Wednesday

Wednesday's POV

After the realization I had last night about me having a crush, I didn't want to spend a minute more in the same room with Enid. But apperently my roomate - who've been avoided me for entire week - this morning had no intention of letting me go.

- Come on, Willa - she said. - We have to choose our outfit for the ball. And you need to learn how to dance.

I needed what?!?

- I don't dance - I told her, but she didn't seem to hear me with her head in the wardrobe.

- I was thinking about a white-pink dress that fits my hair, what do you think? - she said, coming out of the closet with a dress that seemed made of white and pink cotton candy. - What are you going to wear? - she asked me, then.

Was I suppose to think about this stupid ball and what was I going to wear when a fucking pyromanica magician was gonna be there?

- I don't know - I replied, keeping my thoughts to myself. - Something black.

- Of course, you're gonna wear something black - she sighed with a smile. - Alright, then. - She turned around, her smile even wider. I had a bad feeling about that.

- Time for your dance lesson - Enid said, confirming my doubts.

- Absolutely not - I told her.

There was no way I would dance at the ball. And, by the way, I knew how to dance. I was raised by Morticia and Gomez Addams - the personification of the loving couple. They danced all the time... They danced or they fenced, but they were always doing couple stuffs.

- Wednesday we are going to a ball to dance and have fun - Enid told me.

- No. We are going to this ball 'cause we have to steal the magician's phone and find out who's behind the amethyst's theft. Remember the magician? The pyromaniac who set the cabin on fire, Enid? - I asked her, with a sarcastic tone.

Her face turned serious and I felt bad for making her smile disappear. I loved see her smile.

Oh, no. Oh, hell, no. I was not gonna fall in the hopeless romantic cliches.

- Come on - she said, smiling again. - We will have fun. I'm gonna teach you. You just have to follow the music and let your body express itself.

She turned on the speaker and connected her spotify playlist. This time she didn't play one of her k-pop songs but something more... pleasant to my ears. This song had some good chords I could play on my cello.

When the zeros line up on the 24 hour clock
When you know who's callin' even though the number is blocked
When you walked around your house wearin' my sky blue Lacoste
And your knee socks

The lyrics of the songs weren't that deep and they made my head imaging Enid, wearing my sweater and knee socks. That wasn't good. Nope.

My mind was out of control. I realized. Why did I fall for this girl? I mean there was nothing special about her. I tried to convince myself, but my now-romantic-brain was pointing out all the things I liked about Enid: her smile, the way she chuckles, her blonde-pink-and-blue hair that turned into a mess when she was asleep...

Ok, enough. I got it.

That was the moment I looked at Enid. She was... moving her arms in the air while jumping up and down.

What on Earth was she doing?

Then, I realized. That was what Enid called dance. Oh, God, I thought, shooking my head in disappointment and desperation. Everyone was gonna make fun of her at the party.

- Ok - I stepped in, pausing the music. Enid stopped looking at me, confusion painted all over on her face. - That's not dance. - I told her.

I took a deep breath. - I will teach you how to dance - I said.

Enid looked even more confused. - 'Cause you know how to dance? - She asked me, doubtful.

- I do, actually - I said, trying not to focus on the fact I was about to teach her a couple dance and we have to touch and be close to eachother to do that.

I move on to next song and moved close to Enid. I sighed, trying to hide the deep breath about to escape from my mouth. I've never been this close to Enid, I realized.

- Alright, give me your hand - I said, lending mine. My voice was miraculously still cold as usual.

Enid looked at me, then looked at my hand, and looked at me again, checking if I was kidding. I was not.

Enid took my hand, still hesitant. I held it for a second, getting used to how warm it was - I read that werewolves had a higher temperature than humans. She wasn't hot, she was... cozy.

I pulled her close. - Now your other hand goes on my shoulder - I said, while taking it and placing it on my left shoulder - and mine goes on your hip - I said, placing my hand where I just explained her.

My heart was pumping in my ears and I just hoped Enid's super hearing wasn't working. She wasn't looking at me. Her gaze was on the floor on our feet.

- Now what we have to do is to swing - I told her, moving my weight from a foot to the other and back again. She imitated me and soon we were in sync. - You should look at your dance partner - I told her, catching her gaze.

Why? Why on Earth did I told her so? Maybe I was a masochist. I mean, I was a masochist but I'd never thought I could be so even when in love.

I didn't just think of that word, did I?

Love? I was in love?

That was the moment my brain decided to focus on the song lyrics.

