Wednesday

Unhappy Halloween

Arguments. The range with which they could be presented had more power than anything else in the world. They'd led to murders. They'd caused wars. Basically an incredibly fun Saturday for all involved. They had the power to burn bridges, tear friendships to tatters and utterly destroy families. They could literally end bloodlines and had stopped entire dynasties in their tracks in the past. But in spite of all this, the place to see especially savage arguments for anyone who was into such entertainment had remained the same throughout most of society's recoded history: high school.

Although a very atypical high school, Nevermore Academy was no stranger to its own share of arguments. Even though the arguments themselves were a lot stranger than average. Usually, anyway. The typical topics could still be observed frequently enough. Girls arguing over boys, boys arguing over girls, dating life in general and due dates for homework. That last one often had some bite to it. But as Autumn was getting into full swing, there was one argument that always seemed to kick off somewhere at Nevermore. Something that was utterly pivotal at this time of year. And this time, with how everyone else was granting a wide berth to the arguing group, it was clear that they were debating this with some venom.

"It's a Christmas movie!"

"It's a Halloween movie!"

"It's literally called The Nightmare Before Christmas! How the hell can it be a Halloween movie?

"It's called the Nightmare before Christmas! That means it's a Halloween movie!"

"Yeah, because the title plays on the poem 'The Night Before Christmas' and that means it's a Christmas movie! Yoko, back me up here, babe!"

"Divina, how many times have I asked you to leave me out of your arguments?" Yoko asked, giving a blank stare from behind her sunglasses. "But yes, I think you're right on this occasion."

"You're only saying that because you don't want her wearing her tongue out by arguing."

"Bianca, stick my fist!" Yoko snapped. "She has more than enough energy for tonight. Trust me on that one. And she doesn't need to be my girlfriend to get me to side with her. She just has to tell the truth and I happen to think she's right on this one." At that, Bianca could only give an indignant huff of disgust.

"Well, why don't we ask the true expert on all things scary and Halloween-related?" she suggested irritably. At that, Yoko and Divina glanced at one another with uncertainty.

"You mean Wednesday Addams?" Divina asked. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I thought she'd be hyped for this time of year, but she seems oddly down."

"Yeah, we found out from yet another of episode of Enid gate crashing when we try and get some alone time." Yoko added. "We sent her packing with a suggestion of just talking to her about it. Although looking back I guess Addams was never that good at talking."

"Maybe so, but I refuse to believe she hasn't seen that movie." Bianca said. "If there's any one movie she's liable to have seen, it's that one."

As if on cue, a cello's base note hit the air. It was a slow and droning melody that carried over the grounds and made all three girls look up in the direction of Enid and Wednesday's shared room instantly. Even though the specific balcony was obscured by the main building of Nevermore, they knew what they would see if they rounded the next corner: Wednesday Addams, obscured by the darkness of the night but given away by her pale skin glowing in the moonlight, a picture of elegant motion as she played out a tune on her cello. They knew the tune well enough this time as well. Although it wasn't the one they would have expected to hear on this specific night.

"Is that Jack's Lament?" Divina muttered in wonder. "I would have thought she'd be playing This is Halloween."

"Yeah, but she's depressed right now." Yoko reminded her. "And I don't envy Enid. I would not like to be around a depressed Wednesday Addams right about now. I dread to think what she might be doing up there."

Up There...

To anyone else, the fake spider webs would be on brand for Halloween. The fact that they were hand-made and crafted from wool fibres dyed basically every colour of the rainbow was on brand only for Enid Sinclair. And as the werewolf in question walked in, a suspiciously brightly coloured sheet tucked under one arm, she took in the hybrid atmosphere of Halloween and LSD that she'd created in the room. An atmosphere that was bogged down only by the sombre cello notes drifting through the room. And while that was nothing unusual, Enid couldn't help but notice that her room mate's song choice in and of itself was definitely unexpected.

"Jack's Lament?" she wondered aloud as Wednesday finished. She made her way over to where the goth girl sat at the cello looking less typically stoic and more thunderously angry. "I'm pretty sure the half the school that heard that were expecting This is Halloween."

