Chapter 2
Enid didn't know what to expect when she saw Wednesday again.
Of course she was going to be ecstatic. The past couple of weeks were going along as slow as ever without her, and so Enid spent most of her time roaming the city trying to keep herself as busy as possible.
It was weird not having Wednesday around to tell her to turn her music down or to remind her to eat or to have to hear her typewriter clicking away all day. And it was especially hard for her to fall asleep when she would see Wednesday being pushed off of that bridge every time she closed her eyes.
So Enid stayed awake as long as she could, either putting bad guys behind bars so she could distract herself. She knew it was unhealthy, but it's not like she had anything else to do. She promised herself that she'd get her sleep schedule back on track as soon as the new semester started.
So when Wednesday had finally texted her that she was on her way back, Enid's heart almost flew out of her chest with excitement.
Of course, her phone had died so she couldn't respond (that's yet another thing Wednesday would remind her to do), and if she had ditched Yoko yet again in the middle of grabbing lunch she'd probably grow even more suspicious of what Enid was up to.
So after Yoko waves bye and heads off to work, Enid's rushing back to her dorm room as fast as she can without anyone seeing her swinging high above the buildings.
She was hoping to sneak up on Wednesday like she always did, hopefully getting her to crack a rare smile and maybe give Enid another hug, and then Enid would tell her about all the crimes she's stopped and then Wednesday would update her on the parasite.
But as soon as Enid climbed through the window, she could tell something was off. There was a look of fear in Wednesday's eyes that she hadn't seen since that night on the bridge when she had pulled away and disappeared out the door.
It takes Enid a second to absorb what's just happened before she's out the door too, trying to find where Wednesday went.
Enid's head feels like it’s full of static. Did she do something wrong? Did she say something she shouldn't have? Is Wednesday really allergic to affection like she would tell Enid she was?
She looks all over their floor, in the common areas, and rushes down the stairwell, but it seems like Wednesday's disappeared into thin air.
So Enid heads outside, onto the street, the sky a pale gray and a chilly evening wind blowing her hair into her face.
There are a lot of people out, students returning to their dorms and parents waving goodbye, but all Enid tries to focus on is finding Wednesday among the crowds. She feels like she can't concentrate and she can't shake that weird feeling of something being wrong.
She doesn't know why she's panicking. Wednesday just said she forgot something. She couldn't have gone far. She'll be back. Yet Enid's trying to catch her breath, ducking out from the sidewalk and into the alleyway.
She crouches behind a dumpster, embarrassed that someone will see her, and concentrates on trying to stop her hands from shaking as she leans up against the wall. As she clenches them into fists and slows down her breathing, she realizes why she's freaking out.
The last time Wednesday went missing, she had been kidnapped and Enid had never felt so hopeless in her life.
No, she's fine. Nobody took her, Enid tells herself, She's fine. You're fine. We're both gonna be fi-
"Enid?"
Enid jumps up at voice and is thankfully snapped out of her grim thoughts.
"Yoko?"
Yoko's in front of her, brow furrowed behind her sunglasses, head tilted in confusion.
"What are you doing?" she asks, sounding both equally concerned and puzzled.
Enid doesn't answer, putting on a confident look and crossing her arms to steady herself.
"I thought you were at work."
"Well, I was. Then this guy came in and started throwing stuff around. It's like he was hypnotized," Enid can see her eyes go wide behind her glasses, "We were waiting for Ghost-Spider to show up, but then he snapped out of it when the cops finally came."
Enid tries her best not to react when Yoko brings up Ghost-Spider, feeling a tad bit guilty that she wasn't able to help them out because she was caught up panicking behind a dumpster.
"That's crazy," she replies instead, acting shocked because it doesn’t really sound like anything too unusual for a big city.
"I know right? His eyes were like, red," Yoko stops herself from going on, "But seriously, what the hell are you doing hiding back here?"
Enid gulps nervously, "I, uh, was just dumpster diving."
Yoko doesn't believe her, but she doesn't push it. She just holds out her arm for Enid to grab.
"C'mon," Yoko says, and Enid takes it, "Let's get you upstairs."
