Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Under the Sun

Chapter 1

Enid Sinclair sat in a shaded lifeguard chair, sunglasses on, whistle held loosely in her mouth, and flotation device resting on her lap. She surveyed the water in front of her, the Atlantic Ocean off New Jersey, keeping an eye on everyone to make sure they were safe. It was the beginning of summer and still just a little too cold for many people to be swimming, and from her experience guarding the local pool back in San Fransisco, people would probably only start getting wet in a week or two when it really started to heat up. Still, she had to remain vigilant. She wasn’t going to let something happen to some poor soul while she could do something about it.

She did take her eyes off the water briefly to check what the other lifeguards were up to at their own stations. One of her cousins was at the station to her left, maybe 100 feet away. He was mostly relaxed, though Enid spotted his leg bouncing for something to do. Past him, at the edge of the beach, was Ajax, her cousins’ friend, a good looking boy she had met a few time s on past visits. He was talking to a couple of beachgoers, not quite meeting their eyes. He was a touch shy, a touch sweet, and Enid really wanted to work up the courage to talk to him more, preferably one on one. She hoped lifeguarding together would give her plenty of opportunities to do just that.

She tore her eyes away from Ajax to check the last lifeguard to her right. Bianca, popular, proud, and more than a little intimidating was leaning back relaxed in her chair. They had only interacted a few times but every time she was supremely confident, which made sense considering she was a siren, an Outcast capable of transforming her legs into a tail and her hands into webbed claws, perfect for swimming.

Each of them was an Outcast, a person with some power or monstrous aspect. Enid and her cousin were werewolves. She could extend her nails into sharp claws and was stronger than average with better senses. At the full moon she was supposed to turn into a full-fledged beast, but much to her own and her parents’ disappointment she hadn’t been able to transform a single time in her sixteen years.

There were other creatures and powers in the Outcast community, some common some rare, some feared some sought after. Ajax was a gorgon, with snakes for hair which could temporarily turn to stone any who looked at them. Enid’s best friend, Yoko, was a vampire, blood drinking, garlic hating, and long-lived. Outcasts lived at the edges of Normie society, in a tense peace with occasional flare ups and occasional attempts at bridging the two communities. Most of the time everyone didn’t acknowledge the rift between them, content to let sleeping dogs lie. But that was more than Enid wanted to worry about for the summer.

She noticed the people in front of her start to whisper to each other. They glanced and pointed off to Enid’s right, and she sorely wanted to turn and see what all the commotion was about. After a moment of consideration s he allowed herself a pe e k, just a slight turn of the head to see what was going on. Coming down the beach walking towards the ocean was a family, the oddest family she had ever seen, which was saying a lot.

The family was made up of a mother and father, two kids walking behind, a daughter about Enid’s age and a son a few years younger, and… an uncle? Enid wasn’t sure considering the lack of family resemblance. Whatever his relation he was tall and lumbering and dressed not in swimwear like the others but in a suit instead. Even though summer wasn’t in full swing Enid didn’t know how he was functioning in a suit in the sun.

And as for the swimwear the family had on, Enid wasn’t sure where to start. It almost looked Victorian, long and dark with white stripes. The parents each sported wide-brimmed hats, and everyone had on sunglasses. Enid wondered if they were vampires, but while vampires could survive in the sun, most didn’t seek it out by going to the beach. H er eyes were drawn to the mother’s suit, which was low cut and really showed off her ample -

No. She shouldn’t check out strangers, even if their dress highlighted certain assets. But if her eyes lingered for a few extra moments what harm was done?

Then Enid’s eyes landed on the daughter. The rest of the family looked happy- save the tall man at the back who didn’t look anything at all- but the daughter was glaring at everyone and everything in her way. Enid couldn’t tell if it was intimidating or cute considering how short the girl was and the pigtails she sported . Then those eyes slid over to Enid and she had to swallow back a yelp. She was definitely intimidating.

She kept watching while the family staked out a spot and settled into it. The father, a short man with slick hair parted down the middle and a thin mustache, gesticulated around the beach as he gave an impassioned speech to his family. At least, Enid assumed it was impassioned since she couldn’t make out any of the words, but his arms swung grandly and his face jumped from one emotion to another. The son was listening intently, but the daughter looked like she wanted to be anywhere else. His wife stood out again, watching him with a soft smile and enraptured eyes, and Enid couldn’t help a twinge of jealousy at such obvious love.

She tore her eyes away from the family to resume watching over the rest of the beach. Things remained quiet for a while, and Enid snuck occasional glances at the odd family that had settled in her purview. The daughter maintained her dour look while she buried her brother. Enid was only mildly concerned when she noticed the girl completely cover the boy’s head and continue piling sand on. Since their parents weren’t reacting she assumed this was normal behavior and their boy wasn’t in any danger.

Eventually the boy escaped his sand grave and spoke with the girl, and they headed for the water. Enid perked up. Everyone else in the area she was responsible for had left the water, so sh e would have a good reason to watch the odd pair. On closer inspection the idea that they were a family of vampires grew stronger. They were pale and covered a lot of their skin considering they were at the beach, wearing more wetsuit than swimsuit. But they had removed their sunglasses, and they lacked the extended canines vampires had. Enid frowned. If they weren’t vampires then she wondered what kind of outcasts they were.

She continued to ponder the two teens as they entered the water. The cold didn’t seem to bother them. They didn’t hesitate or even flinch as they walked in up to their waist, and they continued until they were treading water to keep their heads above water. Enid bit her lip. They seemed like competent swimmers but she was a natural worrier. Her worry blew up into full on anxiety when the siblings counted down and dove under the water at the same time. They probably just wanted to ride a wave in, right?

When she couldn’t spot either sibling after two waves she blew her whistle, leapt from her chair, and sprinted for the water. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bianca move as well, and she knew that her cousin and Ajax would get anyone else out of the water until all four lifeguards were back in position. But first she had someone to rescue.

Enid hit the waterline at a full sprint and barely acknowledged the cold. She heard Bianca a step or two behind her, though the siren would easily pass her in the water. She could just make out the shapes of two bodies in the water and adjusted her course towards the closest one. It was more slight so Enid guessed it was the daughter. When the water hit her knees she dove and started swimming. In a few short strokes she made it to the figure, definitely the daughter, and wrapped the flotation device around her.

The girl startled and struggled, a surprisingly common reaction to being saved from drowning, but though Enid hadn’t yet transformed she was still strong enough to haul the struggling girl to shallower water without being pulled under herself. When she could get her feet under herself she pulled the girl to her and lifted her completely out of the water.

“ Stop moving so much, I got you,” Enid said in her most soothing voice. The girl struggled harder and turned to face Enid with a potent glare.

“ Release me or lose your hands. Your choice.” Her voice was delicate and sharp, the edge of a knife, and Enid put her down quickly before even noticing the actual knife in the other girl’s hand.

She wondered where it had even come from, but before she could really process what was going on Bianc a hauled the brother out of the water. He wasn’t moving, and it looked like he wasn’t breathing either. She laid him flat on the ground and knelt to deliver CPR, but he spluttered and coughed on his own before she started.

“ A shame,” Enid heard from that same delicate voice. “ Taken by the callous ocean would have been a fine way for him to go.”

“ What?” she asked turning towards the girl. “You wanted him to die?”

“ We were curious what it would feel like to drown. What better way to find out than to go all the way?” she asked rhetorically.

The knife had disappeared again, though Enid still couldn’t tell where it had come from. Before she could respond, new voices cut in, the girl’s parents, come to see what happened with their children.

“ Marvelous, simply marvelous,” the man’s voice rang out. All eyes turned to him as he continued approaching. “Wednesday your lung capacity remains as impressive as ever, and Pugsley my boy, you have tasted the sweet embrace of the hereafter.”

Wednesday and Pugsley. Those were odd names for an odd family. Their mother spoke next.

“And you two,” she said in a smooth voice, gesturing to Enid and Bianca, “were so gallant. You should be proud of how quickly you responded.”

Enid didn’t have time to unpack how strongly a motherly voice telling her to be proud of herself effected her. Instead she turned fully towards the parents to speak with them.

“I’m sorry, what kind of outcasts are you? Because we thought your kids were drowning but no one seems to be worried?”

“Call me a kid again and we’ll see how you fare in the water when it’s full of piranhas.”

“ Don’t mind our little scorpion,” the father said. “Wednesday, these lifeguards were only doing what they are here for.”

“ An unnecessary task. If people cannot handle themselves in the water then they deserve what comes to them.”

“I mean, the ocean can be pretty unpredictable, of course they’d need help,” Enid said.

“Pathetic,” Wednesday sneered .

Enid looked around bewildered and met Bianca’s eyes. The other girl only raised her eyebrows, but didn’t otherwise join in. That was odd. She usually had no problem talking to others and changing their minds. If she was staying out of the conversation then maybe she knew something about this family. Still, Enid felt the need to respond.

“ Needing help isn’t pathetic,” she said.

Wednesday looked like she was about to respond when her mother put a hand on her shoulder. It was quickly brushed off.

“Very true, young lady,” the mother said, seemingly unbothered by her daughter’s rejection. She turned to her family. “Perhaps we have caused these brave lifeguards enough trouble for one day. Why don’t we take a stroll down the boardwalk and see what t here is to find.”

“Can we get some ice cream?” Pugsley asked. He sounded chipper for someone who had probably swallowed a fair amount of New Jersey runoff water.

“Of course, my dear, though I’m afraid we’ll have to add our own arsenic,” his mother said.

“ Thank you again for saving our children,” the father said to Enid and Bianca.

“Even thought it wasn’t necessary,” Wednesday added.

Enid decided follow Bianca’s example and held her tongue as the family returned to their patch of beach and packed their things. She turned to Bianca to ask what had just happened, but the other girl just shook her head. “Let’s get back to it Sinclair,” she said.

“If you say so.”

They signaled to her cousin and Ajax that their emergency was handled and returned to their stands. The rest of their watch was quiet, which allowed Enid to chase her thoughts in circles around the odd family. She was burning with curiosity about who they were, what kind of outcasts they were, and if she would see them again.

Chapter Text

The evening after her run-in with the odd family at the beach Enid met up with Yoko looking for answers. She had first talked to her cousin after their shift ended, but werewolves tended to be pretty insular, even from other Outcasts. When she asked about the family he had shrugged and told her he didn’t know anything about them. She was glad for an excuse to talk to Ajax some more, but he was a little oblivious about, well, a lot of things, including local gossip. Bianca had only shook her head when Enid asked her about them, and Enid was too intimidated to really press the other girl.

That left her best friend Yoko as her next target for information. They had met years before when Enid’s mother had taken the family to visit her sister in New Jersey, the first of many summer trips across the country. They had met on the boardwalk, in a store that catered to Outcasts. Enid had been taken by how cool Yoko was, and Yoko had enjoyed teasing the younger girl about the garish colors she wore, a fashion that Enid had held on to through all the time they knew each other. Yoko was also more connected to the broader Outcast community than her cousin and Ajax, and much easier to approach than Bianca.

She met up with Yoko on the boardwalk with plans to find some place to eat, and Enid described the family as they started down the wooden walkway.

“Sounds like the Addams,” Yoko said when Enid was done describing her encounter.

“Okay, great, they have a name. But like, who are they?”

Yoko shrugged. “They’re an old, old Outcast family, big too. They probably have every kind of Outcast blood somewhere in their family tree.” She gave Enid a look. “A lot of money too. The head of the family lives here in Jersey, maybe that’s who you met.”

Enid paled. “Are they like some kind of crime family?”

Yoko kept staring at her through her tinted glasses and Enid began to panic. Sure she had tried to save the daughter’s life, but the other girl had been pissed. She had even pulled a knife on Enid. What would she do if the family came back around looking for revenge? Yoko broke through her thoughts with a laugh.

“Calm down girl, they’re nothing like that,” she said. Her face turned thoughtful. “Probably.”

“Don’t mess with me Yoko, what do you mean probably?”

“They’ve done a lot of good. They’re pretty much the reason Jersey has so many Outcasts with the amount of philanthropy they’ve done. I mean, there are still rumors about them, but nothing worse than what’s said about werewolves or vampires.”

Enid but her lip. “You know some of those things are true.”

Yoko shrugged again. “So maybe some of the things about them are true too. But I wouldn’t worry if I were you. Most of the rumors are good, the rest are just…” she paused to think. “Mysterious and spooky.”

“Right,” Enid muttered. “Just mysterious and spooky.”

“Besides, they live out in the middle of the state. They were probably just here for a day trip and you’ll never see them again.”

Just then Enid felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned to look behind her no one was there.

“Uh, Enid?” Yoko said. “Don’t freak out, but-”

It didn’t matter what Yoko was about to say because Enid became aware of a weight on her back, by her shoulder blade. She craned her neck around and saw fingers, then a hand with gruesome stitches scattered across it, then nothing. She blinked. There was a hand on her back not attached to another person. She screamed and flailed around trying to dislodge the disembodied hand.

“My dear lifeguard, I knew it was you from your… vibrant colors,” came a voice from behind.

Enid briefly stopped her flailing to see who had spoken and received another shock. The father from earlier was standing in the doorway of a restaurant watching her with a fond smile on his face. He stretched his arms out wide in a welcoming gesture when their eyes met and started walking towards her and Yoko.

“Wha- huh?” Enid answered as eloquently as she could.

“I must apologize for Thing, he loves his little tricks,” the man said. “I asked him to get your attention and he took some liberties.”

“Thing?”

The man nodded at her shoulder where the disembodied hand fluttered its fingers at her. She blinked at it again but managed a weak smile instead of a full body freakout.

“Hello, Thing.” She felt weird talking to a hand, but when it- he?- shook back and forth she almost felt she could understand him.

“Excellent, just excellent,” the man said again. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gomez Addams, and I’m so glad to have met you again. I was so terribly rude this morning. You tried to save my daughter’s life and I didn’t even got your name.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Enid said. “Really it’s fine, that’s what we’re there for anyway.”

“Come, join me and my family for dinner so we can thank you properly. Your friend is welcome to join as well.”

Gomez certainly sounded sincere, and the restaurant he had been in was… well it was hard to call any restaurant on a boardwalk fancy, but it was certainly expensive. Enid looked to Yoko who shrugged in response.

“We wouldn’t want to impose,” she said to Gomez.

“You could never,” he said. “Please, for the sake of my own guilty heart, join us.”

Enid bit her lip, but after a moment of consideration she nodded. “Alright. My name’s Enid.”

She held out her hand to shake and Gomez took it, bent down, and pressed his lips to the back of it.

“A pleasure to meet you Enid,” he said. He had a disarming charm which made his extravagant gesture pleasant instead of creepy. He held his hand out to Yoko to greet her too, and kissed her hand as well.

“Yoko,” she introduced herself.

“A vampire I see. No need to worry, this restaurant caters to Outcasts of every kind,” he said as he turned back towards the entrance. “This way.”

He led them inside and motioned to a waiter as he passed. By the time they reached his family’s table there were two extra chairs waiting for Enid and Yoko. His family were exactly as they had been that morning, dressed darkly and a more than a little odd, even in a restaurant for Outcasts. The wife and son were smiling at least, although the daughter’s glare made Enid wonder if the other girl could set people on fire with her mind.

“My family, this is Enid, one of the lifeguards from this morning, and her friend Yoko.”

They looked around the table at three sets of eyes on them, as well as whatever the equivalent was for a disembodied hand.

“Enid, Yoko, this is my family.” He gestured to his wife. “The light of my life, the fire of my soul, my wife Morticia.” He pointed to his children. “And my children, mes raisons d’etre, my youngest, Pugsley, and my oldest Wednesday.”

“Uh, hi,” Enid said with a small wave.

Morticia smiled at her. “Hello dear. Please, sit, there’s no need to be nervous.”

“Right,” Enid smiled as she and Yoko pulled out their chairs and sat across from Wednesday and Pugsley.

“That is, if you can handle your arsenic,” Wednesday said, faces stoic. “Or perhaps for you, wolfsbane.”

Enid started and stared at Wednesday, mouth agape. How had she even known Enid was a werewolf? Enid didn’t think she was wearing anything to indicate she was one. And that was a hell of a joke to make to someone after meeting them for the first time, if it was even meant as a joke.

“Ah, a werewolf, of course!” Gomez said from his seat at one head of the table. “That would explain your speed at the beach.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess it does,” Enid said.

Before the conversation went any further a waitress approached the table. She looked familiar, with brown hair to her shoulders and pale eyes. She wore a siren’s necklace, meant to dampen the effects of their song when in public. It clicked. She was one of Yoko’s other friends, Divine? Divinity? Enid checked her nametag. Divina.

Divina took their orders, smiled at Yoko, and left to put them in. Enid nudged Yoko under the table and received a glare in return. She smiled and decided to bother her friend about that little interaction later. But first came the Addams family.

Gomez and Pugsley were intensely interested in werewolves and bombarded Enid with questions. Enid didn’t mind, at least when the questions were about werewolves in general. When the questions turned to Enid herself and her experience as a werewolf she internally cringed. She didn’t really want to admit she hadn’t wolfed out, since that usually came with surprise and suggestions and judgment. Yoko, good friend that she was, cut in and redirected the conversation. Maybe she wouldn’t give Yoko a hard time about Divina after all.

Yoko asked after the Addams’ relationship with werewolves and Gomez started in on a long monologue about various branches and figures of his ancestral line. Enid could tell how passionate he was not only about his immediate family but his entire clan. He threw his hands around in grand gestures with a wide smile as he spoke, and while he spoke Enid snuck glances around the table at the other Addams.

Morticia was watching Gomez with rapt attention, offering occasional remarks and interjections. Her smile was soft and ethereal, and Enid wondered what it was like to have two parents so openly affectionate. Pugsley seemed to hang on every word, diligent and attentive. He was a little hunched over in his chair, but straightened up whenever Gomez’s passion rose, as if he were imitating his father.

Their food arrived and the talk turned from werewolves and the Addams to more mundane topics. Enid shifted her focus to Wednesday, the last of the member of the family. She sat ramrod straight and every move she made was precise. Her expression lacked the jovial invitation of her father, the warmth of her mother, or even the affection of her brother. Instead her face was as perfectly controlled as her body, revealing nothing. Although when she opened a bottle and poured a smoking liquid on her food Enid had to reconsider her earlier remarks about arsenic and wolfsbane.

Wednesday turned her gaze to Enid as if she could feel Enid’s scrutiny and their eyes met for a moment. Wednesday’s eyes were dark and deep and Enid felt arrested. She had thought the other girl revealed nothing in her expression, but her eyes showed her mood, and though Enid couldn’t tell exactly what the other girl was thinking, she knew it was intense.

“What’s the matter Sinclair? Is there something on my face?” Wednesday asked, and though her tone was even there was an underlying threatening note.

Enid bristled. She hadn’t done anything to this girl and she had the gall to get pissy at Enid? She had even tried to save Wednesday’s life! Well if the other girl didn’t want anything to do with Enid, then Enid didn’t want anything to do with her. She raised her head and turned away.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” she said.

“My little death trap, that is no way to treat the person who saved your life,” Morticia said.

“An empty gesture, my life wasn’t in danger,” Wednesday said.

“You never know, my scorpion, the ocean can be cruel to even experienced swimmers, and you’ve never been in before,” Gomez said.

“Please father, I’m a more competent swimmer than that. Even the kraken can’t keep me underwater for more than thirty seconds.”

Enid decided to ignore Wednesday, even though she had said something completely ridiculous that really piqued her interest, and turned to Gomez.

“Have you guys never been to the ocean before?” she asked. “I thought you lived in New Jersey.”

“A crying shame that we have never visited the beaches of our own home state, but that is the reality we have decided to fix.”

Despite her resolution to ignore Wednesday she spotted the dark look the other girl gave to her father.

“So we have rented a fine house and plan to spend the summer exploring the wonders of the New Jersey shore,” Gomez continued.

Enid and Yoko shared a look. The Jersey shore was a lot of things, but few people would call it wonderful. Then again, the Addams clearly had some odd tastes. Maybe they would fit right in.

“Cool,” Enid said. “What do you have planned.”

Gomez looked to his wife and the two seemed to communicate using only their eyes. Eventually Morticia answered for them both.

“Some of the plans we made are a little outdated for our children,” she said ruefully. Enid resisted the urge to check the look on Wednesday’s face. “Sometimes I wonder just where the time has gone. Perhaps the two of you could offer some suggestions for what two teenagers might enjoy.”

Enid had a lot of suggestions for two regular teenagers, but for Wednesday and Pugsley was less confident.

“Well, there’s a ton of stuff on the beach to do,” she started tentatively. “And I guess there are a lot of shops on the boardwalk.” She looked to Yoko for help. Yoko shrugged.

“I guess there’s the water park and the fair on the pier,” she added.

“Oh, if you’re willing to drive a bit you can check out some of the lighthouses. You’d have to be into them, but…”

“There are fishing trips, whale watching tours,” Yoko continued.

Pugsley perked up. “Fishing? Can I bring my grenades or do they give you some to use?”

“Uh, I think grenades are banned, like, everywhere,” Enid said. Although that did give her an idea. “Maybe you’d like that new axe throwing place. They give you the axes and everything.”

Pugsley looked genuinely excited at the prospect of throwing axes and even Wednesday didn’t look completely angry at the thought. Then Gomez spoke.

“Wonderful ideas, truly wonderful. It would be nice if someone could show our children some of these attractions so they didn’t have to spend their summer with their old parents.”

“Oh we could totally do that,” Enid said before she really thought about it.

She winced when Yoko kicked her under the table, but she couldn’t really help herself. Gomez had been so kind and appreciative and Enid was something of a natural people-pleaser. Still, she could try to give them, or at least Yoko, an out. “If our schedules line up, of course.”

“How generous,” Gomez said at the same time Wednesday said, “how unnecessary.”

“Father, Pugsley might, but I do not need a babysitter.”

“That’s fine, Pugsley seems like a cool kid,” Enid said. Wednesday glared at her.

“Then you can spend time with your mother and I. I can’t blame you,” Gomez said as he turned to his wife and took her hand. “She is captivating.”

He kissed his way up his wife’s arm and Enid watched Wednesday’s face grow dark. It seemed that even in the Addams family teenagers found their parents’ antics annoying. Enid smiled at the thought.

“I’d rather remove my eyeballs,” Wednesday said, jaw tight. She whipped her head around to face Enid. “Very well. I will join Pugsley on whatever asinine plans you hatch from that dye-soaked brain.”

“Excellent,” Morticia said with Gomez’s face in the crook of her neck. “With that settled, finish our meals.”

“I have my ravishing meal right here,” Gomez said.

Morticia laughed and Enid could start to appreciate how Wednesday felt. The two were a lot, even if it was sweet. She looked to Wednesday again and blanched at the stare she received in return. She hoped she could survive what she had signed herself up for.

Chapter Text

The day after dinner with the Addams was a work day for Enid, and she spent it in her lifeguard chair thinking about her plan for the evening. The previous night they had agreed that Enid would take Pugsley and Wednesday out after her shift. They would get something to eat then Enid would show them her favorite arcade on the boardwalk, a standard summer evening at the Jersey Shore. Yoko had claimed she already had plans, which Enid knew was a lie, but she couldn't blame her friend for ducking an evening with relative strangers.

She wondered how much the Addams children would really go for an arcade. Pugsley had seemed interested and asked what kinds of games there were, but Wednesday had approached the subject with the same disdain she seemed to approach everything. But considering her whole aesthetic and some of the topics the family had discussed during dinner Enid figured she would try to find some gruesome fighting or shooting game to placate their apparent bloodlust.

The Addams were a weird family, but then, so were many outcast families. They seemed to revel in their oddity, a kind of freedom that Enid could only yearn for. Seeing the way they interacted, hearing the tales Gomez shared about cousins, brothers, aunts, uncles, and ancestors of ages past, Enid couldn't help but compare the Addams to her own family. There were certain similarities. Both were large families, close-knit and caring. But where the Addams seemed to accept any and every kind of addition to their family as they were, the Sinclairs had... expectations. There were rules and roles that each member of any werewolf family was expected to fill, and Enid didn't. She couldn't.

Maybe that was one of the reasons she had so readily agreed to spend time with the Addams children. She had been sent away for the summer by her own mother, and her aunt and cousins more or less pretended she wasn't there. She had a place to sleep and food to eat, but whatever she was supposed to get from being in New Jersey, she wasn't getting it. She snorted derisively at the thought. She was so hard up for familial acceptance that she was looking in some really weird places.

When her shift ended she hurried home to shower before heading out. Gomez had given her the address of the rental house, and she tried to imagine what their family would look like in a traditional beach house, all bright colors and sunshine with a family in black inside. She let the thought amuse and distract her as she made her way to the address, a lesser-traveled street a few blocks from the beach. When Enid turned the last corner she spotted the house immediately and had to pause to take it in. So much for her imaginings.

She didn’t know how the Addams had found an all black house, but even with her limited exposure to them she wasn’t surprised they had. It was a large two-story house with a gabled roof with sharp angles and interspersed dormer windows. Curtains were drawn over all the windows and the entire lot seemed darker than the others around it, like there was a shadow cast by a perpetual cloud.

She took a breath and continued walking. She barely made it to the door when it was flung open revealing a very angry looking Wednesday.

“What took you? You were supposed to be here at 6 sharp,” the other girl said with a scowl on her face.

“Haha, sorry, I thought I should shower first. I figured you wouldn’t appreciate being around someone who worked in the sun all day otherwise.”

Wednesday narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond and pushed past Enid. Behind her Wednesday's parents were aggressively canoodling, probably a contributing factor to Wednesday's bad mood. Enid wondered if they were purposefully bothering Wednesday to get her to go out.

“Ready?” Enid called into the house.

Pugsley rounded a corner at her call and waved. He trotted out to stand with Enid and Wednesday while Gomez and Morticia came to the door arm in arm to see them off.

"Enid, thank you so much for agreeing to show our children around," Morticia said.

"We hope you have a terrible time," Gomez added.

Enid blinked but chalked his phrasing up to being an Addams.

"Watch out for hypodermic needles if you go under the boardwalk," Morticia continued, "we could use some for the play room."

"Uh, what do you need those for?" Enid asked warily.

"For putting under fingernails," Wednesday answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The look she gave Enid enhanced that feeling.

"Of course," Enid said. "Well, I don't think we'll be going under the boardwalk tonight."

"A shame," Gomez said. "I've heard you can find some rough customers there. A fine way to test your mettle."

"Thing," Morticia called. The disembodied hand from the previous night appeared on her shoulder.

"Thing wanted to go with you as well," Gomez said. "He abhors the beach, has a terrible time getting sand out from under his fingernails, but he has some... observations he wants to make."

Beside Enid Wednesday crossed her arms. "I'm sure it's Thing's desire and not a way to spy on us."

"You wound me with such an accusation," Gomez said. "Wonderfully done."

Thing hopped down from Morticia's should and climbed up to Enid's. Wednesday glared at both him and Enid, but as that was her default expression Enid shrugged it off.

"Well, we're off then. We'll be back I guess before ten?" she asked.

"An early night then," Morticia said. She turned to Gomez. "We'll have to make the most of our time."

"Any time spent with you, ma cherie, is time best spent," Gomez said.

"Let's go," Wednesday said, already heading down the steps to the boardwalk.

Enid and Pugsley followed her with a wave to Gomez and Morticia that was ignored in favor of staring into each others' eyes. They had to jog a little to catch up to Wednesday, who could move quickly despite her short stature. When they did Enid started talking about her favorite places to go on the boardwalk. While she did she took in the Addams children.

Calling the Addams family look an aesthetic was selling it short. The gothic style seemed more like an unconscious, innate state of being. Their parents had been dressed in nice evening wear, a pinstriped suit for Gomez and an ornate dress for Morticia, and Enid hadn't even questioned why they were wearing such nice clothes for a weekday evening in. Pugsley was in a black and white striped sweater despite the season, although he had dark shorts as well.

Wednesday was wearing a black dress with white polka dots. Her hair was in two braids, as it had been at the beach and the restaurant the previous day, with black lipstick on plump lips that drew Enid's eyes. On anyone else her style would have looked cute in an old-fashioned way, but Wednesday carried herself with an air of authority, as if the entire world around her would bend to her will, and made it work.

The reached the boardwalk and paused to take it in. Pugsley looked around with interest but Wednesday's glare deepened. Enid nervously pointed out a nearby pizza place and started walking. They didn’t make it far before Pugsley accidentally bumped into someone. Judging from his clothes and overall attitude he was a normie. The normie had a friend behind him as well and Enid grimaced. Most normies didn't make a big deal out of interacting with outcasts, but these normies looked particularly douchy.

“Watch it, freak,” the first normie said harshly.

“Oh sorry,” Pugsley said.

The other normie snorted and nudged his friend. “Don’t be too harsh, tubby can’t help how much space he takes up.”

Out of the corner of her eye Enid spotted Wednesday reach for something by her waist, but she was already moving to stand between the Addams and the normies.

“It was a simple mistake, let’s just all move on,” she said.

“Not surprised you’re a freak too,” the first normie said, eyes moving from Enid’s hair to her clothes.

“In more ways than one I’m sure,” the other said, elbowing his friend.

Enid scowled and made a show of raising her hand, palm facing herself. “Maybe I am,” she said coolly as she curled her fingers in. She looked at her technicolor nails and extended them. They made a sound as they shot out to their full length, easily an inch and a half. She raised her eyes to the normies, who looked considerably more nervous than before. “Wanna find out?”

The two normies eyed each other and started to walk away, leaving a muttered ‘whatever’ in their wake. Enid faced the Addams children again. Pugsley looked thankful and Wednesday… she met Enid’s eyes squarely, like she was seeing Enid in a new light. At least, Enid hoped that was the case.

“Impressive,” Wednesday said. “I didn’t think you had it in you to threaten someone like that.”

“Thanks?”

“Of course I knew you wouldn’t have the stomach for action. I’m going to have to teach them a real lesson.”

Wednesday reached again for whatever was at her waist and Enid darted forward to stop her.

“Wednesday no, let’s not start a normie-outcast fight on the boardwalk,” she said.

“It won’t be a fight,” Wednesday said as she ducked under Enid’s arm and popped up on the other side. “It’ll be a massacre. And don’t try to stop me.”

"Don't mess with me Wednesday, I can stop you," Enid warned as she got in front of Wednesday again.

Wednesday didn't answer, she only narrowed her eyes and her hand started to come up from her waist. Without thinking Enid flung her own hand out to grab Wednesday's, and when she made contact with Wednesday's wrist the other girl's head snapped back, eyes wide and unblinking. Enid panicked and grabbed her shoulders to keep her upright and looked to Pugsley for an idea about what was going on. He looked nonchalant, an annoying trait the Addams seemed to share in the face of apparent emergencies.

"It happens sometimes," he said when he noticed the look on Enid's face. "She's having a vision."

A vision. Wednesday was a psychic, and she was having a vision. Nothing to freak out about, Enid told herself while freaking out. She looked back and forth between Wednesday and Pugsley but didn't get anything to help her from either of them. After a few moments Wednesday's head snapped back down and she blinked and focused her eyes on Enid. There were a few seconds of tense silence before she spoke.

"Take your hands off my shoulders," she said, voice low.

Enid did, still uncertain about what to do with this new revelation.

"See anything cool?" Pugsley asked.

"Quiet Pugsley."

"Are you okay?" Enid asked. "Should we, like, take you to see somebody?"

"Of course not," Wednesday said disdainfully. "My visions are temporary annoyances, nothing more."

"If you say so," Enid said.

Wednesday's eyes turned to where the normies had walked off and Enid thought she would have to stop the other girl again, but instead she turned away, back towards the direction Enid had wanted to take them.

"Well," Wednesday said, "let's get this asinine evening over with."

"Right," Enid said.

She led the two to the pizza place she had spotted earlier and they got in line. A short wait later and Pugsley and Enid were each eating a slice, while Wednesday claimed the grease and atmosphere put her off her appetite. They ate as they continued down the boardwalk, trying to keep the seagulls away as they went. They finished their food in record time and they reached the arcade. She wondered what the others would think of an arcade, considering their unconventional tastes.

When they entered they were greeted by a cacophony of noise and flashing lights. Wednesday seemed unimpressed, but Pugsley noticed a game machine with zombies painted on the side and plastic guns attached to the front. That intrigued Wednesday, so Enid converted some money to tokens and gave them to Pugsley so they could play.

And boy did they. Arcade games were meant to extract money from its players, but Wednesday was having none of it. She was fast and precise and every motion was efficient. She made quick work of the zombies in the game and before long, she and Pugsley cleared the final level.

"How disappointingly simple," Wednesday said when she returned to Enid. "And that is not how bodies would decay in a hot climate."

"You know how bodies decay in a hot climate?" Enid asked with a blink.

Pugsley headed for another game and Enid and Wednesday followed.

"I know how bodies decay in any climate," Wednesday said.

"Why?"

"Research."

Wednesday left it at that as Pugsley found a game for him and Thing to play, a circular machine with a ring of lights around the edge that lit up in a spinning loop. There were four buttons outside the ring, each pointing to its own individual light. If pressed when its light was lit it spewed out a bunch of tickets. Enid watched as Pugsley stood over one button and Thing... stood? lurked? rested on another. Enid still wasn't sure what to make of Thing or how to think about a disembodied hand, but he seemed like a fun... guy.

"You don't want to play?" she asked Wednesday.

"Obviously not," Wednesday said. "Only a simpleton would enjoy so loud and colorful."

Enid watched Pugsley and Thing for a moment. Thing hit a button just at the wrong time, and he and Pugsley deflated before putting another token in to try again. "They seem to be enjoying it."

"Like I said, only a simpleton."

Enid smiled. She could appreciate sibling teasing. Maybe that would be a good avenue to get Wednesday talking. "Brothers, right? I have a few back home and they're so annoying."

"I shudder to think what you find annoying," Wednesday said.

Enid decided to ignore any implications and treat her words literally. "The usual brother stuff, teasing, taking my things, stinking up the place."

Wednesday didn't respond so Enid pressed on.

"Does Pugsley do anything that annoys you?"

"Survive."

Enid chuckled until she saw the look on Wednesday's face. "But I mean, brothers aren't all bad, right?"

"Of course not. Sometimes they make for good target practice." Wednesday's face remained set. She was hard to read, and Enid usually prided herself on her ability to get people.

"Still, it was sweet how you wanted to defend him earlier, though maybe threatening murder was a little too far."

"Don't ever call me that again," Wednesday said, voice sharp. "And I wasn't defending him. I'm the only one allowed to torture him. No, I was going to teach those walking brainless husks to fear the name Addams. Pugsley is too soft to do it himself."

Enid frowned. She really tried to see the positives in people, but Wednesday made it very difficult to see any in her.

"Soft as in he won't pull a knife on someone because they're there?" Enid challenged.

Wednesday faced Enid fully and straightened to her full height to meet the challenge. Enid turned as well and took some satisfaction in the fact that she had a few inches on Wednesday.

"He'll be a pushover his whole life if he doesn't pull himself together," Wednesday started.

"Not everyone has to be a hard-ass."

"You're right. They can be victims instead."

"Those aren't the only two options. Just look at me. I took care of those normies just fine."

"By threatening violence."

"You said yourself I wouldn't have acted on it."

"And that will be your downfall. One day your empathy will get you into danger and your lack of spine will make you pay."

Enid clenched her jaw and felt her anger rise. "I have a spine when it matters."

Wednesday's eyes bored into Enid's but before she could respond a shout from the direction of the game machine had them both turning their heads. It looked like Thing had hit the jackpot, and he and Pugsley were happily collecting a slew of tickets steadily rolling out of the machine.

"Well," Enid said. "At least they're having a good time. If you don't mind I'll join them in having fun."

She turned away from Wednesday and marched over to Pugsley and Thing. When she reached them she smiled and congratulated them on winning. They wandered around trying different games. Wednesday followed them, silent and impassive. Enid tried not to be too upset at their little squabble. If Wednesday wanted to be a stick in the mud then Enid would let her wallow. She'd much rather spend her time with people who like being around her anyway.

