Chapter Text
It had been exactly six weeks since Wednesday's psychotic botany teacher had brought back a homicidal demon-fanatic that had tried to kill pretty much everyone Wednesday had ever allowed herself to feel an ounce of… sympathy for. Six weeks since she'd been knocked out cold with a shovel after watching her principal die. Six weeks since her hand had been cut open and severely burned. Six weeks since she'd been stabbed in the gut and left to bleed out on the cold floor of that cursed crypt. Six weeks since she'd been healed by her ancestor, only to be almost killed again by the first boy she'd ever kissed, hadn't Enid wolfed out and saved her life. Six weeks since she'd been shot by an arrow.
Everything except the arrow wound and a few scratches here and there had healed before dawn hit that day. Healed without a single trace, no scars left behind. But Wednesday could still feel it. She could feel the sharp pain in her head, blood running down the sides of her face. She could feel the cut and burned flesh on her hand. She could feel the knife piercing through her, twisting, sucking the life out of her. She could feel it again and again.
Her parents insisted that she learn how to take care of her stab wounds so she was prepared if it happened again and there were no ghosts to save her. She'd stabbed herself multiple times in the past six weeks – of course, always under parental supervision, she wasn't stupid – and learned to remove the knife properly and stop the bleeding as efficiently as possible. These wounds were real. They were still healing. They would scar deliciously. But they didn't hurt half as bad as the memories of the wounds that were long gone.
Wednesday did not understand what was happening to her. Sometimes she would close her eyes and find herself right back at that stupid crypt, vividly reliving every moment of that day. At first, it had only happened in her dreams at night. Now it would randomly occur throughout the day, leaving her unsettled and on edge because she could never see it coming.
The girl hadn't slept through a single night in six weeks. She hadn't eaten a complete meal in six weeks, being too exhausted to properly care for her basic needs. She hadn't touched her Cello, and even her typewriter was slowly collecting dust because all she did during writing hour was stare at it.
It was fine while she was at home. Her parents were, fortunately, too busy with themselves to notice that something was off with her. She would never hear the end of it if they found out she was struggling with something as ridiculous as a memory. They would give her a real reason to stay awake at night. Pugsley had asked her if she was fine once or twice but stopped after she'd hung him upside down in the basement and left him for the evil spirits to play with for a whole night.
Being miserable at home had been easy. The teen was used to it. Admittedly, this was a new level of miserableness that not even Wednesday enjoyed. But she was coping. Probably not in the best way, but she somehow managed to get through the days and nights alive and mostly undisturbed. Her family left her be.
Now she was on her way back to Nevermore, though. Things would become significantly less peaceful; Wednesday was sure of it.
Her parents had received a letter four weeks ago from Larissa Weems herself. She informed them that she had successfully recovered from the nightshade poisoning and would be happy to welcome Wednesday back at school to finish the semester, even apologizing for her mistake of expelling the teenager in the first place. Wednesday felt something akin to happiness and relief when she found out her principal was alive. Of course, she would never admit that out loud. However, the girl wasn't sure if she wanted to return to Nevermore - but her parents didn't leave her much of a choice.
Lurch was pulling into the school grounds. Wednesday felt a slight anxiousness creep up the back of her mind but pushed it back immediately. Wednesday wasn't anxious. That was such a teenage thing. Wednesday was above that.
Her bag vibrated, and it took the girl a moment to realize that it was that soul-sucking device Xavier had gifted her when she'd left the school. She'd only just charged it and turned it back on for the first time the night before. Since she'd immediately blocked Xavier's number when she got the phone, and no one else had hers, there had been no missed activity throughout the break. Not that the girl had expected any. Wednesday had only kept the phone around because the stalker-y message had piqued her interest, and she wanted to see where it would go.
The teen pulled the phone out of her bag and opened the new message, slightly intrigued when she saw that it was the same unknown contact from before. They sent her a new picture. It showed the family car as it pulled into the Nevermore gate. Wednesday could be seen through the window, and she was wearing her current outfit, letting her know the picture had just been taken. The contact was typing. The message arrived just when Lurch stopped the car in front of the school building.
Welcome back to Nevermore. We're gonna have a lot of fun this semester.
Wednesday huffed in amusement. Was this supposed to be threatening? She definitely did not feel very threatened. They needed to pick up their pace if they wanted to entertain her. This message did not even take her mind off the nauseating feeling crawling up her stomach at the prospect of having to face so many people she wasn't ready to face yet.