"Were they?" Wednesday asked nonchalantly. "Well this school and everyone in it can all burn." Enid blinked in surprise. Even for Wednesday, a response that venomously hateful was totally out of character. It sounded more like something someone from town might have said.

"Hey!" she snapped in surprise. "I'm included in that figure!" Wednesday just gave her a blank stare, clearly wondering what she was getting at. "I go to this school too!" Still nothing. "I was expecting This is Halloween as well!"

"That's a happy song, Enid." Wednesday pointed out bluntly, but with a note of danger poised to strike just beneath the cover of her words, ready to strike the moment she said the wrong thing. "In case you hadn't noticed, I am not a happy person."

"Yeah, especially not lately." Enid said, letting out a breath and dumping the sheet down on her bed before making her way over. "Want to talk about it?"

"No." The shutdown was hard, fast and sharp. But it was also very revealing.

"Okay, I'll rephrase." Enid sighed. "Do you need to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about?" Wednesday asked in a way Enid knew was rhetorical. But there was a raw edge to it that told her they were getting somewhere. "The way my parents dumped me at this place? The way that for the first time since I've been alive, my family are beginning the year-long Dia de los Muertos without me there? The fact that when I asked to come home for it, all I got was evasion and a promise to call me so that I could be on the line for the ceremony? What makes them think I want it so close but just out of reach? There's no point to that. If anything, I'd rather be excluded entirely than be stuck at the end of a crystal ball. And then to say that there'll still be plenty of it to do at the holidays? By the time they roll around, the manslaughter will be over, they'll have only just finished cleaning up after Wake The Dead and won't want to play that again and they'll be onto the stage where they just talk about all of it. To my face. What am I supposed to do with that if I'm not there?"

Enid stepped back in shock. It had been more than she was expecting coming from Wednesday. But at the same time, it said all it needed to. Wednesday wasn't used to missing family holidays. Let alone such a big one. Wednesday Addams was homesick. That very thought was enough to make Enid feel like the world was turning sideways as she watched. It had taken her so long to fully accept that Wednesday even had emotions at all that the thought she could get sad was still an alien one even now. She never thought she'd be around the young witch long enough to see it!

"Okay." She nodded slowly, trying to wrap her brain around all of this. "Have you spoken to Weems to see if you can get a pass?"

"She said that she couldn't give me one if my parents didn't say yes." Wednesday told her. "I called them to ask and I just got evaded. And I know what it is. They know me. If they let me come home, I'll find a way to get out of coming back."

"But why would you do that?" Enid rubbed her temples in confusion. Unfortunately, Wednesday didn't have the patience to hold the hand of someone who didn't get it and gently guide them through it.

"Because I hate it here!" She jumped up, throwing her cello bow with such force that it smashed against the stonework above the spider web window, snapping the shaft clean in half. Enid yelped in surprise at the sudden switch in temper. The two halves of the bow clattered to the ground right in front of her. Enid looked up with tears in her eyes at the fact Wednesday would just turn her anger against something so precious to her.

"Why would you do that?" she asked, her voice little more than a hoarse whisper.

"Let me spell it for you, Enid." Wednesday's anger seemed to be manifesting as an almost-visible aura of suffocating darkness around her. Enid felt tempted to run. But she didn't. Whatever Wednesday was struggling through, she couldn't just leave her here to deal with it alone. "I hate this place. There are zoos out there that can offer me everything Nevermore can. They have wolves. They have snakes. The good ones have vampire bats and sea creatures. And in terms of the education? You get in a lot less trouble for the unauthorised dissection of a zoo animal. Assuming they can catch you, anyway."

"You're kidding me, right?" Enid felt her hackles rising at that one. "Is that the way you see this place? At the very least, I'd like to think we're better than zoo animals! I mean... For a start we're a lot smarter!" She was met with yet another blank stare from Wednesday. "Are you serious? Name me one student here- literally one- who would be out-smarted by a zoo animal!"

"I'll name two." Wednesday shrugged. "Ajax and Kent." At that, Enid went to give a hasty retort. Then she stopped. The more she thought about it, the more she realised she really didn't have an argument.

