The one who doesn't know about Love, doesn't understand suffering

by backyard1gan

Summary:

Slow burn, angsty AU where they meet when they’re little and then later in university. A bit of blood and mystery too. And Wednesday is mexican in this because I said so.

Chapter 1: First meeting

Notes:

Forgive me for any mistakes, english is not my native language. This is just me practicing my writing a little bit, it's nothing serious. I'll post when I have time :D

It was the week after the winter break when Enid saw her for the first time. The principal brought her in during math class and announced to the group that they had a new classmate: Wednesday Addams. They were to make her feel welcome and include her in their school activities. 

The girl was like nothing Enid had seen before. It was like seeing a character from an old black and white movie come to life.  The new kid was dressed entirely in black, from head to toes, and her dark hair was styled in two braids. She looked half dead. That was one of Enids' thoughts at first. Wednesday was pale and had dark circles under her eyes, not usual for a kid in elementary school. Enid wondered if everything was alright at home. 

Wednesday Addams sat where the teacher told her and glared at the principal, who talked quietly to the teacher for a bit. After the principal left, the teacher asked Wednesday to introduce herself. 

"We always like to hear a little more than our names, so why don't you introduce yourself, say how old you are and perhaps tell us what your favourite animal is?"

The girl stood up and looked at the class with something akin to disgust.

"My name is Wednesday Addams. I am, as well as most of my classmates, 10 years old. My favourite animal is the scorpion, specifically the one with the name Centuroides noxius. It is native to Mexico."

"That sounds lovely," the teacher smiled. "Thank you, Wednesday. You can sit. Now, who remembers fractions? We learned about it last week..." 

The woman went on explaining the topic and Enid tuned it out, because she was staring at Wednesday Addams. There was something unsettling about her that Enid couldn't put a finger on. Maybe it was the lack of emotions she showed, or maybe the over-extended vocabulary for a 10-year-old kid, or something else. The new girl was weird and it intrigued her. 

At recess, nobody tried to approach her. Enid and her friends sat under the tree in the courtyard eating their lunch and the four of them looked at the new girl sporadically. She was sitting stiffly in a corner. She was eating from her lunchbox, which was black, of course. Enid felt a ping in her chest, it made her kind of sad  that the girl was so alone.

"Do you think she is a vampire?" asked Yoko.

"Nonsense" replied Tamika ", vampires don't exist, Yoko. Maybe she's like...allergic to the sun or something."

"I'm going to say hi" she told her friends ", I kinda feel bad that nobody has said a word to her. Maybe she's nice. I'll be right back."

Enid got to her feet and approached the new kid, who quickly noticed her presence and looked up at her with an unreadable expression. Enid looked at her lunchbox. Black beans, blue corn tortillas, blackberries. Of course, everything had to be monochromatic, even her food. 

"Howdy!" she greeted with a smile. "I'm Enid Sinclair, we're classmates, if you hadn't noticed already. Uh... you could sit with us if you want. Me, Sabrina, Yoko, Tamika, Axel... they're on the table over there. They're nice. We can be friends, if you want."

Wednesday stared and said in a very serious tone:

"I rather be alone."

"Oh, okay. But really, if you want to come sit with us, at any time, it's fine. We're happy to have you..."

"I rather choke on nuclear waste water, Sinclair. Leave me alone" she said dryly and Enid turned on her feet and went back to her friends. That was...something. 

 

When Wednesday Addams appeared the next day the chaos began. Their history teacher assigned homework at the end of the lesson about Cristopher Columbus and the discovery of the Americas. They had to write a small text about it and draw some ships. The dark haired girl raised her hand and Mr. Shannon smiled and encouraged her to ask. 

"Excuse me, but why do we refer to it as a discovery and not as the beginning of a horrible genocide, which describes more accurately the event?"

The teacher was at loss of words. He stuttered and managed to respond:

"Those are big words for a young girl, Wednesday. We learn as it is in our books, what the curriculum says."

"But then what is the intent of teaching history inaccurately? I think it is immensly suspicious. It also baffles me that you, as a teacher, condone it."

Enid stared at Wednesday. The rest of the class did too. Nobody in their class would dare to speak to Mr. Shannon like that, ever. He was very strict and most kids feared him. But Wednesday was new, she wouldn't know. Mr. Shannon looked irritated and spat out:

"Look, girl. This is my class. You will write about the discovery of the Americas and we'll move onto the next topic. If you have complaints, you can send a letter to the Department of Education. Anybody have another question? Yes, Addams?"

The girl stood up and straightened her black t-shirt. She looked at Mr. Shannon with a poker face.

"It is not a question. I am to go on a hunger strike until this institution of torture you call school agrees to teach an historically accurate curriculum. You can also notify the Department of Education, so they are aware."

The class exploded in whispers and the teacher looked baffled. Yoko whispered in Enid's ear:

"What is a hunger strike?"

"It's when you don't eat to prove a point, I think. But I'm not sure. This girl is crazy."

Wednesday was sent to the principal's office for the first time of many. She walked with her head high and glared at the teacher before leaving the room. Enid wondered if they would suspend her or call her parents. She wondered if her parents were as eccentric as her. Would they be angry? Enid knew that she wouldn't be able to pull this off with her own family. Her mother would disown her if she was sent to the principal's office. 

 

The second time, Addams set fire to the flag flying in the courtyard. How she did it, a complete mystery. Enid watched as the kids screamed, the adults tried to throw buckets of water at the pole without success and the girl with the braids stood in the middle of the courtyard and stared with excitement as the chaos unfolded. She was still on a hunger strike, she had announced to Mr. Shannon earlier. Only drinking water until the Department of Education or the school changed their curriculum. The firefighters were called and Addams returned to the principal's office. It became clear to Enid that it would be a daily occurrence.

It had already been two weeks since Wednesday had arrived to Enid's elementary and she had already been sent to the principal more times than Enid could count. Mr. Shannon had a special hatred for Addams, and it seemed like the hunger strike had worked and the principal had interrupted biology class to announce that the Department of Education was willing to see Wednesday Addams.

Most of their classmates avoided her like the plague. Enid had tried to approach her again and was met with a "I'd rather eat a rat than entretain myself with such childish endeavors", so Enid left her alone. But something kept her awake at night. Probably the mystery surrounding the Addams girl. Where did she come from? Why did she appear in the middle of the school year?  She had never seen her parents, nobody picked her up after school. She walked home on her own, it seemed. Most importantly, she avoided color at all costs, and when asked, she replied that she was allergic to it. Enid doubted it.

After the third week, Wednesday did the most unhinged thing that would have her expelled right there. Mr. Shannon was explaining something about the french revolution and then went still all of the sudden. He swallowed hard and someone asked what had happened. 

"I think...there's something under my clothes. Argh!" He screamed really loud. "Something stung me! It hurts! Agh! There's another one in my shoe!" And then, out of his desk emerged a myriad of small and black scorpions. Everyone screamed. Enid grabbed Yoko's arm and screamed to run. The scorpions crawled all over Mr. Shannon's body and the class went crazy. Except, obviously, for Wednesday Addams. She sat calmly at her desk, with a small sadistic smirk on her face. Everyone rushed out but her. The last thing Enid saw before running out of the room with Yoko was Wednesday Addams sitting there, very still, with one hand under chin and watching how the teacher screamed and trashed and was stung by several scorpions with something akin to fascination. That was the last time she saw her. And Mr. Shannon too, he never returned to the school, but they were later informed that he had survived. 

As the years passed, Enid slowly buried those memories. They had talked for weeks at school about the Addams girl, but time had passed and everyone had forgotten. But the memories came rushing back 9 and a half years later, when she opened the door of her university's library while texting and bumped into a warm body and dropped her phone. 

"Spare me the apologies, I need to get through."

Chapter 2: Black dove, you are the gate of a sorrow

Notes:

The titles are translated from some songs I know that kinda fit the mood imo. I'll probably put them at the end of the story.
Eugene and Pugsley give me roblox kids vibes idk why.

"Spare me the apologies, I need to get through"

 

Enid looked up to see the person she had just stumbled into and was met with cold dark eyes and a scowl.

"Are you going to stare at me for much longer? It would be greatly appreciated if you could move. I am in a hurry." Enid moved quickly to the side stuttering apologies, but the person didn't respond, she just walked past her. Enid picked her phone up from the floor and watched the girl leave.

She wore black combat boots, black trousers and a striped black and white t-shirt. Her backpack was also black and her nails were also painted black. Her hair was in two braids that Enid recognised from somewhere. That girl was Wednesday Addams, the little psycho in her fourth grade class. The one who sent a teacher to the hospital, caused an explosion in the cafeteria and went on a hunger strike for some reason Enid could not recall. That Wednesday Addams went to the same university as Enid. She never noticed.

She had already been one year into her journalism major and she never had seen the mysterious girl around. Maybe she had just started university? She had to tell Yoko about it. It was a great gossip topic. 

Enid had lots of questions. Where did they send her after the incident? What was she studying at university? Where did she come from before their first meeting? And most importantly, did she remember Enid? Probably not. She only spent three weeks at Enid's elementary school and they didn't speak more than twice during that time.

 

"Hey, Yoko!" she greeted her roomate and best friend. "Try to guess what happened at the library today?"

Yoko tapped her chin, thinking. She was sprawled on her bed  with her phone in hand.

"Hm, I don't know. Let me think about the most embarrassing things that can happen to someone." Enid rolled her eyes.

"Very funny, I bumped into someone and you're never going to guess who it was."

"Your ex? I thought you left him in California to rot."

"Wednesday fucking Addams" Enid saw the puzzled look on her friends face and added ", from fourth grade, set like a hundred scorpions free in class? Allergic to color?"

Yoko's eyes widened in disbelief and she put her phone aside to sit with her back to the wall.

"No way! The one who burned the cafeteria down?"

"Yup. Like, Yoko, she looked the same. Two braids, half dead, allergic to color and speaks like someone from the 19th century. It has to be her, right?"

"Totally. You know what, we should stalk her" Yoko's eyes glistened with mischief ", do you think she has social media?" Then she grabbed her phone and started searching.

"I doubt it" Enid replied ". She probably doesn't know what that is or thinks it's beneath her or something."

"Found an Addams!" Yoko announced ". Though...I don't know if it's her. Maybe it's someone related, take a look."

Enid went over to Yoko's bed and sat to her side. Her friend handed her the phone. It was a public instagram account with the name @addams.py. The description was only a dot, but they had 1700 followers and followed almost the same number of people. They only had two posts. The oldest one was from two years prior. Two pictures of a forest somewhere with the text "My safe place".

The most recent one was a photo of two shadows in the snow. One of them was showing the middle finger. "Sis and I had fun gravedigging today :D". The post had three comments: 

@hummer.boy send me some robux plz

          @addams.py @hummer.boy  don't have. discord at 8?

@w.f.add delete this or delete yourself 

The last comment was liked by the author. Enid came to the quick conclusion that the profile must belong to Wednesday's sibiling, if she had one. She clicked on the username and found that the account was private. It had three followers and three followed. Zero posts. Yoko sighed.

"Well, I guess we found her. Should we send a follow?"

"Don't you dare" Enid laughed. "She probably doesn't even remember that she went to that school. It was only three weeks".

"Three traumatizing and unforgettable weeks" added her friend and Enid smiled. She felt so lucky that her friendship with Yoko had lasted since then. They met each other in the third grade and had been friends ever since. They had a few rough months during High School, but their friendship turned out stronger than ever. 

"Alright, I'm going to bed. Ajax is coming early tomorrow to help me with the decorations for Divina's party on saturday". Yoko's girlfriend, Divina, was throwing a party for her 20th birthday that day. It was going to be a really big party in Kent's house (a friend of Divina's). He lived near campus and his parents were away for the weekend. Enid and Ajax were in charge of decorations and Yoko had already ordered a giant cake for the day.

"Ajax... I see you're putting that useless boy to work. Finally."

"Hey, don't be mean" she pouted ", Ajax is a sweetheart, he's just... easily distracted."

"He forgot your birthday."

"He was busy taking care of his grandma."

"Whatever makes you sleep at night, girl" replied her friend and turned the lights out.

 

It was a gloomy Thursday. Enid went to the library to finish an assignment for one of her classes. She focused for an hour and managed to almost finish the essay. She smiled to herself. Sometimes it was difficult concentrating, but that day had been relatively easy. She took a small break to drink water and stretch and went back at it for 20 minutes and then she hit the 'send' button. She exhaled, relieved. 'That was the last assignment of the week' she thought ', now I can party with Yoko and Divina without worries'. 

Something then caught her vision. Wednesday Addams was studying in one of the desks in the front. She got up from her place and Enid saw a bunch of books scattered all over the table. Messy notes everywhere and a fountain pen. Addams disappeared for a few moments and returned with a book in hand. She wore the same boots as the other day, black trousers and a black hoodie. Her hair braided again in the same fashion as always. Enid stared as the girl continued her scribbling. Then she decided it was creepy to keep staring, so she gathered her things, got up from her place and approached the brunette. She stopped in front of the girl's desk and Addams looked up from her notes. Enid smiled.

"Hi!" she whispered (they were at the library, obviously). "I'm the girl who bumped into you yesterday."

"I gathered as much" the brunette replied cooly and went back to her book.

"I am really sorry, I apologise. I know it's kinda weird, but... you're Wednesday Addams, right?" The mentioned girl stiffened and Enid rushed to add ". No, wait, it's not like I'm stalking you. It's just... I remember you from school and wanted to say hi. I'm Enid Sinclair, from Melville Elementary? Do you remember me?" She fidgeted a little with the straps of her backpack. 

"I have been to numerous institutions in my liftime" Wednesday replied and looked Enid in the eye ", I do not make habit of remembering all of my classmates. You're disturbing my study session."

"Alright, I only wanted to say hi. We'll probably see each other around, then."

"I hope that is not the case. Goodbye" the black haired girl spoke without looking up. 

"Bye"

Enid exited the building with a heavy heart. She tried not to feel hurt by  Wednesday's words by remembering she had always had a sharp tongue. However, no one liked being rejected, right? The blonde sighed and looked at her phone. Two missed calls from her mother. Her shoulders dropped. She knew she had to call sooner or later, but she didnt' have the energy to put up with her mothers' critic eye that day. She imagined the conversation in her head and it was like "no, mom, I only failed one class and when I took it again I got full scores. Mom, Ajax is a good boyfriend, I don't want to meet that stranger! What do you mean if I am eating more than I should?" And it went on and on. She dreaded every second of those conversations with her mother. Well, at least she was far from home now. 

She sent a quick text to her mom, telling her that she would call on Monday. "I'm at the library and can't talk. Have full weekend, I'll call you on Monday, same hour". She put her phone in her pocket and started walking to her dorm building. On the way, she saw a police car and a few officers talking to students under one of the buildings. Weird.

Entering her dorm room she found Yoko and Divina talking in whispers. Yoko looked a little bit disturbed. 

"Hey, roomie" she greeted and smiled ", is the police still down there?"

"Yeah, I saw a car and some officers. What happened?"

"So...they say a student was murdered" said Divina ", like not here in Ophelia Hall, but in the other building. The one with the white doors. I heard that from Kent. He has a friend in that building."

"Murdered?" Enid widened her eyes, her jaw slack. Yoko nodded.

"I heard from someone that he was stabbed. Like, a lot of times. But I'm not sure. The detectives are already there and we'll probably have more information tomorrow."

Was it just a coincidence? That the weirdest and scariest events of her life occurred right after meeting Wednesday Addams? No, that was a reach. But still... Addams had almost killed a teacher at her school. If anyone was to be framed, she would be unsurprised to hear it was Wednesday. She had, from what Enid gathered, everything required to be a serial killer. Antisocial behavior, aggressive tendencies and probably lack of empathy? The blonde tossed and turned on ther bed that night, unable to sleep. Maybe she shouldn't have approached Wednesday Addams. Maybe she had something to do with the murder and Enid had put, unknowingly, a target on her back. She cursed her curious personality and grabbed her phone.

She texted Ajax for a distraction, to take her mind off the unsettling events Yoko and Divina had talked about. Her boyfriend answered her message and she texted back quickly. Addams would be a problem of tomorrow.

---

"No, Thing, I already told you: I will not call my mother nor my father so they can suffocate me with their unnecessary affection. Too bad that Pugsley is away on a student exchange, I have come to somewhat appreciate his insight on things." Wednesday paced around the room and looked at the black tarantula staring at her with its eight big eyes. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Eugene is here, but I won't bother him with such frivolous topics. Did I remember her? Of course, Thing! Her bright clothes have blinded and nauseated me since then. No, I do not like her. I hope I can avoid her on campus. Her cheerfulness irritates me, her sole presence is the bane of my existence. Need I make you remember that I'm allergic to color? Oh, don't call me dramatic when you're the same, spider".

The tarantula tapped against the music stand and Wednesday sighed.

"Yes, it is an intriguing case. Maybe we do have a serial killer on the loose. I will dedicate some time to the case after this study session. It's honestly the most interesting thing that has happened in the last year at university, don't you think?" 

Thing tapped again on and moved a little bit. Then it walked down and up and settled on Wednesday's shoulder.

"Chopin again? Haven't I spoiled you enough already?" She grabbed her bow and looked at the sheet music. "I guess I could use some practice."

---

Enid woke up at night and looked at her clock. The window was open and the music invaded the room. It came from far away, not the same building, probably from somewhere near the canal. Yoko was still asleep, but she could sleep through everything, it didn't count.

"Who the hell is playing cello at this hour?" she muttered and closed the window.

Chapter 3: I too am in the lost region, and unable to fly

“I will dedicate some time to the case after this study session. It's honestly the most interesting thing that has happened in the last year at this university, don't you think?"

Wednesday woke up with a headache and  a sticky note on her forehead.

“Moms called, they’re coming to visit later. Please remove the rat skulls from the living room-Eugene”

She had met Eugene in high school. The only club available that didn’t make her gag was the beekeeping club. She found the activity tolerable. 

They had both decided to go to the same university unknowingly. They had said their goodbyes after graduation and a few weeks later, the Addams saw a flyer where Eugene was looking for a roomate to rent an apartment near campus. She decided she would rather die than live with a stranger, so she called Eugene and proposed they live together. Her friend was extatic to hear that and there they were.

Eugene was studying biology and Wednesday herself Forensic Sciences with a minor in biology, so they sometimes met at the biology building. He was the only one Wednesday talked to. And Pugsley, of course. But her brother didn’t count. He was away for the semester too. 

Wednesday got up and went to remove her newest study objects from the living room. She understood that Eugene’s mothers would not be amused to see rat skeletons. Then she brushed her teeth, tried to do her part of household chores without vomiting and decided she would not go to class that day. Her headache got worse every minute and the only thing she wanted to do was crawl into a grave and die. She went back to bed and Thing looked at her.

You need medicine.

“Later, Thing. Right now I need to sleep.”

You have a lost call from your mother.

Wednesday groaned and grabbed her phone.

“Hello, mother”.

“Wednesday, dear. Are you doing okay?”

“No, mother, your sole presence gave me this horrible headache”. Morticia let out a small laugh.

“Now, no seas exagerada. I call because I learned about the murder of this kid yesterday, it’s all over the news.”

“Yes, I dedicated some time to it yesterday. Thing went to gather evidence as soon as we heard. But today I am not feeling well. So I appreciate we move this conversation to an end.”

”Is it the migraine again? Are you taking your medicine?”

“Yes mother” she lied, she hadn’t taken the pills in months “, your feeble attempts at motherly care won’t work. What do you really want?”

“I want you to take care” Morticia said with a stern tone “, my intuition tells me that this case is dangerous. Don’t go to places where you can’t escape from later”.

“Goodbye, mother.”

“Iré a visitar la semana que viene, trata de no morirte antes, cariño.”

“Ajá.”

She ended the call and sighed. She looked at the bottle of pills on her nighstand. They were supposed help lessening the frequency of the migraines. But she felt awful after taking them, and not the good awful. She felt slow, tired and that made her less alert, and she didn’t like that. 

