

Ajax snapped her out of her trance and dragged her to the counter. Behind the counter stood a tall, lovely woman with bright red hair that looked like fire. Enid guessed she was in her early fifties, but it was hard to tell for sure since her wide smile made her look like a child. Sinclair checked the woman's nametag; her name was Elizabeth. Behind her back, a stocky, bald man with rough features and a noticeable burn across his right eye suddenly appeared. Enid tried not to judge by appearances, but the man looked like a criminal boss. Enid took a deep breath. An understanding smile spread across her face, and she nodded to herself. Now she understood the secrecy of the Sanctuary. It seemed to be a place for outcasts. The man smelled of something animalistic, but Enid didn't think he was a werewolf. Elizabeth gave off the distinctive wind odor that distinguished telekinetics. The man cast a leering glance at them but generally didn't react, turning toward the back room.

"Welcome to the Sanctuary. What would you like to order?" The gorgon placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention to him.

"Enid, grab us a seat somewhere. I'll place the order."

Enid nodded and walked deeper into the hall. She spotted a seat by the window with a bookshelf on the other side, which provided some privacy. She sat down in a cushioned chair, made herself comfortable, and began to study the visitors. Many of them were obviously outcasts—vampires, sirens, and werewolves were always easy to spot—but others were not so obvious because of the many odors Enid couldn't pinpoint. She wondered if normies were allowed in here or if the Sanctuary was a completely safe place for outcasts. Sinclair thought prejudice against normies was nonsense, but many still hated supernatural beings. If Gates hadn't killed normies, she never would have received a life sentence, Enid noted with annoyance.

Ajax turned back to her and plopped into the chair across from her, rid of his negative thoughts.

"Cool, huh?" Enid nodded. "One of the stoners told me about it. It's kind of a cool place just for outcasts.”

"It's really nice here," she agreed. "It's good to have a safe space besides Nevermore. I'm getting tired of sitting on my four walls.”

"Totally agree," Ajax wanted to say, but Elizabeth interrupted them by bringing their drinks and food.

"Bumble coffee and cherry cheesecake for the cute wolf cub," the woman chirped energetically. Enid giggled and felt a light dusting of blush cover her cheeks. "And a frappé and chicken sandwich for the snake." They thanked Elizabeth and assured her that they would call back if they needed anything.

The smell of her drink was odd. In Enid's opinion, the citrusy flavor didn't go well with coffee, but she tried to keep an open mind. She wasn't a big fan of coffee, drinking it only when necessary with a lot of sugar. Sinclair brought the cup to her lips, took a tentative sip, and barely restrained the urge to spit the drink out. The bitterness she hated most about coffee was made worse by the orange flavor. The girl tried to keep a neutral face for fear of upsetting her friend.

"Awesome, right?" he asked cheerfully. Enid pulled on a smile and nodded curtly. Well, she hoped the cheesecake would be better. They ate in silence for a while, exchanging insignificant remarks, until the werewolf got bored.

“How are you, Jax?” the boy paused, foam on his upper lip, and Enid with a giggle handed him a napkin, which he embarrassedly accepted.

“Well, not bad, I guess? With everything that's going on, pretty good. What about you? It's rare to catch you not busy now,” she sent him an apologetic smile.

“It's been...rough weeks. I can't wait for the vacations to start,” Ajax mumbled in agreement, taking a sip of his drink, ”I actually owe you an apology.”

“For what?” he asked incomprehensibly, tilting his head to the side.

“I haven't been a good friend to you,” the werewolf rumbled dejectedly, ”I haven't paid you the attention you should have as a true friend, and I've neglected you.”

Ajax leaned back in his chair and scanned her. Enid looked away bashfully and began counting the scratches on the table.

“Enid, you have nothing to apologize for,” Sinclair didn't have time to start protesting before he continued, ”I'm not your only friend, and you have a hell of a lot of other things to do, holy shit, I'm scared to even imagine. I'm just glad we can spend time together. So I don't accept your apologies!" Petropolus blurted out menacingly, and then added playfully, "Because they're unnecessary."

"You're too kind," said Ajax, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"So, I heard you and Addams had a fight," the stoner said uncertainly. Enid clenched his jaw with a quiet snap. He looked worriedly at his friend. “I'm sorry, I didn't know-, I didn't mean to upset you.”

“No,” Enid blurted out, making the boy flinch. “No,” she repeated more softly. “I wanted to talk to you about it, but I didn't dare.” She gathered air in her chest and exhaled slowly, gathering her thoughts. "When I apologized to you, I didn't just mean my neglect. Do you remember that day in the break room?" Ajax mumbled in agreement as he shoved the last piece of sandwich into his mouth. “I—I think you were right.”

Ajax coughed and tears came to his eyes as he beat his chest desperately. Enid quickly rose from the table and slapped his back. He finished his coffee and breathed a sigh of relief. Gorgon coughed awkwardly and stared at her.

"Well, I didn't expect that," he said hoarsely. "What made you change your mind?"

Sinclair bit her lip and restlessly tapped her fingers on the table.

"Wednesday and I had a fight. A serious one. I asked her about you in the heat of the argument.”

Ajax's shoulders tensed.

“She didn't confirm anything. But I saw it in her face."

A growl escaped her throat, and her eyes flashed for a second.

"I saw that she knew what I was asking. She knew, and she didn't seem remorseful. She even gloated."

Enid fell silent, and the Gorgon didn't dare say anything. A look of incomprehension froze on his face. She could tell he was shocked. They sat in heavy silence for a few more moments before Ajax's lips curled into a guilty grimace.

"You didn't get in a fight over me, did you?"

"What? No, not at all!" The werewolf held out her hand to the boy, and he tentatively intertwined his fingers with hers. "It's been a long time coming. It's not your fault. I promise.”

The worried look on his face was replaced with relief.

"Damn, I thought you two were kinda joined at the hip." You've had fights before. What could have happened between you two?" Ajax tried to hide his curiosity, but Enid could tell he was curious and didn't judge him for it.

"I wouldn't want to bring it up. It's still too fresh. It still hurts,” she said, her face going sour as she remembered the harsh voice, the crooked grin, and the cruel words. "It's a shame I wasted my time on a person like that. But it's all in the past."

"I understand you more than anyone. You know I'm always here for you. To support you. People like us have to stick together,” he said, gripping her palm more firmly and bending down to be closer to Enid. "Is it bad that I'm happy about this?"

A quiet laugh escaped Sinclair, and she shook her head.

"Nah, she hurt you. Of course you'll be more than pleased. In a way, I'm glad too."

"No offense, but she was bad news from the start. I'm surprised you put up with her for so long.”

Enid only hummed in response and looked away, uncomfortable. She couldn't understand how she had become so attached to Addams. Gorgon was right; everyone around her had warned her about the girl. But she had stubbornly refused to see the truth. She had paid dearly for it. But can you blame yourself for being kind and wanting to help someone? Probably not.

Though, Sinclair decided, some people shouldn't be rescued, or you'd drown with them—especially if they didn't ask for it.

"Hey," Ajax softly called out to Enid. He gave her a weak, apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to put you in that mood, " but she only brushed it off, putting on a cheerful expression.

"I'm fine."

“I know you not. But that's okay. I feel that way too.”

"I'm sorry. I'm cracking up," she said, chuckling. "We're supposed to be having fun, and you're comforting me."

"That's okay. I'm glad to be there for you at such a sensitive time. I should know...”

Enid bowed her head guiltily and clenched her hands so tightly that the skin on her knuckles turned white. She felt the faint pricks of claws scratching her palms' delicate skin.

She berated herself for being a coward. She blamed herself for not wanting to confront her friends about their weakness and selfishness. But did she have the right to condemn them if she was no different?

"There's something else I'd like to ask about, if you don't mind," Ajax said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Shoot."

"Why did Eugene stop talking to you?"

The gorgon froze and clenched his hands into fists.

"Probably for the same reason as the others," he answered after a moment. But the contrived mirth didn't touch his eyes.

"But he's not one of the Nightshades," the girl objected.

"Enid, you're smart. You can see that for yourself, can't you? No matter how close I was to him, Addams was always closer,” Ajax blurted out bitterly. From his lips, "Addams" sounded like a venomous insult.

"I'm sorry," Sinclair whispered sincerely. "I didn't realize you two were such close friends."

"Eugene's cool," Petropolus said, shifting his gaze to the window. His face contorted into a strange grin. His eyes glazed over as if he were remembering something pleasant. "We always had fun together. But I don't blame him. I hope he'll understand someday. Like you did. They'll all understand! " Enid couldn't think of anything to say and remained silent. Ajax shook his head, as he always did, to banish derogatory thoughts. Then, he seemed to remember something, patted his pants pockets, and smirked at her when he found something.

"I think we've had enough sad talk for today," he said, holding out a clenched fist. "I have a little present for you. To remember today.”

"Oh, Jax, that's so sweet! But I don't have anything for you!"

“Don't worry about it. Today was the perfect gift.”

He gestured for her to hold out her palm, which she did, and he placed the bracelet in her hand. Jax leaned back in his chair and watched her reaction. Fascinated by the gift, Enid examined the bracelet. It was a simple iron hoop, silver in color, decorated around the perimeter with small stars and a crescent moon. But the pendants of a wolf with a serpent lazily resting on its head tongue out, stood out the most. Sinclair shifted her gaze from the bracelet to Petropolus, who was looking at her intently.

"I know it's not much, but as soon as I saw it, I thought of you," he said, his cheeks flushing as he turned away to avoid her gaze.

"It's perfect," Enid said happily as she slipped the bracelet onto her hand. She held her hand up to the sun and twirled the bracelet, admiring the gift. “Thank you, Ajax.”

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

They talked for a while longer, complaining about how much work the teachers assigned. Enid was the only one who complained; Ajax never worried about his studies but supported his friend's resentment. The werewolf glanced at her watch and was surprised that so much time had passed. She realized with regret that it was time for them to head back to Nevermore. Gorgon grimaced visibly but agreed with her. After making sure they hadn't forgotten anything, they headed for the exit. Suddenly, Enid was shouted at by a gruff, husky voice ("Rainbow Girl," really?). Startled, she turned slightly and found the same bald man looking at her with a scowl. He stood behind the counter with his hands digging into the wood, watching her expectantly. Enid told Ajax to wait outside, and he shrugged and walked out of the coffee shop. Sinclair hesitantly approached the counter.

"Uh, did you want something, sir?"

"Hmph," the man said as he shoved a paper cup into her hands. A familiar smell hit her nose. If she wasn't mistaken, it was her favorite fruit tea.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't order this," she said, smiling awkwardly as she turned around to place the cup on the counter. However, she was stopped by a soft grip. Enid turned around and saw Elizabeth.

"Sorry, Will's completely bad at socializing," the man (Will, the werewolf corrected herself) snorted, folding his arms across his chest, squinting his eyes at Enid, and then shifting his gaze to Elizabeth. Sinclair couldn't help but notice the way his eyes warmed and the crease between his eyebrows smoothed. She glanced down at their hands, noting the simple gold rings. "It's on the house, sweetheart," he said.

Enid's eyes widened comically, and she waved her hands.

"No, no, I really can't accept this. You just opened!"

"You didn't like the bumble coffee at all, did you?" Enid grimaced involuntarily when she remembered the taste, but she quickly regained her composure so as not to offend them. “Don't worry. It's perfectly normal!”

"I told him it was a bad choice for a werewolf. What a stubborn oaf, ” Will muttered, rolling his eyes. His voice was hoarse, as if he rarely spoke.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a real expert," the woman rolled her eyes. “Please take it. We want our visitors to have pleasant memories of the Sanctuary.”

“Okay,” Enid agreed, taking the drink. “Thank you.”

Already standing at the exit, she turned around and glanced at Will, who was still watching her. She smiled broadly at him, flashed her fangs, and waved goodbye. Will snorted and returned to his work.

She took a sip, closed her eyes, and smiled. Enid was right, it was fruit tea, and it was damn good. Sinclair decided that she would definitely write about the Sanctuary on her blog.

Enid left the coffee shop and immediately felt her sense of security and comfort leave her. Ajax was standing nearby, tapping his foot nervously and muttering under his breath. He caught up with her in a few steps and nodded toward the bus stop.

"What did that dude want?" he asked. His gaze fell on the cup in her hand, and he looked at her questioningly.

"Oh, um, I guess I'm their 100th customer," Sinclair said uncertainly. “They said it was a gift or something.” She hoped the stoner wouldn't think too much of her weak excuse. Ajax nodded understandingly.

“Honestly, this guy...he's pretty weird, right?”

“He seemed nice to me,” Gorgon chuckled and looked at the girl in disbelief.

"Nid, dude looks like a maniac. He's totally creep."

“Ajax, you can't judge people like that,” she said disappointedly. Enid couldn't help but remember her first encounter with him on Wednesday and how embarrassed she had been by his inappropriate comments.

"Okay, okay, sorry," he said, raising his hands in a soothing gesture. "It's just that the guy was looking at me. He gave me the creeps.”

Enid pursed her lips in annoyance. Not wanting to argue with her friend, she decided to ignore him. He either didn't notice or chose to ignore her worsening mood and quickly told her about a TV series he had watched the previous day.

They remained silent for the few minutes they waited for the bus at the bus stop. Petropolus looked worried and pensive, but Enid decided not to press him. After settling comfortably in the back of the bus, Ajax offered her the headphones again, and the werewolf accepted them once more. Unlike the previous trip, which had been filled with cozy silence, this one was suffocatingly awkward. Enid was exhausted and wanted to get to campus quickly. Gorgon was still glancing at her, but his glances were no longer warm; they were impatient, making her nervous.

