He was lying.
Wednesday clenched her pen, staring out the window at the dead tree in the quad.
Every last word out of his mouth was a lie. Thing told her there was no record of him arriving so there was no way he came in a car. The eyewitness accounts said he emerged from the forest, disoriented and wearing robes of all things. Plus, he conveniently left out his odd fascination with fireplaces and restrooms. He wasn't even considered for Nevermore until the day of his arrival. Even her surprise addition last term took weeks to process and mountains to move. That was with considerable pull from her mother.
Wednesday wanted to ask him why he chose to lie about everything. But given his apparent rapport with Weems, that would have been unwise. Knowing the conniving principle, Wednesday would never be in the same quadrant as him if she gave away that she knew something was afoot.
And something was certainly afoot.
Wednesday saw straight through each of his curated responses. The way he shifted around, and toyed with his food before eating it. Child's play, it was almost laughable how textbook it was.
However, it took more tells to fully convince her. Reading him proved more difficult than she expected. Caspian was a decidedly crafty and stubborn liar. She almost wanted to commend him for his attempts to throw her off. Bombarding her with questions, needlessly prying into her family and love life to raise tempers. Presumably in hopes of getting her off her game.
Wednesday may have won their first encounter but at what cost? If he felt his secret was compromised he'd go straight to Weems. He was rather keen to take Xavier's arrival as a chance to leave. Only time will tell. If she never saw Caspian, again then she got her answer. She was pulling on a very, very promising thread.
"Wednesday!" Bianca's spat in a hushed tone.
Wednesday looked at her desk mate confused before a shrill voice rang through the room. "Wednesday Addam's! Are you with us?"
"Of course Ms," Wednesday responded automatically.
The old teacher looked unconvinced. "Then perhaps you know the answer to Mr. Ottinger's question."
Wednesday sighed, turning to her fellow Hummer who gave her an apologetic look. "It's a gross cultural inaccuracy to insinuate that Latin merely 'died out' as a language with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD. In fact, it evolved into a simpler form, Vulgar Latin, as a means to unite the fractured empire. Over the coming centuries, Vulgar Latin evolved into the Romance languages. Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Thus, the use of Classical Latin as we know it fell out of practice."
Impressed murmurs erupted around the class. Even Bianca gave her a small smirk of approval.
"Silence!" The shrill voice declared, hushing the group. "Well done." The teacher reluctantly admitted.
Wednesday glared at her, hoping she wasn't stupid enough to challenge her further.
"Now..." The teacher turned her chin up indignantly. "Please recite that explanation for us in Latin."
Wednesday didn't hesitate. "Crassa indiligentia culturale est quod Latina-"
She was cut short by a loud ringing noise that reverberated through the class, signalling the end of class.
"Ah," The teacher grunted wryly. "Saved by the bell."
"Was I?" Wednesday shot back with a glare. "Or were you?"
The teacher scoffed in disbelief. She promptly spun on her foot, muttering something along the lines of 'the nerve of this generation'.
Wednesday allowed herself a small smile. Latin was going to be fun. However, she was halfway out the door when she got a notification. Wednesday promised Enid she would check her phone more often, so she opened it. Her brows furrowed at the unknown ID.
It was a message from her stalker.
Wednesday instinctively shrunk into the shadows of the corridor, away from Bianca and her group who were chatting by the door. Without hesitation, she opened the message.
What she saw made her eyes widen considerably.
Staring back was a picture of Caspian and her at breakfast today. The accompanying text read "New plaything đź‘€ "
"I have to go, Bianca," Wednesday grounded out. "Save me a seat in Botany."
Without waiting for a response from the siren, she darted off towards the dining hall.
She burst through the large main doors, some of the students eyeing her strangely before shrugging it off. Wednesday looked at the picture again, then at the table they were seated at. The picture was zoomed in considerably. She could tell by the muddiness of the final product. The angle was from the west side. Her body was turned away from the photographer. There was no way she could've seen who took it.
She spent a good few minutes walking around with her camera out, trying to get the exact angle. It took some time, but she had it. She snapped a photo, comparing it to the one she received. It was a near-identical match. She was currently situated at the west side exit of the dining hall. It was connected to the entrance courtyard, the other girl's hall, and the west clock tower.
Her mind ran through all her suspects.
Enid was sitting a couple tables away when she was waving her down to sit with them. It was possible her roommate could've gotten up and snapped the photo here for her blog.
Wednesday imagined Enid quietly getting up from her seat. She pictured her with a blank expression, snapping a photo before coldly exiting the hall.
Wednesday shuddered at the thought.