The migraines started shortly after losing Nero. They slowly and painfully crept into her life. Wednesday liked pain, but this kind of pain was unbearable. She couldn’t do anything but lay in bed and wish to die. Like her dye allergy wasn’t enough already, now she had migraines, color allergy and overwhelming family members.

Wednesday thought about her library experience the day before. The girl had blinded her with her brightly colored sweaters, her denim skirt and white boots. After colliding, Wednesday didn’t break into hives like it normally did, but she felt the familiar tingling in her hand, where she had accidentally touched the sweater.

“Maybe I’ll take an Ibuprofen and try to sleep a bit” she told Thing, who climbed in her bed too“, go collect information on the case?”

 

“Victim was 19 years old. A so-called freshman. Name: Rowan. Major? Physics. Stabbed 10 times in the stomach. Died of blood loss”.

Wednesday paced in the living room, the migraine had dissipated a bit and Eugene’s moms had already left, so she had brought her whiteboard to the living room and asked her friend for insight. Eugene was listening to Wednesday attentively while petting Thing.

“The victim had shown signs of fear before. He called the police department several times in the last two weeks, asking for help. He felt observed and followed by someone in black clothing and a black balaclava, black gloves and black boots. But, obviously, you can never expect anything from the police. So they left Rowan to die a slow and agonizing death, bleeding out on the floor of his room. So, what do you think about the motive, Eugene?”

Eugene swallowed. He respected Wednesday’s field of study, but wasn’t able to stomach everything. Wednesday considered him her only friend, and she appreciated his insight. He was crucial for the discovery of the murder at their local high school, where he had recognized that the boots of the killer weren’t black, like evidence suggested, but red. 

“I mean, stabbing is pretty bad. 10 times? That’s sick. Maybe he had a special hatred for him. Do we know what kind of hobbies Rowan had?”

Wednesday nodded and looked at the tarantula.

“Thing?”

He liked playing video games, had badminton equipment in his dorm room.

“So I consider it possible that it was someone Rowan knew. That’s why the balaclava and the gloves. But there is no way to prove that right now. Who found the body?”

A friend of his. Was waiting for him outside, apparently, but then got desperate and picked the lock. Called the police when he saw the body. 

“Interesting” she muttered “, maybe we will have to pay this friend a visit soon. Eugene?”

Eugene had raised his hand like one does in the classroom. He smiled. 

“What do you want for dinner tonight? I was thinking we could cook something together?”

Wednesday sighed. 

“I will not partake in this…bonding activities you always propose.”

“Please?” Eugene begged with big eyes. “It involves knives, you like knives. And cutting. I was thinking of making a lasagna. We can go buy the ingredients together.”

“I do enjoy knives” she said “, alright. We’ll go out and make a stop at the drugstore. While we cook we can analyze the event and figure out what kind of knife the killer used.”

“Or not” suggested her friend. 

The next day she woke up without a migraine. It was Saturday. And it was sunny outside, what a horrible day. She showered, got dressed and went out. She needed to go grocery shopping and investigate the case further. 

Wednesday cheked her mailbox and found a letter in a bright yellow envelope. She stiffened. Yellow artificial dye caused her the most severe reactions of all. She left it there and walked to the store, deciding she would open it with gloves later. She needed food for Thing and some of the basics. Rice, corn flour, fruit… and also a new pack of ziplock bags and paper bags for gathering evidence. And Eugene had also asked for some lemons. Those were no problem for Wednesday, only yellow dye. Why couldn’t the world return to plant based dyes? One reason again to despise the humans. 

Wednesday turned a corner and saw her. Oh no. Oh fuck. Not Enid Sinclair again for the third time in the week. Wednesday ignored her and turned around. But Enid saw her first and Wednesday braced herself for the interaction.

“Howdy, library partner! What are you doing here?” 

“If it is not obvious to you then I suggest you get your eyes checked by a doctor” she answered and turned around. The blonde grabbed her arm and asked:

“Wait! Do you know where the candles are? I’m supposed to bring birthday candles, but I can’t find them.”

“I am sure you can find them by yourself. I need to continue” she moved her arm to let loose. Wednesday didn’t like to be touched at all. 

“Alright, can I accompany you in your shopping?”

“No” she mumbled, but Enid didn’t hear, because she followed Wednesday around the store. 

“Did you hear about the freshman that was murdered? It’s kinda scary, don’t you think?”

Wednesday grabbed a few lemons.

“Yes, it is unfortunate” she answered. 

“Do you think it’s, like, a serial killer?”

“Please stop talking. Your hopping around is making me nauseous. And not in a good way.”

“You mean there’s a good nauseous?” Enid frowned.

“Sinclair, I do not need your colorful being breathing down my neck while shopping”.

“OMG. You remember my name! Well, yes, I told it to you. But still! Look, I have this event tonight. It's my friend Divina's birthday party. She's turning 20 and decided to throw a big, big party. If you want to go, you can. It’s near campus, everyone is going to be there. Even Bianca, who’s living in Florida! If you give me your number I’ll send you the address.”

That peaked Wednesday’s curiosity. She stopped.

“Bianca?” She asked. “Bianca Barclay?”

“Yes, do you know her?” Enid raised her eyebrows.

“Indeed. She is an… acquaintance of mine.”

“Then you should totally go. I’ll introduce you to my friends. You can hangout with Bianca and you’ll have so much fun!” Enid moved her hands with excitement.

The words came out before she could stop them:

“Alright.”

She cursed herself for her weakness. What was she doing agreeing to a party. With people. With a lot of people. 

“Oh my God” said Enid “, I didn’t think you’d agree but great! Give me your number. I’ll text you the location. It starts at eight. You will not regret it, it will be the biggest party of the…”

“Write it down before I change my mind”.

“You’re not going to regret this, I promise”.

 

Wednesday was walking through the campus, she stopped in front of the building where the crime was committed. Third floor, second window from left to right. That’s what Thing had told her. She grabbed her pen and notebook from the pocket of her coat and wrote down:

’Door was locked. There’s a key somewhere. Entry through window very difficult without being noticed. Need to see the place from the inside, maybe tomorrow’. 

She caught movement in the corner of her eye and hid her notebook quickly. Someone was approaching the building, it looked like a resident. They had headphones on and paid no mind to Wednesday as they opened the door with a keycard and disappeared inside. 

“I need one of those”.

Then she noticed that the door was still open. It was automatic, and it closed after some time. 

“Or not”.

She stepped inside and climbed up the stairs to the third floor. The floor was empty, so she searched for the door. It was covered in yellow warning tape and it was closed. But Wednesday had learned very young to pick locks, her Uncle Fester had taught her. He said it was a very important part of a kid’s development. She managed it quickly and closed the door behind her. She walked a bit and saw the red (now brown) spots in the carpet. It had been a lot of blood apparently.

Wednesday made annotations of her observations and then noticed that the desk was full of papers. She went over there and in the trash can she saw a white envelope addressed to Rowan. It was already open, so she took the letter out and read:

The countdown begins. See if you can catch me. I am watching you, Addams.

Wednesday huffed and shook her head.

“Amateur” she muttered. The killer had already given her information. The ink was fresh, that meant that they had been in the room that day. Maybe to hide some evidence before the police checked again? The killer was watching her and knew her name, that meant they had access to the university’s database, because Wednesday had convinced Eugene to not put their names on their mailboxes for security. It was likely it was someone from university. Wednesday felt a surge of energy. This was going to be fun.

 

Back at home, Wednesday put on gloves and managed to open the bright yellow envelope. She rolled her eyes. It was in a pastel pink paper and it read:

I’m sorry! I kinda saw you yesterday going into your apartment while passing. I’m NOT a stalker I SWEAR!!! But I’m sorry for bumping into you. I’ll be more careful I promise!!! I hope you can forgive me :))-Enid Sinclair.

Of course. She thought it would be the killer. That they knew about her color allergy. But it made sense that it came from Sinclair. She would never survive having that girl as her roommate. She would literally not survive. 

She put the letter in a ziplock bag and put it inside her drawer. She could have thrown it away, sure, but… it felt weird. She didn’t want to throw it away. Just like she didn’t say no to the party. Why didn’t she say no? She had always said no to juvenile cliches like parties or drinking. Enid had already sent her the address, she couldn’t decline now. 

Wednesday saved Enid’s contact as “Sinclair, E.” All of her contacts were saved that way except for Eugene, who had saved himself as “Eugene 🐝” and Bianca, who had done the same and was “Bia”. 

Read your letter, she texted Enid, there was no need of going to such lengths for an apology. Save your nauseating envelopes for someone else. 

A few minutes later her phone vibrated. She read a message from Sinclair.

Alright, hahah, I’m glad you’re not angry! But you’re coming tonight, right? 🥺

Wednesday rolled her eyes at the use of emojis. It was another thing she despised about technology. She replied quickly that she’d be there and turned off her phone. She needed to concentrate on the case for a few hours. She needed to find the killer. 

 

“Thing, take care of Eugene. I’ll be back late. I left you enough worms in your terrarium. Yes, the ones you like. I have been spoiling you too much, next week you won’t get escargots if you keep weaving on the window”.

Wednesday walked down the stairs and looked outside to make sure the street was empty. That there was no one following her. Then she stepped into the warm night. 

---

“Are you sure she’s coming?” Asked Yoko.

“Hundred percent. She told me she was coming. I think she was dead serious. I think she might be honest.”

“But you suspect she’s the killer” interjected Divina “, did you invite a murderer to my party?”

“Okay, yes. I suspect that she’s Rowan’s killer. But I’m not sure. Maybe not. And it’s a big party. Nothing can happen. It will be full of people and you know, she might have nothing to do with it. Look, she’s here.”

Chapter 4: A little party never killed nobody

Notes:

So I went on a trip to the capital, where my aunt and uncle live. It was great, saw a lot of places I hadn’t seen before and had peruvian food for the first time.

“Look, she’s here.”

Wednesday had only been to her family’s parties before. She was well aware that they were eccentric and that their yearly ball wasn’t what she was about to experience. She had never been to a college party or anything deemed normal at all before, and she didn’t mind. It would be an interesting study on human behavior.

She could hear the noise from outside, the bass from the loudspeaker made the whole house vibrate. It disgusted her, but she couldn't turn back now. Backing up from a challenge would bring dishonor to her entire bloodline. As she approached the place she identified people smoking outside and a pair making out in one corner. Public displays of affection were her parents' speciality and it made her want to gauge her eyes out with pliers. Wednesday couldn't understand it. 

The raven opened the door of the apartment and the mixed smell of alcohol, tobacco and weed made her gag a bit. She looked around and saw Sinclair in a corner with what she assumed were her friends. Enid looked in her direction and waved. Wednesday sighed and started to make her way over to the blonde. 

“Well, well. What do we have here?” A smooth voice was heard behind her. “Wednesday Addams attending a college party? Will the world end?”

Wednesday turned around and greeted her long time friend. The dark skinned girl had a buzzcut now and looked genuinely happy to see her.

“I hope so, Bia. It would be best that the world ended. Then I could get out of this adolescent cliché I was forced to attend.”

“Come on, Addams. Nobody forced you to come, stop being dramatic.” Bianca smiled and then added “It's good to see you.”

“You too, Barclay” the raven said softly. Bianca was her sparring partner during high school. They had won multiple fencing competitions together, both national and international. They had represented their high school and got along surprisingly well after a rocky start in freshman year. The year before, Bianca had decided on moving all the way to Florida for university.

"I have to be near the water” she had told Wednesday, "but I'll call. Don't worry. I know you will miss me.” "You are giving yourself too much importance,” Wednesday had answered, but she knew that Bianca was right. She did miss their daily sparring sessions. And she hated to admit that she had grown fond of Bianca. They hadn’t had much contact in the last months except for a few calls and some instagram videos that Bianca had sent her.

Her friend smiled and opened her arms. 

“Aww… do I get a hug, Addams?”

“No.”

Bianca rolled her eyes playfully and pointed towards the group in the corner, where Enid was.

“Let's go meet the birthday girl. Do you remember Divina, my cousin?”Wednesday remembered vaguely Bianca's family. She had heard horrors about her mother but she never met her. She had met the others at a competition somewhere in the midwest. But when she looked at Divina, the one in the corner next to Enid, sitting on another girls lap, she saw the resemblance. They had the same light-colored eyes and carried themselves with elegance and confidence .

“And I was wondering why you would come all the way from the south to this... event.”

Wednesday followed Bianca towards the group. They all got up and looked at Wednesday like she was something strange.

“Wednesday, this is my cousin, Divina” said Bianca and gestured towards the girl Bianca had pointed at before. “Divina, Wednesday Addams. A high school friend, maybe you remember her?”

“From fencing, right?” Asked the girl and smiled. “It's nice to meet you. This is Yoko Tanaka, my girlfriend. And you already know Enid.”

Wednesday nodded and looked at the other girls. Enid smiled and waved energetically. Wednesday resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She made eye contact with Divina and said:

“Likewise. Have a woeful birthday, Divina. I got you something with the motive of the anniversary of your birth.”

Gomez and Morticia had taught her to never go empty handed to a party. It was considered a sign of respect to have something for the host, in this case, Divina. It was also common that the guests stayed until late to help with the cleaning of the house, but Wednesday despised cleaning other people’s messes. Specially other people’s drunken messes, and her family didn’t lack of those.

Wednesday handed the green-eyed girl a small black box. She had little time to arrange it, but her conditioning made her look for a present.

“Thank you.” Divina said with her eyebrows raised. “Is it okay if I open it now?”

“Sure, it’s nothing fancy. I found it in my room and thought it would be appropriate.”

Divina smiled and hugged her. Wednesday stiffened and took a step back. She avoided physical contact as much as possible, but the others didn’t seem to notice. Bianca whispered something in her cousin’s ear and Divina took a step back with an apologetic expression. Sometimes her father or Eugene would forget too. Bianca had always asked, but Wednesday had said no most of the times. Closeness made her uncomfortable. It felt dangerous, but not the exciting kind of dangerous.

“Can I ask what it is? I've... never seen anything like this,” asked Divina after opening the box.

“It’s a souvenir” she explained. “A remnant of the Iroquois Theatre. A seat number, D20. I had it somewhere and thought it was appropriate, for you are twenty years of age now and your name starts with that letter.”

“The Iroquois Theatre?” Asked Sinclair. Wednesday frowned.

“From the Iroquois Theatre fire? In 1903? Over 600 casualties?” Everyone looked as puzzled as Divina, so Wednesday let it be. “Well, I wish you terrible things for your birthday. I will preoccupy myself with the punch, If you excuse me.”

She turned around and cursed herself. She should have found a more known disaster or a spare taxidermy kit. Maybe some poisonous chocolate? Wednesday dodged the people in her path and made her way to the table with food and drinks. There were alcoholic beverages of the worst quality imaginable and a big water cooler with punch inside. Wednesday served herself some punch and was abut to steal a cookie from the table when a blonde appeared next to her and put her hand on Wednesday's shoulder. 

“You came! Not that I thought you would lie, but I know this is probably not your usual scene. I'm glad you're here! I promise you will have so much fun!”

“You invited me, but I still do not understand why” Wednesday took a sip from her punch. It was, as expected, garbage, but she took another sip. It was a necessary evil to be able to tolerate the loud music, the suffocated air and Enid Sinclair.

Enid shrugged and reached for a cookie.

“I kinda wanted to know you better. We've seen each other a few times and we met when we were kids. It's kinda crazy, right? That we both ended in the same university. Like, I always wondered what happened to you after that incident. I never forgot you.”

Maybe. Wednesday had never forgot Enid either. When the small blonde approached her in the fourth grade and asked if she wanted to sit with her friends and Wednesday had told her no. After Nero, she wouldn’t make any more friends. Friends were a weakness and Wednesday didn't care about making friends anymore, the only thing she wanted was to escape the prison her parents had put her in. School. She had hated school with a passion. It was a system for suppressing creativity, identity and community. It turned excited kids into depressed teenagers and into more depressed adults.

Wednesday never had interest for geography in the second grade, but she liked reading mathematical texts and tried to do the proofs for theorems herself. In the third grade, she got into carnivorous plants. Her mother had smiled and showed her the ones she had in her greenhouse, how to water them and how to avoid being eaten by them. Morticia was patient and answered every question her daughter had, and when she didn't have an answer for Wednesday, they would both head to the manor's library to learn more. In the eight grade, Wednesday built her first computer and learnt about cybersecurity. Her father had helped her to find a group of hackers that could teach her the works. Wednesday worked with them for a few months, while they scammed and stole money. And she observed and learned.

School was nothing like that, but her parents had explained that she needed to go to school and then "graduate" to go to university later. If she wanted to study forensics, or biology or mathematics on an advanced level, she had to finish school. But Wednesday had hated it. Every second of it except for Eugene and Bianca. She got herself expelled from five schools during elementary. She went through three different middle schools and only one high school. She met Eugene in the first semester and tried her best to not get expelled. She got banned from attending the graduation ceremony, but she still got her certificate sent per mail. 

Wednesday had jumped from school to school, raising havoc in every one. Sadly, she never beat her father’s record in arrests throughout high school.

“What are you studying?” asked Sinclair. Wednesday was pulled away from her thoughts and answered flatly:

“Forensic sciences.” 

“Oh, wow, that sounds... I could never. I'm doing journalism. I could never see a dead body without puking. Why forensic sciences though?”

“My parents own a funeral parlor. I have been around the deceased since I was a child. Death has always fascinated me. I suppose that while doing journalism you are bound to encounter things you don't like, Sinclair. I suggest you expose yourself to corpses so you don't vomit while on the job.”

“So... I'm more into politics than homicide, but thanks for the suggestion! Do you want to join us for beer pong with Divina and the crew? They're waving at us.”

“I will abstain, thank you.” Wednesday declined politely, and took another sip from her cup, but Sinclair hadn’t listened, so she grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to where her friends were. Like she had no choice. There was something in the blonde girl that intrigued Wednesday. Maybe it was how confident she was, how happy she seemed. Or maybe how friendly she was to a complete stranger like herself. How could someone be so cheerful in a world full of misery and hate? 

“It's okay, you can watch with Xavier and Yoko. They don’t wanna play either. Oh, look. There's Ajax! He's my boyfriend”, she explained. Wednesday looked at the boy that Sinclair had pointed at. He had a dark green beanie on and looked already completely stoned. He approached them and kissed Enid on the mouth and then greeted Wednesday.

“So you must be that Addams girl, right? I was told you killed a teacher at your school, that's crazy dude. Like how did you-?”

Sinclair, blushing, put a hand on her boyfriends mouth to stop him from talking further.

“I told you the teacher survived, Ajax! Wednesday, I apolo-”

“Actually, it was two teachers, but who's counting?” She was interrupted by Wednesday, who was somewhat amused at the horrified face of the boy. Sinclair sighed and introduced Wednesday to more people.

“Wednesday, this is Ajax. This one here is Xavier and you already know Yoko. You sure you don't want to play?”

“Yes, Sinclair. Stop pestering me,” she grumbled and sat down next to Enid's friends. She watched how the others played something they called beer pong. It consisted in throwing a ping pong ball into plastic cups on the other side of the table. How juvenile, she thought. 

“So, you were the one who unleashed scorpions in Mr. Shannon's class?” asked the asian girl and Xavier looked at both of them with wide eyes. “I was also in that class, but you probably don't remember me. We never talked. How did you do it? It was frankly traumatizing.”

“Indeed. That was me. It pains me that you remember the one time where I failed at the job. But I could not find enough scorpions, in my defense.”

“You're creepy” laughed Xavier.

“So I’ve been told.” Wednesday drank the rest of her punch in one gulp. 

She looked at the group playing at the table. Sinclair was wearing a very short denim skirt and an oversized pink sweater and pink converse boots. Ajax was hugging her from behind and they were both watching Bianca throw the ball. Wednesday tore her eyes away from the girl and looked at the rest of the crowd. There were people dancing in the middle of the room, near a window were two girls smoking weed and on the sofa was a pair making out. Her eyes returned to the blonde for a second before Tanaka asked her something.

