Wavelengths
“Enid!”
“Sinclair!”
Wednesday was unceremoniously, dropped.
“Bollocks!”
She swatted Caspian's hands away, hauling herself up frantically. “Enid, what are you doing? I thought you were at the slumber party?”
She blinked rapidly at her roommate. Enid stood rooted in a unicorn onesie, her mouth slightly parted. She looked on the verge of fainting or vomiting. Or possibly both.
“I was…I…” She muttered innocently, darting her increasingly panicked eyes between the two. “I-I just came back to grab some extra face masks.-”
“Face masks? ”Caspian interjected with a grand gesture. “Are those the slimy Korean…things… you told me about?”
“Yes, I always wondered about the cleanliness of such a device.”
“Addams is right, that can't be good for your skin can it Addams?”
“I don't believe so.”
“In fact, have you heard of something called a charcoal skin rub? I heard it does wonders, I have some back in my chambers if you-”
“Everyone shut up!” Enid snapped, voice shrill.
Wednesday inhaled sharply through her nose.
This was not good.
She sounded like when Yoko got an allergic reaction right before the Poe cup. It took Wednesday getting in a cat costume to calm her nerves. She doubts that would help here.
“Stop trying to change the subject,” She took in a deviously calming breath, glaring at the two. “I am not leaving this spot until somebody explains what the heck is going on here.”
“Well um… it's pretty obvious isn't it?” Caspian chuckled nervously.
“It's pretty obvi- NO!” Enid cried incredulously. “It isn't 'pretty' obvious. What you're doing in my roomie's bed Caspian. It's not, 'PRETTY' obvious…" Enid trailed off, pouting her bottom lip "Unless...”
Her face blanched as she took a horrified step back.
Wednesday blinked. It took Enid's wide accusatory gaze to land on her to realize what probably crossed the girl's mind. She stiffened, quick to correct her, but Caspian was as well.
“It's actually quite simple-
You're going to laugh."
Wednesday shot him a 'what the hell are you doing?' look which he promptly recuperated.
“What is it? Is it simple or will I laugh?”
“You'll laugh at how simple it is.” Wednesday turned back despite the warmth on her cheeks.
This was going well.
“By all means,” Enid clipped deliriously, gesturing to them. “I'm waiting to laugh! Hahah! See? Whenever you're ready!”
Wednesday wracked her brain for an excuse but Caspian was quicker.
“Addams… and I…were just out for a midnight stroll.” He scratched the back of his neck, gesturing vaguely behind him at the window like it would prove a point.
Wednesday cringed. He was quicker but at what cost?
“A stroll?” Enid repeated plainly before flaring her nostrils, sending daggers his way. “A stroll! Right now, when it's-it's…” She checked her phone. “negative 12 with wind chill outside?”
“Yes isn't that right Addams? We were…” He turned to her with pleading eyes.
She tried to search them for answers. She really did. But all she saw was her own reflection.
Wednesday chewed her bottom lip. Judging by Enid's insistence that the weather was too cold for anything, she'd have to rule out any excuse that was too far. And she probably suspects they climbed up using the ladder escape, so it'd have to be on the east side. Late-night art lessons with Caspian were out of the picture because everyone knew he couldn't draw to save his life. And it certainly didn't make sense for her of all people to offer assistance. But what was on the north side of the school, was the Hummer club. It's been well-documented that they both are affiliated via the video Eugene posted of Caspian's trial gone wrong.
“Beekeeping.” Wednesday pressed her lips into a thin line. "We had some late-night Hummer chores to attend to...Eugenes orders."
She may not have found the answer in Caspian's eyes, but she caught the mental facepalm. She barred her teeth at him. It wasn't like she was given much to work with.
“You guys took a midnight stroll…in freezing weather.” Enid furrowed her brows. “To go…beekeeping?” She took in a shaky breath. “Still not laughing guys.”
“What she meant to say,” He shot Wednesday a look before plastering a smile. “Is that we took a stroll and we stargazed.”
Wednesday nodded along slowly. “And…then we went beekeeping.”
A pause. She swore she heard a literal cricket in the room.
“Don't mind her Sinclair, she hit her head on a-”
“Caspian?”
“Yes?”
“Stop talking.”
“Ok.”
“Wednesday Hi! “ Enid said in a sarcastic sweet voice, batting her eyelashes. “Ummmm… you're gonna need to start making sense Kay? Or else I'm gonna literally freak out right now! And I will scream and not stop.”