Pugsley stopped at a crane game with various handheld game systems inside. He stopped and took turns with Thing trying to win a prize. Enid was pretty sure most games in the arcade were rigged, but was especially sure the ones with expensive prizes were impossible. Still, Thing managed to snag a small memory card and Pugsley decided he would try for the system it would work with. As Enid expected, after eight tries he couldn't get it, so she decided to take a few tries as well. She managed to nudge it a little, but the claw seemed to refuse to cooperate whenever it looked like she was making progress.

"Move," came a sharp voice from her side.

She glanced at Wednesday a little surprised, but complied.

"We'll be here all night otherwise, and if I have to stay in this place one second longer then either it or I will no longer exist."

With that she took the controls, popped a token in the appropriate slot, and guided the claw to the prize. She made only a few fractional adjustments and pressed the button to make the claw descend. To Enid's amazement it latched on to the prize and lifted it without letting go. It travelled back to its starting position and dropped the prize into the hopper, where Pugsley reached in and grabbed it.

Wednesday stepped back from the machine and her gaze snapped to Pugsley.

"I expect something in return. Maybe we'll recreate the play room at the rental and run some experiments."

"Do you think they'll mind the blood?" Pugsley asked.

"I don't care."

"We'll have to take that to the prize counter," Enid said, deciding to ignore the blood talk. "I think they keep the valuable stuff there so no one just breaks the machines."

"Right," Pugsley said and started off, Thing riding his shoulder.

Enid looked to Wednesday and found the other girl's eyes already on her. She couldn't help herself.

"That definitely wasn't sweet," Enid said.

Wednesday's eyes narrowed. "That was purely for my own sake. I don't know how anyone can find this insipid place enjoyable."

Enid shrugged. "Whatever you say."

She headed after Pugsley and Wednesday followed her. Pugsley had his system and was turning in the tickets he and Thing had won for various small prizes. When he was done Enid checked the time and was surprised by how late it was. She led them home, exchanging stories with Pugsley and Thing as they walked, and said goodbye when they reached the Addams's rental house. Pugsley and Thing waved, and Wednesday said nothing.

She was a hard person to understand, but clearly there was more to Wednesday's tough front than she let on. She was violent and abrasive, but whatever she said, she had gone out of her way to help her brother twice in one night. There was more to her than just being a jerk, and Enid couldn't help but wonder at the mystery of the Addams girl.

Chapter Text

Enid spent the night after dropping the Addams children off online trying to find out everything she could about psychics. She checked out different forums and browsed articles and interviews until she nodded off, and found some interesting but only mildly useful information. There were a few different kinds of psychics, most she had heard of. She had seen psychics bring art to life on the boardwalk for excited tourists, and everyone knew about telekinesis and witches. However she had never heard of psychics influencing animals, and had gotten sidetracked looking into a nearby bee farm run by a family of psychics.

But she eventually returned to the group she was interested in: seers. Wednesday had had a vision of some sort, which Enid suspected was caused by physical contact. Sure enough she found different communities of psychics bemoaning the difficulty of going about life interrupted by visions. Those visions came in different forms and intensities, and could show the seer events from any time. They pertained to whatever person or object the seer touched, which strengthened Enid's suspicion. Enid went to sleep wondering if she should ask Wednesday about the vision.

Enid was still considering what to do when she started guarding the next day. It was a Monday, one of the slowest days for beach activity, but her shift still started at 8:30. After setting up the flags which marked where people were allowed to swim and stashing water and sun block in the raised lifeguard chair she would occupy, Enid settled in and turned over the problem in her mind.

What had Wednesday seen when Enid had grabbed her wrist? Would it be rude for Enid to ask? She wasn't sure the etiquette around asking seers about their visions, but it couldn't hurt, right? Although Wednesday was already prickly, so pressing her on something she didn't want to talk about wouldn't end well for anyone. Then again, she did have something of a soft spot, even if it was for her brother. She hadn't responded well when Enid tried to connect with her, but maybe it was worth trying again.

Enid waffled back and forth until her lunch break, when Yoko stopped by for a surprise visit. She was under an umbrella, a common tool for vampires in the sun. While not as lethal as some of the old stories portrayed, vampires were still sensitive to the sun.

"Hey pup. How'd it go last night?" Yoko asked as she strolled up to the shack where the lifeguard equipment was kept and the lifeguards took their breaks.

"Hey Yoko. Not bad, honestly. I found out Wednesday's a seer."

Yoko raised her eyebrows. "Ooh. How'd that come up?"

"I grabbed her wrist and she had a vision."

"She had a vision about you?"

Enid shrugged. "I think so, but she didn't talk about it."

"Not surprised after what you told me. And after what I found."

Enid perked up. "You found something?'

Yoko smirked. "I did some digging, a little light asking around, and yeah, I found some juicy stuff."

Enid did love juicy gossip. "Let's hear it."

"Apparently the daughter's been kicked out of a dozen schools."

"A dozen? What for?"

"Everything," Yoko said. "Vandalism, destruction of property, theft, threatening violence, committing violence. It's a whole list of bad behavior."

Enid scoffed. "That's a little much even for gossip. If she did all that she'd be in jail."

Yoko raised her hands. "Not saying I believe it all, but it's not that crazy. These are all private schools, wealthy schools, those kinds of things tend to get handled a little more quietly."

"I guess." Enid said. "I mean, it's not that unbelievable. She did threaten me with a knife."

Yoko nodded. "Can't get away with that kind of stuff without some money."

Enid bit her lip. "Anything about Pugsley?"

"The son?" Yoko asked. She shook her head. "Nothing worth saying."

"I wonder."

Yoko gave her a look. "Wonder what?"

"Well Wednesday seemed pretty protective of him. We had a small run in with a couple of normies and she was ready to-" Enid stopped herself. Yoko laughed.

"Let me guess. Ready to pull a knife?"

"Yeah," Enid sighed.

"I think she might just like doing that," Yoko said with a smile.

"Maybe. Anything about the rest of the family?"

"Well..." Yoko hesitated.

"Well?"

"I said before they have a lot of weird rumors, and everyone I talked to seemed to have one more."

"Anything, like, really bad?"

"Murder accusations," Yoko said.

Enid was stunned for a moment. "Are you kidding?"

"Nope," Yoko said. "Nothing ever came of them though. All unsubstantiated or acquitted."

Enid kept worrying her lip. "You also said they did a lot of philanthropy."

"I did, and there's actual proof to go on there."

"That's something."

Yoko stared at her for a second. "You're crazy. You're still going to show them around?"

"I think I have a good people sense, and even Wednesday isn't as bad as she seems. Probably."

"Probably," Yoko repeated with a snort. "And that 'good people sense' might get you in trouble one day."

"Geez, you and Wednesday would get along with all that cynicism."

"Hardy har har," Yoko said as she rolled her eyes. "So when's the next time you're showing them around?"

"I don't know, Gomez just said they'd be in touch. They know where I work after all."

"So you don't know what you'll be doing this weekend?"

Enid nodded. They were a few days from Welcome Back Weekend, a city sponsored event held the last weekend in June, after the New Jersey Public schools all were finished. There were games and cookouts and a dozen other events on the beaches up and down the coast to welcome the influx of people and really kick off the summer. Enid would be working during the day, but there were evening and night events planned as well.

"They'll want to take part," Enid said. "Are you gonna keep dodging the Addams? We can plan something one of the nights and I can tell them it's off limits."

Yoko sighed. "I guess I can suck it up and see what the Addams are all about. But I'm out if they're too weird, and I will try to take you with me."

Enid smiled. "I appreciate it. See, my people sense is pretty good."

Yoko raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I had a good feeling about you, even if you were a little aloof at first," Enid clarified.

"You and your optimism," Yoko said as she shook her head. Yoko stayed until the end of Enid's break, exchanging gossip and making plans for Enid's days off that week. Enid floated the idea of returning to the restaurant where Divina worked and Yoko threatened to tell Ajax one of Enid's many embarrassing stories, which quickly shut her up. Yoko promised to see what she could find out from any local seers before wishing Enid luck with the rest of her shift.

Enid's shift proved uneventful until just before it ended. A dark cloud covered the beach, sending many of the people lounging around running for cover from potential rain, and with it came the Addams family. They were dressed nicely, not for the beach, but were making their way towards Enid seemingly without care for what the sand might do to their clothes. They seemed in good spirits, except, of course, for Wednesday. Perhaps she was regretting wearing heavy, thick-soled boots on the sand. When they were close Gomez gave an enthusiastic greeting.

"Enid, how dreadful to see you. We meant to stop by earlier but were held up by the police."

Enid perked up in her chair. "The police? What happened?"

"It was the strangest thing," Gomez said as he and his family came to a stop a few feet from her chair. "We tried to sign up for one of those fishing expeditions your vampire friend mentioned, but they objected to our fishing gear."

Enid remembered the kind of gear Pugsley had talked about and paled. "What- what kind of gear?"

"You warned us that grenades were banned, but I never imagined we couldn't bring a simple harpoon gun," Gomez said.

"Who knew?" Wednesday added dryly.

Morticia laid a comforting hand on Gomez's shoulder spoke to Enid. "The police confiscated the harpoons and spent some time questioning us."

"Oh my god," Enid said. "Are you guys ok?"

"Those simple-minded fools couldn't even get information out of Pugsley," Wednesday said. "They couldn't even properly imply physical violence. They were truly disappointing."

"And of course, Gomez is a lawyer," Morticia added.

Enid nodded despite reeling from the influx of information.

"We did find out some compelling information while they apologized for inconveniencing us," Gomez said. "One officer mentioned they were being extra careful because of an upcoming event."

"The Welcome Weekend," Enid said. Privately she felt the officers were using that as an excuse. If anyone other than a wealthy family with a lawyer patriarch had brought a harpoon gun to a fishing trip they would not have been let go.

"Precisely," Gomez said with a clap of his hands. "That sounds like the perfect time to take in how the locals enjoy the shore."

Enid stopped herself from pointing out that really, since the Addams lived in New Jersey and couldn't have been more than an hour's drive to the beach, they counted as locals too. Instead she smiled and cranked up her enthusiasm to match Gomez.

"It's a great time. I'll be on lifeguard duty during the day, but I'd love to show you guys some of the events they have planned."

Gomez lit up, but before he could respond a voice interrupted them. "As I live and breath, Morticia, is that you?"

Enid and the Addams turned to a towering woman dressed in the same red one-piece swimsuit and dark shorts as Enid. She was Larissa Weems, the supervisor for the outcast lifeguards, and apparently an acquaintance of the Addams family. Enid had seen her before here and there, on trips to visit her cousins, but this was the first year she had spoken with the woman. She didn't know much about her, only that she was a shapeshifter and during the school year the principal of a local outcast academy. Enid was frankly a little intimidated by the older woman.

"Larissa," Morticia said. She smiled. "How lovely to see you again."

"It's been too long," Larissa said. "What a surprise this is. I came over to see if one of my guards needed help only to find my old roommate and her family."

"You remember Gomez," Morticia said.

"Ah, Larissa," Gomez said as he reached out. He kissed the back of her hand in greeting. "Not since Nevermore have we seen you."

"And our children, Wednesday and Pugsley," Morticia continued, waving a hand towards her children. Pugsley waved but Wednesday maintained her stoic look.

Larissa smiled at them, though Enid wondered if it was a little forced. It seemed a little tense around the mouth. Maybe as a principal she had heard some of the same rumors Enid had just learned. "A pleasure," she said. "And what brings you to my beach? Neither of you were ever the sun-loving type."

Gomez waved dismissively. "We lived in New Jersey for so long and never visited, we had to experience what your beaches have to offer."

"I see," Larissa said. "Well we have much to offer."

"We've heard," Morticia said. "Enid here kindly agreed to show us some of her favorite things."

"How kind of you," Larissa said to Enid.

Morticia and Gomez shared a look. Morticia turned to her children. "Children, why don't you go over some activities with Enid to see what might interest you. Gomez and I would like to catch up with Larissa."

She didn't wait for an answer and instead led Larissa and Gomez away from the beach, presumably to their car. Enid, Wednesday, and Pugsley looked around at each other.

"What was that about?" Pugsley asked.

Wednesday narrowed her eyes. "I don't like this. You," she snapped her gaze to Enid. "What do you know about that woman?"

Enid shrugged. "Not much, it's my first year lifeguarding here."

"Then tell me what little you know."

"She's a shapeshifter. I think she's single. She's a principal during the school year."

Wednesday's mouth pulled ever so slightly down and Pugsley nudged her. "You think they want to send you wherever she's a principal."

"Oh, are you switching schools?" Enid asked.

"That's none of your business," Wednesday said sharply.

"She is, at the last one-"

"If you know what's good for you you won't finish that thought," Wednesday threatened. She turned to Enid. "I presume she works at a school for outcasts."

"Yeah."

"Mother did want to send you to Nevermore," Pugsley said. Wednesday glared at him.

Nevermore Academy was the oldest and most prestigious outcast school in the country. It was situated in the cold reaches of Vermont and like many such institutions catered to the wealthy, legacies, and wealthy legacies. Although they did have openings and scholarships for anyone.

"My mom considered sending me to Nevermore too," Enid said. "But she decided on a school that focused on werewolves."

That was mostly the truth. Most wolves turned in their early teens, so when Enid didn't, her mother sent her to several schools and camps to force her to. To both of their disappointment none of them had worked.

"A shame," Wednesday said. "Perhaps if she had we wouldn't have met."

Enid didn't rise to her remark. Instead she made up her mind to push Wednesday about her vision from the previous day. "I guess you haven't been in an outcast school yet. Does that mean your visions just started?"

"I already said it's none of your business."

"They just started a-" Pugsley started, but Wednesday glared at him again and he shut his mouth.

"It could be my business," Enid said. "After all, didn't you have a vision about me?"

Wednesday narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Enid might have cowered at her look any other time, but after the previous night she was feeling bolder. "I did some digging about seers and found out you guys can have visions based on touch. And your vision started after I grabbed your wrist."

"I know a thing or two about werewolves as well. Their strengths" Wednesday said. Her voice grew more dangerous. "And their weaknesses."

"Fine, if that's how you want to be then don't tell me." Enid huffed. She couldn't say she was surprised at Wednesday's refusal, but it still bothered her. She fell back on what had worked for her the previous night and turned to Pugsley. "Wednesday probably doesn't want to have anything to do with this weekend, so me and you can decide what to do."

Pugsley perked up and he and Enid discussed the coming weekend. Wednesday seemed content- or at least not furious- to let them make plans without any input from her. Enid told him about some of the daytime activities that she would have to miss but he might like, then talked about some of the evening events. By the time his parents and Larissa returned they had made some rough plans for the weekend. Gomez gathered Wednesday and Pugsley and bid farewell to Enid and the Addams family left, and with them the cloud that had darkened the beach.

Enid was about to ask what Larissa and the Addams parents had talked about when Larissa spoke first.

"Sinclair, can you come in tomorrow? I'll give you Saturday off."

Enid blinked, surprised and suspicious. Still, a weekend day off for a lifeguard was rare. "Yeah I can do that. Would it have anything to do with the talk you just had?"

Larissa looked down at her. "That's none of your business."

Enid just managed not to roll her eyes at her boss after hearing that for the third time that day. Instead she shrugged and started closing down her section of the beach. Whatever was going on between her boss and the Addams, this summer was proving to be more interesting than she had imagined.

Chapter Text

Since she agreed to move one of her days off Enid had to move her plans with Yoko back a day. The Addams didn't stop by during her picked-up shift, and Enid wasn't sure if that was because they were busy or under another police investigation. She kept an eye on her socials for any mention of a strange family, but nothing came up and her shift ended peacefully. The next day she met up with Yoko for a late lunch and a stroll on the boardwalk and when she told the vampire about the reason for the change she got a look in return.

"Ol' Weems is a wily one," Yoko said.

"Ol' Weems?" Enid asked. "Was she your principal."

"Me and every outcast on your beach," Yoko said. "I guess except for you."

Enid hummed in agreement. "I guess Weems did them a favor. They said they knew each other at Nevermore."

"No surprise there," Yoko said. "So you're on with the Addams all day Saturday?"

"Looks like. Although we can still sign up for something if you're up for it."

"If I'm up for it," Yoko repeated as if the idea that she wouldn't be offended her. "What do they have going? We can give the Addams a real show."

"No boat race this year. Last year's was too dangerous."

Enid and Yoko both shuddered at the memory. Outcasts could get pretty competitive, and with their powers could cause more havoc than most while pursuing victory.

"They decided to keep it simple this year," Enid continued. "They only have a couple of race tournaments, I think three-legged and sack-race-relay?"

"You think or you know?" Yoko asked.

"Don't you live here?" Enid asked. "I'm the one from out of state."

Yoko stuck out her tongue and Enid snorted.

"Fine, I'll double check and let you know," Enid said.

"See that you do," Yoko said taking on an air of superiority.

Enid shook her head and muttered about egotistical vampires. Yoko gave her a little shoulder check and they walked down the boardwalk together taking in the sights and sounds. There were people of all ages and backgrounds doing the same, which allowed the two outcasts to take part in their favorite activity. People watching.

The Jersey shore attracted some wild characters, both outcast and normie alike. Enid wondered if the heat from the sun bought out the weirdness or if there was something in the Jersey water, but either way eccentrics flocked to the beach and boardwalk, muttering, preaching, or generally reveling in their own oddity as they wandered around. There were others who weren't inherently weird but had clearly participated in some day drinking. The antics of the weird and the drunk were easy fodder for Enid and Yoko, who had long since perfected the art of making each other laugh with well-timed looks.

Of course most of the people around Enid and Yoko were as relatively normal as the two of them. They weren't as outright funny, but it was still interesting to talk about the different styles and groups they saw. Yoko spotted a couple feeding each other while trying to fend off seagulls and nudged Enid.

"That reminds me, any luck with Ajax?"

Enid sighed. "No, I've been a little preoccupied. We've talked here and there but I'm not even sure he knows my name."

"Or he have just forgot it," Yoko said.

"I'm torn because I want to have more shifts with him so we can talk more, but at the same time after all that time in the sun I must smell like sunscreen and sweat. And our breaks are all scheduled so we have enough eyes on the beach, and I can't exactly find a private spot to talk since it's, you know, a beach and just ugh."

Yoko nodded in sympathy. "So no hot girl summer for you."

Enid huffed. She had wanted to approach Ajax in part as a distraction from the fall. Her mother had found a werewolf conversion camp which specialized in 'tough cases' like Enid's. She wasn't sure what a camp like that would entail, but she had heard the horror stories shared online. She wanted to wolf out more than anything, but those camps seemed cruel than helpful. But nothing she said to her mother, nothing she showed her, could change her mind. Enid was going whether she wanted to or not.

So at the start of the summer she had promised herself to enjoy her last taste of freedom to the fullest, and had hoped to find some of that enjoyment in Ajax. They had met only a few times, when Enid hung out with Yoko's extended friend group, but he was totally her type, when it came to guys at least. Like many gorgons he was a little awkward around others, which made Enid just want to protect him. But he also tried to get out of his shell, and in the few conversations they had, he had opened up a little, and Enid in turn had joked about some of her own problems, allowing them to commiserate over their respective lots in life. It would be nice to connect with someone who understood the pressure outcast powers could entail.

"I'm not giving up," Enid said. "I just have to work out a good time."

Yoko wasn't looking at her, focused instead down the boardwalk. She nodded in the direction of her gaze. "Well, why not start now."

Enid followed her gaze and spotted Ajax and another boy heading up the boardwalk towards Enid and Yoko. The boys were talking as they walked, much as Enid and Yoko, and hadn't yet noticed them. The other boy looked familiar, with dark blonde hair to his shoulder and nice clothes. It clicked after a moment. He had been one half of a power couple with Bianca as the other. He was a psychic, Enid remembered, and generally friendly in the easy way popular kids could be.

"That's... Xavier?" she asked to be sure she had his name right. Yoko nodded.

"What do you think?" Yoko asked. "Let's say hi?"

Enid bit her lip, a little flustered at the sudden opportunity, but nodded after a moment.

"Yo X," Yoko called across the boardwalk. Both boys looked in her direction, and Enid waved. They made their way towards each other and exchanged greetings when they were close enough. Ajax still couldn't quite look her in the eye, but he did greet her by name. She was relieved that her fears had been unfounded.

"So what are you guys up to?" Xavier asked.

"Not much," Yoko answered. "Just talking about our plans for the weekend."

"For Welcome Weekend," Xavier said in understanding. "What do you have so far?"

"The usual, getting some good food, watching some of the competitions," Yoko answered.

"We were thinking of signing up for one of the duo foot races too," Enid added.

"Oh yeah? Sack relay or three-legged?" Xavier asked.

Enid gave Yoko an I-told-you-so look and said, "we haven't decided yet."

"Nice. Me and Bianca are signed up for the three-legged race."

Yoko nodded. "Gonna show everyone how strong your relationship is?"

"Something like that," Xavier said. Enid wondered at his tone, but he continued before she could figure out what he was feeling. "Hey, you guys want to hang out that day? Divina and Kent are in."

"Of course," Enid said. "We can even do something afterwards, when Ajax is off, right?"

"Yeah, maybe hit the boardwalk, get something to eat," Xavier said.

"Maybe find a secluded stretch of beach for some skinny dipping," Yoko joked.

Enid gave her a shove, but she and the boys laughed.

"When the lifeguards are off duty anything goes, right?" Yoko asked with a smirk. "Right Enid?"

"That's right, you're a lifeguard too," Xavier said.

"I'm actually a little surprised you aren't working this weekend too," Ajax said.

"Well I was supposed to work Saturday, but Weems needed me yesterday, so she had me switch. I still have to work Friday and Sunday."

"Oh, why the switch?" Ajax asked

Enid shrugged. "She didn't say."

"Gotcha. Well make sure you enjoy the day on behalf of those of us who still have to work."

Enid bit her lip. She had the opportunity, might as well go for it. "I will. But maybe I'll stop by and try to make your work day a little better."

"Haha, you know we have to keep an eye on the beach though," Ajax said.

"Yeah," Enid said. She decided to be more direct. "I can bring you something on your break then? I heard they were gonna have some food trucks up and down the beach."

"That's OK, I bring my own lunch."

Enid saw Yoko and Xavier share a look from the corner of her eye. She wasn't sure if Ajax was purposefully brushing her off or if he was just a little oblivious, and apparently they couldn't either. From her interactions with him though she figured it was the former.

"Still, we'll all get to hang out after you're done," Xavier said to Ajax.

"Oh yeah absolutely," Ajax said.

The four of them looked at each other for a few moments before Yoko spoke up. "I've got an idea. You guys hear about the new ice cream place opened up? It's only a block or two from here, we should check it out."

Xavier and Ajax agreed, and together the four of them made the short trip. Xavier and Yoko talked on the way, catching up with each other from the end of the school year. Ajax seemed hesitant to talk to her without Xavier or Yoko involved as well, and Enid decided not to press the issue.

When they reached the ice cream shop, named Demeter's Creamery, Xavier stopped them just outside the doors.

"Shit, it's Tyler," he said.

Enid and Yoko peered in at the modest throng of people. No one particularly looked like a Tyler, so they looked back at Xavier for clarification.

"Behind the counter," he said, exasperated.

There was only one boy working behind the counter alongside two girls, fairly tall with messy brown hair. He had light eyes which contrasted with the blood red apron each employee wore. Enid thought he looked pretty unassuming, but she also knew looks could be deceiving.

"We had a run in last year," Xavier said, face dark. "He and his friends jumped me and destroyed the mural I was working on."

"Jesus," Enid said. Yoko's eyebrows were raised as if she hadn't heard, but Ajax nodded with a grim look.

"Son of a cop and a bigot. Name a better duo," Xavier said bitterly.

"Damn," Yoko said. "And here I was hoping for an unproblematic snack."

"The place might be fine," Xavier said. "I'm just not going in there when he is."

"Yeah, I get it, me too," Enid said.

The four stood around awkwardly for a moment before Xavier suggested a different spot. They meandered back to the boardwalk and entered the first sweet shop they passed. They left a few minutes later with fudge and salt water taffy, and passed around different flavors to try as they continued to stroll down the boardwalk. Afternoon became evening and Xavier mentioned meeting up with Bianca after her shift on the beach. He invited Yoko and Enid to continue hanging out, and the siren joined them shortly after. When Bianca saw Yoko she stopped and smirked.

"Want me to call up Divina?"

Enid lit up. "I knew there was something there, but this one's so tight-lipped she wouldn't give me anything. You have to tell me what's going on between them."

"Nothing's 'going on'," Yoko said annoyed.

"Which is why you're always so cranky," Bianca said. She spoke to Enid. "Those two were making eyes at each other the entire last semester, but neither one had the balls to say anything. It's honestly pretty pathetic."

"Alright Barclay, glad to know you feel comfortable enough around us to show us how much of a bitch you are," Yoko said, deadpan.

Bianca laughed. "I just tell it like it is."

Yoko muttered about that proving her point but the conversation moved on to more mundane things. They bickered over food and reminisced over the past school year. Enid tried to flirt with Ajax again and it seemed to go right over his head. Bianca gave her an appraising look then rolled her eyes, mouthed 'men', and shook her head. Enid snorted and nodded in agreement. They talked about the upcoming weekend some more. Bianca mentioned that she was off that Sunday, and Ajax moaned about working both days while Bianca and Enid had time to enjoy some of the daytime festivities. Xavier and Yoko reminded him that they got to enjoy both days.

Enid was having a good time, but there were still moments she felt the distance between herself and the others. She kept up with Yoko throughout the year and considered the other girl her best friend, but there was an undeniable closeness that came with spending each day around another person for hours on end suffering through the torment known as school, which Enid didn't have with the others. She tried not to think about it often, but there were times she wasn't sure she had a place anywhere. At normie schools she was pushed away for being an outcast, at outcast schools her werewolf kin didn't accept her because she hadn't transformed, her family couldn't accept her for the same, and her closest friend lived across the country. Sometimes she just wanted...

Enid was pulled from her thoughts by Bianca.

"So what's this I hear about you going around with the Addams?" she asked.

Before Enid could answer Xavier perked up. "The Addams? I used to hang with the daughter, Wednesday."

"Wait, what?" Bianca asked while she whipped her head around.

Xavier looked uncomfortable at the scrutiny but answered. "Well we were kids. My godmother was friends with her grandmother." His face turned pensive. "She saved my life."

Bianca's face turned stormy. "How'd she do that?" she asked, tone sharp.

Xavier blinked at her tone. "We were playing hide and seek and uh, I didn't pick a great spot. I was trapped and would have died. She got me out of there before something bad happened."

Bianca hmm'd, but seemed to accept his answer. She turned back to Enid and forced a smile. "So tell me what you've been up to with them. They're big players in the outcast world."

Enid shrugged, unsure what to make of what she just witnessed. "I've been showing them some of the things regular people do at the shore. Apparently they've never been."

"So they just decided to what? See how the common folk live?"

"What's the matter Barclay, worried they're going to upset the social order?" Yoko asked, glad to give Bianca a hard time.

"Hardly," Bianca said. "Doubt either of the kids would really be interested anyway."

"Yeah, you seem secure," Yoko continued her prodding.

Bianca gave Yoko a superior look. "I'm just looking out for me. If they want someone to show them around why not me? No offense Sinclair, but I live here, and it never hurts to network."

"You only moved here two years ago," Xavier said. He received a glare in return.

Enid raised her chin defiantly. "Well I've been doing a good job either way. It's not like there's much difference between one shore town and another, and I do live near the California coast."

Bianca stared at her for a few moments, but shrugged. "Whatever. Seems like a hassle anyway," she said.

The conversation moved on but Enid wondered if she even belonged in her role helping the Addams. Bianca had a point- a local would know the ins and outs better than she would. The thought stayed with her until evening and everyone split up. She hated how easily she could fall into creeping doubts, so when she laid down to go to sleep she decided to fix her resolve. If the Addams were happy with the job she was doing then that's all that mattered. Well, Wednesday didn't seem to feel happy about anything, so she didn't count. But Enid promised herself she would show the rest of the Addams the best summer they ever experienced.

Chapter Text

The Addams stopped by Enid's stretch of beach only once before the weekend, the day after her day off. They checked in with her to solidify their plans and Gomez expressed his excitement profusely. Enid made a startling discovery when she suggested they exchange numbers to make it easier for them to keep in touch. None of the Addams had a smartphone. It was one thing for overprotective parents to keep their children from having one, but for the parents themselves not to own one? In the 21st century? Enid was baffled. Her phone was her home away from home, and she was pretty sure she would actually perish if she lost it. Still, she couldn't say she was that surprised. Their whole vibe screamed Gothic with a capital G. The Addams often felt as if they had sprung forth from some horror novel set in Victorian England, lack of modern conveniences included.

They confirmed a time and place to meet up and gave her the phone number for their rental, then left Enid to her lifeguard duties to lounge on the beach for a while. They put down beach chairs and two giant black umbrellas before Gomez pulled out a pair of metal detectors which he gave to his children. The two spent some time combing the beach in a grid pattern with Pugsley taking orders from his sister, but after about an hour of searching hadn't found anything. Wednesday took her metal detector to her father and the two spoke for a few minutes. Enid couldn't tell what was being said, but the conversation ended with Gomez clapping his hands and the family packing their things to leave. They stopped by Enid's chair to wish her well for the rest of her shift and tell her they would see her in a couple of days.

True to their word Enid didn't see the Addams until Saturday morning. She got to spend a few evenings with Yoko, laughing and relaxing before the summer season truly got under way and the boardwalk turned into an impassable traffic jam. They didn't bump into Ajax again, to Enid’s disappointment. Enid instead focused on having fun with Yoko. They came up with some strategies for their race, people watched, and generally idled until Welcome Weekend.

When the sun rose that Saturday Enid rose with it. Most werewolves were nocturnal creatures, but Enid loved the sun. She attributed her affinity for the sun to the fact that she hadn't yet transformed. It was another oddity of hers that she couldn't figure out, but she wasn't going to fight her own sleeping patterns. Instead she had adopted her love for the brilliance of the sun into her own style, from the clothes she wore to the colors she dyed her hair. If she was going to be odd anyway, she figured she might as well embrace it.

She had a couple of hours to kill before she was due to meet with the Addams so she made her way to the beach to greet the sun properly. The beach was a few blocks' walk from her cousin's house, and she took it slowly. There was no one around, a stark contrast to the usual bustle of a beach town during summer vacation. Even when she made it to the beach there were only a handful of health nuts jogging along the waterline in the gray early morning light.

Enid climbed into a lifeguard chair so she wouldn't have to clean too much sand off of herself and soaked in the peaceful morning. She wondered what the Addams would think of Welcome Weekend. She entertained herself by imagining Gomez excitedly cheering for any and everyone, Morticia smiling fondly at him, Pugsley entering one of the competitions himself, and Wednesday... Enid had a hard time picturing how Wednesday might react. Would she show disdain for the whole production? Seemed likely. But maybe she would watch and hope for a gruesome injury. Enid snorted. The other girl would probably do both.

Before long, crews from the city began setting up the stations for the various events, and Enid meandered back to her cousins' house, stopping for a quick pastry and coffee on the way. When she got back she applied a generous helping of sunscreen, bid her surly cousin (who had to lifeguard instead of partake in the festivities) goodbye, packed some necessities for the day, and headed out to meet the Addams.

By the time she reached their meeting spot the event areas were mostly set up. There wasn't a full crowd, only groups of people scattered around waiting for the events to open. That would change by mid-afternoon Enid was sure, since that was when some of the more competitive events were scheduled, including the premier competition, beach volleyball. Enid always enjoyed watching those matches. Some of the competitors took it very seriously considering there were no prizes, but that's exactly what made for a great show.

Enid didn't have long to wait before she heard Gomez calling out to her.

"Mi Lobo, there you are. How are you this fine Welcome Weekend?"

Enid turned towards the direction of Gomez's voice and spotted the Addams family quickly. They were in their usual black swimsuits with their usual dispositions and covered by their usual black umbrellas. Thing was riding on Pugsley's shoulder, and the tall man Gomez had mentioned was their butler, Lurch, was with them as well.

"Hi, Mr. Addams," Enid responded with a wave. Despite his insistence at their first meeting Enid felt too awkward to use his first name, and he seemed to understand without pushing her to. "I'm excited. There's a ton of stuff to watch and the city brought in some great food trucks we can check out later."

"Food from a truck?" Gomez asked. "I'm intrigued."

"I understand you and your vampire friend are competing in one of the events," Morticia said.

"Two actually, we couldn't decide which to take part in, so we went for both."

Gomez clapped his hands together. "That's the spirit," he said.

Enid smiled. "So I was thinking we could nab some good seats, watch some early events, then when Yoko gets here we'll do our events, then lunch from one of those trucks, then there's the volleyball tournament and that's always a ton of fun."

"Perfection," Gomez said.

All of the Addams seemed pleased with the day except for Wednesday and Lurch, but Enid had already figured that would be the case. Still, they dutifully followed Enid and Gomez to some temporary bleachers that had been set up. Everyone sat and Enid found herself next to Wednesday.

"I see you're excited for some games," Enid said with just a touch sarcasm.

"Watching people I don't know make fools of themselves for others' entertainment? What's not to be excited by?" Wednesday returned with the same sarcasm.

"Someone might seriously injure themself," Enid said, and mentally pumped a fist when Wednesday's eyebrows shifted just so in interest.

"Has that happened before at one of these?"

"Well, not that I know of."

Wednesday's lips pulled down a hair in a frown. "How disappointing. Maybe someone should do something about that."

"Uh, right," Enid said, suddenly full of regret for bringing the idea of grievous injury up. She decided to pivot. "Or we could make it more interesting? Like make a bet on who we think will win?"

"That doesn't sound very interesting," Wednesday returned.

"It could be with the right stakes."

Wednesday turned to face Enid directly and Enid was again struck by just how attractive the other girl was. She had dark eyes, deep-set and mysterious, full lips, and just a smattering of adorable freckles that really clashed with how threatening she was.

"What did you have in mind?" Wednesday's voice cut through Enid's inspection.

"Well I don't have much, maybe we each put ten down?"

"A steep price. I'm impressed. I agree to those terms."

"Wait wait wait, steep? Aren't you guys loaded?"

Wednesday gave her an odd look. "Money won't help much after losing ten fingers. Though I don't plan on losing."

Enid paled. "Wednesday, I meant ten dollars."

There was a short silence, then, "I should have known you wouldn't wager something so invaluable."

Enid frowned at her tone, but a commotion from the beach drew their attention. Weems was getting ready to start the first events and the crowds were responding with polite applause.

The morning events were mostly for kids, and the stands were mostly filled with their parents. Gomez had a great time picking a child in each event and cheering for them with his entire being. He and Morticia lamented that they never got to see their children when they were as young compete, which devolved into a flirtatious discussion of having another. Enid watched in fascination as Wednesday's eye twitched at every other word out of either of their mouths, and she couldn't really blame the other girl considering some of the things she heard. If her own parents spoke like that... Enid shuddered at the thought.

Yoko showed up a little before noon and Enid hurriedly waved her over to help her escape having to hear any more from Wednesday's parents. Gomez pulled away from his wife to give Yoko a warm welcome.

"Ah lovely to see you again. You're Enid's vampire friend, Yoko, no?"

"Yo," Yoko said.

"Please, join us." He shifted closer to Morticia to make room for Yoko but she raised her hands.

"I think we have to check in with Weems for our first race," she said with a look to Enid.

"Alright," Enid said as she stood up. She faced the Addams. "Cheer for me!"

Gomez let out a cheer immediately as Enid and Yoko made their way towards Weems. They shared a laugh at his enthusiasm before checking in for the sack-race-relay. They were each given a burlap sack and told to take positions on either side of the race area. New Jersey beaches tended to have long stretches of sand to the water, leaving plenty of room for marked off areas to hold races. Naturally there were separate events for normies and outcasts, both because of the tension between the two groups and because many outcasts had increased speed, strength, or stamina.

