Chapter 1
When Wednesday opens her eyes, everything is white.
She wonders if this is purgatory. No. She isn't dead, is she?
It couldn't be Heaven. She doesn't exactly believe in Heaven, and even if she did, she would most definitely not have been sent there.
Her eyes focus. She's in a bed, in a room, and there's something beeping in her ear.
Oh. She's in a hospital.
She doesn't know why she's there. She doesn't remember what she had been doing before this. But whatever it was, it must have been serious, because she knows better than to let herself end up in a hospital.
She hears someone snore. And as she turns her head, she sees Enid slumped over in the chair next to her bed.
Enid.
Looking at her makes a dozen images flash through Wednesday's mind.
A mystery. Kidnappings. Murder. Coffee. Her cello. Fire. A kiss. Another kiss. Pizza. A sunrise.
The symbiote.
Oh no. That voice in her head. She doesn't hear it right now, thank goodness, but she thinks she can feel its presence, just barely there underneath her skin trying to escape.
Enid snores again, and Wednesday knows she needs answers now.
"Enid," she calls, voice hoarse. Enid doesn't budge, snoring again. If it's one thing Wednesday's learned, it's that Enid sleeps like the dead. Maybe that's why she likes her so much.
"Enid," she grits her teeth this time, and Enid shoots up, her hands immediately forming into fists.
When she sees Wednesday, she instantly relaxes, settling back down into her chair.
"Oh, Wednesday," she says, sounding relieved, "You're awake."
Enid looks exhausted. Her hair is a mess, and the scars on her face stick out against her pale skin. But it's still a calming sight, and Wednesday can feel her hunched shoulders sink back into her bed.
She glances past Enid and out of the window. It's pitch black, when only moments ago she remembers they were watching the sun come up.
"How long have I been here?" she asks, and Enid shrugs, tilting her head towards the window next to her.
"Um, pretty much all day."
"What happened?" Wednesday continues, and she wonders that maybe being in love did actually cause her harm.
"You passed out," Enid explains, scooting her chair closer, "I thought it was because me holding your hand short-circuited your brain or something, but the doctors say it's probably because of the exhaustion, blood loss, and, uh-"
She pauses, swallowing nervously, and there's a frown on her face.
"Because of what, Enid?"
Enid bites her lip, and her voice slips into a hushed whisper.
"You have like, a parasite? Some kind of infection? I don't know. You had a really high fever so they ran some tests."
Wednesday does notice she feels warmer than usual, and there's a pang of hunger gnawing at her so intense it hurts. But besides that, she feels fine. Enid looks more scared than her, the frown on her face grown bigger.
"A parasite," Wednesday hums, "I've always wondered what this would be like."
"Eww, gross!" Enid grimaces, "I mean, I guess they said it wasn't serious. You're totally healthy otherwise. But still."
Wednesday can see the worry in Enid's eyes, even if she's trying to hide it.
"As mysterious as a parasite may be, I can assure you it won't be of any harm to me."
"It better not," Enid smirks, leaning her elbows up on Wednesday's bed, "I can't lose my sidekick."
There's a glint in her eyes as Enid places her head in her hand and stares back at Wednesday. It's one that makes Wednesday take a deep breath and realize how thankful she is for the girl.
She owes Enid an apology. A sincere, well thought out apology. She needs to tell her she's sorry for doubting her, for trying to push her away, for putting her in danger, because she didn’t deserve any of that.
Wednesday's about to say something when Enid's head shoots up and she looks over at the doorway.
"Oh. They're here," she says, and her anxious tone gets Wednesday to raise an eyebrow.
"Who?"
"Your parents."
Oh no.
Of course her parents would have been called if she was admitted to the hospital. She doesn't know how she's going to explain any of this to them, or more importantly, put up with their fawning over the fact that she's injured.
Enid's throwing her coat on and heading towards the window in a rush.
"Wait, Enid, where are you going-"
"I'll be back," she grins, prying the window open, "Don't worry."
She gives Wednesday a cheeky wink and slips out just in time for her family to walk through the doorway.