How about Xavier? She tried recalling which side he entered from, but she couldn't remember. She can confidently rule out the main entryway, the closest to his dormitories. Caspian and Xavier would've most definitely come down together since it was Caspian's first day. Which meant that Xavier wasn't in his room when Caspian woke up. It can also be ruled out that he wasn't in the washroom. He had his bag with him that he could've left behind. The main selling point though, was Caspian's look of shock when he saw him. Xavier usually spends his time in his art studio, but that was inconveniently on the opposite end of the grounds. Besides, he mentioned that he's been experimenting with oil pastels, a notoriously staining art form. Yet his hands were spotless. Unless…he detoured to the west boy's washroom to vigorously wash it off. Yes, that could explain his entrance through the western side.
What about Bianca? She usually skips breakfast, but she goes to the gym in the mornings. Plus, she is in the other girl's hall. It's possible that on her way back up, she passed by the entrance, spotted them, and snapped a quick photo. No one would ever know she was there. But someone might've noticed the self-proclaimed Queen Bee of Nevermore snapping a quick pic. Wednesday may need to interrogate some of the fangs and furs that were near the entrance.
But there was a small blip in this scenario. Bianca was with her when the text was sent. But that doesn't completely rule her out. Wednesday recalls Enid mentioning something about setting up timed messages for her followers. It was entirely plausible the stalker could have done the same. To dispatch this picture right after the second period. But why would they need to…
Wednesday's phone buzzed. Another message from the stalker. She opened it.
Her nostrils flared at the content. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was a picture of her standing on top of a bench, camera out, while a few flustered students protested around her.
It was taken mere minutes ago when she was trying to find the right angle.
Wednesday waited, blood boiling at the animated bouncing three dots. The stalker played her like a fiddle. They knew she'd come directly here after the text was sent. They did this to lure her out.
"Picture purrrfect! "
Wednesday's eye twitched as she scanned the room. She hadn't paid attention to the faces when she came in and now, most of them were gone. The warning bell rang. Wednesday pocketed her phone as she stalked her way to Botany, seething the whole way. The audacity of this person.
The stalker was playing a dangerous game. A very dangerous game.
Wednesday was 3 minutes late to Botany.
"Ahh Ms…" The teacher checked her call sheet. "Addams I presume. Well, take a seat! Take a seat, we've barely started."
Wednesday scanned over the nearly full class, narrowing her eyes at Bianca seated with a partner. Bianca just shrugged, pointing to the only empty seat left.
Next to Caspian Lee.
Wednesday felt her chest flutter. Interesting.
If Caspian was aware he had the last seat in class, he didn't show it. He was busy scrawling something down when Wednesday sat as quietly as she could next to him.
He turned abruptly. "Can I borrow some rubber?"
Wednesday reeled, suddenly staring into Caspian's expectant eyes. His face was carefully neutral, appearing completely unbothered by her presence. A stark contrast to his demeanor this morning. Which was fake and tight.
Wednesday blinked before moving mechanically. She procured a small unused (she rarely made mistakes) white eraser from her bag and promptly slid it over to him.
He plucked it from the desk, turning back around.
Wednesday eyed him carefully. She was still dissecting his odd mood shift when the teacher's voice brought her back.
"Where was I…ah yes. Botany. I personally enjoy the science and harmony that comes with taking care of plants. But from my 35 years of teaching, I am well aware that a good portion of you do not share that same enthusiasm."
"Thanks" Caspian muttered, placing the eraser in front of her before wiping away the shavings.
Wednesday narrowed her eyes as she took out her own supplies. "You're welcome."
The class went on as normal. Ms. Plonson revealed she was the teacher Weem drew out of retirement. Wednesday deduced she was fine enough. She was apparently 65 but had the energy of a young stallion as she hopped from pot to pot, enthusiastically explaining away its contents. Wednesday had to admit, after her last class she welcomed a teacher who seemed to care about her students.
"Now enough of me talking. I want you to turn to your partner and talk about plants!"
"Ms. What do you mean to talk about plants?" A disembodied voice questioned from behind Wednesday.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Any memories you have with plants, the good the bad, the ugly. Or any general thoughts you have about them. When you're mind set on green, your thumb shall follow! Now go! Go! I'll give you 10 minutes. And I want real discussion people!"
Wednesday saw Caspian turn in his chair towards her, his elbow propped up on the table casually.
"So, let's talk plants, Addams." He drawled easily. "Do you want me to go first?"
"By all means." She said, barely pivoting in her own chair to face him.
Caspian let out a pensive sigh. "My earliest memories with plants was….My mother's garden! She adored daffodils. So I helped her plant a bunch."
"How generous of you," Wednesday muttered, staring as he ran his hand through his hair with a chuckle. What angle are you playing at Caspian Lee?
"I guess you can say that."He flashed a smirk, no doubt realizing the irony in the familiarness of the situation. "You're turn."