She never heard that before. But by the wild glint in her eyes, she ventures she should take it seriously.
“Enid we…” She fumbled. “I…”
Enid nodded for her to continue.
Wednesday weighed her options. If she lied and got caught she might go through with her threat. She most likely won't alert the teachers, but Wednesday will have to face the full wrath of her friend in the coming days. She'll demand the truth from her through a barrage of incessant questions. Even if she resisted, she didn't know if Caspian could.
On the other hand, she could just be honest with her and rip the bandaid off. The way she saw it, there were really no options at all. The truth was bound to come out, eventually.
Wednesday gave her one last desperate look before slumping her shoulders. “We broke into the police station.”
Caspian whipped his head around. “What the fuc-”
“You,” Enid pointed a stiff finger at him. “I didn't say you can talk yet.”
She cleared her throat, adjusting her rainbow collar. “What the fuck?” She yelped, eyeing her crazily.
“I needed files on Tyler and the quad attack, Caspian offered his assistance,” Wednesday stated plainly.
She spared a glance at the boy, who could only gesture to himself animatedly. Enid scrutinized her, Wednesday meeting her eyes.
Her roommate never scared or intimidated her, no matter how hard she tried. But it was still admirable that she did try. That was one of the things she liked about Enid. She wasn't afraid to hold her ground with her. That was a rarity in people she didn't know she so desperately desired until recently.
Enid took in a calming breath that seemed to actually calm her this time. “So…you broke into the sheriff's office to grab some info on Tyler. That explains you being together. But how does that explain…”
She made circling gestures at them, her face flushing crimson.
“Well, I-”
Enid flashed the boy a dangerous look. Caspian annoyedly clamped his mouth shut.
“He stepped on my foot and had to carry me up here.” Wednesday shrugged, preferring to ignore the girl's intrusive thoughts. She personally didn't feel like blushing at the moment. “Like I said, you'll laugh at how simple it is.”
Enid gazed at her for a bit. “You're telling the truth.”
“Let's be honest,” Wednesday rolled her eyes. “You've caught me doing stranger.”
Enid frowned, tilting her head. She's probably recalling that time she walked in on her Goody Addams seance. That night was usually overshadowed by her birthday surprise she never wanted.
“Enid!” Everyone jumped at the rapping at the door. “What's taking so long?”
Enid's eyes widened, racing for her bedside table. “I just found them!”
It wasn't lost on Wednesday how her gaze lingered on Caspian before hurrying for the door.
She arched a curious brow. Huh.
“We'll talk about this later.” She hissed, flipping her unicorn hood up, the horn flopping down miserably. “Don't, move a muscle.”
With one final glare, she swiftly exited the room.
“Beekeeping?” Caspian snapped the second the door closed. “Have you gone mental?”
“And star gazing was better? There were no stars out tonight!” Wednesday shot back.
Caspian rubbed at his face. “Merlin's beard that was so bad.”
“My reputation is ruined thanks to you.”
“Thanks to me?” He chuckled exasperatedly. “Like you did any better. I thought you were supposed to be some brilliant misunderstood freak? Turns out you're just a misunderstood freak.”
Caspian ran a hand through his hair, pacing in front of her. “Listen we gotta work on our two-man game, we were on completely different wavelengths there.”
“Wavelengths?" She nearly jumped out of her bed. “You weren't even on the spectrum! A stroll, during the coldest part of the year? At night no less? Is that the best you can come up with? Really Caspian? The lie was dead in the water before it even got to me!”
“But that doesn't mean you spill the beans the second the first one doesn't work! You tell another lie! Then another! And then another for good measure.” He paused dramatically, grasping her bed frame. “And then another! You lie until the hippogriffs come home!”
Wednesday blew her bangs out of her eyes, adjusting her leg. “It was a tactile choice, I assure you. Enid wouldn't have dropped it, and she’s seen me work on this case before. Maybe next time you should take her advice and stay quiet. Let me do the talking.”
“If I get caught is due to my own ineptitude, not anyone else's.” he countered, running his hands through his hair till it was a ruffled mess.
She crossed her arms, replaying that whole interaction in her head. That was the least in control she'd ever felt during an interrogation. She thought there was nothing worst than watching Caspian stumble over his lies. But being in the thick of it, trying to play off him. That takes the proverbial cake. If she and Enid just 'worked', she and Caspian should never be in the same room. She would pray for her Botany group project if there was a god.