"Shit! I set the bar too low!" Wednesday hadn't wasted any time with thinking. She'd just packed her cello up and was carrying it inside with Thing scuttling behind her carrying her sheet music. Enid followed her in and sat down on her bed, trying to think about what she'd just been told. "Okay, what about the good points? There must be at least one good point to being here?"

"You." It came without warning and Enid saw a look of instant regret flash across Wednesday's face. Somehow, the fact she regretted saying that was the most hurtful thing yet. But even that was buried under a layer of shock at the fact she'd heard that at all.

"I'm your favourite thing about this place? Seriously?" Wednesday took a deep inhale, forcing patience.

"Despite your irritating habits- of which there are many- I have spent time enough to see the real you." She kept her focus straight, staring the young werewolf straight in the eyes. As she spoke, Enid saw a lot of pain in Wednesday's mask of neutrality. But there was also sincerity. Complete and utter sincerity. "You are incredibly passionate and will do anything you can to support those you care about. Truthfully, I don't know what's more nauseating- the fact that you'll go to such lengths or the fact that I find it to be valued. That in itself is a worrying sign that my own edge might be dulling."

"Sometimes, letting others in is what helps maintain that edge." Enid said. "The need to protect can be what strengthens the blade." Enid had no idea where the hell that came from. But it seemed to work. She could swear she even saw the ghost of a smile quirk at the corners of Wednesday's lips.

"Maybe there is more to you than terrible blog writing." The back-handed compliment was like a slap in the weirdest way possible. Enid was physically dazed from it, but also wasn't sure whether to be honoured or offended. She decided to draw a conclusion later. What mattered in the meantime was that Wednesday needed cheering up. Preferably before a girl as dangerous as her did something drastic in a way that something more serious than a cello bow got broken.

"Okay..." Time for a complete subject change. "So what's your favourite part of Day of lost murders? Also, did I say that right? I bet I butchered it."

"That wasn't even the same language." Wednesday said, letting out a sigh. "But then this is my family we're talking about, so that's actually closer than most people would like it to be. I shall be sure to note that down. Along with any other attempts you make tonight. At the very least, my family might get a laugh out of them."

"Okay..." Enid muttered, feeling uncertain now. Fortunately, Wednesday decided to move the subject along quickly.

"And to answer your question, there is plenty of mirth, merriment and manslaughter. Followed by a wind-down at the end by watching a Halloween movie. This year, it was supposed to be The Nightmare Before Christmas."

"So you refuse to be a slave to technology but you have a DVD player at home?" Enid said, scratching her head in confusion.

"A film projector." Wednesday corrected her, hanging off her bed before starting to rummage under it for something. "Mr Burton is a long-running acquaintance of my father's. When it gained a cult following in theatres, he became afraid that someone might try and steal the original reel for fear of what it would be worth years later if unrecovered. He offered it to my father who politely declined. He then proceeded to steal it so that its value would be boosted and left a note for Mr Burton explaining what he'd done. And asking him to destroy the note afterwards, of course." With that, Wednesday righted herself, spitting out one of her braids as she came back up triumphantly with a metal film case in her hand. "And because I knew this day was on the horizon the instant they decided to send me to the Nevermore Home for the Reality Challenged, I laid the groundwork of my revenge in advance. There's going to be a few young Addams children in tears tonight thanks to them sending me away." At the sight of the metal case, Enid's brain froze. Was that what she thought it was? It had to be!

"You know, some would say it's both a Halloween movie and a Christmas movie?" she pointed out.

"If you celebrate Christmas then I take that point." Wednesday nodded as she put the film tin on the bed and climbed down, beginning to pull something much larger out. "The Addams family typically do not."

"What are you going for now?" Enid asked impatiently. She got her answer seconds later as a much larger box came out. Wednesday popped the locks and Enid couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Holy shit! How long has that been under your bed?"

"What?" Wednesday shrugged indifferently. "We can hardly watch it without a film projector. Another thing that my parents will be missing about three and a half hours from now. Care to join me?" Was this real? Clearly it was! Wednesday Addams was offering to have a movie night with her! She didn't care what anyone else had to say or even if they'd believe it or not- this was a breakthrough!