Yoko helps her back up to her room, and Enid hopes that Wednesday is back up there waiting for her, but of course she isn't. Instead Yoko just sits her down and plugs her phone in for her and gets her to talk about the newest album her favorite K-Pop group released, which only half works because all Enid can think about is why it's taking so long for Wednesday to get back.
It's been like, half an hour. What if a red-eyed crazy person got her? No. She can take care of herself, why am I even-
"Enid. I wasn't going to press it, but are you okay?"
Enid hasn't realized she's zoned out and staring at the door as Yoko waves a hand in front of her.
"I'm fine," Enid reassures her, "Totes great."
She adds a little bit of a giggle to really sell it, but Yoko just stares back at her, not convinced by the grin on Enid's face. She looks like she's thinking for a second, and then her lips twist into a frown.
"You know, is this about-"
"Wednesday!" Enid shouts as the door swings open, Wednesday standing there looking exactly as she had when she left.
"Where did you go?" Enid asks immediately, and Wednesday doesn't budge even though Enid's tone is sharp and heavy with concern.
"I told you I forgot something downstairs," she holds up her cell phone with an annoyed expression, "Luckily the traffic here is terrible, so Lurch didn't get too far."
Yoko's eyes dart between the two of them, and when she looks back at Wednesday glaring at her, she realizes how much the energy in the room has shifted.
"Well, I have to go," Yoko says quickly, "I'll see you later Enid."
She steers as clear as she can from Wednesday as she disappears out the door, and Wednesday hastily shuts it behind her.
Enid's frozen in place, a mixture of relief and confusion weighing her down. Wednesday doesn't get any closer to her, instead crossing her arms and clearing her throat as she stares Enid down.
"So, who is your new friend?" she asks sternly, glancing over her shoulder and back at the door.
"Oh, that's just Yoko," Enid explains, not realizing how defensive she sounds, "She's the only other person on our floor who stayed for the holidays, so we've been hanging out."
Wednesday doesn't say anything for a moment, and Enid wonders what could possibly be going on inside of her head right now.
"She has a girlfriend," Enid quickly adds with an awkward smile, hoping to ease the sudden tension.
Wednesday shrugs. "Good for her."
Enid frowns. Is Wednesday jealous? She knows how dangerous that can be, and she absolutely does not want to think about hearing that Yoko's been strangled in her sleep.
Part of her wants to ask Wednesday why she seems even more distant than usual. But Enid's afraid of it turning into an argument, and she'd rather not do that right now, especially when they've just reunited.
"Do you need help unpacking?" She offers instead, wanting to change the subject and get back on track, but Wednesday shakes her head.
"I can manage."
"Cool," Enid replies, eyes glancing everywhere but at Wednesday before she looks back at the open window, "Well then, I'm going to, uh, do a lap."
Wednesday nods at her, like she approves of the choice and how it'll make Enid leave, and so Enid digs into her closet and gets her suit.
It's funny how putting on her suit immediately makes her feel at ease these days, even if it also seems to be the source of a lot of her problems. Having it on makes her feel confident, and unstoppable, and she just feels like she can do anything and nobody will ever know it was her. It was not too long ago that she wondered if her powers were a burden, but now they're one of the few things she has left.
As she sticks her head out of the window, she hears Wednesday speak up behind her.
"Enid?" she says, her tone flat, and Enid turns back and pulls her mask up.
"Yeah?"
"You're forgetting something."
Wednesday's flick over to Enid's desk, where her phone is still plugged in and charging.
"Right," Enid replies, grabbing her phone sheepishly, "Thanks."
She tucks it away, and heads back to the window, but Wednesday's stopping her before she can pull her mask down again.
"And one last thing," Wednesday interrupts, and this time she sounds more caring and less dreary, turning her chair all the way around to face Enid.
"What?" Enid asks, afraid of what she's going to say.
"Be careful out there."
She's serious, like she always is, but Enid can see how much she genuinely means it, and something about that digs deep into her chest and makes her breath hitch in her throat.
"Of course," Enid says as cool as she can to hide how flustered she is, and then promptly hits her head on the window frame as she turns to leave.
