Chapter 23
Enid was practically in hysterics. Every photograph on the floor, thirteen in total, was clearly taken without Wednesday’s knowledge and consent, including some disturbing ones from the night she was taken, lying unconscious in the trunk of Laurel’s car, and hanging from the ceiling of Crackstone’s crypt, dangling by thick chains around her wrists, unconscious with blood dripping from the side of her head. Some were pictures of her and Wednesday, there was one with her and Wednesday and Tyler in his car, taken the night they explored the Gates mansion, but only images of Wednesday had X’s over the eyes.
They were creepy, some were voyeuristic and Enid’s first suspect was Magnuson, because a recent picture of Wednesday in the hospital was among them and he had been in her room taking unsanctioned pictures of her. But upon closer inspection, there were a couple of images of Wednesday in public, and he appeared in the background of one of them. The picture was of her inside Weathervane sitting at one of the booths and he was seated in the booth behind her, having coffee with another officer and he didn’t seem aware that someone was taking their photo.
So at least one of the pictures was taken by someone else. Maybe they were all taken by someone else. Or maybe Magnuson was behind them but that one was put in to throw her off his trail. Or maybe there were multiple people behind those photos, probably all working for Laurel. Whoever took them, if it was one person or multiple people, the fact they existed at all was disturbing.
Enid wanted to throw up.
“Whoa,” Ajax exclaimed in quiet awe, “creepy.”
“Who would…why….?” She choked out, shuffling them around, trying to make sense of it. Her breath quickened, body shaking as she helplessly looked around her trashed room, as though she might find a clue.
She made a frustrated and anguished cry as she shoved the photos aside and turned away. She didn’t have time to think about them, Wednesday needed her now. She could worry about the pictures and all the implications later.
Frantically, she headed for Wednesday’s desk where she had last seen the necklace. Wednesday had been wearing it that night in the crypt, and it was important somehow when Goody healed her so it made sense that they might need it now. When Enid was taking care of her after Wednesday first started to get sick, she had spotted it in her desk drawer while looking for paper to write her a note when she had to go to the assembly. She hoped that it was still there.
The desk was overturned and Enid had to step around the broken glass from the crystal ball to reach it and when she looked in the opened drawer, it wasn’t there. “No, no, no…” she muttered frantically looking around, “it was here, it was supposed to be right here!” she cried, her search becoming more and more desperate. Wednesday’s family was waiting for her. Wednesday needed her and they needed that necklace.
“Ajax, help me look!” Enid demanded, her voice shrill and desperate.
“Enid…” Ajax said quietly, ignoring her.
“Wednesday’s necklace... it’s silver with black obsidian and has her initial…”
“Enid, there’s something written on the back of these pictures…”
“It had been in the drawer but might’ve been thrown when it was knocked over, be careful with the glass…”
“Enid!” Ajax said with more force.
She twirled to face him, “What? We don’t have time to…” her voice trailed off when she noticed that he had flipped the pictures over and was arranging them to spell a message. “Ajax, we can figure that out later. We need to find that necklace.” Her words had less conviction now that she saw what he was doing, and morbid curiosity got the better of her.
Ajax wasn’t the best communicator, nor was he the smartest one in class, and he was kind of dense when it came to catching onto hints about how Enid was feeling sometimes, almost as bad as Wednesday but he was great with puzzles. Enid watched him in awe as he shuffled the pictures around. Every photo had two to three letters on them and he had a cute frown on his face as he put them together.
Enid blinked and forced herself to focus. That could wait. She needed the necklace. Wednesday and her family were counting on her for what should have been this one simple task.
Careful not to cut herself with the glass from the broken crystal ball, Enid looked around the area of the desk, hoping that it had fallen nearby when the desk was overturned. It was probably a good thing that Wednesday was practically a minimalist - the necklace was small, and would’ve been next to impossible to find if it was lost amongst Enid’s clutter. In the back of her mind, she worried that the necklace might not even be in their room anymore. What if whoever broke into their room and ransacked it took it?
“Whoa,” Ajax breathed.
“What?”
“This message…” he said.
“What does it say?” Enid asked as she kept looking.
“It says, ‘Her sacrifice, our victory. Death to outcasts’.”
While the message itself wasn’t surprising because she already knew what they wanted, seeing it literally spelled out for them was still unnerving. Enid sucked in a deep breath, her mind reeling. She already suspected they would be targeting Wednesday first, but now that they confirmed it, she feared what they had planned if they ever got their hands on her again.