"O-M-G! Yes!" she squealed, almost as if Wednesday had just popped the question. Something Wednesday herself was very alert to. "I mean... Only if you promise not to fall asleep on me, anyway." It was an attempt to save face that was as flimsy as it was desperate. And it showed.

"Enid, I asked if you wanted to watch a movie. I did not ask for a betrothal. Please settle down. And maybe grab some popcorn if you have any while I get this set up." Enid was dumbfounded. Did Wednesday Addams just use humour? Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine Halloween night turning out like this! She found herself frozen for a few seconds as her brain struggled to catch up. This was happening! This was really happening! And as Wednesday took the tripod out and started to set it up, Enid suddenly remembered what had been asked of her. Popcorn! With that thought now cemented in her head, she flew into action to try and find some.

When she got back, a steaming bowl of honey-glazed popcorn in her hands, she found herself marvelling at what Wednesday had done. The lights were down and there was a chair set up on each side of the projector. It was set up and ready- as was a sheet that Wednesday had hung on the wall from two metal coat hangars she'd bent into hooks. The overall level of effort she'd gone to in the time it had taken Enid to honey-glaze some popcorn was seriously impressive. Then again, she knew Wednesday Addams was a girl who didn't do things by halves.

She took a seat on the chair that was clearly meant for her. Because it literally was hers. Wednesday had dragged it over from her computer desk, just like she'd dragged her own one over from the writing desk on the other side of the room. She sat down and set the bowl in the middle to sit between them as Wednesday stared down at it with an unimpressed look.

"Where's yours?" she asked. At that, Enid suppressed a spluttered laugh.

"No, silly!" she said as she handed Wednesday an empty drinking cup. "Here. Use that like a scoop to get some popcorn. It'll be just like at the movie theatre!"

"You wanted this to be like the movie theatre?" Wednesday asked, a note of surprise to her voice. "You should have said! I would have brought my portable hog roaster."

'What?' Enid thought as her mind went into overdrive. Of course she would totally do that! This was Wednesday Addams after all.

"I mean... There's really no need for that!"

"You're right." Wednesday conceded. "It's not the same without Pugsley turning on the spit."

"You mean turning the spit?" Enid hated how there was a hopeful note creeping into her voice. Almost as though the more she doubted it or hoped it wasn't true, Wednesday would correct herself. But her doubts were fading, her hope was waning and Wednesday was giving her a slow, pointed shake of the head. "Okay, how do we get this thing going again?"

"You flick the switch." Wednesday deadpanned as she reached over and turned the projector on. "Enjoy." Enid watched din fascination as it into life and the reels at the top started to turn. The girls grabbed their popcorn, sat back and got ready to enjoy it as the opening credits started up.

As it turned out, there were many advantages to watching something projected on film like this that Enid had never even considered. For a start, there were no trailers to skip past like there were on DVDs. There were good trailers on occasion, but nowadays the bulk of it was utter crap. And that was for those companies that were still even making DVDs. Most of them had gone straight to streaming over cinema releases nowadays. That meant no revenue from sales of DVDs or cinema tickets. No way were they making money in the long run. And even better, the grain of the film gave everything a weird sense of darkness and impact that the much more saturated picture of the DVD just couldn't achieve. Where had this been all Enid's life?

But the best thing about it all was the projector itself. It was a cold Autumnal night outside and the air inside the room wasn't exactly warm. Now as a werewolf, Enid barely felt it; but the side of the projector Enid was sat on had heat vents on it. While that still didn't make her feel the cold any more than she normally would, it did make her sense the overall temperature contrast. The warm air gliding over her face coupled with the light and gentle clicking as the film kept rolling on really served to relax her. The honey-glazed popcorn was helping as well. In fact, it definitely helped. There was soft sensation of warmth in the pit of her stomach. Almost like putting muscle rub on a pulled ligament. The sense of relief it brought was unquantifiable. It felt like just what she needed in a way she couldn't describe. And as she relaxed back, the world seemed to start drifting away from her. The more the movie went on, the worse it got. She could feel the tunnel vision hitting her in a way that would normally make her panic. But not this time. It just couldn't reach the surface.

