ornery

Reena eventually moved back into their dorm a few days later. It was still awkward between the two, but they were working on it. Enid still hadn't returned from Yoko's, even going as far as to mention to Reena the possibility of permanently moving in with her for the rest of the year. No matter how much Wednesday claimed she loved solitude, usually preferring it, she had to admit she missed how her life had been just a week prior.

Everyone in town was invited to Mayor Walker's funeral. At first, Reena was unsure if she should attend, but once Wednesday told her she was going, Reena decided to go. That's how she ended up standing next to Wednesday, their umbrellas stopping the rain from hitting them.

Everyone was there. Principal Weems, Sheriff Galpin, Dr. Kinbott, Tyler, and most of the staff and students from Nevermore. It was truly terrifying. Mayor Walker was trying to uncover the same thing that Wednesday and Reena were, and look where he ended up.

As the funeral ended and everyone started to depart, Wednesday and Reena spotted someone suspiciously in the woods.

The figure darted away, Wednesday making quick to follow after it. "Come on!"

Reena, against her better judgment, followed her. "Wednesday, remember how this ended last time?"

"Of course I do!" Wednesday kept going. She stopped running once she reached a clearing, pausing to observe her surroundings.

"Did you see where they went?" Reel asked, looking around.

Wednesday didn't reply as the figure had fallen down from the trees. She pulled apart her umbrella, revealing that the handle was actually a sword.

Surprisingly, the figure used electricity to zap that sword, making Wednesday drop it. "Still as sharp as ever, my pig-tailed protégé."

Wednesday smiled. "Uncle Fester."

"Oh, so this is the Uncle Fester you've been raving about," Reena teased her.

"I will cut off your fingers," Wednesday warned her, but even she could tell it was harmless.

* * *

As they roamed the woods, Wednesday used the time to catch up with her uncle. "How long have you been stalking me?"

"Just blew into town this morning and was hit by a wave of nostalgia," Fester answered.

"I thought you didn't go to Nevermore."

"I didn't. Your dad got all the brains. But I used to drop in on him. Usually from the ceiling with a dagger clutched between my teeth. Just to keep him on his toes."

"Of course."

"Just brotherly love," Reena joked. "You mind if I use that move on my brother when he gets older?"

"Feel free," Fester encouraged, then looked down at Wednesday. "He filled me in on what's been going on. Monsters, murder, mayhem. What fun! I told him I had a job in Boston, but I'd be checking up on you."

"What kind of job?" Wednesday questioned.

"The kind that means I need somewhere to lay low for a couple days."

Reena smirked. "My favorite kind of job."

* * *

Wednesday and Reena brought Fester to Eugene's bee shed. "This place belongs to a friend."

"You've actually made a friend," Fester was shocked. "That poor kid will be going home in a body bag. Oh. I like a hideout that comes with snacks."

"Those bees are hibernating," Wednesday informed him, watching Fester open the hive. "They're practically Eugene's children."

"We would kill someone if they harmed them in any way," Reena added.

Fester chuckled, staring down at the bees. "Ooh."

"That means do not eat them!" Wednesday reprimanded.

Fester shut the hive. "You know, when you give me that death stare of disapproval, you remind me of your mother. Speaking of scary things, you know what kind of monster you're dealing with?"

"We haven't been able to identify it." Wednesday presented the drawing.

"Ooh. It's called a Hyde."

"As in Jekyll and Hyde?"

"Mm-hmm."

Reena's eyes were wide. "You know what this is?"

"You've seen one before?" Wednesday continued.

"Oh yeah," Fester confirmed. "In '83, during my vacay at the Zurich Institute for the Criminally Insane. Where I got my first lobotomy. But you know lobotomies. They're like tattoos. Can't just get one."

"Tell us about the Hyde," Wednesday demanded.

"Ah. Olga Malacova. Jeez. She had it all. Beauty, brains, and a penchant for necrophilia. Olga was a concert pianist, until one night she transformed in the middle of a Chopin sonata. Massacred a dozen audience members. And three music critics."

