Your Red Looks Good On Me

Outreach day was a huge success. Though most of Wednesday’s answers only yielded more unsettling questions, she had waged a war against a statue (and won), faced no repercussions (although she did enjoy punishments), and learned some key information about the monster as well as her heritage.

In your usual disregard for instructions you had failed to attend the event, which was now entirely relevant to her case. If the monster was a student at Nevermore, you had some of the shadiest behavior of the whole student body.

Wednesday’s heart made a few irregular beats as she explored what this meant. It was possible you were the Hyde, which meant she’d finally have an excuse to do some serious sleuthing. It also meant you might be a cold blooded killer, and suddenly there was that feeling in her stomach again. She loved thinking about murder, why did this time make her stomach flip?

The raven spent the days leading up to the dance cold as ever to Xavier and Tyler. The former had quickly soared past you as far as suspicious activities went, and the later was becoming increasingly more of a hinderance in her investigation. Unfortunately, it seemed the weathervane was no longer a viable option to work on the case. This meant Enid spent considerably less time in their room, which Wednesday didn’t mind in the least.

As for her sleuthing on you went, she’d been very distracted by Xavier as of late and had made little progress. She wasn’t used to being the one who made all the effort to forge a connection, and it was proving much more difficult then she thought. It didn’t help that you were more distant then ever, so much to where even other students were now aware of your severely elusive nature.

It was rare you’d show up for lunch, sometimes not making an appearance at all that week. In botany your eyes were dark, and she noticed you stifle an increasing amount of yawns each day. Even your attentiveness for being inattentive was suffering; A few times you wrote full sentences in English before realizing, not even bothering to scratch them out with your pen before moving on.

Though you two still hadn’t spoken in almost two weeks, she at least knew where your dorm was located now. This bit of information was actually all thanks to Enid, who had overheard you talking to one of the Fangs the other day. Wednesday wasn’t sure why you would ever give a vampire your place of residence, but she wouldn’t punish you too hard for it later considering it had been beneficial to her as well.

The raven walked through the corridors thinking. She was on her way to pay Principal Weems a visit, but stopped short behind a corner when she saw you in intense conversation with the woman just down the hall from her office.

Your voices were hushed, but quickly escalating as you argued.

“… assume the worst! I haven’t done anything yet you still make me see her every week!”

“Rae you are being very, very stubborn right now. I’m disappointed in your behavior almost as deeply as I am in your failure to judge your own actions!”

“You’re the one failing to judge my actions!”

You’re face darkened and suddenly your voice was low and controlled, taunting her.

“When will you just admit that you’re afraid of me.”

Weems seethed, and for a moment Wednesday wondered if she would hit you.

There was an unfamiliar glint in your eye as you stared up at the woman, and Wednesdays eyes widened ever so slightly. You were daring her to hit you. She didn’t bite.

“Conservatory. Now.”

You didn’t flinch.

“NOW.”

You scoffed, but stepped away from her finally, brushing dangerously close to her arm as you walked past. Wednesday dipped into a classroom to avoid your line of vision, and though she was positive she hid quickly enough, you still glanced around the corridor suspiciously.

You kept going after a few seconds, but Wednesday waited another minute before following you. She knew where you were going, so she could afford the extra buffer room. The raven briskly made her way to the conservatory, but you were no longer in sight. When she reached the door, it was locked. Where was Thing when she needed him? All she had at the moment was a Bobby pin, which would take too long judging by the faint sound of footsteps growing louder in the distance.

She weighed the risk to reward, deciding at the last second to step into a nearby door entrance and hope whoever passed wouldn’t notice her. Wednesday could easily go unnoticed in the shadows. Every time except for this time, when it was you who passed by. Her chin lowered.

You raised an eyebrow curiously and your mouth teased a smile, the glint in your eyes completely absent and replaced by their usual soft intensity.

“Hey, Wednesday…” you started, looking around the corridor. “Hiding from someone?”

Your tone was back to its innocent curiosity, a complete 180 from the accusatory daggers you had thrown at Weems not three minutes earlier.

Wednesday responded by eyeing you up and down. You were wearing a well fitted black hoodie and black leggings ending in black and white vans on your feet. “Going for a run?” She deadpanned.

You smiled and chewed your lip gently, considering your next actions thoughtfully. Her stomach flipped.

“I was actually about to head into the woods.”

Wednesdays eyebrows lifted imperceptibly.

“You’re welcome to come with, if you promise not to murder me,” you said with a laugh, already walking away.

“You really know how to suck the fun out of everything, don’t you?”

The shorter girl was at your side a moment later though, far too intrigued by the situation to decline your offer.

Wandering the halls at night wasn’t exactly against the rules, but given her rule breaking streak and your obvious thin ice with the principal she was very aware of how badly this would look. The way you navigated the school lead her to believe you agreed; You were laid back as ever, yet each movement and decision was calculated with the same precision and tact you used in botany.