'This isn't so bad.' she thought to herself. 'This isn't so bad at all.'

When Enid opened her eyes, she was in her bed. The covers were pulled up to her chin and she could already tell she was in a state. The headache alone gave that away. She let out a pained groan as she felt around with partially numb hands for... Actually, what was she feeling around for? She didn't even know. Her thoughts were all over the place and she could feel her face flushing red from the minimal exertion. She tried to lift her arms up to push the covers off herself, but even that was too much effort. It was like trying to push over a brick wall with the strength of a regular person. No, actually it was worse. At least a regular person would be able to lift their arms!

"What was that about me falling asleep on you?" Enid was just about able to look over and saw Wednesday smirking by the window.

"... When...?" Even that one word was an effort. God, what was wrong with her?"

"It's eight forty-five AM." Wednesday told her. "November third." What? That meant she'd slept for two days straight! She looked at Wednesday, an almost pleading look in her eyes. Begging her to say that she was joking. "Don't worry." Wednesday sighed. "I wasn't being serious. But it is November first." That made Enid relax slightly. But it was only marginal. That still didn't tell her anything!

"What...?" The breath wasn't coming into her lungs as easily as it should. Wednesday came over, reaching across and resting a hand on Enid's forehead.

"Severe hangover." she noted. "Maybe still a little drunk? Impressive." What the hell? How on Earth did she end up with a hangover? The question must have been on her face, because Wednesday answered it immediately. "That honey you used on the popcorn was what I harvested from a quarantine hive. Those bees decided that a cider spillage was a good place to go for sugars. The honey they made was sure to be contaminated. I was planning to send it back home as a peace offering if we came to blows over me stealing the film projector, stealing the film and also leaving a few other surprises to ruin the ceremony. And you used it all." There was a decidedly smug air about her and Enid feared to ask the question she knew she would have to.

"What happen'd?" Her tongue felt like it was made of lead, her mouth was dry and her lips were buzzing. Yep. Definitely hung over.

"Well, you got up after your sixth cup of popcorn and went to get into your night clothes." Wednesday told her. "You grabbed a nightgown and somehow managed to put it on upside-down. That was actually impressive. I don't know how you did that. Anyway, then you started to climb into bed and I knew you would catch your death of chill, so I threw you a night shirt to keep at least your upper modesty protected and you managed to get that one right." Enid could tell she wasn't lying. She could feel the neckline of her nightgown wrapped around her upper thighs. God dammit! "Then you started tapping on your phone for fifteen minutes and ordered something off Amazon before falling dead asleep. Nothing too unusual there." That was of precisely no comfort to Enid.

"Crap..."

"I'm sure you do feel like crap." Wednesday nodded as she moved to stand beside the bed properly. "And I can't have helped with that." To Enid's surprise, she then proceeded to unfurl a black sheet and drape it over the edge of the bed before sitting down. How long had she been holding that? Enid's brain was too baked to know. "Enid, I owe you an apology." Now Enid wondered if she might be hallucinating. "I was in a bad place and took it out on whoever happened to be nearest to me. And that was not fair to you."

"You... You mean..."

"Oh, I meant every word." Wednesday assured her. "And I don't apologise for it. Ajax and Xavier literally just walked through the walkway below our balcony. Ajax was trying to punch Xavier and then Xavier took off his tie and tried to strangle him with it. And they still kept on walking at the same time like this was all part of their daily routine. Which it probably is. My point yesterday proved itself twenty minutes ago. But what I failed to remember was that there are good parts to this place as well. In my first week alone, I was almost brutally murdered twice! That's at least on par with the average back home. And despite the fact I've been proudly social distancing since birth..." She took a breath, a look on her face similar to someone who'd been desperately avoiding something and was finally now facing it. "You really care about me, don't you?"

"May- Maybe..." Enid panted weakly.