---
Thankfully, the reunion with her family is not as bad as she thought it would be. After them hesitantly asking if she was okay and how she felt, they too were fascinated about the fact that she had a parasite. Wednesday plays along, acting like she doesn't know how she got it or what it's truly capable of and telling them she'll be fine.
Then the conversation turned to them asking her about school and her studies until Wednesday was saved by the doctors pulling them out of the room to talk about her treatment plan.
Wednesday's left alone with Pugsley, and he just stares at her from across the room with a pout.
"What?" Wednesday asks sternly. Puglsey shrugs.
"Nothing," he shakes his head, but she can tell there's something on his mind by the way he looks down at the floor nervously.
"What is it, Pugsley," she asks again, glaring at him. He fiddles with his fingers, glancing around the room, and finally back to Wednesday.
"Have you met Ghost-Spider?" he asks quietly, a curious grin on his face.
Wednesday's eyes go wide for a split second at the mention of Enid, and she hopes Pugsley doesn't notice. How does he even know who she is? Why does he care? She doesn't have time to think about that right now.
"No," she quickly says, doing her best to seem convincing, keeping her tone flat. Puglsey doesn't really seem to believe her.
"Really?" he ponders, "Not even once?"
Wednesday's brows knit together. Usually lying comes easy to her, a skill that she's mastered flawlessly. But it's so hard when the thought of Enid seems to scramble her brain and make it hard to focus. Curse these stupid feelings that she's still trying to figure out.
"No. I could care less about someone who parades around the city in such a ridiculous costume."
"But she's so cool!" he whines, "Can you try and get an autograph for me?"
"I have better things to do than follow a silly superhero around," Wednesday snaps, wishing he would drop the subject. She doesn't like how her face is getting hot with anxiousness, and that she can hear the voice in the back of her head creeping to the surface second by second, feeding off of her annoyance.
"How about a picture-"
"NO!" She booms, the screeching of metal loud in her voice, and for a moment the symbiote takes over, her face morphing into one with soulless eyes and rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Pugsley's screaming so hard he almost falls out of his chair, and Wednesday lands back against her bed with a thud.
Their parents are back in the room in a flash, Morticia comforting Pugsley while Gomez seems mostly unbothered.
"My children, what are you two fighting about now?" he asks, eyes darting between the both of them. Wednesday does her best to catch her breath and act like nothing's wrong, but she's honestly shaken by what just happened.
"Wednesday's face- she- a monster-" Pugsley stutters, pointing at Wednesday with a terrified face.
"Oh Pugsley, we are well aware you think of your sister as a monster," Morticia coos, but he shakes his head furiously.
"But this was different! Her eyes- the teeth-"
Gomez just looks confused now, and Pugsley's still mumbling about Wednesday as his mom calms him down. Morticia takes him outside, Gomez turning back to Wednesday with a grin.
"Scaring your brother, just like old times. I can tell you're feeling better already," he comments, nodding at Wednesday before going to check on Pugsley.
Wednesday wants to agree with him. But whatever just happened doesn't make her feel any better at all.
---
Wednesday's set to be discharged the next morning, and her parents insist on taking her home for the holidays to recover.
And after the incident with Pugsley, she realizes this is a good thing. It'll be much easier to figure out how the symbiote works and gain control of it without any distractions. It seems unstable, feeding off of her emotions right now, which is yet another reason why she thinks feeling anything can be so dangerous. She figures once she can get home and come down from everything that's just happened, she can come up with a plan.
She realizes once she is able to learn how to work with the symbiote, it would make her escapades much more easier. She's seen what it's capable of. It would prove highly useful when dealing with any enemies she'd come across. She'd be almost unstoppable.
Wednesday also has to figure out how to explain all of this to Enid. She has to tell her somehow and hope she won't be upset that her friend is now bonded with the creature that's tried to viciously murder her more than once.
We'd be much more powerful without her, the voice in the back of her head says, and this time she actually listens to it, noticing how it seems to have calmed down.
