1.

Enid's eyes nearly slid shut as she continued staring at the front of the room, to where her English teacher was enthusiastically reading from a beat-up copy of Romeo and Juliet. She had initially liked English class, actually, until they had gotten stuck on this particular play. Now every class was tedious, and she spent more time picking at her nail polish (a bad habit that she was trying to break), than actually paying attention.

The actual story wasn't a problem. Enid was always up for a good romance, even if every time they read one in class she could hear boys gagging from around her, and see Wednesday's expression gradually grow more and more murderous from beside her.

Cheesiness and drama kept things interesting. When they could actually be understood, that was. As many times as the teacher had gone over how to decipher Shakespeare, Enid found herself completely and terribly lost as they began the second act that day.

She'd rather be anywhere else than in this classroom, she decided as her teacher continued reading from the front of the room, none of the old-timey verses processing through Enid's brain. She'd even rather be in Werewolf History 101, even if what was going on in that classroom right now more closely resembled a war then some of the sections of history they were supposed to be studying. She rubbed her eyes, trying to keep her brain on track as the teacher droned on.

"Now, for the beginning of Act II we're shaking things up a bit," the teacher said, putting her book down, "you guys will be acting out the first two scenes." She paused, waiting for any sort of reaction. She got dull stares in response. Someone close to the back of the classroom coughed. "It'll be fun, trust me. Now, Ajax, I think you'd make a lovely Romeo, come on up." Ajax stumbled to the front of the room with wide eyes.

This should have piqued Enid's interest, rationally. That was her boyfriend up there, reading lines from one of the most famous love stories of all time. And yet…

Her eyelids began to droop again as Ajax fumbled over his words. He seemed to be genuinely giving it his best effort, despite looks ranging from horrified to practically comatose from boredom spread out across the classroom.

Enid's heart didn't start fluttering like she had convinced herself it should. Heat didn't rise to her cheeks. That giddy feeling that had jumped around inside of her in the beginning of her relationship with him refused to return. Instead she sat still, stifling a yawn.

"Wednesday?" The teacher said after what seemed like hours, but was in reality probably only ten minutes. "Would you come up and read for Juliet?" Enid lifted her head from her desk, looking to the girl beside her, who up until now had been focused on whatever she was writing on the paper in front of her rather than the play. They locked eyes, Wednesday tilting her head before she stood, walking to the front of the classroom. To Enid's surprise, she actually began reading the line they had left off on, in as monotone a voice as possible.

She watched intently. Wednesday didn't stumble over her lines, reading them with a smoothness and grace that brought the slightest flicker of life to the scene, even if her voice remained emotionless all throughout.

Ajax continued with his uneven reading, "as that vast shore wash… wash'd with the furthest sea, I would adventure for such merchandise."

Wednesday narrowed her eyes. When it came for her turn to speak next, she looked around the room, then threw out a hand, pinning Ajax to the wall with an unsettling ease that did make Enid's heart flutter. "Juliet is a child. She writes her own fate now. This is her revenge." She turned her head and locked eyes with Ajax, dropping him to the ground after a moment. Then she snatched the book from their teacher's hand, pulling a knife from her pocket and…

She sliced it down the middle. Great. She probably wouldn't be back in their room until late that night, Enid knew, as their teacher let out a shocked, "young lady! Drop that at once!" Then pulled her off for the usual detention and call home that had become almost routine this semester.

Wednesday met Enid's eyes before she left the room, tilting her head like she had earlier. Enid smiled.

English class had become significantly less boring.

2.

Enid had never been very big on werewolf traditions (and even when she was she'd been downright excluded). Mating season was no exception. For starters, there was no need for it to be an actual season. Werewolves didn't go into heat like regular wolves would. It was just dumb tradition at this point, a season invented so that more pack members could be convinced to have babies or at least try and find a mate.

Before, the season had been easy to ignore, even when she was technically old enough to be a participant in it. Nobody wanted to be mates with the girl who couldn't wolf out.

Now, though…

Enid had already had to turn down two different suitors that morning. And it was only the first day of the season. For whatever reason, there were a little more male werewolves enrolled in Nevermore than female. So even the girl who hadn't wolfed out until that year was worth pursuing.

Mostly, Enid was trying to ignore the events around her, thinking through her schedule instead as she stepped outside to walk to her final class. She was going to meet Yoko and spend the evening with her in a few hours. She just had to get past the last part of the school day…

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the three male werewolves who had stepped in front of her until she nearly ran into the one in the middle. "Sorry!" She said, jumping back, "didn't see you!"

"Sure didn't," one of them said. His voice was deep. And cruel. Enid took a step back. The boy to the left of the one who had spoken shifted his position, forcing her closer to the outerwall of the building that they were standing next to. Everyone else had already hurried off to their classes. She was all alone.