“Did you learn about the dead freshman?”

Wednesday hummed and looked at her hands. The investigation was stagnant for the moment and it frustrated her. The police had been nothing but useless, like always. Every piece of evidence she gathered after breaking into the police station was already contaminated. They were likely very stupid and couldn’t follow standardized safety procedures… or someone had sabotaged them.

“Very unfortunate indeed.”

“Ajax is friends with Tyler Galpin, the one that found the body. Said he’s still shaken and  that he returned home for the time being to clear his head.”

“I do not know who this Tyler is. I am sure that finding a body can be disturbing for an unaccustomed brain. Even I dreamt for two days about my first corpse.”

Yoko coughed.

“Say what? Your first corpse?”

“My family owns a funeral parlor, Tanaka. I grew up around corpses.”

“That… sounds crazy. Makes sense you’re studying forensic sciences. Do you have siblings? Do you plan on working at your family’s parlor later?”

Wednesday felt interrogated. Why was this unknown woman asking about her family? She had been careless during the last few days, and carelessness had aggravating consequences in Wednesday’s dictionary. She was in the middle of an investigation. For all that was worth, Tanaka and Sinclair could be suspects. She clenched her jaw and looked at Enid’s friend in the eye.

“I have a brother. And I will not partake in this interrogation further.” She looked at her phone and noticed she had already been at the party for over an hour. It was almost ten o’clock. It was getting late. “I need to go” she told Yoko.

“Already? But it hasn’t properly started yet!” 

“Goodbye, Tanaka.” 

She stood up and went over to Enid and Bianca and said her goodbye. The blonde pouted and looked at her with puppy eyes. She put her arm around Wednesday. The black-haired girl swallowed. Enid was uncomfortably close and Wednesday could feel her own heartbeat hammering in her head.

“Aww…don’t go, Wednesday, ” her breath reeked of alcohol and she was also slurring her words a little “you haven’t even played flip cup yet!”

“I… see you later, Sinclair. Bia, have a dreadful trip back.”

“Thanks, Wens” the dark skinned girl smiled. “I’ll actually stay a week at Divinas’, but thanks. You too.”

Wednesday went out and checked every corner again. She thought about this… Tyler. He could have answers. Or hints. She needed to find him. He had to be important to the investigation. Or maybe a suspect?

She walked towards her apartment looking over her shoulder every few seconds. She didn’t feel observed that night, but something was still off. As if there was this lingering feeling that a tragedy had happened in those streets, with that air, with the same rushing of the water in the background. Wednesday blamed it on the alcohol. She did manage to finish a whole cup of punch. 

Eugene was still awake when Wednesday opened the door. He wiggled his eyebrows.

“How was it?”

“It is a good torture method. I never thought Sinclair had such a wicked mind. However, I am ashamed to say that it was tolerable.”

Her friend let out a laugh and then patted her on the back lightly.

“Did you drink?” Wednesday didn’t answer and Eugene raised his eyebrows. “Oh my, you totally did. Wens, you need to go to more parties! You had fun!”

“Absolutely no.”

“So there’s this biology party next weekend…”

“Ask again and your mothers will receive a casket with your name.”

---

“The Iroquois Theatre fire” Divina repeated and looked at the piece of wood that was carefully placed in the black box. She looked at Bianca. 

“This is the weirdest present I’ve ever gotten.”

The girls (Yoko, Divina, Bianca and Enid) were having a sleepover after the party, which had ended way after midnight. 

“Her family owns a funeral home,” mentioned Enid “I would be weird too if my parents worked with corpses.”

“So what do you think, Enid? She give you serial killer vibes?” Asked Yoko. “Because I say yes. Your new friend is creepy as fuck.”

“Addams?” Bianca stopped cleaning her make up and looked at the rest of them. “No way, she’s my friend. She’s weird, but in no way is she a serial killer.”

“She almost killed a teacher ten years ago” Enid mentioned.

“Well, she got arrested about 25 times during high school” answered Bianca. “I bailed her out four times. But trust me, she’s not a serial killer.”

Enid thought about it. Bianca knew her better, yes. But then, it was always the hot ones… not that she thought that Wednesday was hot. Maybe objectively hot. But still, the way the girl talked about dying and arson and her disregard for feelings was unnerving. 

“But who takes a souvenir from a theater that was burned down? Over 600 people died! Let me tell you, Bia, that’s psychopath shit.” Divina exclaimed and showed everyone the wikipedia page where the explanation of the tragedy was.

“Girl” she told Divina and turned around in her chair “, for my last birthday she got me a very rare carnivorous plant named ‘Dante’ which I have to feed little dead insects every two days or it gets angry and tries to bite me.”

“The plant or Wednesday?” Asked Divina and the four of them laughed out loud.

“The plant” answered Bianca. “It gets angry. You can’t imagine the horrors I’ve gone through with that plant. But I must say, it’s beautiful. It has this blue and green glow in the dark. I don’t even want to know where she got it from. Look, Wednesday is weird, but her whole family is weird as fuck. Hell, I’d be weird too if I grew up with corpses all around me.”

Enid really hoped that her suspicions would be proven wrong soon, because Wednesday had looked nice that evening. Objectively nice. And it would be a shame that Wednesday was the killer. She stopped her train of thought: Enid had a boyfriend, what was she doing thinking like that about a weird goth girl in a black coat and braids? 

---

“Thing, what about Tyler Galpin? You got anything on him?” Wednesday paced through her room quietly. She didn’t want to wake up Eugene, so she whispered. The only light in the room was coming from the open window and from her laptop, which showed the picture that Galpin had in his student ID.  It was way past midnight, but she didn’t need sleep to function. 

Not yet, but he’s in town, the tarantula tapped. I saw him in a café on my way to  retrieve the passwords.

Wednesday stopped. Enid’s friend had said that Galpin had returned home until further notice. Either she was mistaken or Galpin had lied. Thing caught the girl’s attention and asked:

Did you have fun?

Wednesday glared at the spider, who was glued to the screen, covering Galpin’s face.

“I do not do ‘fun’, Thing. It was acceptable. I will not repeat it in the short term. Sinclair was too insistent, she caught me off guard when she said that Bianca was going to be there. That is the only reason I accepted.”

Maybe you’re getting soft.

She sighed and turned off her laptop. Thing rushed towards the terrarium near the window.

“You’ve found yourself lucky that I do not have the energy to cut off your legs with scissors right now. I could crush you with a book, but then, I do not have the energy for it. Good night, Thing. Have unpleasant dreams.”

But as Wednesday laid in bed, the only thing she could see when she closed her eyes was Sinclair. Her big blue eyes and her denim skirt. Her pink shoes and her soft hair. Wednesday gripped her sheets tightly. Thing was right. She was compromised. She needed to dispose of those thoughts immediately. It was humiliating and distracting, and with a stalker on the loose she couldn’t afford any distractions. Her phone vibrated on the nightstand. A new message. Wednesday turned around, looked at  the number and groaned right away. Sinclair. She opened it and read:

wednesday, thx for coming tonight :)

wanna have breakfast with us tmrw at 9? bianca will be there 2. campus café? <3

Wednesday turned off her phone. No, she couldn’t do that right now. Then she turned on her light and texted her brother.

Pugsley, I hope your stay abroad is as terrible as you expected. I need your insight on an important topic. Please reply as soon as possible or I will hire a hitman to take you out before sunset. 

Her brother replied a few minutes later. Luckily, it was already daytime in his place of residence for the semester. He was studying abroad in Romania, it was a city near Vlad the Impaler’s castle. A dream location.

Ok, wens. What happened? 

Wednesday sighed and started to text.

There is this girl at my university. She wears very colorful clothing that makes my eyes sore. She is irritating beyond the explainable and she has invited me for breakfast tomorrow. I am intrigued, I do not know why I am feeling a pull to accept every invitation of this person even though I can’t stand being physically and psychologically besides her. It is a disgusting feeling I would like to remove from myself with a scalpel. I await your input.

The answer came ten seconds later.

omg wens, you have a crush. I’ll tell mom rn. 

Wednesday felt heat creeping up her neck. What an insolent brat. She did not have a crush. She didn’t even know Sinclair. They had only talked three times. 

You will not do such thing or I will impale you with an umbrella the second you arrive home. My question is: how do I remove this sensation of interest in another person? Have you heard about techniques in your stay abroad? Does impaling help?

Pugsley’s answer was short and Wednesday stared at the screen for what it seemed like hours.

You can’t. It’s the family curse.

 

Chapter 5: From your point of view, I am the evil one

Notes:

Misunderstandings, misunderstandings everywhere.

“It’s the family curse.”

 

The party had been a great success, they were all hangover and in need of a coffee and something to eat. That’s why they had decided beforehand that they would go grab a coffee after waking up, to survive the day.

There was a little café near the university called Campus Café. It was a small and cozy spot that served cute pastries and excellent coffee. Yoko and Enid discovered it on their first week in town and quickly turned into regulars. But that day was Sunday, it was already eight thirty and Wednesday hadn’t answered yet.

“Don’t be hurt, Enid.” Bianca looked at her with sympathy and looked in the mirror to put on her earrings, “that girl’s allergic to human interaction. It’s not her usual scene.”

But her phone chimed and it was the person they were talking about. As if she could sense Enid’s curiosity.

I will be late. Tell Bianca to order my usual, I will pay her.

“She’s coming” the blonde announced and Bianca looked dumbfounded.

“No way. What kind of magic are you exercising on my friend?”

Enid learned that Wednesday disliked coffee, but would have black tea instead, preferably with a chocolate chip cookie. During high school, Bianca and her met at cafés and libraries to study together, that’s where she had learned Wednesday’s order.

That same girl entered the café fifteen minutes after them and searched the whole place with her eyes. She looked slightly disheveled and Enid could see the dark half circles under her eyes. She quickly found the girls booth and took a few steps towards them. Wednesday nodded in acknowledgment and sat down next to Bianca. She handed her a folded bill, which Bianca refused to take, much to Wednesday’s discontent.

“You look like you haven’t slept at all” noticed the dark skinned girl. Wednesday scowled and spoke in the same monotone voice she always used, but Enid noticed something wrong. 

“What an astute observation, Barclay. Your intelligence continues to baffle me.”

“Anyways” Yoko interrupted their banter “, I was telling the girls that I just saw on insta that there was another murder. Did you see it, Addams? The people in the med group chat are saying that they found the body in the canal like six hours ago.”

“I am aware,” Wednesday said with a calmness that unnerved Enid. The brunette took a bite from her chocolate chip cookie and looked at Enid in the eyes for a few moments. She added: “It is unfortunate.”

Enid didn’t believe her at all. She looked casually under the table and at Wednesday’s feet. The girl’s boots were covered in grime and mud, and her black jeans had a line of dried mud and water, like she had walked knee deep in a river—a canal— a few hours before. Wednesday’s striped black and white t-shirt had a few brown spots on one side. Dried blood. Definitely. The girl caught her looking at her shirt and said nothing.

“Have you been investigating on your own?” Asked Bianca and Wednesday tore her gaze away from the blonde.

“Indeed. I have already paid a visit to Rowan at the morgue and Thing is there right now too.”

Enid, Yoko and Divina looked puzzled and Bianca explained that Thing was Wednesday’s highly intelligent tarantula that was also considered a family member. That sentence had so many levels of ‘ew’ that Enid didn’t feel the need to count. But Wednesday didn’t fool her. She was hiding something. She was a good liar, but Enid was a journalist; she was made to uncover secrets, she studied hard to notice small details others wouldn’t, she lived to document the truth. And she would prove that the girl in front of her was nothing but a cold-hearted murderer.

“What did you do after the party?” Enid feigned curiosity and bat her eyelids. Wednesday took a sip of her tea.

“I went home.”

Enid squinted her eyes, not quite believing it, but she let it be. They chatted a little while. Well, Wednesday remained silent most of the time, watching her cup of tea like it would fly away from her hands at any moment.  Some time later Yoko needed to leave, so the collective decision was to leave with Yoko. They all grabbed their things and walked out of the establishment together. That’s when Enid paid attention to Wednesday’s outfit, and she was right. She saw them before the girl put her black coat on. Those brownish specks, that was definitely blood. They were on one side, close to the midriff. The boots were dirty…

“Are you going to stare at me for much longer or am I allowed to move?” Wednesday looked annoyed. It was maybe the first emotion she was able to perceive from her.

“Sorry. I like your shirt! I was… looking at your shirt!” 

Wednesday tilted her head, as if trying to decipher Enid. The blonde felt a shiver run down her spine. Those dark brown eyes were intense, like they could see through her flesh, through her mortality, directly into her soul. The girl never responded. She looked at Bianca and nodded.

“It’s terrible seeing you, as always. The rest of you have a woeful week.”

 

September was coming to an end and so was Enid’s patience. There were no news regarding the case and the second victim was another student. A guy doing his history masters at the university, nobody from her friend group knew him.

She felt like going mad. Additionally, it was Monday and she had to call her mother in the evening. Double the madness. But maybe she could start with something—with somebody.

She looked online for “Addams funerals” and she found a website in black and white with the name Addams Funeral Home. They offered various services, ranging from burials and embalming to grief support and flower arrangements. Under the contact information she found no location, but a phone number and the names of Morticia and Gomez Addams. Every piece of information was also given in spanish and as Enid scrolled further, she learned that they also offered return of bodies to other countries in Latin America with legal advice included. It seemed legit, Wednesday wasn’t lying. 

Then she looked up the girl. There was nothing online. Only a Facebook post from some random woman writing “Congratulations Class of 2023!” and a very long list with the names of the graduates under a picture of about 70 kids. Wednesday Addams was one of the first names in the list. Enid tried to look in the picture for Wednesday or Bianca. She found them together. Bianca had one arm around the small girl and Wednesday scowled. They had both black graduation gowns on and honors cords. Apparently they had been both very successful academically. Who would’ve imagined that the girl that burnt down a school would graduate with honors? She looked closer and Wednesday had a colorful graduation stole, unlike the purple one that everyone else had, reminding Enid of traditional mexican patterns. She had also seen a few students at her own high school with such custom stoles. That was the most color that the blonde had ever seen on the girl. Other than that, there was nothing on the girl. Nothing.

Enid wasn’t a stalker, no, she was only curious. For investigation purposes, not because Wednesday was hot. Well, not hot, objectively appealing to the eye. And a possible serial killer.

Enid sighed and turned off her laptop. She had to go to the library to set up a study plan for her midterms. She could never concentrate at home, so she did anything school-related in the library. It helped separate her social and private life from her studies. 

In the library, she found Wednesday in her usual spot. In the front, away from the rest of the windows and near the door, an ideal spot to escape easily, was Enid’s thought. She had a big stack of books and wrote with a fountain pen in her notebook with some sheets of paper scattered messily all over the table. Enid approached her and greeted quietly.

“Hi, study partner” Wednesday looked up and met Enid’s eyes. Then she went back to making notes on…chemistry. Something like that. Enid had never liked chemistry and physics, but she used to be good at logic and mathematics in school. Luckily there was no need for chemistry for her major.

“Sinclair.”

“What are you studying?” Enid bit her lip. She shouldn’t make so much contact with a serial killer, but there she was.

“Toxicology. I am taking a seminar on it this semester” Wednesday replied in a monotone voice.

“Cool. Erm… I’ll be studying too… in another place. It was nice to see you!”

Enid turned and claimed the desk right behind the goth girl and tried to organize her future study sessions while glancing over at Addams every few minutes. And apparently it wasn’t that subtle as Enid thought, because Wednesday rose to her feet after a good twenty minutes and made her way to her desk.

“I can feel your eyes piercing through my back, Sinclair. Stop it at once or I will personally take your eyes out and feed them to my menagerie of pets.”

She didn’t mean that, right? Enid panicked. She needed to improvise.

“Alright, sorry! I just… I like your hair. How you style it. Your braids, I mean…”

Wednesday blinked a few times, her expression neutral, before answering.

“Thank you.” 

Then she went back to her place, packed her things and walked quickly out of the place, as if something was chasing her.

 

Enid saw Wednesday again outside of the building. She needed to call her mother quickly and go back to studying. She wanted to get over it as soon as possible. The small girl was sitting on the steps of the building, where Enid was also planning to sit, typing aggressively on her phone. She was so engaged that she didn’t notice Enid sitting besides her.

“Hey.”

Wednesday looked up and rolled her eyes.

“Sinclair. Such a displeasure, as always.”

“I need to call my mother. You know I can’t do it inside. I won’t bother you, don’t worry.”

Esther Sinclair picked up and the first thing she said was:

“Finally you remember you have family.”

“Hello, mother.” Enid looked at Wednesday, who slid a few feet away from her, so to give her space. Enid sent her a small, grateful smile that the other girl didn’t return.

“You don’t call anymore. You don’t visit anymore. What’s wrong with you?!” Esther screamed at her. Enid sighed and picked at her nails a bit. The nail polish she used for the party was slowly coming off.

“I’m sorry. I’ll remember to call. I’ve been busy with the start of the semester. It’s not like I do it intentionally.” Maybe she did. Maybe she hated having this conversation where her mother only judged and Enid only listened with the phone away from her ear while the woman on the other side screamed her disappointment out.

“How is university? Are you doing well?”

“Yes mother, my notes are good. I have a little more classes this semester, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Are you eating less?” and the blonde couldn’t hide her groan, but covered her mouth quickly. She noticed Wednesday’s stare from afar. “It’s just that last time you were here you didn’t touch your food. You looked thinner and you know men won’t like that.”

“I’m eating well, I swear! It’s just… you know I am lactose intolerant and you seem to forget it every meal! And I don’t care about what a man thinks and I’m doing alright. Look, this is getting tiring, I need to go back and study. Thanks for the weekly judging session, mom. I’ll call next week. Goodbye.” 

Enid took a deep breath. With every week passing, she dreaded even more the winter break. Maybe she should ask Yoko if she could have Enid for the holidays. The blonde put her phone in her bag and stood up. Wednesday was still on her phone, but she looked up at Enid and murmured in a dry tone.

“You should stone her to death.”

“What the hell is wrong with you, Addams?” Enid almost yelled. “That’s my mother you’re talking about!”

“Blood means nothing on its own. Take it however you want, Sinclair.”

Enid clenched her jaw, but marched inside without a word. She wouldn’t think about it anymore. She needed to organize a few lectures and schedule her appointment with the counselor for the exchange programs. A few months in France sounded wonderful. Or maybe an internship in Australia? Maybe a language course in China would take her as far away as possible from her mother and from the girl that plagued her mind in recent times. Her presence in her brain was like weeds she couldn’t pull out, like a parasite on a tree branch, expanding and taking roots. The dark-haired girl was something she had begun to think about every hour of the day, every day of the week. It was the suspicion, she told herself, Wednesday was definitely a killer. And that kept her up at night, tossing and turning while her roommate slept soundly on the other side.

A guy with a baseball cap ran out of the library and pulled Enid out of her thoughts. She really needed to study. 

After forty minutes, Enid went to the bathroom. There were two stalls in the library’s bathroom. One was out of service and in the other was someone, so Enid waited. And waited. And waited, but the person wasn’t moving. 

“Hey! I really need to use the bathroom,” she started “how much longer will you be there?” 

But there was no answer. Enid knocked on the door, but the feet she could see through the gap weren’t moving. And fear paralyzed her. She ran out of the bathroom and looked for the secretary or the janitor, but there was no one on sight, so she scrambled to find her phone and dialed 9-1-1. 

They arrived about twenty minutes after the call and Enid rushed them to the bathroom. The person was still unmoving, but the professionals opened the door and Enid screamed.

There, before her eyes, was a girl. Unmoving, eyes opened, not breathing. She was sitting, fully clothed and with her purse in hand and a expression of terror. What was the last thing she had seen?