The voice is so enticing. This time it sounds less like screeching metal and more like an echo in a cave, calling out to her to follow it. Without Enid, she could do what she wanted without thinking about any morals. Her and the symbiote could get so many things done with ease, outside of the law, everything she's always wanted to do-
A shadow passing by her doorway snaps Wednesday out of it, and she wonders where Enid is. She said she would come back, but that was hours ago.
For a moment, Wednesday fears that she's in trouble. That she's kidnapped, or injured, laying somewhere nobody will find her. She curses at herself yet again for getting herself stuck in a hospital.
She watches the window closely. She remembers that night on her birthday when Enid had tumbled into their room, bruised and bloodied and Wednesday thought she was dead.
Wednesday quickly looks away. That was the night that had changed her whole perspective on her relationship with Enid no matter how much she tried to deny it. The image of Enid flashes in her head again, and she can feel the symbiote rumbling in the back of her mind, and Wednesday's fighting it off, telling it to stop.
Then the window clicks open, and in climbs Enid.
"Hey," she whispers, "It's me."
Wednesday sits up in her bed, squinting at her through the dim light cast from the hallway.
"Where have you been?" she asks, tone laced with concern.
Enid pulls a chair to the side of Wednesday's bed and settles next to her with a smirk.
"Oh, you know. The usual," she shrugs, pulling something out of her jacket pocket as quietly as possible.
"I got you something," Enid says, and Wednesday's eyes flick down to the device in Enid's hand.
"A cell phone."
"Yeah!" Enid exclaims, ignoring how unimpressed Wednesday sounds, "So we can stay in touch over the break."
Wednesday so badly wants to offer Enid to come over for the holidays so she won't have to spend them alone, but she knows she can't. She can almost hear the symbiote taunting her in head about it, how she's a danger to the girl she wants to protect so badly, how she's become so weak to have fallen for someone.
Instead, she just gives Enid a nod back. "Thank you."
Even in the faint light, Wednesday can see Enid's cheeks go red, and that makes her own chest flutter.
"Of course. I know you don't really use this kind of stuff, but just in case. My number's in there already," she explains, turning it on and showing Wednesday the contact list.
Agh! Too bright! The voice shouts at the phone screen, and Wednesday grimaces.
"I'll figure it out later," she groans, turning away, and Enid shuts it off.
"Sorry," she apologizes with an embarrassed smile, setting the phone on the table next to Wednesday's bed, "Didn't mean to blind you."
Wednesday blinks the light out of her eyes and settles back into her bed.
Enid sets the phone next to Wednesday and leans back in her chair. Wednesday watches as she looks everywhere but back at her, and the symbiote's words echo in her head once again.
It's true that it would be so much easier to just be on her own and not to have to be concerned about anyone else. And if she's going to live with this symbiote for the rest of her life, she doesn't want it to hurt anyone that doesn't deserve it. Especially Enid.
Stop lying to yourself, the voice says, reading her mind, You've wanted to strangle her before.
"Be quiet," she snaps at it, and Enid turns to her, confused.
"What?"
Wednesday swallows nervously, not knowing what to say as Enid stares back at her with a concerned look in those icy blue eyes of hers.
That's when Wednesday notices the scars on Enid's face again. Are they new? No. They're the same ones for the night before, not seeming to have healed yet, and Wednesday's hit with a wave of guilt.
"I-I need to apologize to you," Wednesday stutters, and Enid just squints back at her, eyebrows knit tight.
"For what?"
"Doubting you. Not considering your feelings," she pauses, "Almost getting you killed."
Enid takes a second to let it sink in, Wednesday wondering what could be going on in her head, fearing the silence means something bad. But then a crooked smile forms on Enid's face, and she leans forward.
"It's okay. I know dealing with feelings can be hard," she whispers, "Especially when you're being hunted by an alien serial killer."
Wednesday winces at the comment, the voice in her head shouting obscenities, but thankfully Enid doesn't seem to notice Wednesday doing everything she can to keep her mouth shut.
"Besides, I wouldn't have figured out the whole headphones thing," Enid's eyes go wide like she does when she's about to ramble, "Which, by the way, I'll get you a new pair. Promise. Whatever kind you'd like, we can match again-"
"You don't have to do that," Wednesday quickly assures her, and Enid looks almost offended.