You were deeply tuned into your surroundings, somehow always managing to hear or see things before Wednesday. She didn’t understand how you could react to things before she detected them, for once finding herself to be less competent then another. She hated it, but couldn’t fight the calming effect your presence seemed to have.

Soon enough you were outside and making your way across the grounds. The air wasn’t too cold, but the deceivingly gentle breeze seemed to cut straight through Wednesday’s layers like a knife. It was wonderful. Under your hoodie however, she could see a relatively harsh shiver wrack your body.

Wednesday had a strange sudden desire to wrap her arms around your torso in order to help you regulate your thermodynamic insulation more effectively. She settled for walking closer to you instead, angling her body slightly to stand as a better barrier against the wind. It was likely ineffective considering her small frame was almost a foot shorter then you even with her platformed soles, but at least she was doing something. It was your fault for not dressing adequately for the weather. This was your idea, after all.

The pair made their way across the grounds, slipping through a cut in the chain link fence neither of them seemed surprised by. Wednesday started towards Jericho, but you called her to follow you the other direction. She dropped her brows, but conceded. You two walked about 30 feet down the road, then crossed over and disappeared into the woods on the opposite side.

Wednesday realized after a moment you were walking on a dirt road, but it was so dark and overgrown it was difficult to tell. By this point she was trailing behind you by several paces, unable to keep up with your stride and avoid stumbling at the same time. She could just barely make out your blonde hair and white soles of your shoes, and was starting to really wonder if you were leading her out here to violently kill her. She pushed the thought down quickly, unwilling to get her hopes too high.

There was a loud ruffling sound before she could make out the shine of a black hood. You had uncovered a car from under a tarp, tossing it to the side and jostling a key into the door. She heard the lock go down and you got inside, leaning over to the passengers side to unlock her door. This was unexpected, but not unwelcome. This car would be very helpful in her future endeavors, and it would be nice not to depend on Tyler.

Wednesday felt around for the handle before getting in, and you turned on the engine. The dashboard came to life and the headlights flickered on, and finally she could see again. It was clearly an older car judging by the lack of features, but that was what she was used to. The muscle car was a bit sporty for her families taste, otherwise it was similar to something she could see the Addams owning.

“I’d be more impressed if there was a body in the trunk.”

“Aw, you’re impressed?” You teased, not waiting to catch her glare before putting the car in 1st gear and driving down the road.

Harsh, white light shown into the nearby trees to eerily illuminate the woods as you cruised along, one hand on the wheel and the other on the shifter. The sky was overcast and dark, not a single star visible in the sea of black.

Wednesday had quite a few things on her mind she wanted to ask you, but her blunt style had proven unsuccessful last time.

“If I were to attempt questioning you, how likely are you to roll out of the door and send my helpless body careening into a tree in a horrific, fiery crash?”

You laughed. She wanted you to do that again. All the time, to be specific.

“50/50. Maybe 40/60, I’m feeling rather agreeable tonight.”

“Well aren’t those are good odds,” she teased. “I’m feeling lucky ”

“Please,” you encouraged her with a shrug, immediately feeling her dark eyes on the side of you face.

“Why were you going into the woods tonight?”

Your directness was uncharacteristic.

“I wasn’t planning on it originally, but when I ran into you I figured it might interest you.”

Wednesday raised her eyebrows. That wasn’t the answer she expected. You had chosen to risk your organs of mutilation in the middle of the woods because you wanted to engage in a shared activity of her interest. She could tell you weren’t lying, but you also weren’t sharing the whole truth. It was progress. Wednesday would cut you open like a frog and dissect all your insides, there was no doubt of her abilities; How long it would take, however, now that was partly up to you.

“Then why were you by the conservatory?”

“I had a minor disagreement with Weems,” you said, meeting her eyes with your own. There was a playful smile on your face, and your eyes sparkled with something. Something mischievous. You knew she had seen the two of you fight, and this was your sick and twisted way of torturing her.

She had never considered torturing someone in this way, but it was unexplainably effective. The burning sensation in her body was as equally exciting as unbearably painful as you looked at her, but it began subsiding a moment later when you turned your gaze back to the street.

“And before you ask, yes, Weems and I are related. She’s my moms cousin, which I guess would make us second cousins; That feels wrong though I don’t like that. I guess I always just thought of her as my Aunt or something.”

Wednesday lifted her chin slowly as she filed the new information into her brain. The car slowed to a stop, a soft red hue settling in the interior as you waited at the light. You tortured her again.

“So what did crackstone do?”

“What?”

“He must’ve done something pretty wicked to deserve such a nice hot tub.”