She curses loudly, and as she rubs her forehead in embarrassment, she can see Wednesday rolling her eyes and trying her best to hide the tiniest grin.
And that helps convince Enid that the two of them are going to be fine.
---
When Wednesday leaves the dorm room, she doesn't know where she's going.
She ignores people staring at her as she takes off down the street with a look of terror. Eventually she ends up on a rooftop, Venom's powers leading her up there, and she staggers around trying to catch her breath.
She argues back and forth with Venom about why it made her see whatever that was, and Venom explains it doesn't have the power of granting visions.
"Perhaps coming into contact with Enid brought events from your past host to the surface."
That could be the case, Venom explains, I do retain some of their memories.
The old Wednesday would have loved to have an excuse to avoid Enid. But now that she's not only gotten used to her roommate, but welcomes being around her, she's frustrated.
She thinks about how Venom told her it would be so much easier if they worked alone, but that's not what she wants now, no matter how appealing it may seem.
"Just get us back to Enid before she gets worried," Wednesday says through gritted teeth, electing to figure this out later and see if it even happens again.
And so Venom leads them back to campus, and as they approach the room, her senses pick up voices inside.
She wonders who Enid could possibly be talking to. She's impatient, and Venom is just as curious as she is, so puts on her best glare and opens the door.
There's another girl in the room, one who is sitting very close to Enid with a hand on her shoulder.
This is interesting, Venom hisses and Wednesday agrees, giving the mystery girl a look so dark she could summon storm clouds.
The girl gets the hint to leave, and it's just her and Enid. And Wednesday can't ignore the fact that the feeling that's come over her is jealousy.
And not just jealousy, but suspicion. She knows Yoko probably doesn't know Enid's secret. And she wonders if Enid's new friend might have some ulterior motives.
Wednesday tells herself she can't let her guard down.
If we just eat Yoko now, we won't have to worry, Venom chimes after Enid's out the window, and Wednesday saves the idea for later.
---
The new semester starts slowly, which Wednesday is thankful for. The first thing she does is explain to Enid that the parasite is gone and she's fully recovered. It's a lie of course, but she knows she wouldn't be able to get anything done with Enid constantly hovering over her asking how she's feeling.
Now, Wednesday can finally work on the MorningSong case in her free time, reading up on the missing CEO's history and trying to piece together her last whereabouts. Enid keeps a lookout too anytime she's out, but she's been getting distracted by the rising cases of random violence around the city, coming home with an extra bruise here or there that make Wednesday wonder if there's something else going on that she should be looking into.
But for right now, she has to deal with figuring out how to keep Venom fed without killing anyone (because as tempting as it sounds, she can't let Enid find out about that), which is becoming quite the task.
There are pigeons and rats and the ducks in Central Park, but they only tide Venom over for so long before it gets agitated and Wednesday is dealing with the pain of hunger clawing at her stomach. She constantly reminds it that humans are off-limits unless absolutely necessary, and it groans in annoyance.
I don't want to eat these disgusting sewer vermin either, she tells Venom one night as she tries to wash down the taste with Enid's bubblegum-flavored mouthwash.
So one night in February, as soon as Enid's out the window and following a lead in Chinatown, Wednesday and Venom head off to the Bronx Zoo.
It's a simple plan. Just sneak in, eat a couple of gazelle, and sneak back out. Venom's giddy with excitement knowing it'll finally be fed with something more filling than a nasty rat, but Wednesday is unusually hesitant. Usually something like this wouldn't make her bat an eye. But all she can think about is how Enid would be grossed out by it all and probably cry about the poor gazelles.
Focussss, Venom snaps at her as they peek into the exhibit, Wednesday making sure to stay in the shadows. Most of the animals are asleep, but there's an occasional howl or a roar that cuts through the silence and reminds Wednesday that she does indeed need to focus if they're going to do this without getting caught.
Wednesday takes another look around to make sure the coast is clear, and then she lets Venom do the rest.
Venom learns how elusive the gazelles can be, knocking over trees and making all of the animals cause a riot as it chows down. A security guard comes to see what's going on, and Venom breaks through a fence to get them out quickly.