"Why not? I know how much you love your headphones," Enid replies, "Just think of it as an early Christmas present."
She rests her head on her hands, leaning on the edge of the bed, looking at Wednesday with a soft grin that makes the symbiote groan.
"But I haven't gotten you anything," Wednesday says dryly. She doesn't even know what she would get for Enid, and she feels bad about that. She'll think of something, hopefully.
"Just come back to me in one piece, okay?" Enid squeezes her arm, and while Wednesday's come to accept Enid's touch, the symbiote makes her flinch and pull away.
Enid quickly clasps a hand over her mouth.
"Sorry, sorry," Enid apologizes, looking flustered, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"No," Wednesday says sternly, "I'm fine. It's okay."
Enid looks a bit wary, a frown on her face as her eyes scan over Wednesday.
"I think you should get some rest," she says quietly, sinking back into her chair and watching Wednesday closely.
Wednesday nods and gets comfortable in her bed. She closes her eyes and is surprised by how silent it is, the symbiote having gone quiet. Can Enid tell what's going on inside her head? She hopes not. She'll tell her about it of course, once they're both on the same page and she's learned how to work with it.
For now, Wednesday does feel herself drifting off to sleep until she hears Enid snoring.
Wednesday opens her eyes slowly, watching Enid's chest rise and fall with each breath. Her eyes flick to the scars once again, noticing how they're a bit more faint now, but definitely still there.
And all Wednesday can think about is how the creature that's inside of her - the one she's so enticed by - is the thing that hurt Enid, and that she needs to figure out how to control it because she doesn't want to imagine it happening again.
---
Enid's long gone when Wednesday wakes up, but there's a text from her waiting on the phone.
Enid: Have a safe trip home!
She doesn't reply. Instead shuts the phone off and tries to ignore that the voice is back and so is the uncomfortable feeling of ravenous hunger clawing at her stomach.
The ride home isn't long, and Wednesday spends it staring out the window so she doesn't have to watch her parents gush over each other in the seat across from her. Wednesday can see Pugsley glancing at her through the rear view mirror, eyes still filled with terror.
The voice continues to nag in the back of her head, banging around to get out. Wednesday can feel her face getting hot and the hunger in her stomach seems to be growing every second. She thought had been doing a good job of keeping the symbiote subdued, but it's like a faucet left on in an overflowing sink, and if she tries to hide it more, it's just going to get worse.
By the time their car is pulling to their driveway, Wednesday is struggling to hide the fact that the symbiote is ready to burst out of her and do who knows what. As soon as Lurch opens her door, she's pacing as quickly as she can to her room without drawing any suspicion.
She throws open the door and goes straight to collapse on her bed.
I'm hungry! the symbiote shouts angrily, and Wednesday is wincing at the pain clawing at her. It doesn't hurt exactly, but it doesn't feel good either, having an alien trying to take over her own body.
"You're hungry?" she growls back.
Yes! it shouts again, and she can feel her stomach rumbling, it feeling empty as a desert.
"For what exactly?"
The voice hums in her head, and Wednesday's trying to catch her breath. She's quickly learning how tiring it is trying to control this thing is.
Your brother looks quite delicious- the voice starts, but she quickly cuts it off.
"No. As entertaining as that sounds, you are not eating Puglsey."
Need. To. EAT.
The voice grows louder and louder and she can feel the symbiote fighting to break out.
Then there's a pounding on the door, and she hears Pugsley's voice.
"Wednesday? Who are you talking to?" he calls, but Wednesday's quickly up and shouting back at him, voice laced with notes of the symbiote.
"Go away, Pugsley."
Are you sure we can't eat him? it asks, and Wednesday groans again.
"No."
We need to eat. Or we die.
We. The symbiote keeps seeing we and Wednesday is realizing this is something she isn't getting out of anytime soon, and that being consumed by an alien parasite is not an enjoyable way to die.
"If you would just calm down, we can go to the kitchen," she explains, feeling the sweat pooling on her forehead, "We do not need to draw any attention to ourselves."