Finally, they arrived and walked silently into the academy, passing students who had just woken up. Many greeted her, and some tried to stop her for a longer conversation, but she politely avoided them. The students cast curious glances at the pair, which made her roll her eyes. God forbid exes could be friends.

As they approached their destination, it became clear that the quad was bustling with activity. Enid grimaced at the loud voices around her. She noticed Yoko quietly conversing with Divina at one of the tables, but she had not yet seen Sinclair. Ajax stopped by a wall farther from the tables, creating a sense of privacy.

"It was a good day," Enid began. The gorgon nodded sharply but remained lost in thought. Deciding to leave the boy with his thoughts, Enid tried to say goodbye (she no longer had the strength to find out what was on his mind), but she didn't have time. Ajax took her hand in his and pulled his friend a little closer.

"Enid, I want to tell you something," Gorgon began hesitantly. His cheeks flushed and he shifted from foot to foot. Oh no . Enid thought, closing her eyes but quickly opening them again and looking around frantically. Goddess, I hope no one hears this . The Wolf was frighteningly quiet, her whole body tensed as if she were lying in wait. Alarm bells were ringing in her head with terrifying force. The girl's heart raced, and she would have liked to say it was pleasant excitement. But she felt cornered with no way to escape. "I still like you. I would like to...” His speech was disjointed, as if his thoughts couldn't keep up with his tongue. "I remember what you said back then. You were right! But... I still think we were good together, don't you?" Like today. It was perfect. I want that; I want more! I've really changed. I want to date you. Be your boyfriend. Please,” he said, looking at Enid plaintively. “I know your answer, but don't reject me right away.”

“Ajax...”

"Please," he repeated softly but insistently. "Think about it. I don't want to rush you. Take as much time as you need. I'll wait."

Ajax pulled her into his arms and wrapped his fingers in her back. Enid couldn't trust herself to speak, so she simply nodded. Petropolus sighed happily and quickly pressed his dry, firm lips to her cheek.

The Wolf lying in wait let out a piercing howl that echoed painfully in Enid's ears. Her claws appeared with a quiet click. The werewolf hoped Ajax did not hear it. She bit her tongue painfully, trying to control the animal within her. The Wolf only began to rampage more violently. Desperately, Enid wanted to grab her head and dig her claws into her skin to calm her down. Her head was splitting open, and she thought she could hear her bones cracking. The werewolf glanced quickly at her hands to make sure it was just a hallucination. He held her tightly, though she could easily have broken free. She begged the Wolf not to break free and prayed to all the gods not to hurt him. Fortunately, Gorgon stepped away from the girl and looked at her with the silly smile she had once liked, but which now only caused her bitterness. Sinclair wanted to cry with relief that Ajax was no longer pressing against her.

“Find me later,” whispered the stoner, squeezing her hand one last time before walking away in the opposite direction without looking back.

Her weakened legs struggled to hold her up, and she wanted to collapse to the ground.

How could they be together? Ajax was sweet, caring, and a little silly, but kind. He was the kind of boy her parents would like, and he treated her well.

But none of it made sense if she couldn't let him get closer than an arm's length. Everything was okay until he revealed his true intentions. How could she date a man whose presence she couldn't tolerate and whose touch caused her pain? It would only be a matter of time before Sinclair couldn't hold back the Wolf. Not to mention, she saw him as nothing more than a friend. Enid rubbed her face with a disappointed sigh. She would have to break his heart again. But that was better than giving him false hope or, worse, dating him out of pity.

Today, she didn't have the strength for this conversation. She felt terribly drained and broken. Besides, she wanted to discuss it with Yoko or Thing.

Her brief reverie was interrupted by a gasping wheeze that sounded very close by. Startled, Enid raised her head. She raised her head and was surprised to see Eugene standing just a few feet away.

"Genie?" Enid muttered uncertainly, looking at the boy. She didn't know how much he had heard or how long he had been standing there. How could she, with her heightened senses, have failed to notice him? Her brain helpfully pointed out that she had a damn good reason to be distracted.

Ottinger didn't answer; he didn't react at all. His face was frozen in a grimace of horror, and his normally dusky skin was ashen.

"Eugene," Enid repeated, taking a small step toward the boy.

Thump  thump thump thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump

She shuddered when she realized that she hadn't heard her own heartbeat.

Eugene appeared to be staring at the spot where Enid had been standing. However, as soon as he noticed her approaching, he started backing away. He didn't make a sound except for gasping wheezes.

Enid was frightened.

She quickly tried to think of ways to calm him down, but nothing came to mind.

Sinclair moved even closer, but judging by Eugene's stunned expression, it was a mistake. He hit his back hard against one of the columns, which brought him back to reality for a moment. His gaze cleared, and as he looked up at the werewolf, a painful sob escaped him, causing Enid to wince.

"Genie," Enid whispered soothingly, reaching out to him. However, Eugene recoiled from her hands. He shook his head furiously and stared at the ground, clenching the fabric of his pants so tightly that they could tear with a single movement.

Enid thought helplessly that she was clearly frightening him. But how could she leave him like this? Sinclair hoped Eugene would let her help him.

"Genie, it's me, Enid. Can you hear me?"

Eugene raised his head so quickly that Enid could hear his bones crack.

"No," the boy muttered. "No- no no no."

He jumped up and ran away from the werewolf. Enid stood there in confusion for a few seconds before rushing after him. The boy ran into the academic wing of the academy, trying to hide in its numerous corridors. To hide from her . The animal part of Enid realized this was a foolish decision. How could he escape a wolf in such a confined space? No , Enid cut off mentally, he is not prey .

Sinclair could clearly hear that with every step that closed the gap between them, the boy's heart began to beat even more wildly. Afraid that she might scare him to death, Enid slowed down. She could track him by his scent anyway. Now, she tried to tread silently on the old parquet floor, cringing every time it creaked. The sound of panicked running in the distance grew quieter until it turned into a brisk walk. Apparently, the boy thought he had gotten away.

There was a creak of a door.

As Enid walked to her destination, she furiously reviewed all the ways to calm someone having a panic attack. Sinclair felt a slight tremor shake her body and stopped in the middle of the corridor. She wouldn't be able to help Eugene if she panicked. The werewolf looked at the windows and counted them, then counted the number of doors, but it didn't help. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

That was much better.

The fear hadn't gone away, but now she could control it.

Enid tried to make as little noise as possible while listening for any extraneous sounds. From the abandoned alchemy lab came the sound of suppressed breathing, as if someone had covered their mouth with their hand to be quieter. The girl closed her eyes, preparing herself.

Gathering her courage, she slowly and carefully opened the door, afraid of scaring Ottinger even more.

"Genie? Genie, it's me, Enid," she said softly as she slowly approached her friend.

Poor Eugene had curled up in the corner of the room, his forehead pressed against his knees, which he had pulled up to his chest. His body shook violently. Enid's heart broke at the sad sight. He did not respond to her.

The werewolf knelt in front of him and gently grasped his hands. He let out a choked cry and huddled deeper into the corner. But she wouldn't let him push her away.

"It's me, Genie. It's okay," Enid whispered, pressing the boy's head to her chest. "You're safe. Nothing is threatening you. You're safe," she continued, running her fingers through his hair.

Eugene stopped struggling out of her embrace. Apparently, his mind had cleared enough for him to recognize Enid.

"Uh... N-n-i."

"Yes, it's Nid. I got you."

He tried to say something else, but nothing coherent came out. This clearly upset the boy. Choking wheezes escaped his chest again. Enid shushed him soothingly.

"It's okay. Take your time, okay? Can you breathe with me?" Eugene nodded weakly. “Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out,” he repeated, following her lead. With each breath, his body relaxed until he went completely limp in her arms.

Enid felt tears of relief well up in his eyes. But she didn't allow herself to relax and lose focus. Not when a vulnerable person was dependent on her. She knew from experience that Eugene could start panicking again.

"Genie, I need you to name five things you see. Can you do that?" Enid gave him an encouraging smile, and he nodded weakly.

“Blue eyes... table... window... wardrobe... lamp.”

"Well done! You're doing so well. Now, name four things you can touch.”

”Floor... your jacket... hair... bracelet.“

Great, just a little more to go. Name three sounds that you can hear.”

”Birds... rustling clothes... knocking.”

Enid gently stroked her friend's back, and he clung to her more tightly.

“Very good. Name two smells you can smell.”

“Vanilla... honey.”

Sinclair listened to the stranger's heartbeat and noted happily that the rhythm was returning to normal.

"You're doing great. We're almost there. Tell me something you can taste."

“Blood.”

Her eye twitched, but she quickly regained control. Most likely, Eugene had bitten his tongue or cheek, causing it to bleed.

"You did so well," the boy nodded in shock. "Are you feeling better?"

“Y-yes,” Oettinger muttered.

The tension left her body at once, and she allowed herself to exhale. She pressed her cheek against his curls and began recounting the events of her week. Her friend seemed calm and was enjoying the sound of her voice.

After a few minutes, she felt him start to tremble again. The air was filled with the smell of salt. Someone else's tears soaked her clothes.

Eugene wriggled out of her arms and wrapped his around her, squeezing her close. Burying his face in her shoulder, he muttered something, but even Enid couldn't make out what he said.

"Look at me," Sinclair said firmly. The boy shook his head sharply, refusing to lift it. Enid let out a laugh. She gently cupped his head in her hands and pulled it away from her.

Eugene was a mess. His glasses hung awkwardly from his nose. His eyes were swollen and red. His nose was running. His lips were pitifully twisted. He looked disgusting, but the werewolf felt no revulsion toward him, only the aching tenderness she felt toward Pagsley.

Enid couldn't help but laugh to herself. Eugene had grown so much over the past few months. He had moved far away from the image of a chubby little boy. Now, he could even tower over Sinclair. But he was still a child in need of support.

The irony did not escape her. The werewolf herself was not much older than her friend.

"I'm so sorry," he blurted out. Large tears rolled down his face. Enid gently removed his glasses and wiped the moisture away with her thumbs.

“For what?”

He fell silent, pursing his lips. His gaze darted around the room as he tried his best not to look at her.

"I didn't... I didn't mean to. It shouldn't have happened. I'm really sorry!" I tried. Nothing helped. You shouldn't have..." Enid could barely make out his babbling, but she wasn't going to let him fall back into that abyss of despair.

"Genie, it's not your fault," the girl said confidently, interrupting him. Ottinger raised his head sharply and stared at her in disbelief. He opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out. "It's not your fault."

The boy's hands clenched on her back, and Eugene let out another sob. He was crying again, his anguished sobs muffled by her body.

Enid's eyes burned, and she blinked rapidly to chase away the unwelcome tears. She couldn't afford such a luxury now.

How long had Eugene been in this state? Has anyone helped him cope with it?

She prayed that Addams was compassionate and attentive enough to help her friend.

"What can I do for you?" the girl asked softly. Eugene didn't answer, continuing to press himself fiercely against Sinclair. “Do you want me to call Wednesday?” she stammered, swallowing the lump in her throat.

She hoped not. No, not like that. Enid didn't want that at all. But her desires shouldn't matter at this point. This wasn't about her.

Eugene jumped back from her and stared at the girl with wild eyes. His trembling hands dug into her shoulders, causing her to shake slightly.

“No!” Oettinger shouted, shaking his head furiously. She winced at the loudness and saw his face turn pitifully. "She can't know. Please, don't let her find out."

"It's okay, Genie. It'll be as you say." He exhaled with relief, almost collapsing under his own weight. Enid quickly caught him and pulled him close again.

Well, good for her. She wouldn't have to explain to Addams why her ward was falling apart in her arms.

"Besides Wednesday, is there anyone else you'd like to see?" Eugene tensed in her arms. She stroked his shoulders soothingly and rocked him gently, like a child. Given their height difference, it must have looked strange, but Enid couldn't bring herself to laugh at their situation. "Don't worry. I won't leave. It's okay if you don't want to see anyone." The boy nodded blankly.

He hiccupped from time to time, but had practically stopped crying. The werewolf wiped the last traces of tears from his face. Enid felt a fatigue that seemed to span centuries, as if she hadn't slept for days. The emotional exhaustion would haunt her for days, if not weeks. Still, she couldn't help but feel proud that she had been able to lend her shoulder to her friend and calm him down.

Ottinger muttered something, but because his face was buried in her shoulder, Enid couldn't hear him. She asked him to repeat himself.

"Bianca," Eugene replied quietly. "Call Bianca. P-please.”

Enid stared at him in surprise, saying nothing. Her thoughts swirled in a storm of endless possibilities. Was Bianca that close to Eugene? When did that happen? The Nightshades had welcomed the bee boy with open arms, of course, but Enid had never seen Barclay and Ottinger interact closely.

It seems I haven't noticed much at all , Enid thought gloomily.

Eugene cringed when he saw the shocked expression on Enid's face and noticed her long silence. He pressed his hands to his chest, lowered his gaze to the floor, and muttered an apology. He muttered an apology and fell silent.

She cursed quietly, reproaching herself for her insensitivity. Enid perked up and hurried to assure him that she was fine and would call Bianca right away. Sinclair awkwardly reached for her phone while still holding Eugene tightly. She quickly found Barclay's number in her contacts and held the phone to her ear, pinching it awkwardly between her shoulder and ear.