It wasn't pretty, but as she walks among the city streets back to her dorm, Wednesday feels rejuvenated. She hadn't realized how clouded her senses were until now.
That was delicious, Venom glows as they near campus, I already want to go back.
"Don't get too complacent," Wednesday murmurs, "There are only so many animals we can eat before we run out of options. Especially if we are reckless again."
But there are millions of people in the city.
"I told you we are not eating anyone unless we have to."
We will have to once we empty the zoo!
Wednesday just rolls her eyes as she approaches her dorm room. She hopes Enid is still out so she doesn't need some excuse as to why she's home past midnight. With the recent uptick in crime she's started to become a lot more insistent on Wednesday being careful, much to her annoyance. She can take care of herself, even more so now with her new abilities.
Enid's sitting at her desk tinkering with her gear when Wednesday opens the door. Enid jumps up, excited but not startled, a warm grin on her face.
"Wednesday! What were you up to?" Enid asks, thankfully sounding more curious than suspicious, until her eyes flick downward. "You uh, got a little something on your face."
Wednesday wipes her cheek and notices there's some blood. She curses silently at Venom for being so messy. As good as these new powers are, they cause her to be a lot less methodical than she usually is.
Oops, Venom says, and Wednesday does her best to hide her anger. It's a careless mistake, but Enid should know Wednesday well enough by now to not think anything of it.
"Don't worry, it's not mine," Wednesday says sarcastically, and Enid's eyebrows shoot up.
"That makes me worry even more," Enid replies, but it's so cheery that Wednesday realizes she's in the clear. "Just try to be less messy next time, alright? You know how much I hate blood."
Wednesday finds it impressive how comfortable Enid is with her. She can't think of anyone who she's this close to, anyone who knows her so well and doesn't mind any of the things she gets up to, and suddenly there's some strange feeling growing in her that she can't exactly place.
For now, she focuses on Enid fidgeting with something in her hands.
"What is that?" Wednesday squints at whatever she seems to be holding, and Enid stops.
"Oh. Uh. Something. For you."
Enid holds out a box of matches. Wednesday takes it gingerly, examining it slowly.
I THINK WE'RE A PERFECT MATCH is scribbled on the top in glitter pen.
Wednesday's trying to ignore the rush in her chest, how a simple box of matches with a stupid pun on it is suddenly making her unable to think properly.
"Since you kinda used your last one up," Enid explains with a a nervous grin, "You've probably gotten a replacement by now thought, but I was just thinking of a clever way to, um-"
Enid's tripping on her words, looking around the room at anything but Wednesday, and so she interrupts her before she can say anything else.
"To what?"
Enid's eyes finally meet Wednesday's, and she takes a deep breath, clasping her hands together.
"To ask you out. On a real date."
Venom is groaning so hard that it would make Wednesday's eyes roll out of her head, and she's just trying to process it herself as she stares back at Enid, her face a bright red.
"Look. We haven't really talked about, um, us," Enid stutters, taking a moment to think of what to say next, "So let's just start from the top. If you want to. I'll understand if you don't."
Those last few words come out rushed and a bit quieter, like Enid's to ignore that she's said them and that there's a possibility that Wednesday never even liked her like that.
Wednesday doesn't want her to think that.
"I don't just kiss anyone, Enid."
Enid looks a bit less worried than she did, but she's still holding her breath, fists clenched tight, the corners of her mouth slowly growing into a grin.
"So is that a yes?"
Wednesday ignores Venom yelling and teasing her in her head, and gives Enid a curt nod.
Now there's a nervous smile on Enid's face.
"Sweet. Uh. You can pick the place. But if you want me to, I can look for something, but all I really know are pizza places, and besides with Valentine's Day coming up everything is probably booked, but I know you would never want to do anything on Valentine's day-"
Thankfully for Wednesday and Venom, Enid's phone buzzing cuts off her rambling, and she sighs in disbelief.
"Oh, wow," she gasps, eyes going wide.
"What is it?" Wednesday asks, genuinely curious. If it's more of the hypnotized people, she wants to know more.
