"You are dearer to me than all the bats in all the caves in the world."
Morticia Addams
Chapter 4: Addams Family Values
Two days after the excursion to Diagon Alley found Erica home alone, reading one of her new books in her room. Her eyes wandered to the window. It was raining. Erica had wanted to go for a bike ride, but no dice. She was not venturing out in that weather. Though, she supposed she had to get used to it. Scotland was much rainier than Omaha. But she had to admit, the sound of rain was soothing.
Thirty minutes passed. Erica spent them reading. Then, she put a bookmark in Hogwarts: A History and stretched. A cacophony of cracks broke the silence as she stretched her previously hunched back. Erica yawned, shook out her hair, and strode out of her bedroom.
Snack time.
Erica slid across the hardwood floor in her woolen socks, giggling lightly as she caught herself against the counter. Pulling open the fridge, she began humming to herself. After about thirty seconds, Erica kicked the fridge door closed, her arms laden with food.
Turkey, ham, pastrami, provolone cheese, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, and orange juice.
Erica contentedly continued humming while she constructed her sandwich with ridiculous precision. The rain continued to fall, pittering lightly against the windows. Erica darted to one of the cabinets, pulling out a family size bag of kettle chips. A handful disappeared into her mouth before two more handfuls were dropped onto a plate.
Smiling, Erica went to the table and was about to take a big bite of the dagwood when —
Tap, tap, tap.
Erica froze. She glanced at the door, unsure of what she'd heard.
Tap, tap, tap.
Erica's eyes darted to the window. She finally registered that there was an owl tapping against the glass. She quickly let it in.
The large horned owl hooted gratefully, landing on the perch. It ruffled its feathers, water dripping to the floor.
Erica took her package before giving the owl a couple slices of bread and a bowl of water. He hooted gratefully again.
Erica recognized Professor Dumbledore's handwriting on the letter and package. She knew what it was.
Her Wolfsbane potion.
Inside the package were seven identical vials of the horrible potion. Erica shuddered. Even after over a year, she was not used to the taste. And sugar made it useless, unfortunately, so every night for a week before the full moon, Erica was forced to choke down the terrible concoction.
Erica looked away from the sludge and opened the letter.
Dear Miss Addams,
I heard your shopping trip went very well. I hope you are prepared to join us at Hogwarts in less than two weeks' time. Enclosed in the package is your regular supply of potion. Once at Hogwarts, the Potions professor will provide them for you. More information will follow.
The Hogwarts Express, which you will take to get to Hogwarts, leaves from King's Cross station at 11 o'clock sharp on September 1st. Inside the station are fireplaces for students coming from Ireland and Scotland. You are welcome to Floo into the station if this is convenient, or you are welcome to Floo to the Leaky Cauldron and then get to King's Cross another way. If you chose this, then know that the entry to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters is located between the barriers on platforms nine and ten. All you need do is walk through the barrier.
Take these last few days to enjoy time with your mom. We look forward to receiving you here at Hogwarts, Erica.
Professor Dumbledore
Erica was grateful for the information about the Hogwarts Express, which she assumed was a train. She mentally weighed whether to go straight there or spend a night at the Leaky Cauldron. If she went straight there, she would get more time with her mom, but if she spent a night at the Leaky Cauldron, then she would get a night to let her body adjust to the new time zone.
Erica was hesitant to stay at the Leaky Cauldron by herself. And she was hesitant to have one less day with her mom before she left for four months. Maybe Erica could just go to bed really early one night then wake up early with her mom to get her body clock synced with England.
In any case, she had a few days to decide. Not to mention, she was more focused on other things.
The full moon was a week out, and she could already feel its effects on her body. Erica was always hungry and had a practically never-ending appetite. And her metabolism burned so fast now that no matter how much she ate, she never seemed to gain weight. But now, she was feeling her appetite increase in preparation for the transformation. She needed as much energy as she could get.
Most months, Erica was ravenous in the days leading to the full moon, but sometimes, she was sickened by the mere thought of food. It fluctuated. Other months, she felt like she was constantly on the verge of losing her temper, and sometimes she felt like she would cry at a moment's notice. Sometimes her body ached something terrible, and she could tell by the creaking in her joints that this would be one of those months. Other times, her body seemed to hold more energy than she could contain, and she was constantly bouncing off the walls. Sometimes, she was horribly ill — throwing up everything she ate, running a fever, shaking, sweating. And other times, she felt strong and healthy enough to run a marathon.