With each ring, Enid's heart beat faster, and she struggled to control the nervous twitching of her leg. Eugene, however, was completely exhausted. He seemed to have started snoring on his girlfriend's shoulder, oblivious to her anxiety.

Finally, after what seemed like a million rings, a familiar voice came over the line:

" Sinclair?"

Thank fuck , Enid breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the Moon, Bianca," she muttered quietly. She glanced at Eugene and listened to his steady breathing. Fortunately, he was asleep, breathing short and steady with only the occasional tremor shaking his body.

" What do you want? " the siren blurted impatiently. Enid ignored her irritated tone.

“I need you to come to the abandoned alchemy lab in the east wing. Right now. It's about Eugene,” Enid said firmly.

" What? " The siren sounded worried and nervous. Sinclair could have laughed, but she couldn't even manage a chuckle. “ Is he safe? What happened? ”

The sound of frequent tapping could be heard coming from the phone's speaker.

"He's safe. I was able to calm him down. I don't know what happened,” the girl whispered. “He had a panic attack.”

Bianca didn't answer. Enid moved the phone away from her to check if Barclay had hung up.

“ I'll be there soon.”

Before she could reply, the siren quickly faded away. Enid snorted irritably, put the phone away, and waited.

Eugene's quiet snoring was rhythmic enough to calm her, yet she struggled to stop her body from trembling with nervousness.

It had been a good day—a wonderful day. When has everything gone wrong? She had no regrets, no matter how difficult things were right now. However, she was now burdened with a responsibility she hadn't asked for or expected.

As luck would have it, the wolf fell silent when she turned to him for help. He always kept quiet when she needed him most, which annoyed her immensely. Stupid dog.

Something was changing. Something terrible was happening, and she didn't know what. Her instincts were going haywire, and she frantically looked around for invisible enemies, but she couldn't see or understand anything. There was no one around except the poor boy in her arms.

Unknowless. Hidden in the shadows.

Enid closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

***

Sinclair sprawled imposingly on the bed, cheerfully kicking her legs as she told a funny story about a spell that went off in today's biology class for outcasts and monsters. For a practical exercise, the teacher suggested that they summon an imp and asked one of the students to read the spell. He should have known that asking a stoner to recite a complicated spell in Latin wasn't smart. But Enid was able to leave class early. She was luckier than the others, who were sent to the infirmary.

At first, her listener paid no attention to the story, preferring to methodically scrape rust off a dagger bought in a dubious store. However, Enid noticed that when the werewolf shared particularly gruesome details to entertain her friend, the corner of the seer's mouth twitched slightly. It was almost equivalent to a smile. The werewolf mentally noted another victory. After finishing her story, Enid took a deep breath, nearly gasping from her own pace. Wednesday looked up from her work and fixed her dark gaze on the werewolf. Enid gave her a toothy smile and winked, waiting for her reaction.

"Your storytelling skills have improved," she finally said nonchalantly. "I appreciate the way you wove brute force and violence into the story for amusement. You almost impressed me. Though, I would refrain from such colorful language.”

Enid let out a joyous laugh, jumped up, and assumed a sitting position.

"Oh, I knew you'd be thrilled, bestie!"

In response, Addams only raised an eyebrow, as if doubting Enid's assessment, but didn't object. "You know, I heard—"

Suddenly, the lights in the room went out with an unpleasant crackling sound, interrupting Enid.

Sure enough, she let out an unholy squeal.

"Enid!" Addams blurted out loudly. "In the name of all that's unholy, stop screaming before you rob me of my hearing."

Sinclair made a pitiful sound and fell silent.

She realized with disappointment that the crackling had come from her. In a fit of fear, Enid partially transformed and tore her clothes. Again.

With an annoyed groan, she looked around, her yellowed eyes adjusting to night vision as she blinked awkwardly. Wednesday was still sitting in the chair with a dagger in hand, looking straight at her.

Enid felt a lump of fear lodged in her throat, preventing her from breathing normally. Her eyes darted around the dark corners of the room. The heat spreading down her spine hinted that she would transform soon. Of course, such a huge, dangerous ball of nerves was unwelcome here.

"You growl," an impassive voice interrupted her panicked thoughts. Her gaze turned to Addams again. She stood and pulled her favorite lighter from the inside pocket of her school jacket. She flicked it on. The faint flame illuminated her features, making them appear sharper. In that small flame, though, Enid found solace. She felt her heartbeat slow down, the pain in her chest throbbing less intensely.

“Of course I fucking growl, I'm scared shitless,” she said. Wednesday didn't react to her outburst and walked over to the window, leaning out. Enid let out a whimper and quickly rushed over to her friend, pressing her body against the windowpane. Addams stood at the railing, watching the werewolf's torment with amusement, which made Sinclair roll her eyes.

"You're so mean, Wednesday," she said tearfully.

"Thank you. I always enjoy tormenting others.”

Enid growled again and flashed her fangs. The seer immediately noticed them and stared. Sinclair felt her cheeks flush and hoped Wednesday wouldn't notice. The girl's attention shifted from her fangs to her yellow eyes and the fur that partially covered her jaw and extended downward. In Enid's humble opinion, this was the most inconvenient aspect of being a werewolf.

"How fascinating," Wednesday murmured, gently taking her friend's clawed paw in her hands. It was a too gentle a grip for someone like Wednesday, but the werewolf dared not complain, enjoying their closeness even through the seer's gloves.

"What's so fascinating about it? Enid complained childishly. "I've ruined so many nice clothes. Fucking hell, being a werewolf is expensive!”

Wednesday grunted vaguely, letting go of Sinclair and crossing her arms over her chest. Her wolf brain was touched by this habit; she almost wanted to crush the fragile body of the raven because of an excess of tender feelings.

"You're the only werewolf I've met who can transform outside of a full moon. I suppose fear is a powerful trigger.”

"Well, it's kind of hard for us to transform without the moon, even when our lives are in danger. It would be unfair to complain when I've been blessed with this gift."

The council of wolves had repeatedly expressed their admiration for the blessing sent to them by the goddess in the form of Enid. Enid herself didn't know how to feel about it.

"Why don't you go back to your normal state?" Wednesday asked curiously, looking her friend up and down again. Enid shrugged awkwardly, not wanting to answer. However, her roommate's stubbornness and persistence didn't leave her with many options.

"It's, um, super awkward," she began.

“Enid, what could be more awkward than your concert of obnoxious Korean songs in the bathroom that broke your leg and, by my calculations, cost me several years of my life and half my sanity?” Enid buried her face in her paws, trying to escape the embarrassing memory, and muttered something. "Although I can thank you for that. I didn't even have to ask Uncle Fester for an unscheduled lobotomy."

For her own sanity, she decided not to comment on Wednesday's last sentence. Some things just didn't need to be clarified, especially with the Addams family.

"I'm still scared," she muttered uncertainly.

"Scared of what? Do you feel something?" Wednesday lazily scanned the area around them, showing no sign of concern. However, Enid noticed the subtle details: Wednesday had quietly moved closer to her, shielding her with her small frame. Wednesday's left hand carefully removed an object from a hidden pocket. The smell of gunpowder suggested that it was a grenade. Meanwhile, her right hand deftly twirled a throwing knife. Any other werewolf would have laughed at Wednesday for trying to protect the wolf. What could a pathetic human, especially one built like that, do to keep a wolf safe? It was a good thing Enid knew better.

“No! No, no, it's okay,” Sinclair blurted out excitedly, waving her hands. “I, um—God! It's better to just rip off. I'm very afraid of the dark!"

"I apologize, Enid. I didn't quite understand you.

Enid let out a half-sob, half-roar. She knew Wednesday wasn't mocking her; there wasn't a hint of ridicule in her voice. Still, she was angry.

"I said I'm afraid of the dark."

“Why?”

"Because I can't see anything!" The clairvoyant gave her a blank stare.

"You have night vision," she remarked.

"Kinda, yes, but it's different."

Wednesday said nothing and shrugged, urging her to continue.

"In the dark, you never know what you might meet.

“Then you're not afraid of the dark.”

"I just explained that to you, Wednesday," Enid grumbled irritably. Her rudeness didn't bother Addams at all. She didn't pay any attention to it.

"You're not afraid of the dark," the girl repeated in a tone that brooked no argument. “Are you afraid when you close your eyes and try to fall asleep?”

“No.”

“What about when you take a shower and don't want water in your eyes?”

“No.”

“You can’t see anything but darkness.”

"But I know I'm not in the dark. Except when I'm falling asleep. I have a nightlight.”

Wednesday nodded, accepting her answer.

"You fear the unknown, Enid," Wednesday said unusually softly. "You don't fear the darkness itself, but what's hidden within it."

"And what's the difference? Enlighten me, oh great master, " Sinclair said mockingly, playfully pushing the girl's shoulder and causing her to stagger. Wednesday gave her a blank stare, and Enid hung her head guiltily.

It was still difficult for her to control her power, and the seer was an unwitting test subject for it. Enid smugly thought that she was allowed a lot and that Wednesday was surprisingly generous in that regard. Hugs were still a rare treat—the last one was on the day of their reunion in Nevermore, when Sinclair could finally feel a sense of home and belonging—but light touches were now commonplace.

"As I said, it's fear of the unknown. You probably haven't noticed, but every time you encounter something new, you get excited...”

“But I'm not afraid!” Wednesday looked at her, pursing his lips. "Sorry..."

"Hm, as I said , you're overwhelmed with excitement. Depending on how seriously you take an event or thing, your behavior becomes similar to how you're behaving now,” Addams said, making sure Enid was still listening, and continued with a satisfied nod. "For example, a new store has opened, and you're excited to visit it. Of course, this isn't exactly a stressful, transformative situation, but you may exhibit your wolfish traits, whether it's your claws, fangs, ears, or growling.”

Enid felt both embarrassed and flattered by her friend's analysis.

"This is, of course, just excitement, not fear, although they go hand in hand, and often excitement turns into fear. This is evident in the case of your formal introduction to the pack, which you were so worried about. You knew nothing terrible could happen, but not knowing what would happen frightened you. Your body was in a state of combat readiness.”

She groaned, remembering how she had to meet the elders in that state. She literally couldn't look anyone in the eye, especially her parents, out of shame. Who could be proud of such an unstable wolf? Thank goodness it worked in her favor and that the pack appreciated her strength.

"You're not afraid of the dark. Otherwise, you'd panic every time you closed your eyes. It's what's hiding in the shadows, not the shadows themselves. I have always believed that true atrocities occur in broad daylight."

"Maybe you're right," Enid said quietly. Wednesday lifted her chin as if to say, “Yes, I am right,” but you've definitely gotten better at comforting people.”

Wednesday frowned and turned her head away from her friend, clearly not wanting to appear confused or vulnerable. This made the werewolf smile, and she pressed herself harder against the other side. The seer did not push her away.

***

The sound of the door opening snapped Enid out of her bitter memories, and she instinctively pulled Eugene closer. Bianca appeared in the doorway. Though her stoic face betrayed no emotion, the tension in her body gave her away. She quietly approached them, knelt down in front of Enid, and quickly examined the boy (as if Enid would allow anyone to hurt him!). She breathed a sigh of relief. Ottinger was still asleep, unaware of the newcomer's arrival. She didn't know whether to wake him. Would he be frightened if he woke up and realized someone else was there besides Enid?

"Sinclair, what happened?" Barclay whispered, breaking the prolonged silence.

"We were in the Quad when..."

"I know that. Do you know what could have caused this?" The siren gestured toward the intertwined figures of Eugene and Enid.

"I don't know," she mumbled, feeling uncertain under the heavy gaze. Her inner voice whispered that she had failed Eugene, that she had failed as a friend. Enid frowned and pushed away the destructive thoughts. She wouldn't be able to help anyone if she started moping.

Bianca clenched her fists in irritation and muttered curses under her breath.

"Tell me exactly what happened before that."

"We just arrived from Jericho and headed for the quad. I was talking to Ajax..."

“What?!” the siren blurted out in shock, and Sinclair suppressed an irritated growl, tired of Bianca's rude interruptions. "Are you fucking crazy, Sinclair?" she added much more quietly, afraid of disturbing Eugene.

"I don't see what your problem is. He's my friend! If you and Addams have decided to throw away your friend just like that, then I'm not like that at all," she spat venomously, causing Bianca to recoil. "I don't have to justify myself to you."

"What's my problem? Your friend?! You can't be serious! You'd better be joking. Are you saying that Addams didn't tell you anything?"

"Oh, ha! She said enough!"

"If she said enough, then I can't believe you're hanging out with that bastard."

The werewolf's hands twitched as if she wanted to sink her fingers into Barclay's smug, stupid face and tear it off. As always, right on cue, the wolf's quiet voice whispered to her that they hadn't hunted in a long time and that her thirst for blood was growing stronger as the full moon approached. It was a pleasant thought. Perhaps Enid would have liked to use this mental image to calm the beast. But at that moment, she felt disgusted by this desire. It was as if she despised Bianca in that very instant.

"Don't you dare," Enid growled, extending her claws. "Don't you dare call him that! Ajax is worth a dozen of you."

A harsh laugh escaped the siren's throat, and she stared blindly at Enid.

"God, truly, ignorance is bliss! How can you be so blind, Sinclair? It's beyond my comprehension. I highly doubt your curious ass didn't notice how others began to avoid him.”

"Oh, of fucking course I noticed!" Enid snapped viciously. "It's hard to ignore when your friends avoid another friend just because a couple of jerks told them to!"

