ornery

The night after Reena had cleared as much stuff out of her room and into Xavier's, Wednesday came looking for her. When Wednesday knocked on the door, Reena opened it only for a second to see who it was, then promptly shut it.

Wednesday sighed and knocked again. "Reena! I need your help!"

Reena yanked the door open. "Really? You need my help? You got my friend put in jail and you think I'm gonna help you?"

"Tyler's the Hyde. If you help me confront him and get him to turn, Xavier will be released and the real Hyde will be gone."

"Wait, Tyler? Like our friend Tyler?"

"Yes. I went to town last night to speak to him. When he hugged me, I had a vision of him attacking Dr. Kinbott."

"Oh, son of a bitch!" Reena cursed. "That fucker's been playing us this entire time! And to think I actually liked him!"

"It is unfortunate," Wednesday agreed. "Are you in or not?"

Reena considered it. "Fine. Is anyone else coming?"

"I do," Wednesday confirmed. "I had Thing send him a note. He should be meeting us in the woods in twenty minutes."

"Let's go then."

* * *

The group was in their positions, hiding as Wednesday approached Tyler. "Thing gave me your note. I was surprised you wanted to see me again after you ran out the other night. So, uh, is this a hangout?"

"It's a surprise," Wednesday corrected. "When I came to Nevermore, friendship was the last thing on my mind. But when you hugged me, you opened my eyes and suddenly it all made sense. Xavier warned me about you, but I didn't listen."

"Ironic now, huh?"

"Ironic would've been framing Xavier for murder while the real Hyde helped me put him away."

"Wait... you don't think..." Tyler stuttered.

"I don't think. I know," Wednesday cut him off. "Kinbott probably discovered your secret during one of your sessions. So she unlocked you. Why'd you kill her? I thought Hydes were typically loyal to their masters."

"Wednesday, this is nuts."

"On Outreach Day, I told you Reena and I were visiting the old meeting house. Did Kinbott send you to spy on us? At the Rave'N, you overheard Eugene and me discussing your cave in the woods and you warned Kinbott. Eugene probably saw her torching it. Then she sent you to clean up her mess. I have to hand it to you, Tyler."

"Okay, stop. Do you know how insane you sound right now? I'm not a monster," Tyler denied. "A... And if you really thought that I was, why would you risk bringing me out to the woods to confront me alone?"

"Who said I was alone?" The group all came out of hiding, surrounding Tyler and Wednesday.

Reena smirked. "Hey, Hyde."

"Okay, I don't know what kind of sick joke you're playing, but I'm out of here." Tyler tried to leave, but Bianca stood in his way.

"Actually... you're coming with us," Bianca used her siren powers.

* * *

Back in Xavier's art studio, Tyler was chained to a chair. Bianca snapped in his ears to get him to wake up, and when he did, he was beyond confused.

"Welcome back," Wednesday greeted.

"Have a nice time away?" Reena joked, but there was no humor in her voice.

Tyler pulled on the chains. "Where the hell am I?"

"Somewhere no one can hear your screams," Wednesday answered.

"What's with the chains?" Tyler got more aggressive.

"Don't ask stupid questions."

"Wednesday, this is crazy. I'm a normie."

"That's only half true." Wednesday grabbed the photo with Tyler's mom in it, pointing at the woman. "Do you recognize her? Perhaps if I hadn't been so distracted by my own mother hogging this photo, I would have noticed yours sooner. Your father fell in love and married an outcast."

"My mom was an outcast. That doesn't make me a monster," Tyler argued. 

"According to her personal medical records..."

"You stole her medical records?"

"Technically, Thing did. He took them from your garage. Your father's quite the pack rat. Her postpartum depression triggered her condition."

"My mom had severe bipolar disorder."

"We both know that's a lie. She was a Hyde," Wednesday revealed. "And your father has been living his life in dread, never quite sure whether or not she passed her condition on to you."

"And it just so happened that she did," Reena continued. "Now, you're running around in the woods doing the bidding of Laurel Gates. The sister of the very same boy who tried to kill the entirety of Nevermore's student body. Including your mother, Tyler."

Tyler looked around at the rest of the group. "Are you all gonna stand there and let them do this to me?"

"Uh, guys? Enid just texted. Thornhill's suspicious," Ajax informed them. "How long until he morphs into that... thing?"

"I'm not the monster," Tyler repeated.

"You are," Wednesday was sure. "I saw it in a vision at the Weathervane."

"Wait, you're basing all this off some vision you had after we hugged? I mean, is that something you can trust?"

"Wednesday, what are you doing?" Bianca asked.

Wednesday was unpacking her tools. "Just some light torture. Don't worry, I won't leave a mark."

"We," Reena corrected, staring Tyler down. "We won't leave a mark. Or, maybe I will. We'll see."

"Wednesday, Reena, hold on," Bianca interjected.

Ajax frowned. "Wait. Are you being serious?"

"There's only one thing that a Hyde understands. Pain." Wednesday went up to Tyler, taser in hand. She put it to his neck for a few seconds before Bianca stopped her.

"Wait! No, Wednesday!"

"Wednesday!"

"That's it. I'm out!" Yoko stormed out of the art studio.

"Us too," another group member agreed, following Yoko.

