Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter 11! I've been insanely busy with school and other things, so I'm sorry for the delay. I still love writing this story, and I'm so thankful for all the support I've received! Thank you all so much, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 11
Wednesday spun around sharply at the sound of crunching leaves. For a moment she thought that Tyler had returned, but it was only Enid and Pugsley.
"Sorry we took so long," Enid panted. "We ran into two boys—who were totes rude, by the way—and..." She trailed off, eyes scanning the pond. "Where's Tyler?"
"He decided to take a walk. He asked me to apologize to you on his behalf."
"A walk?" Enid frowned. "But why?"
"That's a question for him," she replied stiffly. "I'm going back. I've had enough of this for today."
"What?" Enid said. "Can't you stay a little longer?"
"I said that I'm going back, Enid. You are free to remain as long as you wish, but I would appreciate it if you didn't try to dictate my actions."
Enid wilted visibly. Perhaps she had been overly harsh, but she felt strangely restless. She needed to return so that she could clear her head.
Once she was alone in her room, she sat down at her typewriter. Writing always helped her resettle her thoughts, and it had been a while since she had spent dedicated time on her Viper De La Muerte novel.
But the minutes ticked slowly by and she found that she hadn't typed a single word. Her mind kept wandering to her conversation with Tyler, and the more firmly she tried to shut down her thoughts, the more stubbornly they came.
There was a soft knock at the door and her mother peered in. "Darling? Is everything alright? We saw you come home alone and were worried."
"I have a pulse, and my organs are all functioning as they should. I'm fine, mother."
She hoped her reply would send her away, but instead her mother opened the door wider and entered the room.
"Well, since it seems that you have a moment, do you mind if we talk for a bit? I feel as though I've hardly seen you since we've arrived."
"As pleasant as that sounds, I'd rather skin myself."
Her mother merely smiled as she perched herself gracefully on the edge of the bed. "I wanted to speak with you about Tyler."
Wednesday tensed. Her mother couldn't know what had transpired, could she? As incredible as it seemed, she wouldn't put it past her.
"How is his training going?" her mother asked.
"We're all still alive and unmaimed," she said dryly. "I'd say it's been relatively successful."
"That's good to hear. He is such a sweet boy. He reminds me much of his mother."
Wednesday concealed her surprise. "You knew her well?"
"Not well enough, I'm afraid," her mother said, shaking her head sadly. "Fran was sweet, but very reserved. She was alone more often than not, and I'm ashamed to say that I did little to change that. We all knew of her condition, and most of us were content with her keeping her distance.
"After hearing of her fate, I couldn't help wondering if things would have been different if more of us had tried to befriend her in our youth. I suppose I feel a sense of responsibility for Tyler because of it."
Her face softened as she looked at Wednesday. "I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you sweetheart for trying to help that poor boy."
"I have ulterior motives, I assure you."
"Be that as it may, he clearly adores you, and unless I am very much mistaken, you bear a fondness for him as well."
"You're very much mistaken" she said flatly.
To her annoyance, her mother's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Being in love isn't the most terrible thing in the world, my little rain cloud. You don't need to fight your feelings like they're the enemy."
"Love makes people weak. I have neither the time nor the inclination to indulge in such nonsense."
She had spent her entire life watching her parents fawn over each other—had seen how Enid turned into a puddle at every one of Ajax's words. She had long since decided that "love," as they called it, was not her cup of tea.
"You're wrong, darling," her mother said gently. "Love does make us do foolish things sometimes, but it certainly doesn't make us weak. I'll never forget how I felt when I found out that your father loved me. I had harbored feelings for him for quite some time, but I had never dared to hope that he might return them. My dear Gomez was so strong, so noble, so very handsome—"
"Spare me the details, mother."
Her mother cleared her throat delicately. "Yes, well, when he told me he cared for me, I felt like I was on top of the world. In that moment, I was certain I could face hell itself and come out victorious. That's where love's real power comes from, darling. It's not just loving someone—it's knowing that they love you in return. That's why—"
But the rest of her mother's words were lost as Wednesday's head was thrown back and her surroundings were clouded by a sudden vision. Tyler was walking through the woods, hands stuffed in his pockets. His cheeks were bright red from the cold.
"Well, well, if it isn't the freak's little boyfriend," a voice said in Romanian.
Tyler turned and found himself facing Vlad and Denis.
"Did he get lost, I wonder?" Vlad asked tauntingly. "How lucky that we found him."
"Lucky indeed, brother," Denis grinned.
Tyler resumed walking, quickening his pace. Even with the language barrier, it was obvious that the two boys weren't interested in making friends.
Vlad grabbed his arm roughly. "Not so fast, sissy boy."
"Let go of me, man," Tyler said with impressive calm. It likely helped that he couldn't understand a word of what they were saying. "I don't want any trouble, and now's really not a good time."
His lack of reaction only irritated Vlad and Denis further, and they shoved him backward until he was pressed against a tree. Tyler was hardly weak, but the Romanian boys were both easily twice his girth.