Wednesday wet her lips slowly."My earliest memory of fauna was my mother's giant carnivorous plant, Cleopatra. An African strangler plant from Eastern Comoros. One time, my mother tried putting Cleopatra on a low-calorie diet. So naturally, I tried feeding my newborn brother to it. I vividly remember dangling him by his foot over its salivating serrated teeth. I failed to realize my brother was simply too big for the plant. I know now I should've cut him up in chunks beforehand. A mistake I have yet to live down."
Caspian's facade cracked a bit, his grin turning sour, before startling her with a laugh. "I bet your mother never let you live that one down either."
Wednesday's eyes narrowed at the boy. "She reminds me every time she gets the chance..."
They continued like this. Caspian would tell an innocent story about plants, and Wednesday would counter it with an increasingly more grotesque one. His smile would falter, then he would laugh, crack something witty, and repeat.
She can feel her mind on the cusp of a conclusion as to his strange change in attitude. The way he was seated, sprawled out in front of her. How he laughed oh so easily when she recounted pouring vials of venomous Peruvian vine toxins on passing school children. In the middle of one of his dull stories, it finally hit her like a bunch of bricks.
Caspian was being overtly laid back with her on purpose. It was all for show.
He wanted her to see that her earlier questioning had no effect on him. That he was not threatened or intimidated by her prying because he supposedly had nothing to hide.
"He's…very intense, even when lounging…"
Wednesday recalled Enid's words. Her eyes quickly found his eyes, currently crinkled up in laughter. She waited patiently for it to die down before opening her mouth. "My turn now."
She recounted a gory story about a giant Venus fly trap almost eating her Uncle. The whole time, she was studying his eyes. Really watching them this time. What she found almost made her stumble over her words.
Sure enough, he was staring at her with an intensity that rivaled that of a panther eyeing its prey. Everything about him was relaxed, content, and comfortable. His smile had a warming effect even she, couldn't ignore entirely. But his eyes were focused, calculating, and guarded.
His body was open, but his mind was shut. That's why he threw out so many shallow stories of frolicking through daisy filled fields. They were all half-baked. He was too focused on appearing nonchalant.
"I'd like to meet your uncle," Caspian wagged his finger at her. "I'm willing to bet he has a different side of the story."
"Uncle Fester is an enigma," Wednesday responded. "But he'll attest to everything I said."
Caspian shrugged with a smile, tapping his chin. "Ok, my turn, where to start…"
"How about something real for a change?" Wednesday suddenly suggested.
His perfect smile faltered. "What do you mean?"
Wednesday spun to face him, resting a calm hand on the desk. This change in posture seemed to unnerve him. Good.
"Something with weight, with stakes."
Caspian seemed at a loss for words. His body was frozen in its carefully sculpted position. "What, you want me to tell you? A memory like yours? Where I was almost eaten by a plant or something?" He chuckled, but it was void of humor.
She raised a brow. "I'm sure you have some strange event in your life associated with greenery. It doesn't have to be a carnivorous plant or an encounter with a venomous spur. Additionally, I want a detailed explanation as to the events transpiring around it. Just like what I've been giving you. Only fair right?"
Wednesday wanted to see if he could still keep up his demeanor while curating a fake story with adequate supporting details. All while she was inspecting every bit of him. Most of her victims tend to crack under this kind of pressure. What would Caspian do?
He opened his mouth before clamping it shut. His carefully guarded eyes stared blankly for a second before solidifying with determination.
Caspian sat up straighter.
"I was out with my mates," He started slowly, as if he was about to recount a ghost story. "We were exploring the woods near our school. It was nearing dusk but… we didn't care. We felt invincible."
"Why?" She prodded.
"Why not?" He countered with a small grin, before going serious. "we were younger then. Unsure of the horrors of the world…" Caspian trailed off wistfully.
Wednesday waited patiently for him to continue, scrutinizing every inch of his face for a crack. She was frustrated when she found none.
He started again in a more graver tone. "We...we were walking down a forgotten path when we heard rustling in the black trees."
"What was it?" She heard herself whisper, leaning in closer.
"We sure didn't stick around to find out. We walked faster, and faster until suddenly, we heard footsteps behind us." He glanced at her harshly. "So we ran."
Wednesday couldn't help but jump a little.
"We ran and ran, I started hearing chanting in the trees nearby. I remember grabbing my friends and pulling us down a ditch. I was expecting a hard fall but it was…surprisingly soft…"
He paused, his fingers rubbing lightly against his leg as if he could still feel it. Wednesday almost believed he did by the way he was acting.
"It was a vine-like root that cushioned our fall," Caspian whispered, his eyes glazed over. "We hid in that ditch for what felt like hours. My friends decided to fall asleep but...I just couldn't. I heard some of the most…" he swallowed, his gaze miles away. "Unsettling noises pass above us until it all finally went quiet..."