"Someone broke into the zoo. Some of the animals are missing."
Now Venom is laughing, and Wednesday does her best to not react. Enid must read her face as confusion instead of guilt, thankfully.
"Look, let me just make sure it's not any more of those creepy hypnotized people, alright?" she explains, rushing over to her closet.
"Sorry," she apologizes sincerely, but Wednesday doesn't mind.
"No. You go do that. I'll be here."
Enid nods back at her, glad Wednesday understands. She hops up to the window and pushes it open. Wednesday clears her throat before she can leave.
"And Enid?"
Enid dips her head back inside, flashing a confident smile.
"Be careful? I know."
Enid smirks back at her, and Wednesday is trying so, so hard to not smirk back.
"I'm looking forward to that date."
"Right. Yeah. Me too."
She gives Wednesday a wink and is out in a flash, the cold night air rushing into the room and chilling Wednesday's skin.
Wednesday turns the matchbook around in her hands, and suddenly she remembers that night on the boat and how she used it to defeat the very creature she's now bonded with.
Venom growls in the back of her head, warning her how dangerous fire is. She can almost feel the heat under her skin, how painful the burn felt, and suddenly the gift that was making her flustered moments ago feels like a bomb in her hands, ready to explode.
She takes one last look at Enid's message written in the bright, glittery pink, and then tosses the matchbook into the trash can.
---
Venom thinks the date is a stupid idea. The plan was to not get anymore attached to Enid, and yet Wednesday's failed that in less than a month. But when Wednesday shows the menu of the restaurant they're going to, it decides it might not be the worst idea.
Enid just follows Wednesday through the streets of New York, decked out in a bright pink sweater that's blinding, but because it's a nice night and Enid's the one wearing it and it makes her happy, Wednesday doesn't hate it that much.
She's growing soft. So soft that she's let someone convince her to go out today, and she knows all of this is going to add up to something she might regret. But she just tells herself once again that it will be a problem to deal with later, even if Venom is growling at her in the back of her mind.
Wednesday stops outside of a busy restaurant with grand columns and gold letters on the windows. Enid looks taken aback.
"This looks really nice and all Wednesday, but it's a bit out of my budget."
Wednesday glances over at her, unbothered.
"I can pay for us," she explains, and Enid's face scrunches up.
"But I asked you out," she frowns, "I'm supposed to pay."
Now Wednesday turns to her, her expression sharp.
"If we're going to pursue a relationship, I would like us to be equal."
"Right. Okay," Enid nods, "Well then I got us next time."
There isn't supposed to be a next time, Venom grumbles, and Wednesday tries to do her best to hold off the hunger growing in her stomach for just a little while longer.
---
The glare Wednesday gives the host seems to get them a table fairly quickly, and Enid's trying hard to hold her excitement at everything happening.
She's on a date at a fancy restaurant in a fancy coat with Wednesday out of all people. This is something she would have never imagined less than a year ago. She takes tons of pictures, wanting to show off, not caring how grumpy Wednesday looks. She figures all of this is just so foreign to her that she's still trying to figure out how to deal with it.
Enid just brings up random topics instead so they're not sitting in awkward silence. She complains about her Chemistry professor. She complains about the weather. She complains about someone on social media who keeps saying her suit is ugly.
Wednesday just nods quietly, eyes darting around impatiently every once in a while, and Enid's starting to grow worried that she's not enjoying herself and she probably regrets all of this.
Her hands are clasped tight in her lap as she keeps her eyes on Wednesday. She figured they would be discussing theories on what's been going on and who's behind everything, Wednesday throwing out a quip that would both frustrate Enid and make her laugh, but the only response she's getting is silence. She wonders what Wednesday could be thinking about, what could be going on in her mind that's so distracting that she doesn't even want to tell Enid about it.
Thankfully their food comes and it gives Enid something else to think about. Wednesday seems almost ravenous, eating so quick she orders another meal, and all Enid can do is stare back, confused.
It's so weird, and so unlike her, but Enid's too afraid to point it out. Instead, she just enjoys her meal, and by the time she finishes her own food, Wednesday's already had three ribeye steaks.