The girl was a redhead, dark green eyes and she had a light blue sundress on. There was a dark spot in her neck, where she had been stung by something. Something that spread through her neck and face like vines, purple and grotesque. Her face was swollen and when the paramedics touched her it was confirmed that the girl was dead. They told Enid that the police would find her, so she left her number and name. “It’s likely some kind of strange poison or toxic substance. The forensic team will study it later. Go home, rest, the police will call you in to testify later.”

Enid screamed again when she saw a giant black tarantula rushing out of the scene, hiding under a grate on the floor. 

Enid was sent home. The blonde went out of the building and started to hyperventilate. She had just seen a corpse, her first dead person. And it had been horrible. She had the image playing again and again on her mind, how was she supposed to sleep that night? There was movement on her left and she saw Wednesday still there. But with a giant black tarantula on her head. Enid screamed again and pointed at it. It was the same she had seen in the bathroom a few minutes ago. 

“There’s a giant spider on your head!”

Addams took the tarantula from her head with care and looked at it and then at Enid.

“Sinclair, this is Thing. Thing, this is Enid Sinclair. Is everything alright, Sinclair? You look like you’ve seen your first corpse. Maybe the ambulance was meant for you?”

Enid froze and swallowed hard. Her palms were getting sweaty and her mind was going a hundred per hour. 

“I need to go, I… I don’t feel so good.”

“Let me provide assistance.” The smaller girl stood up quickly and looked at her dead in the eye.

“No! I mean… I need to be alone. I… I’m probably sick and…”

“Nonsense, Sinclair. Your progenitor does not deserve a single tear from your eyes.  Let me provide assistance… in the form of a cup of tea.”

She thinks this is from my phone call, Enid thought, or she’s faking it to take me far away and kill me. That’s the same spider I just saw in the bathroom!

Enid bit her lip. She was scared. No, she was beyond scared. She was going to be the next one. But Wednesday grabbed her by the jacket and dragged her and Enid just complied. Zero survival instincts, she thought. I am like those chickens in that video where they all fall into the trap after seeing the others fall too. 

“You will excuse my obnoxious roommate if he is home.”

They were already at the door of a three story building near campus, but it wasn’t from the university anymore. Enid had already been there when she left that card for the small girl. It was one street away from the canal and not far away from the library. She climbed up to the second floor after the Addams girl, who unlocked the door and held it open for her. 

“Sit wherever you want. I will make you tea.”

The place looked… normal. Homey. The walls were painted in warm tones and there was a bathroom and two bedrooms, Enid assumed. The kitchenette and the living room were together. They had a TV and a Playstation console. Probably her roommate’s, she couldn’t imagine Wednesday playing video games. The apartment was neat, clean and ordered, but it had things that made it look very… Addams. There was a black vase with black flowers on the table, a stack of black books in one shelf and a colorless rubik’s cube on the couch. It was literally black, white and different shades of gray. Where did they make those? Enid looked at Wednesday. The girl was pouring hot water into a pitch black cup and handed it to Enid.

“Drink.”

“How do I know you didn’t poison it?” she asked dumbly. Wednesday rolled her eyes.

“I would poison your mother’s, not yours.”

“Why do you fucking care, Addams?” You’ve been nothing but a bitch to me, she wanted to add but bit her tongue instead.

“I do not care. I am simply providing assistance to prevent you from having a possibly dangerous panic attack that would embarrass you tremendously. Do you need honey with it?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Enid sat on the couch and looked at Wednesday, who was busy looking for the sweetener. She gave her a glass of honey with the label ‘Batch 3, Acacia’ and sat down on the other couch, stiff as a rod.

The tea was surprisingly good. It didn’t have poison in it, it seemed. But that was still to see. It was a mixture of herbs and it had anise, a flavor that Enid loved. It slowed her racing heart and helped her gather her thoughts.

They sat in silence and Wednesday played with the hot tea bag Enid had left on the black plate. She didn’t look hurt or burnt at all, even though the bag was still smoking hot.

“You are really strange, you know?” Enid blurted out before she could stop herself.

“So I’ve been told.”

“But you don’t care what others think.”

“Indeed, I do not.”

“What happened after the scorpion incident?”

Wednesday looked up at her and then back at the tea bag. 

“I was expelled, obviously. Are you always this obtuse, Sinclair?”

“No! I mean… after.”

“My family moved back to Mexico for some years. I went to numerous schools there and then we moved back. I did high school with Eugene and Bianca.”

“I’ve always wanted to visit Mexico. Do you have family there?”

“Yes.” 

“Where?”

“Morelia, amongst other places.”

“I don’t know where that is.”

“As expected. More tea?”

“No, but thanks. I… I think I’m good to go now. I… thank you.”

Enid was still shaken, but the tea had helped her to calm down a bit and process the shock. Even though Wednesday still thought it had been because of her mother.

Wednesday nodded and took the cup into her hands and put it away in the sink. Then she opened the door and said flatly:

“Next time I find you in tears like that I will visit your mother personally and commit an act of violence.”

Enid wasn’t sure if she should be scared or laugh. She did the latter and walked out of the door. She wasn’t that scared of  the girl like before, but again, she had minimal survival instincts. She could be reading everything wrong.

“Goodbye, Wednesday. See you at the library later.” 

---

“Thing, this is getting out of hand, ” Wednesday looked at the spider and stirred the beans in the pot. “I feel disgusted with myself. I offer tea. Comfort. I am turning into my parents. This is preposterous!”

The door swung open and Eugene entered their apartment. He greeted Wednesday and Thing and joined them in the kitchen.

“It smells nice! What are you cooking?”

“Beans. Chicken. You, if you continue to smother me with your cheerfulness.”

Eugene sat on a stool and asked:

“Alright, spill the tea. What happened? I heard there was another murder in the library.”

“That… I didn’t know. I will look further into it later. I saw Galpin today at the library too” Wednesday looked at her friend and sighed. “Sinclair was here. I am cursed and I am turning into what I swore to destroy all those years ago.”

Eugene laughed and looked at the honey glass on the table. 

“Oh, boy. You’re down bad.”

Notes:

Wednesday fell first and also fell harder is what I believe in. However, they both share one neuron when they’re together.

Chapter 6: Always find my place among the ashes

Notes:

They are both idiots. I hope this is to your liking.

“Oh, boy. You’re down bad.”

Enid hadn’t slept at all. She hadn’t even tried, because every time she closed her eyes, the girl appeared in front of her, eyes open and terrified, swollen neck and foam coming out of her mouth. Yoko took care of her the entire night while she sobbed and held her head in place when she vomited because of the disgusting images. 

Testifying wasn’t as bad as she initially thought. There was no interrogation room or shackles. Yoko went with her and sat outside in the waiting area while Enid told a middle aged bald guy, with a smelly breath, everything she had seen and done the day before in excruciating detail. There was someone from the paramedics that told the police officer that whatever she had said was correct, then she signed some papers and could go on about her day. 

“Is it the same killer as the other two?” she asked the officer before standing up.

“We don’t know. We have a few detectives working the case, we’re doing everything we can right now. Go home and rest, kiddo. It’s been a long hour.”

Enid had already asked some of her classmates for lecture notes because she was going to spend the whole day at home. In bed, probably. Rotting, watching movies and looking at memes to keep her distracted from the images that kept playing in her mind. But she had little luck. There was something she couldn’t take out of her mind: Wednesday Addams.

As she laid there, she remembered the day before. She tried to put pieces together in chronological order. Some things blended together, but there was one thing that had bothered her: Wednesday had been there the whole time. And her spider too. 

“What did she die from?” she had asked the officer. 

“Some arachnid poison injected in a very high dose. It was not an animal, but the animal’s poison was injected into her neck.”

Enid remembered Wednesday’s book. Toxicology. She was taking a seminar on it, those were her words. 

“I… I know someone that owns a spider, ” she whispered and looked at her hands. She bit her lip. She shouldn’t accuse Wednesday of anything unless she had proof, but… “you can look into her. She was… expelled from my middle school and I think… look I have no proof, but I am highly suspicious!”

“Woah” the officer put a hand on Enid’s shoulder “, calm down, kid. Look at me. Who is this person? I promise we will look into it.”

“Wednesday Addams.”

It didn’t go unnoticed to Enid how the officer’s knuckles turned white while gripping the pen. Or the nervous twitch of his eye. The man looked at her with something she couldn't pinpoint.

“Addams.”

“You know her, sir?”

The man wanted to say something else, Enid knew it. He had some beef with either Wednesday or someone from Wednesday’s family, but he didn’t explain further. He squared his jaw and answered.

“Not personally, no. But I know that family. They’re no good. Tell me what you know, we’ll keep a close eye on that one.”

Enid told the man how Wednesday was there outside. She told him about her fascination with the macabre and the blood on her shirt the morning after the second murder. The man annotated everything the blonde said and then, when she was finished, he put a hand on her shoulder.

“C’mon, kid. Let’s go meet your friend outside. We’ll contact you if something arises.”

 

Enid was just starting a new series on her laptop when she saw a notification pop up in her phone screen. It was Wednesday Addams. Her number one suspect as of now. 

Enid thought of herself as a cheerful and happy person, but she had done and avoided things for her pride sometimes. She hated being proven wrong, so she was betting everything on the raven being the killer. The blonde opened the app and read the message.

Sinclair, how have you been faring? I was told you were the one to find the latest body. It is always difficult processing for unaccustomed eyes. Do try to sleep, as sleep deprivation can bring unpleasant hallucinations related to the events.

Maybe she should believe the girl. She had grown up in a funeral home, who else had more experience with dead people than her? Enid felt a weird pang of guilt after reading the message. The day before, Wednesday had been nothing but nice to her. In her own creepy way, but nice. And now she had sent the police after her. She shook her head energetically. No, she wouldn’t entertain those thoughts. Wednesday was guilty and she could prove it. She needed to investigate further. She answered the girl’s message quickly.

Hi! Yes, I found the body. Kinda disgusting ngl I’m still processing 

Thanks for the advice and the tea yesterday <3

The answer was almost immediate.

Always dreadful assisting you. 

 

On Friday, Enid saw a familiar shadow in the library while walking in. Wednesday was already there, sitting in the front row again, blending into the shadows. She had a black oversized striped black and white t-shirt on, black jeans and the same black boots as always. Her hair, as always, into two pigtails, but that day it was braided loosely with black ribbons. Enid looked at her watch. Quarter past three. Enid always went to the library after lunch, so it was safe to assume that Wednesday always arrived before her. She had been already been there on Monday. 

She sat a few places behind the girl and noticed that she didn’t move at all in the few minutes Enid had already been there. Usually, she would be scribbling on loose pages, fast, like she was running out of time. Or turning book pages like she had a timer, every turn with mechanical precision and a quick snapping sound. That’s when Enid noticed that the girl was asleep. Without making noise, Enid left her place and went over to Wednesday. The girl didn’t move when the blonde whispered her name, she was probably in the deepest sleep already.

Enid studied Wednesday’s notes from afar. They were all over the table, messy and unorganized, so unlike the person she presented herself to be. Wednesday wrote in an aggressive cursive, with many lines and letters close together as if to save space, making it difficult to decipher. But she made out a name, and it was a name she recognized. It was circled many times and underlined. Tyler Galpin. Ajax’s friend. There was also a list in another page with names, including Rowan. Some of the names were crossed out and some others were circled with exclamation marks, like ‘Prof. Thornhill Psychology’ or ‘Moises R. HR’. And some of the annotations were in spanish, which Enid didn’t understand. What she did understand was the underlined words ‘NO WITNESSES’. She was plotting a fourth murder. There was also a date underlined . The following Monday. Enid cursed. 

Wednesday stirred and Enid stopped her breathing. She waited for the girl in front of her to lift her head up and look at her with a furious glaze, but the dark-haired girl didn’t wake up, so Enid took quick photos of some of the notes Wednesday had left and went straight to her place, grabbed her stuff and headed home. Her heart was racing and her brain not understanding why Wednesday, cold and calculating Wednesday, would leave her notes sprawled there for everyone to see. Maybe it was a warning. Tyler was next.

While translating from spanish, she was met with several sentences that described the dead bodies. It described everything in scrutinizing detail, from physical appearance to circumstances in which the body was found. She learned that Rowan had been missing a thumb and that the second one was missing a kidney. It was more than Enid could handle without puking, so she didn’t read further for the time being. Her heart thrummed in her ears, panic surging through her body.

She had broken up with Ajax a few days before, right after testifying at the police station. Enid had told him that her feelings were not the same as before and that she didn’t want to hurt him, but appreciated him as a person. They had decided to stay as friends, so it wouldn’t be weird to text him, she thought. She asked about Tyler, how he was doing after finding his friend’s body and where he was. 

doing ok. Not talking much, hes home with his parents, taking a break. hbu?

Enid smiled sadly. She couldn’t imagine the pain of losing someone as close to her, much less finding their body. 

i’m ok. i didn’t know the girl tho, it’s weird. i js think tyler might be in danger, tell him not to come back until killer is found 

Ajax responded with a thumbs up, but about three hours later, while Enid was in her afternoon run, Ajax started to spam her chat.

Enid

Enid

Tylers back in town

I just saw him

Told me hes been here for a few days

Enid cursed quietly. Tyler should be Wednesday’s next victim. His name was circled on the page, she whispered while studying the pictures she took of Wednesday’s legal pad. The splotches of black reminded her too much of blood. Dark and messy. Calculated. She texted Ajax as fast as she could, asking him to watch over Tyler. He shouldn’t be alone, she wrote, it’s dangerous.

Tyler was a sophomore psychology student. Ajax had met him during orientation week and they’d befriended each other. Now Tyler’s best friend, Rowan, had been murdered. The other two Enid could not identify. Someone from history? She tried to remember, but it wasn’t important. They were dead, and so were their dreams, their hopes and the lives of their families. The important thing now was justice. And saving Tyler. That’s why she needed to know Wednesday better. She had to take advantage of the fact that the raven seemed to like her and even started to trust her. Wasn’t that what a journalist should do? Put their lives on the line on the search for truth? Well, she hoped she wouldn’t pay with her life for this, she thought and then texted the girl. 

wanna hangout and have coffee tmrw morning?

yoko and divina r taking bianca to the airport 

The Addams girl responded a few minutes later.

What an unpleasant invitation. I accept.

Enid smirked to herself. She already knew what she could ask to prove the girl didn’t have an alibi for the last three cases. 

great <3

campus cafe at 9? 

Wednesday’s answer came after some time, late into the night. 

08:15. I have business to attend to at 09:30. 

Enid wondered what business one could have on a Saturday at that hour. Family breakfast? Paying a visit to the grandparents? A walk in the park? Homicide? She sighed as she typed on her phone. She hated waking up early, but this had to do. Everything for the sake of the investigation. 

alright! :D

Enid entered the café at eight o’clock and waited for Wednesday. She wanted to be there first to avoid being caught unprepared. She thought that if she was there first, she could take easily control of the situation. So she waited patiently.

The girl entered the establishment at eight thirteen. Enid waved and Wednesday walked towards her quickly. She looked specially pissed that morning: she had her jaw squared, her fists clenched and a murderous look in her eye. She shrugged off her black coat and put it aggressively over the back of the chair. 

“Greetings” she muttered and sat down in front of the blonde. Enid noticed ink on her arm, peeking out of her black Metallica shirt. A tattoo? That would look hot on her. Well not hot in the sense that Enid would absolutely love to get railed by her, but in the objective sense. She was a journalist, she had couldn’t afford to make biased observations. She had to notice everything, even the uncomfortable details, such as Wednesday’s attractiveness.

“Hi! Um… can I ask why you look so angry?”

Wednesday looked at her and tilted her head as if deciding if she was worth the story. Then she sighed and grabbed a menu. She talked while skimming through it.

“My mother is visiting today. I shall pick her up at the bus central later. I should be excited, as her presence is always unwelcome. But I fear she has arrived at a rather…inopportune moment.”

“Why is that? If I may ask, of course.”

Enid noted how the girl in front of her gripped the menu until her knuckles turned white.

“Nothing I can tell you about. How have you been faring? It’s been a few days.”

Enid hummed. She’d been doing well. As well as a person who just saw a corpse could be. Yoko was there and she helped calm her anxiety a bit, but sometimes she would wake up at night completely drenched in sweat with the most vivid and disgusting images in mind. Sometimes she would look at the mirror and see foam coming out of her mouth, or her face swelling like with the girl. But it was lessening. 

“I’ve had a few nightmares but that’s it. I’m doing better today. Thanks for the message. By the way, how did you know that I had… found the dead girl?”

Wednesday told her that she’d seen Bianca for dinner and that Yoko had told Divina. Enid forgot sometimes that Divina’s cousin was very close with the raven. She knew Bianca because of Divina, and she liked her, but she’d never really known her well. They weren’t friends so to say. After that they both ordered their drinks. Enid had a flat white with the small strawberry tartlet she loved and Wednesday black tea with a chocolate chip cookie. Like the last time. A woman of rigid schemes. 

“Were you outside the whole time on Monday? You know, after I talked to my mother…”

“Indeed. Is the old hag still alive? I could fix that quickly, if it pleases you.”

Enid laughed a bit at the absurdity of everything. This girl was proposing violence against her mother the way she’d propose a to fix her refrigerator. Or like a walk in the park. Had she brushed the other killings off the same way? Like: ‘Oh cool, I did it! Onto the next’?  

“She’s not that bad. No need for violence, Wednesday.”

“Pity” she took a sip from her tea “, but the offer still stands.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll pass right now, but thanks, I guess. Tell me about your time in Mexico. After you got expelled. It sounded interesting the last time.”

Wednesday looked at her with a little bit of wariness but spoke quietly. Enid could compare her to a feline, it made sense. She had sharp senses, an avoidance of touch and distrust in humankind. And she probably had claws too. The metaphorical kind, of course.

“I got expelled and I went to another school for a few weeks again, while my parents arranged everything to move back home. The family business, the funeral parlor, has its roots and main headquarters in the city of Morelia. I was born not far away from there, in a little town called Huandacareo, but that is unimportant. Uncle Fester took over the US business and we flew back to Mexico. We waited for the school year to be over and I started the fifth grade there. Pugsley the third grade. I enjoyed my time there very much, if one can say so. It is a city with many dark stories, with a lot of bodies buried throughout the centuries. But we had to return when Uncle Fester got arrested. That’s when I met Eugene and Bianca in the tenth grade.”

“Would you like to go back after university? To Mexico, I mean” asked Enid and finished the little strawberry tartlet.

“Indeed. I… I’d like to… a cousin of mine was… forget it” it seemed like she wanted to say something else but then stopped herself and took another sip of tea. “And you? What would you like to do after university?”

Enid thought about it for some time. Wednesday stared at her while she tried to put the words in her mind together. Wednesday’s eyes bore into her soul, like she was capable of reading her deepest fears and her most forbidden desires. She had a poker face, but something in her eyes talked genuine interest. 

“I’d like to write for a paper. Or maybe a magazine. Fashion would be nice, it’s something I like. But I think politics and social stuff is what I would love to go into. I think that there are few journalists that do it with the people in mind. That want to tell stories as they are. And I want to make people feel heard. Give them a space to raise their voices exactly as they want, not watered down stories or biased narration, maybe even help ignite a revolution?”

Wednesday’s expression softened. Softened. Enid didn’t know it was possible. 

“I am sure you will be terrible at it, Sinclair. I will read every one of your columns with uttermost disgust.”

Was that her way of being nice? Enid thanked her and asked subtlety about the night of the party, where someone was murdered too. She had come to the café, eyes bloodshot, messy hair and dark splotches over her shirt. Did she have an alibi? Enid would find out.

“You were very tired that morning.”

“Indeed. I had a late night stroll with Thing. I needed to clear my mind.”

“How late?”

“Maybe two or three? What is it with this questionnaire?” the smaller girl arched an eyebrow, “I left the party early, I know it is not a widely appreciated gesture, and I apologize. I am not well versed at social… stuff. Thing likes the sound of water, so we decided to take a late stroll.”

“That’s why it looked like you’d walked through a river?” 

Wednesday nodded.