"What triggered her? Or did she just change on her own?"

"No idea. I only saw her in group electroshock therapy."

Wednesday paced. "There's never been any mention of Hydes in any outcast book. And Nevermore is reputed for having the best collection."

"Yeah. If you know what this monster is, why can't we find anything?" Reena agreed.

"You try Nathaniel Faulkner's diary?" Fester suggested. "Mmm! Before he founded Nevermore, Faulkner traveled the world, cataloging every outcast community."

"How do you know this?" Wednesday questioned.

"You think your parents can't keep their hands off each other now, oy vey. I showed up unannounced one night in Gomez's dorm room. Let's just say I wasn't interrupting a pillow fight."

"Uncle Fester."

"Yeah."

"The diary, where is it? Nightshades Library. Your dad parked me there and said I should settle in for a long stretch. And that's when I found this nifty little safe. I was hoping for a stash of cash or jewels but instead, I found a diary."

"It's all connected," Reena muttered.

"We'll sneak into the Nightshades Library tonight," Wednesday instructed. "In the meantime, lay low. If you are discovered, I will disown you and collect the reward tied to your capture."

"I'd expect nothing less," Fester replied and the two girls left.

They opened the door back up a second later to see Fester opening up the hive. "Leave the bees alone."

"If you touch the bees, I'm sure I'll be able to use some of the autopsy books Wednesday has around our room," Reena threatened.

* * *

Since Wednesday and Reena weren't fully back to normal, Reena spent the day away from their dorm while Wednesday worked on her novel. That night when Reena got back, they set off to the Nightshades Library. Making sure to check that nobody was around, they snapped twice and made their way into the library.

"Uncle Fester?" Wednesday called out.

Reena looked around. "You here yet, big guy?"

Xavier stepped out from around the corner. "Who's Uncle Fester?"

"What are you doing here?" Wednesday asked.

"Since I'm an actual Nightshade, I don't have to explain myself," Xavier replied. "What's your excuse for creeping around in the middle of the night?"

"Research."

"Very important research," Reena agreed.

"On the monster?" Xavier guessed. "I'll save you some time. There's nothing in here matching that thing."

"Isn't that convenient?" Wednesday turned to leave.

"You know what your problem is?"

"I would love to hear your piercing insight."

Reena sighed. "Guys, we can not--"

"You don't know who your real friends are," Xavier ignored her. "I've been on your side since day one. I literally help save your life. I believed your theories when nobody else but Reena did. And what do I get in return? Just nothing but suspicion and lies."

"Fine. You want honesty? Here it is. Every time the monster's attacked, you've been right there," Wednesday brought up. "Starting with Rowan at the Harvest Festival. Then on Outreach Day, you arrived just minutes after the monster disappeared, yet you say you didn't see it."

Xavier had heard enough. "I didn't realize proximity was a crime."

"Wait, Wednesday, do you really think Xavier's the monster?" Reena interjected. "Still? There's no way."

"It's our best theory," Wednesday replied.

"No, it's your worst theory," Reena corrected.

Wednesday got back to Xavier. "Then there's your drawing obsession. You have drawn the monster dozens of times, yet you've never seen it. Or so you claim. You even drew where it lived. Then when Eugene went to investigate, you tried to kill him so he wouldn't spill your secret."

"You think I would hurt Eugene?" Xavier was hurt.

"Let's not forget your oh-so-convenient appearance after Tyler had been attacked at the Gates mansion."

"If I am the monster, then why haven't I killed you?"

"Because for some reason I cannot fathom or indulge, you seem to like me."

"What's to like?" Xavier finally left.

Reena shook her head. "Wednesday, that was totally out of line. Xavier isn't the monster. He's my friend."

"Friends can betray you," Wednesday pointed out before Fester jumped out of his hiding place. "How long have you been lurking?"