The siren was surprised and opened and closed her mouth, unable to respond to this accusation. Had Enid been a bit more vain, she would have started dancing in triumph on the spot.

Suddenly, Eugene jerked away from her, tears streaming down his cheeks again. An expression of suffering and betrayal froze on his face, and Sinclair felt nausea rise in her throat at the sight of him.

“How... How could she not tell you?" Eugene stammered. His fingers dug so deeply into the fabric of his pants that one might worry about their safety. Enid slowly reached out to him, but he recoiled, his face contorting into a painful grimace. Bianca's posture softened, and her combative expression was replaced by sad resignation as she addressed the boy. It was so contrary to Barclay's usual behavior that Enid briefly entertained the foolish notion that she was looking at her duplicate.

"I think she took her promise to heart, Eugene," Bianca replied soothingly. "After all, Addams never did anything halfway."

Eugene stared blankly at Bianca, looking through her. Then he shook his head in horror and dug his wooden fingers into his tousled curls.

"No! She can't—how could she? This isn't right! Please..."

Enid's heart broke at the horrific scene unfolding before her. She couldn't bear to watch her friend literally fall apart. The boy was twitching hysterically, shifting his gaze between Enid and Bianca but unable to focus on either of them. Enid didn't want to watch, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the boy.

"Eugene," Bianca said sternly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a gentle embrace. "Breathe. In and out.”

Ottinger automatically began to breathe in time with the siren, and Enid, frightened, involuntarily joined them.

After several minutes of trying to calm Eugene down, he practically collapsed on the floor again. Enid caught him, holding him loosely enough that he could pull away if necessary. But he held on to her, turning his body toward the siren.

"You...you must know!" Ottinger exclaimed with surprising ferocity. He turned his head sharply toward Enid and simply stared at her with an incomprehensible expression. "You must know."

In addition to the frightening situation she was in, the werewolf felt extremely uncomfortable because she suddenly couldn't understand what they were talking about.

"I would be grateful if you could enlighten me," Enid began cautiously. "I don't understand a damn thing," she said, her voice rising reluctantly at the end. She grimaced at such a frank sign of her own nervousness.

Bianca's gaze turned to her. For the first time, Enid allowed herself to look at Bianca. If earlier the siren had seemed annoyingly pompous, albeit distressed; now it was clear that none of her inherent regality remained. Barclay looked exhausted. Her gaunt face showed clear signs of sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and sorrow. The straight posture that betrayed her skill as a fencer was gone; Bianca seemed to be bending under the weight of responsibility and problems.

In recent months, few of them have been truly happy.

Enid felt a twinge in her heart at this sight. Her dislike for Bianca quickly evaporated, replaced by sympathy. She and Yoko were so similar in this respect that she couldn't help but see her dear friend reflected in the siren.

"Eugene, I don't think this is something you should share," Bianca finally said, choosing her words carefully. The boy's face fell immediately, and he nodded blankly. He curled up into a ball and hugged himself. Enid realized with surprise that the incomprehensible expression on his face was shame. Judging by his guilty look, Barclay realized it, too. "No! No, Eugene, you have nothing to be ashamed of! That's not what I meant at all, and I apologize for that." I... I'm just concerned. She's his friend," she blurted out. Sinclair bristled at the implication that being friends with Ajax was a crime.

"That's why Enid needs to know," he said quietly but firmly.

Bianca fell silent, pursing her lips and crossing her arms over her chest. Eugene turned back to Enid. She waited for him to begin his story, but he opened and closed his mouth as if unable to utter a sound. His face contorted with pain and fear. Eugene closed his eyes tightly and looked up at the ceiling.

Enid felt nervous impulses running through her tense body. She thought desperately about how badly things had turned out but had no idea what could explain what was happening. The wolf was tired of sitting motionless in this gloomy, dusty place. It urged the werewolf to break out of the room, run into the forest, and shake Bianca and Eugene. Not amused by her animal side's insensitivity, Enid growled irritably at the wolf. She ordered him to shut up, threatening that for the next six months, she would only transform on the full moon. They would spend it in the hated, familiar cage. Fortunately, blissful silence soon descended on her mind.

“Bianca,” Eugene mumbled, bowing his head guiltily in a perfect imitation of a beaten puppy, “please tell her.”

"It's not my story, Eugene. Are you sure you want to leave it to me?"

Enid was charmed by the smooth yet gentle voice, and she was glad that Eugene had a support system.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Bianca snorted and crossed her arms over her chest again. The werewolf noticed with some satisfaction that cracks were appearing in Bianca's confident façade: her fingers tapped an incomprehensible rhythm on her biceps, her eyes darted quickly from the window to the boy, and her cheek twitched nervously. Enid turned her left ear slightly toward the siren and listened to her rapid heartbeat.

Eugene remained motionless.

Enid could only lean back against the wall and wait for Barclay to begin his story.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence and heavy pressure, the siren took a deep breath, turned to the others present, and began, resignedly,

"Well, fuck, Sinclair. Listen carefully. This is going to be disturbing."

Chapter Text

Bianca sat relaxed in one of the chairs in the Nightshades' library, blissfully closing her eyes, which were burning from many hours of intense work on her laptop. A few feet away, she could hear the quiet scratching of a pencil and the occasional muttering, which, surprisingly, wasn't annoying. She tried not to pay attention to the echoes of the party, whose bass reached them even in the most secluded part of the academy and pounded her temples.

Sighing quietly and opening her eyes, the siren turned her attention to Addams, who shared the relative silence with her. Wednesday stared intently at the numerous notes scattered haphazardly on the table and scribbled just as haphazardly on various sheets of paper.

If someone else had been in Bianca's place, they probably wouldn't have looked too closely at this picture, but she thought she was observant enough to notice inconsistencies.

Wednesday Addams is all about rhythm and order. Everything she did was calculated, and knowing this, it was easy to find a glitch.

With every beat, the seer's head twitched a little, the skin on her knuckles turned white, and her grip on the pencil got so tight it might have been dangerous.

To be honest, Bianca felt a gross sense of unease as she looked at Addams. She thought about all the possible disasters that could happen, but Jericho and Nevermore were surprisingly calm so far. In short, Barclay didn't know what to think.

"Are you going to keep staring like that?" A monotone voice broke the silence. She was about to respond sarcastically, but for some reason, Bianca held back.

“What's wrong?”

Wednesday's head lifted from the table, and she stared at the siren with a blank expression, as if she couldn't understand the question. During their... friendship (it still felt strange to say it out loud), Bianca had grown accustomed to the seer's dead eyes, but she still felt a slight chill.

“Define ‘wrong’,” Bianca rolled her eyes in annoyance, knocked the laptop off her lap, and stood up, wanting to stretch her stiff muscles.

“You're nervous.”

"It seems that our partnership has led you to believe that your chances of tasting tartar made from your own tongue are minimal, but I can assure you that my knife is always ready for an unscheduled feast.

"That's such a weak threat that now I'm starting to get really worried, Addams, so just tell me what's going on," Bianca said, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer. To be honest, she expected the knife to flash in someone else's hand, but the seer didn't even flinch, didn't even give her a murderous look.

"You could call it a premonition," Addams said slowly, twirling a pencil between her fingers. “Something is going to happen.”

"I guess it has something to do with your visions?"

"It's possible," Bianca frowned and waved her hand, urging the girl to continue, "at the beginning of the break, I had a very vague vision. It barely gave me any information, just silhouettes. It was more like feelings, emotions, if you will. And well... that's never been my strong part."

Barclay smiled kindly.

“Damn right. And you think the vision will happen today?"

“Presumably, it was supposed to happen today. Of course, I did everything I could to prevent it,” Bianca tilted her head to one side, recalling everything she knew about Addams' abilities. As far as she knew, her visions were harbingers of tragedy and always came true, as the past terrible year had confirmed, no matter how hard Xavier tried to convince them otherwise.

"So, you know what's going to happen?"

"No."

The siren's eye twitched involuntarily.

"I don't get it. You know something will happen, but you don't know what, right?"

Wednesday just nodded curtly. She didn't know what the vision was about, and she wasn't eager to explain the bits she had seen.

"If it's something it prevented, couldn't it have happened, just in a different way?"

For the first time that evening, a sparkle flashed in Addams' eyes, and she turned to her with interest.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Bianca said thoughtfully, "your visions always come true. Let's say you saw that someone close to you would be hit by a car. On that day, you didn't let them leave the house, so it didn't happen. But what if someone else gets hit by a car? Or maybe you were the catalyst for the vision, and it will come true one way or another." Addams snorted, pursing her lips, and seemed to straighten up even more in her chair.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I've thought about that. Since I didn't have as much detail as usual, I had to think about a lot of different options. All that remains is to hope that at least one blindly thrown knife will hit the target.

Siren gave another snort at the knife metaphor. Laughter aside, Barclay had once witnessed Wednesday blindly throwing darts at a target and found it impressive, but didn't tell her so. And even though it was tough to say, Bianca really valued the seer's strategic and analytical mind above all else.

"Your sincerity scares me. Stop."

"I discovered the concept of 'killing with kindness'. Quite effective, but not bloody enough for my taste.”

Barclay let out a hoarse chuckle, and she felt the tension ease up a bit.

"Well, Nevermore had better prepare for this," Bianca said more relaxed, walking over to the table and quickly scanning the sheets.

The messy scribbles made her frown, and she shot Adams a sideways glance, but Adams didn't seem to notice her annoyance and appeared to be deep in thought. She grabbed a few sheets of paper, trying to make sense of the mess of crossed-out lines, diagrams, and who knows what else. Siren closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to collect her thoughts. She was curious as to why she wasn't enjoying herself with her friends that evening, instead finding herself in a dusty basement (though it was exclusive). Bianca thought about Yoko fondly, with her bloodshot eyes (not hidden by dark glasses), cute fanged grin, and silly jokes. She thought about the vampire's disappointment when Bianca said she wasn't feeling well and couldn't go to the party. The lie felt as bitter as ever.

Barclay promised herself that next time she would do everything she could to prevent this from happening, but now she had to focus on more important tasks.

Bianca opened her eyes and focused on the text, noting some interesting clues and theories she'd like to discuss. Overall, though, she was disappointed with the pace of their work. She got herself together and didn't want to take it out on the seer, especially since the siren had asked her for help. The siren reassured herself that this was only the beginning and that patience was a virtue.

She grabbed the red marker lying on the edge of the table and quickly wrote, underlined, and circled notes. Bianca finished with one sheet, passed it back to Wednesday, and moved on to the next. Wednesday quickly read the comments, jotting them down in her notebook. The sound of scratching markers and pencils filled the room again, and the girls fell into a rhythm.

Bianca could admit to herself and no one else that she really enjoyed Addams' company and appreciated her. She figured Wednesday knew this and felt the same way. But that was the beauty of their relationship. They didn't need to say anything. Bianca was so used to pointless conversations, empty flattery, and other nonsense that she had to worry about as Nevermore's "queen bee" that Wednesday was a breath of fresh air. Barclay didn't need to explain himself to her or justify himself.

Enid once said that Wednesday wasn't the kindest person, but definitely one of the best. They all laughed at her and tapped their fingers on their temples. Even Divina, the most polite of the group, gently replied that poor Enid would be better off not getting involved with her. After all, the Addams family's reputation preceded them, not to mention Wednesday herself. But Sinclair just gave a slight frown and pursed her lips, clearly disappointed by their laughter and jokes. Addams didn't care what others thought, but Enid took the insults to heart. Obviously, the Nightshades weren't going to change their opinion because of her bias. They just kept the discussion in front of Sinclair to a minimum.

And then Crackstone came along.

Well, fuck.

Thinking back on it now, Bianca felt a bit ashamed.

It is unlikely that the “devils spawn” would risk her life for the sake of the entire school and outcasts in principle.. And she certainly would not press a certain werewolf against her so as to knock the last bit of life out of her. Honestly, Bianca didn't even participate in this... wonderful reunion of roommates, but she seemed to have had a religious experience, which she jokingly told her friends about when they were summing up the semester in the Nightshades library. Wednesday gave her such a mean look that anyone would have been scared. Enid just smiled brightly, catching the seer's stiletto unnoticed by the others, and pressed closer to her shoulder. Barclay turned away, hiding her smile, but decided not to comment on this rather domestic scene, choosing to preserve the girls' privacy and, more likely, her own life.

Basically, they all admitted that they had been too hasty in their judgment.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing, and she automatically reached into her pocket, but quickly realized that it wasn't hers. Bianca was surprised to see Wednesday staring at her phone. She pursed her lips, trying not to laugh at the sight, but it was too funny to watch Addams struggle with technology. Just like a grandma , thought the siren. Then, out of nowhere, there were familiar voices and loud music filling the room, which made Barclay wince. Wednesday muttered a silent curse, turned down the volume, and apparently restarted the playback from the beginning.

" Wednesda-a-a-ay! Come join us, it's totally fun! "

Ah, now it was clear. Sinclair's drunken voice was unmistakable.

"What a moron," the seer muttered, annoyed, glancing at the screen. But Bianca was pretty sure that Addams' eyes had softened.

"Yeah, Addams, stop moping in your kennel. Your doggy is right here—oh, what the hell, Nid!"

Bianca couldn't help but laugh, imagining one vampire getting smacked on the head for his insolence. She'd be happy to tease Yoko tomorrow.

"Shut the fuck up!"

