ornery

It seemed that Xavier was Wednesday and Reena's final resort to the mystery gate Wednesday drew from her vision. As they entered his makeshift art studio, they heard loud music and saw Xavier splattering paint on a canvas.

"We need your help," Wednesday started. "Don't gloat."

"What, do you want some drawing lessons?" Xavier grabbed the drawing of the gate from Wednesday. "Your line work's a little shaky."

"I saw that in a vision," Wednesday informed him. "Do you recognize it?" He directed their attention to a more detailed drawing of the gate he had drawn.

"How are you always ahead of us?" Reena complained. "I get you're a psychic and all, but holy shit."

"When did you draw this?" Wednesday asked.

"Couple days ago," Xavier answered. "I started having those dreams again, like before."

"Was the monster in them?"

"No, but I could feel it in the shadows. You know, kind of lurking in my mind."

"You know where this is?"

"Yeah," Xavier confirmed. "It's the old Gates mansion. I pass it when I go running. Why?"

"Garrett Gates," Reena realized. "He lived in the house in your vision. This is all connected!"

"We need to go," Wednesday announced, already having grabbed Reena's arm, dragging her out of the studio. 

"Bye?!" Xavier yelled after them.

* * *

As the two stood in front of the gate, it was far creepier than the photo. Wednesday carefully pushed open the gate, letting Reena go first and then going after. They climbed the porch and before they went in, stop when they saw movement inside. 

"Hide!" Reena whispered to Wednesday, and they both made a break for it. They hid behind a bush and watched as Mayor Walker came outside and locked the house back up. 

"We need a distraction," Wednesday told Thing and he got to work.

"Sheriff, pick up your damn phone, it's Noble," Mayor Walker was on the phone. "Listen, I might have figured out who's behind all of this." Thing threw a rock near him, getting his attention. "It's a long shot. I'm gonna have to lay it out for you. We'll do it over pie at the Weathervane, just like the old days. See you soon."

Since the Mayor's back was turned, Reena and Wednesday were able to sneak by and get into the Mayor's trunk, while Thing got in a second later. It didn't take long for the car to stop after the Mayor got in. He got out and went to cross the street, but was suddenly struck by a Blue Cadillac.

Wednesday pushed the trunk open. "Get out and go back to the school."

"What?" Reena questioned. "Why?"

"You can't be caught in the Mayor's trunk. I can."

"Wednesday, I'm not leaving you here alone."

"I've already decided you are." Wednesday sighed. "Please. Just go. I'll be back soon."

"Fine," Reena grumbled, getting out. "But if you get put in jail again I'm coming to break you out.

Reena made a run for it once she knew she was out of the Sheriff's view. She didn't stop running until she was halfway back to Nevermore.

* * *

After Wednesday finally got back and updated Reena, the two fell into silence. Well, it was silent apart from Wednesday's typewriter.

Weirdly, Ms. Thornhill came to check up on Wednesday. "Wednesday, I just heard what happened to Mayor Walker. Are you all right? I... I can't imagine witnessing something like that."

Wednesday's typewriter dinged. "It was on my bucket list. You can tell the warden I'm still in my cell."

"Principal Weems is only looking out for your best interests. You could have been seriously hurt or worse."

Reena rolled her eyes. "Never once since I've been at Nevermore have Principal Weems done something for a student's best interest."

"Well, that's not true," Ms. Thornhill denied. "Oh. How goes the novel?"

"Viper's investigation has been thwarted on several fronts, but she's plotting her next course of action," Wednesday answered. 

"Sounds intriguing. I saw this on my bookshelf and thought of you." Ms. Thornhill gave Wednesday a copy of Frankenstein. "Mary Shelley wrote it on a dare when she was only nineteen."

"I know. She's both my literary hero and nemesis, and I have two years and 364 days to beat her. Well, I think it's very smart that you're focusing on literary monsters, and leaving whatever real ones might be out there to the authorities. 'No man chooses evil because it is evil. He only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.' Mary Shelley wrote that line to describe people like Weems, who do bad things under the guise of protecting the greater good. Did she put you up to this? Encourage me to pursue other interests?"

Ms. Thornhill shook her head. "No. But she will expel you if you continue to defy her."