Kitchen? Not that kind of food, Wednesday.
"Then what do you mean?" she asks, breathing heavily.
You know what I mean.
Wednesday glances out of her window. The forest surrounding the mansion is rich with wildlife. And she doesn't exactly hate venison.
---
It's weird at first when she lets the symbiote - who calls itself Venom - fully merge with her. It's like she's a pilot of a plane that intends to crash and cause as much damage as possible as they tear through the forest and make a mess.
But she also feels so much more alert and awake and stronger and she sees exactly what Venom means when they could be so much more powerful working together. Once she properly gets them fed, everything becomes much more clear and the voice actually listens to her. The thought of using these powers back in the city is an indulging one, one that motivates her to study and learn more about Venom and what it could do for her.
A part of her wonders if this is how Enid feels, with her heightened senses and abilities, how she can take and dish out punches that would kill the ordinary person without breaking a sweat. It makes her think of how dangerous Enid could be if she didn't have a heart of gold.
Your thoughts about your roommate are confusing. You seem to both hate her and love her at the same time, Venom says one afternoon while she's laying on her bed, recovering from a day of hunting.
While Wednesday has gotten Venom to understand that Enid is off-limits, she's still teaching it to tolerate her. Venom's still convinced that the two of them would be better off without her, and as much as Wednesday knows it would be easier, she can't leave Enid behind.
"I hate the idea of being with someone, but not the idea of being with her," Wednesday replies, grimacing at the fact that she's just said that out loud.
That is very sappy, Wednesday.
Wednesday sighs. "I know."
And as if on cue, Wednesday's phone rings and Enid's name flashes across the screen.
Venom's yelling at her to not pick up, but Wednesday ignores it.
"Wednesday! Hey!" Enid greets, and Venom groans at how loud she is.
"Hello, Enid."
"How was your Christmas?" Enid asks, wasting no time, sounding as cheery as ever.
"Merry."
"Oh, how fun," she replies, "How are you feeling?"
"Splendid."
"That's good," Enid says, and Wednesday hopes she doesn't notice how little effort she's putting into her answers.
"How about you? How was your Christmas?" she asks, trying to be as polite as possible, genuinely wondering if Enid had done anything fun and feeling a bit bummed that they couldn't spend it together.
"Oh, nothing special. Helped someone who's car slid into a snowbank. Fought some robbers dressed up as Santa Claus. You know how it goes."
"How exciting," Wednesday says, imagining Enid punching the fake beard off of some guy, when she speaks up again.
"Oh! Did you hear about MorningSong? I mean, you probably didn't 'cause you're not on the internet much, but their CEO went missing! It's crazy. There are tons of conspiracy theories."
Wednesday raises an eyebrow. She recognizes the company. Their headquarters is where Enid had gotten bit by the radioactive spider. They were always in the news for their developments in technology, but this was sure to put them at the center of everyone's attention.
"Missing? Do you suspect foul play?" she asks, forgetting how exciting it was to have a mystery to work on as she leans off of her bed.
"I mean, it's super sus. Her daughter Bianca is supposed to take over now. She's like, our age, isn't that wild?"
"Indeed," Wednesday hums, "Keep me updated."
"Oh I will. Wish you were here. You'd probably have it figured out by now."
Wednesday smirks, even if Enid can't see it. "I probably would."
"I know," Enid replies, and then there's sirens going off behind her, "Well, I gotta go. Talk to you later Wednesday!"
She hangs up, and Venom is teasing her.
Your heart rate is alarmingly high, Venom says cheekily, and all Wednesday can do is groan.
---
There's not much to do during the break besides keep Venom fed and make sure it doesn't cause any more ruckus while she's home. Wednesday stays in her room and avoids her family at all costs, which is thankfully nothing out of the ordinary. She had tried to play her cello when she got bored, but the noise hurt her own ears, and the sound of her typewriter had also started to get to her after a bit. She remembers learning how the symbiote hated noise, and all she can think about is how Enid's pop music is going to annoy her even more.