“You’re observant, I see. That’s good. It makes you a more difficult target. The sound of running water seems to ease my mind. And Thing’s too. Like classical music.”

“There’s this one person, not on campus, but a little further away… I found it annoying at first, but they do late night cello solos and I can hear it from Ophelia Hall, and it kinda has helped me sleep better lately. I mean, they must be crazy to play at such hours but… yeah.”

Wednesday looked at her, eyes wide. 

“Oh, that’s… interesting. Do you enjoy cello music?”

“I do now. I think it sounds so sexy, like I don’t know how to describe it. But I’m mostly into pop and the occasional jazz, some afrobeats here and there… you?” 

Wednesday seemed to choke on her tea for a moment.

“Varied. However, pop music makes my ears bleed. It’s a very efficient torture method I, for once, do not enjoy.”

They chatted for a while and Enid mentioned her testimony to the police after the events. Wednesday frowned.

“The pigs have also paid me a visit, I do not understand why. But they are obtuse like that, what can I say?”

Enid feigned surprise while Wednesday told her that they had interrogated her extensively about the murder. And her roommate too. Enid bit her lip, she started to feel a little guilty about that.

“And then they trashed the place like some animals” she spat with venom. “They even emptied Thing’s terrarium and then asked for our immigration documents. Eugene is a citizen…”

Scratch that. Enid started to feel very guilty about that. After her rant on the police, Wednesday looked at her phone and sighed.

“It has been awful talking to you, Sinclair. It’s almost nine o’clock. Will you accompany me outside? I need to leave soon.”

“Sure! Thanks for coming, I had fun. We should totally do this again.” Enid hoped that the next time would be more productive. She couldn’t obtain as much information as she wanted.

“No objection to that, ” the raven grabbed her black coat and put it on “, I’ve come to despise conversing with you, Sinclair. I am displeased to hear you’re doing worse now.”

Enid had still to get used to the mannerisms of the Addams girl. There were moments when she couldn’t decipher if Wednesday meant it like that or not. Maybe she just lacked basic social skills.

They walked outside and they waited in silence for Wednesday’s bus. Enid was frustrated, she couldn’t ask as much as she wanted even though Wednesday had been more talkative than before. In a final act of desperation she asked:

“Do you know Tyler Galpin? From psychology?” 

Wednesday turned her head quickly with wide eyes and muttered a spanish curse under her breath. It didn’t go unnoticed by Enid. 

“Not personally, why?” 

“Nothing. Never mind.”

Wednesday didn’t inquire further. She looked at the passing cars with an emotionless face.

“Thing liked you” she said without looking at Enid. 

“Your spider?” Wednesday nodded in affirmation. “Really?”

“Yes.”

Enid didn’t know where to classify the new knowledge, if inside the creepy folder or the cute folder. A few moments of silence later the bus arrived. Wednesday said goodbye and paid her ticket. As Enid watched as the bus disappear on the horizon, she felt disappointment. Angry with herself.

Wednesday hadn’t let her get too close. She’d avoided certain answers and she’d worked her way around the conversation, subtlety taking control. And now she stood there on the sidewalk, watching Wednesday’s bus leave, with the feeling that she didn’t do everything she could. The problem now was that she had nothing on Addams. She had nothing. 

She met Yoko and Divina in the afternoon and they decided to have a game night. While the three of them sat on the floor of Divina’s dorm, Enid thought about certain shadowy person. She looked at the chessboard inside the red box with board games the blue-eyed girl had. Wednesday and her were playing chess in real life, she thought, only that Wednesday was always two moves ahead and she had, well, nothing.

She had nothing until she saw Wednesday running out of the woods the following Monday, her face and body covered in blood and grime, wild and open eyes and a bloody knife in her left hand. 

---

“So what do you think, Eugene?” Wednesday plopped onto the couch after telling him about her time with Enid. She was surprised that her cello could be heard from a few streets away. She’d definitely start building a special repertoire for a certain pink-loving person. She wanted to retch, she was definitely turning into her parents. She only hoped she could mitigate the effects of the curse and control herself and her mouth whenever the blonde was in sight. 

It had been tempting to kiss the blonde’s soft knuckles after their meeting, and even more tempting to use terms of endearment every other moment. She couldn’t stop her mouth when the girl asked her about something and felt the aching necessity to grab her by the waist and kiss every inch of her face. 

“Dude, ” Eugene passed her the controller and snapped her out of her misery “she’s totally into you. And I just learned she broke up with her boyfriend. Like, she’s totally thinking about you. You should make a move.”

“Look. I cook and wash. You serve. Infallible strategy. Should I compose the most macabre suite I can fathom for her or is it too soon? Or should I start with a short sonata? Maybe I can threaten Pugsley into playing the piano…”

“Wens, start cooking!” Eugene exclaimed and bent forward so he could concentrate more. Wednesday moved her fingers quickly against the controller, the colorful blonde girl still in the back of her mind.  

She’d told Eugene about the day and how the blonde was certainly a disgustingly smart and interesting person. She had accepted it the other night, after the party. After her rather eventful midnight stroll she came to the realization that she had fully succumbed to the curse, and it felt terrible. The good kind of terrible. Exhilarating, even. And she realized too that it wasn’t something worth fighting against anymore.

Around Enid Sinclair she was a stranger to herself. Around the blonde she turned talkative. She turned tolerant, patient even. Around her she didn’t mind her allergy, instead, she welcomed the itchiness and the nausea that came with the lightest of touches.

Her mother had perceived it in mere minutes, but she didn’t prod. It was until Wednesday asked her to accompany her grave-digging the next day, when Morticia asked if there was someone in her life. Wednesday didn’t answer right away, but promised to tell her everything during their bonding activity the next day. It had been years since they’d went grave-digging together. The last time had been in Guadalajara, for her fifteenth birthday. They’d looked for a long lost relative’s ring in the Panteón de Belen.

“Wens, faster! I need those dishes NOW!” Eugene screamed and Wednesday moved faster, forgetting whatever had been in her mind. She could talk to her mother the next day. 

Notes:

They’re playing Overcooked. It’s canon in my mind.

For those who don’t know, Morelia is capital of the state of Michoacan. It’s located in the western region of Mexico. It has borders in the north with Jalisco, Querétaro and Guanajuato. In the south with Guerrero and Mexico and Colima and on the west the Pacific Ocean. It’s a nice city.

Chapter 7: Take the knives out of the ground (because it needs to rain)

Notes:

I love Morticia. I wanted to explore their relationship a little bit more. Translations at the bottom. I thought it would make sense for the both of them to speak spanish with each other, but because I am writing in english it will be kinda mixed. This is probably the longest chapter till now.

Misunderstandings, misunderstandings everywhere.

“Around Enid Sinclair she was a stranger to herself.”

The weather on Sunday was perfect. Cloudy, dark and it was almost threatening to rain. Wednesday met her mother at dawn at the flower shop near the cemetery. She had excused herself the rest of the day because she had assignments to finish and a killer, now turned stalker, to catch. Her mother was delighted to hear that. Oh, my dear, she had said, I see you've been settling perfectly into university life. Her mother was staying two nights in town. At first, she didn't believe her father wouldn't come, as they had never spent a night apart since their wedding, but apparently Gomez had some unfinished business in San Marino and her mother wasn't allowed to step into that country since the late nineties. Life goals, if you asked Wednesday. She had only been banned in two states in the U.S. and the city of Piedras Negras in Mexico, it wasn’t a whole country. 

The last few days, she had been receiving anonymous emails from someone who claimed to be the murderer. They were threatening her with pictures of her while in the library or walking through campus, accompanied by thoughtless and insipid sentences. The funniest was a picture of her entering the school cafeteria with Thing perched on her shoulder and the text: "you're next." Wednesday was almost sure that it was Galpin, it had to be a man. The threats lacked creativity and had a certain cringey factor that could only come from a male. And it was someone who didn’t know where she lived, thankfully.

She’d observed Tyler from afar and had sent Thing to do recognition of his dorm room. Sadly, there had been no clues that hinted at him being the responsible for everything. And, to his favor, Galpin lacked that look in his eye that characterized a person with somewhat questionable morals, like herself. Wednesday was in no means a murderer, but she knew that she lacked some basic social skills and she was capable of... well, murder, if the circumstances developed so. She would kill for her family. For her friends. But that didn't make her a killer, right? 

Her moral dilemmas dissipated when she entered the establishment and found her mother in the back, buying a single dark purple dahlia. It was one of Wednesday's favorite flowers. Morticia turned around with a giant smile plastered on her face. 

“Wednesday, my dear, it's awful to see you again. I was just purchasing a little gift for you, you've arrived early. How do you like it?” Her mother extended the flower towards her and Wednesday examined it. It was exquisite. She hated color, but this dark purple was mesmerizing. She had to admit, her mother had excellent taste when it came to flowers.

“A terrible gift, mother. Thank you.”

Wednesday adjusted the backpack on her shoulder, in which she had tried to fit two shovels and some flashlights with battery replacements, although the both of them preferred the classical light from candles or, in the worst case, an oil lamp. She put the flower carefully in the pocket of her coat and looked at her mother. She was dressed for the occasion, it seemed. She was wearing long and loose black trousers and a flowy black button up blouse that moved dramatically with the wind. The woman smiled softly and placed two kisses in the air, near Wednesday's cheeks, but respecting her longtime wish to not be touched. 

The both of them walked in a comfortable silence towards the cemetery. Her father had given her the tip a long time ago, right after starting university, but she hadn't had time to go and take a look. They were supposed to find the place of rest of a long lost relative, who apparently had travelled there and died fighting a bear. An honorable death, if she was asked about it. 

“He had this ring, hija, beautiful. Moonstone and with a poison compartment. Simply exquisite” were the words of her father. She had remembered about it while looking for a fitting present for Enid. 

Wednesday had already stopped denying it. After her late night stroll, where she had accidentally stumbled across the second body, and her conversation with her brother, she fully accepted and embraced the curse. It was useless to escape from something that would kill her either way. So she gathered her cello, her music sheet notebook and her phone and climbed up the stairs to the roof of her building and started writing. She remembered the conversation with her father early in the morning, and after seeing the blonde in the café, she was sure about her plans for the weekend.

It was her mission to find it. Not for her, but for a certain blonde that had occupied her mind the last two hundred hours. It would be fitting for Sinclair, she thought, she'd seen the extensive ring collection she wore every day. The ring would match perfectly. 

The cemetery was closing, but Morticia had already pulled a few strings, so they would be left alone without problem. The Addams family had a lot of influence within the cemetery and funeral environment, so nobody would bother them while they desecrated a hundred year old grave. 

“La última vez que hicimos esto juntas fue para tus quinces, ¿te acuerdas?” her mother smiled softly and pulled an oil lamp out of nowhere. Wednesday passed her a lighter. "Guadalajara, el Panteón de Belén..."

Wednesday didn't answer. She remembered that day as if it was yesterday, it was one of her fondest memories, but there was no way she was confessing that to her mother. 

It was not much longer until they found the gravestone. The stone was covered in moss and dirt, clearly unattended and the name was barely visible. Wednesday almost felt the urge to smile at the smell of moss and wet soil. She placed her backpack on the ground and gave her mother a shovel. Morticia grabbed it but looked at her long nails with hesitation, not wanting to get her hands dirty, probably. 

“Me prometiste que ibas a participar” Wednesday scowled at her mother. The woman sighed dramatically and took a step towards her daughter and placed the oil lamp on the ground next to the tombstone.

They were halfway through the process when Morticia stopped and spoke cautiously:

“Do you want to tell me what’s troubling you, my little bat?”

Wednesday could already feel the exertion of her arms and supported her weight on the shovel to catch her breath for a minute. She didn’t look at her mother and swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking.

“I have succumbed to the curse, mother.”

Wednesday wanted to groan when she saw her mother’s smile widen. She knew that opening her mouth had been a mistake.

“That’s unfortunate, dear. ¿Quién es? Si se puede saber…”

“Se llama Enid. De la universidad. Una güera. No le digas a papá… por favor.”

Morticia made the gesture of sealing her lips and throwing away the key. Then she slid next to Wednesday and traced the outline of her face in the air.

“¿Pero qué es lo que te perturba, hija? Parece que ya lo aceptaste… pero hay algo que te molesta.”

“No sé si soy capaz de eso” she confessed. “No soy como tú o papá. Yo no tengo nada para ofrecer de regreso. Ella es luz. Yo soy un agujero negro.”

Morticia sighed and looked glanced at their only source of light. 

“Ya verás que sí.”

They continued their work in silence, but the silence was welcome. The weather was cool, but Wednesday was already sweating and had disregarded her coat. Her mother’s dahlia she put in the back pocket of her jeans. Her mother’s shovel hit against something hard. 

“Wood” she commented and looked at her hands. Wednesday knew her mother wouldn’t want to handle the next part, she wouldn’t want to ruin her nails. Wednesday blew to remove a strand of hair from her face and crouched to clear the dirt from the decaying coffin. She opened it, ignoring the splinters that stuck to her hands and looked at the cadaver. 

“Greetings, uncle” she whispered and looked for his hands, now only bones and cobwebs. In his left ring finger he had the ring. It was beautiful. It was golden with small and tasteful details of vines, which held the stone. Moonstone. It glowed blue and white under the soft light of the oil lamp. Wednesday retrieved it and broke some fingers in the process, but the guy had  almost turned to dust. It didn’t matter. 

“What do you think, mother?” she lifted her hand to show her the piece. 

“Oh, how horrible!” Morticia exclaimed delighted. “It will make a terrible present for your gringa.”

“Indeed” Wednesday opened the poison compartment and licked what was inside to find out what it was. She looked at her dead relative and scoffed. “Cyanide. How cliché. And you called yourself an Addams.” 

The least entertaining part of grave desecration was closing it up. Sure, they could leave it open, but they were no assholes, they were well aware of the effort it took to close a grave. It was in their blood, after all.

It was almost midnight when they finished. Wednesday rubbed the dirt of her hands and Morticia grabbed the oil lamp. She smiled at Wednesday and took a step forward, her silence an invitation in itself. Wednesday hesitated, but took a step forward herself  and let her mother's arms come around her. Wednesday didn't move, but she relaxed into her mother's embrace. It had been a long time since she'd allow a gesture like that, but that night it alleviated something in her chest.  She inhaled closed her eyes at the smell of her mother’s perfume, roses and nightshade (the flower, of course). It was strangely comforting, like being home again. Not home in New Jersey, but home at their old house in Morelia. With Nero and Miguel still there, with the smell of gunpowder after terrorizing the party with pyrotechnics, with the poisoned hot chocolate of her grandmother. It was too much, so she took a step back.

“Okey, suficiente” she mumbled and grabbed her backpack. "I'll walk you to your hotel.”

Wednesday left her mother at the hotel in the city center. They said their goodbyes and Morticia left a kiss near Wednesday’s forehead, a few millimeters away. There was no hug, the other one had been enough. Wednesday hoped it had conveyed her feelings appropriately.

“Tomorrow I have class, but we can look for knives at the night market after lunch. I need to prepare for Pugsley’s arrival next month.”

“Such a horrible sister you are. It would warm up my heart if I had one. Speaking of knives… you forgot your favorite knife at home last time.”

Her mother pulled Wednesday’s first and favorite knife out of her purse. It was a smaller bowie knife with a shiny silver blade and a black handle. Very simple at first sight, but the the blade had very detailed engravings of Mictlantecuhtli on one side and Mictecacihuatl on the other, the rulers of the Mexica underworld. It had been Wednesday’s present for her tenth birthday. She’d carried with her since then.

“Thank you” she whispered and strapped it to her leg, hidden by the coat she was wearing. Morticia smiled softly at her.

“Sleep well, darling, may you be haunted by nightmares.”

“You too.”

Wednesday made her way towards her apartment. Luckily it was a twenty minute walk, because the next bus arrived at five in the morning. Her phone buzzed when she turned in one street and she stopped to read the message. Was it her stalker again? She studied her surroundings, but there was no one but a  group of drunk friends walking out of a bar. She felt no presence either. She returned to the message. It was from the number Tyler Galpin had registered for university business. She had it memorized, obviously. She wouldn’t be caught unprepared.

Meet at woods near hospital at 3 am. Alone.

Two hours from then. Would she get ambushed if she went? Most likely. Did Galpin work alone or did he have accomplices too? Probably. But she had to get to the bottom of it and find a culprit or maybe die trying. She replied quickly:

Alone goes both ways? 

The reply was immediate.

Yes

Wednesday sighed and continued walking towards her apartment. She needed to leave the shovels and grab more practical weapons for the occasion. When she arrived, Eugene was already asleep so she moved silently. In her room she changed the shovels for a knife in her boot and a flashlight. Her favorite knife remained strapped to her left thigh. Wednesday plugged her phone in to charge it and waited in the darkness of her room till it was time to leave. The ring she left on her nightstand, she wouldn't want to lose it in combat. 

After a short and uneventful rest, Wednesday put her worn out coat on and walked down the stairs. She grabbed her bike, a black and old vintage road bike she had taken from some dump in a place she couldn't recall. It would be faster and less dangerous than walking alone in the night. 

She arrived at the hospital ten minutes before three and chained the bike to a light post in the sidewalk. Then she walked into the forest, flashlight in her right hand and the other always brushing her tigh, close to the knife. She wasn't afraid, if all, she was curious, but there was definitely something off, because the killer was looking for her. Her biggest question was how she fitted into the most recent events. She had no relationship with Rowan, with Malik, the murdered history student or with the other girl. Was her name Alice? 

A branch broke behind her. Wednesday stopped and turned around. Her light showed Tyler Galpin walking towards her with urgency, barely dodging the branches and steps loud against the wet soil. He was out of breath and Wednesday tightened her grip on the flashlight and her hand brushed the handle of the knife hidden by the coat. 

“Addams, right? Wednesday Addams?” he asked and stopped before her. He looked terrified. His eyes were wide open and there was a faint tremble of his hands that Wednesday caught on.

“Galpin.”

“Oh, thank God” the guy let out a huff of air. He was quick to grab Wednesday's coat and looked at her in the eyes. “You have to help me. Please.”

Wednesday pushed him off and Tyler looked at her, trying to control his breathing.

“Please” he begged, his voice cracking. Wednesday stood still, but she could feel the tension in her neck and jaw. 

“Explain yourself, Galpin. And please refrain from touching me again, unless you'd like to lose a few fingers.”

“I…we need to be quick” he rushed “she’s probably already looking for me.”

Wednesday blinked a few times, realizing Galpin might not be who she thought he was.

“What do you mean, Galpin? Who is looking for you? Quickly before I disembowel you.” Wednesday was already losing what little patience she had. The lack of sleep was already affecting her. She’d probably had five hours of rest in three days.

“I know who it was. Rowan’s killer.”

“Is it not you? I thought you would take the murderous approach.”

“Me?!” Tyler exclaimed bewildered. He took a step back and almost slipped with the leaves on the ground. “Oh, no, no. I could never, Rowan was my best friend and—look, you know Thornhill? Head of the psychology department? Redhead? Big glasses?”

Wednesday tilted her head. Thornhill had appeared several times during her investigation. She was a close second after Tyler. Wednesday had found out that Rowan, although not a psychology student, had several classes in that area, probably for a minor. Every victim had somehow landed near the psychology department. So it made sense for Thornhill to appear. 

“I’m familiar with the name” she commented and urged the boy to continue. 

“So when I went over, I saw Thornhill walking down the stairs. We greeted each other and then I found him. But I was missing him so I went over again after the police finished their stuff. And I saw her. I saw her leaving a note. And I saw her logging off Rowan’s computer. And… and… Addams, you have to help me. She’s coming!”

Wednesday was unable to move for a moment. Thornhill. She felt a shiver run down her spine. She had been so certain that Tyler was the culprit that she didn’t even consider other possibilities. 