Secrets I have held in my heart
Are harder to hide than I thought
Maybe I just wanna be yours
I wanna be yours

I started thinking Enid's phone was linked to my brain and it was sending me this song to prove this when I met Enid's gaze. Her eyes were glowing. I mean literally. Enid's eyes, usually grey like the cloudy sky that lasts eternally on Nevermore, were bright yellow while looking at me. I stopped.

- Enid, I think you're turning in your wolf form - I said, still holding her.

She took a step back and ran to the bathroom. "Fuck", I heard her say to her mirror image. I leaned to the bathroom, listening to the water flow. I looked at Enid's back while she was washing her face. When she dried her face, her eyes were gray again.

- Are you okay? - I asked, a little bit concerned. Full moon was tonight and I kept thinking it wasn't a good idea for Enid to go to places full of noises and people like the carnival. Or the ball.

- I'm fine - she said, resting against the sink. - Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you - she said, looking at my reflection on the mirror, her back still turned on me.

- I wasn't scared - I replied honestly. That was enough to make Enid turn around.

- What do you mean by that? - she asked.

- I'm not scared of being in the same room with your wolf form - I said. - I'm actually curious of seeing it.

I could already see Enid as a white-haired wolf with shiny yellow eyes. She would be so beautiful.

- That's stupid - she said, bringing me back to reality. - In my wolf form, I wouldn't be able to recognise you. If you stepped on my way, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you.

That thought, for some reasons, turned me on. Just imagining Enid's wolf standing over me while I was laying on the floor. My black eyes versus her yellow ones...

Enough, I told myself.

- Like you can do that - I joked. - There's no way Enid Sinclair, human or wolf, can kill me.

Enid didn't appreciate my joke, apparently. She looked at floor again and then said: - I have to talk with Juliet - before leaving the room.

I was left alone in my room. That name. Again.

Juliet.

I understood Enid needed to talk with someone with more experience of her turning-into-a-werewolf thing. And obviously the first person she thought about was her alpha. I got that.

But it didn't make disappear the pain in my stomach.

I heard a noise from behinf my back and I turned around just to see Thing on my desk.

- You like her - it signed.

- No, I don't - I replied, like a reflex. But it sounded like a lie at my own ears. - Is it that obvious? - I asked Thing.

- Considering the jealous look you gave to the door at the name "Juliet", yes - it replied.

Jealousy. That was the name of the ache in my stomach. God, I hated feelings.

***************************************

I saw Enid again at lunch. We didn't mention what had happened in the morning, we just focused on the steal-the-phone-from-the-pyromaniac-magician mission.

For the records, the name wasn't my idea.

Tyler joined us at the table and his first words were: - Alright, Black cat, I'm gonna be your partner for tonight. I need to come as a plus one of a Nevermore student or I won't be able to come. And I'm pretty sure you don't have a chaperon for tonight.

I stared at him. He was smiling in my direction like I can't throw the knife right in front of me straight to his face. I could do that, actually.

I took the knife and throwing at the other side of the table, where he was sat. The knife stucked in the woods in front of his plate.

- Don't tell me what to do - I said. I saw Xavier hiding his smile behind his hand while Tamara opened burst into laughing.

Despite the fact I almost killed him. Tyler looked back at me not scared at all. There was admiration drew on his face, tho. He took the knife out of the table and put it next to the other cutlery.

- Fine. Would you mind be my chaperon for the Halloween ball, Miss Addams? - he asked, making what looked like a bow.

It's not like I could say no. I nooded my answer and his smile got bigger.

When lunch ended, Enid went back to Juliet and the other werewolves. Apparently the full moon influenced their energy and they used to play lacrosse to get free of the adrenalin excess. I saw Juliet putting her arm on Enid's shoulders while they got out of the dining room.

The pain in my stomach ached.

- Ehi, Black cat - I heard Tyler calling me on my way to my bedroom.

- What? - I asked him, stopping in the hallway.

- How rude - He joked, bringing his hand at his chest in his usual dramatic way. - Anyway, what are you gonna wear tonight? - he asked me. - If I'm gonna be your chaperon, I wanna my suit to pair your outfit.

He seemed too much invested in the chaperon role. - I don't know but probably something black - I told him. - Why did you ask me? - I said.

He looked at me, his smirk always on his face. - First, 'cause it's fun bothering you. Second, 'cause you're the only one as invested in the mistery as me - He said, looking ahead. - Not to insut your group of friends but, let's be honest, they don't care so much about Lucius as they do about the entire ball thing.

It was true. I knew they would like to enjoy the ball more than being invested in the mistery. That was our only choice, tho, and I couldn't miss it. I needed that phone if I wanted the answers I was looking for.

- So... Something black. What an unusual color for you - Tyler said, in front of my door, before turning around and disappear in a corridor.