Enid and Yoko took up positions directly opposite each other on either side of a ten yard stretch of sand and Enid eyed up their competition. They would each take turns hopping across the area twice, with Enid acting as the anchor. The competition seemed like it would be pretty stiff considering the number of other werewolves she could smell, but she relished the challenge. Even though she couldn't shift forms, Enid still benefitted from the increased strength and speed that came with being a werewolf, perhaps even more so than her peers. Her physical prowess was one of the reasons her inability to shift was so surprising and (not only to her parents, despite her own attempts to accept herself) disappointing. She relished any chance to show her kin that even if she couldn't shift, she was still a werewolf at heart.

Enid saw Yoko step into her potato sack and followed suit. All eyes turned to Weems, who raised her hand. Her whistle was already in her mouth, and she blew it and dropped her hand at the same time to signal the start of the race. Enid focused on Yoko hopping wildly toward her. It was really hard not to laugh at her usually dignified friend bouncing along the sand like a kangaroo, but she managed to keep it down to a smile. Soon enough Yoko crossed the line in the sand Enid was behind and Enid started hopping herself.

On her way across the beach she saw some other contestants on the ground, struggling to stand after falling in the first lap. She didn't see anyone ahead of her, but she could hear some contestants heading the same way and hoped they would take themselves out too. Above the sound of the racers Enid heard Gomez and Pugsley cheering her on, and she managed to eke out some extra speed with their encouragement.

When Enid crossed Yoko's starting line she raised her hand and whipped around. Yoko was already on the move by the time she fully spun, but so were some of the other racers, including one Enid recognized as a werewolf from one of his themed tattoos. There was another cheer from Gomez and Enid spared a glance at the Addams family. Gomez and Pugsley were standing and clapping while Lurch, Wednesday, and Morticia remained sitting. A flash of movement on Lurch's head made her do a double take. Thing was jumping from shoulder to head to shoulder in his own show of support. Enid grinned and focused back on Yoko who was halfway across the stretch of sand, and a few feet behind the werewolf.

Enid licked her lips and crouched down to make sure she would have the best possible start when Yoko reached her. She tried to steady her breathing as the other girl approached. She would need to go all out to make up the ground Yoko had lost to the other werewolf. The werewolf passed the starting line and his partner started hopping, then, a couple of seconds later, Yoko did the same. Enid was off like a shot, her legs, strong from the swimming she needed to do as a lifeguard, propelling her faster than any of the other contestants. She caught up to the werewolf as he neared the finish line and bounded ahead to a narrow victory. When she crossed the finish line she tumbled over, breath coming hard and fast, and she heard some more cheers from the stands, Gomez's voice clear over the others. She collected herself and stood as Yoko ran into her for a hug.

"Damn girl, didn't know you were that fast," Yoko said.

Enid smirked. "I wouldn't have had to be if someone could pull their own weight."

Yoko pushed her away in mock anger. "I can't help the fact that you dogs are freakishly fast."

"Can't bats fly?" Enid returned.

Yoko turned her nose up. "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Let's go check in with your new family before one of us says something you're going to regret."

Enid bumped her should into Yoko's and led the way. She heard some indistinct grumbling from the vampire about wolves and their tempers but knew it was in jest. They reached the Addams and Gomez greeted them with hearty claps on their shoulders.

"Well done girls, you were magnificent out there."

"Thanks Mr. Addams," Enid said, excitement from her victory seeping into her voice.

"We knew you'd be strong opponents," came a voice from behind.

Enid turned to find Bianca, Xavier, and Divina standing there. Bianca lifted two bags in greeting. "I brought lunch," she said. "Although maybe not for everyone," she added eying the Addams.

"Ah the other lifeguard, the siren who saved my son," Gomez said. "Don't worry about us, we plan on perusing the food trucks Enid here mentioned. Although perhaps you could give me your name so I can thank you properly?"

"Bianca," she said. "Bianca Barclay."

"Bianca, a lovely name," he said as he bowed. Bianca slowly lowered her head as well, uncertain what to do with Gomez's gesture. "My thanks for saving my son."

"And mine as well," Morticia added. "Perhaps you and your friends can take our seats while we attend to our own lunch."

"Yes, yes," Gomez said, rising. He ushered the three to the spots on the bleachers his family had occupied. "Catch up and strategize, and we will look forward to another exciting race."

Enid and the others watched Gomez lead his family up the beach and into the throng of people around the food trucks in the adjacent parking lot. When they were out of sight Bianca spoke.

"That is one weird family."

"Get this," Enid said. The other four turned to her. "No phones. Like at all, for any of them."

There was a stunned silence followed by a sudden burst of noise as the others tried to come to terms with the idea of a family in the 21st century abstaining from owning a phone. When the commotion died down Bianca broke out the food. They had stopped by a sub shop to avoid the crowds around the food trucks and thought to get something for the two competitors as well. Enid suspected Divina had something to do with that.

"We weren't sure what to get you, so we went with a plain Italian," Bianca said as she passed a paper-wrapped sub to Enid. "And Divina ordered yours," she said as she passed another to Yoko.

Something wiggled at the back of Enid's head and she frowned. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it could be. She unwrapped her sub and took a bite while she tried to place what was wrong, but it didn't hit her until it was too late. Yoko had already followed Enid's example and taken a bite when Enid realized she was smelling garlic from Yoko's sandwich. She yelled Yoko's name, dropped her food, and swiped at Yoko's hands, but the damage was done. Yoko dropped her sandwich and spit out the bite she had taken, her lips and hands already turning red.

The others reacted strongly. Divina immediately rushed to Yoko and put an arm around her while Xavier kicked the sandwich further away still and Bianca grabbed the bag the food had come in, which still had a receipt taped to the side. Enid pulled out her phone to call the police, but reconsidered and looked around for some kind of staff member. While garlic wasn't lethal for vampires in small amounts, if Yoko had swallowed any she would have a severe reaction. An event like this would have a medical team, epinephrine, or a quicker way to get Yoko to a hospital if she needed one. She quickly spotted Weems, tall as she was, and yelled her name and that they had a medical emergency. Weems was over in a flash.

Yoko was still cursing and spitting to get any trace of garlic out of her mouth when Weems reached them. Enid explained what happened and Weems radioed for a first aid kit and transportation, and Enid felt a wave of relief wash over her. Yoko seemed more angry than hurt and help was on the way. It was Ajax who showed up with the first aid kit, which he passed off to Weems. She rifled through it for antiseptic wipes which she handed over to Yoko. She pulled out an epi-pen as well, but Yoko insisted she wouldn't need it. Weems kept it in hand anyway.

"Come on," Weems said roughly. "There's a medical tent set up by the parking lot, I'm taking you there."

"But-" Yoko started but was cut off by the older woman.

"No arguments Tanaka. Let's go."

"Better safe than sorry," Enid said. She tried to give an encouraging smile but wasn't sure how successful she was.

"I'll come with you," Divina said, and only then did Yoko start moving.

Enid watched the three push through the crowd that had gathered around them then turned to Bianca, Xavier, and Ajax, who had stuck around. They were pouring over the receipt with grim looks.

"Find anything?" Enid asked.

"Well," Bianca started then grimaced. "It might be my fault. I got garlic aioli on my sandwich."

"I don't know," Xavier said. "They used different different knives for all the spreads. They could have stored some ingredients together or not cleaned a surface properly."

"So Yoko ate garlic?" Ajax asked.

"She might not have swallowed any," Bianca said. She nodded in Enid's direction. "Enid knew something was up and knocked her food away before she swallowed."

"Maybe," Enid said. "She still took a bite, it's hard not to swallow anything when it's already in your mouth."

Ajax paled. "Is she gonna be okay?"

"It couldn't have been that much," Bianca said. "They probably won't even have to pump her stomach."

The Addams chose that moment to return, each carrying food from a different style. They looked varying degrees of interested at the prospect of a medical emergency.

"Whose stomach is being pumped?" Gomez asked.

"And where?" Wednesday added, eyes shifting around curiously.

"Yoko had some garlic," Enid said. "She should be fine, it wasn't much."

Morticia spoke. "Poor thing. I do hope she doesn't suffer too much."

"I envy her," Wednesday said. "I'm not able to feel the rush of anaphylaxis myself."

"Right," Enid said slowly. "I'm sure she'll be fine. We got her help quickly and they have a medical tent set up and everything."

"That's good to hear," Morticia said. "Though it's a pity you won't be able to take part in the second race."

"Especially with the prize money involved," Gomez added.

That made Enid raise her eyebrows. "Prize money? What prize money?"

"The prize money we put up last night for the most competitive competitions, of course," Gomez said.

"Wait, really?" Enid asked, flabbergasted.

"Girl do you check your email?" Bianca said. "They sent one to all of the contestants this morning."

Enid hadn't. She always had her phone on her, and checked it frequently, but only her family ever used email to communicate. Most of the important things she had to pay attention to had their own apps, so she felt pretty safe ignoring her email notifications. Her phone had long since stopped showing the number of unread emails and just had a constant red bubble over the icon.

"Oh," she said instead of explaining herself. "How much is it?"

"A thousand dollars," Bianca said and Enid physically recoiled.

"That much, for a silly race?" she asked Gomez.

Gomez shrugged. "What can I say? I love a good competition, but some people need more motivation to find their competitive spirit. The prize for volleyball later is five thousand."

Enid reeled again and marveled at the gulf between the wealthy and everyone else. "That's, uh, generous of you," she said trying to sound tactful.

"Not at all," Gomez said. "I merely wanted to see passionate bouts. It was a purely selfish gesture."

Enid doubted that, considering some of the things she had heard from Yoko about their philanthropy. "Well for the contestants the reason probably doesn't matter," she said. "Although I guess I'm not a contestant anymore."

"That's right," Wednesday spoke up. "You'll need a spot to watch the festivities. Agonizing as it might be, I can sacrifice my seat to you to make up for your sudden change in status."

Gomez and Morticia shared a glance, quick and discrete but meaningful, and Gomez spoke up. "I have a better idea. Such an exceptional circumstance should allow for an exceptional response. Surely they'll allow a stand-in."

He reached an arm to gesture at Wednesday, who seemed to be actively plotting her own father's murder judging from the look on her face. Before she or Enid could say anything Gomez was off, presumably to find Weems or an event coordinator to allow his daughter to take Yoko's place. Enid turned to Morticia.

"Mrs. Addams, it's fine, really. I don't think Wednesday really wants to run."

Morticia smiled softly but Wednesday's reaction threw her off. The other girl narrowed her eyes at Enid, and Enid had to wonder what she had done now to piss the other girl off.

"Perhaps, but I think she might want to challenge herself to try something new. Isn't that right, my little scorpion?" Morticia asked.

Mother and daughter shared a brief but intense look. Something bigger than just the race was going on with the Addams, and Enid wondered again what she had gotten herself into.

"Of course mother," Wednesday said after tearing her glare away from her mother and settling it on Enid. "I'll stand in for the vampire."

"You going to be able to keep up?" Bianca asked, challenge in her voice. "Enid's fast."

Wednesday turned her gaze on Bianca. "Don't underestimate me. It could be the last thing you do."

Bianca wasn't one to be intimidated, and she took a step forward. "Is that right?"

"Yes."

There were a few tense moments until Enid nervously cleared her throat. "Is a three-legged race that big a deal?"

"It's not about the race Sinclair," Bianca said. She turned to Xavier. "C'mon Xavier, let's get to the starting line."

She made to leave but Xavier hesitated. "Hey Wednesday, remember me? Xavier, we hung out a few times when we were younger. You saved my life at my Godmother's funeral."

Wednesday stared at him stone-faced for a few moments before answering. "I see you haven't done much with the second chance at life I gave you."

Xavier recoiled as if he had been slapped and Wednesday pushed past him and Bianca. She went a few steps before she turned and locked eyes with Enid. "Well? Isn't the race about to start?"

"Right," Enid muttered. She followed the other girl, aware as she passed them that Xavier and Bianca were exchanging looks. She wanted to say something, but what was there to say after a burn like that? 'Sorry man, you'll get her next time'? So instead she followed Wednesday to the patch of sand where the three-legged race would be run, with Bianca and Xavier lagging behind. They exchanged some words but Enid couldn't make them out over the crowd, even with her enhanced hearing. When they reached the race area Enid spotted Weems and darted ahead to ask about Yoko.

"I sent her to the hospital," she said before Enid could even say anything. "And just as a precautionary measure to observe her condition for a couple of hours. The medic checked her out and her reaction was typical for light, skin level contact and nothing more."

Enid breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

"And I understand you have a replacement partner for the race," Weems continued. She eyed Wednesday.

Wednesday herself spoke before Enid could. "That's right. I want to challenge myself," she said with a clear note of sarcasm on the word challenge, clearly thinking of her mother's words.

Weems hummed but didn't push the issue, and instead handed Enid a few feet of rope. "Line up and tie one of your left feet to the other's right. We'll check everyone to make sure everything's secure before the race starts."

She moved on to Bianca and Xavier, and Enid and Wednesday moved to the starting line. "You gonna be okay?" Enid asked the shorter girl.

"It's just a race," Wednesday answered.

"I meant with your visions," Enid said. "You never said, but I figure they have to be caused by touch."

Wednesday narrowed her eyes. "That's none of your concern. Just keep your leg straight."

Enid complied, planting her left foot in the sand and holding it still while Wednesday positioned her own right foot next to it. One thing about one-pieces that Enid appreciated, even the kind that Wednesday wore which wen halfway down the thigh, was how much leg they left exposed. And Wednesday's legs were nice. They were pale and slender and- Enid winced when Wednesday finished tying their ankles together.

"Does it have to be that tight?" she complained.

Wednesday glared at her. "Ropes should only be tied tightly."

Enid wondered for a moment if Wednesday would understand any of the jokes that ran through her head but decided not to find out. Instead she asked a question. "So what's the plan? Want me to count so we can step at the same time?"

"I wouldn't trust you to keep a steady tempo, and besides, I saw how fast you can run. I can't match your pace, but I can get close. I'll count."

"Right," Enid said as as Bianca and Xavier took the spot next to them. The two seemed to be arguing over how best to tie their legs together.

Wednesday's eyes drifted to the pair and then darted down. She turned them to Enid immediately after and spoke, voice low. "How did the vampire ingest garlic?"

Enid frowned. "We're not sure. We think maybe there was some cross contamination."

"I wonder if that's what really happened."

"What do you mean?"

"The food they brought," she said tilting her head to Bianca and Xavier. "Sandwiches, no? Was there a condiment? Off white in color?"

Enid resisted the urge to look at the pair next to them and nodded. "Bianca got a garlic spread."

Wednesday's eyes widened a fraction and the corners of her lips almost turned up. On anyone else such a small reaction would have been meaningless, but for Wednesday she was practically exuding satisfied triumph. "How convenient that she ordered a spread vampires are allergic to considering one of her opponents for a substantial prize is a vampire."

"That's a heavy accusation," Enid said, voice dropping further.

"Of course. But it would be odd for such a spread to end up under one's fingernails. Unless, of course, they were using that finger to apply some of it somewhere else." Wednesday's eyes bore into Enid's. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"That's crazy," Enid whispered.

"Then see for yourself. Offer to help them with their rope, and while you're at hand level take a look. Or since you're a wolf, take a sniff."

Enid didn't want to believe Bianca would endanger Yoko's life, but at the same time she knew the other girl was an aggressive social climber. Yoko had mentioned how quickly she had inserted herself into their school's social scene, so the idea that she would take an opportunity to win a competition with a substantial prize- for a teen at least- wasn't that farfetched. And she hadn't seemed worried about Yoko's exposure... Enid spared her a glance and made up her mind.

"You guys need help with your rope?" Enid asked. She took a few steps towards Bianca and Xavier, and Wednesday easily managed to stay in sync with their legs attached.

"Worried we won't make it tight enough?" Bianca asked.

"Just trying to be helpful, since you guys seem to be struggling" Enid smiled. She held out her hand. "So what'll it be?"

Bianca and Xavier shared a glance then Bianca tossed their rope to Enid. "Be my guest."

Enid took the rope and knelt to tie it around Bianca's and Xavier's legs. She wrapped it around their ankles and tried to sneak a peek at Bianca's fingernails. Just as Wednesday had said, there were traces of Bianca's garlic spread under her fingernails. Enid's breath caught and she clenched her fists. Her mind raced trying to figure out what to do. She wondered if she should confront Bianca then and there, but faltered. She wasn't sure what she would say, or if she even should say anything considering her basis for believing the other girl had done something to Yoko was a gut feeling and some sauce under her fingernails.

"I thought you were going to help?" Bianca's voice cut through Enid's thoughts and Enid pressed her lips together.

"Just trying to figure out which knot to use," she said.

"Right."

Enid started tying the rope and made her decision. She wouldn't confront Bianca, she'd talk to Yoko about everything first. But she was going to do something. She had to. So when she was almost done tying the rope she extended one sharp fingernail and sliced the edge of the rope, hopefully just enough for it to snap under pressure.

"You should be all set," Enid said as she stood.

Bianca hummed without really looking at her, instead focusing on Wednesday. She looked like she wanted to say something to the other girl, who was holding her gaze evenly, but Weems's megaphone-amplified voice cut the sudden tension in the air. She ordered everyone behind the starting line and to leave at least two arm lengths between adjacent pairs of racers. Enid nudged Wednesday over so she couldn't start in on Bianca despite the interruption, and when they settled into a spot Wednesday spoke to her quietly.

"So was I right?"

"Yes," Enid said.

"You didn't say anything to her," Wednesday said. Enid couldn't tell if she sounded more accusatory or disappointed.

"I'm going to talk to Yoko first."

"I'm sure she would want the girl who poisoned her to get off scot-free."

Enid knew the other girl just wanted to see chaos, but she still wanted to dispel the idea that she wouldn't do something on behalf of her friend. "I wouldn't say scot-free."

Wednesday stared at her for a moment before narrowing her eyes. "Explain."

Enid smiled. "She wanted to win so badly that she spiked Yoko's food. I just made sure she won't be able to."

Wednesday seemed intrigued but didn't press the issue. A lifeguard started down the line of competitors to make sure the rope tying their legs together was secure. Enid worried that when he got to Bianca and Xavier he would discover that the rope had been weakened, but he only gave each rope a cursory tug before moving on. When he got to the other team the light pressure wasn't enough to reveal Enid's sabotage, and he reached the end of the line he gave Weems a thumbs up. Enid looked over to Wednesday one last time before the starting signal. The other girl glanced her way in return. She moved her left foot, the one tied to Enid's right, back from the starting line.

"Move your right foot first. Every time I say 'one' your left foot should hit the ground, every time I say 'two' your right foot should hit the ground. Understood?" Wednesday commanded.

"Got it."

The other girl sounded serious about the race, so Enid decided to match that energy. She crouched to get some extra power into her first step and waited for the signal. Her ears twitched as she focused on her hearing. Werewolf hearing was more sensitive than most other outcasts, let alone normies, and she wanted to take advantage of that to pick out Wednesday's voice over the noise of the coming race. She focused on the other girl's breath, and just as she did Weems's voice called from a loudspeaker the traditional "ready" and "set" followed by the sharp crack of a starter pistol.

"One."

Enid pushed off with her left leg to throw her right foot forward just as Wednesday ordered, and she could feel Wednesday's opposite leg moving in unison with her own. Their first step hit the ground just as Wednesday said "two", and when she said "one" again their connected and their rhythm was set. Wednesday's cadence kept them in sync, and the other girl increased the pace the further down the sand the went. Enid could hardly believe how well Wednesday mirrored her own running motion. The other girl must have had great observational skills to match Enid so closely.

Enid was so focused on listening to Wednesday's voice that she almost missed the cursing from Bianca and Xavier next to them. Enid snuck a quick glance to find the two falling behind while looking at their legs, which were no longer connected by a rope. Enid grinned as she refocused her attention on the quickly approaching finish line.

They passed it easily, and after a few steps to slow down turned to look at the competition. Only one other group had made it over the finish line, the same werewolf group from the first race. They must have been close, but Enid could see a crater in the sand behind them where they must have fallen and slowed themselves down. It looked like Enid and Wednesday were the only duo to stay in sync and on their feet for the entire race.

Bianca and Xavier were back at the starting line talking to Weems and Enid wondered if they would be able to argue their way into another try, but Weems was shaking her head. As she watched, Bianca threw the two pieces of rope on the ground, and Enid felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Well done," came Wednesday's voice from beside her.

"Thanks," Enid said.

Her hearing was still attuned to Wednesday, and she was surprised at how even the other girl's breathing was. They had been moving pretty fast considering Wednesday was only a psychic. But as she continued to listen Enid noticed the other girl's breathing slow even further, down to disturbingly low level. Her surprise faded the more she considered the other girl. Everything about her was so tightly controlled, it made sense that she would have an iron grip on her breathing as well.

"They're waving us over," Wednesday said, breaking Enid from her thoughts.

"Right," she said.

The two made their way over to Weems. After a round of congratulations they were handed a trophy and a bundle of twenty dollar bills. They were made to pose for a brief picture, which Enid could tell even from the corner of her eye that Wednesday hated. Bianca and Xavier slipped away during the picture, caught up in some heated argument. Enid had no time to wonder what it was about before Wednesday's family was surrounding and congratulating the two of them.

"Is there any better feeling than coming out on top of a heated physical competition?" Gomez asked.

"Watching the two of you has... inspired us," Morticia added, one hand rubbing a pattern on Gomez's back. "The fire of youth is so infectious."

Wednesday shuddered and pushed the trophy and stack of money into Enid's hands. "Take it. I have no need for the money and no desire to be reminded of this day." She turned to her parents. "I believe I've challenged myself enough for one day. I would like to return to the house."

Morticia gave her a small smile. "My little scorpion, perhaps you should celebrate your victory. You and Enid should take your winnings and enjoy the rest of the day." She glanced at Enid and her smile grew. "Treat yourselves to something nice, just the two of you."

Before Wednesday shot the idea down Gomez cut in. "Away from your parents and brother."

Enid watched Wednesday's face closely for her reaction. It seemed her parents could get a rise out of her, enough to make her drop her emotionless mask, at least a little. Her jaw tightened, her eyebrows drew together a few millimeters, and her eyes darted from one parent to the other. After a few moments of rumination it seemed the idea of a day away from her family was more tempting than spending that time with Enid was off-putting.

"Very well. So long as we don't have to remain here to watch the rest of these asinine competitions," Wednesday said.

Gomez spread his arms and said, "the day is yours, my victorious viper."

Wednesday stared at him for a moment before turning her head to look at Enid. "Come. Let's get away from this place."

Enid hesitated for a moment. She hadn't exactly agreed to spend a day with just Wednesday, and the prospect wasn't too appealing. The other girl seemed to hate everything, Enid included, and didn't seem to want to change any time soon. But she had promised herself she would help the Addams, and she suspected what the parents wanted was a daughter that maybe wasn't quite so acerbic. Besides, there were things Enid wanted to know about her arrangement with the Addams and about the Addams themselves. Who better to ask than the cynic who seemed to be at the center of her parents' requests?

Enid took a breath. "Lead the way."

Chapter Text

Enid followed Wednesday away from the crowded beach, a step or two behind the entire way. For someone so small, she could really move with the proper motivation. And escaping the noise and her parents seemed to be great motivation for the other girl. Enid could appreciate chafing under parental rule, even if from her perspective Gomez and Morticia seemed to be loving and supportive. They even shared the same aesthetic as both of their children. Enid wondered if that was the issue, and had a brief image of Wednesday hiding cute pastel clothes under her bed and painting her nails in neon colors. She barely held back a laugh. No, Wednesday was way too spooky for a secret love of color to be the issue.

Enid stared at the girl in front of her and continued to wonder. Her curiosity grew as she followed Wednesday down the boardwalk, onto one street then a cross street, and to the Addams's rental. Wednesday opened the door and gestured for Enid to go in.

"Enter," she said.

Enid hesitated. "Am I going to die?"

"Yes," Wednesday said, voice even.

Enid blinked. "Then I think I'd rather not."

Wednesday tilted her head for a moment then took a breath. "We're all going to die, Sinclair, but I'm not going to take your life today if that's what you meant. Whether you die in this house or not is mostly up to you." She turned to enter the doorway but Enid still had a question.

"Mostly?"

Wednesday turned back for a moment. "Yes mostly. Try not to worry too much. Sudden lethal brain aneurisms that are impossible to detect or prevent are incredibly rare. Is that blood coming out of your nose?"

Enid's hand flew to her nose to check but her fingers came away dry. When she looked up Wednesday had disappeared into the suspiciously dark doorway. Enid groaned. Of course the other girl was just messing with her. Probably.

She entered the house and the door shut by itself behind her. Despite the time, a little after one in the afternoon, the entire house was dark. Enid couldn't tell if there was a film on the windows, if the Addams had done something to block the light, or if their presence was just like that, but her eyes adjusted after a few moments and she ventured deeper into the house. Wednesday was nowhere to be seen, and she couldn't hear the other girl, but she could just detect the faint smell of her sunblock, some herbal smell that left a bitter sting.

She followed her nose to a room on the first floor and could finally make out the small sounds of someone changing behind the door. Without warning the door flew open revealing Wednesday in a black dress with white polka-dots and a white collar. She had also changed into black tights and black boots, giving her an inch or two of extra height. She still had to look up to meet Enid's eyes but her glare was still as impressive as ever.

"So uh," Enid started nervously, "what were you thinking?"

"How difficult would it really be to hide a body," Wednesday said.

"Right," Enid said slowly. "Um, whose?"

Wednesday just stared at her until she coughed and looked away. She collected herself and decided to change the subject. "So did you have something you wanted to do? That wasn't hiding a body?"

"Yes."

Enid waited a moment for Wednesday to elaborate, but the other girl only continued to look at her. At least her glare had lessened in intensity. "Well, what is it?"

"Nothing that involves you."

"Are you just waiting for me to leave?" Enid asked.

"Yes."

Enid narrowed her eyes and set her shoulders. It was hard to know what kind of social norms the Addams had, but by any measure Wednesday was being purposefully rude. Despite the threatening atmosphere from the other girl Enid wanted to know why. But it would be tough to get any answers from Wednesday, and Enid could think of only one thing to try.

"I don't think your parents would like that."

Wednesday narrowed her eyes in return. "What do they have to do with anything?"

"There's something going on between you and your parents, and whatever it is, they want my input on it. So I can leave, but I'm not going to lie to your parents. And I don't think they would approve of you forcing me out and shutting yourself in the house."

"Maybe I'm over whatever it is that's going on between me and my parents," Wednesday said.

"I don't think you are," Enid said as she crossed her arms.

Wednesday's glare darkened. "Why's that?"

"The fact that we're still talking. The fact that you haven't just told me directly to leave."

"Have you considered that I'm only talking because you haven't left?"

Enid felt a rush of confidence in her assumption. "You still didn't and you're still trying to make me leave on my own. Then you know what? Fine. I will go, right back to the beach and I'll casually mention how you wanted some alone time and made me so uncomfortable I had to leave."

Wednesday didn't say anything but Enid was sure her jaw was clenched tighter than before. Enid thrust her chin in the air and turned around to leave. She didn't make it far before Wednesday's voice stopped her.

"Wait."

Enid did, but she didn't turn around until she heard the other girl take a few steps towards her. Wednesday glided past her and gave her a brief look as if to say 'come along then', and Enid could practically feel the seethe radiating from her small frame. She imagined herself pumping a fist in victory, sure that if she actually did then Wednesday would actually have to answer her own earlier question.

Enid followed Wednesday and they stopped in the foyer before the exit. Wednesday took a deep breath and faced Enid. "You keep surprising me. I don't like that. I didn't think you capable of blackmail. If you're so set on following through with my parents' wishes then so be it. You're the expert on things to do around her. You lead the way."

"First I want to know what it is your parents want. And how I fit in with that."

"That's family business."

"Not when your family involved me in it." Enid waited but the other girl didn't answer right away. She decided to try another track; appealing to teenage rebellion. "Besides that, it's just what they want from you, right? I get that you don't want the same thing, I totally get it, I mean parents have all these hopes and dreams that they push on to their children, like my parents are so set on me transforming on their timeline that they can't let me be on mine, so is it really a big deal to let me know what they want? You don't have to tell me your feelings, I just want to know where I stand."

The silence stretched between the two until Enid was worried she had overplayed her position, but before she could open her mouth again Wednesday spoke.

"You're more astute than I gave you credit for, as well as more bold. You're right, to an extent. After my visions started manifesting my parents decided to enroll me in an outcast school. That is part of a future they want for me. However I want another. They offered a compromise. I could have my future if they were satisfied with how well I could fit in with others. But we Addams have unique tastes. It's hard for them to know what a normal person does. So when you fell into their lap they thought it fortuitous that someone so normal could show us what normal people do. A test, if you will, of how well I would react when exposed to such... frivolity."

Enid had conflicting thoughts. On one hand getting along with others was probably the most basic human skill anyone could have, and getting better at it could be both useful and fun. On the other, forcing their daughter to conform to some idea of normal didn't sit right with Enid considering her complicated feelings towards her own parents and their expectations. But she wondered if that was what was really going on. From the way Wednesday spoke, Enid got the idea that the Addams didn't think in terms of normie and outcast, but rather Addams and non-Addams. Because Enid had been called a few things in her time, but normal wasn't one of them. And if Gomez and Morticia were concerned their daughter couldn't fit in with people outside the family Enid couldn't really blame them. The other girl seemed to barely tolerate her family as it was, and had active disdain for everyone else. Enid pursed her lips. It wasn't everything she wanted to hear, but she could live with that answer.

"That's all I wanted to know. Listen, I'm not going to make your life hard or anything, so you don't have to worry about me, you know, messing with you or anything," Enid said.

"I don't need your pity," Wednesday said.

"It's consideration, not pity."

"I don't need that either."

Enid almost rolled her eyes. Only Wednesday's ever-present glare stopped her. "Alright. Well since we settled that, why don't we try out something normal. The Pier has a bunch of rides we can try out. Let's go there."

"Lead the way." With that aWednesday opened the door, stepped into the light and extended an arm for Enid to go ahead of her.

Enid did and they started towards The Pier, an actual pier jutting out from the main boardwalk which had several thrill rides, challenging (and probably rigged) games of skill, and a ton of fried food. It was a veritable carnival on the beach, the perfect place to make Wednesday regret her words.

It was a short, mostly quiet walk. Enid forgot who she was with for a moment and made a comment about liking a passerby's outfit, a common topic for her and Yoko. Wednesday was less receptive, calling it a technicolor eyesore. After that Enid kept her remarks to herself. They reached the gate to The Pier and Enid paid for their tickets. She watched Wednesday for her reaction when she passed through the gate and wasn't let down by the clear disgust she exhibited.

"Come on, I smell funnel cake and I missed lunch because of Yoko's situation."

She led Wednesday to a food stand and joined the line. She bounced on the balls of her feet while she waited, excited to have one of her favorite guilty foods. Wednesday on the other hand looked paler than usual, as if her stomach was turning at the scent of fried dough and sugar. Considering her taste in everything else, it probably was. But Enid wasn't deterred. When she made it to the front of the line and got a plate of white and gold deliciousness she broke a piece off and offered it to Wednesday. The other girl immediately turned her head away.

"I'd rather die peacefully in my sleep than eat that," she said.

"More for me," Enid replied. "Come on, let's check out the rides."

There were a few rides at The Pier, one small roller coaster, a wild mouse coaster, a couple of spinning rides for children, and of course, the ferris wheel. Enid pointed them out to Wednesday's disinterest, and she wondered if the other girl could even feel thrilled.

"You sure you don't want to try?" she asked when they reached the roller coaster. It was the largest of the rides and the most exciting.

"Can you ride without the safety devices?"

"I don't think they'd let you."

"Then no, I don't want to try."

Enid pursed her lips. "These things are 50 years old, made of old wood and metal, and are right next to the ocean. Any ride could be their last."

That got Wednesday's interest. "Hmm. Very well."

The two stood in line until it was their turn to ride. Enid had been on the roller coaster dozens of times before and knew every twist and turn, so she could focus on watching Wednesday's reaction. For the entire rickety ride her face remained stoic, a funny contrast to the screams Enid could hear from the other riders. When it ended and they were leaving the ride she only remarked how disappointed she was the ride hadn't collapsed around them. They passed the stand where pictures taken during the ride were being sold and Enid easily spotted herself and Wednesday. She was tempted to get a printout of it but Wednesday was already past the exit and about to disappear into the crowd.

Enid rushed to catch up to the other girl, and as she did she saw something that gave her an idea. There was a face painting station which had a short line. An older woman was running it, and most of her clientele were children, but Enid loved the idea of Wednesday with something cute drawn on her face. She caught up to the other girl and jumped in front of her.

"Wednesday, let's get our faces painted," she said, nodding towards the station.

Wednesday's eyes widened and she took a step back.

"What's the matter?" Enid asked. "This is a pretty normal thing to do. Or should I consider how you might feel about having your face painted?"

That worked like a charm, and Wednesday whipped around and stalked towards the face painting station. The parents and children in line saw her approach and seemed to suddenly remember something they had to do and they sped off, leaving Enid and Wednesday the only people waiting to get their faces painted. Enid looked over the different examples and felt her excitement rise. It had been a long time since she had participated in such a childish activity and it felt good. Some cute harmless fun was a boon for the soul as far as she was concerned, though she was sure Wednesday would disagree with that notion.

"What should we get?" Enid asked.

Wednesday surveyed the choices as Enid had before. Her face betrayed nothing. "Since you're a werewolf why not a cat?" she asked sarcastically.

But the joke was on Wednesday. Enid loved cats. "Perfect. And we can match! You're pretty catlike yourself."

"In what way?"

Enid was about to answer but her survival instincts kicked in. How could she phrase that Wednesday was aloof and thought of herself as better than others, could lash out and maim anyone nearby without warning, but was still devastatingly small and cute without her lashing out and maiming Enid? She couldn't think of a way. So instead she just shrugged and said, "claws?"

Wednesday was quiet for a moment then nodded. The woman running the face painting stand finished her client and smiled at Enid and Wednesday. Enid stepped forward to tell her what they wanted.

"Hey there, we were looking to get matching cat... uh... faces?"

The woman smiled and waved to the example board. 'What would you like?"

Enid wanted to ask Wednesday her opinion, but when she saw the daggers she was glaring at the woman (and probably had up her sleeves) she decided not to press her luck. "Maybe something simple, just a set of whiskers?"

"Of course dear," she said. "And maybe something around the nose to make it look more realistic?"

"Perfect."

Enid decided to go first on the off chance that Wednesday decided to kill the woman in the middle of the painting and Enid wouldn't get a chance to get hers. With such a simple request she was done in only a few minutes. She turned and flashed her brightest smile at Wednesday and asked how it looked.

"Like you were born to wear it," Wednesday answered. Enid figured that the other girl meant it as an insult, but she couldn't help but feel it was a compliment.

Then Wednesday sat to get her face done as well, and although she didn't say anything, the woman running the station tensed up and rushed painting her face. Enid could only imagine the look Wednesday was sporting and started to feel a little bad about subjecting an innocent bystander to Wednesday's wrath, but it was over quickly and Wednesday stood. Enid held her breath as the other girl turned, then had to hold her tongue at the result. She looked so cute, even with a glare more intense than any Enid had seen on her face before, which was saying a lot.

Enid paid for their paintings and noticed some of the accessories by the register. There, in a small display meant to entice impulsive people, were fake cat ears on a plastic headband. She grabbed one excitedly and turned to Wednesday but was stopped cold before she could open her mouth.

"Suggest what I think you want to suggest and you'll be down to eight lives," Wednesday said.

Enid decided not to push the issue.

She still bought a pair for herself and put it on immediately. Wednesday looked like she wanted to make some smart remark but pressed her mouth into a line before asking, "what saccharine activity is next?"