The video started from the beginning, and Wednesday turned off her phone with a barely suppressed smirk, not bothering to reply to the message. Bianca wanted to tease her about her obvious... “tolerance” (as the seer herself called it) toward her roommate, but decided to give Addams a chance to quietly enjoy the flash of affection. They were in the same situation, after all.

“Do you have any more information?” Wednesday asked, getting up from her seat and starting to gather her papers into a neat stack. Out of nowhere, a briefcase that Bianca saw a lot of white-collars carrying showed up in her hands, and she shoved the documents into one of its compartments.

"I've got a little bit on my laptop, but it's more like a conspiracy theory," the siren said, shrugging, and headed for her seat. "I don't think it'll be very useful."

"At this point in the investigation, we can't ignore the data, even if it turns out to be nothing more than nonsense," Addams said. Bianca just grunted, deciding not to argue, and, finding the necessary files, placed the laptop on the table in front of Wednesday.

Adams leaned over the device and, squinting at the bright screen, started to check out how the siren worked. Bianca, having run out of better ideas, started scrolling through her Instagram feed, checking out photos of students from the party. She especially liked the clip where Kent was playing Just Dance and trying not to trip every two seconds, while Divina stood next to him, clapping her hands to the beat like an excited mom at her child's first performance.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Wednesday's hooked fingers hovering over the keyboard as she attempted to open the next page (again, she hoped Enid was teaching this girl some information literacy skills). At last, Addams pressed the button with her index finger and—

Crack!

"What the hell!"

The sickening crunch of bones made Bianca feel nauseous, and she swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in her throat. Wednesday threw her head back, her eyes wide, her body leaning dangerously toward the cold floor. Bianca threw her phone aside and rushed to Wednesday, awkwardly picking her up but faltering and allowing the seer's head to hit the edge of the table. Wednesday did not move, hanging limply in Bianca's arms. With a groan of discomfort, Bianca carefully lowered Wednesday to the floor and placed her head on her knees.

"Holy shit," Barclay whispered frantically as she stared at the black trails of tears cutting across her friend's eerily relaxed face. Her heart pounded in her ears like a bell. She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm down. But, gods, she was scared as fuck, and if the siren had been less compassionate, she would have run from that place in a second, leaving the cold body on the floor behind her.

She had only seen Wednesday's visions a few times, but they were always accompanied by someone or something else, such as the strange living hand, Enid, or Eugene. Bianca didn't have to deal with it. She stood there awkwardly, holding the water. Besides, she didn't remember Addams crying during her seizures. She really wanted to shake her and wake her up, but she suppressed that desire. Bianca simply didn't want to cause any more harm. Seers like Wednesday were extremely rare, and it was more of a curse than a gift, as the siren remembered.

Bianca didn't know how much time had passed. It seemed like several hours had gone by.

Wednesday didn't wake up.

She glanced at her phone, which was lying a few feet away from her on the floor. Barclay was tempted to call Enid, but she knew a drunk werewolf would only make their situation worse, not help her. Addams probably wouldn't want to wake up to the cries of an agitated Sinclair.

Bianca had to pull herself together.

But Wednesday still wasn't waking up.

She looked like a damn corpse!

Siren felt her hands twitch nervously as she held Wednesday's head in her lap. She quickly pulled her hands away. To calm her mind, she felt a pulse on the girl's neck. For a moment, she thought that Addams wasn't breathing or beating her heart, and she felt her own heart in her throat again. But a moment later, life pulsed beneath her fingers. Bianca let out a convulsive sigh, unaware that she had been holding her breath. She rubbed her face wearily with her palms.

"Fucking Addams, you're gonna have to pay for therapy for this shit".

How long is this going to go on?

Bianca glanced nervously at Wednesday's face but quickly looked away, unable to bear her strange appearance, which was reminiscent of Marie Antoinette's death mask and that Bianca had seen online. Bianca wondered whether she should wipe the black trails of tears from Wednesday's pale cheeks or leave them alone. Wednesday would certainly be upset when she realized that Barclay had seen her cry. At the very least, she would threaten to pour sand down her throat again. Bianca would like to think that Wednesday could lower her defenses around her.

The rapid pulse under her fingers brought her out of her stupor.

Goddess , Bianca thought hysterically. She cursed her carelessness. Her last conversation with Addams had hit her like a sledgehammer. She berated herself for letting panic cloud her judgment. How could she have forgotten in a second that Wednesday was worried about today? Now, she had no doubts.

No matter how much Wednesday prepared or how hard she tried to prevent it, she couldn't stop what was coming.

The vision would come true.

Or maybe it already had.

She felt like the heroine of a cheap thriller, destined for a terrible fate.

Bianca bit the inside of her cheek and told herself to calm down. Panicking wouldn't help, and if something terrible had really happened, Wednesday would need a clear head. Enid and the Nightshades wouldn't be available for a few hours, so they'd have to manage on their own. Any regrets about missing out on having fun with her friends were forgotten, and she felt closer to Addams than ever before.

The seer's eyelids fluttered, her fingertips twitched, and her face contorted with rage as if she were tormented by a nightmare. Her relaxed body was now as hard as stone. Bianca winced at the sound of grinding teeth. Wednesday looked like a victim of an exorcism, shaking more violently with every passing second.

Suddenly, Wednesday sprang up like a jack-in-the-box, startling Barclay. Addams turned toward the noise, and Bianca was horrified by what she saw. Wednesday looked crazed and ready to attack, but she ignored the siren and did not move toward it. The seer rushed around the room like a hurricane, frantically searching for her bag.

“Wednesday, what the hell happened? What did you see?" Bianca hissed. But Wednesday didn't even look at her, already heading for the exit. Bianca wanted to shake her and bring her to her senses. At the same time, she was afraid she would only delay her.

Any delay could be fatal.

Bianca jumped up without gathering her things and ran after Addams. She almost lost her, but she saw Wednesday's back disappear around the corner and sped up.

Fortunately, there was hardly anyone outside except for a few drunk students lying around here and there who didn't react to the noise.

The annoying beats now sounded ominous. Bianca couldn't tell if she could hear the echoes of the music or her own heart beating like a bell in her ears.

She approached Wednesday, who was running furiously toward the boys' dorms. Addams glanced at her but said nothing, her lips pressed together.

"Wednesday, what's going on?" the siren asked again, gasping from the run. "Answer me, damn it!"

Wednesday remained silent. With every passing moment, she felt as if the seer were surrounded by more and more darkness, as if it were swirling around her shoulders. Bianca could have sworn she heard an animalistic growl near her ear, causing her to break out in cold sweat. She dared to look at Addams again. A mask of furious anger had frozen on her face, barely resembling a human one. Wednesday did not seem like herself; it was as if a devilish doppelgänger had replaced her. Barclay closed her eyes, trying to drive away these terrible images. Overwhelmed with despair, she struggled to hold back a scream.

They ran to Caliban Hall. Wednesday slowed down and finally came to a complete stop in front of the building's main entrance. Bianca bent over, resting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. Siren looked at Wednesday, who stood like a soldier next to her, her chest heaving, likely from exhaustion or anger.

Wednesday turned her head mechanically toward Bianca and stared at her intently. Her dark eyes seemed like an abyss that would swallow all who displeased her. The seer's hand disappeared into her bag. The sound of metal, glass, and something else she didn't want to know about came from inside.

Barclay expected Adams to pull out another knife, dagger, or something similar. The girl's hand appeared again, and she held out her clenched fist with white knuckles. Bianca reached out in astonishment, and a vial containing emerald-colored liquid quickly fell into her palm. She examined it quickly, considering several potions of that color. She decided to check the smell, so she pulled out the cork. When she brought the cork to her nose, she grimaced at the foul sulfuric smell of the potion of sobriety. Now, dozens of theories swirled in her head, but she couldn't fathom why Wednesday had given it to her.

Addams didn't wait for her, apparently deciding that she had given the girl enough time to collect her thoughts and catch her breath. She burst inside without looking back. Bianca replaced the cork and put the bottle in her pocket, hurrying after her friend.

Caliban Hall seemed empty. Even the adults were not in their usual places. But the omnipresent music followed them, mixing with the thunderous sound of their footsteps. The cacophony caused only a dull headache, and Bianca wished she could be deaf for at least five minutes.

Wednesday reached the stairs in a matter of moments, flying across several steps with an ease that would make vampires envious. Siren thought with surprise that she needed to devote more time to physical training. She smiled, realizing that this was the most harmless and lighthearted thought she had had in a long time. Pulling herself together, the siren pushed the excess thoughts out of her head and focused on reality, concentrating on the familiar burning sensation in her muscles.

As they moved forward, Bianca waited with bated breath for Addams to appear on the third floor. Xavier's floor. She could admit to herself that she was afraid for Xavier, though it was no longer that tremulous, love-filled feeling. Now, it was fear for a comrade. No matter how much Thorpe complained about Wednesday and her ability to get into shitty situations, Xavier clearly got himself into them often enough. Luckily for her—or rather, for Xavier—Wednesday climbed higher and higher until she opened the door to the fourth floor.

Bianca's pulse quickened.

They were close, but to what?

Bianca quickly ran through all the Caliban Hall students who might be involved, but Pugsley Addams was the only one who came to mind.

Was he in danger? Those who had participated in the vision?

If Wednesday's younger brother is in danger, gods help them all. She knew enough to understand that the seer would leave no stone unturned in Nevermore.

They passed numerous doors, and each time, the siren's heart skipped a beat. The closer they got to the end of the corridor, the more clearly she could hear music. Bianca thought the sounds of the party were following her, but she quickly realized the music was coming from the last door.

She wanted to stop and talk to Wednesday, coordinate their actions, or at least eavesdrop on what was happening inside.

Before she could open her mouth, Wednesday kicked the lock with all her might, breaking it. The door swung open, revealing the room inside.

Time seemed to freeze.

Those few seconds seemed to last an eternity.

The room was dark, but she could see everything concealed. The repulsive smell of weed, sweat, and cheap cologne nearly made her vomit, so she tried not to breathe deeply.

The first thing she noticed was the nearly naked, sprawled boyish body with two people looming over it and another standing nearby with a phone, apparently filming what was happening. Their hooting and disgusting laughter sent shivers down her spine.

Three students turned at the terrible crash. One of them was Ajax, who was hovering over someone and trying to remove the last thing covering the stranger's modesty, as Bianca discovered with horror. His drunken, surprised expression almost made her laugh. But that nervous, desperate laugh stuck in the back of her throat, and she almost choked on it.

Looking even closer, she saw the familiar black, messy curls and the glasses sitting crookedly on a young face.

Eugene , Bianca thought, stunned.

The boy paid no attention to the intruders. He hardly reacted to the world around him, only writhing slightly and moaning.

The jar now weighed on her like a stone.

"What the hell? Who are you?" the gorgon with the phone shouted. The guy holding Eugene's hands in a firm grip—a werewolf, if Bianca guessed correctly—supported him with a threatening growl.

But Ajax froze, staring at Wednesday like a deer in the headlights. With a fearful grimace, he slowly began to crawl away from Ottinger, trying to say something, but it was too late.

Wednesday literally pounced on Petropulus, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him off the bed. Barclay followed suit and noticed that the werewolf was trying to dig his claws into Addams' back and drag him away from his friend, but the siren intercepted him, quickly knocking him out with her siren song. Unfortunately, she was unable to stop the other gorgon from attacking her. He threw down his phone and rushed at the seer, grabbing her braids and pulling her away from the screaming Ajax. Wednesday struck the attacker in the stomach with her sharp elbow, causing him to double over with a pained groan. Bianca kicked him under the knee, causing him to stumble and fall awkwardly.

"You fucking bitches, you're fucked!", the Gorgon blurted out. He tried to remove something resembling a turban from his head. Barclay knocked him out with her siren song. Giving in to her vengeful impulse, she kicked him in the stomach.

Wednesday paid no interest to them, focusing all her attention on Ajax.

Crack!

The sickening crunch and muffled scream sobered Bianca. She rushed to Eugene.

She quickly checked him for injuries, found none, and covered his trembling body with a blanket. Sirena gently cupped Ottinger's cheeks and adjusted his glasses, speaking softly to him, but he did not respond. His eyes darted around, unable to focus, and his pupils were so large that his irises were not visible. Saliva dripped from his open mouth. Sirena was so accustomed to seeing others in various states of intoxication that this came as no surprise. But now, looking at the boy who usually followed Wednesday around, had trouble making friends, and talked about his bees with stars in his eyes, Bianca felt sick and disgusted. She struggled to resist the urge to turn away and forget this image burned into her cornea.

"Fuck, s-st-o-op! Addams!” Ajax shouted, gasping for breath. His pleas went unheeded, however. Barclay turned around and looked at her former comrade with disgust. He caught her gaze. "B-bianca! Help, help me !”

His face was covered in blood. His blood , she thought with sadistic pleasure. Making sure he was still looking at her, Bianca smiled and shook her head, leaving him to pay for his actions. Ajax snarled and raised his hands, striking Wednesday in the face. She tilted her head slightly to the side but made no sound. Instead, she struck Petropolus in the throat, causing the boy to gasp. His resistance only seemed to spur her on. He tried to pull off his hat with his other hand, but suffered the same fate as his friend. Wednesday simply pulled the fabric over his entire head, covering his face. Ajax cursed them, but the sound of his voice was muffled by the fabric and the continuing music. He writhed like a worm, trying to push the Seer off of him and striking careless blows along the way, but she did not loosen her grip.