But for all his shortcomings and headaches, their night was a resounding success in which he was an invaluable asset. She of course had a plan before his involvement that was arguably infallible and more efficient in every way. However, that's not how things panned out. From her time here at Nevermore, she's learning that sometimes, not everything goes to plan. Like breaking and unbreaking her ankle and turning invisible. She could have never in a million years planned for that.
But what really mattered was how you do under pressure. He was excellent at that, even following through with his promise even when she very clearly wanted him to break it. It was…noteworthy. He was reckless with how he approached problems, yet dogmatic when it came to his word. Chaotic order at its finest. That along with 'pyromaniac' and 'light-fingered thief', she was starting to see what lay beneath her preconceptions about him.
If she had to do it all over again, she would still probably go alone. Not for his lack of skill, but for the mental and physical toll it required to be with him. But it was progress to even consider Caspian an option.
Wednesday gazed up at the boy, eyes unfocused as he rubbed his mouth thoughtfully.
She cleared her throat “I…I appreciate…” she swallowed her words when he met her eyes. “You made the right call tonight.” She rushed out.
He flashed a smug smirk, opening his mouth. She quickly raised a hand, silencing him. Perhaps Enid was onto something. She couldn't have a headache at his words if she simply quieted him whenever he went to speak.
“It was a stupid gamble that I'd bet against every time,” She affirmed sternly before unclenching her jaw. “But I'm glad it paid off.”
Caspian didn't react right away. Probably debating whether he should say something sarcastically witty or genuine.
He opted for a small grin, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Well, keep me posted about what you find. Whatever this, realer, threat is, you may need my help.”
He went for genuinely witty.
But Wednesday couldn't help but frown slightly. If he only knew that was the main reason Weems kept him here.
She nodded wordlessly, picking at her sock.
“Where’s Thing?”
Wednesday knitted her brows, examining the empty room. “My best guess is Enid stole him. He’s easily tempted by manicures.”
She cursed her hand. He should be resting, not chatting it up at a sleepover. She'd go and retrieve him herself if there wasn't a risk of interrogation. She realized she never told Enid to keep this a secret. She could very well be in the middle of telling all of Ophelia Hall that she snuck Caspian Lee into her room.
However, Wednesday thinks she can trust her roommate with this secret (stalker-related things were a different issue). Besides, she couldn't shake the look she gave him. Her wide, worried green eyes. She didn't even notice that her own roommate was injured. That's how caught up she was with him. That fact alone was significant.
She caught movement in the corner of her eye. She whipped her head to find Caspian scanning their shared room curiously.
“What are you still doing here?”
“Well she said to not move a musc-” He paused mid-thought, realization flashing across his face. “You think she meant that figurative-
“She meant that figuratively.” Wednesday finished his sentence, eyes never leaving him. If tonight revealed anything about the boy, it was his propensity for theft.
“Wanna tell me how to use that neat secret tunnel of yours?”
“No.”
“C'mon, you're really going to make me walk in the cold?”
Wednesday shot her brows up. “At least you can walk.”
She'll have to get her ankle checked out by either Abner or Thing. She was leaning towards the ladder since it seemed like a minor injury. Wednesday was sure Caspian was exaggerating Abner's medical ignorance, but she didn't want to take the chance with her.
He scratched the back of his neck. “Fair point.”
He gave her one last awkward look before striding to the window.
“Hey, Caspian?” She heard herself say, turning over. She caught his gaze. “I'll see you tomorrow.”
He tilted his head, blinking as if he didn't hear her right. He gave a polite smile, nodding before twisting the handle open.
She watched him descend the ladder before turning back around. She wasn't sure what possessed her to say that, but it felt decidedly…good.
She might need to perform a seance in her room to determine the culprit.
But that could wait for the morning. Her brain wanted to dissect every detail of tonight. The evidence she couldn't wait to dig into. The truce she made with him that lifted a weight on her shoulders she didn't know she had. The odd experience of getting magically healed. Gerald being fond of her for some strange reason. Even the ladder climb up that was some how better and worst than being levitated everywhere. But her body was aching and her eye lids were heavy.
So for now, she'll take a well-deserved rest. After she limped her way to the washroom to clean up that is.
She can only hope she doesn't encounter any onesie-wearing werewolves on her way there.