No, she wouldn’t let that happen. She would do whatever it took to protect her, especially while she was too sick and injured to defend herself.
Enid swallowed compulsively as she let it sink in, and cleared her throat. She didn’t have it in her emotionally to properly react to that so she just said, “OK, you solved it. Now help me look for the necklace. Wednesday’s family is waiting.”
“But Enid…”
“Ajax, now,” she begged. “And be careful with the glass – it’s from Wednesday’s crystal ball, you know how unpredictable magic objects can get when they break.”
He nodded and began to help, “Why do you need it anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Enid replied, “Wednesday’s mom needs it for a ritual to help her.”
“Is it magic?”
“I’m not sure,” Enid admitted. All she knew was that the necklace played some sort of role when Goody healed Wednesday, so there had to be something special about it. “But I think it might have some magic to it, or Wednesday’s mom wouldn’t have needed it.” She let out a desperate cry, “This is hopeless. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack and for all we know, whoever ransacked our room took it.”
“But why do you think they’d take it?”
“I don’t know, Ajax,” Enid sighed, annoyed by his questions, “maybe because since they’ve been stalking Wednesday since the start of the term, maybe they know its significance?”
“Wait,” Ajax said, reaching under Wednesday’s bed, “is this it?” He held it up and climbed to his feet.
Enid’s eyes lit up, “Yes! That’s it!” she rushed over to him, taking the necklace and giving him a hug. “Thank you, thank you!” He leaned in to kiss her but she unconsciously pulled away, “Let’s go!”
She and Ajax headed for where the car had been parked and ran into Yoko, Xavier, Bianca, Divina and Kent who were talking quietly to Wednesday’s family. When they approached everyone turned and gave Enid an odd look.
“Hey, Enid,” Yoko said, giving her a hug, “how are you holding up? Did you get some rest? You still look so tired.” She pulled away from the hug and gripped her shoulders, “You’re shaking, what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” she murmured, “I got some sleep.”
“Not enough though,” Ajax pointed out.
“A couple of hours though is better than nothing,” Enid argued.
“You two took a while getting down here,” Morticia said with concern, “did you find the necklace?”
Enid nodded, wincing slightly as the action rattled her exhausted, aching head. She handed it to her, noticing with a pang of sadness that it still had some of Wednesday’s blood on it, dried and caked into the small engravings and links on the delicate chain. She closed her eyes and could see with frightening clarity Wednesday dying in the crypt, pulling it out from under her shirt just before Goody healed her.
“Are you all right?” Morticia asked. “Did something happen?”
She wanted to say that she was fine and it was nothing. She didn’t want to lie, or keep secrets, but they had enough to worry about with Wednesday being so deathly sick, and they knew enough about the lingering threat from Laurel and her accomplices to make sure she was protected, they didn’t need to know about what they found in her room, at least not yet. They needed to focus on saving Wednesday, it would only be a distraction. She glanced at Ajax and subtly shook her head, “Nothing we can’t talk about later…” Enid said.
But in that same moment, Ajax said, “Someone broke into Enid and Wednesday’s room and left…” his voice trailed off when he realized that Enid didn’t want to bring it up, but the damage had been done.
“Oh my god, are you OK?” Divina asked.
“What happened?” Pugsley asked.
Enid glanced at everyone and sighed, “The place was ransacked.” She decided that telling them about the photos and the message could wait. “Some things were destroyed. I don’t know if anything was taken.”
Yoko hugged her again, “Thank goodness you were sleeping in my room. Who knows what might’ve happened if you were there!”
Enid shuddered, wondering if they had been there all along while she was getting her pyjamas, still disturbed by that feeling of being watched and then finding that someone actually was there, in her room.
“There was more to what we found,” Enid admitted, “but that can wait. What did you find? How do we save Wednesday?”
“A ritual,” Xavier said, a frown on his face. “A dangerous one.”
“It’s not ideal,” Morticia agreed, holding up a book, “but it’s all we could find. Before the poison wore off I was drawn to this book, and we found it early on. But it will come at a risk and is not guaranteed to be permanent. But it’s all we have right now, and since the hospital called, it’s now our only chance. Everything else we’ve found that was promising would be impossible to pull off because they would all require the source of the magic used to create the curse and a substitute would not work. Until we can find the staff Crackstone used, they’re not an option.”