Instead, she studies the symbiote like she planned to. She learns how it came from space and needed a suitable host to survive. It turns out Wednesday seemed to be the perfect match, both of them having the same gruesome tendencies and the fact that she's more interested in working with Venom and not just trying to use its abilities for her own personal gain. There are still times when she loses control for a second, or times when her body aches so much it feels like she's on fire, or times when they straight up don't get along, but for the most part they seem to have made great progress.
But right now, if she can just get Venom to stop wanting to eat her roommate and then figure out how to explain the situation to Enid, she feels like they could be an unstoppable team for whatever their next threat is going to be.
That leads Wednesday to looking up the MorningSong story that Enid had mentioned.
Gabrielle Barclay, the tech giant's CEO, had been working on some secret project when she mysteriously vanished. Given the expensive, futuristic technology the company routinely works with, Wednesday wonders if she's been kidnapped.
In the meantime, Gabrielle's daughter, Bianca, was slated to take her place. From what Wednesday's gathered, Bianca was not much older than her, and wanted nothing to do with the company.
Wednesday wonders if Bianca could be a potential suspect, because from the interviews she's seen and read (she accepts that the phone Enid got her is actually good for something) she learns that Bianca's relationship with her mother wasn't perfect. But it's also obvious she didn't want to be in this position, so there's no reason for her to make her mother disappear.
Venom suggests breaking into their headquarters for evidence, and then devouring anyone who gets in the way. Wednesday knows they'll have to get there eventually, but in a much quieter manner.
Meanwhile, Enid hasn't really found anything, saying she'd rather wait for Wednesday to get back before diving into this new mystery.
Wednesday's only got a few more days before she's due to head back to New York, and she can't tell if she's dreading it or if she's excited.
She's eager to finally get back to the city and start figuring out what's going on. Being at home was a good reset for her, but there's only so many times her parents can ask if she's feeling better or Puglsey can try to break into her room before she wonders if she should let Venom eat them.
That and going back to New York means she can see Enid again.
She's not going to let anyone know (besides Venom, because the damn thing can hear everything in her head) that something about her feels different because Enid isn't around right now, and it’s not because of the alien living inside of her.
It's hard for her to fall asleep without hearing Enid's snoring across the room. She keeps leaving her window open because she expects Enid to climb in and tell her about what she was up to all day. She even misses the greasy pizza from that shop around the corner that they would share during their late-night adventures.
But then there's the fact that she needs to explain to Enid that the parasite inside of her is not only sentient, but it's the same one that tried to murder her not that long ago, and it's still got some very violent tendencies that she's trying to get a full grip on.
What if telling Enid upsets her? What if she doesn't trust her anymore? What is she supposed to do when they decide not to work together and they still have a dorm room to share?
Wednesday's mind is a jumbled mess.
We think a lot more clearly with a full stomach, Venom says, and Wednesday notices how hungry she’s gotten.
She pulls herself up with a sigh and gets dressed, thinking about how finding food for Venom in a concrete jungle is just one of her many new worries.
---
Venom's promised to be quiet on the ride back to New York so Lurch won't suspect anything, but Wednesday can feel it growing impatient, her skin growing warmer as they get closer to the city. They had eaten one last deer, a large buck, before leaving, but Wednesday knew that wouldn't keep it full for long.
Wednesday finds herself checking her phone for new messages, a concept that seemed ridiculous to her not long ago. But she had texted Enid that she was on her way back and had not gotten a response yet.
Wednesday doesn't know why the fact that Enid isn't replying is making her so uneasy. She's probably throwing some burglars around or chasing down a stolen car, and she'll reply as soon as she's done. She's got superpowers and she's taken care of herself for the past three years, she's totally fine.
She's ignoring you, Venom says, and Wednesday rolls her eyes.
"She's not ignoring me," she mutters under her breath, keeping an eye on Lurch, and Venom laughs at her.
Besides telling Enid about her abilities, she also wonders about the two of them. They hadn't actually discussed what's going on with the two of them, or if they're even in a relationship (Gross, Venom thinks) and the thought makes Wednesday's head spin. She wishes she could think about it with Venom having to hear all of her thoughts.