"Long enough to feel the tension between you two," Fester answered. "Yowza! Seriously, you could cut it with an executioner's axe. I'd recognize the patter of those fingertips anywhere. Hello, Thing. You can't still be mad about the Kalamazoo job." Thing started choking Fester. "It wasn't my fault. You said you could crack that safe in thirty seconds. Five minutes later, we were still there. You're all thumbs."

"Enough," Wednesday was over it. "Let him go." Thing reluctantly stopped. "Show us the diary."

"Now, preferably," Reena rushed.

Fester brought them to a painting. "Here we are. Iggy was Faulkner's right hand. Trained a generation of Nightshades. And behind Iggy Itt..." He opened it, revealing a safe inside. "Do I have time for a snooze, or can you crack this quickly?" Thing got to work, but failed on the first try. "This is turning into a replay of Kalamazoo." The hand kept trying, eventually getting it.

Reena gave him a fist bump. "Nice one, Thing."

Wednesday opened the safe and carefully took out the thick journal.

* * *

Back in their room, Wednesday and Reena were going through the book while Fester was looking around. "These are some sweet digs. How'd you swing your double?"

"Our former roommate couldn't handle my toxic personality," Wednesday explained.

"She did almost get murdered because of it so I don't blame her," Reena added.

Wednesday ignored Reena's words as she flipped to the section on Hydes. "Here it is. Faulkner describes Hydes as artists by nature, but equally vindictive in temperament. Born of mutation, the Hyde lays dormant until unleashed by a traumatic event or unlocked through chemical inducement or hypnosis. This causes the Hyde to develop an immediate bond with its liberator, who the creature now sees as its master. It becomes the willing instrument of whatever nefarious agenda this new master might propose."

"Anyone willing to unlock a Hyde is a next-level sicko," Fester commented.

"It means we're not looking for one killer, but two," Wednesday realized. "The monster and its master.

"Laurel Gates is likely the master," Reena assumed. "We just need to figure out who she is now and who the hell the Hyde she woke up is."

There was knocking on the door, and there were luckily a few seconds to hide everything before Ms. Thornhill came in. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I was just working on my novel," Wednesday lied.

"Enid has requested to room with Yoko for the rest of the school year," Ms. Thornhill informed them.

"She did?" Wednesday had no idea.

Reena shrugged. "She mentioned the idea to me a few days ago."

"When there's a falling out, I like to get both girls' perspectives on what happened," Ms. Thornhill continued, focused on Wednesday. "You two seemed as thick as thieves."

Wednesday turned away. "Ultimately, thieves turn on each other. I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Deflect all you want, but you and I both know that you care about Enid. And you have to admit she managed to bring out a spark of warmth in you. Oh, don't worry. Just a tiny spark. Barely perceptible to the average eye, but... I noticed. Part of the dorm experience is making friends with people that you wouldn't normally connect with. And those friendships often turn into lifelong bonds."

"I would rather buy a rope."

"Is it really so difficult for you to admit that you made a friend, and now that she's gone you might actually miss her?"

"I'll survive just fine with only Reena," Wednesday claimed.

Reena cleared her throat. "If it means anything, I'll miss Enid. But, I want whatever is gonna make her happy, even if that means moving out."

Ms. Thornhill nodded. "Well, if that's your decision, I'll submit the forms to Principal Weems."

After she had left, Wednesday sighed. "Uncle Fester?" A toy from Enid's side of the room rolled toward them. "Uncle Fester?"

Wednesday picked up a pillow from the pile, Fester appearing in the gap. "Hey! Being a solo lobo has its perks. You get to live by your own rules, do whatever you want. Just look at me."

"Focus," Wednesday ordered. "We need to follow Xavier. If we're going to prove he's the Hyde, we need to find his master."

Reena scoffed. "That's enough. Listen, Wednesday, you can follow after Xavier and think he's the Hyde all you want. I'm not going along with you. I'm not gonna mess up our friendship again because of this stupid fucking monster!"

Even if she had been trying to keep her temper under control, when she slammed the door on her way out and people outside heard it, she realized she might not have been doing as good of a job as she'd thought.