“We’re going to keep looking, Mrs. Addams,” Bianca promised, “all of us.”
“Thank you, Bianca, dear,” Morticia said, and let out a sad sigh. “But if this doesn’t work, there’ll be no need because....” Her voice trailed off, but everyone knew what she would’ve said. Time was almost up and this was their only chance. If it failed, Wednesday would die.
Bianca nodded sadly and everyone had a similar expression on their faces.
“But perhaps I was drawn to this spell for a reason and as long as she’s still fighting there’s still hope,” Morticia said, delicately wiping a tear from her bloodshot eyes. “Thank you so much, all of you for your efforts tonight.”
“She would do the same for us,” Bianca said, “and more.”
“She already did,” Xavier said quietly, his eyes downcast, kicking the ground in quiet despair.
“And she doesn’t even like us,” Kent added.
“Don’t take it too personally, she doesn’t like most people,” Gomez said.
“We noticed,” Divina said.
“That’s nice, but time is not on our side, we need to go!” Pugsley exclaimed.
“Thank you,” Morticia said again to the group, she pulled Bianca into a hug, “and thank you again for helping Wednesday fight Crackstone. She couldn’t have done it without your help.”
Enid noticed a strange, bitter expression cross Xavier’s sullen face as she spoke. He turned away with quiet anger and paced a bit. He really wanted to help, but his efforts were the reason she was dying.
“Remember Bianca, no matter what happens tonight, you will always have an ally with the Addams Family,” Morticia promised, “if there is anything you need, say the word. Understand?”
“Um, thanks?” Bianca said, a little confused.
“I saw the battle with Crackstone in a vision, I saw the role you had to play in that fight and we are forever grateful,” she explained, “and I don’t know what it is, but I can sense that something is deeply troubling you but you feel like it’s a burden you need to face on your own. But you don’t. If you can use our help in the future, we have your back just as you had Wednesday’s.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Addams,” Bianca said, her striking teal eyes watering. Judging by the confused looks on their faces, it seemed to Enid that even Bianca’s closest friends had no idea what she was talking about.
Morticia placed her hand on Xavier’s shoulder, prompting him to turn and face her, “What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“I should’ve done things differently.”
“You had no way of knowing this would happen,” she assured him, “no one did.”
“Still…” he muttered, “it should’ve been me.”
“Don’t let yourself go down that train of thought,” Gomez warned, “no good would come from it. She chose to save you, don’t betray her choice by wallowing in self-pity. You’re alive thanks to her, make the most of it.”
Xavier nodded slightly, but Enid could clearly see how much pain he was in.
“I know,” Gomez said patting him on the back, “easier said than done.”
“Go,” Xavier said, “you don’t have a lot of time.”
“Look out for each other,” Morticia said as she climbed into the car, “and be safe. There are dangerous people out there. I fear the attack the other night was only the beginning so you need to be ready.”
“We will,” Bianca promised.
As Enid climbed into the back seat of the hearse, she noticed the Nightshades were staring at her with odd looks on their faces. She frowned, wondering what that was all about.
~~W~F~A~~
On the way to the hospital, they had to make a quick stop and Gomez parked the family hearse in front of Uriah’s Heap.
“What are we doing here?” Enid asked.
“This ritual requires a potion. I don’t have all the ingredients, but Connie has what we need.”
“But…the store’s closed.”
“Connie lives in the apartment above the store. She’s got a side business growing and selling rare herbs for potions,” Morticia explained, “and she’s agreed to help.”
“Wait…so she’s…?”
“An outcast? Truth be told I’m not sure, Gomez, do you know?”
“Nope,” Gomez shrugged, “but there have been rumours back in the day about her family being outcasts but choosing to live as normies, but we’ve never asked. It’s not our business.”
“And it doesn’t matter,” Morticia said. “What matters is that she’s very skilled and knowledgeable about potions and magic, though she doesn’t practice it herself, and she has what we need.”
“So, what is this ritual?” Enid asked. “And why is it dangerous?”
Gomez and Morticia exchanged glances while Pugsley suddenly seemed fascinated by his feet. Their hesitation made Enid nervous. Finally, Morticia said, “Gomez, Pugsley… why don’t you go on ahead and get what we need. I would like to talk to Enid alone, please. And give Connie my regards.”
“Sure thing, my love,” Gomez said, kissing her before he and Pugsley climbed out of the hearse.
This made Enid even more nervous, “What is this ritual? And why are you acting so… cryptic all of a sudden?”