Wednesday had been silent so far, and Bianca knew this was not a good sign. She was used to them exchanging jokes and sarcastic remarks during their fights, but never in silence. There had only been silence during the fight with Crackstone, but then they needed to save their lives, not have fun. Their sparring matches were an outlet and a way to demonstrate their skills, not an act of animalistic revenge. Well, now it was. Bianca rarely remembered the beginning of their relationship. Looking at her friend's tense figure as he trampled the gorgon into the floor, she couldn't call it anything else. If the siren had been more bloodthirsty, Bianca would have gladly joined her in trampling this bastard into the dirt. However, her disgust for him stopped her. It was disgusting to even look at his filthy, tormented face, but she persevered. She did so to witness Wednesday's just retribution for Eugene. And, to be honest, to enjoy his pain.

Despite the annoying, trashy music, you could hear the squelching sounds of bloody blows. Bianca wondered if there would be a spot on Ajax that wasn't covered in blood or if he would turn into rotten meat like in cheap horror movies with corn syrup. She wished this horrible evening was just a figment of her imagination.

Eugene's faint moan made her jump. She turned away from the bloody scene and, with trembling hands, reached for the bottle, trying to pull out the cork. The smell of sulfur filled the room again, but she didn't pay any attention to it. Hurriedly, she remembered that nausea was one of the side effects of the potion. She looked around for something to use as a bucket but couldn't find anything. She gently pushed Ottinger to the edge of the bed so that he wouldn't throw up on himself.

"Genie, you have to drink this," Bianca whispered as she gently opened the boy's mouth. He didn't react, only twitching weakly on the sheets. Barclay held his head steady, quickly poured the liquid into his mouth, tossed the empty bottle aside, and began massaging his throat. Eugene twitched and contorted his face in displeasure, but soon fell silent. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and he rolled over to one side, hanging his head off the bed. Bianca grimaced at the sound of vomiting but said nothing and didn't move away. She gently patted the boy on the back.

The sounds of the struggle in the background had completely died down, so Bianca turned around. Wednesday stood behind her, towering over Petropolus's motionless body in a strange position. Not even the sound of the snakes hissing in panic could be heard. For a second, the siren feared that Addams had beaten him to death, and in that moment, dozens of scenarios for how events might unfold flashed through her aching head (along with ways to hide the body, but the seer probably had more experience in that area). Wednesday kicked Ajax one last time, and he let out a gasping moan. Gorgon did not wake up, remaining in temporarily blissful oblivion.

Eugene returned to his place, exhausted, and slumped onto the sheets. His greenish skin was covered in sweat, and he ran his limp hand over his face, wiping away the moisture and traces of vomit. His clouded gaze finally focused on Bianca, but he still seemed unaware of his surroundings. Siren was glad the boy was quickly returning to normal, but with every passing second, she feared the moment he would remember everything. No matter how hard she tried to control herself, her heart began beating faster and faster.

Barclay saw it. She saw it in Eugene's confused face, which turned from a sickly green to white as a sheet. She saw the expression of betrayal, disgust, and incomprehension. The slow realization of what had happened.

Ottinger closed his eyes and trembled as he curled up into a ball, wrapping himself tighter in the blanket and hiding his face in his knees.

Bianca felt so guilty that she was afraid to touch him. She was worried that Eugene would reject her comfort and that she would cause him even more pain. So she remained motionless, staying close but not touching him.

The boy's body shook, and he choked back a pitiful sob in a futile attempt to be inconspicuous and quiet.

The siren dug her nails into her palms until they bled, but she ignored the pain, leaning closer to Eugene and whispering words of comfort. Eugene flinched at her voice, but she persisted. He peeked out of his hiding place and glanced at her. Bianca hoped she looked friendly enough for him to open up to her. Ottinger looked at her with tear-stained, swollen eyes and leaned closer. Bianca didn't dare refuse her friend, so she placed her palm on top of his tousled curls and gently stroked them. She was grateful that he still trusted her. Without realizing it, Eugene lifted a small burden from someone else's shoulders.

The sound of marching footsteps approached them quickly, and Wednesday stopped at the edge of her unstable shelter and froze like a soldier. Illuminated by the unnatural yellow light of a flickering electric lamp, her face resembled an antique porcelain doll. Black streaks of tears on her angular face looked like chips from which evil would emerge at any moment. Flashes of blood created a grotesque picture worthy of a cheap vampire novel. Blood still flowed from her nose, though it was not broken. It dripped down her lips and chin, staining her starched shirt. A bruise was forming on her cheekbone—not just one—and she had several scratches of varying depths. But Wednesday made no attempt to tidy herself up, as if she didn't even notice her injuries. Bianca wasn't scared, but rather concerned about her condition. In her opinion, she had reason to worry. Wednesday's expressive eyes, emphasized by her stoic expression, seemed cosmically black, as if there were no color at all. As if Wednesday Addams herself were not there. Bianca expected anger, unbridled rage, and a small apocalypse, but none of that happened. Perhaps that was even more terrifying.

Disturbed by the suspicious noise, Eugene looked up at Wednesday. His face contorted into a grimace and he whimpered, burrowing deeper into the mattress in fear. Bianca shushed him soothingly, running her fingers through his hair and massaging his scalp.

"Addams, you're scaring the shit out of him. Stop it ," she hissed. But she didn't move. The only sign that she had heard Barclay was the twitching of a muscle on her cheek.

Without saying a word, Wednesday stepped back, pulled out a black silk handkerchief with lace trim and familiar initials, and began methodically wiping the blood from her swelling knuckles. The scene was so surreal in its ordinariness that Bianca froze for a moment, watching her. How could a seer with her skills let Petropolus, who was out of shape, touch her? He could have easily been knocked out with a single blow. Instead, she got involved in a fight, albeit a practically one-sided one, if we compare the scale of the damage. It was also surprising that she didn't use any of her numerous weapons.

When she turned her attention back to Ottinger, Bianca saw that he was watching Addams with a mixture of pain, fear, and shame. However, his eyes were full of sincere affection. Wednesday herself was not looking at them. She looked around, gathered Eugene's few belongings, grabbed the bastard's camera phone, and put it in her pocket.

"Get dressed," Wednesday said in her usual indifferent tone. She left Eugene's clothes at the foot of the bed and turned away. Bianca nodded and smiled encouragingly at the boy. He looked indecisive and frightened, clearly unwilling to leave his cocoon.

"We have to go, Genie".

After hesitating for a few moments, he finally rose slowly from his seat, still wrapped in the blanket. Bianca respectfully turned away and approached Wednesday, who was facing away from her. Addams did not react, remaining lost in her thoughts. Only when she heard the rustle of someone else's clothes did she freeze and hand the phone to the siren. Bianca looked questioningly at her friend as she twirled the device in her hands.

“Figure it out,” Barclay grinned crookedly, laughing to herself at the seer, but said nothing, deciding to deal with it once they had taken care of Eugene.

The rustling of clothes died down, and Eugene approached them, hugging himself and pressing himself sideways against Bianca. She hugged him by the shoulders, pressing him against her, and headed for the exit. Wednesday remained where she was, watching them.

"Go. I'll be right there," Bianca said, frowning as she looked at Addams' tense figure. She was clearly ready to continue, judging by her tightly clenched fists.

"I expect you to catch up with us in a minute, Addams," Bianca said meaningfully. She nodded toward the trash and, with belated irritation, added, "And for fuck's sake, fix your face."

Without waiting for a response, Bianca turned around and gently but firmly led Eugene out of the room. She didn't think long about where to take him. Her roommate rarely came home, preferring to spend the night with her girlfriend. However, she could still show up at any moment. Wednesday's room was out of the question for the same reason. Bianca hesitantly asked Eugene about his room. He nodded slowly and mumbled the number of his dormitory, which was two floors below. It wasn't an ideal solution, too close to Petropolus's room, but beggars can't be choosers, and she hoped that everything would go smoothly.

They walked in oppressive silence. Bianca looked around anxiously, but it was just as quiet around them. The rare sounds that reached them made Eugene shudder, causing Bianca to hold him tighter.

They quickly descended the stairs and stopped in front of Eugene's room. The boy frantically searched his pockets for the key but quickly realized that he didn't have it. He looked at the siren sheepishly, expecting her to scold him, but she just smiled and told him not to worry. Barclay was sure that Addams would be able to open the door quickly.

Speaking of the devil, Wednesday appeared next to them like a ghost. There was now no trace of black tears or blood on her; even her tousled braids were back in their usual order. The only reminders of the chaos were the occasional scratch, abrasion, bruise, and bloodstain on her clothes. However, the frightening, animalistic fury with which Addams had beaten Ajax and his sidekicks remained. Though accustomed to it, Bianca couldn't help wondering how the very human Wednesday could exude so much monstrosity. No longer embarrassed by his friend's frightening state, Eugene visibly relaxed, and the tremors in his body weakened until they were replaced by rare shudders.

Wednesday stood in front of Eugene, holding out a silver key in her open palm. He seemed hesitant to touch it. Seeing his hesitation, Bianca reached out herself. Wednesday quickly pulled her hand back, hid it behind her back, and gave the siren a warning look while shaking her head. Bianca just rolled her eyes. Addams reached out again, waiting patiently for the others to act.

Eugene looked at his own key with an incredulous, moist gaze.

He slowly raised his trembling hand and grasped the key with a weak grip.

Wednesday seemed to straighten even more, and her black eyes flashed.

Ottinger reluctantly stepped away from Bianca, walked over to the door lock, opened the door, and stepped inside. He took a few steps inside before noticing that his companions remained outside the threshold. He froze in confusion.

"Can we come in?" Wednesday asked. Stunned that they had even asked, Eugene nodded vigorously, and the girls quickly entered, closing the door behind them.

Siren gently led him to the bed and looked around. It was a surprisingly neat room that screamed about its owner's personality: characteristic shades of yellow and black scattered here and there, a shelf with jars of honey, numerous books about insects and other animals, several DC and Star Wars movie posters, and a few photos of family and friends.

Barclay's gaze fell on an old, worn blanket with a funny bee on it, lying casually on a chair, and, grabbing it, she gently wrapped her friend in it.

Making sure Eugene was comfortable, Bianca sat down next to him on the bed, shoulder to shoulder with the boy. He was clearly comforted by the physical presence of the siren, and she was happy to help him. The seer herself stood in the middle of the room, ignoring her friend's nod toward the chair and folding her arms behind her back.

The atmosphere of the difficult conversation ahead hung over their heads like an inevitable punishment.

"I won't ask you about what happened, Eugene," Wednesday said sharply, causing Eugene to shudder. "Besides, you don't need to worry about it. They won't be in Nevermore long enough to see the dawn.”

Ottinger let out a strangled gasp and stared fearfully at Addams.

"No, you can't! It's not worth it!" he exclaimed heatedly. Bianca glanced at him in surprise. She didn't have such bloody inclinations, of course, but she understood Wednesday's desire perfectly well.

"Ginny, they can't be let off the hook," Wednesday nodded irritably, and Eugene hung his head dejectedly, "We can go to Weems. She'll take care of it."

"No!" he shouted, his whole body shaking. "No, no, no, no!" His wild gaze darted between his friends and he looked like he was about to collapse again. Bianca wrapped her arms around him and pressed him close in an attempt to ground him. Wednesday stood a few steps away at the edge of the bed, leaning over them but not touching.

"Eugene, listen to me," Addams began sternly. "You need to calm down. We're not going to Weems, do you hear me? We're not going to Weems.”

"Yes, Eugene," Bianca coaxed softly, practically rocking him in her arms. "We won't do anything without your consent. Everything will be as you say.”

"I swear."

Eugene gradually calmed down, stopping his frantic shaking and muttering. It took a few more minutes of reassurance and promises before the boy relaxed again. He dropped his head wearily onto the siren's shoulder. Bianca felt the fabric beneath his face dampen again and closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds.

It was as if she were stuck in a never-ending nightmare.

"We respect your decision, Eugene. But Weems has all... the legal leverage over them.”

"You d-don't understand," he said, his voice sounding so broken and pitiful that Bianca could feel a lump forming in her throat. "My parents will take me away. Everyone will find out. They will find out! They'll take me away from the academy! I—I—can't! You are here, my friends, my bees. I can't leave everything. I can't give up on everything. They didn't want to because of Crackstone and Hyde. This is my everything. P-please."

A heavy silence hung in the room. Bianca understood better than anyone what it meant to cling to this place. But it was a bitter realization. Eugene had them at a dead end. What else could they do? She did not want to let the bastards off the hook at all. Maybe she could give them certain orders.

"We can erase their memories," Bianca said thoughtfully. She calculated how much strength she would need for such a feat and whether it would work at all. Eugene quickly agreed, looking at the siren with big, pitiful eyes. Addams twisted her lips in displeasure and crossed her arms over her chest.

"And that's the decision?" Wednesday chirped. “Let them get away with their wickedness?

"It's Eugene's choice, Addams," Bianca said coldly.

“It's an idiotic choice. Forgetting is forgiveness, and they don't deserve it. They'll forget, and then what? Will they walk around the academy until they find their next victim? Or will they come back to him again?" Wednesday stared at the boy, as if looking through him. Ottinger took the anger as his own and hung his head in defeat.

“What do you suggest, Wednesday?” Petropolus may be an imbecile, but he has enough influence to cause trouble over a missing or murdered son!”

Eugene flinched at Barclay's malicious remark. She stopped herself, remembering that they should calm him down, not upset him further.

Wednesday, clearly angry, was about to start another angry speech when the siren interrupted her.