She wants to be with Enid. She knows that. But she doesn't know in what capacity, and she doesn't want to deal with what could happen if things go south. If they don't work out, if something happens to Enid, if Wednesday does something to hurt her-
Wednesday quickly types out another text that she's nearing their dorm building, staring at the screen for a moment before Venom chimes in.
I told you she is ignoring you, Venom insists again, Isn't she always on her cell phone?
"She's just busy," Wednesday scolds, shoving the phone into her pocket so Venom will be quiet. Thankfully Lurch is pulling up to their dorm building, and he helps Wednesday gather her things without any suspicion.
She thanks him and he heads off, Wednesday finding it much easier to get her belongings upstairs now that she's been gifted with super strength.
Wednesday steps into their room, a weak ray of sunlight spilling in through the wide open window. She glances at Enid's side of the room, which is still as colorful as ever. The stuffed animals on her bed stare back at Wednesday with their beady little eyes and her sheets aren't made, meaning she probably left in a hurry.
Cozy, Venom hisses sarcastically, and Wednesday gets to unpacking her own things, wondering how long Enid's been out and what she's up to. The faint scent of her flowery perfume lingers in the air, and Wednesday wonders if it's because she was around recently or if it's because of these new super senses that make it more noticeable than it seems.
It doesn't take long for Wednesday to organize her things, placing her typewriter back on her desk and hanging up her clothes back in the same place as before. She keeps checking her phone in between tasks until Venom is rattling at her.
Forget about Enid. Let's go explore, Venom suggests, and Wednesday agrees. Enid will be back eventually, and there's a lot to catch up on.
But just as she gets up from her desk and has her hand on the doorknob, she can hear someone climbing in through the window.
It's weird how time seems to slow down, how Wednesday can already feel her face getting hot.
"Wednesday!" Enid shouts, running up to her but stopping as Wednesday quickly shrinks away.
"Right," Enid nods, dropping her arms to her side, a frown splitting across her face.
Wednesday looks her up and down. She's not in her suit, but in a fuzzy coat and a beanie that are made up of every color of the rainbow. Her cheeks are bright red from the cold, bags under her eyes a dark contrast from her colorful getup, and her hair is frizzled, still dyed a ridiculous mix of pink and blue.
And the scars. The scars are still there, running down the left side of her face. They're faded pink now, but still very noticeable. Wednesday's eyes linger on them for far too long, that guilt creeping up on her yet again.
"Apologies," Wednesday reminds herself to focus, "Force of habit."
Enid shrugs, and just stares back at Wednesday, blue eyes as bright as ever. Venom's humming in the back of her mind, muttering something about how delicious she looks, and Wednesday has to ball her fists to get it to stop.
"You're allowed to hug me, Enid," Wednesday finally says, keeping her feet firm on the ground this time, and in less than a second Enid's wrapping her arms around her.
"I missed you," Enid mumbles into her shoulder, and it takes a moment for Wednesday to return the hug and hold her back.
Enid is warm, and Wednesday kind of likes how easy it is to melt into her without any effort. She wouldn't mind staying like this for a while, accepting that as new of a feeling this is, it's one that feels safe.
Then, suddenly, Wednesday's having flashbacks to the fight on the boat, feeling the chill on her skin and the smell of smoke in the air like she's actually there. But this time, she's the one controlling Venom, and she's the one punching Enid and throwing her around like a ragdoll.
She pulls away at the speed of light, eyes as wide as the moon, and the panic is painted across Enid's face.
"Wednesday, are you alright-" she asks, arms reaching out to comfort her, but Wednesday is already stepping away and towards the door.
"No, I-I just remembered I've forgotten something downstairs," Wednesday tries to sound stern, but her voice is shaky. Enid's still pacing towards her, looking frantic.
"Wait, let me help-"
"No," Wednesday says again, and this time her tone is as sharp as a dagger, and Enid stops in her tracks.
Wednesday slams the door behind her, leaving Enid alone in an empty room, the noise of the cars on the streets outside ringing in her ears.