Morticia climbed out of the hearse where she was sitting in the front seat and climbed into the back, sitting so she was directly facing her. “Enid…this ritual requires…” she sighed, “you know what I had to do to get a vision, right?”
“Yes… don’t tell me you need to go through that again!”
“Well, no…unless…” she sighed again, trying to think of the best way to say what she wanted to say. “I want to make it very clear, that if you don’t want to do what I am about to ask of you, I will not think any less of you if you say no. It is a big ask, and I completely understand if you don’t want to…”
“If it’s to save Wednesday, I will do it. Whatever you need!” Enid said.
Morticia smiled with warmth and sadness, “Please, dear, I would feel better if you understand what I’m about to ask before you agree. This curse that’s plaguing Wednesday has taken on a life of its own, manifesting into something, a very real entity, within her mind while it slowly kills her. Wednesday has been fighting it, but as time passes it only grows stronger while she grows weaker. I am afraid the reason she’s taken a turn for the worse is that she may not be strong enough anymore, or worse, she may have given up fighting. It may have retaliated after we hurt it….”
Enid shuddered, “You’re describing it like it's sentient.”
“In a way, it is,” Morticia said, “curses can manifest in a variety of ways, and this one has evolved and mutated into something else entirely.”
“So, what do you need me to do?”
“Have you heard of dreamwalking?” Morticia asked.
“I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know of anyone with that power,” Enid said. “It’s kind of scary to think about, someone just being able to hijack your dreams…”
“If it makes you feel better, the thing about dreamwalking is the dreamwalker can never remember someone else’s dream – in fact, many people with that ability don’t even know they have it.”
Enid thought back to her nightmares about Wednesday, how real they felt and how she could only remember the tiniest snippets. But she scolded herself for making that connection. She wasn’t a psychic nor did she have psychics in her family, she was 100% werewolf so it was ridiculous to even consider.
“So, what do you need me to do?” Enid asked.
“This ritual will require someone to enter Wednesday’s mind and help her defeat this creature that the curse has become and I believe we have a higher chance of success if that someone is you.”
“Oh,” Enid said, “I’m in, like I said, I’ll do anything, but…how? I’m not psychic.”
Morticia nodded, her expression darkening, “I know. And that’s where the real danger lies. There is a potion – more like a poison, similar to what I took to enhance my gifts. Whoever drinks it will have their mind opened and give them the ability to enter the mind of anyone they wish. It’s easier if you’re already psychic, but it says that if at least one party is psychic then it should work even on other outcasts. The thing is, this potion is poisonous. It’s deadly to normies, but a little more unpredictable with outcasts. We know that it will make you sick, but there’s no knowing just how bad it will be, or how long it will take to wear off and there is no antidote for this one.”
Enid took a moment to think about it, feeling a little guilty that she would need to think about it when she was all in a moment ago. What if she failed? What if she went through that and it was all for nothing because she wasn’t good enough?
“And you need to know, that if something happened while in her mind, if you get hurt there, you will get hurt in reality, and if you get killed or if Wednesday dies while you are in her mind…we lose you both. This is dangerous, Enid. I need you to know that before you agree to anything,” Morticia added, her expression stone serious.
Enid swallowed hard, absently rubbing her bruised elbow.
“So, basically, you’re asking that I drink poison, enter Wednesday’s mind, and help her fight a monster. And there’s no guarantee either of us would get out alive.”
Morticia nodded, guilt and desperation written clearly on her face, “Yes, that is the gist of it. As I said, if you say no, I completely understand and no one will ever, and I mean ever think any less of you. You have done so much and are always welcome as part of this family, even if you say no, no matter the outcome. If you don’t want to do it, I will do it myself, but I need you to understand that I would never even consider asking you if I didn’t believe that you are our best chance.”
Enid frowned, thinking hard. She would do anything to save Wednesday, but the thought was terrifying, and she was so confused, “OK, but…why? Why me? I’m not psychic. How would that even work? I get that it might work because Wednesday’s psychic, but she’s not exactly in on this plan…”
“Two reasons,” Morticia said. “One is that the book says the spell works much better with a pure soul, and out of all of us, that would be you.”
Enid scoffed uncomfortably, “I’m not a pure soul though…I mean…I’m not perfect by any means. And really, is anyone?”