Wednesday was now impossibly close to him. So close in fact, she could smell him. Sea salt and vanilla mixed with a foreign aroma she couldn't pinpoint.
Caspian swallowed thickly, his voice barely audible now. "I looked to my friends relieved...only to find… they were gone. I tried getting up but I felt one of the vines wrap around my legs and I realized too late…" He gasped. "I just pulled my friends into a pile of the most dangerous plant there is. Devil Snare."
"Devil snare?" Wednesday's brows shot up, brain flipping through the multiple botany books she had memorized. "I've never heard of that before."
"Well it strangles you to suffocation and consumes your rotting flesh," Caspian whispered as he involuntarily shuddered.
"How did you get out?" She heard herself ask in a gruff voice.
Caspian grimaced like it hurt to remember. "One of Devil's snare's few weaknesses is light…So a blinding one came outta nowhere and…" He clapped suddenly. " BANG! It was all over."
Caspian pulled away with a wide smile where his grimace was just milliseconds ago. The sound of his clap and the absence of his sea salt scent brought Wednesday back to earth. She snapped back into position. She was alarmed at how close she was to him without her realizing.
Wednesday turned away, more confused than when she entered the class. When he spoke about that story, it seemed so real. Not even the greatest actress, Dolores del RĂo, could fake that kind of fear. Her mind started to swirl, but she grounded herself.
No, this was perfect. Caspian Lee just slipped up. He gave her a real glimpse into his past. She now knows he went to school near a dangerous forest that had an unusual plant called Devil Snare. She'd need to search that up. But once she found out its country of origin, it wouldn't be hard to narrow down the school he previously attended. And from there…It would all be clear.
His friends died on his watch. Maybe that's why he got transferred here suddenly? Maybe Weems had a personal connection with one of those kids or Caspian for that matter? Suddenly, Enid's theory of Caspian being related to Weems didn't sound so far-fetched.
"So, how's that for a story?" She heard him mutter.
"That was…" Wednesday cleared her throat. "Riveting."
Caspian picked at a notch in the table absentmindedly."Yeah…Till this day it's one of my scariest nightmares."
Wednesday stiffened. Nightmares?
She slowly turned to face him, her eyes boring holes into the side of his skull. "Come...again?"
He looked over at her, visibly shaken up. "Definitely one of my scariest. I think I might dream about it tonight. Thanks for making me relive that."
Wednesday twitched. She began to feel her heartbeat pick up as blood pooled to her cheeks. "That was just a dream?"
Caspian blinked incredulously. "Well yeah of course it was…" He knitted his brows. "Wait...you thought that really happened to me?"
On the outside, she was as cold and uncaring as ever. But she felt like her eyes were ablaze.
"You cheat." Wednesday snarled. "You were supposed to tell me a real memory."
"Yeah," He said bluntly. "and that nightmare was a real memory for me. It still spooks me to this day."
Wednesday seethed. "You know that's not what I meant. I wanted a real story, something you lived through."
"Well, I didn't know that!" Caspian scoffed, running his hand through his hair. "Did you wanna hear about that time I fell from a tree and got a nasty splinter? See, not that riveting."
"But it would've been real." She hissed back, her chest rising erratically. She was thinking of countless ways to murder Caspian in his sleep. Suffocation by pillow was too kind.
"Yeah real boring." He rolled his eyes.
Wednesday swallowed, clenching her jaw. "So you're friends, the woods, the chanting, it was all just make belief?"
"Felt pretty real to me at the moment, but yeah none of it happened. The school, the footsteps, my missing friends."
"Devil snare? What about that?" She knew she was grasping at straws, but she couldn't accept defeat without a fight.
Caspian paused, eyes darting her way. "Ok, that was real...kinda, My mother used to tell me stories with it growing up. I dunno where she got them from. I always suspected it was a family tradition sort of thing. A cautionary tale past down from generations."
"Let me hear you recount that story now."
"OK class, times up! I hope you've all had thought-provoking discussions about plants. But if you would turn you're attention to the board…" Their teacher began.
Wednesday sat motionless, staring daggers into Caspian as he turned away.
"Perhaps next time Addams." He flipped to a new page in his notes, a triumphant smirk ghosting at his lips. "But don't count on it."
Wednesday forced herself to turn to the board. She couldn't stand looking at him. Caspian Lee was proving to be annoyingly frustrating to deal with. But she liked a challenge. In fact, she craved one.
He may have gotten her this time, but the truth always comes out. Eventually. And if Wednesday learned anything from last semester, it was that 'eventually' is just inevitability biding its time.
Wednesday side-eyed the boy, clutching her pen harder.
She will come to understand who Caspian really is whether he likes it or not.
That was as inevitable to her as death itself.