The teen returned the phone to her bag and looked out the window. It was Sunday afternoon, and the sun had begun to set. Wednesday knew that people had already started to arrive back at school throughout the week. Today was the last day to return since lessons would start again tomorrow morning. Wednesday was one of many who had chosen to return last minute. Multiple cars were parked all around, and parents were saying goodbye to their children. It was busy. Way busier than the teen had expected.
What caught her attention, however, was the tall figure near the entrance of the building. It was Larissa Weems in all her glory; perfect hair, perfect make-up, perfectly dressed, and with a perfect smile as she made small-talk with parents and students. Wednesday's hands suddenly felt clammy, and a shiver ran through her body.
The image of Principal Weems dropping to the ground, twitching and choking up foam flashed before her eyes. Wednesday blinked, multiple times, trying to get rid of that image that she somehow couldn't find enjoyment in. Her heart was racing.
The teen did not feel ready to face anyone, but she definitely couldn't meet Principal Weems yet. So much was happening inside her body and mind right now, and she had no clue what it was or why it was happening. She only knew that she needed it to stop.
"Lurch, can you please carry my bags into my old room? I will come along in a bit. You do not need to wait for me. You can leave once everything is inside." Wednesday hated how her voice wavered and shook. She sounded like she was about to cry, which she wasn't!
Lurch groaned in affirmation and left the car. Wednesday took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. It didn't work.
The teen quickly got out of the car, making sure that no one, especially not the principal, was paying attention to her. Lurch was unloading the trunk. "Thank you, Lurch," Wednesday murmured as she passed him. She made sure to stay behind cars and groups of people, for once thankful for her lack of height, and rounded the school to a much less crowded area.
She allowed herself to breathe freely and relax a little when she reached the forest line. This wasn't going very pleasant. She hadn't even really arrived yet and was already feeling so very overwhelmed. But why? Why did her body keep betraying her? Why did she no longer seem to be able to bottle up and push away all these annoying emotions like she'd been doing forever? What had changed?
Wednesday groaned in frustration, rubbing her tired eyes. What was happening to her?
The girl didn't pay any attention to where she was going, only knowing she needed space between herself and that wicked school. The only good thing about Nevermore was that endless forests surrounded it. Wednesday had always been drawn to them, enjoying how mysterious and massive they were. It was easy to see how little and insignificant she was while being surrounded by nothing but nature. These forests were alive. A perfectly functional ecosystem that would still be perfect and functional long after she was gone. Long after the last human was gone.
Wednesday stopped walking, closing her eyes and breathing deeply, allowing the spirits of nature to ground her and calm her down again. She was shivering. But this time, it was her body reacting to the cold and not being overwhelmed by some stupid emotion. It was still winter, February had just begun, and she wasn't wearing any outside clothes since she'd been driving in a car for hours, not having planned to go on a wintery walk. But she embraced the cold. Letting it numb her body and her mind.
It was quickly getting dark around her. Wednesday knew that she needed to head back to school. People had most certainly seen Lurch, knowing that she'd arrived. She wouldn't put it above Enid to start a search party if she didn't show up soon.
The thought almost made Wednesday smile, and she found that she didn't mind the prospect of facing Enid all that much. In fact, she was… actually… kind of.. looking forward to it… a little bit… maybe.
The teen turned around to return to school when she heard a twig snap nearby. In an instant, the tiny hairs at the back of her neck stood straight, and not from the cold. It was a dead certain giveaway for impending danger. Her body had never been wrong about that.
Another snap. It was way too close for comfort. Wednesday looked around, not allowing herself to feel the nervousness or fear that was beginning to creep up. She couldn't see anything. It was too dark. Should she call out? But what good would that do? An animal wouldn't reply. And neither would a murderer.
Wednesday waited, holding her breath, not moving the slightest. There were no other unnatural noises. No movements that she could detect. Maybe it had just been a harmless animal after all.
It still felt like there was danger looming ahead, though.
Wednesday shrugged it off. She turned around and froze.
Someone was standing right. in. front. of. her.
"Hello, Wednesday. Did you miss me?" His voice was calm, but his eyes had a wicked glint.
"Tyler!?" Wednesday breathed horror-stricken.