The waiter seems just as confused as Enid, even more so when Wednesday tosses a wad of cash on the table and tells him to keep the change for his tip.
And then Wednesday's out of her seat without even waiting for Enid, and Enid can tell that something is certainly off.
"Wednesday, are you okay?" she asks, a bite to her tone as they head down the street. It's a question that's more angry than concerned.
"I'm fine," Wednesday replies quickly, "There's no reason for you to be alarmed."
It seems much more stern of a tone than usual, and Enid finds herself wanting to reach for Wednesday's hands even if they're always cold. But they're stuffed deep in her pockets, so Enid begrudgingly does the same.
"It's just- you've just been acting kind of weird lately," Enid huffs, "But not the weird I like."
Wednesday's quiet for a few steps, her breath spilling out in front of her into a cloud. She sighs, keeping her eyes on the sidewalk in front of them.
"I will admit dealing with a parasite was a bit more difficult than I imagined."
Enid nods. She had been so busy with school and her superhero responsibilities that she had forgotten that Wednesday had to deal with that, and now she's worried all over again.
"You said it's totally gone though, right?"
"Yes," Wednesday responds, but there's a slight pause before she says it.
"Good, Enid nods, "That's good."
She doesn't sound convinced.
"Enid, I assure you that I am completely well," Wednesday says again, even more sternly this time, but Enid finally stops walking and turns to Wednesday with a look of annoyance.
"Yeah, you keep saying that but I know you. Better than anyone. I know it can be hard to talk about your feelings and stuff. But I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on. And you know I want to help you."
Her fists are clenched at her sides like she always does when she's upset, and Wednesday's starting to feel guilty about lying to her.
But then Venom reminds her that they need to be careful, and Wednesday bites her tongue.
"You can help me best by not worrying about me. Like I said, I'm fine."
Wednesday looks Enid up and down, and then turns and keeps walking down the street. Now Enid's more upset than concerned, following her quickly as she paces alongside her around the corner.
"C'mon Wednesday, this isn't going to work out if you keep things from me-"
And then Enid turns right into someone, knocking them to the ground and causing them to drop all of their things.
"Sorry! Sorry!" she exclaims, bending down to help the boy she's knocked over back to his feet.
"You should watch where you're going," Wednesday scolds, eyes darting to the boy's things that are scattered all over the sidewalk.
"Wednesday," Enid growls, giving her a glare so sharp that even she has to back down.
"Are you okay?" Enid turns back to the boy, giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry about her, she's just grumpy."
"I'm good. Thank you," the boy nods, fixing his glasses. Enid goes to help him clean up his things, and she glares at Wednesday again, her look telling her she'd better help the two of them or be subjected to her K-pop music all night.
While Enid is busy talking to the boy, Wednesday spots something among his things that she takes for herself.
It's an ID card for MorningSong Industries.
---
"Enid. Enid."
Enid's blinking the tiredness out of her eyes as Yoko snaps her fingers in front of her face for the hundredth time. Enid just puts on a smile and straightens herself up.
"Are you sure you don't want a sip of my coffee? You look exhausted," Yoko offers, nudging the cup towards her across the table.
"No. I'm fine."
Enid tries her best to stifle a yawn, and Yoko's not convinced at all.
"Suit yourself," she shrugs, taking a sip, "I don't get how you function without coffee."
Of course, Enid won't tell Yoko that she in fact cannot function without coffee and she's about to fall asleep in the middle of their study session, but the last time she got coffee it was poisoned and she doesn't exactly want to go through that again right now.
Yoko just goes back to highlighting her textbook, Enid trying her hardest to focus.
There just seems to be so much going on. Wednesday's unusual behavior. The rise of random violent crimes all over the city. And this chemistry exam tomorrow that she absolutely cannot fail.
She checks her phone again to see if Wednesday's texted her back. She had invited her to come and study with her and Yoko a few hours ago, but there was no response. Enid knows Wednesday hardly touches her phone, but if she was going to text anyone back, it would be her. After all, the only two contacts saved in Wednesday's phone are Enid and their favorite pizza place.