Enid dragged Wednesday around some of the other attractions The Pier had to offer. She made the other girl try out some of the rigged games of skill, and she somehow managed to win at all of them. Enid bought herself an iced tea, though Wednesday refused anything, claiming she liked the feeling of oncoming heat stroke.

The day wore on and The Pier grew more crowded, and Enid could tell Wednesday was nearing the end of her social rope. But Enid was having a surprisingly good time, and not just because she could mess with the other girl. Whether because Enid had started to earlier or because she also liked to people-watch, Wednesday began to share some of her thoughts on the people around them with Enid. Some of her observations left Enid feeling like she was Watson to Wednesday's Holmes, but others were funny, if maybe a little mean. Enid was sure that Wednesday would enjoy Yoko's dark humor.

But Wednesday also had this presence about her, a way she carried and conducted herself that drew Enid in. She was so uniquely herself, and seemed to dare anyone else to have a problem with it. And despite her demeanor, despite how obvious Enid's provocations were, Wednesday still approached every challenge with all of her ability. The conviction with which she approached everything was admirable.

The crowds hit their peak after five when the beaches closed and the first day of Welcome Weekend ended. Enid decided that they needed a break, and claimed a bench to relax for a few minutes and figure out what to do next. She also sent a text to Yoko to check in on how the vampire was doing. She received a picture in response, two pairs of legs stretched out on a leg rest in front of a big tv, presumably Yoko and Divina cozying up together. She replied that she hoped Yoko was Netflix and chilling responsibly when she heard her name being called. She looked up to see Ajax approaching, and she jumped up to greet him.

"Ajax! Hey what's up?"

"Not much," he said. He stopped in front of Enid and Wednesday and his eyes darted between them. "What are you guys up to?"

"Oh, you know, just hanging out." Enid desperately wanted to find something compelling to say but was drawing a blank.

"Cool. You heard from Yoko? How she's doing?"

"Oh, yeah, she's back home, recovering with Divina."

Ajax nodded. "Makes sense. Guess they're in for the night. And Xaviar and Bianca ran off somewhere. I texted him but he just sent back a skull. I'm not sure what that means."

Enid winced. She remembered seeing them arguing when the left the beach earlier. "Nothing good I'm sure."

"Yeah, I figured. But hey, it's Saturday. You guys want to hang out?" Ajax asked.

Enid had to step herself from saying yes immediately. She wasn't sure how Wednesday would react to someone new, and frankly she didn't want to spend split her attention and give Ajax the impression that she wasn't into him. Or worse, for Wednesday to do or say something to completely drive him away from Enid.

"We need a moment," Wednesday said before Enid could formulate a response.

"Alright," Ajax said, sounding confused.

Wednesday took a few steps away and Enid followed, concerned about what the other girl had to say.

"You've made your point," Wednesday said, gesturing to her face, "but I think now there's something to gain for both of us. You have an interest in the gorgon, so take this as an opportunity to have some alone time with him. I can leave and have some alone time with myself. And my parents can be none the wiser."

Enid hadn't expected Wednesday to be able to pick up on other people's romantic interest, so the fact the other girl had noticed hers worried her. She wasn't exactly being subtle, considering how dense Ajax seemed to be, but she still didn't want to broadcast her crush to everyone. But Wednesday was right, this would be a great opportunity for a kind of date with Ajax. She glanced over at him, standing a little awkwardly, looking around and not quite meeting anyone's eye, and made up her mind.

"Deal," she said.

Wednesday nodded sharply and stepped back to Ajax. "I'm sorry, but I suddenly remembered something important I have to do. I'll leave you two to enjoy the rest of the evening."

With that she turned abruptly and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Ajax and Enid standing awkwardly beside each other.

"Well," Enid said. "What do you want to do?"

As it turned out, Ajax wanted to do a lot of the things Enid and Wednesday had already done. At least Enid felt more comfortable talking with Ajax considering how relatively normal he was and the common interests they shared. They talked about lifeguarding, about how they each got their start and the trials and tribulations that went along with it. They talked about their friends and some of their past interactions. But as they made their way around The Pier Enid couldn't help comparing her time with Ajax to her time with Wednesday. Ajax couldn't seem to win at any of the skill games and he needed coaxing to get onto any of the rides because they were too dangerous.. He asked about her face paint and joked that if Enid had a cat's face then he could get an orca. He also didn't balk when she suggested corndogs for dinner with churros for dessert, something that Wednesday would have detested.

Enid kept trying to stop herself whenever those comparisons popped into her head. Instead she kept trying to flirt, but only succeeded in frustrating herself. She couldn't tell if Ajax was being intentionally or unintentionally oblivious and she couldn't decide which would be worse. If her advances weren't wanted then that would really throw a wrench into her 'last free summer' plans, but if her flirting game was just that bad then she worried she would never find a partner. It didn't help that there were the occasional flashes of awkwardness of two people who were friends of friends hanging out alone together for the first time.

Still, progress was progress, and for a first semi-date, things were going pretty well. The crowds started to thin and the workers and attendants started to shut down their stalls. Enid and Ajax made their way to the exit with the other visitors and meandered down the boardwalk towards Enid's cousins' house, in an unspoken agreement that Ajax would walk her home. Enid wondered what would happen when they reached the house, and even began planning to directly ask him on a proper date when a familiar scent caught her attention. She had smelled it just that afternoon, had followed it in the Addams family's rental to Wednesday's room. The other girl was close.

Then, voices cut through the night, the boisterous sound of teenage boys up to mischief.

"Look at this freak," one of them said.

"What the hell is she up to?" another asked.

Enid and Ajax looked at each other for a moment before Enid took off. Whatever was happening involved Wednesday, and thus probably some impending violence. Enid followed the voices off the boardwalk onto the beach and spotted in the distance three figures facing a fourth.

"Look at this walking cliche," Wednesday responded. "Whatever you're going to try, could you hurry up? I have more important things to do."

"I bet you do," the first voice said. Enid could hear the sneer in his voice. "But why don't you try me on for size instead?"

"I don't think you can handle me," Wednesday said.

As Enid ran closer to the figures she could make out more details. The lone figure was obviously Wednesday, and the three facing her were the teenage boys she had heard. They looked about the same age as Enid and Wednesday and were dressed in the uniform of The Pier employees. The center one seemed to be the leader, dark skinned and average height, flanked by two cronies, one shorter and stockier and one taller and leaner. Wednesday was staring the leader down, and she leaned in a little closer before making a move.

She feinted forward and said 'boo' to make the leader flinch. One of his lackeys took that as a threat and grabbed for Wednesday, and at the same time a voice from the boardwalk above the group shouted down at them. By the time Enid looked from the area of the voice back to Wednesday the lackey that had reached for Wednesday was on the ground clutching his stomach. Before either of the other two could react Wednesday was moving again, sweeping the other lackey off his feet then spinning into a kick that nailed the leader in the face. He went down with a yell, hand flying to his face. He sat dazed for a few moments before pulling his hand away from his face and looking at it.

"Is that blood?" he asked himself.

"Consider yourself lucky," Wednesday said while staring down at him. "If I had wanted to break your nose I would have."

"That's assault," the leader said. "Just wait until my father hears about this. A freak attacking the mayor's son isn't going to end well for you."

"Sounds like incentive to learn how to dispose of a body. Lucky me, the ocean is right there," Wednesday said.

The leader looked taken aback at her tone, but collected himself enough to speak. "A threat too? You're going away for a long time."

Enid was close enough to make herself heard and did. "No she isn't," she yelled, drawing their attention. "I saw everything, she wasn't even going to touch you until one of your friends grabbed her. How's that going to sound, three boys harassing a girl and still getting their asses kicked?" She stopped next to Wednesday and stared down at the three teenagers still on the ground.

The leader looked her over before glancing back at Wednesday. "Of course outcasts stick together. But who's everyone going to believe? The mayor's son or a couple of outcasts?"

"How about the chief's son?" the voice from earlier cut in. Enid glanced behind and saw the boy from the ice cream shop, Tyler if she remembered correctly. She wasn't sure what he was doing there, especially considering what Xavier had said about him, but his eyes were on the boys who on the ground.

The three teens struggled to their feet and the leader spat to the side.

"Gulpin? This is none of your business."

"You're in public Lucas, you made this anyone's business."

Lucas, the leader of the trio, narrowed his eyes. "What good is your word anyway after what you did?"

Tyler set his jaw. "You want to find out?"

There was a tense silence broken by Wednesday addressing Lucas. "As boring as this is, if you don't have the temerity to act then leave. Or you can stick around and find out what I was doing under the boardwalk first hand."

Lucas and his cronies chose to leave, glaring all the while. But after Wednesday alone had beat all three of them, none of them were willing to try anything with Enid and Tyler there. When they left Enid spun around to Wednesday and looked her over.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course I am."

Wednesday walked over to a shovel by one of the beams supporting the boardwalk, which she presumably had been using before being accosted.

"You sure?" Tyler asked.

Wednesday barely glanced at him. Instead she nodded to something behind Enid. "We're done here. Why don't you go back to your date."

Enid turned to see what Wednesday met and was surprised to see Ajax there, looking a little surprised himself at what Wednesday had said. She felt herself blush and struggled to think of anything to say. Wednesday brushed past her and headed for the boardwalk. Tyler followed.

"Are you going home? I'll walk you," Tyler said.

"I can clearly take care of myself. Or do you need more proof?" Wednesday said as she continued walking.

"I guess you can." Tyler kept walking a step or two behind Wednesday. "Still, I'm going this way anyway."

"Fine. It'll be useful to have a human shield if something happens."

Enid heard Tyler mutter 'right' under his breath, but he followed Wednesday anyway. That left her with Ajax and the awkward situation the other girl had put her in.

"Was that Tyler? Why was he helping Wednesday? I thought he hated outcasts," Ajax said.

"I think it was," Enid said. "But I like to think people can change for the better. Maybe he did."

"Yeah, I guess," Ajax said. After a moment he continued. "She's got a weird sense of humor, right?" He chuckled nervously.

Enid worked up her courage and squared up to face Ajax head on. "She does, but it doesn't have to be a joke. I had a lot of fun with you tonight. We could try a real date."

Ajax met her eyes for a few moments before looking away. "Listen, you don't have to make yourself go along with some dumb joke."

Enid felt a surge of pity. She knew what it felt like to doubt herself, and it sounded like Ajax was doing just that. "I'm not. I like you. To be honest, I've had my eye on you since the beginning of the summer."

"Really?" Ajax asked, still uncertain. He met her eyes again, for longer than the first time.

"Really," Enid said. She took a deep breath. "So, what do you say? Want to go out?"

Ajax smiled. "Yeah. Yeah I'd like that."

Chapter Text

Despite officially asking Ajax out and getting a yes in response, Enid had to spend most of the next day as lifeguard on duty for the second day of Welcome Weekend. The second day was usually a spotlight for local business which brought stands and stalls to the beach to peddle their wares, but Enid heard a new event had been added at the last minute; fencing. She suspected the Addams were involve with the addition, and sure enough, when people started hitting the beach, the Addams were there with foils and uniforms for three. They stopped by Enid's chair and Gomez asked how her evening with Wednesday was.

"Good," she said, eying Wednesday who remained impassive. "We got to see a lot of The Pier, the amusement park you guys might have seen."

Gomez and Morticia shared a look. "And Wednesday... enjoyed herself?" Gomez asked.

Enid checked Wednesday's reaction but there wasn't one, just an even stare. "Well, the rides were a little thrilling and she did really well with some of the games. Oh! She did look cute with her face painted."

Enid was sure she saw Wednesday's eye twitch but the rest of the family reacted much more strongly. "Our little scorpion got her face painted?" Gomez asked

"Did you get any pictures?" Morticia followed.

"Was it something stupid?" Pugsley asked at the same time.

"It was a cat," Wednesday's icy voice cut through the sudden noise from her family. "They're often omens of fell deeds," she continued, eyes never leaving Enid's.

"Right," Enid said, suddenly feeling the desire to hire a food taster. "And sorry, no pictures, I don't think I'd have survived the night if I tried to get one."

"You wouldn't have," Wednesday said while her parents nodded in understanding.

Enid decided to change the subject. "So you guys are going to compete in fencing?"

"Yes, yes, Pugsley, Wednesday and I will take part in one of the noblest of martial arts," Gomez said.

"Do you guys fence a lot?" Enid asked.

"At a moment's notice- and sometimes without notice, right my hellspawns?"

"Father likes to keep us on our toes," Pugsley said.

"It's the Addams way," Wednesday continued. "We have many enemies and we must always be on our guard."

That explained a surprising amount about Wednesday, but only raised more questions about the rest of the family. Everyone else was downright friendly, if a little odd in their tastes. Enid couldn't imagine them having enemies, real enemies out to attack them at least.

"Oh," she said for lack of anything better. "I guess you guys will do pretty well then."

"We shall see, we shall see," Gomez said. "I'm hoping for some strong competition. After all, I didn't get to participate in a single event yesterday."

"Come dear, I think we've taken enough of Enid's time," Morticia said. "She still has her own duties today."

"Of course cara mia," Gomez said. "Wish us luck, young werewolf."

"Good luck," Enid said, and the Addams went on their way.

Enid kept an eye on the beach, but there were few people swimming and she had some opportunity to let her mind wander. She thought about Yoko, who had texted her after she got home and chatted back and forth with her for an hour or two before she turned in. She had promised to catch up with Enid in person after her shift to avoid the sun for as long as possible, and Enid was looking forward to getting some details about her night from the vampire and discussing any plans for revenge she might want to cook up for Bianca. Yoko had touched on the siren briefly, not surprised at Enid's suspicion and eager to get even. She had stayed quiet about any progress she had made with Divina though, and Enid was burning with curiosity about their relationship.

She then thought about her own budding relationship with Ajax. She hoped to see him during her shift, and maybe when she took a lunch they could get something together. It had been such a sudden opportunity that Enid was still trying to accept that she was going out with the gorgon as she had hoped at the beginning of the summer. Her mind raced through different date ideas. She wasn't about to squander her opportunity to enjoy possibly her last free summer for a long time. And to think it was Wednesday who had sparked the opportunity for her, even if she had probably been trying to mess with Enid.

Thinking of Wednesday brought Enid back to the fencing competition. She figured the other girl would be a strong contender considering the way she took down Lucas and his friends the previous night. A werewolf with their enhanced strength and speed might give her trouble, but the structure that fencing had as a sport might negate those advantages. Although Wednesday might run into a problem with that structure; she didn't seem the type to play by someone else's rules.

Enid's day passed quickly and without incident until her lunch. She texted Yoko to solidify their plans for the evening and decided to check out some of the tournament while she ate. Much like the previous day an area had been cleared for the competition with stands on one side facing the ocean. There were spectators all around and Enid struggled to find a spot where she could see the field, but eventually wormed her way close enough to see what was going on. It seemed like some early teens were facing off against each other. She looked around and spotted Pugsley in black and white striped fencing gear sitting with some other kids his age.

Her eyes were drawn back to the fencers on the field by a flurry of action. There weren't any sensors that Enid could see, but Weems seemed to be acting as a judge for hits and points. As she watched, one of the fencers lunged and scored a point. Their match ended, they raised their swords to salute each other, and Weems called Pugsley and another fencer forward.

Enid had only fenced a little bit herself, but she could tell Pugsley had a solid grasp on the basics at least. He wasn't as fast or agile as his sister or even his opponent however, and his technique wasn't yet good enough to overcome the difference in speed. He lost three points in a row, and that ended his match. His body language as he walked back to his parents seemed fine, so Enid hoped he wasn't too torn up about his loss. He seemed like a nice kid, if a little timid.

His opponent stayed on the field and the victor of the first match Enid saw was called forward to face him. That probably meant their match was the last of their age bracket and Enid wondered if she would have time to see the start of the next round of matches. There was an off chance she'd get to see Wednesday, who was already suited up in the stands. Enid didn't know how she stayed so stoic when she was covered in black fencing gear under the hot beach sun. The other girl wasn't even sweating- she had to have literal ice in her veins.

The junior match ended and just as Enid hoped Wednesday was called forward. Her very first opponent was Bianca, and Enid leaned forward in anticipation. She had heard rumors, courtesy of Yoko, about how good Bianca was at fencing. She was also certain that Wednesday would be great as well. And considering the run-ins Bianca had already had with Enid and Wednesday, the siren would be out to prove herself.

The two girls entered the makeshift field and faced each other. They contrasted each other perfectly, Bianca in her white gear and Wednesday in her black. Bianca smirked at Wednesday, cool and confident, and Wednesday maintained her stoic demeanor. They saluted each other quickly, donned their masks, took their stances, and waited for Weems's signal. It came soon enough and the two girls crossed blades.

The two were a whirl of motion, barely impeded by competing on sand. They were excellent fencers, better than any Enid had ever seen, though her fencing experience was limited. She could usually hold her own in her age group, but Bianca and Wednesday were in a class of their own. Still, one had to win, and the first point went to Bianca, who feinted, knocked Wednesday's sword aside, and scored a clear point. Weems awarded it and had the two reset, a few feet apart and still before the signal. Enid couldn't see Wednesday's face behind the fencing mask, and couldn't help but wonder if she was showing anything. The other girl clearly spent a lot of time perfecting her fencing, and probably rarely met someone who could take a point off of her.

Enid checked her phone for the time, worried that she would have to miss the ending of the match. She only had a couple of minutes, but the matches were first to three points, and the points were going fast. As she worried Wednesday and Bianca started again, with Wednesday driving forward in an attack. Her aggression paid off and she took the point to tie Bianca. The two were evenly matched, and Enid felt invested in the outcome. She decided she could take a long lunch and apologize to her cousin, the other lifeguard on beach duty, later.

The next two points were split as well, with Bianca taking the first and Wednesday the second. The crowd grew louder with each as well, and for the final point were as excited as Enid to see who would come out on top. Weems gave the signal to start and Enid held her breath.

Wednesday and Bianca lunged at the same time, their swords disappearing in blurs of motion. Each fencer brought out every trick they knew, including some that wouldn't fly in an actual competition, as they tried to get the upper hand. Enid couldn't tell who had the edge, and her chest started to burn the longer the point went on. She had to blow out her breath to relieve the tension.

But the two competitors couldn't stay even forever. Enid didn't know if there was a misstep or superior movement, but in a final flash of whirling steel Wednesday's sword ended up pointing into the sand and Bianca's sword struck in Wednesday's chest protector. Bianca had won.

There was a loud cheer at the intense match, but Wednesday tore her mask off and stalked over to her parents. Bianca was slower, reveling in showing her face to the audience and waving her mask in salute to them. Weems congratulated her and motioned her off the makeshift field so the next match could start. Enid left before it did to get back to lifeguarding, but she was sure she had seen the winner of that age bracket anyway.

The rest of her shift was spent getting updates on the fencing tournament through the cheering from the crowd and overheard conversations. As she expected, Bianca had won her bracket. She wondered how Wednesday was coping with her loss; she imagined not well, from what she knew of the other girl.

She did hear two boys talk about a surprise contender in the adult bracket, a portly man more spry than seemed possible. From their description she was pretty sure it was Gomez, and as the day went on she had the excited chatter of beachgoers glad to have seen an Addams in action as proof. By all accounts Gomez was a force to be reckoned with, dominating opponents and having a blast doing so. Enid believed it. Despite her loss, Wednesday was a skilled fencer, and had to have learned it somewhere.

A rush of people hit the beach when the tournament ended, eager to get some time in the sun, the sand, and the surf before the lifeguard stations closed down. The Addams came too, a little after the rush, with a trophy for Gomez and noticeably without Wednesday at all. After congratulating Gomez on his win Enid had to ask about Wednesday and her whereabouts. Gomez and Morticia shared a look.

"Our scorpion is so hard on herself," Gomez said. "She went home to practice her lunges and ripostes."

"That's a shame," Enid said, mostly meaning it. "I mean, she lost in the first round but Bianca won the whole thing, so it's not like she lost to some scrub."

Morticia smiled wistfully. "She holds herself to an impossible standard," she said. "And she manages to meet it often anyway. But that comes at a price."

"A price?" Enid asked.

Morticia considered her for a moment. "Yes, a price." Her eyes grew distant as she thought, then focused back on Enid and she smiled that wistful smile again. "But that is a subject for another time and place."

"For now we will enjoy the beach and our showings in the competition," Gomez said while throwing an arm around Pugsley. "And perhaps my boy and I will practice. You did well, but I saw some areas for growth."

Pugsley brightened up at his father's words. "Yeah, let's do it."

The Addams family bid Enid farewell and found a spot on the beach to clam as their own. Lurch put up large black beach umbrellas which seemed to cast more shade than possible and as Gomez said, he and Pugsley started practicing their fencing. It was immediately obvious how Gomez had won. He could switch between wild flourishes and efficient strikes at a moment, keeping his opponent off balance. There was purpose to every move, each one setting up the next. He proved to be an enthusiastic teacher as well, explaining the reasoning behind each move, each form, and each strike. Pugsley listened with rapt attention, clearly enamored with his father's attention. Morticia added her own insights on occasion while she relaxed and watched her husband and son enjoy themselves.

The Addams stayed almost until the end of Enid's shift, and bid her farewell when they did. As they were leaving Yoko and Divina arrived, and they exchanged pleasantries in passing. Enid hurried through her end of shift duties to hang out with Yoko and see if Ajax was available for the evening. She was also excited to share her news with Yoko- she had held off to get her reaction in person. She wasn't disappointed when she did. She went over all of the details of the previous night, from the time Wednesday left herself and Ajax alone, to intervening between Lucas and Wednesday (which almost diverted into an entirely different conversation), to the actual question itself. When she got to Ajax's answer Yoko whooped, threw an arm around her, and shook her side to side.

"That's my bold werewolf girl, making moves when he's too scared to."

Divina smiled at her as well. "So do you guys have any plans for a date?" she asked.

"I was just about to text him," Enid said.

"Well get him to come out and we'll make ourselves scarce," Yoko said. "Give you two some private time together."

"You sure you don't want to double date? That way you can get the details as they happen and save me the trouble of telling you later," Enid said.

"And miss the thrill of stalking you? Never," Yoko said.

Enid laughed and pulled out her phone to text Ajax, but before she could she spotted something strange. Morticia Addams was walking along the boardwalk, gaze roving over the passing crowds clearly looking for someone. She was alone, which Enid had assumed never happened. Morticia and Gomez seemed to always be within an arm's length of each other, so to see one without the other was jarring.

Morticia spotted Enid and seemed to glide over to her. Her expression was difficult to read, but if Enid had to guess she would say concerned. When she was close enough Enid called out.

"Mrs. Addams? Are you looking for someone?"

"I am," she said. "Have you or your friends seen Wednesday?"

Enid blinked in surprise and looked over to Yoko and Divina. They shook their heads and Enid turned back to Morticia. "No, not since the fencing tournament. She wasn't at your rental?"

Morticia hesitated but smiled a tight smile and shook her head. "No, but I'm sure she's fine. Sudden disappearances are a usual occurrence for our family, and Wednesday is no different. I just couldn't help my concern as her mother."

"Well she has been missing for a few hours since then," Enid said. She worried her lip. "Do you want some help looking for her?"

"That's alright dear, you should enjoy your time with your friends."

"I don't mind, really. More eyes can't hurt, right?"

Morticia's smile grew more genuine and she looked at Enid fondly. "What a kind soul. Take Thing. If you find her, he will take care of the rest and you can return to your friends."

Enid was about to ask where Thing was, but felt a tap on her foot. She looked down and the sentient hand scampered up her leg and torso to rest on her shoulder.

"I'll leave the boardwalk to you, Enid," Morticia said. "Perhaps I'll find somewhere high up to keep an eye out for smoke. My daughter finds beauty in fire."

"Right," Enid said.

Morticia glided away and disappeared into the crowd. Enid turned to face Yoko and Divina and found a lot of judgment there.

"Girl are you crazy?" Yoko asked. "This is the perfect night for a date and you're gonna spend it chasing a crazy girl throwing a tantrum?"

"Maybe she just couldn't say no to a hot goth mom," Divina said with a smile. "Can't say I blame her."

"Hot? Should I be worried?" Yoko asked.

"No way, you're two out of three of those things, and two out of three ain't bad."

Yoko rolled her eyes and turned back to Enid. "If you're sure about this, I guess just let us know when you've found pigtails. Maybe we'll see if Bianca and the boys want to hang out." She shared a look with Divina. "Or maybe just the boys. Don't want to get poisoned again."

"Or maybe it's time for some revenge," Divina said.

"Right. I'll let you guys know then," Enid said.

"You'll know you're close to finding her when you her the screams of her victims," Yoko said.

Enid rolled her eyes and laughed a little and Yoko and Divina waved and started up the boardwalk. Enid thought for a moment before hopping over the railing to the beach. She had a hunch that Wednesday had gone back to the area under the boardwalk. She surveyed the area before entering it. There were thick wooden support beams every few feet bearing most of the weight of the boardwalk. She could just make out more beams further in, spaced at regular intervals. It was probably thirty feet deep, though if it followed the width of the boardwalk above it would vary, deeper in some parts. There weren't any fences or gates to keep people out, and there didn't seem to be any hinderances preventing someone from walking the entire length of the boardwalk, just at beach level instead of on the boardwalk itself.

Enid pursed her lips. She could still abandon the search, go back to Yoko and Divina, text Ajax and meet up with him. Wednesday was a tough girl, she had seen that much, and probably didn't want to be disturbed in whatever she was doing. Definitely didn't want to be disturbed, considering she had hidden herself away from her family. And whatever she was doing really wasn't any of Enid's business, even if she was involved with the Addams in some capacity.

Enid sighed and stepped forward, past the support beams into the area under the boardwalk and began to walk its length in search of Wednesday. All of her senses were on high alert as she walked. It was dark at the entrance close to the beach, but darker still deeper in. The early evening sun still cast a lot of light, but in the wrong direction to help Enid, and the wooden slats that made up the boardwalk itself were tightly placed to make an even surface, leaving little room for light to filter in from above. She was reminded of some of the horror stories told about the area under the boardwalk, of crazy homeless people camping out and drug addicts using. After only a few minutes she didn’t see how anyone could spend any amount of time there, even the crazy or drugged out. There was a stench that pervaded the area, the stench of old garbage and rot and decay.

But as she neared the stretch of beach where she had come across Wednesday and Lucas and his buddies the previous night she caught Wednesday’s scent. It was faint, but grew stronger with each step. The other girl was there somewhere, doing whatever it was she did when she was alone in the dark. She followed the scent to until she heard Wednesday- or at least heard someone. There were odd swishing noises and the occasional sound of metal hitting wood, and she belatedly realized she was listening to the sound of a foil slashing through the air. After her loss to Bianca Wednesday must have retreated under the boardwalk to practice, or maybe to vent her frustration.

Thing skittered excitedly on her shoulders as she continued to approach, and they neared a deep part of the boardwalk. Even with her superior eyesight she had trouble making anything out more than a few yards ahead. But she pressed on, following the noise and the now-familiar smell of Wednesday Addams. She approached quietly, until she could make out movement then shape.

Wednesday was indeed shadow fencing. She had a real foil and was lunging and retreating from one of the support beams. There was a second foil on the ground, bent out of shape from overuse, and a third which looked pristine. Enid was sure that without intervention Wednesday wouldn’t stop until all three were bent and useless. Wednesday herself was in a state Enid hadn’t thought possible. Her hair, usually taut and controlled in two braids, had started to come loose, leaving flyaway strands whirling around Wednesday as she moved. Her bangs however were stuck to her forehead with sweat, and the mascara she wore was running from sweat as well.

Even her expression, normally so stoic, had obvious frustration and anger. Her movements, normally crisp, were sloppy and fatigued. Enid felt like she was seeing something she shouldn’t, something private that the other girl never showed anyone. Enid realized she was seeing how Wednesday achieved her perfect image, how she seemed good at every- and anything she tried. Hidden hours of intense practice, sweat, and effort went into keeping Wednesday's controlled and precise exterior, and to see her without that exterior, to see how she cultivated it was unsettling; even more unsettling than she normally was.

Enid wondered if this was the price Morticia had talked about earlier in the day; ignoring the people who cared about her in pursuit of her own idea of perfection. Enid wondered if that was a sustainable way to live, even for Wednesday and her iron will. She doubted it.

Wednesday stopped suddenly and whipped around to face Enid, epee up and at the ready. She stood staring at Enid for a few seconds before she slowly lowered the sword and her breathing evened out.

“I should have known they’d send the bloodhound,” Wednesday said. She stalked over to the other swords on the ground.

Enid took a few steps closer but stayed a few yards away. “Your parents? Of course they’d look for you, they were worried.”

“Needlessly. I can handle myself,” Wednesday said. She started collecting her things.

Enid couldn’t help herself. She had known the other girl wouldn't be grateful to be found, had known how prickly she could be, but was still annoyed by it. Wednesday's parents were worried, she had disappeared without a trace because she had lost a hard fought match against an incredible fencer, and she still had the gall to take an attitude when interrupted.

“Clearly you can still lose,” she said. Thing tapped at her shoulders, worried about the consequences Enid might face for her provocation.

Wednesday stiffened and sent a dark look at Enid. She had picked up the second pristine sword and tossed it at Enid. “Bold words. Care to back them up?”

Enid caught the sword and examined it. The cap was still on the tip, so it wouldn't do any damage if she got Wednesday with it. Wednesday's own sword was similarly capped. Even without a padded fencing uniform they could have a relatively safe match. But from what she had seen there was no way she could beat the other girl in a straight up duel. She rolled her shoulders and shook the one with Thing to encourage him to get off. If she couldn’t win straight up, then she wouldn’t fight straight up. Something told her Wednesday would appreciate that line of thinking.

“Fine. You’re on,” she said.

Wednesday straightened, faced her fully, and motioned to Thing. "Thing will signal us and track points."

"Good. I'm ready," Enid said.

Wednesday settled into an en garde stance and Enid followed suit. There were a few tense moments before Thing gave a snap to start the point and Wednesday disappeared in a blur of motion. Even after hours of practice her speed was remarkable, and Enid struggled to keep up. Her feet dragged in the sand as she retreated to give herself time to counter Wednesday's strikes, and she wondered how the other girl was moving so fast in her boots. She managed to swat aside two thrusts before a third hit home, striking right above her heart. Wednesday pulled back, looking satisfied with herself; or at least as satisfied as she could look. Enid rubbed the spot where the other girl's sword had hit. Even with the safety cap on, getting hit stung.

"Best of five," Enid said as she walked forward to take her starting position again.

Wednesday quirked an eyebrow but nodded. She raised her sword again and waited for Thing's signal. Enid shook herself out a little to loosen her muscles and raised her sword as well. There was another tense pause before Thing's snap, and when he did Enid went on the offensive, hoping to catch Wednesday off guard. She didn't. Her feet struggled to move in the sand and her first thrust was easily knocked aside. Her second ended with her overextended and exposed to a counterattack. Wednesday took advantage and Enid had a second sore spot to match the first.

"One more," Wednesday said as she returned to her starting position.

"We'll see," Enid countered.

Wednesday cocked her head and narrowed her eyes, but entered her en garde stance. Enid did as well, and they waited a few moments for the third point to start.

When Thing snapped Enid held her ground and waited for Wednesday's attack. She pushed the toe of her right foot into the sand. When Wednesday started forward Enid flung her foot forward, sending sand into the air towards Wednesday's face. The other girl ducked but still had to close her eyes to prevent any sand from getting in them, and Enid dropped her sword and leapt forward. She grabbed Wednesday's sword with her left had pulled it across her body to keep it controlled. Her momentum carried both of them over and she landed on top of Wednesday, left arm pressed on the other girl's collarbone and holding her over Wednesday. She raised her right hand and extended her nails to their full length. Wednesday blinked her eyes open and stared at Enid's hand.

"Fencing is one thing, but the real world is another," Enid said.

"I'm aware," Wednesday said, voice still even despite Enid's bold actions. "And if you hadn't tipped your hand, I might not have had time to grab my silver dagger."

Enid paled. "Silver?"

She looked down and found Wednesday's left hand gripping a dagger which was pointed right at her heart. She threw herself backwards and scrambled away in an awkward crab walk. She couldn't believe it. Despite her best efforts to catch Wednesday off guard, she had failed. She blamed her big mouth.

Wednesday rose in one fluid motion and stared down at Enid. Enid had a momentary thought that the other girl would plunge that dagger into her neck for her failed attempt at teaching Wednesday a lesson, but instead the dagger disappeared into a fold in Wednesday's clothes.

"Thing," Wednesday said without taking her gaze from Enid. "I'm sure you have your orders from mother and father. Return to them and tell them I'll be along shortly."

Things wobbled back and forth in an uncertain motion, but ultimately skittered away. When he was gone Wednesday spoke to Enid.

"You surprise me again. I was annoyed at first with your constant intrusions into my life, but they've proven to be the only distraction in this excruciatingly boring summer."

"Glad I could be of help," Enid said sarcastically.

Wednesday maintained her even look. "Don't worry, I don't have the same expectations for you as my parents. I fully expect you to disappoint me sooner rather than later."

"That makes two of us," Enid said.

"Oh?"

Enid pushed herself to her feet to better meet Wednesday's gaze. The other girl looked down on people enough as it was, there was no reason to make it easier for her.

"You already think you're better than everyone. I'm not going to bother trying to meet your expectations when I know I can't." Enid tried to give Wednesday a taste of her own medicine by staring down at her but struggled to maintain eye contact for as long as Wednesday was able to. The other girl never seemed to blink. But after a few moments Wednesday broke the silence between them.

"It seems you can't help being interesting," Wednesday said.

Enid's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Wednesday didn't answer immediately, and instead picked up her swords again. When she had gathered all of her things she returned to face Enid. "I'll let you stew on that question by yourself. Who knows, you might be interesting for longer than I thought."

With that she walked away, towards the beach and presumably back to her parents rental. Enid was baffled, bewildered, confused, just all around puzzled by her whole interaction with Wednesday. She might never understand her or the rest of the Addams, and she even had to question herself. Why had she left Yoko and Divina and the chance to hang out with her new boyfriend to look for Wednesday? It was more than just lust for Morticia as Divina had joked, and it wasn't for Wednesday's sparkling personality.

Enid blew out a breath and exited the area under the boardwalk. She wouldn't get anywhere that evening, she was sure, so she figured it was best to just move on. She took out her phone and texted Yoko and Ajax. She had all summer to figure out what the other girl had meant- if she even wanted to try. In the mean time she would unwind and enjoy herself with people less frustrating than Wednesday Addams.

Chapter Text

UTS ch. 9

The Addams were a rare sight following Welcome Weekend. They stopped by early in the week and Gomez told Enid he had some business affairs to take care of at their home in central New Jersey, but that they were looking forward to the following weekend. The Fourth of July was that Saturday, and the Fourth at the beach was a Big Deal. Everyone would be out on the beach during the day, then grilling in the evening before fireworks over the ocean at night. Enid and Gomez went back and forth for a few minutes going over some details, and by the time the Addams left Gomez was adamant about buying a grill just for the occasion.

Enid was no longer surprised at the things the Addams hadn't experienced. Instead she had fully accepted that they were a family out of place. They were just so perfectly out of place that they carved a spot for themselves wherever they went, and forced the people around them to accept it. The other outcasts at the beach had stopped giving them looks, and on the boardwalk they had gone from a group openly gawked at to one that received mild interest instead. The human capacity for adapting to new things never ceased to amaze Enid.

But she had a week without the Addams, and wanted to spend it with Yoko, their other friends, and Ajax. On her first day off Ajax had to work, so she spent most of the day with Yoko, Divina, Xavier and Bianca. Things were awkward, and not just between Yoko and Bianca. Enid noticed right away that Xavier and Bianca only spoke to each other through someone else, and even then infrequently. She was burning with curiosity, but couldn't just ask what had happened and had to wait until her date with Ajax that evening to hear the gossip.

"They broke up," Ajax said simply when Enid asked him what was going on.

"That's it?" Enid asked. "No details?"

Ajax shrugged. "I didn't want to pry," he said. "And I guess Xavier didn't want to get into it."