“No one is,” Morticia agreed, “but you are the closest thing to it. You radiate light and goodness and always try to do the right thing and give so much of yourself to make others feel good and have not committed atrocities that would tarnish that. Besides, magic works in funny ways and it’s right there in your name and even if you did not display such virtues, that would still be a loophole to work around.”
“My name?”
“That is essentially what your name means, did you not know that?”
Enid shook her head.
“Well, either way, that alone makes you a strong candidate. The second reason is that you and Wednesday share a unique bond, and it is strong,” Morticia said. “When my gifts were enhanced, I could see it, even when we left the hospital, it was still there, not broken or weakened by distance. I can’t see it anymore, but I know this connection between you two is still there and it is powerful. As her mother, she and I also have a connection, but it’s nothing like what you two share.”
“Really?” Enid was confused.
“Yes. Considering how hard you have fought to protect her and be by her side, and your dedication and loyalty… I can see how much and how deeply you love her.”
“Of course I do, she’s my best friend! I can’t lose her!”
Morticia gave her a warm, knowing smile, “Well, however you might define it, what you and Wednesday have is unique and powerful. And I think…I think that you have already gone into her mind before, because of that connection.”
Enid should have been surprised by that, but had already suspected that there were more to her nightmares than simply being nightmares. Even though she suspected it, she still didn’t understand it and a part of her was skeptical, “Why do you think that?”
“Because when my gifts were enhanced, not only did I see your connection, I could see Wednesday reaching out for help, and she was reaching for you,” Morticia said, wiping a tear from her eye. “And I must admit, I was a little jealous that she was subconsciously seeking you and not me, her own mother. But…I wasn’t there when…” she sighed, “when…when she almost died that night. And that’s where I believe that bond was created and turned into the powerful thing it is.”
Enid frowned, “What do you mean?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Morticia asked, “Why didn’t you tell us that Wednesday almost died before battling Crackstone?”
She didn’t sound angry or upset, just curious, but Enid felt guilty anyway. She lowered her gaze, “You know about that?”
“I saw it in my vision.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think it was my story to tell and I didn’t want to upset you over something that was over,” Enid said quietly, still trying to wrap her head around what Morticia was asking of her and everything she had said about her and Wednesday.
“I can see that,” Morticia nodded, “as horrifying as the vision was, I felt like I was intruding on an intimate moment. Wednesday always thought she was going to die alone, but you stayed with her, you comforted her, you held her and as much as she tried to be strong and begged you to go, you stayed, and she… she allowed herself to be vulnerable, she allowed you to comfort her. She hadn’t let anyone comfort her or see her vulnerable side since she was a small child.”
“Maybe it was because she was dying and was too weak to keep up with appearing strong, but I know her. You have changed her and I know she chose to let you comfort her because it was you,” Morticia let out a quiet sob. “There have been times when I could see she was hurting, and all I wanted to do as her mother was hold her and make everything all right. But she pushed us away, she demanded we give her space while she would run and hide to lick her own wounds and turn her hurt into something destructive.
“I suppose it’s our fault, me and Gomez. She’s an Addams, so it’s valid – we love a little vengeance now and then and we encouraged it at first, thinking it was a phase – but she would take it too far sometimes. I understand now that part of it was the Raven in her, but she grew to believe that opening herself up would only lead to more hurt. And while that can be true, it was leading her on a dangerous, lonely path that would’ve only caused her far more harm in the long run.”
She broke down and sobbed into her hands for a moment, overcome with grief. Enid moved so she was sitting beside her and put her arm around her, struggling to keep from breaking down herself. She rubbed her back soothingly, ignoring the tears that fell from her eyes.
“But you…you saved her in the Crypt,” Morticia continued when she was able to speak again.
“I didn’t do anything,” Enid said, “I didn’t heal her.”
“I’m not talking about her life, I am talking about her soul,” Morticia clarified wiping the moisture from her still-red eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“Before you found her that night she was ready to die, she had vengeance on her mind, she felt bitter, betrayed, angry, and hurt,” Morticia said. “That weighed heavily on her soul. She believed that letting anyone in was a mistake and was convinced that all the relationships she had formed the last few months would only end in more betrayal, more hurt. She was at risk of becoming a vengeful spirit, and while she might’ve liked the idea in theory, in practice it would’ve been a horrible fate that I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy.
“But you were there. You stayed with her when you had nothing to gain and so much to lose by staying. You proved to her that not everyone is a potential enemy to be wary of. When she finally let go and fully accepted your love and comfort, she had found peace and you became her saving grace,” she continued. “In that moment, a powerful bond between you two was created and whatever happened that healed her only strengthened its power. I believe it was that bond that helped you wolf out that night.”