Ajax backed away. "No. Wait. No, I'm done."

"Wednesday, Reena, I didn't sign up for this. Let's go to Weems, explain everything," Bianca tried to persuade them.

"Weems won't help," Wednesday pointed out. "And Tyler is always one step ahead of his father."

"Weems has known about the Hyde since the beginning," Reena brought up. "She isn't going to do anything that would damage Nevermore's reputation."

"Then you're on your own," Bianca bailed.

Tyler panted. "No, don't leave me here with them, please! I'm begging you, please!"

Reena rolled her eyes and picked up a hammer. "Begging isn't gonna get you anywhere. Haven't you learned that?"

"What is Kinbott, or should I say Laurel Gates, using you for?" Wednesday interrogated.

"Is Kinbott even Laurel Gates?" Reena ventured. "Or is it someone else?"

"Wednesday, Reena, please," Tyler begged. 

"Tyler, the body parts in the basement of the Gates mansion, what was she collecting them for?" Wednesday kept going.

Tyler shook his head. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

Reena fiddled with her hammer. "My friend is in jail because of you, Tyler. We know you're the Hyde. If we can prove it, he becomes free while you rot in a cell."

Wednesday picked up a mallet. "Reena, let's test his reflexes."

The two girls held up their respective weapons, while Tyler heard sirens from outside. "I'm in here!"

Sheriff Galpin burst in. "Get away from my son! Drop it. Drop it."

They both turned around, hands raised, and they dropped their weapons.

"Couldn't you have come a few minutes later?" Reena complained. "It was about to get interesting."

* * *

The two girls were brought to the station and forced to sit in a room, waiting for Principal Weems, who didn't take long to walk through the door. "Sheriff Galpin isn't pressing kidnapping charges. Which is a miracle given the circumstances."

"Of course not." Wednesday turned to the Sheriff. "How long have you known?"

"Excuse me?" the Sheriff questioned.

"When we gave you that claw from the cave, did you already know?"

"Wednesday, that's enough," Principal Weems stopped her.

"Xavier Thorpe is our Hyde," the Sheriff mentioned. "We've got evidence, thanks to you. That's why I'm giving you one pass."

"Xavier Thorpe is just an artist with a shitty dad," Reena denied. "You're the one with a Hyde as a son."

"Tyler is going to turn on you too," Wednesday pointed out.

"Let's go," Principal Weems demanded.

"Get out," the Sheriff ordered. 

As the two were about to reach the door, Tyler called out for them. "We... Wednesday, Reena, wait."

The Sheriff got in front of him, blocking his path. "Tyler! No, no, what are you doing?"

"I need to talk to them, Dad. They were my friends. We're in a police station. What's gonna happen?"

"Make it quick."

Wednesday glared at Tyler. "What do you want?"

Tyler slowly approached them. "To ask a question. What does it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?"

"To lose. You know, at first, I'd wake up naked, covered in blood, no idea what happened. But over time, I started to remember everything. The sound of their screams, the panic in their eyes, and a fear so primal I could taste it. And it was delicious. You have no idea what's coming." Tyler sobered up, finally leaving them alone.

"I am going to kill him with my bare fucking hands," Reena seethed.

* * *

The two girls were back in Principal Weems's office. "The quid pro quo for Sheriff Galpin not pressing charges is your immediate expulsion from Nevermore."

"The others had nothing to do with this. I acted alone. I forced Reena to come with me," Wednesday lied. "She tried to say no, but I wouldn't let her."

"She roped me into it," Reena went along with the lie, no matter how wrong it felt.

"For someone who claims to have no friends, you certainly protect them," Principal Weems noticed.

"They didn't have guts to do what needed to be done," Wednesday replied.

"You mean kidnapping and torture? I should hope not."

"You do realize that Tyler brutally disemboweled six people, then harvested a variety of their body parts."

"Perhaps if you'd come to me with your suspicions rather than take matters into your own hands, we could've worked together."

"Because trust and cooperation have always been hallmarks of our relationship."

"I admire your ability to be your own person and trust your own instincts," Principal Weems told her. "But that also makes you impatient and impulsive. Your actions have put me and the school in an impossible position."

"And so has this monster!" Reena argued.

"Tyler is the Hyde," Wednesday informed her. "And he has framed Xavier. He confessed everything to us!"

"I wish I could believe you," Principal Weems replied.

"His mother was an outcast. She was a student here, you must remember her. She was a Hyde!" Wednesday yelled.

"Yes, Francois," Principal Weems remembered. "A lovely woman. I didn't ask what she identified as."

"That's where he gets it from!" Reena pointed out. "His mother didn't die from Bipolar Disorder, she died from being a fucking monster!"

"Give us more time, and we can prove they are Hydes," Wednesday pleaded.

"There is no more time, and there are no more deals, Wednesday," Principal Weems rejected. "Pack your steamer trunks. We will have them shipped. And say your goodbyes. You'll be on the afternoon train tomorrow. I'm sorry Nevermore didn't work out for you, Wednesday. I'm sure your mother will be very disappointed. And so am I."

"What about me?" Reena asked.

Principal Weems sighed. "Since Wednesday has claimed full responsibility for what happened, you will not be expelled. I am still figuring out your punishment, and trust me, it won't be kind."