"You still don't have a mate, do you Sinclair?" The boy on the right asked, taking a step closer. She gritted her teeth, looking up at him. They were all taller than her. And stronger. She could still put on a good fight though, if she needed to.

"No. I'm not looking for one either," she said, "back off."

"Playing hard to get, huh?"

"Back off!" Enid took a step forward. None of them stepped away. They exchanged glances with each other instead, grinning.

"I'm doing you a favour, Sinclair. You should feel lucky anyone even wants you, with the history you've got. The only thing keeping you from being packless is your family's good name. If you know what's best for you -"

"If you know what's best for you, you'll leave her alone and run," a voice came from behind them. Wednesday. Enid let out a small sigh of relief. She hadn't even seen the small girl slip up on them.

"Oh, look, it's the-" the boy said a horrible word Enid had heard directed at Wednesday far too many times, related to her mental differences, "we're so scared - oh my GOD put that thing away!" Wednesday had gotten out her favourite knife with a flick of her hand, holding it threateningly in front of her.

"Enid -" she started, Enid nodding and unsheathing her claws,

"Yep!" She promptly lunged at one of the other boys, who didn't look so confident now that one of his own was being attacked with a knife. Or, threatened with a knife, anyway. Wednesday was using it more as a warning than a weapon, extending it out to scare him back while occasionally landing a well-aimed kick to his lower region. Very effective.

Enid kept her attention on the two other boys. She wasn't as tall as them. She wasn't as strong. But she was far more determined than a couple of cowards. Soon enough, all three were running off in different directions, Wednesday putting the knife away.

"I could've taken them," Enid said, sheathing her claws.

"I know."

"Then why did you…?"

"You would do the same for me. I would never let your honour or dignity be challenged," she paused, "physically."

"Awww, you do care," Enid smiled, lightly elbowing her. Wednesday glared. But she followed in the direction of Enid's class, which Enid was already very late to. Enid didn't actually know what class her friend had next.

She walked Enid the entire way to her class. And she was waiting outside once class was over.

3.

"I think we've lost his trail," Wednesday said, weaving her body between a few close-together trees as she and Enid trekked through the woods behind the school. Enid had found herself spending an undesirable amount of time in said woods this semester.

"If there even was a trail at all, Willa. You could've just seen a… bear or something."

"The figure I caught sight of had a distinctly humanoid shape."

"Great. I think we're ghost-hunting now."

"He was a solid being, not transparent." Despite Wednesday's assertions on the spotted being's living state, Enid began to make up her own theme song for them as a ghost-hunting team, humming to herself as they walked.

The woods could be silent when they wanted to be. Or they could be bustling with life. Enid hated the days when they were in between, every small sound making her jump as it cut through the quiet. Wednesday had no such issue, keeping a steady pace from in front of her.

"Do ghosts just like, confront you directly, or are they more sneaky about it?" Enid asked, pushing a bare branch away from her face.

"There are not any ghosts. Not here, anyway. They prefer mortal dwelling spaces."

"So they're confrontational, then?"

"No. They mostly fade into the background," Wednesday crouched down to look at the ground, hovering a finger over a trail of freshly-made animal footprints. "We have one at home."

"Really? What's their name?!"

"Francisco."

"That's a fun name," Enid pushed past another branch, "how did they die?"

"Execution by firing squad."

"Oh." Enid continued humming her newly composed ghost-hunting theme song, Wednesday turning around from in front of her after a few minutes. Enid moved to do the same, her foot becoming caught under a root from the tree beside her.

She let out a surprised yelp, falling forward before she could do anything. Wednesday reached out to try and catch her seconds too late. She hit the ground with a thud, a sharp rock embedded into the ground tearing into her left arm as she landed.

"Are you alright?" Wednesday reached a hand down, Enid taking it and pulling herself up. Her knees were scraped and she was definitely going to bruise. But mostly, she was fine. Except for the stinging wound on her arm. She turned her arm to the side to investigate, making a face as she did so.

The cut stretched from the top of her arm to the bottom, blood welling an angry red as it leaked from the wound. Tiny, cold fingers suddenly wrapped around the front of her arm, Wednesday pulling it closer to check herself, her eyes careful and analytical as she examined it.

Tentatively, she brushed some of the dirt away from the edge of the wound, careful not to touch it directly, "you will be fine. We aren't that far from the school. There is nothing we can do out here, we don't have anything sanitary enough to touch the wound."

"Are you sure it'll be alright? There's a lot of blood."

"You'll live," Wednesday said, continuing to walk again. There was something almost teasing to her tone as she spoke, and a small smile came to Enid's face.

She didn't miss the way the other girl consistently glanced over at her on the walk home, to make sure she was alright. Because she did care. Enid knew for certain now.