“She’s absolutely crazy! Like… totally bonkers. You have to believe me!” Tyler exclaimed. “She’s threatening me and she’s been stalking me nonstop. And I saw your last name on that paper in Rowan’s room and I thought ‘what the hell, maybe they’ll help me’ because she’s threatening you too, right? And now she’s coming, I swear she always knows where I am” Tyler’s words came hurried. He was terrified of this woman. “She’s coming, she’ll kill us. She’ll kill me and…please, Addams, help me!” 

“Quiet, Galpin!” Wednesday hushed him, irritated. “Do you not have any survival instincts? Or are you stupid on purpose? Silence yourself.” 

The boy stopped his rambling and Wednesday looked around. Something was off. She’d always been proud of her heightened senses, something she had picked up from her time in the Addams family. Twenty years of preparation for a moment like that. A branch broke somewhere near. Then a bullet breezed by and Wednesday grabbed Galpin’s collar and dragged him down with her behind a fallen tree. She cursed internally and turned off her flashlight as more shots were fired. 

From some bushes emerged the redhead professor and Wednesday’s hand gripped the handle of the blade on her tigh. 

“Addams!” the woman called. Tyler shook in fear. Wednesday put her hand over the boy’s mouth and mouthed:

“I don’t want to hear a single noise from your mouth or I’ll cut your vocal chords myself.”

He nodded frenetically and Wednesday turned towards the professor. She had unknowingly brought knives to a gun fight. She needed to get rid of the firearm first. 

“I am afraid I do not know you” Wednesday called back from behind another tree.

“You and your family are hard to track, you’re like cockroaches,” the redhead pointed her gun at Wednesday, “it seems it’s also impossible to kill you. But not for long. And I will start with you.”

Honestly, Wednesday didn’t understand anything of what was happening. Luckily for her, the woman was a talker.

“I’ve searched for your family for years” there was hatred in the professor’s voice. Wednesday tightened her grip on her knife, the woman continued her story. “I figured the best way for you to come out of hiding was with dead bodies. Like I said: cockroaches.”

“And I thought you were going for the modern prometheus path, but clearly you lack the creativity. Still, I admire your persistence. Your obsession with my family is truly…something. I suggest you let the boy go. He hasn’t done anything.”

“He’s a witness of then and today. He needs to die, maybe before I kill you.” 

Wednesday almost rolled her eyes when Galpin whimpered. Thornhill fired some shots at him, but the tree caught most of it. Most of it. One bullet hit him in the leg. The guy screamed in pain and Wednesday picked up a stone and threw it at Thornhill. She used the distraction and managed to hit her in the head. It made her drop the gun at least. That’s when Wednesday lunged at her. She grabbed the gun quickly and managed to throw it several feet away. If they were to fight, it had to be on equal conditions. She was ready to punch her in the face, but the woman grabbed her leg and threw her to the ground. 

Thornhill had a knife too. Wednesday grabbed the one on her boot and got to her feet. 

“Your whole bloodline has ruined my life, ” Thornhill spat, “now it’s my turn to end you for good.”

“I have never heard of you in my life” Wednesday kicked the redhead professor and she reciprocated with a punch to the stomach. Wednesday attacked her, knife in had and managed to make a cut on her arm before the woman dodged and attacked back. It was dark, the only light was coming from the moon, filtering through the tops of the trees.

It went back and forth for some time until Wednesday found an opening, but the crazy woman was faster. She made Wednesday drop her knife and pushed her against a tree. Wednesday grabbed the knife on her leg, but she didn’t see her fast enough.

Wednesday’s eyes widened when she felt the cold blade piercing her shoulder. It made her drop her knife. She recoiled as her back hit a tree, she could feel her heart thumping in her throat and a quiet gasp left her lips. Thornhill smiled at her sweetly and went to grab the knife from Wednesday’s body, probably to repeat the action, but the raven managed to kick her shin and then her stomach and send her stumbling back. 

She saw a big fallen branch on the floor and thought: this will have to do. 

She grabbed it and as quickly as she could, smacked the professor with it before the woman could get to her feet again. The redhead fell limp to the ground. 

Wednesday was quick to stumble to her feet and distance herself from the unconscious woman, but she suddenly fell to her knees, the throbbing on her shoulder unbearable. 

“Puta madre” she cursed as she grabbed the hilt of the knife buried deep in her shoulder. She wasn’t one to faint at the first sight of blood and she’d had injuries worse than that. But it was still a nuisance. A big one. She couldn’t take it out now, it would make her bleed out faster. 

“Verga” she cursed again and with her other hand, she grabbed her other knife on the floor, still drenched in blood. Her blood? Or Thornhill’s? It didn’t matter. Luckily for her, her thick coat had prevented Thornhill’s knife from going further. But now it was ruined.

With trembling legs she got up and looked at Thornhill. She’d probably be there for another thirty minutes, but it was better they didn’t risk it. Wednesday walked over to where Tyler was. He didn’t look well. He had been struck by a bullet in the leg, nothing fatal, there was no dangerous bleeding, no important arteries impacted, but certainly painful.

“Galpin” the whimpering boy didn’t react. Wednesday nudged him with her foot and he looked at her with tears in his eye. “Pendejo, we need to go before she wakes up, come on.”

“It hurts so bad, Wednesday” he groaned. Wednesday pressed her right hand to the wound in her left shoulder. She crouched and analyzed Tyler’s wound. He needed a tourniquet, so she shrugged her now ruined coat of and cut a sleeve to help stop the bleeding. He hadn’t lost that much blood, but it was better to be safe.

She hoisted the boy up and put his arm around her so he could hold himself up. Wednesday grabbed Tyler’s phone with her free hand without asking, and dialed Eugene’s number again and again and again until the boy picked up.

“Who is this?”

“Ottinger. Bring your ass and your truck to the street that borders the woods. West of the city. Park where you see my bicycle. Fuck!” Wednesday cursed as Tyler put pressure on her shoulder accidentally. She almost dropped the knife on her other hand.

“Wens, what happened?” Eugene asked with concern. Wednesday and Galpin stumbled through the woods, looking for an out. Wednesday felt warm liquid running down her side. She was loosing blood faster than she wanted.

“Please, Eugene,” she clenched her jaw, “just be quick.” 

There was no sarcastic remark, no empty threat, only a pleading Wednesday. Eugene’s line went still and Wednesday assumed he was on his way. She dropped the phone on the ground and kept walking. 

How they managed to get to the clearing, Wednesday didn’t know, but she sighed in relief when the first rays of the rising sun bathed her face. They had light. And Eugene’s truck could be heard from a distance. Thornhill would escape, but that was a problem for the next day. 

“Oh, God, Addams” Tyler looked at her, absolutely horrified. “Is that a knife?” And then he fainted. Wednesday let him go before he could drag her with him. She scoffed. Unbelievable, she thought, and to think I had him as my main suspect. She saw Eugene park on the street below them, so she grabbed Tyler’s arm and started to drag him towards the truck, fortunately for him, the path was grass, he would get a rash, but no additional injuries. He was heavy and the throbbing in her shoulder was getting worse with every second. 

“Wednesday!” Eugene came running to her. “Oh, fuck! What did you do?”

Wednesday looked at her best friend, unamused. She didn’t have the energy for a witty remark or an innocent threat, so she bit her lip and pushed through the pain. 

“Help me get him on the truck. He needs a hospital.”

They put an unconscious Tyler in the back of the truck and Wednesday slid into the passenger seat. She needed supplies to get that knife out of her.

“You need to go to the hospital too, Wens. And call your mother. Look at your face! And…is that a fucking knife?!”

“Just drive, ‘Gene” she rasped. She moved uncomfortably and her hand went to her back pocket. Her mother’s dahlia was still there. A little bit broken and without some petals, but it was there. She wouldn’t call her mother, she was leaving the city in a few hours, it was nonsensical to stop her with something as trivial as that. 

Her shoulder throbbed again and she almost lost consciousness. Something crawled over her face and she opened her eyes.

“Thing?” she mustered. The spider was there. It tapped against her face and Wednesday groaned. “No, I will not call mother. She’s been away from father for two nights, she will combust if she’s not home by tonight, I swear.” 

“Wens, this is really bad” Eugene passed another red light, the tires screeching. “You’re bleeding all over my truck.”

“I’ll wash it away. Go faster.”

---

Enid stopped dead on her tracks at the sight of a Wednesday covered in blood and grime, knife in hand and dragging an unmoving body towards a truck. 

She was in the middle of her morning run when she saw movement on the corner of her eye and stopped, panting. Something, someone was coming out of the woods, how strange. That’s when she saw her, barely illuminated by the rising sun, but she recognized the figure. It was the girl that had become her most recent obsession. The one that appeared whenever she closed her eyes, the one who plagued her dreams, and her most questionable crush. 

Wednesday struggled to drag the unconscious person, but a guy her age stepped out of the truck and helped her carry the body. Enid grabbed her phone and wrote down the license plate number for the truck along with a description of it. She watched as the two… friends? Were they friends? She watched them as they placed the unconscious (was he dead?) body in the back of the truck and the dark-haired girl told her companion to drive. When they were gone, Enid went closer to the place of the events and looked at the blood on the pavement. Enid gritted her teeth. Fucking Wednesday Addams. She wouldn’t get away with it. Her resolve was strong: she would be the one to send Wednesday Addams to jail. 

Notes:

Translations in order of appearance:

"The last time we did this together was for your fifteenth birthday, remember? Guadalajara, the Panteón de Belén..."
"You promised you would participate."
"Who is it? If I'm allowed to know..."
"Her name's Enid. From university. A güera. Don't tell father.... please"
"But what disturbs you about it, daughter? It seems you've already accepted the curse... but there's something bothering you."
"I don't know if I am capable of that. I am not like you or father. I have nothing to offer in return. She’s light, I’m a black hole."
"You do, you will see."
"Okey, enough"

Chapter 8: Today I’m turning into a criminal

Notes:

It took me some time to update, for that I'm sorry. I went to the countryside, where my grandma comes from and there's no internet nor signal. Light was out too for a few days, but everything was very nice and light came back.
There's some flashbacks here, some lore, Miguel is Wednesday's cousin, he is not a character from the series/movies.
I hope you enjoy (translations at the bottom).

“I’ll wash it away. Go faster.”

 

Wednesday woke up with a migraine and throbbing pain in her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw the black flowers clouding her vision, the telltale sign that the migraine was worse than usual. She felt around on her nightstand until she found the little bottle and swallowed one pill without water. The clock in her wall struck quarter past four. She'd been out of it for almost six hours. 

After leaving Tyler in the hospital and making Eugene steal a first aid kit from the supply room, Wednesday acted quickly. In Eugene's truck, with his help, she tore her shirt and pulled out the knife. She disinfected the area to avoid sepsis. The knife had been there for a long time, she couldn't risk it a second longer. Fortunately, her genes acted in favor. There was something in the Addams blood that made them resistant to such things. Or maybe they were just very lucky, but Wednesday refused to believe in luck. Luck was preparation and opportunity... she couldn't remember where the quote came from. That was bad. 

Once home, Eugene helped her into bed. He protested, told her she needed to see a doctor, but Wednesday refused. She would be alright. A doctor would ask too many questions, she couldn't afford having her name in another system. That would make it easier for Thornhill to track her. Thornhill. She had probably escaped too, planning her revenge on Wednesday and Tyler. He was at the hospital and his parents were on their way, so it wouldn't be a  big problem in the short term, but the redhead would probably look for him first. He was a key witness, after all. What she needed to do was get information on Thornhill. That name didn't ring a bell. The Addams family had many enemies, but Thornhill's name wasn't a name she'd heard from her parents mouth before. 

It was a good idea to leave her phone at home, she would've lost it in the fight or leave it behind like Tyler's. She texted her mother that she'd be unable to accompany her to the station, that she had an exam to study for. Morticia wasn't very inquisitive regarding her daughter's endeavors, she respected her boundaries and Wednesday was grateful that she didn't ask about the non-existent exam. She did have exams to study for, but not until the first days of december.

I will not disturb your misery further, then. Do not worry about the curse, my little bat, my lips are sealed until you say otherwise. We will see each other in a month, till then have an awful time at university, dear.

Wedneseday only had the energy to reply with a thumbs up before she succumbed to sleep. In her nightmares, the headache followed her like a bugging mosquito, buzzing constantly in her temples.

The first thing she did when she woke up again three hours later was drink some water. The migraine had receded a bit and only the aftereffects remained: a little bit of nausea, a dry throat and a lightness to her head that was bordering on the uncomfortable. Eugene was probably home again after school.

She got up and hissed when she accidentaly touched her face. She had forgotten the cut on her cheek. Eugene had also helped her with the stitches there. When she put her feet on the ground, she felt like vomiting. She took a deep breath to control the nausea and took another step, then another. It was hard. Fuck, she thought while walking towards the door, it's been too long since I've had an injury like this, I've grown soft. 

“You're awake!” Eugene rushed towards her when he saw her entering the common area. “Are you feeling better? Should we change the bandages again? Sit down on the couch, please. I'll bring you water and food.”

Wednesday sat down on the couch winced. She had bruises all over her body. It was uncomfortable to move at all. The painkillers were working, but they weren't magical, she needed rest and sleep, to allow her body to heal. Time. But that was the thing she had the least of.  With Thornhill on the loose, Galpin was in danger, her family was in danger and even Eugene, Bianca and Enid were in danger. 

“You still owe me an explanation, you know?” Eugene put a rice bowl with tuna and other vegetables on her lap. Wednesday thanked him quietly.

“Is Galpin alright?” she grabbed the fork from her friend's hand and looked at the bowl. She hoped she wouldn't puke the contents later.

“I left my phone number at the front desk, they called like an hour ago to tell me that his parents had already arrived.” Eugene sat down next to her and stretched his legs. “You both got lucky that I left my phone next to me, because you would’ve been bones if I hadn’t.”

“Good. And thanks.” she said, but an uneasy feeling came over. Eugene had left his phone on the hospital's register. If Thornhill went looking for Galpin, she would probably stumble across Eugene's number. She had been too injured to warn him, but it was too late now. At that time she was barely conscious. She was mildly relieved that the boy was not alone anymore.

“Who stabbed you? You never told me. Why didn't you let me call your mom? Or your dad?”

“I found out who the killer is” Wednesday stabbed the fork into the rice. “It's a professor. Thornhill, I don't know her first name right now. Head of the psychology department. She was the second victim's thesis advisor. Rowan had taken some class with her. The girl I still don't know, but probably also in one of Thornhill's lectures. She's looking for me and my family, says we've ruined her life. Bringing my parents into this is, therefore, less than ideal, as you see.”

They sat in silence for a while. Wednesday appreciated it. She managed to finish the rice bowl and a glass of water. Then Eugene changed the bandages on her shoulder again. The wound looked terrible, but it wasn't infected. That was good. Eugene did everything with surgical precision, the way she had taught him to do it when they were smaller. 

While they were on their high school's beekeeping club, they did a lot of walking around. During one of their walks, it was a few months after meeting for the first time, Eugene had an accident and opened his leg with a sharp rock, the blood soaked his pants and he had started to cry. Wednesday had sighed and stopped to see what was happening. You're lucky you're with me, because of your incompetence it would be no surprise if you ended up being eaten by a bear, she had told him while reaching for her bag. Wednesday carried her emergency kit everywhere, so she treated his wound and explained him everything with detail. The next time, two months later, Eugene had another accident. Wednesday had him do it on his own, but talked him through the process. In no time, she had transformed her friend in a proficient nurse. They practiced survival techniques together, went on long hikes without telling anyone and they had fun disappearing for days in the mountains, where they spend the most of the time in silence, looking for curious species. Eugene's moms weren't very fond of her because of that. 

“What are we going to do?” was her friend's question.

“I need to know who Thornhill is. But I’ve been unable to find anything about her.”

 

Wednesday had never liked school. It was a prison to her, a place where underpaid adults tried to train younglings into the perfect underpaid employees the system needed to keep producing. She went to five different schools during her time in New Jersey, six, if her fifteen days at Melville Elementary counted. That's where she had met Enid. Then they moved to Morelia. And it was worse. The school uniform was idiotic, and the weekly marching session in the courtyard to honor the flag was even more tiresome than the daily pledge of allegiance she remembered from the states. The only fun part was when someone fell unconscious during the ceremony. Pugsley had fainted several times and Wednesday had to roll her eyes at his weakness. School was torture, summarized. However, her cousin Miguel went to the same school as her, so she did her best to not get expelled. 

Miguel was her cousin on her mother's side, he was the son of her sister Ofelia. They were the same age and had some similar interests, so Wednesday found his presence tolerable, sometimes even enjoyable. They bonded over their mutual interests in horror literature and their violent tendencies. He was a scrawny boy, black hair, dark eyes, pale skin and a droopy eyelid. On the first school day, they'd been around ten or eleven at the time, some kids tried to call him names, trying to assert dominance as early as possible, but Miguel had them beat to a pulp before they could finish the sentence. That’s when she noticed that Miguel and her were more alike than she had initially thought. 

The years passed and they were suddenly not kids anymore. No, they were fifteen and wandering through abandoned places, smoking on a footbridge with their feet dangling over the street below them, terrorizing whoever dared to look at Pugsley the wrong way or try something with Valeria, Miguel's little sister. The neighbors would complain sometimes, but they were quick to shut their mouths when Wednesday passed by with bloody knuckles and Nero perched on her shoulder. Nero was her pet scorpion, she hadn't thought about him in a while. Thinking about his tragic death always brought a tightness to Wednesday's chest. He was the first casualty of the Gates family, when they moved to the house in front of them.

Not long after that, Wednesday was straddling that redhead boy, delivering blow after blow to his face, as the tears ran unashamedly down her cheeks. She remembered the screams, the acrid smell of blood and the snapping of bones. 

¿Dónde está? ¡Pinche puto, dime dónde está Miguel! ¿A dónde se lo llevaron? 

She remembered the feeling of exhilaration when she saw him spit out blood. His wicked smile while she held him still against the dirt of an empty lot not far away from their street. She remembered her father grabbing her by the waist to yank her off him, and the neighbors terrified looks.

Eugene pulled her out of her thoughts by waving in front of her. Five years and a few months had passed since that day and it still haunted her from time to time. She looked down at her scarred knuckles, a stark reminder of that day and the promise she had made to herself.

“What if her real name is not 'Thornhill'?” her friend suggested. Wednesday blinked a few times. Why hadn't she thought about it before? Thornhill's identity had become clear in mere seconds. She scolded herself for not recognizing her. For being so oblivious about everything. And above all, for forgetting Miguel.

“Eugene. I fear I do not convey my appreciation for you enough, ” Wednesday clasped her hands together, “ your input has always been able to fill the missing piece in my investigations.”

“That's very sweet of you, bestie” Eugene smiled and she scowled. Thing walked his leg up and the boy fed the spider a few worms. "So, what is your guess?"

“Do not call me that again and stop spoiling Thing. He will get an aneurysm from all that food.” Wednesday moved to get more comfortable in the couch, the bruises on her back were starting to bother her. “I fear my past has come to haunt me again.”

 

Wednesday had never told anyone about the Gates case. She never told Eugene or Bianca why their family had moved to Jersey again. She didn't even tell Thing about it. Thing, her most loyal companion, knew nothing about that hot spring evening where she'd almost killed someone with her bare hands. But the problem was that that someone happened to be Garrett Gates. 

Ofelia had called her mother one Tuesday morning, anxious, wondering if Miguel had spent the night at their house. Wednesday hadn't seen her cousin since the weekend, where they had wandered to the cemetery and put flowers on Nero's grave. Then they had thrown rotten eggs at the Gates' car and smeared their whole window with fake blood. They hated the Gates family with everything they had. Their youngest had killed Nero with his sports car a few months prior, and when Morticia knocked at their door and demanded an apology, she was met with indifference and a fifty pesos note, so your daughter can buy another one of those things, Mr. Gates had said. The family was weird, but not in the Addams way, but a whole different type of weird. 

“I swear to God, they're in the drug business” Miguel had said to her. “But the business part, not the drug part.”

“It is pretty obvious, cousin. Those cars do not have license plates. How are you so sure, though?”