"I think we're a lot alike"

"We aren't. I don't need your help or your pity. I already have a mother and a therapist. That's enough torture, even for me."

Ms. Thornhill sighed and left.

"Wow, Wednesday. That was harsh," Reena commented. "Keep it up."

"Since I've been locked in here, there's only one way we'll be able to get back to the Gates house. Tyler offered to hang out with us, but I denied. If I call him, we should be able to get a ride," Wednesday detailed.

Reena handed Wednesday her phone. "Go for it."

"I'll do it tomorrow," Wednesday rejected. "I'll call from a payphone."

"Whatever works for you, I guess."

* * *

Wednesday and Reena were awaiting 10:00 when Tyler was coming to pick them up, but they still had to get Enid to come along.

"I've been thinking about my less-than-enthusiastic response to your surprise soirée," Wednesday began. "And I must admit, I regret not showing my gratitude towards you more appropriately."

Reena nodded. "I should've helped you with setting up the party. I feel bad that you felt as though you couldn't come to me for help."

Enid sat up on her bed. "You really mean it?"

"Take the win, Enid. If only there were a way for us to get off campus and have a little birthday redo. Just three best friends. Too bad the school is on lockdown." Wednesday sauntered over to the window. "Would you look at that full moon..."

"Oh, how about I say I'm about to wolf out and get a pass to the lupin cages? And say you volunteered to lock me in," Enid suggested.

Wednesday smirked. "My deviousness has finally rubbed off on you. Thing? You know what to do, right?"

Enid paused, an idea coming to her. "Oh, we should wear our snoods."

"Oh, I... I believe I left mine at fencing," Wednesday lied.

Enid held their snoods out to them. "Actually, you left yours at the Weathervane. Luckily, Bianca brought it back."

"Like a monkey's paw."

Reena reluctantly put it on. "How... wonderful."

* * *

Wednesday and Reena got in the backseat of Tyler's car, startling him. "Jeez!"

"Let's go," Wednesday demanded.

"We need to get out of here," Reena added.

"Hi. Nice to see you too," Tyler greeted.

Enid got in beside the two girls. "Wait, he's our Uber driver?"

"Uber drive?" Tyler questioned. "I thought we three were hanging out."

"I thought this was a girls' night out."

"There's been a change of plans," Wednesday told them.

"What's up with the weird matching hoodie scarf things?" Tyler asked.

"Don't ask. Just drive."

* * *

Enid wasn't thrilled about the place Wednesday and Reena wanted to go. "Seriously, you wanna go in there? This place is creepy AF."

"I know," Wednesday replied and went to open the gate.

Reena smiled. "Isn't it just lovely?"

"Okay," Tyler interjected. "This isn't what I signed on for."

"Ditto," Enid agreed.

"I didn't want to celebrate my birthday by going to dinner or a surprise party. I want to do this," Wednesday explained.

"Then you shoulda just said so. You didn't have to trick us," Tyler pointed out.

Reena rolled her eyes. "Don't back out now, Tyler. Can't handle an abandoned house late at night?"

Wednesday pushed open the gate. "If you want to go, you can. We're going to go check out the garage."

The two girls led the way, Enid and Tyler reluctantly following. Wednesday tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Let me try," Tyler offered, but had no success. "This is pointless."

"Can I try?" Enid handed Wednesday her flashlight and easily opened the door, leaving the three shocked. "Werewolf thing."

Once inside, Wednesday uncovered the Blue Cadillac. "This is the car that hit the Mayor."

"Okay. This just took a dark turn," Enid's voice was shaking. "We need to call Tyler's dad right freaking now."

Wednesday turned around. "Why? So he can take me back to Nevermore and get me expelled? It's not gonna happen."

"Remember, Enid, if one of us goes down, all of us go down," Reena reminded her. "And I'm not getting expelled."

The group, led by Wednesday, went down the hallway in the Gates' home. In the living room, there was a large family portrait on the wall, Garrett on the left, parents in the middle, and Laurel in the front.

"I didn't know people actually had painted family portraits after the 1800s," Reena shared. 

"My family has a few," Wednesday informed her as she continued on into another room, dustier than the last. She approached a bookcase, pulling different books out and putting them back in.