That had been one of the biggest adjustments — Erica's new strength. And speed. She'd accidentally broken a few things without realizing how fast and strong she now was. Not to mention all her heightened senses. She'd had more than a few sensory overload migraines in the first few months, and she still got them every now and then.
The transformation also brought on new habits and traits. Like how Erica was hard-pressed to move from warm spaces, or how she liked her steaks on the rare side now. Or how she had a strange habit of growling when someone tried to take her chocolate. Or when she had the strange urge to cuddle with anyone she was even remotely close to. Or how she whined when something didn't quite go her way, or how she was prone to breaking out puppy eyes more than was necessary, or how she melted into a happy, gooey mess whenever her mom played with her hair.
Erica had a lot of weird habits now.
The package containing her potions caught Erica's eye, and she sighed. Might as well get it over with. Then she could eat her sandwich in peace.
Melissa could only shake her head in amusement as she walked into the house only to see her daughter glaring at the empty potion vile like it had personally offended her.
~)8(~
Erica spent a lot of the day after the full moon napping. She'd been restless in her other form, unable to sleep, but also unable to let off steam beyond pacing. Eventually, she'd gotten so frustrated that she'd run herself right into the walls, resulting in a number of new scrapes.
Now, all Erica wanted to do was sleep.
Erica heard her mom check in on her several times, and Erica occasionally emerged from her room, stumbling towards the bathroom, then stumbling right back into bed. It was only the next morning when Erica started to feel like herself again. And she woke up to the delightful smell of chocolate chip pancakes.
Melissa was taking the next few mornings off to be with Erica. Her manager could handle everything just fine for a few days. And considering Erica was leaving for Hogwarts in five days… Well, Melissa wanted to spend as much time with her as she could.
The first day, the Addams women played games together. Candy Land, Clue, Slap Jack, and an intense, three-hour round of Uno that resulted in Erica slamming down a "Draw 4" for the win. Melissa had pouted petulantly, but internally sang with joy at her daughter's smile, the way she always did when her daughter recovered after a transformation.
The second day, they had a movie marathon. They woke up early, ate junk for breakfast, watched Star Wars, ate junk for lunch, watched Indiana Jones, ate junk for dinner, and finished off with Casablanca. Both Addams women were weak for manly hunks like Harrison Ford and Humphrey Boggart.
The third day was spent at the Omaha Zoo and the Old Market. They spent the morning gawking and giraffes and wandering around inside the Desert Dome near the silent Rosenblatt Stadium. Then they spent the afternoon browsing the shops downtown, ducking in and out of cafes, and wondering where they would eat dinner.
The fourth day they spent the day at home, cooking and baking up a storm. They went down to the Farmer's Market and got ingredients for the day. They made croissants and crepes with strawberries and fresh orange juice. For lunch, they made homemade pizza, tossing their own crusts and Erica adding far more cheese than was necessary. For dinner, Erica grilled steaks and zucchini and mashed some potatoes while Melissa whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. They ate like queens, gorging themselves and telling jokes through mouthfuls of potato and juice (or wine in Melissa's case).
The fifth day was more quiet. More somber. Erica and Melissa got up, ate a quick breakfast, and parked themselves in the living room in front of the fire. Together, they read passages from The Odyssey, and chapters from The Hobbit. They talked about the bakery, about plans for the holidays, about their extended family. They read more of The Hobbit, and then cracked open her mom's ancient copy of The Princess Bride. Then they talked about the trailers they'd seen for the upcoming Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast, and they talked about whether The Little Mermaid or Peter Pan was better. Then did the same with The Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood. Then the arguments over Disney movies somehow morphed into a "cake vs cookies vs brownies" discussion. They talked about everything except school.
It was barely stretching into the evening, but it was approaching time for Erica to go to bed if she wanted to get her body clock adjusted. They ate leftovers for an early dinner and went back to the fireplace. Erica had curled up in her mom's lap, content. Melissa idly combed through her curls. Melissa's movements began to slow, and she bit her lip in thought. There was something she had been very seriously considering. Something she'd been considering and pondering for over a year now. And well… she wanted her daughter's opinion. It was a life-changing decision she was wavering on, but she wanted — no — needed Erica's consent.
Melissa mulled over her words for a minute, her gentle finger-combing ceasing completely. Erica immediately whined.
Melissa cracked a smile. "Erica, sweetie."