That guy was absolutely crazy. But he was as determined as me and I needed someone enough crazy and obsessed by this mystery if I wanted to solve it.

I got in the bedroom. It was 4 pm on Sunday and I had no idea of what to do. I hadn't slept last night, after the entire I-have-a-crush-on-Enid matter, so I decided to lay in bed. That was a bad idea. Sleep caught me off-guard and I fall asleep as soon as I touched my pillow.

When I woke up it was 6 pm. Enid's side of the room was a mess, proof that she was here and she had already got dressed. I shook my head, pushing away sleep leftovers.

I had just one hour to get dressed. I took a shower and chose one of my dresses. It was made of multiple transparent layers of black satin. I styled my hair in two braid that cross on my head, forming a crown. I was putting on some eyeliner when I heard someone knocking at the door.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like the personification of death. Perfect.

I opened the door and looked at Tyler. He was wearing a total white outfit. The only black spot was the tie around his neck I was about to use to strangle him. I closed the door behind me.

- I tought you were suppose to match your outfit with mine - I said, looking at him, from head to toe. He smirked at my observation. I swear I hated that smirk.

- Don't tell me you're offended I didn't kept my promise - he said, holding me a black rose. I looked at it.

- What's that? - I said, disgusted. I liked black roses but why was he giving it to me?

- It's a corsage - he said, putting it around my waist. - It's something normal boy gave to their partner for balls.

- I'm not your partner - I said, still looking disgusted.

- Wrong - he said, moving towards the salon where the ball was supposed to happen. - We're partners in crime. Especially, after yesterday - he said, remembering our incursion in the tent.

We entered the salon. It was full of people, flash lights and noisy music. My first tought was for Enid and how all that would be more intense for her advanced senses.

I turned around, looking for her blonde bob, but there were no traces of my roomate. Instead, I found Ajax behind the DJ console, wearing headphones, and being the party beast I heard about. Next to him, at the buffet, there were Tamara, wearing her usual sunglasses, and Xavier.

I catched Tyler attention and pointed in thei direction. He seemed to understand and start moving through the crowd, towards them. I followed him.

- Hey - Xavier said, when he saw us. - You look good.

He was wearing dark jeans, a white shirt and a black blazer. Next to him, Tamara was wearing a black lather skirt with a black lather blazer over it, a black corset and black boots. She looked like she was going to a funeral. I loved it.

- Have you seen our man? - I asked.

Xavier didn't hear me over the music. Tamara did, thanks to her advanced senses and she shook her head in denial. Tyler holded me a glass full of red punch and I turned to the console to look at Ajax. It was obviously their element. They were wearing jeans and shirt while their fingers moved towars the dozens of buttons, mixing the music and changing the color of the lights.

- Hey, guys - I heard someone screming behind my back, to be audible over the music. Enid was standing there, wearing the white dress she showed me this morning. The dress left her shoulders uncovered, wrappping her chest and her hips. It covered her legs till her knees.

I could see part of her body I've never seen and that wasn't helping controlling my crush for her. The fact she smiled at me made everything even worse.

- You look amazing - she told me. - You all do - She said to us.

- The magician - Tyler interrupted, pointing at the stage on the side of the salon. We all turned our heads in that direction. - We must follow him - he said, leaving the glass in his hands on the table. We followed him through the dancing crowd till the stage.

We stood there for a few minutes before realizing the magician wouldn't come out anytime soon.

- We can't just stand here - Tyler said. - We will catch someone's attention. Just... Be normal. have fun. I don't know... Dance! - he said, starting moving.

We exchanged a look. He was right and we knew that. Enid and Xavier started moving while I approached Tamara and rested against the wall of the back stage.

- He won't come out soon - she told me, crossing her arms. - He's probably preparing his tricks. He'll get out of here after the show.

She was probably right. But I still had no intention to dance. I stood there for a while, looking at the others dancing. Tyler and Xavier were moving in sync over some kind of coreography they had in mind while Enid... she was laughing. With Juliet.

The pain in my stomach come back again. Jealousy was a shitty feeling. It sucked to felt emotions.

I was so focused on Enid, I missed the dark figure coming out of the back stage. Tamara pointed it out to me.

- It must be the magician - she said, starting moving. We went to the dance floor, were tons of teenagers were moving at the rythm of "I wanna be your slave" by Maneskin. I lost him. I lost everyone in the chaos. Tamara wasn't by my side anymore and, now, it was just me at the centre of the crowd.

- Hey, there you are - I heard Enid's voice. I didn't know how but she found me in the crowd. - Come on, the others are looking for you.

She took my hand and we got through the crowd back where we were, outside the back stage. When she let go of my hand, I felt pain, this time in my chest. I guess this isn't jealousy, I had the time to think before the stage lighted up.