Enid wanted to tell him that he should have pried, but decided against it. Her own curiosity wasn't more important than Ajax and Xavier's friendship, she knew, even if she was thirsty for gossip. "I like how sensitive you are, a lot of people would have wanted to know what happened," she said instead, trying to suppress her sense of irony.

"Thanks," Ajax said.

"So did you have something planned for our first official date?" Enid asked to change the subject.

He did, though it was pretty similar to their unofficial date. Of course there were only so many things to do at the beach itself, so Enid wasn't surprised when Ajax suggested they check out some of the shops around the boardwalk and grab something to eat. They still had a good time walking and talking together, and Enid got to see some more of his personality as they did. He was naturally shy and hesitant- or maybe his upbringing as a gorgon had left him timid and worried about his powers and the negative effects they could have. If his ever-present beanie ever came off, he could turn any innocent passerby into stone. It wasn't permanent fortunately, but gorgons were among the most discriminated against outcasts for that reason, which Enid couldn't stand to see.

They settled into an easy dynamic the more time they spent together. Enid did most of the talking, and found a sympathetic ear in Ajax. He really understood the pressure Enid faced from her parents and other werewolves, in a way that even Yoko didn't. Yoko was a perfect vampire, with fully realized powers and complete comfort in herself and her abilities. She was a little like Bianca in the way she exuded confidence despite- or maybe because- of her status as an outcast. That confidence was something neither Enid nor Ajax had.

After they grabbed some food they staked out a bench on the boardwalk and sat in companionable silence for a while. It had been such an easy day, something Enid felt like she hadn't had in a long time. Ajax was good company. Friendly, easygoing... comfortable.

It was Ajax who finally broke the silence between them when he was finished eating.

"Got any plans for the Fourth?" he asked.

"Mm," Enid hummed as she finished a bite of her food. "The Addams wanted me to show them what regular people do for it, but I think that's only during the day."

"Okay good. Me and Xavier were talking about having a little get-together at his house, I was hoping you'd be able to come."

"Yeah of course," Enid said excitedly. "Who's going to be there?"

"The usual, us, Xavier, Yoko and Divina, Kent," he hesitated for a moment. "Probably Bianca too."

"Even with the breakup?" Enid asked.

Ajax shrugged. "We were all friends first, it wouldn't feel right to exclude her."

Enid nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. Well it sounds like a great time and I will definitely be there."

"Perfect."

Since Enid had to lifeguard the following day they decided to end the date after eating and go their separate ways. Before they parted Enid grabbed him, stood on the tips of her toes, and kissed him. When she pulled away he was smiling, and she bit her lip and waved with a matching smile of her own.

Unfortunately for Enid their schedules didn't match up before the weekend. She got to see more of Yoko, whose days started in the evening anyway, so she wasn't too upset. They talked about the upcoming weekend as well, including Bianca's inclusion in their plans. Even behind the tinted shades Yoko wore Enid could see her mischievous look. When Enid asked her what she had in mind, Yoko just waved her off and told her she would see.

To Enid's surprise her week seemed to speed by. She thought that with no Addams and no Ajax her days would drag, but her shifts grew more and more hectic as more people got out of school or started their vacations. Her attention was pulled in a dozen directions at once and she had to handle questions and the general chaos that came with large groups of people collected in one spot. By the time the beaches closed Enid was exhausted, and by the time the weekend came Enid was ready for a break, even with her enhanced stamina.

When she woke on Saturday Enid meandered through her morning routine. She wasn't expected at the Addams's rental until ten, so she showered and ate a leisurely breakfast. She grabbed some lawn games and jammed them into a large plastic bag before heading out to grab coffee on the way over. She got her favorite, an iced coffee with whipped cream and drizzled chocolate syrup on top, and sipped at it as she took a detour to see how the beach looked. She winced when she saw how busy it was even relatively early in the morning, and silently thanked the Addams for getting her another weekend day off.

She arrived at the Addams's rental and knocked on the door. It opened after only a few moments to reveal Lurch, who groaned and stepped aside to let Enid in.

"Uh, thanks," she said as she squeezed past. The door shut behind her and Lurch gestured to a set of stairs.

"Right. I guess I'll just head up?" she asked, but Lurch was already moving away.

Enid shrugged and started up the stairs. She called out for Gomez and Morticia, but received no answer. The ever-present darkness that seemed to pervade the rental left Enid a little on edge, so when she heard a sudden cackle she jumped and spun just in time to avoid a whizzing projectile. She lost some of her coffee, but the thunk of the projectile embedding itself in a wall behind her made the loss very necessary; whatever the projectile was, it had been sharp enough to stick in wood.

"Not bad, wolfie," came a crackly voice from the darkness.

Enid's eyes adjusted and she could make out an old woman with wild white hair to her shoulders grinning at her from across the room. She couldn't believe it, except, well, this was the Addams family. Of course an Addams grandmother would enjoy throwing knives at strangers.

"Hello?" Enid said, still confused and reeling from the sudden assault.

"Hello dearie," the woman said. "I understand you'll be showing us how to celebrate some new holiday."

"I don't think it's new," Enid said, suddenly doubting her own knowledge of her country's history.

"New to us at least," the woman said.

A door to Enid's left opened before she could answer and Gomez and Morticia came through it, clad in their usual clothes, a black suit for Gomez and an elegant black dress for Morticia.

"Enid, excellent. I see you've met Grandmama," Gomez said.

Enid glanced at the wall behind her where a throwing knife was still embedded in the wood. "Met. Yeah, totally, we met."

"Good, good," Gomez said as he moved around the room to stand before Enid. "Lurch is downstairs preparing for dinner, but I see you've brought some of those typical games people like to play on this fine holiday."

"Oh, yeah," Enid said raising the bag she was holding and giving it a light smack with her other hand. There was a clanging sound of metal on metal and Gomez looked intrigued.

"Perfection. Why don't we go outside and set everything up," he said.

He was off before Enid could answer and Morticia placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. "He's terribly excited about some of the things you told him about this day, so he may be more feral than usual. So please don't be too alarmed."

"I noticed," Enid said with a laugh, still relieved that Morticia had taken a moment to reassure her.

"He even found a game from his youth to share with you as you are sharing games of today with him."

"Oh yeah? What's the game?" Enid asked, curious if she had heard of it.

"Some form of darts. Why don't you see for yourself. I'll gather Wednesday and Pugsley." Morticia looked over her shoulder to Grandmama, who was eying Enid's bag with interest. "Are you coming as well, Grandmama?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Tish," she said. She scuttled across the room and retrieved the knife from the wall. She turned back to Enid and waved. "Come on, wolfie."

Enid tossed her mostly empty coffee in a nearby trashcan and followed Grandmama back down the stairs, through the house and out into the backyard where Gomez already had a large space cleared with two plastic hoops at either end of it. Two long metal darts were on the ground next to each hoop. When Gomez spotted Enid he hurried over to her, thrumming with excitement, and helped her empty her bag. She had brought a set of four horseshoes and two metal stakes, as well as a collapsible cornhole set. Gomez delighted in skewering one metal stake into the ground and hammering it home while Enid unfolded one of the cornhole platforms and Grandmama teased her for struggling to lock everything in place so they wouldn't fold over at the first toss of a bean bag. While she was still struggling Morticia, Pugsley, and Wednesday entered the yard from the house.

Gomez called out to Pugsley to have him hammer home the second stake, which he tossed to his son as Pugsley was running over. Pugsley missed catching it and it careened off of his head. Enid stopped what she was doing to go see if Pugsley was okay, but he seemed completely unfazed by being hit in the head by a sizable metal rod. Enid wondered if that was an Addams thing or a Pugsley thing. When she returned to the cornhole platforms she found Wednesday had already finished setting them up.

"As amusing as it would have been to see you get a finger caught in this contraption, your incompetence proved even more frustrating to watch," Wednesday said as explanation.

"Thanks," Enid said. She realized she was growing used to Wednesday and her sharp tongue. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"It seems these games all have the same goal," Wednesday said as she surveyed the yard. Gomez and Pugsley started over to Wednesday and Enid.

"Yeah, I guess they are kind of the same," Enid said, feeling a little foolish for bringing over two of the same kind of game. "You just throw stuff and see who can get closest to the target."

"Ah, but if you take a broad enough point of view anything can look alike," Gomez said. "But the differences, even if they're small, are what makes things special."

"That's... oddly inspirational Mr. Addams," Enid said.

"Of course, of course. And I believe the game from my youth has similar rules besides," he said.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I have heard of that game," Enid said. "Isn't it lawn darts? I'm pretty sure those are illegal."

The Addams all looked at her curiously. "Why would they be?" Gomez asked.

"Well I think they're pretty dangerous."

"I don't see how," Gomez said as he threw a dart into the air. It sailed up over the height of the three story house and came back down in a hurry to sink almost entirely into the ground, perfectly in the center of the nearest hoop.

Enid raised her eyebrows and looked around to see if any of the Addams appreciated that Gomez had perfectly demonstrated how dangerous the darts could be, but realized after a moment that the Addams definitely didn't see anything wrong there. She missed Yoko.

"I have an idea to make these games more interesting," Wednesday said.

"Do share," Gomez said, while Enid was too surprised to say anything.

"We play them all at once."

Gomez clapped excitedly and gathered all of the possible projectiles. He gave half of them to Wednesday then grabbed Pugsley and retreated to one side of the yard.

"It will be Pugsley and I against the two of you," he shouted. "Ready? Begin!"

Bean bags, horseshoes, and darts flew through the air as Gomez and Enid unleashed their weapons. The actual rules of each game didn't seem to matter, and no one kept score when a stake was struck, a hole entered, or a ring landed in. Instead, a new rule took over the yard; survive. It was wild and chaotic in the way that the Addams seemed to be in their every waking moment. At one point Enid was sure she even saw a throwing knife fly through the air followed by Grandmama's cackle.

Enid made a decision; embrace the chaos and throw herself into the new game along with the Addams. She and Wednesday turned out to make a good team. Both of them were too fast to hit, and they each jumped into complementary roles. Wednesday continued to hurl the different improvised weapons at her father and brother, while Enid picked up anything that landed on the ground and even managed to snag some from the air. She promptly tossed what she could to Wednesday to allow her to maintain the bombardment of her family members.

The impromptu battle lasted until almost until noon, and by the end of it the yard looked more like a war zone than a place for recreation. The grass was torn up from darts and horseshoes impacting it at high speeds, and sand from the bean bags was strewn all over the place. At some point Enid remembered Wednesday knocking one out of the air with a dart in an impressive show of accuracy, and could only guess that the other three suffered a similar fate. There was a surprising lack of blood considering what had been thrown around- not that Enid wanted blood, but she was pretty sure she saw a horseshoe nail Pugsley right in the forehead. But looking at him as he panted on the ground there didn't seem to be a scratch on him.

Enid herself had managed to avoid most of the projectiles headed her way, though she suspected Gomez had gone easy on her. Pugsley had hit her with a lucky shot with a bean bag. Where he had hit still stung too. Despite his age he had an arm on him. Gomez had been hit as well, a glancing blow from a dart that had torn a hole in his suit. Only Wednesday had remained completely unscathed, a testament to her speed, skill, and, in Enid's opinion at least, size. She was such a small target Enid doubted anyone could hit her even if she was standing still.

Morticia and Grandmama, who had been watching the events with amusement, informed them that Lurch had finished preparing lunch, a spread of some of the lighter foods Enid had suggested to Gomez. Lurch brought out the meal in a gigantic basket, Morticia lay down a luxurious blanket, and the Addams family and Enid sat and ate amidst the destruction in the yard. Lurch had prepared a few different salads, pasta, macaroni, and a traditional garden salad, as well as a few miscellaneous sides.

"We're saving the hamburgers and hotdogs for this evening," Gomez said. "Lurch gathered the ingredients himself."

Enid almost asked what he meant, but was worried about what the answer would be. Did the Addams own a farm? Did Lurch go hunting? Was it people? Were the Addams cannibals? No, better not to know and just tell herself it was ground beef and... whatever ended up in hotdogs.

After they ate the Addams changed into swimwear and the seven of them headed for the beach. Enid had worn her swimsuit underneath her clothes, and had brought a change of clothes for afterwards in the bag she had brought over. The Fourth of July was probably the busiest day of the year at the beach, and since they were getting there fairly late there were few open spots. Enid expected to have to struggle to find somewhere to lay their towels down, but when they started to walk down the beach several different groups seemed to remember something else they had to be doing. Even among outcasts the Addams were treated with side-eyed suspicion.

But the Addams didn't even notice and gladly took one of the vacated spots. Gomez pulled out four paddles and a small rubber ball, which he told Enid he had picked up at one of the many touristy stores selling miscellaneous beach gear the day before. He gave a paddle to Enid and Pugsley, but both Morticia and Wednesday refused the fourth. Lurch ended up with it, and the four of them tried their best to keep the rubber ball in the air for as long as possible.

Lurch had a lot of reach, but his movement was so slow (especially in a suit in the sand) that he couldn't get to the ball if it was too far way. Pugsley could move faster, but struggled to hit the ball to someone else, and often sent it sailing the opposite direction instead. So it fell to Gomez and Enid to keep the ball up, and Gomez certainly pulled his weight. He darted around the sand after errant hits and had the dexterity and finesse to send them back to one of the other three. Enid of course had her enhanced speed to help her out, and her enthusiasm for the game spurred her faster still. When Pugsley and Lurch tapped out, she and Gomez kept playing and hit a high well over a hundred consecutive hits between them. When they finally failed to keep the ball in the air they collapsed to the sand and laughed about how much effort they had put forth for such a simple game.

Enid and the Addams lounged on the beach for the rest of the afternoon until five neared and the beach was set to close. The beach started to clear out as people returned home to grill and get ready for the fireworks show in the evening and Gomez decided to pack everything up. While she was helping gather towels she spotted Xavier heading down the beach towards the lifeguard's break area. She waved and he returned it then changed direction towards Enid.

When he was close he said, "hey Enid."

"Hey Xavier. What's up?"

His eyes slid over to where Enid knew Wednesday and her mother were before meeting hers again. "Not much. I was coming by to get Ajax when he's done lifeguarding and saw you guys here. You're hanging out with all of us tonight, right?"

"Yeah, of course, probably after the fireworks," Enid said. She battled against her inner gossip but lost after only a few moments. "Are you and Bianca going to be alright?"

He shrugged. "Good enough, I guess. We'll see. She's always been a little intense, so it might be rough for a while."

His eyes darted over Enid's shoulder again and Enid wondered if Bianca was the only one in the wrong in their relationship. Enid forced a smile on her face. "Well everyone will be there so you guys might not even have to talk much."

"Yeah," Xavier said. "Although with Yoko there too..."

"Yoko's pretty understanding. Once she gets even, that is," Enid said trying to frame it as a joke. She wasn't actually sure if Yoko had anything planned, but she also knew the vampire wasn't truly vindictive.

Xavier nodded. He hesitated before speaking again. "Think she'd want to come?" he asked while looking in Wednesday's direction again.

Enid glanced back at the girl, who was reading a book while lounging in an all black beach chair. She looked back at Xavier uncertainly. "I don't know, I don't think that's really her kind of-"

"I'll come."

Enid jumped at the sound of Wednesday's voice right behind her. Just the second before she had been a few yards away and, Enid had thought at least, out of earshot. Even Xavier looked surprised that Wednesday had come out of nowhere to answer and he had been looking in her direction. Addamses were something else.

"Do you think you can wear a bell or something?" Enid asked.

"And lose my ability to get the drop on my enemies? Never," Wednesday answered with a withering look.

"Makes sense," Xavier said. Enid raised her eyebrows at him. He was looking at Wednesday with a smile and all of his attention. Enid was sure; the dude was smitten.

"So you're coming?" he continued when Wednesday didn't acknowledge him.

"I just said I was," she answered.

"You're sure?" Enid asked. She couldn't tell what Wednesday was thinking since she seemed to actively dislike most of the people who were going to be hanging out.

"Of course," Wednesday said.

"Great," Xavier said, pleased with himself. "I guess you and Enid will come over together after you're done hanging out with your family?"

"Obviously," Wednesday said, looking annoyed he even needed to clarify.

"I'll see you there then," he said. Wednesday didn't answer so he waved, a little confused, and turned to leave. When he was out of earshot Enid turned to Wednesday.

"You're really sure? I didn't think you'd want to hang out with m- us."

"It sounds like between Bianca, your vampire friend, and that boy, your little get-together will be more interesting than spending time with my family."

So that was her angle. Get a front seat to some drama. And probably sow some chaos as well, if Enid knew the other girl at all.

"You might be right, I guess," Enid said. "Should I be worried about what your idea of interesting is considering those are my friends?"

Wednesday gave her a look that Enid could only interpret as meaning yes before returning to her chair. She folded it up and tossed it over Lurch's arm. Lurch was already laden with other chairs, towels, and bags for all of the Addam's other items, but he didn't seem to mind one more.

With everything packed Gomez led Enid and the Addams back to the rental. As they approached something stood out. It looked like a rocket, set up in the front yard of the rental on a stand. It wa probably twice as tall as Enid and she could probably fit inside the tube. There was a cone at the top that seemed to be solid, an opening at the bottom, and belatedly Enid realized that it was, in fact, a rocket.

Gomez walked towards it and pulled a piece of paper from the side of it. "It's a gift from Fester. He must be spying on us again."

Enid was worried for a moment until Pugsley's reaction reminded her what family she was dealing with. He was beaming, excited over the prospect of a real rocket, and he exclaimed, "Uncle Fester!"

She turned to see Wednesday's reaction and was floored by what she saw. The other girl was smiling- barely there and actively being suppressed, but smiling nonetheless, and- dimples! She had dimples. Enid couldn't believe it. She had seen small flashes of negative emotion on the other girl's face, and had assumed the other girl didn't know how to smile at all. But there she was, struggling not to smile and looking cuter than she had any right to. Uncle Fester was clearly someone dear to Wednesday's heart.

"We'll set this off this evening, our own addition to the city's fireworks," Gomez said as he slapped the rocket. Enid flinched and wondered where it had come from, who made it, and how safe it could possibly be. It didn't go off, so Enid hoped it was safe enough.

The family hurried into the house, eager to shower and change and eat so they could set off the rocket as quickly as possible. Enid followed more slowly, unsure what the plan was for her, but Morticia laid a hand on her shoulder and guided her to Wednesday's room. She was worried how the other girl would react, but it was pretty mild for Wednesday.

"Don't touch anything if you want to keep your hands," she said before slipping into the bathroom attached to her room.

Enid didn't, except to pull out a chair in front of a desk to sit on. When she sat she looked around, incredibly curious about Wednesday's room. The first thing she noticed was a giant antique typewriter on the desk in front of the chair. There was a blank sheet of paper already in the roller and Enid wondered how much the other girl used it and what she used it for. She didn't see any written-on paper, but she wasn't going to snoop through the desk for fear of Wednesday following through on her threat. Besides, if Wednesday wrote a diary or journal it would be an insane invasion of privacy to read it, even if she really wanted to.

Instead she turned her attention to the rest of the room. There were heavy black curtains over the sole window in the room, leaving most of the room in shadow. Enid wasn't sure if the Addams had done something to the lighting, but it seemed much more dim than a rental house should have. Then again the black furniture, the black sheets on the bed, and the black clothes in the open closet could have all contributed to muting the light.

Next she spotted a cello, all black of course, sitting on a stand in the corner of the room. There were no other instruments and no apparent music books or sheet music, but knowing Wednesday the other girl probably had it all stored in her head. She was probably amazing at it too. It seemed like everything she tried she was good at. Enid had a flash of a disheveled Wednesday under the boardwalk after losing to Bianca and reconsidered. She wasn't just good at the tings she tried, she worked hard at it. She wondered how many hours Wednesday had spent practicing the cello. Probably until her fingers bled.

Enid heard the shower turn off and a minute later Wednesday exited the bathroom looking immaculate. She wasn't sure how but the other girl even had her hair dried and in its usual tight pigtails. Wednesday's eyes roved over the room, probably looking for anything out of place, before she settled her gaze on Enid.

"Clean yourself quickly. There's an extra towel already there," she said.

"Right," Enid said while nodding.

She showered quickly, pausing only to notice that the soap and shampoo seemed to be homemade. There weren't any extra scents, but they worked surprisingly effectively. Somehow she felt cleaner than with her usual soaps, though she did miss the fruit smell that she preferred.

When she got out, dried, and changed she left the bathroom and found Wednesday waiting for her, stood stiffly in the middle of the bedroom. She probably didn't trust Enid not to snoop if left unsupervised.

"Come," Wednesday said. "We're eating on the upper deck."

Enid followed Wednesday out of the room and upstairs, where Lurch was taking platters of food to the deck. They were pressed into service helping Lurch take out more food, plates, and utensils until everything and the entire family were outside, ready to eat. Enid wasn't sure if they had some ritual before eating, but Gomez merely clapped his hands and said "let's eat!" before digging in himself.

While they ate they talked about the day and the holiday. Enid mentioned her surprise that the Addams hadn't celebrated Independence Day before and Wednesday cut in.

"We tend not to celebrate the birth of a new imperial power," she said sharply.

Gomez smiled at her. "Celebrating nations can be divisive, especially without regard for its past and current actions. Would that everyone could in terms of brother- and sisterhood instead of peoples separated by imaginary lines. We could celebrate each other then."

"That's expecting too much of most," Wednesday said.

"I'm not so sure," Gomez said. "From what I saw today many take this holiday to celebrate the season, their friends, and their neighbors."

"And many more celebrate flag propaganda and commercial interests," Wednesday said.

"True," Gomez said. "So perhaps the best we can do is celebrate each other on this day." He lifted his glass, full of something dark and strong, in toast. "Not to The United States of America, but to you, mi familia." He nodded to Enid. "And our werewolf friend."

Morticia clinked her glass against his, a dark red liquid Enid hoped was wine. "Our family."

Wednesday seemed to decide to drop her complaints about the holiday, valid though Enid knew they were. She didn't raise her glass with Enid and the rest of the Addams, but she did take a sip.

The rest of the meal passed quickly. The food was delicious, familiar but with an Addams twist at the same time. The company was even better than the food. Gomez was charming and funny, and between Morticia and Grandmama Enid's plate never emptied. When she could eat no more and Lurch started to clear the table she felt like she wouldn't be able to move for a week. Then the desserts came out, watermelon salad that was bright and rejuvenating.

They finished dessert as the sun began to set and Enid remembered the rocket on the front lawn. She asked about Fester, the mysterious uncle, and Gomez covered his heart with his hand. The Addams went around the table talking about Fester, calling him a scoundrel and a rogue in loving terms, simultaneously a fool and a trickster, but above all an Addams through and through, with everything that meant. She heard wild stories of love and horror and for some reason electricity, and when they were done speaking Enid wasn't sure what to make of the man. She asked if he would be around for the summer and Gomez shrugged.

"He comes and goes with his warrants," he said. "But in the mean time we can celebrate as if he were here with the rocket he sent us."

And with that he checked the time. It was only a few minutes until the city started their fireworks show over the beach, and Gomez hurried downstairs to prepare the rocket while telling his family and Enid to stay and enjoy the show.

Enid grabbed onto the railing to wait for the show and Pugsley took a spot next to her.

"So how big are these fireworks?" he asked her.

"Pretty big," Enid answered. Beach fireworks shows were meant to pull in a lot of tourists, so they had to be appropriately impressive.

"Like 500 pound warheads?" Pugsley asked, face hopeful.

Enid blinked at him. She should have known better. "Uh, maybe not quite that big."

"Oh," Pugsley said, face falling.

"You like fireworks then?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, we set off fireworks all the time," Pugsley said.

"That's not quite true," Wednesday's voice came from Enid's other side. "Enid might have a better idea of the scale if you use the technical term."

"Technical term?" Enid asked.

"Trinitrotoluene," Pugsley said.

"Huh?"

"TNT," Wednesday clarified.

"You what?" Enid asked dumbfounded.

"That's the only way to fish," Pugsley said.

Enid vaguely remembered Pugsley talking about some kind of explosive before, but TNT was a different story.

"It's a shame it's such a controlled material," Wednesday said. "Although perhaps Uncle Fester managed to get some to us in the rocket."

Enid paled and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by bright flashes and booms in the distance. She looked out in a panic, but tit was just he city's fireworks display starting. It was a pretty standard opening to a show, colorful and fast and expansive. Enid normally adored fireworks, but she had a creeping worry about the Addams's rocket.

Then she heard a noise from below. There was a hissing sound, the sound of a lit fuse, then Gomez's voice shouting up "bomb's away!"

The rocket lifted with a roar, slowly at first then faster and faster. Enid shielded her eyes until the rocket was well above the rental house where she watched it continue to rise. It exploded in a mighty flash with a boom that drowned out the fireworks on the beach, rattled windows, and set off car alarms across the city.

But there wasn't just one explosion. The main warhead on the rocket jettisoned off dozens of other projectiles, each of which went off with smaller but still impressive blasts. There were enough of them and they released enough burning material that for a few moments they lit up the night as if it were day. When the light faded enough Enid could make out trails of light, burning embers of all colors falling through the sky to the ground which cast a rainbow strobe over the city.

"What a gift, Fester," Gomez yelled from below.

"That's more like it," Pugsley said.

Enid glanced over to Wednesday to see her reaction. The other girl was smiling again, except this time she wasn't trying to suppress it. Her dimples were in full force, deep and adorable, and the falling embers gave color to her usually pale face. She wanted to say something, she wanted to tell Wednesday something, but she couldn't put her finger on what. Instead she admired the view with a soundtrack of alarms, shouts, and distant explosions and thought that the Addams knew how to put their mark on everything.

Chapter Text

After the fireworks show died down and Gomez dealt with a visit from the police Enid and Wednesday headed out for Xavier's house. Morticia and Gomez saw them off with smiles and waves, which Enid returned and Wednesday refused to acknowledge. Xavier's house was about half a mile away, and the two passed a lot of rowdy partiers on the way. Some of them tried to talk to Enid and Wednesday, but Wednesday's fierce glare and general threatening aura turned them away, which Enid was thankful for. Being hit on by drunks and idiots was never a pleasant experience.

They reached Xavier's house and Enid knocked on the door. It didn't take long to open, and Xavier waved them in with a smile.

"Glad you could make it. It sounded like a bomb went off earlier, not just some fireworks," he said.

Enid glanced at Wednesday who seemed quite satisfied with herself and her uncle's gift. "Ha ha, yeah, that was a weird firework, right? Someone went a little crazy with their homemade one this year."

Yoko appeared from behind Xavier and leveled a knowing look at Enid and Wednesday. "Yeah, someone. Wonder who."

Xavier looked form Yoko to Enid and Wednesday. "Did you guys-"

"Yes," Wednesday said. She slipped past Xavier into the house. "Well?" she said over her shoulder. She brushed past Yoko as well, who raised her eyebrows at Enid. Xavier followed Wednesday but Yoko grabbed Enid's arm before she could as well.

"What's spooky and kooky doing here?" she asked. "Not that I mind, I'm just shocked she'd bother with us peasants."

"She might have a score to settle with Bianca, and I might have let it slip that you do too," Enid said.

Yoko winced. "Bianca can be a bitch but she might not deserve whatever Wednesday can cook up in that head of hers."

"I think she's mostly here to instigate," Enid said. "So, I don't know, try not to rise to anything?"

"I'm already risen. Remember Bianca's the one who fed me garlic."

Enid sighed. "Do I have to run interference?"

"That's up to you," Yoko said. "But you could always not and get a different kind of fireworks show. You might get a kick out of that."

Enid snorted and pulled Yoko with her to the living room where Xavier was finishing introducing Wednesday to everyone. Everyone Enid expected was there, Divina and Kent, Bianca, and Ajax. They were all seated across a large sectional and a couple of armchairs. Yoko squeezed next to Divina in one of the chairs while Kent was in the other. Bianca was at one end of the sectional, looking less than pleased that Wednesday was there, while Ajax was towards the bend. He patted the spot next to him for Enid. She started towards him and Xavier tried to guide Wednesday to the other part, opposite Bianca, but Wednesday jerked away and glared at him.

"Don't touch me," she warned.

"Yeah, of course," Xavier said, looking startled.

Wednesday sat stiffly on the edge of the sectional and Xavier looked around at everyone.

"So," he said. "Drinks?"

Enid wasn't sure how Wednesday would react to that aspect of hanging out with Yoko and the others. They weren't heavy drinkers by any means, but some people, even people their own age, really looked down on any kind of underage drinking. But Wednesday didn't even bat an eye when Kent and Ajax asked for vodka and coke and Bianca asked for rum. When Xavier asked if Wednesday wanted anything she turned him down and Bianca spoke up.

"What's the matter, afraid of losing your composure?" she said.

Wednesday's stare turned to her and held for a few moments. "I don't want to drink the bottom shelf swill that teenagers can get their hands on."

"If that's what you're worried about I might have something that should interest you," Yoko said.

"You holding out on us?" Kent teased, and Yoko laughed.

"You're damn right. She's got a point, you guys aren't interested in quality."

She stood from her chair, leaving Divina for a moment, and went to her bag, which was with a few others by the wall. She pulled out a large green bottle with a clear liquid in it and Japanese writing on the label.

"Premium sake, direct from Japan," Yoko said.

Everyone had various degrees of surprise on their face, except for perhaps Wednesday, and Enid whistled appreciatively. "Where did you even get that?" she asked.

"Japan," Yoko said, deadpan.

Enid rolled her eyes and Divina spoke up. "I think she meant how did you, a teenager, get your hands on that."

Yoko smirked. "Let's just say vampires have a different outlook on the passage of time."

"Wouldn't your long lives make you comparatively younger and less mature?" Wednesday asked.

"Like I said, different," Yoko said with a wave of her hands. She held up the bottle in Wednesday's direction. "So? You in?"

"Only if you have the proper equipment," Wednesday said.

Yoko grinned and held up her other had, which held two shallow saucers. Wednesday nodded in agreement, Xavier went to his kitchen to prepare drinks for everyone else, and the night began in earnest.

They started easy just sitting and chatting while discussing how their holiday had gone and some of the oddities that came with large groups, celebrations, and day drinking. Bianca particularly went off on some of the shenanigans she had been witness to as a lifeguard on a major holiday, while Ajax nodded in agreement. They asked Enid what she had been up to, considering she had been given the holiday off, and she told everyone about her day with the Addams. No one was surprised when she got to the homemade rocket, and Wednesday even added some of the details of the construction and the explosions that she had picked up on.

After the first round of drinks Kent pulled out Jenga while Xavier and Ajax fetched a second round. Yoko poured some more sake for herself and Wednesday. She smirked at Bianca and Enid immediately felt suspicious.

"What do you think, girl? Wednesday's keeping up pretty well."

"How strong is sake?" Bianca asked. "Let me know when she's having something stronger."

Yoko opened her mouth to respond but Wednesday did first. "How about two for one then?" she asked. "I'll have two drinks for every one you have."

Enid felt the urge to cut in. "Guys, it's still early, maybe we shouldn't be-"

"No," Bianca said. "You're on."

Enid felt like groaning with exasperation but just managed to hold it in. That was Yoko's plan: sic Wednesday on Bianca and have them compete until Bianca was sick. And after Wednesday's defeat at Bianca's hands, she would be all too willing to play along, knowingly or not.

"Remember this is my house, so please don't go too hard," Xavier said.

"No promises," Yoko said.

Wednesday and Bianca were too busy having a staredown to answer.

But neither girl made an aggressive move in their sudden competition. Wednesday eyed Bianca while sipping from her saucer, and Bianca did the same, but there were enough distractions in the others and the noisy game to keep them from really pushing each other. Enid was glad for that. She didn't want to have to babysit a couple of drunks.

They had a pleasant time playing Jenga and sipping their drinks. Wednesday had a knack for it, which didn't surprise Enid. The other girl had such grace in all of her movements, a dexterity that allowed her to master so many different things. For her part, Enid sent the stack of blocks over more than anyone, earning some extra sips as punishment. Although not much of a drinking game, they still added a punishment for knocking over the blocks.

After they grew tired of Jenga they switched to cards. Or rather they tried to. Kent spent half an hour giving everyone a headache trying to teach all of them poker, which only Bianca, Xavier, and Wednesday seemed to actually get. Enid, Ajax, Divina, and Yoko let them play, and instead made side bets on who they thought would win each hand.

Things started slow as the players felt each other out. Bets were low until Wednesday went all in on one hand. Everyone else folded and she willingly showed her cards to let everyone know she had been bluffing. Enid wondered if that would matter. Either she was setting up a trap for the next time she went all in, or she was just showing off that none of them had been able to see past her natural poker face. Bianca looked pissed either way, and that was when Yoko really upped her instigation.

With Bianca and Wednesday competing in the same game, often head to head, Yoko was free to nudge Bianca to try harder or tell Wednesday to keep an eye on the other girl's drink. She encouraged them to wager more chips, which Kent was translating into drinks in some way, and she was having a lot of success. Both of the other girls were competitive, and even though Yoko was being pretty transparent in pitting them against each other, they were hot-headed enough to fall for it anyway. By the time Xavier and Kent dropped out of the game Wednesday had finished four saucers to two of Bianca's mixed drinks, one of which Yoko made, though neither had lost any of their composure.

"How about one more hand, just the two of you," Yoko prompted with a devious look. "Let's put a shot on the line. I've got just the thing."

She produced a bottle of Everclear, a grain alcohol at about 75% alcohol, much stronger than any of the other drinks they had made that night. Xavier looked like he wanted to speak up, but Bianca beat him to it.

"Let's do it. Pour it"

"Agreed," Wednesday said.

When Yoko opened the bottle to pour the shot Enid had to cover her nose from the strength of the alcohol smell. She poured a shot and Xavier reluctantly dealt the two girls five cards each. Since the stakes were already set there was no betting, but they each had to decide how many cards to get rid of to try and form the strongest hand. Bianca held back a smile and asked for two, a sure sign that her hand was good. Wednesday stared at Bianca the entire time and placed a single card down.

"One."

Xavier and Kent shared a look, clearly surprised at her play. Either she had a strong hand and needed little to make it stronger, or she needed one specific card and was leaving her fate up to chance. If Enid had to guess, she would say that Wednesday was hunting for one. Her guess felt even better when Wednesday left the new card that Xavier dealt her face down on the table. She was going to show her cards without even knowing what the last one was.

Bianca rolled her eyes and flipped her hand over first. "Three of a kind," she said, showing three kings.

Wednesday cocked an eyebrow and began turning her cards over one by one. First was a nine of clubs, then the ten, jack and queen. Everyone leaned in as she grabbed the last card and slid it towards her. She looked around at the rest everyone then, in a flash, she flipped it over; the king of clubs. She had drawn a straight flush with one card to beat Bianca's hand.

"What just happened?" Ajax asked.

Yoko laughed. "Wednesday just won, with a flair for the dramatic," she said.

Bianca pushed her cards away in disgust. "God, just give me the shot and let's get this over with."

Yoko did, smiling all the while as she carefully slid the shot glass to Bianca. Bianca eyed the shot with disgust, but grimaced and picked it up. She raised the shot glass briefly in a sarcastic toast to the rest of them and threw it back quickly, swallowing as she did. She immediately winced then coughed.

"Jesus that's strong," she said hoarsely.

"There's more where that came from if you want it," Yoko said, shaking the bottle back and forth.

"Yeah right, I'm not crazy," Bianca said.

After the excitement of the poker matches they settled back into their previous seats to calm themselves and take it easy. Enid had had a couple of mixed drinks and was starting to feel them a little bit, so she decided to switch to water, but Wednesday and Bianca kept up their competition, each pouring new drinks for themselves. Xavier tried to ask Wednesday about what she had been up to since they had last seen each other, but Wednesday only gave short, empty answers. Whenever he tried to relate one of his experiences to hers she shut it down, diverting the conversation to another topic or simply waiting for someone else to do so for her. Enid usually did, unable to bear watching Xavier fail so hard at talking to Wednesday.