4.

It had been dumb. Most arguments between couples were, someone had told her once. Maybe that someone had been Wednesday. It did sound like something she'd say completely unprompted at midnight (the time some of their most interesting conversations were had).

Even if it had been dumb, though, there were still heavy tears pricking in Enid's eyes. Her stomach was still swirling uncomfortably, her body beginning to crash from the aftermath of the tension she had been in.

She reached her room just in time, pushing the door open. Wednesday and Thing were seated at the desk on Wednesday's side of the room, a chessboard between them. From the looks of it, the game was intense.

Enid stepped inside, collapsing face-first against her bed and groaning loudly into her pillows. She heard movement from behind her after a minute, Wednesday speaking quietly to the appendage she was with. A dragging sound followed, Thing likely putting away the chessboard. After a minute, he scurried across the room and onto Enid's bed, positioning himself beside her head.

"Hey, Thing," she said, placing her hand on top of his for a second. Her eyes widened as she felt a small weight settle down on her opposite side. She looked over. Wednesday was sitting on the edge of her bed.

Both Thing and Wednesday kept quiet, letting her have a minute to collect herself. She took a deep breath, "so, I went out with Ajax today, and it was fine. Until it wasn't. It wasn't his fault, it was just… frustrating." Wednesday gave her a single nod. She continued, "basically we were just kind of having a normal time, then I guess I brought you up one time too many. He started saying that I talk about you too much, and he was dating me, not you, he didn't want to hear about you constantly. Which, fair, but I dunno. I got mad at him in that moment. I kind of regret it now. I should apologise to him. Probably. Maybe tomorrow." She dropped her head back down to the pillows. Thing scurried closer, gently patting her shoulder. "Yeah. It's dumb, I know," she wiped her eyes, "I think I need a distraction for now."

"Chess?" Wednesday offered with a slight tilt of her head.

"Um, no, you annihilate me every time, nice try."

"Blood seeking?"

"What the hell is - nevermind, actually…" Enid's eyes flitted down to Wednesday's hands, small, elegant, and folded tightly in her lap. "Could I paint your nails? I'd do it black." Wednesday nodded, Enid letting out a squeal of excitement, "thanks, Willa, you're the best. Even if you try not to be."

Painting Wednesday's nails was indeed a welcome distraction from previous events. The other girl kept a disinterested look on her face the entire time, but Enid knew she didn't despise it, otherwise she would have pulled away. She held one of Wednesday's hands in her own, gentle as she applied the polish, careful to wipe away any of the excess that might be uncomfortable for Wednesday to have on her fingers. She let herself smile.

The past events of the day felt like a distant dream.

5.

It was raining so hard that Enid could barely see a foot in front of her, as she and Wednesday ran through the woods together. They had been pursuing what had definitely been a man this time (well, Wednesday had, and Enid had been pursuing Wednesday), and they'd gotten caught out in a storm. They had lost the man once again, but they were still stuck out in the rain, and Enid was eager to get back to Nevermore. Even if they'd have to endure a scolding and possible detention for wandering out so far yet again.

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?!" Enid exclaimed as Wednesday twisted to the side, adjusting their course.

"Now we are." Well, that was reassuring. The sky, already grey from the storm, was beginning to darken even further. Great. Now they'd be trapped out at night with nothing but Wednesday's weird compass-like abilities to potentially get them back.

"This is why we don't chase after random dudes, Wednesday! I can't believe I even have to say this!"

Wednesday suddenly stopped from in front of her, Enid nearly running into her. "Did you hear that?" She asked quietly. Enid shook her head, Wednesday pulling her to the side. "There it is again."

Enid heard a mewling noise, now. It sounded like it was coming from a small animal. She blinked, Wednesday leading her forward, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Enid kept her eyes sharp, grabbing the back of Wednesday's shirt as she approached the edge of a steep ravine, yanking her back. The other girl didn't even pause, kneeling at the edge of the ravine and looking down.

It was difficult to see through the thick rain and the growing darkness. But Enid could spot a stream, swelling with water. Extra ferocious because of the rain. There was indeed a small creature at the bottom, clinging onto a root at the edge of the stream, water washing over its bedraggled body.

"It's a cat," Wednesday said, "a black cat."

"Oh, oh my god, what do we - Wednesday?!" The other girl was already descending the side of the ravine, gripping on tightly to the root and rocks within arms length. "Wednesday, no, the water's too wild! You'll drown if you fall in!"

"I won't fall!" Wednesday called up, descending further down.

"Be careful!" Enid crouched down beside the edge, positioned in case Wednesday needed help coming back up. All she could do now was wait and watch.