- Welcome, students, at the Halloween ball - Miss Weems announced while the crowd clapped and whistled. - This celebration is part of Nevermore's traditions since the academia was founded. And to celebrate the 300th anniversary since that day, we've decided to built a statue to the founder and first principal of Nevermore, Vlad Tepes, better known as Dracula.

Other clappings and whistles, while Miss Weems grabbed the cloth that was obviously hiding something.

No one could imagine what was behind that piece of fabric.

When the statue was show off, we all noticed something that wasn't supposed to be there. A dead body stucked over the sword in the hands of the statue. More specifically, the Incredible Lucius's dead body.

- That figure... - I whispered - The one that got out of the back stage. It wasn't the magician. It was his killer - I said. Enid, Tamara and Xavier looked at me, realizing how huge was the mess we got ourselves involved.

- Well, that's what I call a plot twist - I heard Tyler say by my side. He was looking at the scene on the stage, his eyes shining.

- Maybe that's the right moment to tell you I grabbed the killer by his sleeve - Tamara said, while the stuff pushed us out of the salon that was just turned into a crime scene.

- You what? - Tyler and I asked her at the same time.

Tamara opened her hand and showed us a cufflink with a hourglass, made out of two triangles, engraved.

- I guess our investigation isn't done yet - Tyler said, smirking at the cufflink.

He was right. And I was happy about it.

***********************************************

Enid's POV

When I got back in my bedroom, Wednesday was behind me. The cufflink in her hands.

I had to change and meet the pack at the beggining of the forest. The full moon was about to hit at midnight. I had two hours left.

- Where are you going? - Wednesday asked me, when she saw me picked up my backpack.

- In the forest. The werewolves go there during the full moon. It's to protect the students inside the school and leave us enogh space to explore and enjoy - I explained.

After the accident we had this morning I wasn't sure Wednesday understood how dangerous I was.

The accident. She was so close. I could hear her heartbeat, her blood flows in her veins. I could see the traces of gold hid in her dark eyes, the freckles on her nose, her lips... The thought of her lips made me lose control and my eyes started glowing.

I ran to Juliet and told her what happened, she helped me calm down. Then there was lunch. And Tyler.

He asked Wednesday to go to the ball together. And she said yes. Well, she didn't say no. I knew that would happen. There was no way Wednesdy was into me, but it still hurted more than I thought it was possible.

I played lacrosse with the others, like we always do before full moon. The physical activity helped me getting rid of the pain. A little bit.

When I got back in the bedroom, Willa was sleeping in her bed. I took a shower and wore my dress before she woke up. I met with the others, helped Ajax assemble their DJ post.

I saw Juliet and the pack and went to talk with them.

Then, her smell - cinnamon and incense - made me turned around. She was there, dressed like everyone's nightmare. She was still my dream, tho.

Then, I saw him. Tyler was by her side and when he moved she followed him. I remember Juliet words about how imprinting on someone you don't have a chance with was a curse. I started understanding what she meant by that.

I went to greet Wednesday and Tyler. I had all the intentions of looking as natural as possible. But then, she turned around and the first thing that came out of my mouth was "You look beautiful". I tried to cover my mistake saying "You all do" but it sounded like a lie.

We moved through the crowd, looking for the magician, and then... I lost her.

The most frightening moment of my life. I was dancing and she was against the wall but when I turned to look at her, she wasn't there. I froze, the wolf inside me was howling, sensing something was wrong.

I moved without even realizing. I smelled her scent and seconds later I found her at the centre of the dance floor. I never felt so relieved. That cinnamon scent I've damned so much brought me to her. And that was enough.

Then the cloth was pulled away and I felt the smell of blood. Dead blood. The magician's dead body was found on the statue of principal Dracula and we were pushed out by the crime scene. I felt bad. Not 'cause of the death but 'cause the only thing I could thing about was that she was by my side. Still there. My living curse.

I closed my bedroom's door with this thought in my mind.

When I got in the woods, the other were already there, playing football while waiting for the full moon to hit. I sat next to Juliet - who've turned into my therapist in the last week - and she put her arm around my shoulders as a hello.

It was midnight when the pain started. It started as goosebumps, then my bones were breaking and my skin melting. When I opened my eyes again, I was with the pack, ready to run, to hunt and to play with the wolves around me.

I ran. We ran. But for the first time, I felt something - this inner desire of moving away from the forest, back to the school. The wolf wanted to protect Wednesday, that was the reason I kept waking up on the floor in front of her bed.

Juliet-wolf got my back and pushed me in the heart of the woods. Away from the source of my desire.