Whether she sensed the tension in her mom's shoulders or simply heard the seriousness of her tone, Melissa couldn't tell, but Erica immediately sat up, turning to face her mom. The amber color that usually appeared in her eyes around the full moon had completely faded, leaving nothing but pure doe brown reflecting in the firelight.
"Mom, what is it?"
Melissa forced the words out. "There's something I want your opinion on."
Erica cocked her head. "Okay."
Nothing could've prepared Erica for what came out of her mom's mouth.
"I want to have another child."
Erica blinked. Her mouth fell open. She went completely still. Shock overrode every thought, every emotion, every synapse, every system — every possible reaction Erica could've had was halted by pure shock.
Melissa swallowed, but let her daughter gather herself. She had, after all, dropped a rather big bomb on her.
Erica swallowed, forcing her brain to work again. A child. A kid. Her mom wanted another kid.
Erica's thoughts halted again. A sister. She would be a big sister.
Before she could realize it, the thought made a smile grow on her face.
"Gotta admit, Mom. I didn't expect that." Erica tucked a curl behind her ear, eyeing her mom with an impish smile. "Couldn't have broken it slower?" Melissa chuckled a little, and Erica's smile widened. Then, it softened. "What brought this on?"
Melissa relaxed even further, seeing that Erica was at least willing to have this conversation.
"As you know, the bakery has been doing really well." Erica nodded. "Well, it's been doing so well that I have the money to open a second location. Or…"
Or she could save that money for a future child.
"And…" Melissa smiled softly. "I'm ready. For another child. I've always wanted a lot of kids." She laughed lightly. "Just because I'm unmarried doesn't mean I can't have a houseful of them."
Erica nodded. She'd always known that her mom had wanted a whole bunch of kids. And she agreed. Her mom's single status shouldn't dictate how many or how few kids she could have. But Erica had to wonder…
Did Melissa want another child because she didn't want to be lonely while Erica was at school?
Erica knew, rationally, that her mom was most definitely lonely while she was at school. She probably hadn't expected to become an empty nester so early. But the more irrational part of Erica's brain screamed and cried that a little sibling would steal her mother's attention, her mother's love.
Erica stamped on that part of her anxiety. Her mom was only 34 years old. And it wasn't that a little sibling would steal her mother's love. That wasn't going to happen. A little sibling would only increase her mother's love. It would only make their little family more loving and warm and beautiful.
Erica smiled, and it grew until it was nearly splitting her face in two. "I think I like the idea of being a big sister."
It took a beat for Erica's words to sink in, but when they did, Erica swore she had never seen her mom so happy. And that in itself only made Erica even more sure of her decision. Melissa's happiness was Erica's happiness.
"Really, sweetie?" Melissa sounded so happy that her voice was thick with it. "You mean it?"
Erica laughed. "Of course, I do."
Melissa threw her arms around her daughter, trying not to cry. Erica clung to her, sharing the joy.
"Boy or girl?" Melissa asked when they settled back down.
Erica didn't hesitate. "Girl."
"That was fast."
"We do not need no boy cooties in this household. Nuh uh. Boys are not allowed."
Melissa burst out laughing. "Oh, I shouldn't agree, but I do!"
The Addams women giggled furiously together.
When they settled, Erica asked, "Were you thinking adoption, or…?"
Melissa chewed on her cheek. "I don't know yet. I've been weighing the options. I recognize that adoption might be quicker, and that there are a lot of kids out there who need adopting, but…" Melissa shrugged. "I also remember what it was like to be pregnant with you. Despite the vomiting and cravings and mood swings and eventually the labor pains… Having you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't mind artificial insemination."
"Well, whatever you decide…" Erica smiled gently at her mom. "My future sister" — Melissa snorted — "will have the best mom in the whole world."
Melissa's eyes misted. "And the best big sister in the whole world."
Erica beamed. Gosh, she already loved being called that. Big sister.
That night, at around 8pm, Erica fell asleep with a light heart. It truly was a new beginning for her. A new school. A new chance. A new sibling. A new life.
Morning couldn't come fast enough.
Hey all! Here's the newest chapter of the story! Drop me a review and let me know what you all think!
Reviews
Zariah: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! Your review was very sweet and it made me so happy :) Yes, Erica being a werewolf will be interesting, and it'll definitely have a role to play in some of the plot. After all, it rules almost every part of her life. But we'll just have to wait and see what happens, won't we? Let me know what you think of this new chapter! Next time, it's off to Hogwarts!
Sammiemoosam