Miguel looked around nervously and offered her fire. They were smoking next to Nero's grave again. It had become a disgusting habit in the past months, but Wednesday couldn't care less. If it sent her to an early grave, then so be it.

“So, you know Chato? Lucy's brother?” Wednesday nodded, she was familiar with the names. Miguel continued: “so... he's been working for Garrett. Say's he gives him a package, he has to transport it to another part of the city and drop it somewhere. Really easy. And the money's supposed to be good. Like really good. Maybe twenty a month for doing almost nothing.”

“Do not tell me you are stupid enough to fall for that” she took a drag from her cigarette. “Mi tía te rompe la escoba en la cabeza si se entera que le hablaste al rojillo.” 

Garrett's nickname in the neighborhood was 'rojillo', because he was a redhead. Some people said that his sister was a redhead too, but nobody had seen her more than once. She was never home, or maybe always at home. Her mother and aunt were also suspicious, so they had advised Wednesday and Miguel to stay away from the boy. Fortunately, he went to a different school. A private one in the south of the city, so they didn't see each other that much.

On Monday morning, Miguel had texted Wednesday shortly that he was not going to school, that something had happened. Wednesday had asked about it, and she had seen the dots appear and disappear from the screen for an eternity, but no answer. Then, silence. Wednesday’s messages were stuck on sent, the calls not landing. That had been the last time they had talked to each other. And Wednesday knew immediately who the responsible was.

“But why kill you?” asked Eugene after Wednesday told him the story. “How did your family ruin her life?”

“After my cousin’s disappearance, I had a talk with Garrett Gates, Laurel’s brother. It did not end as one would hope, things happened. I was detained, brought to court. But I was sure that the Gates’ had disappeared my cousin, so I told my family. Grandmama made an anonymous call, something about drugs being distributed from their house. Mr. and Mrs. Gates were convicted immediately, leaving Garrett on his own. Laurel disappeared. Mr. Gates shot his wife and Garrett, then proceeded to commit suicide before he could land in jail. I suppose she holds a grudge against my family.”

They were silent for some minutes. Wednesday bit her lip, a lot of things had happened that spring. The Tanaka’s had taken care of everything legal, but it wasn’t enough. She needed to close the case before there was any more bloodshed. She needed to sever the ties with her past with a knife. Or a gun, if possible.

“But that’s irrelevant now, Eugene. That woman needs to be stopped right now. I won’t let her come close to my family. Or die trying.”

 

Wednesday spent the next days in her room, putting together the pieces of the last weeks. Galpin wasn’t going to be released from the hospital for another week, but he had already been visited by a detective. Detective Vazquez, he said when Wednesday paid him a visit on Friday. 

“I… I can’t remember what happened, Addams. I heard shots and then I woke up here. But you brought me in, you saved me. Thanks.”

“Tell the nurses only your parents are allowed in” Wednesday was sure that Thorn—Laurel. That Laurel wanted to eliminate Tyler first, as he was a key witness. “What did you tell the police about Rowan?”

“Nothing. I… Wednesday, I couldn’t” Tyler looked at her with glossy eyes. “She told me she would kill me. I just told them that I don’t remember anything.”

Well, that was a nuisance. 

Wednesday stared at her laptop for hours, frustrated by her lack of progress. How was she supposed to solve this problem? She tried to answer to the stalker emails, but they came back with a warning that the address didn’t exist anymore. She was trying to hide, Wednesday needed to hold her underwater until the woman showed her head to take a breath. She needed a new plan. 

She went out that evening, against Eugene’s orders. It had already been six days since she was stabbed, she was feeling just peachy. Except for the feeling of stagnation. Maybe taking a walk would help, because she had absolutely no idea of what to do next. Maybe she should wait outside of the hospital where Galpin was, intercept her when she went to kill him. Or make an appointment with her on the university’s website? She sighed and entered a random flower shop.

“Addams!” someone exclaimed behind her. She turned around and looked at Yoko Tanaka. Enid’s best friend. And the daughter of the Addams family lawyer, she had learned a few days prior. She was unsure if the girl knew who she was when they met at the party. It was quite possible, and maybe they were just actively ignoring the facts.

“Tanaka” she greeted and turned back to examine the tulips. 

“What are you doing here?” the girl asked and removed her sunglasses. 

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I’m buying flowers for Div. It’s our anniversary tomorrow.”

“My condolences” Wednesday said dryly. She wasn’t in the mood for chitchat, a migraine was slowly settling in. 

“Enid said she hasn’t seen you in the library this week. Told me you were a regular” Yoko took a step closer to her, so she took a step to the side. 

“I was sick” she lied. Well, technically, she was sick. From the shoulder. Diagnose: stabbed by a psychopathic psychologist. Quite the event.

“I am feeling much better now” another lie. The wound still throbbed and ached whenever she moved. She took a tulip from a vase. Maybe if she cut the flower off the stem, it would be more aesthetically appealing.

“I’m glad” Yoko gave her a small smile. Wednesday nodded and studied Enid’s friend from head to toe. She thought about the blonde regularly since their meeting, and the place where her heart should be hurt because of the distance. It was annoying, but welcome. In her spare time, she’d devoted herself to write a suite for the darkness of her eyes. While she was unable to play her cello, she could still write. She’d make the adjustments later. 

She didn’t want to, but she swallowed her pride and humiliated herself by asking:

“Tanaka, I wish to ask you for a favor.”

Wednesday didn’t notice the tremor in the other girl’s hands.

“Shoot.”

“It’s about your roommate, ” Wednesday looked at the ceiling to gather whatever dignity she had left and continued “, I want to take her on a date.” 

Yoko dropped her jaw to the floor. 

“So… you don’t want to kill her?” 

“Why would I purposely injure the protagonist of my nightmares, Tanaka? The one who darkens my day with her presence? Were you dropped as a child, perchance?” 

“It’s just… you’re so… you! And Enid’s… well, Enid! I didn’t expect this from you” the asian girl complained.

Wednesday rolled her eyes and left the tulip back where she found it. She faced Enid’s roommate and spoke.

“Look. I intend to court your friend. I will need your input before attempting anything. In exchange, I will allow you to ask me for two favors whenever you desire. Give me your number.”

Wednesday handed Yoko her phone. She could barely believe that she had stooped so low, but the curse had taken ahold of her, and it had its hands on her neck, squeezing slowly. Every hour without the blonde felt dull, agonizing even.

“Two?” Yoko wrote down her number on Wednesday’s phone.

“I owe your father one.” 

Yoko smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Yeah, about that… you see, I…”

Wednesday caught a glimpse of red hair outside of the window, mixing with the crowd. She didn’t hear what Yoko had to say, because she was already on her way out, hand reaching out for the knife attached to her thigh. 

---

“I am looking for detective Vazquez?” Enid's fingers drummed nervously against the counter. 

“She'll be right there, kid. Hold on” the secretary gestured for her to sit down in the waiting area. 

Enid waited for a few minutes until a black woman with a badge in her belt and a serious look called her name. 

“Enid Sinclair? Come with me, please.”

Vazquez closed the door and invited Enid to sit down at her desk. The woman offered her a glass of water that Enid gladly accepted. The detective spoke softly, with a sympathetic tone.

“Relax, Enid. Tell me what happened. What brings you here?” 

“My friend Yoko has disappeared and I think she was kidnapped by Wednesday Addams.”

Notes:

"Where is he? You motherfucker, tell me where Miguel is! Where did you take him?"

“My aunt will break the broom on your head if she learns that you talked to rojillo.”

Chapter 9: Find me someone to blame

Notes:

So I've been accepted into university (transfer) and I haven't had time. I am not 100% happy with this chapter, but it will do for now. I hope you enjoy. I'm sorry it took me longer to uptdate, it will probably be slower from now on because of uni (second year math major hitting hard), but I PROMISE I WILL FINISH IT. Mark my words. Thanks for reading <3

“My friend Yoko has disappeared and I think she was kidnapped by Wednesday Addams.”

---

If the adolescent is acquitted by a final judgment, the record and background information will be destroyed three months after the judgment becomes final. Before the expiration of this period, the adolescent or his or her defense counsel may request that these records be preserved in their entirety, when they consider that their preservation is in his or her best interest. If the case is resolved through an alternative outcome, the related records shall be destroyed two years after the reparatory agreement or the reparatory plan for the conditional suspension of the proceedings has been fulfilled.
Three years after the completion of the imposed sanction or the extinction of the criminal action for the reasons provided for in this Law, all records related to the legal process shall be destroyed.
Not withstanding the provisions of this rule, the records containing the sentence shall be preserved, safeguarding, in any case, the information on the personal data of the parties, experts, and witnesses in the process.

---

Enid returned home in shock. Had she just witnessed a crime scene? Not only a crime scene, but the one that Wednesday had annotated on her notebook that day Enid found her asleep. She paced, trying not to wake Yoko up, but nothing seemed to calm her down. She had literally no idea what to do next. She cursed under her breath and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt while moving around the room. She looked at the time and then again at her roommate. Six in the morning. Fuck it.

“Yoko, ” Enid shook her friend, maybe a little harder than intended, but she was getting desperate. “Yoko, come on. Wake up. Please.”

Yoko groaned and opened her eyes.

“What?” she asked groggily.

“Get up, please. I'm literally shaking. It's an emergency. I'm panicking right now” Enid begged and shook her hands in the air. She was hyperventilating, and it had nothing to do with her morning excercise routine. 

Her friend sat up rubbed her eyes. She looked at Enid and her face fell immediatly. 

“God, Eenie. You're shaking” Yoko got up and put a hand on Enid's shoulder. “What happened? Was it another nightmare? A flashback from... you know?”

Enid shook her head and tried to recall the most recent events, but her thoughts were incoherent and nonsensical words rushed out of her mouth. She felt the frustration peeping in, but Yoko put her arms around her and held her tight.

“C'mon, girl. Take a deep breath for me, okay?” Enid tried to follow her instructions. “That's right, another? Inhale... exhale. Again.”

Enid felt herself relaxing into her friend's touch. She took another deep breath through her nose and separated from Yoko.

“You ready to tell me what happened?” she asked and Enid nodded. She sat down on Yoko's bed, gripping the dark blue sheets like a lifeline, and recalled the latest events. She had woken up at five, like she did every day except for the weekends. She had thrown on some clothes and went out for a run. She had run the same route as always, starting from Ophelia Hall, then leaving campus, turning right at the canal and then turning left by the woods. When she reached the hospital, she turned around and came back from when she came from. That day, she had done it in record time. She had never run so fast in her life before. She told Yoko everything she had witnessed and waited for her reaction.

“Fuck” her friend exhaled and ran a hand through her hair. "Fuck."

“What should I do, Yoko?” she asked her friend and let out a shaky breath. “I don't have evidence, I didn't take a video, I didn't take pictures. I... why didn't I think about it? I could've...”

“Hey, Enid. Breathe. There's no way of anticipating a situation like this. Want me to call my dad? He'll know what to do. He’s a lawyer. He specializes in this kind of things... let me grab my phone.” 

Enid nodded and waited while Yoko called her dad, hoping he wasn't on another business trip. He picked up after some long moments and Enid sat down on her friend's bed while she put him ond loudspeaker and, even though Enid didn't understand japanese, she recognized the worried tone of her father and certain words. She looked up when she heard the word 'Addams' a few times, and it didn't go unnoticed how Yoko's eyes widened. Then she frowned and asked something, slightly irritated. She heard her own name a few times and when Yoko put the phone down, she said:

“Dad says hello. He says that you should visit more, but I told him you're coming with us to Japan during the winter break. And... uhm... you might wanna sit down for this. Well, you're already sat down, but... yeah. So... he says you need evidence if you're going to the police. Otherwise they won't believe you and will send you home. And he told me he's the Addams family lawyer, so he can't help us with this.”

“What?!”

“He told me that Wednesday is a good kid. And I quote: 'A little rough around the edges, but a good kid'. That we should drop this case, let the police handle it.”

Enid's shoulders dropped. What was she supposed to do? Let the police handle it. But they weren't doing anything, they didn't see what Enid had seen. They weren't there when the girl had been murdered, but Wednesday had. She had been conveniently outside of the building. To make things worse, her phone buzzed again and again with her mother's number on the screen. Yoko grabbed it and scowled when she looked at the screen. She turned it off with a scoff and sat next to her.

“Fuck that bitch” she muttered and the blonde laughed a bit, some of the tension leaving her body.

Yoko despised Enid's mother with her whole heart. She'd laughed when Enid told her that Wednesday had offered to get rid of her. “A little creepy, but I kind of agree” she had said. 

Her roommate put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye.

“Look, we won't give up. I promise. We will look into everything, and we'll be alright and nobody else will die, okay? I am on your side and we will solve this. Nobody else has to die.”

 

Enid couldn't concentrate during her lectures. The scene she had witnessed played like a movie in her mind. The noise of the screeching tires, the sight of blood splattered on the pavement. Someone's blood. Another death that would be announced soon, something she had witnessed for the second time in a row. Four killings in such a short period of time, and she had seen half of them. She walked with Divina and Yoko through campus, she ate lunch like always and went to the library like she was used to. Wednesday wasn't there. She had no idea what she would do when the raven appeared. Talk to her normally? Like: “Hey! I saw you dragging a body the other day! I'm gonna call the police because I'm totes freaked out, please don't be angry.”? Or maybe call the police immediatly? “Hello, officer? This girl here is a serial killer, I know it. No, I don't have proof. But I feel it in my bones?” No. That's why she prayed that Wednesday wouldn't show up at the library. And she did not. Not that day. And not on Tuesday. Neither on Wednesday or Thursday. She didn't know if she should feel relieved or scared.

Ajax sent her a message, telling her that his friend Tyler was in the hospital, but that he was alright. The hospital staff were very strict and only allowed his family and the detective to visit. But he was safe, and that was the important thing. How he had landed there was still unclear, Ajax hadn't been allowed to talk to Tyler yet. Something about the police protecting him. 

 

On Friday, Yoko arrived at Enid’s usual spot in the library and slammed a thick manila folder on the table.

“I want a spa day after all of this” the girl demanded and looked around to make sure they were the only ones in that section. “I rummaged through my dad’s stuff while he was at work and found this. You’re lucky my house is an hour drive from here.”

Enid stared at the yellow folder in front of her eyes. It was labeled as “W. F. Addams — Gates Case (Morelia, 2019)”

Yoko sat next to her and Enid asked her if she had already read it, but her friend shook her head, explaining that she hadn’t had time to do so. Enid thanked her and opened the file. They were both eager to know what was inside. Enid was absolutely sure that it would give them some insight on the case, probably even help them to find some shady stuff that could link the girl to the most recent murders. 

The first thing they were greeted with was a picture. A picture of the disfigured face of a man-a boy; he was young, probably not even eighteen. Yoko cursed under her breath, it was a grotesque sight. The guy on the picture had his entire face swollen and bruised, his nose broken and he was missing a few teeth. There was blood everywhere and cuts littered every inch of his face. There was no way of knowing if the guy was dead of alive, Enid hoped for the latter. 

“Fucking hell,” she whispered and looked at her friend “, you're telling me that Addams did this?”

Yoko urged her to turn the page and Enid did so with shaky hands. It was another picture. A mugshot of a younger Wednesday Addams, looking at the camera with an unreadable expression and a squared jaw. She was probably about fifteen in the picture. Her face looked rounder and the dark under her eyes less noticeable. Her bottom lip was split and she had a few cuts on her face. What caught the blonde's attention was the blood on the raven's knuckles while she held up a sign with the serial number assigned to the case. It had happened in Morelia, Mexico. The city where she had lived for a few years, Enid remembered when Wednesday had told her that over a cup of tea. She also remembered how she nonchalantly offered to off her mom after seeing her cry. 

The rest of the documents were in spanish, and it would take them ages to translate everything, so they scanned every page, searching for valuable information. There was a note from a psychologist which Yoko translated on her phone.

Wednesday is a very perturbed teenager. She shows no remorse for her actions and expresses profound hatred for the Gates family. She has refused several times to apologize to the boy, she claims she "will not stop until he talks." The Addams family has experienced a recent loss, which Wednesday doesn't seem to assimilate yet. The girl blames Garrett Gates for the loss of her cousin. Hence the lack of emathy when hearing about the deaths of three members of the Gates family. The court has ordered her to keep attending therapy after her three months at the juvenile rehabilitation center...

“This is crazy” Yoko muttered and scanned the rest of the pages. “Juvenile rehabilitation? Like... I don't understand why my dad keeps defending people like this. Last month he got some politician out of prison and I was like ‘dad, that dude diverted millions to his account in Barbados. He’s obviously an ass.’ But it’s like... selling your soul to the devil or something. Addams is a fucking psycho. How can no one see the signs?”

“I think we can show this to the detective in charge. Some officer last week told me that he knew the family, that they were no good. Maybe it’ll be useful for their investigation. You know, like establishing profiles and so.”

“Alright, but my father can’t find out about this. Like never. You owe me a spa day for this.”

On Saturday, Enid worked the whole day on putting together all the information and clues she had found. It's as if fate had laid the clues out on the table for her. This was her investigation; no one was going to take away her first journalistic work. She crafted a folder with the important documents and printed all the photos he had of Wednesday's notebook. She planned going to down to the station on Monday, hoping they would take her seriously and listen to whatever she had to say.

“Div and I are going out tomorrow for brunch,” Yoko put her jacket on and cleaned her round sunglasses, “I'll go find her some nice flowers. Want me to bring something from that vietnamese restaurant you love?”

Enid nodded absently and told her to take care. She was busy decyphering Wednesday's handwriting from the other pages that were mostly in spanish. Her writing looked sharp and precise, but still rushed. The letters were too close together, written in haste. It was difficult making out whole sentences, but at some point she found herself looking at her own name. 

Sinclair. 

It was underlined a few times. There were two little skulls next to it and a doodle of a spider on top. The 'L' in her last name was replaced with a knife. Her stomach dropped and her heartbeat quickened. Fear overtook her every nerve, mingling with a sense of impending terror. She'd been so sure that Addams was after Tyler, that she forgot that there was nothing stopping her from being the next one. 

Enid breathed deep through her nose and exhaled. She reminded herself that she was in her room, a kind of safe fortress against the dangers that lurked outside. But for her own peace of mind, she placed a chair against the door and put a box of trinkets on top of it to make it more difficult to move. With that, she finished placing the evidence together and headed towards the bath to take a shower. The hot water relaxed her and gave her a sense of security, a reminder that she was no longer in her family home, but in a place she had chosen for herself. A place where she could be herself without limits, a place where she could exist peacefully however she pleased without the screaming, without the crying and without the sound of a belt snapping.

 

Yoko hadn't come home that night, and it weirded Enid out. Unless she'd spontaneously decided to spend the night at Divina's, but that would be weird, because Yoko was planning a big surprise for their anniversary the next day. Plus, her friend always called when she wasn't coming home. And she did say she wanted to get some food for the both of them. Enid called her a few times, but was redirected to voicemail. Then she tried Divina's phone. But she wasn't at Divina's.

“I also tried calling her, but she won't pick up” the girl told her nervously. Enid knew that Divina was biting her lip on the other end of the line. “I called her mom, but she's not home either. Have you tried Xavier or Bianca?”

No one knew anything about Yoko's whereabouts. It was like she'd disappeared from the map entirely. Without much thinking, the blonde grabbed her hoodie, her keys and phone and went out. Enid crashed at Divina's place and they kept trying to contact Yoko, spamming her number and her social media, but the messages weren't even delivered. It was almost three in the morning when Enid's phone pinged. She lunged at it and unblocked it. No new texts, no calls, but Enid had one new email. It was from an anonymous address and it had two attachments.  

Enid looked at Divina's sleeping form next to her. She had managed to convince the girl to sleep for at least half an hour, while Enid kept trying to contact Yoko. She couldn't have the girl collapse from lack of sleep the next day, and she needed some silence to continue her search for her friend. Divina's constant crying wasn't helping her or the case. Enid looked at the message again. It could be some kind of virus, but the text above it threw her off. 