"Unfortunately for you, your creepy corpse bride is half-monster when it comes to fighting," Vlad said, still speaking in Romanian. "That means the only way to make her pay is by beating you up a little. Don't worry, you'll still be able to walk afterward...probably."'
The irony was almost laughable. They called Wednesday a half-monster, but they had just stumbled into the authentic item without realizing it.
"You guys can understand some English, right?" Tyler said. He was taking deep breaths,
clearly doing everything he could to hedge his anger and stay in control. "Listen—you don't
want to do this. Trust me. Just go and you won't get hurt."
Vlad and Denis looked at each other, then burst into uproarious laughter.
"Did you hear that, Vlad? I think the sissy's not all there in the head." He addressed Tyler in halting English. "You don't worry about us. You're the one who gets hurt. Don't blame us. Blame your freak girlfriend."
Tyler's expression grew dark—even by Addams standards. "Call her that again and I'll rip you to pieces," he said dangerously.
He tried once more to step out of the circle they had created around him, but the boys barred his way.
"Not so fast, sissy. We didn't say we were finished with you, did we?"
Denis struck first—a full punch to the gut that sent Tyler staggering back, sucking for air.
"Listen to me," he said in a strangled voice. "I'm telling you that you don't want to do this."
Vlad went next, his fist making contact with Tyler's jaw. Wednesday heard his head snap back painfully as the punch landed.
Wednesday wanted to order him to fight, but she knew that it was useless. Even if Tyler could hear her, he wouldn't listen. He was intentionally holding back, terrified that if he allowed himself to land a single blow, he would lose himself to a torrent of rage.
Tyler doubled over, gripping his head. He was clearly in agony, but Wednesday instinctively knew that it wasn't from Vlad and Denis' handiwork.
"Laurel," he said through gritted teeth. "Crap...why now?"
He straightened to look at Vlad and Denis, panic surging through his eyes. "You need to run. Now!" he bellowed.
The boys stepped back warily at the sheer intensity of his voice. Their faces paled as Tyler's eyes grew bloodshot, bulging out of his head as the transformation began. They shrieked, tripping over each other in their desperation to get away. The Hyde let out a feral screech as it started after them.
"Darling?" Wednesday opened her eyes to find that she was slumped over her writing desk. Her mother was kneeling beside her in concern. "What did you see?"
Tyler. Wednesday jerked upright and strode out of the room. Her mother called after her, but she didn't stop or slow. She took the winding steps two at at a time, nearly running straight into Enid as she reached the top.
"Woah, sorry, totes didn't see you there," Enid said in surprise.
"Enid, those two boys you saw earlier. Where were they?"
Enid looked puzzled. "Why—?"
"Quickly, Enid. It's important."
"About halfway down the hill behind the castle," she answered, still sounding confused. "They were heading towards the road."
Wednesday didn't even take the time to don her coat before hurrying outside.
"Wednesday, what—?" Enid's voice was cut off as the door closed with a thud.
She started running, but unfortunately speed had never been one of her greatest strengths. Enid caught up to her easily and blocked her path.
"Move aside, Enid," she said tightly.
"Not until you tell me what's going on."
Wednesday stared at her, but Enid showed no signs of backing down. "It's Tyler," she said at last. "He's out of control. I'm going to stop him."
"I'm coming with you."
"I thought you despised being bait."
Enid raised her chin with a determined air. "We're best friends, Wednesday. There's no way I'm letting you go alone."
Wednesday felt a rush of something akin to fondness for the other girl. "Fine," she said, "but you'd better keep up."
Enid actually laughed. "Are you serious? We'd be lucky to make it there by tomorrow with you running like that. I have a better idea."
"What do you suggest?"
Enid glanced down, her face showing dissatisfaction. "Ugh, this is one of my favorite outfits. You owe me big for this."
"I'll accept your conditions so long as they don't involve physical contact of any kind,"
Wednesday replied.
Enid sighed. "I guess that'll have to be good enough."
Her claws extended and her face began to morph, taking on wolf-like features. She fell to the ground, writhing as her bones bent and cracked into her werewolf form. Her bright pink skirt and jacket fluttered in shreds to the ground.
The transformation was completed, but Enid remained crouched on all fours, eyes fixed steadily on Wednesday. Her message was clear. Wednesday climbed on her back, and they set off at a run. Wednesday leaned in close as they flew through the forest, twining her fingers in Enid's thick fur to keep from slipping off.
It was imperative that she stopped what was about to occur. The world would hardly suffer from the loss of two brainless ninnies like Vlad and Denis, but Tyler would be torn apart if he killed anyone else. She had hurt him today, but she wouldn't allow him to suffer any more if she could prevent it. She would find a way to stop the Hyde—no matter the cost.
Author's Note: So I know that werewolves traditionally only turn on nights of the full moon, but this was never explicitly stated (to my knowledge) in the series, so I decided to take some personal liberty with it. Plus, I just love the mental image of Wednesday riding on Enid's werewolf form, haha. Thank you all for reading, and please take the time to leave a review if you could! They are always much appreciated!