"Is she ignoring you again?" Yoko groans, annoyed as Enid squints at her phone.
"She's not ignoring me," Enid chimes back, "She's just busy."
"Doing what, exactly?"
"I don't know. She likes to explore."
Enid doesn't even look up from her phone, and Yoko rolls her eyes so hard she's going to give herself a headache.
"Right. Explore. Explore what though?"
Enid shuts her phone off and slams it on the table so hard the other students sitting around turn their heads.
"Yoko, I trust her, okay?"
Enid sinks back into her chair with a huff, and Yoko takes a second before she leans in towards her, voice hushed.
"Enid, I know you really like her. But you shouldn't be wasting your time with someone who isn't going to put in the effort for you."
Enid stares down at her phone, refusing to look back at Yoko because she knows she doesn't want to believe that.
Wednesday still tends to Enid when she comes home beat up. She still helps Enid fine tune her gear and get web fluid from the chemistry building. And she still proofreads all of Enid's essays for her, no matter how bad she swears the grammar makes her want to claw her eyes out.
But she just seems more distant than usual. Wednesday looks like she's having trouble sleeping, and she looks even more paler than usual, like she's sick. Sometimes Enid swears she hears Wednesday whisper things to herself, so quiet even she can't pick up what she's saying.
She specifically remembers the night of their date when she couldn't sleep because she was too busy overthinking everything and she heard Wednesday muttering something across the room from her.
We should be set for a while now, she had heard her say, I better not hear any more complaining.
Enid doesn't want to think that Wednesday is hiding something, or someone from her. Wednesday may be a good liar. But she's honorable. She wouldn't do this to Enid when Enid didn't deserve it, she knows that.
"I'm gonna go take a nap," Enid announces, scooping up her things and stuffing them into her bag. And as much as Yoko wants to chase after her, she can tell Enid doesn't want to be followed.
The campus looks beautiful with spring blooming, and Enid walks back to her dorm, but Enid doesn't find any of it cheering her up. For once, she's finding herself yearning for something black and white instead of something colorful.
When she gets to her room, she's surprised to see Wednesday home, bouncing between her typewriter and her phone.
Enid feels her chest go tight. Wednesday's been on her phone the whole time. So she's been ignoring her.
"What are you so preoccupied with that you can't answer my texts?" Enid asks, face growing hot, but of course Wednesday doesn't seem bothered.
"Finding the owner of this ID card."
She holds it out to Enid, and she snatches it out of her hand.
"Wait. Isn't this kid we literally ran into the other day? Did you steal this from him?"
Wednesday stops typing and turns around to face Enid, who's got a frown of disappointment scrawled across her face. Of course, Enid can't be too surprised, because she knows Wednesday is capable of worse.
"It was on the ground. I picked it up and simply forgot to return it to him."
"Wednesday, really-"
"He works for MorningSong. He is our ticket into investigating the disappearance of their CEO."
Her frown eases up into more of a pout now, Enid realizing that this is helpful. The MorningSong building was a fortress both physically and when it came to their digital security, and them working with someone on the inside would move them forward in this case that seems to be going nowhere.
Enid also realizes this could be the best opportunity for her to really talk to Wednesday now that they'd need to work together to investigate all of this further. She knows how passionate Wednesday can get when she has a lead.
“So, we're gonna like, blackmail him?” she asks curiously, leaning up on the wall by Wednesday desk like she used to last semester while they would dig through police files.
“In a way, yes," Wednesday explains, raising an eyebrow, "Why, is that against your morals?”
“Oh c’mon," Enid scoffs playfully, "You really think in all my years of playing vigilante I haven’t blackmailed someone?”
Now she's got a confident grin, remembering how fun all of this used to be, and that seems to make Wednesday freeze up, like she's impressed.
“No, no. Of course you have,” Wednesday stammers, trying to hide the look of embarrassment on her face as she turns back to her desk.
“Now I recommend you get some sleep before we head out. It won’t be long before I get this sorted out.”
And so Enid climbs into bed and lets the clicking of Wednesday’s typewriter lull her to sleep.