“Really?”
“Surely you know how unusual it is for a werewolf to experience their first transformation during a blood moon due to the earth’s shadow weakening its effect on your kind?”
“Yeah, my mom was really excited about it. Blood Moon Wolves are considered special that way,” Enid said. But she never felt special for it, it was terrifying. But she never really thought to question whether she would’ve ever transformed in the first place if it weren’t for her strong desire to protect Wednesday.
“Indeed,” Morticia said, glancing out the window contemplatively, “I don’t know how Wednesday survived, that part of the vision was too distorted, there was some sort of supernatural interference keeping it from me. She was nearing her last breath; how did she get healed?”
“I don’t know exactly, but Wednesday said that Goody healed her,” Enid said.
Morticia seemed oddly unhappy with that information, worried even, but Enid did not want to question it. She frowned and asked, “Did she say how?”
Enid shook her head, “I have no idea.”
Morticia nodded, looking like she was trying to hold back more tears, “Doesn’t matter, I suppose,” she said, “what matters is saving her now. Everything else we can worry about later.”
“Yeah,” Enid nodded. And there was so much else to worry about. But until Wednesday was saved, none of it mattered.
“I’m so sorry to lay all this on you, Enid,” Morticia said, “I know it’s a lot to take in, and I know what I’m asking for with this ritual is a huge ask. But are you willing to do it? If not I will do it, but I need to know now because…”
“I’ll do it,” Enid said, “I’ll do the ritual. Gladly.”
Morticia seemed both grateful and distraught, “Are you sure? I don’t feel right asking you to risk your life to…”
“I’m sure. She would do the same for me and wouldn’t even hesitate,” Enid said, “and it wouldn’t be the first time I fought a monster to save Wednesday this week.”
Morticia chuckled softly, “True, but you won’t be able to wolf out this time.”
“Doesn’t matter. I am going to destroy it.”
“No,” Morticia said, “you can’t. This thing has taken too much of a hold on her to be destroyed without hurting Wednesday in the process, remember? Without the staff that created this curse, it can’t be destroyed. You will need to trap it, contain it so it can’t do any more damage.”
“Oh,” Enid frowned, angry at herself for forgetting and getting carried away, blaming her exhaustion and desperation to save Wednesday for her forgetfulness. This was only a temporary solution, not a cure. “Right.”
As though reading her mind Morticia said, “Hopefully once it’s trapped it cannot escape. At least this will give us plenty of time, time for her to heal at the very least.”
Enid nodded, “How long do you think it might last?”
“Not sure. There’s no real way of knowing, but no matter what, even if it never escapes and I hope it never does, we’re never going to stop looking for a more permanent way to end this curse,” Morticia said.
“Never,” Enid agreed.
~~W~F~A~~
Later, at the hospital, Enid’s anxiety was on the rise. As soon as they returned to Wednesday’s side she could feel a difference in the energy in the room. Even without Nurse Gina and Wednesday’s doctors telling them she didn’t have much time left, Enid could tell. It was eerie because she looked the same as when they left her earlier that evening, but there was a subtle shift in the air and it gave Enid the shivers.
This truly was their only chance and Enid was nearly overwhelmed by the pressure. If she failed, that would be it. There would be no time to try something else. Wednesday would die within the next couple of hours. As it was now, she was barely holding on.
Enid had overheard Nurse Gina tell one of the other night nurses that they should’ve consented to surgery while they had the chance. She wanted to tell her off, but she was too tired and needed to focus. Besides, even in her grief and under the overwhelming pressure and all the chaos of emotions it brought, Enid could tell that Nurse Gina only said it because she didn’t want to lose her patient. They were on the same side but she didn’t know what Wednesday was really dealing with.
Gomez and Morticia had instructed the hospital staff not to disturb them for the next hour - unless something happened and they were needed. Gina had strong opinions about that but she kept them mostly to herself and reluctantly agreed. Maybe she gave in because Gomez was one of the hospital owners now. Or maybe she didn’t think it mattered anymore now that Wednesday was so close to death. Or maybe she was intimidated by Lurch who kept his post outside her door diligently and would refuse them entry either way. Even though he was a gentle giant, everyone on the hospital staff seemed a little wary of him.