"Seen enough?" Tyler hoped for the answer to be yes.

Wednesday kept going, pushing one last button and opening up a secret built-in altar behind the bookcase. The altar was for Jospeh Crackstone, with many candles in front of it. 

Enid whimpered. "Who doesn't have a spooky built-in altar in their family library?"

"Ours is in the living room," Wednesday mentioned. "More seating for year-long Dia de los Muertos." She walked forward, observing the altar, and then touched the candles. "They're still warm."

Reena sighed. "So, who the fuck was here?"

"Tyler, you check the rest of the ground floor. Enid, Reena, and I will search upstairs," Wednesday ordered, already leaving the room with Reena.

Enid was clearly terrified. "We will?"

The stairs creaked as they went up, Wednesday stopping at the top to give more instructions. "All right, you go left, Reena and I go right."

"You seriously want to split up? In here? That is literally how every best friend dies in a horror movie," Reena pointed out.

Reena shrugged. "Only people who don't know how to survive a horror movie die in a horror movie."

"The faster we search, the sooner you can leave," Wednesday convinced her.

It was only a minute later that they heard Enid's voice calling for them. "Wednesday, Reena, you need to see this." They hurried to the room Enid was in. "The bed's made. No dust or cobwebs..." Wednesday and Reena inspected different parts of the room while Enid looked at a jewelry box. "'LG?'"

"Laurel Gates, "Wednesday realized. 

"Looks like somebody moved back into their old room," Enid commented.

"It's not possible," Wednesday denied. "She died twenty-five years ago, drowned overseas."

"They claim she did," Reena corrected.

Downstairs, something shattered, and Wednesday quickly grabbed the jewelry box. "Let's go."

"This is officially the worst girls' night out ever!" Enid exclaimed.

Running into the hallway, they heard Tyler from downstairs. "Guys! Get out! It's here!" Pausing at the top of the stairs, all they could hear were Tyler's screams and the monster's growls.

"The dumbwaiter. Go!" Wednesday pushed the other two girls in as the monster was climbing the stairs, narrowly closing the door to it in time.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God," Enid repeated.

"Enid, please calm down," Reena begged.

"I can't calm down!"

"Just try, please!"

It was silent for a few seconds before the monster tried to claw its way in. To stop it, Wednesday used her snood to tie the handle to the door to the dumbwaiter itself.

"No, not your snood!" Enid objected.

Wednesday pushed her back. "Stop."

The monster put slashes in the door with its claws, staring in at them. The old rope, which was slowly fraying, snapped, sending the dumbwaiter all the way down to the basement. The girls tumbled out of it, falling hard to the ground.

Wednesday was the first to get up, turning on the light. Looking around, she saw all the body parts the monster had taken were in jars. 

Reena almost gagged. "Those are body parts in jars."

Before any of them could observe what was in front of them, they heard the monster stomping upstairs. They ran to the small window, Reena and Enid pushing themselves out of it, as the monster came stomping downstairs.

Noticing Wednesday had gone back to look at the jars, Enid was beyond terrified. "What are you doing?"

"Wednesday we need to go!" Reena yelled.

"These are the body parts from the monster's victims," Wednesday explained. She turned her head to see the monster only a few feet away. Running as fast as she could, she jumped out the window and shut it behind her, leaving the beast in the basement. "You okay?"

Enid stomped off. "Since when do you care?"

Reena sighed going after Enid. "This whole this was a disaster."

Instead of following the two, Wednesday was going back to the house, leaving Enid confused once again. "Wednesday, what the hell are you thinking?"

"We have to go back for Tyler!" Wednesday screamed over her shoulder, Enid and Reena running after her.

"The monster's there!" Enid stated the obvious.

"We can't go back in there," Reena agreed, but Wednesday didn't stop. Instead of inside, they found Tyler sitting on the ground outside.

Wednesday gave her flashlight to Enid. "Enid, hold this."

"That thing is still inside!" Enid reiterated.

"You're hurt," Wednesday noticed. "Can you walk?" Behind her, Xavier appeared. "Where'd you come from?"

Xavier took off his scarf, using it to cover Tyler's wound. "Here. Take this. What happened to him?"

Reena was exhausted. "That fucking monster."