Their break didn't stop Yoko from pushing drinks onto Bianca and Wednesday, and after half an hour her plan was starting to show an effect. Bianca's eyes started to look unfocused every few minutes, and she started to mix up her words. Wednesday on the other hand had the smallest tinge of red creep up her cheeks, though she remained in strict control of herself. After the pair finished their latest drinks Yoko volunteered to make them more, and when she came back from the kitchen she handed Bianca a drink with a sly smile. If she was more in control of her facilities Bianca would have been more suspicious Enid was sure, but the Siren accepted the drink without question.

"There you go," Yoko said. "Made it special just for you."

"Thanks," Bianca said, but when she drank some of it she coughed. She seemed to snap back to lucidity for a moment to glare at Yoko. "Oh you vile bitch."

"Takes one to know one," Yoko laughed, and Enid realized the same smell from the earlier shot was coming from the soda as well. Yoko had spiked the chaser with even more Everclear.

Bianca cursed again and stood unsteadily, looking queasy. She threw a dark look at Yoko before stumbling off. Everyone looked around at each other before scrambling to follow her. Enid was concerned for her but figured everyone else wanted to see the suffering.

Before they reached Bianca they heard her retching in the bathroom. Enid winced and called back to Ajax. "Ajax can you get a glass?"

"Gladly," he said, looking paler than usual.

The rest of them reached the bathroom and looked in. Bianca was hunched over the sink, though nothing had come up yet. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply and gripping the sides of the sink like it was a lifeline.

"You alright?" Enid asked.

She shook her head instead of answering. Yoko shouldered past Enid with something in her hands.

"Yoko," Xavier said in half-hearted warning, but she was undeterred.

"I've got something that can help," she said. She opened the bottle of Everclear and held it out in Bianca's direction. "Smell this."

As soon as the bottle was close to her nose Bianca cursed and heaved, then she was throwing up. Ajax returned just then with an empty glass in hand, which he shoved into Xavier's hands before running out of the hallway. Enid heard him bounding up the stairs and wondered what had happened, but focused on Bianca. She entered the bathroom and rubbed her back while reaching out to Xavier for the glass Ajax had left behind. She jerked her head at Yoko trying to indicate to her to leave the bathroom, but the vampire stayed.

"Man, that looks like it sucks," Yoko said, unable to keep the smile off her face.

Bianca coughed and heaved again but still managed to respond. "Thanks for the sympathy."

"Thanks for the garlic," Yoko said. "I really loved the nausea and half a day spent in the hospital."

Bianca spit into the sink to clear her mouth. "You were fine, there was barely any there anyway."

"Mmhmm, whatever you say. Next time you get the urge to poison someone remember what goes around comes around."

Bianca spit again and glared at Yoko. "Not like it mattered anyway with that one stepping in," she said, nodding towards Wednesday who was watching Bianca impassively.

"If you're gonna keep talking I can pour you another shot," Yoko said.

Bianca groaned and dropped her head down towards the sink, though nothing came out. Yoko nodded, pleased with herself, and left the bathroom.

Divina and Kent followed her down the hall and presumably back to the living room, leaving Wednesday and Xavier standing in the doorway to the bathroom watching Enid flounder within. She decided to fill the glass from the bathtub tap and set it on the edge of the sink so she could rub Bianca's back. Bianca groaned, either in appreciation or continued distress, and Enid looked to Xavier.

"Think we should check on Ajax?" she asked.

"Oh I completely forgot. Yeah, I'll go see where he's at," he said.

"Do you think seeing Bianca set him off?" Enid asked.

Xavier shook his head. "He didn't have as much to drink as Bianca, but maybe he's sensitive to seeing other people throw up. I'll go check on him. Uh..."

"I'll stay with Bianca," Enid said.

"Go ahead and check on your lover boy," Bianca said. "I think I'm all done here. Nothing left to give."

"Oh be quiet and let me help you," Enid said. She leveled an exasperated look at Xavier who shrugged and left to check on Ajax.

Wednesday stayed and watched as Enid continued to help Bianca. She gave the siren the water she had poured and ran the sink to clear out some of the sick. Bianca stood at the sink for a minute breathing and shuddering. She rinsed out her mouth and took a few sips from the glass before looking up at Enid.

"I'm fine now, really. That drink was just too strong all at once," she said. She looked past Enid to Wednesday. "You satisfied too?"

"I was hoping to see the full effects of alcohol poisoning, so no," Wednesday said.

"Figures," Bianca muttered.

They were interrupted by Xavier calling down the stairs for help. Enid glanced at Wednesday, worry growing in her stomach, before racing off. She wondered what kind of state Ajax was in for Xavier to yell for help. She took the steps three at a time and found the bathroom on the second floor quickly. She spotted Xavier, who was standing outside looking in with a frown, and stopped next to him.

Ajax was in the bathroom, in front of the mirror with his hands on his face, completely still. Enid was confused at first, but realization slowly came to her. He was completely turned to stone. It looked like he had been rinsing his face with water and had knocked his beanie off in the process, and when he opened his eyes his powers turned him to stone through the mirror.

"What an imbecile," Wednesday said, and Enid jumped at her sudden appearance.

"That's a little harsh, he was a little distracted," Enid said with a frown.

"Poor guy," Xavier said. "He told me it's only happened once or twice before to him, when he was younger, and it takes a few hours to wear off. He said it's disorienting every time."

"Is there anything we can do for him?" Enid said.

"I can find a hammer and chisel," Wednesday said.

"Wednesday, this isn't the time for those kinds of jokes," Enid said.

"I'm not joking."

Of course she wasn't, Enid thought to herself. "Wednesday," she admonished more sharply, but figured it wouldn't do any good. Instead she spoke to Xavier. "So?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing for us to do. He's not conscience like this, so he's not suffering, and he won't just collapse when he comes out of it. Plus he's made of stone, so he'd be too heavy for us to move anyway."

"And there's the risk that we would tip him over, shattering him into a thousand pieces and be unable to reassemble him before he turns back and covers the bathroom in blood and pieces of tissue," Wednesday said.

Enid didn't like how Wednesday sounded as if she were excited at the prospect and turned to the other girl. "That's it, we're going back downstairs."

Wednesday gave her an unreadable look but complied, leading Enid and Xavier back to the living room where Yoko, Divina, and Kent were lounging. They asked if Ajax was alright and managed to politely disguise their laughter when Enid told them what happened. Bianca returned to the living room as well, still looking rough, and sat down heavily. Enid collapsed into one of the chairs too. It had been a long day, and while everyone was having fun she could ignore her fatigue, but after what happened to Bianca and Ajax it hit her all at once. Yoko gave her a look mixed with sympathy and guilt, and called for an end to the night.

"I think that's enough excitement for tonight," she said. She looked to Bianca and raised an eyebrow. "What do you say, Bianca? Even?"

Bianca snorted. "Yeah. Even."

"Do you want me to stay to help with Ajax?" Enid asked.

Xavier shook his head. "I'll be alright. I'll set up a bed for him if he comes out of it while I'm asleep. He's slept over before, so he'll be fine."

With that they said their goodbyes and left the house. Enid gave out her customary hugs, even to Bianca, and they all started off in their own directions. Enid noticed that despite being twins, Kent went one way and Divina followed Yoko in a different direction. She gave Yoko a knowing look as they waved to each other. Enid, Wednesday, and Bianca started in the same direction, but Bianca took the first turn without acknowledging Enid or Wednesday.

"Looks like I'm walking you home," Enid said just to make conversation.

"Do you actually live in this direction?" Wednesday asked.

"Yeah, of course. I know better than to think you need protection."

"Good."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Enid had felt the beginnings of being tipsy earlier, but switching to water, the time and excitement after her last drink, and her naturally faster metabolism had her feeling completely sober. On the other hand she couldn't believe how put together Wednesday still was, considering how much she had put into her small frame. She must have had six or seven of those saucers, and sake wasn't exactly a weak drink. She thought back to the first dinner she had had with the Addams, when Wednesday had poured what was probably real arsenic onto her food, and considered the idea that Wednesday- or the entire Addams family- was just built different.

They reached the Addams's rental house and Enid reached for Wednesday to give her a goodbye hug. She didn't even think about it it was such an ingrained habit when saying goodbye to friends, but Wednesday reacted to it strongly. The other girl took a big step aside and glared at Enid as if she had tried to attack her.

"Sorry, guess you're not much of a hugger," Enid said, berating herself. Of course Wednesday wasn't- except maybe to plunge a knife into someone's back.

"Astute observation," Wednesday said sarcastically.

"Thanks," Enid replied, trying not to sound just as sarcastic and failing.

She hesitated, unsure how to follow up or say goodbye without being super awkward. Wednesday wasn't making it easy either, seemingly unwilling to just enter her house. She didn't like spending time with her family- or at least her parents, considering her reaction to hearing her uncle's name. Or perhaps she was worried that her parents might notice she had been drinking. Enid didn't know how strict they were about Wednesday's behavior, but doubted they were too harsh on her.

A thought occurred to Enid. Wednesday still looked composed despite the number of drinks she had, but there was still a chance she wasn't as sharp as she usually would be, a little less inhibited. And there were a few things Enid wanted to know about Wednesday and how she felt about Enid. She still remembered that the other girl had called her interesting without really explaining why. She bit her lip as she considered how to approach questioning Wednesday.

"Is that because of your visions?" she went with.

Wednesday turned from the door of the rental to look at her. "What?"

"You're not a hugger because of your visions?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. I mean, you had a pretty strong reaction when you had a vision about me," Enid said.

Wednesday narrowed her eyes. "I never said that vision was about you."

"Then what was it about?"

Wednesday stayed quiet for just too long and Enid knew she had her.

"You have a good poker face Wednesday, but some things are too obvious to lie about."

There were a few more moments of silence before Wednesday spoke. "Very well. I'll tell you what I saw. It was a fight, between you and your mother."

Enid's felt her face pale. She had had may fights with her mother, all of them over her inability to transform. She never wanted anyone to see one of those fights, let alone someone like Wednesday who seemed to revel in other's suffering.

"It was before this summer. You had been to a werewolf transformation camp, but hadn't transformed. Your mother threatened you with a new one, a crueler one, and when you tried to change her mind, you fought."

Enid remembered the fight Wednesday was describing. It was their most recent one, the one with an ultimatum at the end. Her mother had found a military style camp for werewolves which guaranteed results. Enid had looked into it herself and found horror stories galore, but when she had tried to show her mom her worries, they were dismissed, and her mother had even said that Enid needed something harsh to make her transform.

"I saw the screaming, the crying, the fear and anger. I heard the words 'half a werewolf'. I saw the end when you retreated to your room and slammed the door. I saw..." Wednesday trailed off and her eyes seemed to refocus, as if she had been reliving the vision and been pulled from it. She probably hadn't meant to get so descriptive. She shook her head once in a small, quick gesture before speaking again.

"Are you happy I told you what I saw, Sinclair?" she continued. "Did you think I saw something else? Some happy future for you?"

The other girl was needling her. Enid wasn't sure why, but she let it fuel her. To have something so personal exposed to someone as callous as Wednesday was upsetting, but she wasn't about to give Wednesday the satisfaction she was after by showing how upset she was. Instead she focused on her anger, and channelled it into her response.

"So what? You saw me at a low point and that amused you? Is that what you find interesting about me? My suffering?"

She hadn't expected an answer but Wednesday started one anyway. "No. What I find interesting is that despite-" she cut herself off. She took a sharp breath and stood straighter, and Enid had to guess that she hadn't meant to say anything at all. The drinks had affected her after all.

"Now you know what I saw," Wednesday said. "If you want to believe I find you interesting for your suffering then go ahead. I don't care whether you change your behavior towards me or ignore me completely. This arrangement wasn't my decision, and as far as I'm concerned I am forced to interact with you at the behest of my parents. I'm sure you could tell them your work and social life mean you can no longer aid them in their pursuit of a normal summer, and they would release you from any obligation you feel towards them."

In that moment, Enid was tempted to do just that. She would be free to live out her last free summer before the torment that awaited her, with her friends and boyfriend and no interruptions from weird families and creepy girls. But Wednesday had almost let something slip, some other explanation for her behavior, and Enid wasn't sure she wanted to let that go. It would almost feel like losing to her in a way. She took a moment to appreciate an ironic realization, that Wednesday was as interesting to her as she was to the other girl. She sighed.

"Well I don't believe that, not after your little slip up. But fine, go ahead and keep your mysterious aura. And if you think you can bother me with what you saw in your vision then I want you to know, you can't. I don't need my own mother's approval to be me, so I certainly don't need yours. And if that means being half a werewolf then that's what I'll be."

They stared each other down for a few seconds and for once it was Wednesday who turned away first, even if it was just to reach for the door. She opened the door to the rental, and turned back to Enid when she was in the doorway.

"Have it your way, Sinclair."

"I will," Enid said defiantly. "Goodnight Wednesday," she added for good measure.

Wednesday didn't respond. She entered the house and shut the door behind her, but Enid could just make out, with her superior hearing, a softly muttered 'interesting' before quiet footsteps faded into the house. Enid frowned. She continued to her cousins' house with her mind once again buzzing trying to figure out Wednesday Addams.

Chapter Text

Enid had shifts a few days in a row so only got to see the Addams in passing when they were visiting the beach themselves. Gomez spoke to her briefly one of those days and mentioned that he wanted to try a day trip, something nearby that people who visited the shore would also likely do. Enid remembered the outcast run bee sanctuary she had found after first entering her arrangement with the Addams and suggested that as an interesting trip. Morticia lit up even more than Gomez at the idea, saying that she adored bees and appreciated the work they did in the greenhouse at the Addams's manor. They arranged a date and Enid tried to prepare herself for another day out with the Addams.

After her night with Wednesday she wasn't sure how to approach the other girl. Wednesday was so frustrating to try to pin down. The other girl had seen something private, that Enid never wanted anyone to see, and she had seen it the first week they met. But in the intervening time she hadn't said anything nor, to Enid's knowledge, treated her any differently for being unable to transform. That didn't mean her treatment of Enid had been good, but many outcasts would have at least made one joke about a werewolf that couldn't transform. But Wednesday, who seemed to love to see others suffer, hadn't. Only when Enid pressed her did she even admit to what she saw. She had even started to say that the suffering she had witnessed wasn't what drove her interest in Enid. But if not that, then what? Enid didn't know.

Whenever her head hurt from trying to figure Wednesday out she turned to texting her friends and her boyfriend. Ajax was embarrassed by having stoned himself, and it took a few messages and talking to him during their shifts to convince him that she wasn't ashamed to be dating him. She tried to push a little further even, to let him know that she enjoyed dating him even, but he was a little hard headed. She winced at her own thought. Was that phrasing problematic for gorgons? Stubborn, he was a little stubborn about how negatively he viewed himself.

Yoko and Bianca had largely made up. Bianca seemed to recognize that she had messed up, and Yoko knew that the siren had learned a harsh lesson. Bianca, in a rare show of humility, thanked Enid before one of their shifts for taking care of her when she was throwing up. She also told Enid never to mention that to anyone, and Enid hurriedly reassured the other girl that she wouldn't. Bianca gave her a nod and she was back to her usual self.

Her day off with the Addams was Thursday, and when it came, instead of meeting at the Addams rental, they arrived in their car to pick her up at her cousins' place. She had seen the car in passing and marveled at the make of it. It wasn't just a classic car, it looked older than that, like something out of a 1940's movie rather than something that was street legal in the 2020s. It was all black, of course, and comfortably big enough for all of the Addams and Enid.

When she got in (after Lurch had left the car to open the door for her) she was thrown off by the interior. The front, where Pugsley sat with Lurch, was a connected bench instead of separate seats for driver and passenger, and there was another bench seat connected to it facing the back of the car. That's where Wednesday sat, facing her parents in a curved rear seat. All of the seats were well-cushioned and covered in velvet, giving a comfortable if gaudy look to the car. Enid took the empty spot next to Wednesday, and Thing climbed onto her shoulder when she did.

"How exciting," Gomez said when the car started moving. "Tell me, dear Enid, have you been to this sanctuary before?"

"Never," she answered. "But when I looked online it said they have little tour of their setup and a bunch of food and goods for sale."

"Perhaps I will ask about a hive for the greenhouse at the manor," Morticia said. "Natural pollinators might allow greater diversity in the plants we tend."

"An excellent idea, mi amor. And perhaps we can find other uses for honey and wax."

Gomez pulled Morticia's hand to his mouth and kissed it, then her wrist and up her arm to her neck. Enid looked over to Wednesday to ask 'are you seeing this?' with her eyes and saw Wednesday's own eye twitching. She felt a pang of sympathy for the other girl; no wonder she wanted to spend so much time away from her parents. Making such a show of their physical affection for each other was certainly a choice.

"It's outcast run," Enid said to get Wednesday's parents talking again and keep Wednesday herself from pulling one of the knives she probably had on her. "A family of psychics apparently."

"Oh really?" Gomez said, pulling himself away from his wife's neck. "Do you know the name?"

"Ottinger?" Enid said a little uncertainly. She had looked the sanctuary up again after suggesting it earlier in the week, and while the name had stuck out as an odd one, she was a little fuzzy on it.

"Ah, the Ottingers," Morticia said. "I've heard of them. I should have made the connection myself; they can control animals, a sanctuary is a natural choice."

Enid nodded but was struck with sudden curiosity. "If you don't mind my asking, are one of you a psychic?"

"Yes dear, I am a seer," Morticia said.

Enid nodded. "I was wondering, since Wednesday is one too."

Morticia smiled at her daughter, who maintained her silence. "Yes, she takes after both me and her father, though she may not want to hear that."

"One of my life's many disappointments," Wednesday said.

Morticia and Gomez shared a quick glance but didn’t comment on Wednesday’s words. To break the awkward atmosphere Enid asked Morticia about being a seer. The older woman was glad to answer her questions, though she cautioned that she could only speak from her own perspective. But Enid found out that Morticia had started having visions around the same age as Wednesday, and she had been enrolled in Nevermore Academy immediately. She took a diversion to talk about meeting Gomez, who gave his own rapturous account of meeting Morticia for the first time, before starting to talk about learning to control and live with her power.

They reached the sanctuary before Morticia could get into a lot of detail. She smiled at Enid and promised to continue their conversation at another time as Lurch parked.

“Although there is another seer you could ask if you wanted,” she said as she left the car.

Enid turned her head to Wednesday, who returned her look with narrowed eyes and a shake of her head.

“Maybe I will,” Enid said anyway.

Wednesday’s eyes narrowed further still but no knives came out so Enid figured she was probably in the clear. She waited until Wednesday left the car from her side of it to leave from her own side just to be safe. No sense presenting her back to the other girl as an easy target.

They were in a small grass field serving as a parking lot, situated between a large house to the right of the car and a small building which looked like a gift shop on the left. Past the gift shop was an expansive natural area full of flowers, trees, bushes, and a faint buzzing sound. There were a few other cars around, so they wouldn't be the only people there, but it didn't seem very busy.

"Hey, I'll be right there," came a voice from the direction of the house. Enid peered over the car to see a teen, maybe a little younger than herself, jogging over. He had shaggy black hair, chubby cheeks, and a big pair of glasses. Enid felt guilty for thinking that he looked like a bully's favorite target.

He stopped by the car and waved at her and the Addams. "Hey there. What were you guys looking to do today? The tour, just some shopping?"

"Both, my boy," Gomez said.

"Great! My name is Eugene, I help my moms run the sanctuary in the summer," he said. "They're taking other groups, so I'll take you guys around."

"I'm sure we're in excellent hands," Gomez said, and Eugene beamed at him.

"Thanks, Mr...." Eugene prompted.

"Addams, but you can call me Gomez. This is my wife, Morticia, my son, Pugsley, my daughter, Wednesday, and our dear friend Enid."

"Hi," Eugene said with another wave, and an extra smile in Enid's direction. "First, kind of a weird question, but is anyone here allergic to bees?"

"Is that a requirement?" Gomez asked at the same time Enid asked, "would someone come here if they were allergic?"

"No and you'd be surprised," Eugene answered them in turn. "Should I take that as a no?"

Eugene looked to each of them in turn and they all shook their heads to show they weren't allergic to bee stings. When he got to Wednesday she spoke.

"Unfortunately none of us are allergic," she said. "Though I yearn to know the feeling of my throat closing in on itself, helpless to escape my oncoming fate, or to see someone's face swell and turn red as they struggle to draw their last breath."

Eugene nodded slowly, probably unsure if Wednesday was making a morbid joke or being completely serious. Enid figured it was probably both.

"Well we do have epinephrine on hand just in case," Eugene said.

"What a pity," Wednesday said.

Eugene laughed and led them around to the house first to have them pay. He pointed out a little stand where they could buy bee and honey themed goods as well as actual honey and pieces of hives as decoration. He also handed out little bee-shaped pins as mementos, and Enid was surprised when every Addams, including Wednesday, put them on immediately. She realized that the little yellow speck on Wednesday's black sweater (how she wore that in the summer was beyond Enid) was the first spot of color she had seen on the other girl.

Their tour started simply, with Eugene going into some of the history of beekeeping. Enid was a little uncertain how engaging the history of bees could really be, but she quickly realized it was longer and more involved than she ever suspected. Eugene helped keep her interest. Enid really loved when someone got to talk about something they were very passionate about, and Eugene was very passionate about bees.

They walked the grounds while Eugene talked and showed them some historical tools then their modern equivalents. Gomez interjected occasionally with pertinent questions which Eugene was happy to answer. They roved the grounds, seeing the fields of flowers and fruits that the bees pollenated and used for sustenance as well as the hives themselves. When they passed some apple trees Eugene encouraged them to pick one or two each for themselves, promising they were insecticide free.

"As psychics we can just keep any pests away ourselves," he said.

Enid had to stifle her laughter when Lurch had to pick an apple for Wednesday, and turned away when the other girl shot her a look. She busied herself by reaching up and grabbing an apple for herself, and the group continued on the tour.

They passed an older woman, one of Eugene's mothers most likely, leading another group, two parents and two kids, a girl around ten and a boy a little older. The tweens were lagging behind and had the disinterested demeanor of kids dragged by their parents to someplace educational. Enid sympathized with them until she overheard them as they passed her.

"This place sucks."

"Who cares about bees."

"It'd suck to be a psychic and only be able to control some dumb bees."

"I'm glad they're disappearing."

Then they were past. Enid rolled her eyes at what she felt was typical childish ignorance. She only hoped that Eugene hadn't heard. She glanced at him and winced. His smile was frozen and he had stopped speaking. He tripped over his words for a few moments until Morticia prompted him where he had left off with a kind smile. He laughed a little and started talking again, but he clearly had heard the little brats.

Gomez cut in while Eugene composed himself to mention that Morticia was a psychic as well. Morticia easily began a conversation with Eugene about their differing psychic abilities. Eugene seemed happy for the distraction, but Enid noticed something odd with Wednesday. Her hand was twitching, not in a random kind of way but more purposeful. It almost looked like sign language, though it wasn't ASL. Enid glanced around to see if there was anyone she could be signaling and her eyes fell on Thing, seemingly paying attention to Wednesday's hand. The other girl was up to something, and Enid had a feeling it involved those kids.

Thing skittered away into the brush but the Eugene started moving again, pulling Enid and the Addams with him. Enid hung back a little, to walk next to Wednesday.

"What do you have planned for those kids?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing you should worry about," Wednesday replied just as quietly.

"Just... are they going to get really hurt?"

"By my definition or yours?" Wednesday asked.

"Mine."

Wednesday paused for a moment before answering. "No comment."

"Wednesday..." Enid started, but she didn't know what to say. It was almost admirable, the other girl's instinct to stand up for Eugene. If only she weren't so prone to violence then Enid wouldn't have to worry about two scarred kids- mentally, physically, or both.

"They'll be fine, Sinclair," Wednesday said in a rare show of empathy. "I only intend to remind them that words have consequences too."

Enid sighed. "If you say so."

Their tour continued and Enid kept an eye out for Thing. Even if Wednesday claimed the kids would be fine, she didn't want to be caught in any proverbial crossfire. It wasn't long before Enid heard a rustling in the grass. She turned to look at the same time Wednesday did, and sure enough, Thing was there, wiggling his fingers at Wednesday.

"Excuse me," Wednesday said to Eugene. "I need to use the bathroom. Is that back at the gift shop?"

"Oh, yeah," Eugene said. "Should we wait for you?"

"That won't be necessary," Wednesday said. She turned to go.

Enid didn't want to get involved but... she couldn't just leave those kids to Wednesday, right? With a sigh she spoke up. "You know what, I have to go to, maybe you guys can wait until we get back."

"Sure thing," Eugene said.

The other Addams didn't seem to think much of Wednesday and Enid's sudden need to leave, except for Morticia, who gave them each a knowing look.

While they were walking back to the gift shop Wednesday glanced at her. "Are you going to try to stop me?" she asked.

"I'm not planning on it," Enid said. "I just don't want to see a couple of kids getting maimed for something stupid they said."

"How noble," Wednesday said.

"I could say the same for you," Enid returned. "You're trying to teach them a lesson because they hurt Eugene's feelings, right?"

"Nonsense. I'm just going to show them the world is a cruel and unjust place."

Enid wasn't convinced. "Hm. Funny you don't use the same sentiment for Eugene. You aren't just letting him suffer some cruel injustice, you're going out of your way to set it right."

Wednesday stopped walking, and Enid followed suit. "If you ever imply anything like that about me again then you better have your affairs in order."

Enid thrust her chin into the air defiantly. "I'll keep that in mind." She started again and called out over her shoulder. "Well? Coming?"

She heard Wednesdays' boots and within a few steps the other girl was beside her again, face a little more sour than usual.

They reached the gift shop just as the family with the children entered out of it. The children were still lagging behind the parents, and Wednesday stalked after them. She slipped through the doors before they closed, not bothering to hold them open for Enid. By the time she entered Wednesday had already made her move, and had cornered the kids. They each looked just a little alarmed, so Wednesday must not have really started in on them. Enid made a beeline for the trio to make sure nothing truly awful happened.

When she neared she could make out Wednesday's words. "Did you know that bees can sense ill intent. They go after those that wish them harm. Perhaps since your tour is over that warning is too late. I hope you didn't say or do anything to anger them."

The two kids looked at each other and the older of the two looked at Wednesday with frightened eyes. "That's not true," he said, sounding like he didn't believe his own words. "They're just dumb insects."

"There you go again," Wednesday said. "Is that a buzzing I hear? They can get in and out of buildings quite easily, one could have followed you in."

The kids shared a nervous look. The older one spoke again. "I've never heard of that. What would that even look like?"

"There's the classic sting. If they're really angry they might crawl into ears and noses and mouths to lay eggs so their children can eat you from the inside out. Nothing too harsh."

Wednesday's deadly serious face had even Enid believing her words were true, for a few moments at least. The two kids were badly shaken.

"Seriously?" the younger said. She turned to her brother. "We've gotta get out of here."

The brother grabbed her hand to lead her away but Wednesday cut in.

"It's okay. I can tell you a secret defense."

"What is it?" the brother asked.

Wednesday glanced left then right before leaning forward conspiratorially. The kids leaned in as well, eager to protect themselves.

"There is none," Wednesday whispered. Then she raised her voice and yelled "boo!"

The kids screamed and tried to run, but they fell over before they could take a step. Enid looked down to see what had tripped them up and saw that their shoelaces had been tied together. The kids looked at their feet in fear and continued to babble in terror.

Wednesday straightened as she observed her handiwork. "Never underestimate even the most insignificant seeming creature. It will be your downfall if you do."

The parents of the children rushed over to see what happened to their kids. "Oh my god what happened?" the father asked while the mother crouched down to help untangle the shoelaces.

"Must have been the bees," Wednesday said.

"Is everything all right over here," came a familiar voice.

Enid had last heard it the night Wednesday had been accosted by a bunch of normies, and she had to double take to confirm that Tyler Galpin was in the gift shop with them. He was watching the parents comfort the crying children who were sputtering about how the bees were now out to get them and that they didn't want eggs to hatch in their noses. Tyler's eyes jumped from the kids to the parents to Wednesday and finally Enid in clear confusion, though none of them offered any explanation.

Wednesday turned to leave and Tyler stepping in her way. "Anything I can help with?" he asked, obviously still concerned.

"No," Wednesday said, and in with a quick movement was around him and heading for the door.

Enid didn't have time to figure out what he was doing there since in the few short moments that had passed Wednesday was already at the door. She shrugged at him and clumsily went around him to follow Wednesday. When she made it out of the door she hurried to catch up with the other girl. Thing was riding on her shoulder, certainly the culprit behind the tied laces.

"Was that mild enough for you Sinclair?" Wednesday asked when Enid caught up to her.

"I think you made your point," Enid said. "And maybe gave them a lifelong fear of bees."

"Then I haven't lost my touch," Wednesday said. "I've been more sedentary this summer than I had planned."

Enid thought back to how easily Wednesday had handled those normies. "Yeah, I think you still have your touch."

They returned to the others to find Eugene entertaining Wednesday's parents with a group of bees, which he seemed to be directing in a swirling choreography around the Addams. Gomez and Morticia both looked delighted by the display, or perhaps that Eugene was smiling again. He spotted Enid and Wednesday first and sent the bees over to greet them. Enid laughed as they danced around them, but was surprised when even Wednesday seemed pleased.

Perhaps she was reading too much into the other girl, but over the weeks she had known her Enid felt she was coming to understand the subtleties of Wednesday a little more. The other girl didn't react like most, but even she couldn't suppress everything. She was expressive at her edges, the corners of her mouth and eyes, the slight movement of her eyebrows, the tension or ease at the back of her jaw. Enid stopped walking for a moment as she realized how much attention she had paid to Wednesday over the time she had known the girl. That couldn't be a healthy habit.

But she would worry about that later. She hurried to catch up to Wednesday and rejoin the others so they could continue their tour. Luckily there didn't seem to be any other groups with bratty children to set Wednesday on another revenge seeking mission.

Their tour ended at the gift shop, and Gomez excitedly dragged his family and Enid inside to see their wares. The other family was presumably long gone, but Tyler was still there behind the counter, and he watched them curiously while they browsed. Eugene stayed with them in the shop to help answer any questions, and when Wednesday went to him with one Tyler sidled over to Enid.

"So... this is awkward," Tyler said.

"Yeah, a little bit," Enid said.

"Listen, I saw you with Ajax so maybe you've heard about... me?"

Enid nodded. "A little bit," she said again.

Tyler scratched his head and frowned. "I'd like to say whatever you heard isn't true, but it probably is. I... did something really stupid. I messed with-" he cut himself off and sighed. "Me and a couple of 'friends' assaulted Xavier and messed with his art. I wish I hadn't, I wish... a lot of things, really. I regret what I did and I wish I could make it right, so just, I don't know."

Enid felt her heart pull for Tyler. He certainly seemed sincere, though Enid wasn't a cynical person. She wondered what Wednesday would see in a statement like the one he gave her. "I like to think people can change," she said. "At least I hope they can."

"Me too," he said ruefully. "I like to think I already have a little."

Enid considered him for a moment. "Is that why you're here? Helping an outcast family as a sign of change?"

Tyler looked around awkwardly. "Not quite. This is, uh, involuntary volunteer work."

Enid frowned in confusion. "What?"

Tyler leaned in and lowered his voice. "Community service. Court ordered. I got to pick where I was sent at least, and maybe I picked this place because it's run by psychics."

"Oh," Enid said, unsure what to do with that new information.

"Yeah," Tyler said. "I also wanted to ask, what was that all about earlier? With the kids?"

"Oh that," Enid said. "Well, they may have said some unkind things about bees that Eugene definitely overheard. He was pretty upset, and Wednesday wanted to, uh, set things right."

"By scaring the crap out of them?"

Enid nodded and Tyler looked over to Wednesday, who was still talking to Eugene.

"She's a weird one," he said.

"She sure is."

"But, I don't know, that's kind of sweet? Eugene's a sweet kid I mean, he's only a year younger, but you know what I mean, right?"

Enid nodded again. "Like a sensitive little brother."

Tyler gave her half a grin. "Yeah, that's kinda perfect."

They looked over to Wednesday and Eugene again just as the other two looked their way. Enid winced and quickly looked back at Tyler to hide the fact that they had been talking about Eugene. "Hope they don't think we're talking bad about them."

"We're probably fine," Tyler said. "I know I wouldn't want to get on Wednesday's bad side. I can still picture Lucas and the others on the ground after their little meeting."

"Yeah, she's something else," Enid said.

Tyler hesitated a few moments. "You guys been friends long?"

"Not really," Enid said. "We only met at the beginning of the summer. And I wouldn't really call us friends." She paused before throwing her hands up. "Not to be harsh, she's just a little closed off is all."

"I see. I guess..."

He trailed off but Enid could guess where he wanted to go. "Are you interested in her?" she asked.

Tyler shrugged. "I guess, a little. Maybe I like a woman who can kick some ass. And she's got a soft side if she's going around defending the bees' honor. There's something... magnetic about her."

Enid knew that feeling. It was impossible to ignore Wednesday Addams. Lose track of until she was behind you with a knife maybe, but never ignore. She glanced in the other girl's direction. She was still talking to Eugene. It was the longest conversation Enid had seen the other girl have with anyone, other than maybe herself.

"I kind of hate to break it to you, but I think Xavier is interested in her too," Enid said. She watched Tyler's face change from surprised to anxious to resigned.

"Makes sense, I guess. Is she into him?"

Enid bit her lip. "I don't think so, but I don't know what it would look like for her to be interested in anybody."

"So I might have a chance," Tyler said. Enid appreciated his optimism. Eugene called out for Tyler and they looked over to see the Addams waiting patiently to be checked out. Before heading over Tyler leaned in towards Enid again. "Hey listen, thanks for talking to me and answering my questions. I've really been trying to do better, but it's hard with the distance between outcasts and normies. I know I didn't do myself any favors either with Xavier, but it means a lot that you were willing to hear me out."

He left Enid to help with the Addams, and a few moments later Enid smelled the familiar scent of Wednesday behind her. She turned to find the other girl considering her thoughtfully.

"What did the normie want with you?" Wednesday asked.

"He was just wondering about the kids you assaulted earlier." Enid wasn't about to tell the other girl that Tyler was interested in her. She didn't know how to broach that kind of subject with her at all.

"Hm."

"What about you and Eugene?" Enid asked.

"You," Wednesday said easily.

Enid looked from Wednesday to Eugene and back again. "Me?"

"Yes. He seemed quite upset when I told him you were seeing somebody."

"Oh that's sweet but..." she trailed off. She had already told Tyler that Eugene seemed more like a little brother than anything. She had unintentionally brother-zoned him.

"I told him he was taking after his bees. He let your colors draw him in."

Enid's hand went to her hair, dyed blue and pink at the end. "There's nothing wrong with some color," she said defensively.

"Maybe for you. I'm allergic," Wednesday said. "Come. My parents are done with their shopping."

She started for the door, where the rest of the Addams were waiting. Enid followed and thought about the day. She had seen a new side of Wednesday- or maybe more of an old side. She remembered how defensive the other girl had been after some normies had insulted Pugsley. Whatever reason she gave for the retribution she had wanted to bring about, Enid couldn't help but wonder if the real reason was simple sisterly protectiveness. Maybe not even just sisterly, she thought, considered how Wednesday had reacted to the kids making fun of Eugene and the bees.

She had stood up for Eugene, in her own way, despite only meeting him that day. Enid wondered how much of her chilly attitude was real and how much was a front for someone who cared about the little guy. She even suspected the trouble Wednesday had faced with her schooling was over Pugsley's treatment, not anything directed at her. She seemed to care more about outcasts than capital O Outcasts: the fringes of the fringes, people cast aside from every corner. Enid wondered for a moment if that was Wednesday's interest in her. An outcast from her own family. She frowned. Maybe the other girl's protective streak was part of it, but somehow she doubted that would explain everything. If she wanted to understand Wednesday, she couldn't just sit back and let things happen. She'd have to take action to figure the other girl out. She promised herself she would do just that.