Enid was instructed to rest while they prepared the ritual. She laid down in the bed beside Wednesday’s, they had moved it so it was closer to Wednesday’s bed but not close enough to reach as they needed the space.
Morticia had given Enid Wednesday’s necklace and instructed her to put it on. She then held up one that was identical, but it was positioned on the chain like an “M”. “These talismans will fortify your bond and anchor you to this world,” she explained quietly, “and connect you both to me so you won’t get lost.” She gently unclasped the chain and placed it around Wednesday’s neck, taking a moment to brush her bangs back with her fingers and kiss her gently on the forehead before getting to work.
Between the two beds, Morticia had drawn a circle with chalk with runes along the outside edge and other symbols inside. Enid had no idea what any of it meant, but Morticia had to refer to the book in her hand as she drew it. When she was done she carefully placed four candles inside the circle on top of some of the symbols. If Gina or any of the hospital staff knew they were about to light some candles, they would probably lose it and kick them all out, owners or not.
With her mortar and pestle placed carefully within the circle, Enid watched Morticia add some dried herbs and flowers into the stone bowl and she ground them up into a fine powder. Then she added a few vials of dark liquids and mixed them.
Taking a small knife, she made a small cut in her hand at the base of her thumb and let three drops of blood fall into the potion. She did the same with Pugsley, Gomez, and Thing.
“This is so a piece of us will be in there with you, guiding you and protecting you,” she explained as Enid watched.
“Oh,” she said quietly, trying to quiet her growing anxiety as she anticipated what she was about to do.
Failure wasn’t an option. She needed to be strong, she needed to be brave, she needed to succeed. She couldn’t lose Wednesday. Not now. Not ever.
But what if she wasn’t strong enough? What if she couldn’t save her?
You’re such a disappointment.
Enid squeezed her eyes shut and felt a tear fall down her cheek as she tried to will her mother’s voice to shut up and let her do what she needed to do without her stupid anxiety getting in the way. Wednesday needed her. Her mother and her influence over her could shove it.
“I got this,” she whispered to herself turning her head to the side so she could see Wednesday’s profile, though she was partially obscured by the ventilator keeping her alive, “I can do this. I will save you.”
“Enid?” Morticia said softly, “It’s ready.” She urged her to sit up and handed her the mortar which now had a thick, dark red liquid in it. “Before you drink this, remember, we are going to be with you and protect you from out here, but when you are under, the thing this curse has become can hurt you so you need to be careful. And one more thing, and this is important. When you find this thing and trap it, Wednesday will need to be the one to seal it in whatever cage you lock it in. It took her power, she needs to be the one to take it back, understand?”
Enid nodded.
“Whenever you’re ready, we’ll begin,” she gently finger-combed her hair out of her face and leaned forward to kiss the top of her head, “you got this dear, we believe in you.”
Enid nodded and took a deep, calming breath, inwardly telling herself over and over that it would be OK and she could do this, she could save Wednesday. She took the stone bowl to her lips and tilted her head back, drinking the dark, thick liquid in one long gulp.
The taste was horrible, bitter and vile. She immediately felt like gagging and it burned as it went down her throat, like she drank acid. Was there acid in there? Immediately she felt nauseous and dizzy and everything became blurry and distorted. She was vaguely aware of Morticia taking the bowl from her.
“How long before—”
Before she could finish asking how long it would take to work, everything went black and suddenly she was falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
Until she landed with a hard thud on a cold dirt ground in a dark world shrouded in fog and smoke.
At first, she didn’t know where she was. She wasn’t even sure how she got there, or why. But as she picked herself up and dusted herself off she noticed that the thick smoke and fog seemed repulsed by her, keeping a distance. It moved when she did, keeping away from her and she noticed she emitted a fascinating, faint glow.
The place was terrifying, and it seemed overbearingly dark, and she could feel a sense of dread and hopelessness and absolute loneliness in the air. Even though the fog wouldn't dare touch her, it was still so oppressive and consuming and she wanted to collapse and curl into a ball and cry herself into oblivion in its presence.
She felt a weight around her neck and looked down at the pendant resting against her chest that as far as she knew hadn’t been there before. It was a silver “W” decorated with black obsidian. When she grabbed it to get a better look and ran her thumb over it her memories rushed back and she suddenly remembered where she was. She had been here before. And she remembered why she was there and what she needed to do.
And she didn’t have much time.
“Hold on, Wednesday,” she said, “I’m coming.”