Found this, thought it might help you with your investigation.

Enid opened the first file and a CCTV video played in black and white. It showed a scene of the path next to the canal, the day that the Andy Pok, the second victim, had been murdered. The lifeless body was already on the ground, washed up at the shore, that's what the police had said. But next to the body was a crouching figure that Enid already knew too well. Addams. Her gloved hand checked the pulse on the boy's neck and manipulated his head to inspect further. Then she stood up and reached for her phone. It looked like she was making a call. Then she disappeared from the camera's view. The video repeated itself. It was thirty seconds long, but it gave enough information: Enid's observations at the café were correct. Wednesday's midnight stroll, the one she took to “clear her mind”, was only an excuse, a weak alibi to hide the truth. 

The second video made her heart stop for a second. It was Yoko. Talking to Addams outside of a flower shop. The video was taken from the other side of the street, probably trying to catch the sunset painting the old buildings of the city center. Yoko held a flower bouquet in one hand, for Divina probably. Wednesday was handing the asian girl her phone, probably asking for her number. The video was eight seconds long, but it was enough. Wednesday had been the last person to see her friend. And that could only mean one thing. 

 

 

Enid finished showing Detective Vazquez the videos, the folder that Yoko had stolen from her father's office and the pictures of Wednesday's notebook. She recalled every event where she'd seen Wednesday and looked at the woman. Please, please, please, you have to do something, she thought and bit her lip. It was five in the morning, Divina and her had barely rested, the sky was starting to change its color from pitch black to a darker blue. The detective looked at the information she was providing and nodded.

“We've been suspecting of her for some weeks too” Vazquez returned Enid her phone and looked at something on her screen. “We received information that her bike was chained near the woods, where Mr. Galpin was hurt. Where you also claim to have seen her dragging a body. We're on it, kid, don't worry. We've already issued a missing person report for your friend too, the search will start soon, and we've already informed the Tanaka's about it. They'll be here tomorrow morning in the first flight.”

“Thank you, detective. Can I... Can I help somehow? I...”

“Please go with your friend as of now, you both need a little bit of rest” the detective smiled with sympathy. “You can both stay in the waiting area, I'll bring you some water soon. Then I will need you to contact our suspect.”

 

[07:00] Me:

Hi! I was wondering if you'd like to meet up for breakfast later?

[08:13] Addams:

Enid. What is the reason behind this unpleasant invitation? Count me in.

[08:14] Me:

I thought we could make breakfast at the cafe our thing yk

9:30 good for you?

[08:18] Addams:

Yes.

 

Enid bit her lip as she put her phone down. It was done. One hour until the whole show was over. She only had to wait now, and hopefully Addams would lead them to Yoko. Divina was curled up next to Enid, playing with the strings of her hoodie--Yoko's hoodie--while gazing into the distance. They were both tired and scared. She had the nagging feeling that Wednesday's arrest would be like putting a band-aid over a gunshot wound, because there was no way that she was acting alone. And there was a chance that the raven  would keep quiet and not give them any clues about her friend's whereabouts. And Enid was not prepared for that. It needed to go according to plan, it had to.

 

Enid watched as Wednesday was handcuffed. Enid had waited for her outside of the café, while the detective and a few other police cars were stationed a block away. When Enid saw Wednesday approaching, she texted the detective. They exchanged pleasantries and before the black haired girl could mouth another sentence, the siren blared and Wednesday was being pushed against the brick wall of the café's façade.

“Fuck!” the smaller girl swore as she was pressed against the wall of the building. Her face contorted in pain when detective Vazquez grabbed her shoulder to stop her from moving. 

“Wednesday Addams, you are under arrest for the killings of Rowan Laslow, Andy Pok and Alice Smith, for theft and grave desecration. Please do not resist.”

“I did not steal shit. We had a permit, you mononeuronal pigs” she spat, but did not resist further. “And I didn't kill anyone either.”

“You have the right to remain silent” the detective told her and escorted her into one of the three patrol cars that had arrived. Wednesday stopped on the way and the detective waited for her, probably granting her one last chance to talk. She looked back at Enid with an unreadable expression.

“It was you” she said, suddenly realizing what had happened. “You called them. Why?”

“Everything led back to you. You think I'm dumb?” Enid crossed her arms and scoffed, almost offended. “I saw who you really were since that day at the café. Your late night strolls by the canal, your spider, the day at the library... everything comes back. to. you.”

They were silent for a few moments. Addams bit her lip and looked at the ground, then she looked up again and her brown eyes met Enid's blue ones.

“I understand where you're coming from” Wednesday looked at her in the eye, and Enid noticed a new scar in the girl's cheek. It hadn't been there the week before. “And I am impressed. But I fear you are mistaken, Enid. Someone is trying to frame me...”

“Yeah, right. As if I'd believe you. Tell me where Yoko is” Enid's voice cracked. She couldn't show weakness, not now, not in front of the killer. Tears threatened to spill out, so she rubbed her eyes to stop them. Addams tilted her head and spoke quietly. 

“I do not know where your friend is.”

If Enid hadn't been so furious, she would've recognised her tone as sincere, but such things didn't matter when her best friend was gone.

“Rot in jail, Addams” she spat, words laced with venom. She didn't miss Wednesday's wide eyes for a second, but Enid looked away, holding back the tears. She didn't look at the police car that drove away, nor at Detective Vazquez, who put her hand on her shoulder, thanking her for her help. 

---

“You have the right to remain silent” the man pushed her into the car and she winced when she hit her shoulder against the car door. The wound was probably open again, not with risk of bleeding out, but probably an infection. She looked at Thing, who rushed and climbed up her leg before any of the officers noticed. Her gaze met Enid's, whose lips were pressed into a thin line. She looked devastatingly beautiful, a sight Wednesday ought to engrave into her mind for all eternity. 

“I am impressed” she murmured without breaking eye contact. “But I fear you are mistaken, Enid. Someone is trying to frame me...”

“Yeah, right. As if I'd believe you. Tell me where Yoko is” Enid looked at her, her voice a few moments from breaking. Her eyes were red and Wednesday realized that she was crying. She longed to stand up and wipe the tears away, tell her to stop crying, but the way Enid looked at her implied anything but kindness. She was looking at her with disgust, mixed with fear. And it made something in her stomach churn, not in a pleasant way.

“I do not know where your friend is” she answered with the truth, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn’t stand seeing the blonde in distress, if only she could do something about it. She noticed Thing climbing her leg and hiding in the pocket of her jacket.

“Rot in jail, Addams” the blonde spat and Wednesday was taken aback. She tried mantaining a neutral expression, she fought the urge to scream when the detective closed the car's door. She clenched her fists and forced herself to not pick the lock of the handcuffs and punch someone in the face. She barely noticed that they were already driving, because the only thing on her mind was Enid. Enid's betrayal. Enid's distress. Enid's hatred. That was something unexpected. Something her naïve mind had never stopped to consider.

“I have never experienced this kind of pain before, Thing” she looked at the tarantula on her lap as the car moved through the morning traffic. 

“What are you talking about, Addams?” the policewoman called from the passenger seat. Wednesdady ignored her and kept her gaze on her ever loyal companion. 

“I feel as if someone is scraping the walls of my empty heart chamber with a scalpel. Maybe it is true after all, Thing. I am destined to die alone, and the plot next to mine will remain empty, leaving me to wander the confines of the land by myself.”

“That's quite dramatic for someone your age, Addams” the policewoman spoke. “Want to go meet Miguel because of heartbreak?”

Wednesday saw red and she lifted her gaze to look at the officers in the front.

“How the fuck do you know about him?” she asked quickly. Nobody except for her family and a few neighbors knew what had happened. Mr. Tanaka had made sure of that. He even showed her that every physical record in his office could not be found online. The policewoman turned around and smiled wickedly. She had seen that smile before. It was the same smile Garrett had given her after crushing Nero with his sports car. For the first time in years she felt fear. Real fear. The past had a way of catching up, for sure. 

She should've seen it. She should've been more alert. She should've gone with Miguel that day, no matter the outcome.

Notes:

I just realized that I don't know when the sun goes up in the us. Please ignore it.

Chapter 10: If you're going to kill me, don't do it so slowly

Notes:

Hii! Sorry it took me so long to update, I’ve been busy with math hahah
I also want to make clear that I haven’t watched the second season as there’s been no time, so don’t expect new characters or smth. Thanks for reading <3

“I do not know where your friend is.”

 

Enid watched the convoy disappear in the distance, only the detective and a few others were still there. 

Wednesday was gone, but Yoko was still nowhere to be found. Enid didn’t get the relief she’d prayed for, nor did she feel safer in any way. 

A small part of her had hoped that it wasn’t true that the goth girl was guilty, but it had turned out otherwise. She couldn’t forget the hurt look in her dark brown eyes after she’d realized that Enid had called the cops on her. Like Enid had betrayed her. But that was silly, because they had never been friends to begin with. Enid had tried at first, but Wednesday was a lost case. 

“We will find your friend soon” the detective said, pulling her out of her thoughts. “We will make Addams talk, and Yoko will be here in no time.” 

Divina, who had arrived some moments later with the detective, asked in a hushed tone:

“What if you don’t find her?”

Detective Vazquez sighed. Enid knew that the woman couldn’t promise them anything, and she couldn’t predict what would happen either, it would be cruel to give them too much hope.

“We will do our best” she gave Divina a small smile and rested her hand on her shoulder. “Come on, I will bring the both of you to your home.”

“I’ll stay at Divina’s” Enid told her. “I don’t want to leave her alone right now.”

They walked in silence towards the detective’s car. Divina's hand brushed Enid's sleeve from time to time, looking for comfort. Enid acted and grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. One that said 'everything will be okay', but Enid didn't believe it herself. She was scared to death. Something about the way that things had developed made her nervous. Perhaps it was the fear of losing her friend, or perhaps the inevitable hours in court, but the arrest had not calmed her anxiety one bit, and she knew that the same went for Divina. 

The detective's phone rang before she could start the car. 

“Vazquez here” she said and signaled for Enid and Divina to put their seatbelt on. Suddenly, Detective Vazquez’ face fell and she gripped her phone tighter.

“What do you mean they’re not at the station yet? I want Addams in that cell right now…” the woman frowned. “You don’t know where they are?” 

Detective Vazquez grabbed her radio and ordered every unit nearby to search for a lost patrol car. White and green, unit number twenty one. She described Wednesday's appearance and told them to chase her down. Taser her or shoot her in the leg if necessary. Take her down if met with resistance. Enid felt a chill run down her spine. Wednesday had escaped. 

The detective started the car and they rushed to the station. She promised many times that she would drive Divina and her home afterwards, but that this was urgent. Things had gone to shit fast. 

How does a police car get lost? The station was buzzing with activity, every division was now alert, trying to find the patrol car with three people inside. Two cops and Addams. The problem was, that the cops driving that car didn't seem to exist. Enid hadn't paid a lot of attention, but Divina had described them to the detective. A redhead woman and a bald man. And that was a nuisance, because there were no redhead women working for the city's police force. Someone had infiltrated them.

“Do you have any idea of who Ms. Addams' accomplices might be?” the detective asked them. Enid shook her head, she didn’t know the girl well. Wednesday had a roommate, but it was unlikely. Or was it? She gave the dark skinned woman the license plate of the truck she'd seen that morning near the woods. 

“It's a truck that belongs to the university's beekeeping association, ring a bell to you?” she asked Enid. Enid shook her head, but then she remembered that Wednesday had offered some honey for the tea. 'My roomate devotes his life to his bees' she had told Enid. 'They are basically his children.'

And that is how Enid found herself being shoved against the wall of the precinct, with a very angy roommate glaring daggers at her. 

“Why the fuck would you do that to her?” he yelled while an officer pinned him down to the ground, screaming at him to stop resisting. “Wednesday didn't do anything! She likes you!” 

She learned that Wednesday’s roommate was called Eugene. He graduated in the same class as Bianca and Wednesday. He was a biology student, vice president of the university’s beekeeping club. He looked like a nice guy, probably a little bit shy or awkward, but no evil person. 

“Wednesday was investigating on her own” he told Enid without looking at her. He had a bruise forming on his cheekbone from his stunt before. “And it turns out everything has to do with her. Trust me, she’s not the murderer here. She’s actually the one getting chased down.” 

“I’m sorry” she whispered. She knew that apologizing was the bare minimum she could do, because she had screwed up massively.

“I don’t want to hear it” Eugene wiped his glasses on his shirt. “You’ve damaged enough.”

Enid hummed and looked down, a little bit ashamed. Everything was going wrong that day. She hoped that, if they were to find Yoko and Wednesday, her relationship to the latter wouldn’t be irreparable. If Eugene was telling the truth, Enid had endangered two lives in the last twenty four hours: Yoko’s and Wednesday’s.

They sat in silence for a while while everyone else moved around them. Divina had gone out to talk to Yoko’s parents, who were about to board the plane from wherever they were. Enid wouldn’t be able to look at them in the eye if Yoko wasn’t found. She had already failed at being a daughter, now she had failed at being a friend. Two shots.

She blinked a few times, trying to avoid crying in a public space, but no such luck. Enid dropped her head back and rubbed her eyes, her hands getting wet with unshed tears. Something caught her attention on the wall and she almost screamed. But she had seen the animal before.

“Is that Wednesday's spider?” Enid pointed towards the big black tarantula on the wall. Eugene blinked and looked at the spot Enid was pointing at. 

“Thing!” Eugene stood up and the spider rushed down to his level. He looked at it for some time, frowning. Then he nodded. “Slower, please! Wait, what do you mean? There's another girl with her? Where's Thornhill? ”

“How the fuck do you talk to a spider?” was Enid's question. Eugene scowled. Okay, he was still mad, pretty understandable actually. Enid would've reacted the same way if someone had falsely accused her best friend of murder. The boy returned his attention to the spider and nodded while the animal moved weirdly on the wall. How one managed to communicate with an arachnid was completely unknown to Enid. It tapped and spun around, it probably had it's own language. After some moments, the spider disappeared through one of the cracks in the wall and Eugene turned around to look at her. 

“Look, I'm still mad at you. But Wednesday is in danger. And your friend is there too. Thing knows where Thornhill—Laurel Gates— has them, he can lead us there. We need to get there as soon as possible. Can you convince the detective?”  

 

“A spider?” Detective Vazquez arched her eyebrow, not quite believing what Enid and Eugene had told her. She looked at the animal on Eugene’s palm and then back at the both of them. Then she sighed and gestured for them to start talking. 

Eugene explained that Wednesday’s tarantula was highly intelligent, being able to communicate perfectly with humans. Apparently, Thing was part of the Addams family and was treated as such and not like a pet. In any other situation, Enid would have suggested that Eugene and Wednesday went to therapy, but in that moment, the only available thought was: “what the hell, sure.”

The spider, it’s name was Thing, had told Eugene where Wednesday and Yoko were being held. The basement of an old, abandoned house on the outskirts of town. It took a little longer to convince the detective that the spider could actually communicate. Eugene had called the spider by its name and it had appeared through one of the cracks in the wall again, scaring both Enid and the detective. Thing had to demonstrate and point at objects, and given the bewildered look on the dark skinned woman he had communicated successfully. Vazquez sighed again and looked at the address Eugene had told her.

“This is worth a try,” Vazquez told them, “but this is a hostage situation and I can't take you with me.”

“You need someone who can communicate with the spider” argued Eugene and extended his hand towards the animal. Thing climbed his arm up and setteled on his shoulder. 

“We go with you,” Enid started, “and we stay in the car. And Thing goes with you. We won't hinder you further, but Eugene's right. He's the only one here who can talk to it.” 

Detective Vazquez thought about her proposal for a while and then rolled her eyes and went to grab her keys.

“Meet me at the parking lot in ten, I need to gather my people first.”

 

“Divina, please. I need you to stay here with Yoko's family. You can't go” Enid pleaded but the girl in front of her refused. 

“That's my girlfriend, Enid. I need to... I go with you. I need to know that Yoko is alive.”

“And I will text you the second we have her. I promise. But this is risky, I can't...” Enid blinked, trying to push the tears away for the n-th time in the day. She couldn't lose two of her best friends. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to Divina too. “Please, Div. You have to stay. I promise we will find her.”

Divina looked at her with wide green eyes. 

“Please” she whispered.

And that's how Enid found herself on the back of a 2010 grey camry, squeezed between Eugene and Divina and navigating the streets at unpermitted speeds. Detective Vazquez stopped a block away from the place that Thing had pointed at. Another unmarked car parked on the other side of the street. The detective communicated with her fellow colleagues through radio. 

“Vazquez here. Do you see movement?”

“Negative. But we found the lost car parked two blocks from here in the middle of the corn field.”

“I'm going in. Martin and Garcia, with me. I want Smith and Ross on the other side. No one leaves the building, am I clear?” Then she looked back at the three of them. “You three will stay here. I will send officer Young in shortly to watch over you. Don't do anything stupid, please. Where's the spider?” 

Thing had already left, probably looking for Wednesday. The detective sent them one last warning look and rolled the windows down, so they would not suffocate inside of the vehicle. She stepped outside and closed the door after promising that detective Young would be there very soon. The three of them were silent for a few moments before Eugene reached forward to unlock the vehicle.

“What are you doing?” Divina half-whispered. “She told us not to leave.”

“I'm not staying here” Eugene said and opened the door.

“I'm coming with you” Enid opened her door too and Eugene stopped to point at her.

“You put us in this situation in the first place! You are not coming.”

“Too bad, because I'm already outside” Enid countered and stepped out. Eugene was right, this was her own fault. That's why she should start doing something to fix it. Divina followed, not wanting to stay alone. Eugene groaned but didn't have a comeback ready. The three of them ran towards the house where their friends were being held hostage. There were no cops in sight, which meant they were already inside. 

“If Wednesday's the one being framed, there's a high chance that the police will shoot her” Eugene said. “I can't let that happen. I know the detective believed Thing, but they are still cops. You understand, right?”

Divina nodded and Enid stayed silent. She hoped that things wouldn't go wrong this time. 

---

On any other situation Wednesday would have been ecstatic. Being kidnapped and escaping a serial killer’s basement had been on her to do list since she was thirteen, but it wasn’t supposed to happen like that.

She was tied to a chair with a cloth over her head, blocking her view. But she wasn’t alone, there was someone behind her, unmoving on another chair.

“Tanaka?” she asked tentatively.

“Addams?” 

Wednesday felt relief when she heard the other girl’s trembling voice. Yoko was still alive, and her kidnapping was probably a strategy to frame her again. Thornhill would kill her and leave the bloodied knife in Wednesday's hands so the cops would shoot her the moment they barged in. But that wouldn't happen on her watch. 

“Don’t do anything stupid, Tanaka. Let me handle this situation” she told the other girl while taking in her surroundings. “Is it only the two of us here?”

“Yeah, for now. That crazy ass woman left like… an hour ago? I don’t know, I don’t have a watch.”

“Can you see around?” 

“You can't? We're in some kind of basement, if you're wondering. There's no windows. Oh, God. I am really, really sorry, Addams...”

Well, at least she had eyes. She could use that to her advantage. And Thing. She whispered his name and her spider crawled out of her hair. Her hands were tied behind her back, but she gave him the instructions to do a little bit of recognition of the place. And if possible, get Eugene. 

“I will get us out of here, Tanaka” Wednesday promised and it echoed through the room. It was more a strategy to calm Yoko down than something she was sure of, but she needed space to think, and if the girl behind her was rambling nervously she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. 

“I’m sorry I gave the police the files on the Gates Case” Yoko said.

Wednesday stiffened. She knew that there was still a physical copy. Her probation had ended merely some months before starting university, she knew the law. But she didn’t expect Mr. Tanaka’s daughter to stab her on the back. 

“Do not think too much about it, ” she bit out, “I was framed. Now, I need to think, please reduce your noise to a minimum. If she comes back, you will keep quiet like a monk in eternal oath. Do not make the situation worse. Understood?” 

“Yeah” Yoko whispered, defeated. They were in for a long day.