"We can discuss the details later, Addams," she snapped. Then, in a softer tone, she turned to Eugene: "I promise, Genie, you'll stay in Nevermore, and they'll stay alive."

"Thank you," Eugene whispered with relief. Addams remained silent, much to her relief. She had neither the strength nor the desire to argue with her.

To distract herself and Eugene, Bianca started a light conversation with the boy about entomology, trying to remember the few facts she knew. When she ran out of knowledge, Barclay joined the conversation with a faint smile and happily chattered about insects, jumping from topic to topic. Inevitably, he moved on to his favorite subject. Barclay realized that Bianca was interested in hearing about the important role of bees in the ecosystem. Ottinger was an enthusiastic storyteller, albeit not the most coherent. His enthusiasm overwhelmed him with words.

After a while, his speech slowed down and became increasingly incoherent. The boy was clearly nodding off but didn't allow himself to fall asleep.

"You need sleep," Addams said, breaking her silence. Eugene perked up, looking agitated, and dug his fingers into the blanket.

"We'll stay with you until you fall asleep," Bianca assured him. "Go ahead and get ready for bed. We'll be right here, okay?"

He agreed reluctantly but didn't protest. Still wrapped in a blanket, he picked up some things and locked himself in the bathroom. Nothing happened for a while. Alone for the first time, Eugene tried to make sense of everything that had happened in the last few hours. She hoped he wouldn't spiral out of control when they couldn't physically stop him.

There was the sound of water, and Bianca allowed herself to relax.

However, the tension that had left her body was practically the only thing keeping her going. Now that Eugene was gone, there was no point in keeping up appearances.

At that moment, Barclay felt dizzy and nauseous. Her vision blurred, and she bowed her head, unable to support her own weight. With some belated surprise, Bianca noticed drops falling on her knees. Tears , she realized.

Human relationships are truly amazing! Did she mourn the lost friendship? Perhaps, but she was not close enough to Ajax to grieve his loss. Because of her circumstances, she often wondered whom she should open her heart to and whom she should not. Naturally, the Gorgon remained at the back of her mind. Still, he was part of her inner circle, part of the Nightshades, and part of her society. His betrayal, or "treachery" as Addams would have called it, was like a dagger to the back. It was a failure. It was her failure as a leader and as a friend.

How dare she cry?

And as if contradicting herself, the tears flowed more freely, and she angrily wiped them from her face.

Bianca noticed a movement in front of her and lifted her heavy head. Wednesday, as always imperturbable, stood before her and held out a lilac handkerchief. Bianca took it automatically, noting that it was clean. But that was a childish and silly thought. Of course, Addams was strange, but she would hardly share a handkerchief with her own blood, if not for reasons of hygiene, then at least for fear of the blood being used in some ritual.

"This is no time for tears," Wednesday said in an icy tone.

Bianca let out a watery laugh that grew into full laughter. Wednesday did not react, continuing to watch her. How Enid could put up with this regularly was beyond her comprehension.

Bianca rose from the bed on shaky legs and came up level with the seer.

"You're such a bitch," Barclay said with a smirk. Without waiting for a response, she walked over to a small mirror and quickly fixed her appearance. Satisfied that Eugene wouldn't notice, she turned to Addams, smugness evident on her face. Wednesday stood motionless in the same spot, waiting for Bianca.

"I need all the information about the other two."

Barclay grimaced at the commanding tone. She was about to snap back but, looking into her friend's tense eyes, she bit her tongue. She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. As if she needed to be told what to do! Her hands clenched into fists again. Remembering that she was holding someone else's handkerchief, she held it out to Wednesday. She made no attempt to take it and stared questioningly at Bianca.

"What?" she asked wearily.

"You're so willing to part with it," Adams replied, slightly surprised. Noticing the stranger's confusion, he continued, "Siren tears are an invaluable ingredient, Barclay. Don't you know?"

Still under the influence of her own sensitivity, Bianca shrugged. A thought flashed through her mind: If she couldn't trust Wednesday, who could she trust? Of course, she had Divina, Kent, Enid, and Yoko. Despite today, she would trust them with her life. But Addams? She could reveal all her skeletons in the closet, and Addams would assess the structure of the bones with aloof grace and select a reliable lock.

In short, a handkerchief with a couple of tears on it cost her nothing, and she would gladly offer more.

Bianca waved her hand dismissively, deciding not to respond. She headed for the chair and collapsed into it, exhausted. She took out the stranger's phone and tried to unlock it. She cursed quietly when she saw the six-digit password. Bianca tapped her fingers thoughtfully on the armrest and, putting down the stranger's phone, took out her own. She quickly opened Ajax's profile and scanned the list of friends, quickly finding her target: Derrick Robinson, gorgon, 17 years old, born September 1, 2006, in Portland ... With a satisfied grunt, she returned to the password screen and tried entering his date of birth. The main screen greeted her with a photo of a half-naked model.

"What an idiot," Barclay muttered, immediately opening the gallery. The last five files were videos.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to muster the courage to watch. She didn't want to see it; she wished she could erase everything related to today from her memory. But she couldn't. The burden of responsibility weighed heavily on her shoulders, and she could only humbly accept it.

Bianca consoled herself with the thought of the idiots' broken faces.

She pressed the play button.

The first few videos were fairly harmless. At first, they were just having fun at the party venue with other students passing by in the background. There were no red flags. Only Eugene looked uncomfortable, which could be attributed to being in unfamiliar company. Ottinger was occasionally pressured to drink, but he stubbornly refused, and they left him alone for a while.

Bianca moved on to the third video, which began with them already in Petropolus's room. Ajax practically collapsed on the embarrassed Eugene, who was holding a plastic cup, and persuaded him to try it. The cameraman agreed with the Gorgon and focused the camera on Eugene's face, which was hidden behind his overgrown bangs. The scene was so uncomfortable that Bianca wanted to turn it off, but she forced herself to keep watching.

" Come on, man, one cup won't kill you! " Ajax exclaimed cheerfully, tugging at the boy's shoulder.

Eugene shrugged awkwardly and adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down his nose from the shaking.

" I don't— "

" God, just relax, bud ," a hoarse voice said from behind the camera. Ajax smiled crookedly and said, " It's all good here. Your parents won't punish you if you have a little fun ."

Gorgon nodded drunkenly and pressed Eugene closer to him, spilling liquid onto the boy's pants. With cheerful laughter and indistinct apologies, gorgon began to casually wipe away the wet spot. Meanwhile, Ottinger's face turned red, and he gently tried to push away the stranger's hands. Ajax, however, paid no attention to this, preferring to sing falsely along to a song playing in the background.

The werewolf, who had been out of focus, suddenly jumped up and staggered but managed to stay on his feet.

" Come on, guys, let's drink! "

He raised his glass. Ajax and Robinson quickly rose to their feet to support him. Eugene stood up behind Petropolus out of inertia and now stood stiffly with his hands pressed against his sides.

The boys took turns clinking their glasses, drinking them dry with a loud cheer.

Drunken laughter rang out again.

" Come join us, Eugene! You can't miss this! " Ajax said confidently, pushing the glass toward Eugene.

" Yeah, dude, you have to drink with us, too! "

" Exactly! Stop being so boring. You don't want to be bo-o-o-o-oring. "

Their cackling made Ottinger cringe and mutter under his breath.

Ajax pressed his mouth to the boy's ear and whispered something.

Eugene's resolve melted away before their eyes. Either he was tired of being refused or he wanted to get rid of the annoying voices. He hesitantly took the drink from someone else's hands. He brought it to his lips and took a tentative sip. Ajax squeezed Ottinger's hand, which was holding the glass, forcing him to continue drinking.

Eugene choked, making nauseating sounds as he shook his head weakly. Alcohol dripped from his lips and chin, staining his T-shirt with a bee on it.

The guys started chanting,

" Drink up! Drink up! Drink up! "

The video cut off.

Bianca, who had been holding her breath without noticing, gasped and pressed her fingers to her temple. She looked away from the device and at Wednesday. The seer stood motionless, staring into space. It was as if she hadn't heard a sound. Judging by her absent expression, that was the case.

The sound of water in the bathroom had not yet stopped. She had time, but she couldn't delay.

Barclay was alone with this filth, and there were two more videos to go.

Not allowing herself to hesitate any longer, she pressed the button again.

Eugene and Petropolus were in the center of the frame again, with Ajax's chest pressed against Eugene's back.

Uno cards were scattered in front of them, but the game had long been forgotten.

Ottinger had clearly gotten drunk quickly and was now sitting there like a relaxed pile of bones. He leaned his head wearily on the gorgon's shoulder. The gorgon pressed his nose into Eugene's neck and giggled. His rough hands wrapped possessively around Eugene's body, groping him mindlessly. Eugene did not resist, but he was not happy with the situation either. He paid no attention to anything.

" Hey, we want hugs too, dude! "

" Yeah, don't be so greedy ".

Ajax laughed loudly, gave his friends the middle finger, and picked up a new glass.

" Fuck off, idiots! Hug each other! Eugene only wants to hug me, right Eugene? "

Eugene said nothing, his lips stretched into an awkward smile.

Ajax nodded approvingly and laughed. It seemed he couldn't stop laughing.

The guys joined in the fun. The werewolf rushed at them and fell to his knees in front of Eugene, reaching his hands out to him.

The camera shook and fell to the floor. There was a crash, loud curses, laughter, and faint moans.

" Hey, you asshole, get off me! "

“ Nah, man, share your love-love-love ” .

" Yeah, buddy, everyone wants a piece of that pie! "

" Bitch, you're going to crush my kidneys! "

" Kidneys are somewhere else, duh " .

" What? Dude, I'm telling you... "

" I'm not drunk enough for this shit " .

" Finally, a smart thought from you, Freddy ".

" It's time for Dr. Jekyll! "

" Oh, yeah! "

No one remembered the forgotten phone. There was another crash and someone shouted orders, but no more conversations could be heard. The clinking of bottles sounded like funeral bells.

After a few minutes of commotion, someone gasped. Muffled footsteps were heard, and the camera was raised. Robinson's reddened, crooked face appeared on the screen. He grinned and turned the camera to Eugene, who was standing unsteadily and still leaning on Ajax. Ajax was playing with the edge of someone else's T-shirt and touching his skin. Freddy appeared and chuckled as he handed Eugene a glass, which Eugene took without hesitation.

" Say 'cheese,' Eugene ".

Ajax flashed a toothy grin and made a peace sign.

Eugene remained silent. He did not smile. His pale face wore an expression of dullness and incomprehension.

Gorgon grasped Eugene's hand, which was holding the glass, and brought it back to the boy's lips with a soft coo.

Ottinger obediently began to drink.

" Good boy ".

Ajax looked at the camera one last time and winked.

The recording ended.

Bianca stared blankly at the darkened screen.

Good boy.

Acid washed over her mouth in a nasty wave.

Relax, bud.

She tried to breathe deeply to get rid of the taste.

Eugene only wants to hug me, right Eugene ?

The stench of weed, sweat, and cheap cologne seemed to surround her.

It's all good here.

Suddenly, nausea rose in Bianca's throat, and she covered her mouth.

She stood up abruptly and quickly reached the window. With trembling hands, she opened it and greedily inhaled the cool evening air.

It felt better. Physically, at least.

But...

Bianca clenched her hands into fists in anger. The phone, still clutched in her hand, made a plaintive crunching sound; its weight pressed down on her like a collapsed building.

She ordered herself to pull herself together.

This is no time for tears.

Unable to open the last video, the siren began clearing all the evidence. Thankfully, that moron didn't have time to send anything to anyone; one less headache. She quickly cleared the cloud and checked several conversations, making sure she hadn't missed anything. Fortunately (or not), there was nothing compromising—just endless discussions about video games and weed, as well as some unpleasant conversations about the Nevermore girls.

Finally, Bianca could let go of the phone.

Not wanting to get caught up in the spiral again, she quickly grabbed her phone and searched for the remaining information. She did everything automatically, without reading or thinking about what she found.

The sound of water stopped, and Bianca came out of her empty state, focusing on reality. Wednesday was still standing in the same spot, staring at the bathroom door.

From time to time, there were muffled sounds, bangs and rustles that made her flinch. Bianca got up, stretching her stiff shoulders, walked over to the door, and knocked quietly.

“Are you okay, Eugene?” She immediately grimaced at her question, berating herself for such stupidity.

“I, um, yes! I'll be out soon.”

True to his word, Eugene emerged a few minutes later and stood shyly in the doorway. Wednesday moved toward the boy as if awakening from a dream. He cowered in place, head bowed, fingers fidgeting nervously. Addams mechanically raised her hand and awkwardly patted her friend on the head, apparently trying to comfort him. Bianca would have laughed at the seer's absurdity, but she didn't dare. Satisfied with this meager affection, Eugene took a small step toward Wednesday. His shoulders shook again, but he made no sound.

"Time to sleep," a monotonous voice said, ruining the moment. Eugene nodded and obediently headed for his bed, sitting on the edge.

Despite his fatigue, Bianca doubted that Ottinger would be able to fall asleep. However, she did not renege on her promise; she would not take back her word. With quiet humility, she prepared herself for a sleepless night, but Wednesday once again pulled a small glass bottle from one of her many secret pockets and handed it to her friend. Eugene automatically took the bottle, turned it over and examined its cloudy scarlet color. Unaware of the liquid's properties, he tilted his head questioningly.