Chapter Text

Enid's resolution to better understand Wednesday was put on hold when she received a message from her mother, Esther, saying that she and the rest of the family were headed to New Jersey for a few days. They were arriving the next day, Saturday, and would be staying until Tuesday. They would visit with Enid and Esther's sister and her family before taking a train to New York City for a flight to France.

Enid didn't get into it over messages, but she couldn't believe they were going on a vacation while she was working and the first she was hearing about it was a few days before they left. She spent most of the night after her mother messaged her on a call with Yoko, who leant her a sympathetic ear. Enid didn't particularly want to go on a vacation with her family, considering the strained relationship they had. She was sure that her mother wouldn't have let her relax while she still hadn't wolfed-out. But she couldn't help feeling hurt at the exclusion anyway.

Her stress shot up when Yoko pointed out there there would be a full moon on one of the nights her mother was in town. That was the last thing she needed- direct proof that she still couldn't transform. It would just be one more opportunity to fight with her mother before she was sent to some horrible camp.

Yoko's news soured her mood, so much so that when the Addams stopped by during her shift the next day the first thing Gomez said to her was, "is everything all right?"

"Yeah, of course," she said, trying to sound chipper. From the look on Gomez's and Morticia's faces she hadn't succeeded.

"Enid dear," Morticia prompted, and Enid sighed.

"It's family stuff. They're visiting soon and me and my mom have a... complicated relationship." She didn't want to look at Wednesday considering the other girl had already seen one of the fights she had had with her mother.

Gomez and Morticia shared a look. "All families are complicated, aren't they dear," Gomez said.

"Yet each uniquely miserable," Morticia finished. "We won't pry, but should we adjust our plans? Will you be spending your time with them?"

"Maybe a day or two, but honestly I don't think they'd mind if I was busy the whole time anyway. They're just stopping by for a few days before heading for Europe."

Another looked passed between Gomez and Morticia, but whatever the message was that they shared with each other, they dropped the subject.

"Then let us know your next day off, we're excited to see the lighthouses you mentioned," Gomez said. His eyes took on a far away look. "What a life, just a man and his thoughts and the sea. The heavy burden of guarding the lives of strangers, ever vigilant yet rarely engaged. It would be enough to drive the strongest of minds mad. In another life I would have liked to be such a man."

Morticia laid a hand on his shoulder and gazed at him with adoration. "You would have made a fine lighthouse keeper. You have the madness for it."

"Madness from my love for you, querida."

"Monday," Enid said trying to head off any extreme public display of affection. "I'm off Monday."

"Wonderful for you," Gomez said, still staring into Morticia's eyes rapturously.

"I think that means she's available for your lighthouse idea," Wednesday's cold voice cut in. She had more success in interrupting her parents, who finally looked away from each other to talk to Enid.

"Perfect," Gomez said. "Then Monday, we shall go and try to imagine the life that could have been."

He turned to lead his family to the beach, but Morticia stopped him, a curious look on her face. "Enid dear, isn't that the day after a full moon? Won't you be recovering?"

Enid held back a wince and forced a smile instead. "I'll be okay, I'm a fast recoverer."

She dared a glance at Wednesday, but her face was as stoic as ever. She was going to let Enid tell or not tell her secret and live with the consequences.

"If you're sure," Morticia said. "Although perhaps that's the folly of youth."

"Leave her to her work," Wednesday said before Gomez, who looked like he wanted to start flirting with his wife again, could.

The next day her family landed, though Enid didn't get to see them right away due to work. Her mood stayed sour all day, and when Ajax stopped by to chat before his break he picked up on it right away. She had already told him about her family situation, and he offered to take her out so she wouldn't have to see them until late, so she wouldn't have to deal with her mother for long before going to sleep. She grabbed him into a tight hug and whispered, "you're a life saver," to him.

She texted her mother about her plans and spent a lovely evening with Ajax trying to find the best water ice on the boardwalk (one of those regional foods that Enid wouldn't admit she couldn't tell from the non-local equivalent, shaved ice). What she hadn't counted on was the time difference between the coasts. Although it was after eight when she returned to her aunt's house, for her immediate family it felt like five, and they had a lot of energy to burn. Then the words she dreaded to hear.

"Enid, tell us about your summer so far."

She couldn't say no to her mother so directly, so she sat and grinned and bore it while she talked about lifeguarding and Yoko and the others, while omitting the Addams and her relationship with Ajax. Her mother listened, but focused in on the previous full moon, during which Enid hadn't transformed. She told her mother as much, and received a judgmental hum in response. She hadn't realized she could feel so put down by a simple 'hm', but the noise cut her deep. The others grew silent, and after a few seconds of awkward silence Enid retreated to bed so she could wake up on time the next day.

But when she lay down, sleep eluded her. Her mother's judgement, the fact that her family was leaving her to go on vacation, and the noise of her brothers and cousins laughing and messing around kept her up late into the night. She wanted to join in, she wanted to leave, she wanted to laugh with her family, she wanted to cry alone. Instead she lay there, listening, until she eventually drifted into fitful sleep.

The next day she was up before anyone and out of the house quickly and quietly. Her shift started rough with her lack of sleep, and only got worse. Seeing other families on the beach enjoying each other's company made her wish she could just transform, as if that would fix everything wrong between her and her mother. When her family was across the country it was easy to pretend she didn't need them, but when they were only a few blocks away she couldn't help acknowledging how much she wanted to just be accepted by them. Ironically the closer they were, the farther they felt. As Enid watched the happy families enjoying their day together she cycled between guilt that she couldn't transform, and anger that her mother had made her inability to transform such a big issue she might never get over it.

By the time she took her lunch break she was so torn up that she couldn't even eat anything. It was towards the end of her break when the Addams stopped by again. Before they said anything Morticia stepped towards her and covered her with the umbrella she was carrying.

"You look a sight, Enid," the older woman said.

Enid snorted derisively. "Thanks Mrs. Addams, just what every girl wants to hear."

Morticia just smiled her soft smile at Enid. "Isn't it just. Though perhaps you were being facetious."

"Sorry," Enid sighed. "I guess my family being here is getting to me more than I thought it would."

"Poor wolf," Gomez said. "And you will have to spend the night with them in your most primal state."

Enid groaned. "I don't know if I can handle that."

Enid was sure the hours leading up to the full moon would be full of agitation and excitement for the others in her family, and recrimination for her. She had been around her family while they were transformed before, and the wolves recognized her as kin, so she didn't have to worry about her safety. But she was worried it would all be too much for her. Her mind raced with ways to get away from them for the night. Yoko had plans with Divina that Enid didn't want to interrupt, though both girls would let her. Her relationship with Ajax was still too new for her to feel super comfortable asking him to stay at his house. There was the Addams, but they were their own family, and she would have to go through the shame of admitting-

"Stay with us," Morticia said. "We have werewolves in our family, we can fashion an area for you to be safe and comfortable."

Enid looked at the older woman and almost cried at the sincerity in her eyes. Gomez next to her was nodding as well, smile present if a little smaller than usual.

"It'd be so cool to have a werewolf in the house," Pugsley said.

"She's not a toy Pugsley," Wednesday said. "She'd be alone in a new place surrounded by relative strangers. She'd be on edge. Dangerous. I could watch her. If she wanted to stay, of course."

Enid couldn't tell what Wednesday's angle was, and even though she was better at reading the other girl, she wasn't necessarily good at it. She didn't look angry or mischievous, so Enid doubted she was just looking to humiliate or hurt her. Maybe she was just thinking of Enid like Eugene, someone in need of protection. Somehow Enid didn't like that thought. She didn't want to be coddled. She didn't want Wednesday's pity. If she wanted to take Morticia up on her offer she could face the Addams' judgment. After all, she could use a break from her family, even if she hadn't spent that much time with them.

"It's kind of you to offer Mrs Addams, but I have to be honest. The reason things are complicated between me and my mom is because I can't transform." She kept an eye on the older Addams to gauge their reactions, but they only continued listening. "I've never been able to, and my mother has made it into this whole big thing- I mean, it is a big thing, who ever heard of a werewolf that can't transform, but I just can't deal with it right now and-"

"Stay with us," Gomez repeated Morticia's offer. He looked different, and it took Enid a moment to realize why. His smile was completely gone, replaced with a serious look. "You've done much for me and my family, let us do something for you. If your family cannot support you tonight, then let ours."

Enid could have cried. She barely held it together as she nodded.

"Come over after your shift. If you need clothes we can find something for you, or give you some money to get something new," Gomez said.

"I'll stop by my cousin's place first to pick up some clothes," Enid said. She could at least tell her parents to their faces she wasn't going to be with them that night.

"If you wish," Gomez said.

"I can handle that much," Enid said. She checked her phone for the time. "I have to get back to the beach."

"Then we'll see you tonight," Morticia said.

"Tonight," Enid agreed as she stood. She waved as she headed back for the beach to finish her shift.

When she made it back to her cousins' house the place was in pandemonium. Almost a dozen werewolves were running around, trying to make sure they had everything ready for their transformations that night. Doors and windows were being secured to turn the entire house into one large Lupen cage. Enid slipped through her noisy family and collected some things which she threw into a bag. Her mother caught sight of her, but in her harried state simply accepted her excuse of spending the night with Yoko, who she had talked about enough to be familiar to her mother. Her mother only gave her one quick remark about being sure she wasn't transforming before letting her go on her way.

When she got to the Addams' rental she was greeted by Lurch opening the door for her and letting her in. After a few steps the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she ducked, just in time to miss a flying knife. A familiar cackle rang through the air: Grandmama. Enid looked around to see the crazy old woman.

"Sharp as ever, wolfie," Grandmama said.

"Hi Grandmama," Enid said.

"It's a shame you didn't consider my grandkids," Grandmama said.

"What?"

Her answer came in the form of a hissing sound near hear left ear. She didn't even need to look, she just shoved herself up and to her right, probably a foot in the air and twice as far over. She landed at two pairs of feet, Wednesday and Pugsley, and looked up at them in fear. Pugsley looked amused but Wednesday had her usual stoic face.

"It's barely venomous," Wednesday said.

Enid looked at the snake, which was slithering into the darkness of the house, before looking back at Wednesday. "Barely for me or for you, miss I-put-arsenic-on-my-food?"

There was a moment of silence. "Come, dinner is ready."

Enid knew from Wednesday's non-answer that the snake probably would have killed her in an instant. If nothing else her mind was off of her family situation and squarely on wondering whether she would survive the night.

"Well," Pugsley said as he extended his hand to help Enid up. "Let's go."

Dinner was a mild affair, with more stories of exploits from the Addams and the Frumps, Morticia's family. Being a psychic seemed to run in both families, even back to before the founding of the country when one Goody Addams took revenge for her murdered mother by killing the murderer and cursing his children so they couldn't have any of their own.

"She sounds like a badass," Enid said.

"She was," Wednesday said.

"It was one of Wednesday's favorite bedtime stories," Morticia said.

"She always asked me to do the voices of the outcasts burning in that fire over and over again," Gomez added.

Enid smiled at Wednesday, who looked uncharacteristically uncomfortable. It was surprisingly easy to imagine a little Wednesday, grumpy look on her face, imploring her father to imitate the sound of people dying horribly. It was cute, in a twisted, Wednesday kind of way.

As they finished eating Morticia brought up sleeping arrangements. "We've rented a large place, but there are many of us here. Gomez and me, Pugsley, Wednesday, Grandmama, Lurch, Thing. We hope you don't mind sharing with Wednesday?"

Enid almost cracked her neck with how quickly she checked Wednesday for her reaction.

"There's a spare bed in the room I've taken as my own," Wednesday said. "But touch anything of mine or interrupt my routine and you will face the consequences."

Enid was flabbergasted, but nodded. She thought Wednesday would have denied any intrusion into her private space, but the other girl was allowing it. Maybe it was part of the deal she had worked out with her parents. Either way, Enid could only finish her dinner and speculate what rooming with Wednesday would be like.

After everyone finished eating the Addams each went their own way. Gomez excused himself to a room that looked like a den, while Morticia slipped outside with shears and gloves. Wednesday strode through the house to a room on the second floor while Pugsley pulled Enid along after her. The room was filled with odd devices, some looking like they were right out of a book about medieval torture, but before Enid found out what the three of them were going to get up to she heard screaming from outside, followed by whistles and booms from within the house.

"Dad's playing with his trains," Pugsley explained.

"And mother likes to scare passersby while she gardens. She has the most success at night," Wednesday added.

Enid nodded at the new information but didn't know what to do with it. Before she could even try to process it Wednesday opened what appeared to be an iron maiden, a hollow statue with a hinged front and metal spikes pointing inwards from the walls. She turned to Pugsley.

"I sharpened the points after last time," Wednesday said. "Let's see if they'll break the skin this time. Get in"

Enid expected Pugsley to argue, but he stepped into the torture device almost eagerly. The spikes jutting out from the inside of the hollow statue certainly looked sharp, and they were long enough to almost overlap when it was closed. Enid was sure the siblings were just pranking her. She was sure there was no way Wednesday was actually going to close the iron maiden considering-

Wednesday closed the iron maiden. Enid yelped and flinched away, certain that Pugsley had just been punctured by a dozen spikes. But she didn't hear a scream from inside the torture device. She didn't smell any blood. She slowly looked back, ignoring Wednesday's judgmental look, and waited for something to happen. Pugsley's muffled voice came from the device.

"It's not as tight as before, and I don't feel any holes anywhere."

"Hm. I wonder if we need to re-cast the inside so the spikes properly overlap," Wednesday said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Wha- get him out of there!" Enid exclaimed.

Wednesday gave her an odd look. "You heard him yourself. He's fine."

"He's still trapped in a metal statue, what if it's compressing his chest or something?"

Wednesday's look turned thoughtful. "I hadn't thought of that. That could be a suitable replacement for the instantaneous injury an iron maiden is supposed to-"

Enid didn't let her finish and pried the front of the iron maiden open herself. Pugsley was there, still standing and looking as if he hadn't been trapped in a confined space with sharp metal spikes pressing into his skin. The only indication that he had even been in there at all was a small impression of one of the spikes on his cheek.

Wednesday grabbed the door and tried to push it closed on her brother again, but Enid held firm. Even if she didn't transform during the full moon she still felt some of its effects, including increased strength. She used that strength to hold the door open with one hand while she used the other to pull Pugsley out of the iron maiden.

"Aw man, I wanted to see how long I could last in there," Pugsley said.

"What?" Enid asked, still holding on to his arm. She looked at Wednesday in confusion but the other girl was frowning at Enid's lone arm countering her efforts.

"How strong are you?" Wednesday asked.

"I don't know," Enid said truthfully. She had never thought of herself as very strong, and living in a house of werewolves made her strength feel natural. Wednesday, strong as she was, had probably never been easily physically outclassed.

Wednesday dropped her hands from the door of the iron maiden and Enid followed suit. She let go of Pugsley as well, and Wednesday looked to meet her eyes.

"Are you interested in taking part in some experiments to test your strength?" Wednesday asked.

Enid looked around the room. "Uh, maybe when I'm not surrounded by torture devices."

"Of course, these wouldn't be suitable for feats of strength anyway. Come. To the yard." With that Wednesday left, expecting Enid and Pugsley to follow. They looked at each other, shrugged, and did.

Enid had thought she knew what to expect from an evening at the Addams' considering how much time she had spent with them, but testing her physical strength was not one of those things. Pugsley delighted in asking her to lift and move any heavy item he saw, from the dinner table to the car. The dinner table she could lift by bracing it against her body, but the car she couldn't move, at least not without denting the fender. She didn't think she'd be able to do that, so when the fender gave under her grip when she tried to lift one end of the Addams' car she let go and started apologizing profusely.

Morticia heard the commotion and came over to see what was going on. She congratulated Enid on her grip strength and summoned Gomez, who seemed delighted at the damage to his car. He insisted on helping his children test Enid's strength, and for the following hours the Addams had her lift, press, push, and throw so many different things that by the time the sun set a little before nine her arms and legs were sore.

She asked for mercy with the setting of the sun and they relented, letting her shower while they each split to start their bedtime routines. Enid took her time in the shower, getting the sweat and grime of the day off while luxuriating in the soothing heat. She felt the tension from her parent's visit and the full moon melt away, though she was sure it would be back. She pushed the thought away to wonder what would face her when she got out of the shower. She hadn't had a lot of time to think about sharing a room with Wednesday, and couldn't imagine what it was going to be like. Maybe there weren't even beds in there, just a couple of stone slabs without even sheets for warmth. She giggled at the thought as she dried herself.

When she left the bathroom and approached Wednesday's room she hear a horrible clacking sound coming from it. She stopped when she heard it and stared at the door without opening it. If that was some sort of Wednesday Addams white noise machine then she might have been better off staying with her fully transformed family. There was a pause in the noise, then footsteps before the door flew open.

"I can hear you breathing out here," Wednesday said. She was dressed in a long nightgown, black of course, though her hair was still in its usual double pigtails. "I already had to change the time of my writing hour for my family, I'm in no mood to suffer more interruptions. Get in and be quiet."

"Your writing hour?" Enid asked, but Wednesday was already marching back to a desk by the window at the back of the room.

On the desk was something Enid never thought she would see in real life: a typewriter. Before she could really react to it Wednesday sat down and started typing again. Enid winced at the noise.

"Does it have to be so lo-"

"If you want to survive the night there will be no more interruptions for the next hour," Wednesday said without turning around.

Enid figured it was better to be safe than sorry, and with a sigh fished her earbuds from her bag and turned her music on as loud as she could stand. She opened her socials to catch up on what her friends were doing, but not even a minute into her scrolling she noticed a looming shadow over her. She looked up to see Wednesday scowling at her.

"Are you testing me?" Wednesday asked when Enid removed her earbuds.

"No, I didn't think you'd be able to hear my music over your typing," Enid said.

There was a tense silence while Wednesday glared before she turned away to return to her desk. Since she hadn't said anything explicitly about turning the music off, Enid started it again, though a notch or two lower than before.

They stayed like that for an hour, just as Wednesday said, with the other girl typing with short breaks to change the paper out, and with Enid fiddling on her phone. After the hour was up Wednesday covered the typewriter, sat on her bed, and stared at Enid. Enid noticed the scrutiny after a few minutes and removed an earbud.

"What's up?" she asked.

"How can you spend so much time on one of those soul-sucking devices?" Wednesday asked.

"Soul-sucking? No way, my phone is my soul."

"Sounds like it has completed its task then."

"Ha ha," Enid said sarcastically. "But it really is though. It has all my music, it's how I keep in touch with my friends, how I stay up to date with the world, see new things. There's nothing it can't do."

"That really was music you were listening to? I thought you were trying to test how much aural pain I could endure," Wednesday said.

Enid gasped dramatically. "It's one thing to insult me or my phone habits, but you will not insult Seventeen."

Wednesday tilted her head. "The number? What does that have to do with your abysmal taste in music."

"You thought I was testing you and you're out here saying things like that?" Enid took a deep breath and released in in one big exhale. "Seventeen are a band. There are thirteen members in three units making one group. You add them all together and what do you get?"

"An unpleasant cacophony?"

Enid's claws came out on their own. Wednesday definitely heard them, since she looked down at Enid's hands.

"Sorry," Enid said as she retracted her claws. "But my music is important to me, okay? It's a part of who I am."

"'Music is the food of the soul'," Wednesday said.

"That... that's so perfect," Enid said. "Did you come up with that?"

"No," Wednesday said. "I take it you're not up on your German philosophers."

"Yeah, don't think I've gotten there yet," Enid said.

"A pity," Wednesday said. She turned back to her bed and made to get in it.

"Is that what you were writing about?" Enid asked. "Philosophy?"

She wouldn't have been surprised, considering Wednesday's demeanor. She didn't know a lot about philosophy, but she had an image of German philosophy as being very harsh and unforgiving. Though maybe she was wrong about that considering whoever Wednesday had been quoting seemed to love music.

"No," Wednesday said. She sat on her bed facing Enid. "I'm writing a detective novel. The fourth in a series."

"You've written four books?" Enid exclaimed. She loved hearing about peoples' creative pursuits.

"I'm working on the fourth," Wednesday repeated. "I've only completed three."

"Of course. Tell me all about it," Enid said, moving to the edge of her bed and leaning forward for extra effect.

Wednesday did. She told Enid all about Viper de la Muerte, a teenaged detective involved in grisly murders. Viper was smart, observant, aloof, misunderstood... Enid immediately noticed the similarities between Viper and Wednesday, but decided against pointing them out. Wednesday told her about the difficulties she had actually publishing her works and some of the criticisms they had received from editors. She believed Wednesday's writing was morbid, but saying she needed psychiatric help just based on that writing seemed a little harsh. She certainly needed psychiatric help, but not just for morbid writing. Probably.

Their conversation shifted back to Enid's music, and Enid tried to explain what k-pop was without settling on it just being Korean pop. After all, it was so much more than that. It was the effort, the growth, the production value, the storylines, the culture... it was everything. It took a lot to get a surprised reaction out of Wednesday, but Enid was pretty sure she saw one as she tried to impart her passion to the other girl.

They talked about phones and what could be done with them. Enid swore up and down that Wednesday would love it if she just tried it, if for no other reason than for the true crime podcasts. Wednesday was certainly intrigued by the promise of solving cold murder cases, but Enid had to spend fifteen minutes explaining what a podcast was.

Only when Enid checked her phone and saw it was almost midnight did she reluctantly say they should get some sleep. She didn't want their conversation to end. It had been their longest and most pleasant conversation, even if Enid had done most of the talking. She hadn't even thought about the full moon. Even before she and Wednesday had started talking, her time with the Addams had pushed her worries out of her mind. She was so easily caught up in the odd family, especially since their oddity involved deep love and support for each other.

As she lay in the spare bed in Wednesday's room she wondered what life would be like if they had met under different circumstances. She remembered that she and Wednesday had almost been sent to Nevermore, the specialty school for outcasts. Could they have been friends there? Roommates even, considering they were sharing one that night. Maybe away from her family, both immediate and extended, she could have had more success wolfing out. Maybe Wednesday could have an easier time opening up. Maybe their time together would have been more peaceful, no normies threatening violence, no brats causing Wednesday to threaten violence, no parents to push their lifestyles onto them. Maybe they would fight instead, too different to get along.

But what if they made up, learned to be around each other without setting the other off. What if they shared classes and passed notes and commiserated over how much work they were saddled with. What if she got a job for some extra independence. Wednesday could visit her, secure in her own financial situation but wanting to be supportive. What if she got a job at the same place, just to see what it was like to work for a living. What if they got closer. What if... maybe... what if... maybe...

Enid fell asleep to a chorus of what-ifs and maybes amid the familiar scent of Wednesday's room.

Chapter Text

Enid woke up confused. At her aunt's house, whenever she got to sleep in, she was invariably woken up by the commotion that came with a big family jockeying for food and bathroom time in the morning. The big family being energetic werewolves exacerbated their noise and their competitive spirits. She wasn't used to waking up to peace and quiet. After a few moments of blinking while her brain tried to kick into gear, she remembered the previous day; the full moon, the Addams' offer, and Wednesday's room.

She sat up suddenly to confirm that she really was in Wednesday's room and that the previous night talking with her hadn't been a dream. The all black decor and the typewriter on the desk told her that her imagination wasn't tricking her, though Wednesday herself was nowhere to be seen. She checked her phone. It was only a little after eight, but who knew what Wednesday's sleeping habits were like. She could have been up for hours already, torturing her brother or hunting small animals, or something equally morbid.

Enid got out of the spare bed and put a pair of pajama pants over the shorts she had slept in and left Wednesday's room. The smell of something cooking drew her down the hallway and up the stairs to the kitchen. Lurch was at the stove making eggs and some kind of sausage while Morticia and Gomez seemed to be having a staring contest. While watching them for a few moments Enid realized they were just lost in each others' eyes. She cleared her throat, barely getting their attention.

"Ah Enid, you survived the night to join us in another day of suffering," Gomez said by way of greeting.

"Lurch is just finishing breakfast. Even without transforming yesterday must have been tiring for you, so we asked him to make something hearty," Morticia said.

"Thanks," Enid said. "Is Wednesday out already? She wasn't in the room when I woke up."

"I was checking the traps for gulls," Wednesday's voice came from the stairs. She followed it a few moments later. "My surgical skills are getting rusty and I need something to practice on."

"Glad you didn't decide to use me since I was already in your room," Enid said, trying to make a joke.

"The thought crossed my mind."

Enid wasn't sure if Wednesday was joking, so she decided to get away from the topic by asking Gomez when he wanted to leave for the lighthouses.

"As soon as we eat," he answered.

"I already had something," Wednesday said.

"A sea gull?" Enid asked before her mind could stop her.

Wednesday gave her an indecipherable look before returning down the stairs and Enid really wished her mouth wasn't faster than her brain so she wouldn't have to imagine Wednesday gnawing on raw seagull.

She was glad she had a strong stomach, since that image didn't chase her appetite away. Lurch set a plate for her that was loaded with sausage and toast. The food was good, but the sausage didn't taste like regular sausage to Enid. It was stronger, darker, and had a... metallic taste? Her family would love it, she was sure.

But she wasn't hanging with the Addams to think of her family. After breakfast they loaded into the Addams' car. Enid looked at the sky with worry. It was lightly overcast, but she could see darker clouds down the coast heading their way. She had seen a couple of storms on the eastern seaboard, and knew they could get pretty ugly. She checked her phone to be safe, and the weather seemed to call for rain in the evening. She hoped it stayed that way, and that it would end before her family's flight. There was no sense prolonging their collective misery.

The previous trip she had taken with the Addams, to the Ottinger Bee Farm, had been a short hop on some back roads. However the lighthouses they were going to were near highways, and Enid got to experience a kind of driving she never had before. Lurch sped them down the highway like he didn't want any of them to survive the crash, which felt inevitable. Any confusion she had to Wednesday's mild reaction to the roller coaster they had gone on was cleared up during that drive. Of course, Wednesday and the other Addams weren't phased in the least by the fast and sometimes erratic driving, though judging from the honking and yelling she heard, the other drivers they shared the road with were.

They reached the first lighthouse quickly. When Enid got out of the car she had to take a few seconds to steady herself. Once she did she looked up to the top of the lighthouse, which was taller than she thought it would be. Gomez led the Addams to it before she really got her legs under her, and she had to jog to catch up to Wednesday at the back of the group.

"Couldn't handle a simple drive?" Wednesday asked sardonically.

"I know you must have grown up with that driving, but there was nothing simple about it."

"Oh?"

"We almost died like five times," Enid said.

Wednesday glanced at her. "I know. It was dreadfully boring. Lurch was erring on the side of caution for your sake."

Enid snorted. "I'll have to thank him."

There was a small exhibit in the base of the lighthouse explaining some of its history and showing what life was like for the keepers. They spent a few minutes looking at the different displays while Gomez waxed poetic about one of his Spanish ancestors who lost his mind as a lighthouse keeper.

"His descent into madness is most inspiring," he finished after regaling his family and Enid with a story of loneliness, hallucinations, and murder.

There were stairs spiraling up to the top which was open to the public, and Enid followed the Addams up and up until they reached the top. The view was surprisingly incredible considering it was only of the New Jersey shore. They were high up, over a hundred feet, and could see a few miles out over the Atlantic. The light clouds from earlier had darkened a little, but out over the ocean they were darker still. The surf was gray and rough, and Enid took a few moments to marvel at the power of the sea before a coming storm. It would only get more powerful throughout the day, she was sure.

If the Addams were bothered at the prospect of being out in the rain they didn't show it. Rather, Enid suspected they would enjoy the thrill of a torrential downpour and lightning strikes while they were on top of a precarious tower. They spent a long time at the top of the tower, taking in the view and the salty air. Enid offered to take a picture of them with her phone, which led to an interesting conversation with Gomez about the capabilities of modern smartphones. He seemed most excited when Wednesday told him how insidious they could be, consuming the attention span of their users and altering their minds with algorithms and misinformation. Enid told him she mostly used hers to look at baby animals, and Gomez told them he would be getting a phone to explore both uses.

They descended after getting their fill of the top of the first tower and piled back into the Addams's car to go to the next lighthouse. They reached it after another fast and dangerous drive, and it was even taller than the first. There was an extra display about the different light fixtures that different lighthouses housed. The sky continued to darken, and when they climbed to the top of the second lighthouse the wind had picked up. They spent a few minutes at the top, 'to enjoy the heady dizziness' as Gomez put it, before the Addams started back down. Enid was second to last to descend, only ahead of Wednesday, but she was halfway down when she realized the other girl wasn't behind her. She debated leaving the other girl behind for a few moments, but turned around to drag her down if she had to.

Enid reached the top and prepared to tell Wednesday to get a move on, but was stopped in her tracks at the sight of the other girl staring pensively over the ocean. She belonged there. The overcast sky behind her, the roiling waves below her, the wind whipping through her hair; Wednesday was beautiful. Enid could easily imagine the other girl leading this solitary life, working on her book and playing the cello and a hundred other lonely adventures that she preferred to the company of others. She would be a cryptid to the locals, silent and mysterious, beautiful and aloof. Enid felt like she was intruding by being at the top of the lighthouse with her.

Then Wednesday turned to look at Enid and the spell she was under broke. Wednesday was no longer the lighthouse keeper content in her own solitude of Enid's imagination, and was instead her usual dour self. Enid swallowed in relief. The last thing she needed in her already complicated summer was attraction towards Wednesday Addams. Not that she wasn't okay with same-sex attraction- she felt it herself, after all. But Wednesday was a can of worms probably best kept unopened.

"Well? Did you come up here to gawk or did you have something to say?" Wednesday's smooth voice broke through Enid's thoughts.

"Oh. Just, the rest of us are heading down, didn't want to leave you behind."

"Then let's go," Wednesday said.

Enid paused a moment. "What were you thinking about up here?"

Wednesday paused too as she stared at Enid with those unblinking eyes. "How quiet it was. It was... nice, until someone interrupted me."

"Right, sorry," Enid muttered as she turned to go back down the stairs.

She and Wednesday reached the bottom where the Addams were perusing a tiny gift shop. Gomez was particularly amused by a small snow globe with a model of the lighthouse inside. He purchased a few and gave handed them out when they started driving again. Pugsley turned his over and fiddled with it until the base came off, and before Enid could stop him he took a sip of the liquid inside.

"How is it dear?" Morticia asked.

"A little sweet," Pugsley answered.

"I think it's toxic?" Enid half said, half questioned.

"Perhaps that will finally do him in," Wednesday said. She took the opened snow globe and sniffed the inside. "Though I doubt it. I wouldn't even bother putting anti-freeze in my tea."

Enid could guess from Wednesday's words that for regular people anti-freeze would be lethal, but for an Addams's constitution would barely register. She decided to keep an eye on Pugsley anyway.

Their next destination wasn't another lighthouse but instead somewhere to eat. Gomez asked Enid if she knew any good places, and she turned to her phone for guidance. She checked the reviews for a few nearby restaurants and settled on a diner, both for its high ratings and the idea of seeing the Addams in an old fashioned working class eatery.

The diner didn't disappoint. While not a full-on 1950's esthetic, it still had the vinyl booths and well-used look Enid expected from a roadside diner. When Enid and the Addams entered it was like a scene from a movie, with the other diners, all normies from their looks, stopping what they were doing to take in the odd family. But the kind of people who would eat at a local diner in New Jersey had probably seen plenty of oddities in their life, so the Addams were accepted as just one more, and the other people in the diner returned to their own meals, with maybe a comment or two to each other about the family dressed in black.

Enid and the Addams were sat quickly, by a thin middle-aged woman who smelled of cigarettes and coffee. When Gomez saw how greasy the grills were he seemed delighted, and he urged his family to order to their hearts' content.

"After eating here, they won't have much longer to beat," he added.

After they ordered their food Enid checked her phone to see if she had any messages from Yoko or Ajax. If their day out was anything like their trip to the bee farm, the Addams would let Enid have the evening free, and she wanted to fill it up with plans so she wouldn't have to be around her family. She felt a pang of guilt at the thought, since she had avoided them all weekend, but at the same time the looming prospect of a werewolf conversion camp at the end of the summer was impossible for her to ignore. Avoiding her family, her mother in particular, was the easiest way to keep things civil between them. And after the camp, when it would inevitably fail... Enid decided she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

To her relief both Yoko and Ajax had messaged her, each thoughtfully trying to give her something to do other than see her mother. She sent quick messages back saying they should all meet up, and tuned back in to what the Addams were doing. Their food had arrived and the Addams were digging in, save Wednesday who was looking at the plate in front of her with utter contempt. Enid nudged her to get her attention and the other girl turned the full force of her contemptuous look on her.

"I don't think the cooks here even know what soap is, so you might just get lucky and contract food poisoning," Enid said, ignoring the glare.

"The organisms that cause food poisoning are not strong enough to affect me," Wednesday said. After a second she looked back at her plate. "Although..."

Enid hid a laugh and started to eat as well. It was greasy but delicious, and she polished it off quickly. Wednesday ended up trying a bite, after applying a liquid from a small bottle, though she didn't have very much. She never did, Enid realized. She wondered how the other girl didn't waste away, and where her surprising strength came from, but chalked it up to the power of the Addams.

After everyone finished eating they hit the road again for the final lighthouse of their day trip. Enid didn't want to admit to herself that she was losing interest in seeing the lighthouses despite Gomez's excitement, but when the got to the final lighthouse she found herself playing on her phone more than paying attention to the displays. She firmed up her plans with Ajax and Yoko, and when she looked up she found Wednesday next to her reading her conversations. She jumped in surprise and hid her phone guiltily.

"Planning on leaving us this evening?" Wednesday asked.

"Not, like, right now, just making plans for later. Only because your dad didn't say anything about me staying and my parents are still at my cousins' house."

"Take me with you," Wednesday said.

Enid was stunned. She never thought Wednesday would want to hang out or be so forthright about it. She was so surprised that before she could stop herself she asked, "why?" without making it sound less rude, although Wednesday didn't even seem to notice.

"My parents have been more amorous than usual the past few days. I refuse to wonder why. But their behavior has become invasive to my existence in that house, and I don't plan on committing double parricide for at least five more years."

"Uh, sure," Enid said while wondering what kind of murder parricide was and figuring it probably involved parents. "But I don't think anything juicy will be going on."

"I'm trying to avoid something juicy."

Enid choked on air and couldn't decide if Wednesday was being purposefully funny or if her direct tone just made some of the things she said funnier.

They were interrupted by Morticia, who had noticed Enid's minor bout of choking. "Has Wednesday poisoned you, dear?"

"No, no," Enid said. "Probably."

"We were just making plans for when we return to the rental," Wednesday said.

Morticia arched an eyebrow at her. "Oh really? And what do you have planned."

"Avoiding you and father," Wednesday said.

"How devastating," Morticia said. "I hope the two of you have a terrible time."

"You as well," Wednesday said.

Gomez called the three of them over to climb to the top of their final lighthouse. As they climbed, Enid could hear the rushing wind from the top of the lighthouse, and the sliver of sky she could sew when she looked up was dark gray. She worried that the storm would drive her inside with her parents, but hoped she could get to Yoko's or Ajax's first. It just had to hold off for a little longer and she would be able to go back to ignoring her problems.

She got lucky and the storm held off through their turn around the top of the lighthouse, the tallest of the day, and through their drive back to the beach. When they got back to the rental it was mid-afternoon. Wednesday didn't even bother going inside, instead dragging Enid off under a chorus of 'goodbyes' and 'get in troubles'. She let her friends know that she was on the way to the boardwalk with Wednesday in tow, and arranged a place to meet up, near a big ramp from one of the main streets that ended at the boardwalk. She and Wednesday got there first but only had to wait a few minutes before Yoko and Divina met up with them. Ajax and Xavier were a few minutes after the girls, and when everyone were together they started down the boardwalk.