Wednesday finally reached the stream, dipping a foot in from where she was hanging to test the strength of the current. She quickly pulled it back up after it was hit with the immense force of the water. Thunder crashed through the air, the sky brightening as lightning struck a distance away.

C'mon, Wednesday.

The girl clung tighter to the jutting rock she was gripping onto with one hand, reaching out her other towards the cat, who was still clinging to the root that extended out from the bottom of the ravine, likely coming from one of the towering trees above.

She came just short of gripping onto the frightened creature. Instead of giving up, she furrowed her brow, examining her options. Then she swung herself from the rock, surging forward just enough to reach the root and grab hold of it with one hand, grabbing the cat with the other. She took a step upward, starting to climb.

And then the root she had been holding onto fell from the edge, taking her with it.

"WEDNESDAY!" Enid screamed, reaching down towards the stream in vain. She closed her eyes, trying to shift to her werewolf form, something she'd had little success doing outside of full moons. "Come on, come on, please," she whispered, running alongside the river as the closest person in the world to her was swept away by it's current -

Wednesday reached out toward the edge of the ravine. And by some miracle to her (or curse to the general world, as Wednesday would later put it), she grabbed hold of another rock, and pulled herself up one-armed. Jeez.

Wednesday climbed the rest of the way up the ravine, refusing to let go of the black cat in her right arm as she did so. Enid pulled her the rest of the way up once she was high enough, the two girls collapsing back against the muddy grass. The cat ran off.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Enid pushed herself up, glaring at her friend, "why would you ever do that for a cat?! You could've died!" Wednesday coughed up a mouthful of water in response. Right. Enid hit her across the back, most of the water coming up from the force. Once Wednesday was done heaving it up, she took a few seconds to catch her own breath,

"In my family black cats' lives are valued. They have a history of persecution. So do we."

"That's sweet. In a twisted sort of way. I'm just glad you're okay, you really could've…" she trailed off, wednesday reaching out, her fingers lightly brushing Enid's cheek,

"I am here."

"Yeah," she smiled, "yeah, you are. Come on, you're shaking, let's go back." Enid took off her coat and wrapped it around the other girl, ignoring the glare she got in response.

She stayed as close as she could as they walked back to Nevermore. Wednesday was here. She was alive. Things should be okay. But oh god, was Enid scared of losing her.

+1

It wasn't uncommon for Enid to wake up in the middle of the night. Her senses were extra heightened because of her birth as a werewolf. Usually, she laid in bed for a little bit while trying to figure out what had woken her. That particular night, she wasn't sure. And she'd been lying awake for five minutes now.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Maybe something had just fallen off her or Wednesday's desk. Maybe Thing had decided to creep around in the dark again. Maybe it was just nothing, and she'd woken up for no reason. That could happen too.

After another few minutes, she let her eyes slip shut. And then she heard it. Thrashing. Like a fish caught in a net. She shot back up, scanning the room.

Wednesday was tossing and turning in her bed. That was new. The other girl usually slept as still as a corpse. Enid slipped out of her own bed, walking to the middle of their shared room.

Wednesday tossed her head to the side in her sleep, her chest heaving. Her fists clenched and unclenched, sweat beading at her brow. She turned to the side again, curling around herself, knees tucked to her chest. A protective position. "Enid," she whispered, her voice barely more than a faint cry. A shiver coursed through her body, breaking Enid's heart as she watched from the middle of the room.

She walked over once Wednesday had stilled, tentatively sitting on the edge of her bed and reaching out. Her hand was immediately caught. She should have expected that. Wednesday's eyes flickered open, dilated and wide, and she moved back, quickly trying to regain her composure.

"Hey, Willa. You were having a nightmare, I think. Or a vision," Enid said, remaining where she was, "it sounded frightening." Wednesday let out a quiet huff in response. "It did! Don't give me some bullshit about being fine, I watched it. Hang on," she stood up and left the room, coming back with a glass of water, which she handed to the other girl. Wednesday took a few shaky sips. "I have nightmares too. A lot." Wednesday inclined her head slightly. "You've helped me with them before just by being with me." And I want to help you too. That part went unsaid.

Enid moved a little bit closer to her, growing bolder as she realised she wasn't moving away. After a minute of inching forward, she had moved close enough to lay down beside her. Now they were laying face-to-face. She slowly held out her own hands, taking Wednesday's hands in hers. She let her.

This was the closest they'd ever been for an extended period of time, minus that one hug, Enid realised. She didn't comment on it. And she certainly didn't comment about the swirl of emotions that were sloshing around inside of her. The love and the hope and the desire. Instead, she stayed entirely still.

Wednesday closed her eyes, the ghost of a smile coming to her face as she drifted back to sleep. Enid closed her eyes as well. She could deal with the scary new feelings later. For now, she was content, sleeping soundly with Wednesday across from her.

This must be what peace felt like.