"It's a sleeping potion," said Addams. Bianca screamed inside. She wanted to grab the seer teller by the arm and throw the potion far away. How could anyone in their right mind offer something like this to a boy who had been lying there an hour ago, pumped full of drugs against his will?

Eugene's pale face froze in an incomprehensible expression, and he made no move to dispose of or drink the potion.

"You don't have to drink it," Bianca said quickly, hoping to prevent another breakdown.

Something flashed in Wednesday's eyes, and she nodded abruptly.

"Half a portion is enough," she explained. "You won't fall asleep instantly like you would with a whole bottle, but within half an hour," which seemed to relax Eugene a little. "It's my Grandma's recipe. The potion is not addictive, and it has no other side effects. I've tested it myself.”

Eugene raised his head and looked into Wednesday's face. The expression of boundless trust made Bianca turn away.

"Half," Eugene said with gentle confidence. Removing the cork, he took a small sip. He grimaced at the taste, coughed, stuck out his tongue childishly, and looked indignantly at Wednesday. Wednesday ignored him and nodded toward the bed, urging the boy to lie down.

Ottinger lay down and covered himself with a blanket up to his chin, curling up into a ball. Wednesday stood over him like a gargoyle guard. When the seer began telling a story about one of her summer misadventures in a quiet voice, it was Bianca's cue to give them some privacy. She stepped back. To be honest, she was not at all ready for bloody tales of maniacs.

She approached a small bookcase filled with figurines rather than books. Listlessly, she picked up a worn botany book and began mindlessly flipping through the pages, unable to do anything more conscious.

Right on cue, Eugene fell silent half an hour later, burying his nose in the pillow and snoring quietly. His pained expression smoothed out, and a healthy glow spread across his cheeks. There was no trace left of the nightmare he had endured. Wednesday stood next to her friend for a few more minutes. Satisfied that he would be calm for the night, she quietly turned toward the front door. Bianca followed her but stopped at the threshold. Taking one last look at the room's owner, she whispered goodnight.

The door closed with a slight creak. Addams turned the key in the lock several times and hid it in her pocket. She froze in place, staring into space again.

"We need to go," Bianca said softly.

Wednesday didn't answer; she just turned and headed for the stairs with her usual marching step. Barclay handed her the phone as she walked. She had managed to jot down information about Petropolus's henchmen in the notes. Basically, Derrick Robinson and Fred Lynch weren't worth anything, especially not the little effort she had spent studying their shitty personalities. The latter had connections to Murphy's clan in Ireland, which could theoretically cause problems. However, Lynch's family was only a side branch, so he would hardly be honored with revenge if anything happened to him. Robinson, on the other hand, came from an unremarkable family in Maine. Apparently by a lucky coincidence, he had latched onto Petropolus and now hoped to climb higher.

It was pitiful , Bianca thought. They were all pitiful. Of course, Ajax's family was quite influential in the world of outcasts, but she did not know that he was so ambitious that he would keep flatterers around him. As it turned out, however, they knew little about him.

Wednesday quickly read the file and handed the phone back to the siren without saying a word.

In oppressive silence, they climbed two flights of stairs and stopped at the cursed door.

"Erase the memories of those two," Addams began in a hoarse voice. "I have other plans for Petropolus."

"What plans?" Bianca asked cautiously, stepping in front of her friend to block her entrance. The corner of Wednesday's mouth twitched as if she were suppressing a smirk. “You can't kill him!”

"He will live," the seer growled in response. She was dissatisfied with her own words. "But he does not deserve to be forgotten. I want him to remember, to tremble with fear like...” She snapped her mouth shut, interrupting herself mid-sentence. Her forehead smoothed out, rid of its deep frown. Wednesday quickly regained control, and her face resembled the soulless mask that unnerved Barclay.

"I want that, too," Bianca said softly, "but we can't risk Eugene."

"We won't take any risks. You can forbid him from talking about it, can't you?”

"In theory," the siren muttered, "I haven't used such complex commands on such a scale. I could quickly run out of steam...”

"You'll have time to recover."

"I wish I had your confidence," Bianca replied without malice.

Wednesday entered the room, apparently not even bothering to lock the door. Bianca followed her with a pained groan, her face contorted with disgust once again. Nothing had changed inside. Robinson and Lynch were still lying there, unconscious and bound with straps. Although she didn't think a werewolf could be restrained for long, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Who's there?!" Help!”

Bianca reluctantly turned her attention to the elephant in the room.

The bound Ajax crawled away from his spot and curled up into a ball by the dusty table. His cap was still pulled down over his face. He jerked his head forward, apparently trying to get a better look at the new arrivals.

“Please! We're being attacked!" A pitiful sob escaped him, but Bianca felt no pity. Looking at him, so small and fragile, she felt nothing but malicious disappointment.

"No one will help you, Ajax," she said calmly. The gorgon raised his head.

"Fucking bitches!" the gorgon yelled, twitching in angry agony.

"Tsk, what a filthy mouth," she feigned distress. "Can't you see there's a lady in the room?" Without waiting for his response, she roughly lifted the blood-soaked cloth from his face and returned it to its place. His irrevocably disfigured face, smeared with sweat, blood, saliva, and tears, was crossed by a grimace of pure hatred that could pinch a nerve.

“You're gonna pay for this!”

"Oh, I don't think so," Bianca replied with a toothy grin. "And you'll answer for everything, you bastard".

“Really? And for what?"

"Don't play dumb," she said, her smile quickly slipping from her face. He noticed this and stretched his thin, broken lips into a nasty grin. "You fucking traitor".

Ajax laughed loudly, tilting his head to one side.

"Who did I betray, Bianca? The bee boy came with us of his own free will".

"You forced him to drink, slipped drugs into his drink, and then took advantage of him".

"Who can prove that's what happened?"

The siren's hands trembled as she clenched them into fists, her knuckles turning white. Fortunately, Ajax didn't notice, revelling in his imagined triumph.

"Your friend Derrick's phone," she said. It was a bluff. Bianca had made sure to delete everything related to it, but he didn't need to know that.

"What do you think, Wednesday?" she asked without turning her head toward her friend. "Would Weems be interested in knowing what some of her students did to one of her other charges?"

Ajax's face turned pale and took on a sickly green hue. All the bravado that had sustained him disappeared, and his body finally weakened completely. He looked like a cornered animal with a fire still smoldering inside him, but he had no strength left to fight back.

"My parents will get me out of this".

"Of course. That's why you won't fall into Weems's hands".

Petropolus flinched and stared at her in disbelief. His gaze darkened with satisfaction, but the siren quickly dashed his hopes.

"We'll take care of you ourselves".

On Wednesday, Addams suddenly rushed toward the Gorgon, frightening Bianca slightly, and grabbed him, dragging him to the table. Apparently, their conversation had gone on so long that Addams had lost all patience. Ajax wheezed and twitched his arms, trying to shake off the hand squeezing his throat. With each gasping breath, Wednesday's grip tightened. It would have been better to stop her before she broke the idiot's trachea, but Bianca gave her time to enjoy it.

After waiting a few more seconds, Barclay put her hand on the seer's shoulder and squeezed it slightly. To her surprise, Wednesday quickly backed off.

"Crazy bitch!" Ajax gulped air greedily, tears streaming down his face.

"Asshole, say fucking thank you!"

"Enough," Addams cut off the budding argument sharply. "Get to work".

Bianca nodded, took a deep breath, and ripped the amulet off her neck.

" You will never tell anyone or write about what you did to Eugene Ottinger with Derrick Robinson and Fred Lynch. You will also never tell anyone or write about what Wednesday Addams and Bianca Barclay did to you and your accomplices ".

As soon as Bianca finished speaking, her vision swam, and she felt weak in the knees. Wednesday quickly sat her down in a chair. She was shaking slightly, as if she had just finished an exhausting workout. She casually wiped the sweat from her forehead and shook her head, trying to focus on the gorgon. Ajax, still not recovered from the song's intoxication, sat awkwardly with his jaw hanging open and a blank expression on his face. Excellent, everything worked out correctly. Barclay allowed herself a brief, happy smile.

After a couple of minutes, she felt much better and was ready to continue.

Petropolus shuddered, as if awakening from a nightmare, and looked at them with confusion. It was as if he did not recognize them. But soon he came to his senses, his face and neck covered with red spots of anger, and his mouth opened, ready for another round of insults, but just as quickly closed again.

Wednesday methodically twirled a folding knife in her hands as she looked at Ajax. Bianca gave the guy one last mocking look and approached the others. Not wanting to delay, she woke them up. Before they could understand what was happening, she drew them into the siren song and ordered them to forget everything that had happened. Barclay felt nausea rise in her throat and held her breath for a few seconds. Addams approached and cut their bonds with a few light movements.

Looking at their blank, drooling faces, Bianca decided to use the song again. They looked too healthy. Judging by Wednesday's tense stance with a knife, Bianca thought the same thing.

"You will return to Robinson's room and beat each other unconscious. Then, you will tell the others that you fought over weed."

Like puppets, they got up without a thought crossing their minds and quietly left the room. The creak of the door slamming shut was deafening. The room filled with rapid breathing and the panicked creaking of floorboards.

Realizing that he was left alone with them and without the imaginary support of useless sidekicks, Ajax shook even harder.

Wednesday sat down on the cards in front of him and leaned the blade against his twitching Adam's apple. He pressed himself harder against the wall, desperately wanting to merge with it and escape the knife, but to no avail. Petropolus looked at Wednesday, then at Bianca. His eyes begged the siren for help. She just shook her head with a slight smile.

"It is a delusion," Wednesday began in a dark, unnaturally dead voice, "to believe that actions have no consequences." Addams pressed the blade harder into the sweaty skin. “I am tired of your idiocy. You were warned, weren't you? Your lack of faith in my retribution is truly disturbing.

"Bitch, you almost killed me! Get her off me!" He jerked his head violently, immediately groaning as Addams's knife left a small scratch from the sudden movement. The pain instantly overwhelmed him.

"You will remember," she continued, ignoring his whimpers, "you will be afraid. I will teach you one last lesson.”

"No, please! I-I understand, it won't happen again, I-I swear!”

Bianca smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. People like that never change—and who knows that better than her, having been raised in a cursed cult? She hoped that this time, for his own good, Ajax would take the threat seriously.

"Like any good teacher, I must prepare," he snarled. He clearly wanted to shout something but stopped himself. "And you will wait. After all, patience is a virtue, Ajax."

Finally, she removed the knife from his throat, and fat tears rolled down his face again. Wednesday cut the ties, stood up, and took a step back. Ajax clutched his numb hands to his chest and rocked them back and forth.

"Remember your vows, Petropolus, or I will come for you again," Addams said, swinging the knife sharply and plunging it into the gorgon's heart. "And my blade will show no mercy."

As soon as Ajax felt more at ease, his obsequious pleas and suffering were replaced by blinding hostility. Bianca thought that if his snakes were poisonous, he would try to spit venom at Addams immediately.

"You two are fucking nuts! He stood up unsteadily and leaned his hand against the wall. "You'll regret this, you hear me?! I'll fucking get you!" The gorgon pressed his hand to his face, apparently trying to ease the pain from his injuries.

"Tsk, you've fried your brain, you idiot," Bianca hissed. "You pathetic, slimy worm, crying and groveling like a baby just a minute ago! Thank Eugene; it's only thanks to him that you're still breathing."

"That little shit..."

Smack!

Wednesday struck the gorgon in the stomach with lightning speed. He doubled over and fell to his knees, gasping for air like a fish.

"This is your final warning. I don't like to repeat myself."

"Dumb bitch," the gorgon spat bitterly. Surprisingly, he didn't even try to strike back or remove the cap. Wednesday ignored the insult and pushed him, causing him to fall backward and hit the corner painfully. Ajax tilted his head back and looked at his tormentor with the expression of a beaten, embittered dog.

"I'll be watching. I'll be waiting. And when you make a mistake...” Addams smiled a toothy grin that distorted her face hideously. Bianca looked away, not wanting to etch such an image of her friend in her memory. "Then we will meet again."

Addams turned and glanced briefly at Barclay before leaving, slamming the door behind her.

Ajax collapsed onto the floor with a light whimper, pressing his forehead against the sticky surface. Bianca stood and watched his pitiful state, listening to his wet, sniffling sobs and curses. She waited for him to notice her presence in the room. Apparently, Petropolus had thrown a pity party and forgotten about the siren.

"I hope I don't have to remind you that you've been expelled from the Nightshades," she said sharply. Ajax flinched and instinctively crawled back.

"Fuck you," she laughed, wiping the corners of her eyes dry.

"I told you, Ajax, you're a lucky bastard. Be grateful for this chance."

Not wanting to be near him anymore, Bianca headed for the exit. As she grabbed the door handle, she stopped. Without turning her head, she spat through clenched teeth:

"Stay away from my friends, Ajax."

Finally, Bianca stepped out into the empty corridor. She breathed a sigh of relief and enjoyed the dusty air, which was free from the stench of Petropolus's room.

Wednesday was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, she had left without waiting for Bianca. If it had been anyone else, she would have been offended or at least hurt. But Barclay didn't even feel upset. She, too, had a strong desire to be alone and think things through.

It was late. Fatigue washed over her, and she forced herself to keep her teary eyes open. It was time to go back to her room. She deserved a rest. She would probably sleep for a week if she could. A silly idea flashed through her mind—to stand in front of the mirror and, with the help of a song, order herself to sleep all day. Bianca snorted with laughter at her own silliness and quietly made her way to her dorm.