The red made you look… different. Darker. For some strange reason she felt compelled to tell you about what she’d seen in her vision, keeping it short and concise. You listened, a smile creeping onto your face when she all but admitted to the crime. Even in the dark your eyes were glowing. And then suddenly they flashed with that same glint she’d seen only once before. You looked unpredictable; Dangerous.

A chill ran up her spine, settling at the back of her neck and raising her hairs. Eye contact had never caused her skin to burn the way it did now, and next thing she knew even her heart was betraying her. It didn’t gradually increase in speed, instead lurching hard and beating at twice it’s usual cadence. You’re eyes flickered down to her chest and you bit your lip, swiftly prying your gaze back to hers. It wasn’t enough to keep Wednesday from noticing, and you could see her eyes widen and lips part in confusion. You didn’t even care. Your mind was so foggy.

All it wanted was to drink up her fear, but there was none to feast on. Strange. Perhaps some gentle persuasion would get her there.

You could see each throb of her carotid as it supplied life force to her brain. One hand was all you’d need to cut it off completely.

Suddenly the car was flooded with green and your eyes darted back to the road as the car smoothly accelerated. Your brain cleared immediately, and it was only then you felt an uncomfortable sting just above your right kidney. You glanced down, stiffening immediately at the sight of Wednesdays dagger pressing against your sweatshirt. With a tensed jaw you glimpsed her face in the reflection of the windshield. She was staring at you with heightened intensity, but there were no signs of distress or discomfort in any of her features. In fact, you’d go as far as to say she looked excited, the corner of her mouth quirking up ever so slightly.

Given the current circumstances you figured walking around the middle of nowhere together was no longer a good plan, so you circled around the fountain and headed back the way you came.

You took a slow, controlled breath. She didn’t offer any extra leeway as your rib cage expanded, the blade getting dangerously close to puncturing your skin. Wednesday gave no sign of rethinking her position, and you wondered how you were going to make it back to school with your sweatshirt and skin still intact.

You exhaled, knuckles white around the steering wheel. You inhaled. You tried to exhale, but your breath caught in your throat. There was someone standing in the middle of the road.

Cold metal poked painfully into your ribs as you swerved away from the boy, missing him so closely the butterfly net hanging from his backpack snapped in half around your hood. The tires screeched to a halt as you gripped the steering wheel impossibly tight, your breaths ragged as your mind tried to catch up with the last five seconds.
Wednesday was already out of the car and you could hear her voice outside scolding the boy.

“Eugene! If we had hit you I would have strangled your lifeless neck with my bare hands!”

“S-sorry, Wed-Wednesday, I dropped my glass- my glasses,” he stuttered, feet rooted in place.

She bent down and handed him his glasses with a scowl.

“In the car. Now.”

Eugene followed her finger, trudging towards the car like a zombie.

You finally snapped back to reality, leveling your breathing as you reached under the passenger seat to pull it forward. Eugene crawled into the backseat as you did your best to support him by gripping his arm and keeping his trembling frame from flopping over.

“Are you okay?” You breathed, voice heavy with concern.

“Wha-?” His eyes wandered as they attempted to find who had spoken. “I’m f-fine. Are you an angel?”

And you could almost see how he could’ve mistook you for one. Both you and Wednesday were staring at him from around your seats; Blonde to black, blue to blacker, light to dark, angel to devil. If only he knew how wrong he was.

The ride home was silent and uncomfortable, but Wednesday was at least keeping her knives to herself. Eugene’s head stayed locked forward in place, staring off into space with his mouth agape. You couldn’t blame him. Actually, he was a pretty stellar representation of how you felt. The events of tonight kept flashing through your mind like some kind of fever dream, and if it wasn’t for all the adrenaline flooding your system you’d probably be on the verge of a mental break. You were already skipping dangerously close to the edge before you even locked eyes with Wednesday Addams, but she had a magical ability of making you want to fling yourself straight over.

You jumped at her sudden touch, still too shaken to pry your eyes off the road despite how desperately you wanted to. Her cold hand on your bare skin made you shiver as she slipped it under your sweatshirt, her palm feeling where she had accidentally jabbed you earlier. The touch was surprisingly gentle, a word you wouldn’t even think to put in the same sentence as Wednesday. It was all you could do to focus on those two yellow lines stretching ahead, the buzzing in your stomach threatening to crawl into your brain and fully stop all cognitive functioning.

Her delicate fingers had located the cut immediately, but her hand lingered under your sweatshirt for what felt like an eternity. Maybe she knew the torment she was causing you and wanted to savor the feeling for as long as you’d permit her to drag it out.

Her fingertips traced the minor gash one last time, then she slowly withdrew from your clothing. The moment she was gone you missed her touch, your body desperately craving the electricity for even just one more second.

“Your bleeding,” she said, turning her fingers over in front of her face. “That wasn’t my intention; But… your red looks good on me.”