We Need To Help Her
The Nightshade Library felt smaller than usual, the air thick and suffocating despite the quiet.
Yoko, Ajax, and Bianca had barely spoken since they sat down, each waiting for someone else to break the silence, to say something—anything—that might make sense of the impossible situation they were in.
Yoko was the first to exhale, rubbing her temples. "I don’t know what to do anymore."
Bianca shifted uncomfortably. "She still won’t talk about it?"
Ajax let out a humorless laugh. "Talk about it? She won’t even acknowledge it. Every time I see her, she acts like nothing’s wrong. Like she’s just waiting for Wednesday to get back from a trip or something." His fingers tapped restlessly against the table. "I tried to bring it up again last night, and you know what she said? ‘I’m so sad Wednesday missed our movie night. But she’s probably just visiting her family.’"
Bianca crossed her arms, frustration bubbling to the surface. "Do you hear yourself? This isn’t just denial anymore—she fully believes Wednesday is coming back."
Yoko shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "It’s like she’s built this… fantasy. Like her brain just refuses to process what happened."
Ajax exhaled sharply, his frustration barely contained. "I get it, okay? Wednesday was her best friend. They were practically joined at the hip. But this? This isn’t healthy. She needs to face the truth."
"But what if she can’t?" Yoko countered, her voice trembling. "She was the only one there when it happened. She saw it. Whatever happened that night, it must’ve been horrible. What if this is her way of coping?"
Bianca leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Coping or not, this isn’t sustainable. Did you see how she was acting with Wednesday’s family at the funeral? They were laughing together, even cracking jokes! I mean, I get it—that’s probably their way of processing. And it’s Wednesday’s family; they were bound to be a little… weird. But Enid? She’s completely going through it. Pretending Wednesday’s still here? Making impossible plans? It’s going to break her. And us just standing here, letting her spiral… it doesn’t feel right."
Ajax exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. "I can’t do this. I can’t just sit here and pretend this is normal."
Yoko shook her head. "None of this is normal, Ajax. But she’s our friend. We have to help her."
"Help her how?" Ajax demanded. "She’s not just in denial—she’s completely convinced Wednesday’s still out there."
Bianca hesitated, then said quietly, "We take her to the grave."
Yoko inhaled sharply. "Bianca—"
"Not to force it," she interrupted. "Not to throw it in her face. But maybe—maybe if she’s there, if she sees it, something will click."
Ajax’s face twisted in uncertainty. "And if it doesn’t?"
Yoko’s voice was hollow. "What if she just sits there and waits?"
Bianca pressed her lips together. "Then we keep trying. Because Wednesday would have never let us give up on her."
The three of them sat in silence, each wrestling with the reality they had yet to accept.
They thought Wednesday’s death had shattered them.
But Enid?
Enid was still holding onto the pieces like she could put them back together.
And none of them knew how to make her let go.