"I know I am not an easy person to call a friend." Wednesday said as she stood up, folding the black sheet she was sitting on before throwing it in the direction of her bed. "To be wrenched away from everything you ever knew and deposited in a place where everyone looks out for one another instead of being driven only by personal gain and glory is a hard thing. And I instantly came to the conclusion that my attempt at forced solitude was a far more stable course for all involved. I realise now that I was wrong. As to what that means going forward... I still find myself trying to draw a conclusion. I suppose we shall just have to wait and see what happens. Does that sound fair to you?"

Since she was having trouble trying to speak, Enid chose to try and nod instead. Staggeringly, even that was too much. The room instantly dissolved around her into a sea of psychedelic colours across her vision. In an instant, she felt Wednesday's hand on her forehead again, holding her in place. Probably for the best. She wasn't in any shape to be doing anything. No matter. She couldn't even remember if she had class today, but Wednesday could surely tell the teachers she was out for the count. And out for the count she definitely was. No way was she moving from this bed for literally anything. Something Wednesday also seemed to have thought of since she'd moved the teen wolf's trash can within easy reach on the off chance it was needed for something other than paper.

"Okay, well I'm off to class." Wednesday told her. "I'll tell them you're sick. I will get you some soup from the cafeteria at lunch time. And if you get hungry between meals, we have some popcorn left if you want i-"

"Nooooooo!" Enid screamed, screwing her eyes shut. Because of that, she missed the devious smile that crossed Wednesday's lips. It was there one instant and gone the next. As were the fingertips that gently brushed Enid's shoulder with a feather-light touch.

"I will see you soon, Enid." With that, Wednesday grabbed her backpack and was gone. Enid lay back and closed her eyes, left alone with the pulsating sensation that thudded through her temples. At the very least, she'd stopped Wednesday from having an unhappy Halloween. Now she just had to grit her teeth and take the consequences. She was not going to open her eyes for anything. She was going to do nothing but sleep until this cleared. But somehow, she had a feeling that the next twenty-four hours would be the longest three weeks of her life.

Epilogue

True to her word, Wednesday Addams entered her dorm room towards the end of lunch time with a travel cup full of hot tomato soup courtesy of the dinner ladies. As soon as they'd heard the news about Enid, they'd all but ambushed Wednesday in the lunch queue to give it to her. She didn't know how they'd found out, but it was certainly convenient. It had saved her a job and some waiting time at least.

As she entered the room, something caught her eye. A black box sat on her bed, tied with a black ribbon. Setting the tray down next to Enid's bed, she walked over and picked it up. Attached to it was a label with the Amazon logo. Flipping it over, Wednesday saw that there was a personalised message with it.

'DRUNK TEXT, BITCHES! HUUUUUUUGS! Love you.

-E (Guess Who?)'

Wednesday was pretty sure she could guess who. Considering that Enid had gone to bed absolutely blasted last night and had been quite vocal about placing an Amazon order, then this was clearly a present from Eugene to thank her for all her help with the hives!

Setting the sarcastic humour aside, she took the ribbon off the box to reveal the name 'Forenza' stamped across it in elegant gold print. When she opened it, there was a moment when she forgot to take a breath. Inside sat a cello bow of fine make. She could see the craftsmanship before she even picked it up. As her fingers closed around it, she was astounded. It felt totally different in the hand to her old bow, and yet she could already tell exactly how it was going to glide over the strings of her cello without ever having used it.

"Oh, Enid..." she said softly as she glanced over at her heavily sleeping room mate, an evil smile splitting her face. "You got me some blackmail material. And it came with a free cello bow. You really shouldn't have."

End!

Author's Note: Happy Halloween! But just because October ends today, it doesn't mean the excitement ends here. Tomorrow is Chapter 11 of Guiding Light- a story that I'm humbled to say you have all showered unrivalled support on so far. The week after is a double-update of the final chapter and Epilogue. After that, there's a well-earned bonus chapter containing previews of things yet to come and that will be closely followed by a oneshot that I finished off a couple of months ago. I wanted to wait until Guiding Light was finished before I posted it. I also have other ideas for oneshots I shall be writing up while I work on multi-chapter stuff too. But I digress.

I hope everyone enjoys this night of nights. Remember to stay safe out there and take care if you're Trick-Or-Treating. I hope to see you all for the next chapter of Guiding Light.