Being with her friends (and Wednesday, who defied definition) took Enid's mind off of her family. Yoko especially seemed to know exactly what she needed; some light-hearted fun. She went out of her way to walk next to Enid and point out any passing amusement she could, while at the same time roping Divina and Ajax into the conversation as well. Xavier hung back a little, next to Wednesday, and Enid silently wished him luck. She was sure he would need it and that it wouldn't do any good.

Ajax suggested they take a stroll through the town for a change of scenery. Living and working in a beach town meant a lot of time seeing the same sights, so even a block or two of difference helped to keep things fresh. They stopped by a restaurant for dinner, a little Greek place with big portions and great fries. Enid was pleased to see Wednesday eat a little more than she had at the diner.

After dinner they returned to roaming the streets. The clouds had turned completely dark and covered the sky, which kept people off the street and let Enid and her friends have free reign to spend time together without any heavy crowds. They checked out the nearby shops and talked about some of the crazy things that could only happen in a beach town. Ajax and Yoko shared stories of some infamous town crazies who each had their own quirks, Divina brought up the kind of inconsequential yet of utmost importance drama that only occurred in small town civic organizations, and they all shared stories from the constant rub of tourists and locals that gave endless entertainment when seen from a distance. The idle chatter kept Enid occupied and entertained.

A peal of thunder in the distance cut through their conversation and they looked to the sky. The clouds were promising rain, and soon, and their group looked at each other wondering what to do. Before they could figure anything out the rain started, and they sprinted to cover, the first nearby store that was open. It was only after they entered that Enid realized it was Demeter's Creamery, the ice cream shop where Tyler worked. She realized at the same time as Xavier and her other friends, when they all looked at the counter while they were shaking themselves dry to find Tyler awkwardly watching them. Enid heard Xavier mutter under his breath, but he didn't say anything about leaving.

Enid wanted desperately to make the situation less awkward, and her hopes rose when the door opened again, then cratered when she saw her mother and father hurry in. Her mother looked around and spotted Enid quickly. She walked over and hugged her.

"Enid, I knew that was you," Enid's mother said when she pulled back. "I smelled you just before the rain started. I sent you a message to meet up but you're obviously busy," she said looking at Enid's friends. "We've hardly seen you all trip."

Enid held back a sigh. "Yeah, we've just been busy, you guys with catching up and the full moon and I've been hanging out with my friends."

Those friends smiled and waved and her mother gave them a tight smile in return before speaking to Enid again.

"Are you enjoying your summer?"

"Yeah, of course," Enid said. "I've been working a lot, but get to see my friends pretty often."

Her mother nodded. "Have you looked at any of the prep work the camp sent out? It could help, even before you get out there."

"Yeah, it just doesn't seem to be helping," Enid lied. The camp her mother was sending her to had sent a packet full of information and techniques which were supposed to help werewolves like Enid. She had given it a cursory glance, but hadn't studied it and certainly hadn't tried anything in it.

"You should have been with us on the full moon," her mother said. She looked at Enid's wet hair and reached out to smooth a part of it out. "We miss you on those nights."

Enid batted the hand away and fixed her hair herself. "There's not much point for me, since I still can't transform."

Her mother did sigh. "That's what I meant. We want you there as a wolf. Honestly I don't know why you can't just transform."

"Yeah, well, that makes two of us."

Her mother gave her an exasperated look. "Enid that tone isn't going to help you transform."

"Nothing else is either, mom," Enid said.

"Don't say that," her mother said. "I have a good feeling about this new camp."

"That makes one of us."

Her mother sighed again. "Enid, sometimes I think you don't even want to transform."

"Of course I want to transform," Enid said defensively. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," her mother said, tone matching Enid's. "I can't think of any other reason you haven't yet."

"Really?" Enid started. She didn't want to, especially in public in front of her friends, but she could feel another fight with her mother coming.

"Yes really. Our family has a long history of lycanthropy, so it can't be genetic, and you know how much we support you."

Enid saw red. She didn't want to fight in public, but her mother had just picked the venue and thrown the first punch. "You support me? I don't see how."

Enid's mother gave her a stern look. "Not this again."

"Yes this again. All I've heard since I was supposed to transform is how I haven't, so how is that support?"

"We all want you to, we're rooting for you," her mother said.

"That's support? What about all the times I told you it was too much? You never listened to me when I said the pressure doesn't help."

"Enid, sometimes kids need a push to get going."

Enid's vision narrowed in her anger and she forgot all about her friends, her boyfriend, Wednesday, and the fact that they were in an ice cream shop with a bunch of strangers. Her voice rose as she spoke. "That's exactly the problem, you've always been pushing."

"Enid keep your voice down. I know you didn't like the camps I found, but-"

"Of course I didn't like them. They were awful, and I felt so lonely and isolated."

"I never wanted you to feel that way, but I couldn't sit back and do nothing. You might never wolf out without help, and I'm just trying to get you that help."

"But that's the issue," Enid said. "It feels like you'll only accept me if I wolf out, like I'm not a part of the family until then."

"Of course you are, Enid, I just want to make sure you live up to your potential."

"And what if it never happens?"

Her mother looked taken aback at the thought. "Of course you'll wolf out. This new place promises-"

"It doesn't matter what they promise, it still might not happen. So what then?"

"Then we'll try something else."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Are you saying you don't want to wolf out?" Her mother's eyes turned sad, and Enid did her best to suppress the guilt she felt.

"I'm just saying I want to learn new things, experience different things, without some cloud hanging over my head."

Her mother reached out to hold her hand and Enid let her, though she didn't squeeze back when her mother did. "Oh Enid, I want you to be able to try new things, but can't it wait until after we get your situation figured out?"

Enid pulled her hand away. It was like her mother hadn't listened, hadn't even considered any of the points Enid had made. Enid wasn't surprised. After all, she never did.

"I don't want it to wait," she said. "I want to just be myself."

"You can be. But being a werewolf should be a part of who you are."

"A part, but you're making me feel like that's all I'm allowed to be," Enid said.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm just trying to help.

This unexpected fight was turning out like their last, the one that Wednesday saw in her vision. They were making the same points and going around in the same circles, getting angrier and more stubborn with each word. She could see the frustration on her mother's face, and could certainly feel her own.

"Well I'm sorry that I want to be more than just a werewolf."

"You're not even that yet."

Enid recoiled. If her mother wanted to hit her where she hurt most, she could return the favor. "You're right. I'm not. And you know what? I'm getting used to the idea that I might never transform, and now, I kind of hope I never do."

She saw the flash of pain in her mother's eyes, and but before she could speak Enid's dad stepped between them. "Let's not do this here, especially when we're saying things we don't mean," he said looking from Enid to his wife.

"I meant what I said," Enid spat. "Have a great trip, see you whenever."

She turned on her heel and was out the door before anyone could stop her. She felt hot with anger and embarrassment, and was glad for the rain. It cooled her off and hid the tears she knew she was spilling. But she didn't stop not quite running and not quite walking until she was blocks away, on the boardwalk by some seating. The stress of the day hit her all at once, and she collapsed onto a bench and dropped her head into her hands.

She didn't know how long she sat there while the rain poured over her, but a gentle hand on her shoulder made her look up. She had a wild hope that it was her mother, regretful and ready to reconcile, but it was Yoko, looking down at her with pitying eyes. Divina was behind her, though the others were nowhere to be seen.

"Let's go, girl," Yoko said. "Get you warm and dry."

Enid nodded and let Yoko help her up. She followed Yoko to her home, and Yoko and Divina let her shower while they tossed her clothes in the dryer. They gave her some clothes to wear and she felt pathetic for needing so much help from friends. She couldn't shake the feeling that if she could just fix the part of herself that wasn't letting her transform then she could have a regular relationship with her family. She wouldn't have to mooch off of friends, hiding away from her reality.

Their kindness only made it worse. Neither Yoko nor Divina pressed her on the fight with her mother. Instead they set up a couch with pillows and blankets and made sure it was comfortable, and they brought her ice cream and told her they would listen to anything she had to say. Enid nodded, but her guilt grew, and continued to eat at her as she finished her ice cream, laid down, and eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Chapter Text

The next day Enid received a message from her mother, saying that she wished their talk had gone better, that she missed Enid, and that they could revisit the topic of her transformation when they both had cooler heads. Enid didn't respond. She didn't know what there was to say considering her thoughts were still in disarray. She figured she would wait until her parents and brothers were in the air before sending a generic response. They would probably be too busy trying to settle in in a different country, and they could ignore the topic again until the end of the summer.

What she couldn't ignore was her friends, especially Yoko. The vampire wasn't pushy or nosy, but she was clear that she thought Enid deserved better from her parents. She even tentatively brought up looking for therapists, but Enid shut the idea down. In addition to wanting to avoid the stress that would come with confronting her issues, there was the cost to consider. She was lifeguarding, but she wasn't making enough to pay for a consistent therapist, especially if she was going to see one long term which, if she were being honest with herself, she probably needed.

But Yoko was firm in building Enid up, without being too mean to Enid's parents. Yoko reminded her that she was worth something whether she transformed or not, and she wouldn't let Enid wave away any of the positives she brought up. Enid never was very good at taking compliments, especially ones as heartfelt as Yoko's, and she shed a few tears over breakfast.

She didn't have long to feel sorry for herself however. After checking the time and realizing she was late for her lifeguarding shift, she scarfed down the rest of her breakfast and hurried to the Addams. She had left a swimsuit and her lifeguarding accessories there when she had stayed to avoid her parents. She had meant to collect her things and return to her cousin's house, but, well, the argument with her mother the night before had derailed those plans.

When she got to the Addams' rental Pugsley was outside frying ants with a magnifying glass, but he dropped what he was doing to let Enid in and help her find her stuff. She ducked the customary knife thrown by Grandmama and rushed to Wednesday's room. She had to duck two more knives when she threw the door open and she hurried to explain that she was running late and needed her stuff and the previous night had been so hectic that she just-

"Quiet," Wednesday said, cutting her off. She pointed to the spare bed, where Enid's bag rested. "Your things are there. You're lucky. I was just about to take them to the backyard and ritually burn them."

"Right, of course, sorry," Enid muttered as she entered the room and opened her bag.

"What are you doing?" Wednesday demanded.

"I just have to change first then I'll be out of your hair."

"Make it fast, Sinclair."

Enid did, digging through her bag and throwing her stuff around. She didn't have time to worry about modesty (aside from shutting the door; changing in front of a girl her own age was one thing, but an entire family was too much, even for her panicked brain) and stripped down when she found her swimsuit. She threw it on quickly to minimize any discomfort on Wednesday's part then piled all of her things into her bag and ran out of the room.

She made it to the lifeguard station an hour after she was supposed to. Weems was there, covering for her she was sure, and the older woman gave her a hard glare.

"Partying too hard on your day off?" Weems asked.

"Something like that," Enid said. "Sorry for being late."

Weems sighed. "It's your first time, so I can't be too made at you. Don't make a habit of it."

"I won't."

Weems nodded at her and left her to settle in and start her shift. Enid dropped her bag under the lifeguard chair and climbed into it. She let out a sigh of her own once she was seated. It had been a draining day and it was only 9:30.

She knew what to blame, of course. The fight with her mother had done a number on her, and the reminder from earlier in the morning hadn't started her on the right foot. It had taken her weeks to feel better after their fight at the beginning of the summer, the one where her mother told her she was being sent to that awful new camp. She hoped it didn't take as along this time around. Hopefully with a more complete support system she'd be over their fight just in time for summer to end. She closed her eyes and groaned at the thought.

The day passed slowly at first. The hours until her lunch dragged with nothing to occupy her except her thoughts. She kept trying to push them away, but a slow beach day left them simmering in her head, always on the verge of boiling over into a spiral of negativity. There was a constant struggle to not give in to her guilt, and instead to tell herself that she had a right to feel badly about bad treatment and a right to speak her mind. Even if it was the truth, Enid just wanted her family to be happy, and she kept seeing mother's face after she had said she hoped she would never transform.

When her lunch came around Ajax took his as well, and he walked with her over to their break area. Enid hadn't had time to prepare anything for lunch, but Ajax gave her half of his and offered to run to the boardwalk to get her anything else she might want.

"That's so sweet," Enid said. "But if you're going to get anything you should get it for yourself, since I'm stealing half of your food."

Ajax shrugged and looked away, embarrassed. "I gave it to you."

"I know, I know," Enid said with a laugh. "Thanks."

"You deserve it, after- uh, I mean, if you don't want to talk about last night, we don't have to."

Enid groaned. "God I'm so embarrassed. I wish you guys didn't have to see that."

"It's fine," Ajax said. "Everyone has something with their parents. Maybe your thing is worse than some, but you can't help that."

"Thanks," Enid said again. As embarrassed as she was, she still wanted to know one thing. "And, uh, how did everyone else react to... last night?"

"Oh my god, that's right, I wanted to tell you what happened. Wednesday had a vision."

Enid blinked at Ajax, stunned. "What? Why?"

"It was a whole thing. I guess you and Wednesday ran in to Tyler again after we saw him on the beach?"

"Yeah," Enid said. "That was a whole thing too."

Ajax nodded. "Well I guess he wanted to know what was going on with you, so he tried to talk to Wednesday about it."

Enid winced. "How'd she react to that?"

"Not too bad actually, she just said you and your mom were fighting over your transformations," Ajax said looking puzzled. "Maybe that's why Xavier reacted the way he did."

"What did he do?" Enid asked.

Ajax hesitated for a moment. "I mean, those two have a history, so Xavier's suspicious of him. He told Tyler it was none of his business and to leave us alone. Tyler said he was just wondering since he saw you and Wednesday and got to talk to you before."

"Yeah, just a little bit. He says he changed, but I never knew him before."

Ajax shrugged. "I haven't really run in to him either, except that night at the beach. And he was willing to stand up to Lucas, so maybe he has changed."

"I guess Xavier didn't feel that way," Enid said.

Ajax nodded. "He was pretty upset. Tyler tried to say something, but Xavier cut him off. He grabbed Wednesday to leave but she got all stiff and her eyes popped open. It was freaky."

"I freaked when it happened around me," Enid said.

"Yeah. I guess less so for Xavier, since he's a psychic too, but I was worried she was going to fall over or something."

"It's a wonder she hasn't been hurt while having one of her visions."

Ajax nodded in agreement.

"She didn't say what she saw, did she?" Enid prompted after a moment.

Ajax shook his head. "No, just gave us all a weird look and said she was leaving."

"Of course she did," Enid muttered.

Ajax hesitated a moment before he reached out and grabbed Enid's hand. "Hey, are you sure you're alright after that fight? Your mom kind of kept pushing you."

Enid gave his hand a squeeze and smiled at him. "Yeah, yeah, totally. I mean, not totally, but I'll get over it. It's not the first fight we had."

"Sorry you have to go through all that," Ajax said. "We both have it rough when it comes to people misunderstanding our powers, but at least I have supportive parents."

"Well you heard my mom. She thinks she is being supportive."

"But that doesn't matter to your feelings," Ajax said.

Enid shrugged. "It helps. Or at least, I tell myself it does."

Ajax looked at her for a few long moments. "You're amazing," he said.

"What?" Enid asked, a little surprised, a little embarrassed, and a little touched.

"It's one thing to take some mean comments from normies who don't know any better, but you're dealing with crap from your own parents."

Enid shied away from the sincerity in Ajax's eyes. "I don't know, I don't have much choice I guess."

"I think you really stood up for yourself well," Ajax said. He looked at the ground after a moment. "Sometimes I wish I could do that too. I've had people point and laugh at my beanie, or some people are afraid when they realize what I am. I just want them to be able to see me though. I just never have the courage to say anything. I wish I could stand up for myself like you did."

"You can," Enid said. "You should. You deserve to be comfortable around other people." She didn't have the heart to tell him that she felt she had been lashing out at her mother, not defending herself.

"It's hard to, I guess," Ajax said. He gave her a strained smile. His eyes darted from her face to her nails then to her hair. "But that's one of the things I like about you. You've never been afraid to be yourself."

"Thanks," Enid said. She leaned on Ajax, closed her eyes, and enjoyed his closeness and his support.

After they returned to work Enid couldn't help wondering about Wednesday's vision. The other girl had seen one of Enid's darker moments and she wouldn't be surprised if the same was true for Xavier. She knew Xavier had his own issues with his father, so maybe Wednesday had seen one of their fights. She almost found the thought funny; that Wednesday was collecting traumatic memories from Enid and her friends.

But there was always a possibility she had seen something else. Maybe there was some dark future in store for Xavier that the other girl had seen. But then, she probably would have shared it with Xavier, and reveled in his misery. Enid twisted her face in confusion. Wednesday hadn't reveled in her misery, after all, so would she revel in Xavier's? After a few seconds of thought she decided to drop it and get on with her day.

But the thought stayed at the back of her mind for the following few days. She saw the Addams only briefly when they stopped by during her shift to arrange their next day together. Neither Wednesday nor her parents treated her any differently, so she figured Wednesday had kept her fight with her mother from her own parents. Gomez invited her to their rental on her next day off so they could go on a local 'food tour', an idea Enid had accidentally implanted when she had been showing him her phone and what she liked to use it for.

However when she went to the Addams's rental on her day off Gomez and Morticia were waiting by the car with Lurch while their children stood in the doorway to the house.

"Ah Enid, we were waiting to speak with you before we set off," Gomez said when Enid was close enough.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Enid asked.

"There's a city of greed, immorality, and filth a few hours from here, and one of the casinos there is hosting a poker tournament. I received an invitation to join them just this morning, and I can't pass up an opportunity to visit a city as seedy, crime-infested, and crooked as Atlantic City."

"Oh," Enid said. "Does that mean that, like, all of us are going?"

"If only," Gomez said wistfully. "The casino kindly offered a relaxing spa day, which Thing kindly offered to suffer through for our sake."

Thing popped up on Gomez's shoulder and fluttered his fingers at Enid. Enid nodded to return the greeting.

"But as much as Pugsley and Wednesday would enjoy seeing the corruption on display, the casino doesn't allow anyone under twenty-one," Gomez continued.

Enid nodded. "I guess that means we'll figure out our own entertainment today."

Gomez beamed. "I was hoping you would say that." He reached into his pocket and brought out a stack of twenties. Without a second thought he handed it to Enid. "Here, for anything you might want to do. Wednesday has some money as well if that's not enough."

Enid stared at the stack in her hand. If that wasn't enough for a night on a boardwalk then she didn't know what would be. There were easily fifty bills there, so up over a thousand dollars, and Gomez thought she might need more. The wealthy truly were something else.

"Thanks," she said. "There might be some left over, should I just give that to Wednesday?"

"Keep it," Morticia said, "as our thanks for so graciously helping us when you haven't needed to."

Enid was speechless but managed to nod, and Gomez and Morticia got in the car. Lurch closed the door after them, got in the driver's seat, and tore off down the road. Enid waved for a few seconds until they were out of sight, and when they turned a corner she turned to face Wednesday and Pugsley. The two children walked towards her in creepy synchronization and stopped before her.

"So," she said awkwardly. "What do you guys want to do?"

"Perform an autopsy," Wednesday said.

"I'll be the corpse," Pugsley said.

"No," Enid said. "Pugsley, it's okay to not go along with everything Wednesday says."

"Don't undermine my control over my brother," Wednesday said.

"Don't bully your brother then," Enid said with a frown.

Wednesday narrowed her eyes, but Enid stood firm. They were interrupted by Pugsley himself. "But I want to try being a corpse," he said.

Enid swore she saw a flash of a smile on Wednesday's face, but couldn't be sure since it was gone so quickly. She sighed in defeat. "Well you guys can do that later, without me."

Pugsley smiled and nodded and Wednesday maintained her stoic look.

"Then may I suggest the usual?" Wednesday said. "Let us spend time on the boardwalk, doing whatever inane activities crop up. You can even message your friends."

Enid was immediately suspicious. She doubted that Wednesday seriously wanted to spend time with her friends. She was sure that the other girl just wanted to be around Xavier because of the vision she had. But that was fine; it would be an opportunity to see for herself how Wednesday pursued something she wanted to happen.

"That sounds good to me," Enid said. "Let's go."

The three of them started walking towards the boardwalk and Enid sent some messages to Yoko and Ajax. She knew Ajax was off, and she also knew Xavier would probably jump at the chance to spend more time with Wednesday, especially since he had been the subject of one of her visions.

It was still early- at least for a time when many people were on vacation- and the streets were pretty empty. Enid asked the siblings a few questions, but Pugsley did most of the answering. She didn't find an opportunity to directly ask Wednesday about her vision, but she knew she would just have to be patient. Then, when they were almost to the boardwalk, the hair on the back of Enid's neck rose. Something was wrong.

As they came up on an alley a figure darted out of it. Their face was covered by a wide-brimmed hat and they wore a long dark overcoat. They bowled into Enid, who stumbled back but maintained her footing, before grabbing Pugsley and Wednesday under one arm each and retreating towards the alley.

"Hey!" Enid yelled after them.

She charged, claws out, but in the short time it took her to reach the alley she could hear cheering from Pugsley and Wednesday. When she started down it and could see what was happening she was left more confused than anything. The Addams children looked downright ecstatic as they stood over the groaning figure that had snatched them only a few seconds before. The hat fell away as the figure squirmed, revealing an ashen male face. He had no hair and no eyebrows, which made his dark, sunken eyes the most prominent feature on his face.

"That was a good hit," the man said from the ground. "Your father has been training you well."

"Uncle Fester!" Pugsley yelled.

"In the rotting, dilapidated flesh," Fester said.

"You're losing your touch," Wednesday said as she offered a hand to help him up.

"That's Uncle Fester?" Enid asked, announcing her presence to the family.

Wednesday looked over to her as if she had forgotten she was there. Pugsley was the one who spoke up.

"It is!" he said enthusiastically.

"And you are Enid," Fester said when he was on his feet.

Enid narrowed her eyes and recalled something Gomez had said some time before. "You do have spies watching us."

"Guilty as charged," Fester said. "I'm glad everyone liked my gift."

"We did," Wednesday said. "It almost burned down several neighborhoods."

"Only almost? Next time I'll add longer timers on the rockets so they blow closer to the ground," Fester said with a smile.

"Great idea Uncle Fester," Pugsley said.

Enid watched the siblings interact with their uncle for a few minutes. Wednesday asked what he had been up to, but his answers felt incomplete to Enid. He asked how their summers were going and their plans for the coming year, but their answers were equally cagey. Only then did Enid realize this was like a game for the family. There was a give and take of information, with questions following openings to see who could reveal the most the fastest. Of course, since Wednesday and Pugsley were still young, there wasn't enough going on in their lives to keep their game up for long. But Wednesday was Wednesday after all, and she cut through their conversation to get to the question that was on Enid's mind.

"What are you doing here?" she asked pointedly.

Fester looked at her proudly. "I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say I need something from the manor. And I need some help to get it."

"Our help," Wednesday stated more than asked.

"Yes," Fester said. "It's been some time since I've been to the manor, and you know how things shift around in there. The two of you will be able to sift through things better than I can, and return them to the way they were. There's no sense in worrying your father, is there."

Wednesday smirked. "None at all."

Enid could hardly believe the change that being around her uncle sparked in Wednesday. The girl who was usually so closed off was smiling, even if there was some ill intent behind it, and her whole demeanor seemed... relaxed. Enid was sure she had heard Wednesday's voice more in the few minutes since she had been whisked away than in the first month of knowing her. Only during their one night as roommates had Enid heard her voice more.

She was drawn from her thoughts by a question and a look from Fester. "And what about your friend here? Will she say anything?"

Enid met Wednesday's eyes and she could feel the judgment. She knew she shouldn't keep things from Gomez and Morticia, considering they were Wednesday's parents and had been so kind to her, but... here was a chance to see a new side of Wednesday.

"I can keep a secret," she said.

Wednesday kept her gaze level, but spoke to Fester as well. "She could be useful. She's a werewolf, and if nothing else can be an extra set of eyes and hands."

Enid felt a thrill shoot through her. Whatever they were about to jump into, she had the okay from Wednesday to join in.

Fester nodded. "Excellent. Well, there's no time like the present. Come, follow me."

Fester moved quickly from the alley and headed back up the street. He glanced at car after car before stopping by one.

"This will do," he said.

He reached down and there was an odd noise before the locks clicked open. To Enid, it didn't sound like a regular car noise, but since it was open she figured she just wasn't familiar with that particular make of car. They all piled in, with Wednesday taking the front passenger seat next to Fester. Enid heard the same noise again before the car turned on and her suspicion grew. It sounded more like an electrical discharge than anything else. She looked around at the other occupants of the car and spoke up.

"Am I going crazy or is there, like, static electricity in the air?"

"That's Uncle Fester," Pugsley answered.

"Huh?" Enid asked unintelligently.

Fester met her eyes in the rearview mirror and raised his had. After a moment, sparks of electricity danced from one finger to the other.

"A gift," he said. "One that makes it easier to hot-wire a car."

"Hot-wire? This isn't your-"

Before Enid could finish her question they were off. She figured Lurch must have taught Fester how to drive from how he was abusing the accelerator and weaving in and out of traffic. However Fester didn't have the consideration for Enid that Lurch did, and his driving made her close her eyes in fear. When they didn't crash after the first minute she managed to open her eyes, and tried to settle her anxiety by ignoring it completely, the healthiest way to deal with anxiety.

Luckily for her, Fester spent most of the drive catching up with Wednesday and Pugsley. Enid listened in as she texted Yoko and Ajax about the sudden change of plans. He didn't go into detail about what he needed or why he needed it, but he did tell them he was after a set of letters that had been sent to the manor on his behalf. When Wednesday tried to press him on what was in those papers he deflected to Enid, and asked about the arrangement she had made with Gomez. Enid stuttered her way through an answer, unsure how to approach this Uncle Fester who Wednesday and Pugsley adored. She didn't know why she felt so nervous, but it was a struggle to maintain her usual cheery self.

She cringed internally when he asked Pugsley and Wednesday how they were enjoying the arrangement. Pugsley was enthusiastic in his praise for Enid and the time they spent together, but Wednesday's answer surprised her.

"She has proven to be adequate entertainment so far. If it had to be anybody to take on my father's inane request, at least it was somebody not interested in the name Addams, unlike certain others."

"An excellent attack on my judgement," Fester said.

He deflected the conversation again, but Enid was more interested in Wednesday's words about her. Adequate entertainment. From anyone else that would have been insulting, but from Wednesday it was downright effusive. Enid had genuinely thought that the other girl disliked her at least, and actively hated her at worst, so to hear that she was appreciated from Wednesday's own mouth was surprising. She knew some of that entertainment came from the drama surrounding her inability to wolf out, but Wednesday must have really appreciated someone who pushed back against her like Enid did.

The conversation moved on to Fester's long, sordid history and the people who had tried to and succeeded in taking advantage of him. It was little surprise to find out that some of interest other people had in the Addams family came from their vast wealth. From the stories Enid heard during the rest of their drive the family always pulled through some way or another, and often even came out ahead.

The conversation slowed when they turned off the main roads into particularly thick and dark woods. Despite the late morning sun Enid felt a chill in the air, and the bright yellows were replaced by drab grays. They at last turned down a gravel path completely covered by gnarled trees. Enid watched the tree line with trepidation, and could have sworn she saw flashing eyes and movement here and there.

But they passed through without incident, and the Addams seemed not to have noticed anything amiss. Maybe to them nothing was, even if something was haunting their woods. There was a break in the trees revealing a large manor atop a barren hill. There was a central tower, four stories tall, with lower eaves to either side. There was a large hedge to the right side, which they drove past. Enid could see headstones when they passed an arched gate, and she realized it was a family graveyard.

They stopped in front of the house and Fester struggled to turn the car off. Enid tore her eyes from the house to watch as he tried hitting different parts of the dash before turning to the console where the radio controls were. She saw a button to the right of the steering wheel and spoke up.

"Uh, I think it's the button right there," she said, pointing to it.

Fester hit it and the car turned off. "Thank you Enid, I would have just blown the engine up but we'll need this car to get back to the beach."

Enid wanted to point out that blowing a car up because he couldn't figure out how to turn it off was a little bit insane, but figured Fester would take that as a compliment- or maybe just as a statement of fact. Instead she quietly followed the Addams' lead and exited the car. Up close the manor felt imposing, as if it were larger than it actually was. She wondered what horrors it contained and what macabre past it had to give off the feeling it did.

Fester approached the door but stopped at the steps leading up to it. He crouched suddenly to examine something close to the ground.

"Very sneaky," he murmured.

Enid narrowed her eyes to try to see what he was looking at, and after a moment noticed a fine wire across the first step. She couldn't see what it was connected to, but she could figure out what it was; a booby trap.

Fester turned to look at Wednesday and Pugsley. "If I hadn't spotted this you two would have let me step right on it."

The siblings nodded solemnly and Fester rose to his full height. Enid tensed up, but his face broke into a wide smile.

"I'm so proud of you," he said. "Let me guess; crossbows from the door?"

"Why spoil it?" Wednesday asked. "There may be more to come."

Fester looked excited at the prospect of life-threatening traps, but Enid raised her hand to get Wednesday's attention.

"I'd like to be spoiled. Are we going to die if we go in there?"

"No," Wednesday said easily. Too easily. Enid narrowed her eyes.

"Am I going to die if I go in there?" she asked instead.

"That's really up to you," Wednesday said.

"Maybe I'll just stay by the car," Enid said.

"Suit yourself," Wednesday said. "But you seemed pretty frightened of the creature haunting our woods."

Enid threw a panicked look at the woods behind her. "There really was something there?"

"Yeah," Pugsley said. "People in town say it's the Jersey Devil, but it's hard to say, since we don't see it too much."

Enid paled and latched onto Pugsley. "I think I'll stick with Pugsley."

Wednesday looked amused at the idea, or as amused as she could look. "Very well. Keep in mind that Pugsley has a terrible memory for traps."

With that settled the four of them started up the stairs to enter the house, careful to skip the first step. Fester picked the lock on the double doors without incident and they swung open with an ominous creak. Enid managed not to whimper when she followed Pugsley past the threshold, but did let out a yelp when the doors slammed shut behind her.

"Who did that?" she asked into the darkness of the manor. Even with her enhanced eyesight she had trouble making out the others.

"They kind of just do that," Pugsley answered.

Enid squeaked out an 'okay' and Fester took charge. He wanted them to split up to search the house faster. He sent Wednesday to the top floor, including the tower, while he would search the basement. He told Enid and Pugsley to get everything in between.

They split, and Enid stuck close to Pugsley as they started searching the ground floor. Pugsley proved to be a great companion for Enid's nerves. He kept talking about memories in the different rooms they searched and from his childhood in general. Enid asked some questions here and there and he gladly answered. They didn't run into any more booby traps, and after looking through each room on the first floor, made their way to the second.

The first room the entered was a library, and Enid was blown away. Each wall was covered floor to ceiling in ornate shelving and each shelf was full of books- or rather, full of tomes. To call them just books did them a disservice. They were thick and wide and old, and likely full of knowledge most thought lost. She forgot for a moment what she and Pugsley were even doing in the library and reached out to see what one of the books was about.

To her shock the book stopped halfway and the entire wall spun around, pushing her with it. She yelped and stumbled away from the wall when it stopped moving. She stared at the wall in shock. Of course the Addams Manor would have secret passages that were accessed by pulling something out from one of the walls. She started to pull at the books again to see if she could get back to the library when she heard a disturbing sound.

It was a low rumble, a noise she had only heard in movies and documentaries which set her hair on end and her heart thumping in her chest. She glanced to her left, where the noise was coming from, and confirmed her worst fears. She was in a room with a fully grown lion, which was watching her and growling.

The lion slowly rose and Enid chanced a look around the rest of the room. There was a door to her right, luckily away from the lion, and she tried to shuffle towards it without any noise or big movements. Her heart hammered against her rib cage and thrummed in her ears. If she made it out alive she would never forgive Wednesday- or Pugsley for that matter- for failing to mention that there was a feral beast living in their house.

Then one of her feet hit a book which was sticking out from the shelf and the lion rose to all fours. Enid didn't wait to see what it would do next, and used every ounce of enhanced speed and power she had to make it to the door. She flung it open and leapt into the hall. She could hear the surprisingly quiet patter of the lion behind her so she picked a direction and ran. With every step the sound of the lion behind her grew louder, and she knew she had to find safety. She was afraid to try another door though, considering what had been in one of the rooms.

Then a familiar smell hit her nose. Wednesday. Wednesday would know what to do about the lion in her own house. Surely. She had to. The scent grew stronger as she came up on an intersection, and she followed her nose out of the hallway she was in. She grabbed the wall to help her turn faster. That bought her a few extra seconds, as she heard the lion skid and readjust to follow her.

There was only one door in the new hallway, all black with an ornate 'W' carved into it. Wednesday's room. With the precious seconds she had gained she forced the door open, entered the room, and slammed it shut behind her. She grabbed the first things she could find, a dresser, and forced it in front of the door.

She stepped back and hoped it would hold. She could hear the lion growling and pacing on the other side of the door, but it didn't try to push it open. After what felt like an eternity the noises faded, and Enid collapsed backwards onto a bed. She tried to catch her breath, and slowly she managed to calm herself down. When her breathing was almost back to normal she let out a gigantic sigh of relief and lay all the way back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. All black. Of course it was.

After collecting herself for a few minutes Enid pushed herself up on her elbows to look around the room. It was laid out much the same as the rental at the beach, with some notable exceptions. Wednesday had her own bookshelf, with books that looked somehow more sinister than the ones in the main library. There was still a writing desk and a typewriter, but the typewriter was larger, more ornate, meant for hours of use and not for travel. There was also a cello on a stand in a corner, much as at the rental, though Enid didn't have a great eye to tell the difference between them.

Enid spotted plain black wooden boxes next to the writing desk. They were a little larger than a standard sheet of paper and about six inches deep, and she wondered if Wednesday's writing was stored in them. She recalled that Wednesday had said she wrote three complete books, though there were certainly more than three boxes. The notion to open one up to see what was in there crossed her mind, but after stumbling on an actual lion, Enid figured it was better to leave everything untouched. She was even afraid to get off the bed in case there was something hiding under it, ready to grab her ankles and pull her to her doom.

So she waited. She could only hope one of the Addams would notice she wasn't around, or that their lion had escaped, and come find her. Ideally it would be Pugsley, but somehow Enid suspected it wouldn't be.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind then she heard whisper-quiet footsteps outside the door. They paused on the other side of it for a few moments, then Wednesday's voice.

"Enid, if that's you in there, you have ten seconds to let me in, or the consequences will be unimaginably painful."

"Is the lion still out there?" Enid called back through the door, ignoring Wednesday's threat.

"Kitty is presumably back in her den. You're down to five seconds."

Enid sighed. "Let me move your dresser."

"You rearranged my room?"

Even through the door and the dresser Enid could hear the sharp threat in Wednesday's voice. Normally she would try to placate the other girl, but after facing mortal peril she wasn't having it. She stomped over to the dresser and shoved it to the side. She whipped the door open and met Wednesday's glare with one of her own.

"I did. 'Kitty' would have taken my head off if I hadn't found somewhere to hide, so if you want to fight about it, then let's fight."

Wednesday's eyes immediately darted around her room to see if Enid had done anything else to it. When she was satisfied she met Enid's gaze again.

"Kitty is disappointingly docile. The worst she would have done to you is cause you to overheat while trying to... cuddle." She said the last word with contempt.

Enid scoffed. "Sounds like something you say to people who you want to feed to your pet lion."

"If only," Wednesday said. "Now move. I need to make sure everything is in its place."

Enid stepped aside so Wednesday could enter her room and she closed the door after the other girl did.

"What?" Enid asked at Wednesday's suspicious glare. "You want me to just trust your word?"

Wednesday seemed to accept Enid's reasoning, and turned her attention back to her things. She took a few steps around the room. She reached out to touch some of the things Enid had seen earlier, a familiar gesture that surprised Enid. Wednesday didn't just care about the intrusion into her space, but from the way she caressed the bookcase, her cello, and her typewriter, Enid could tell that she was attached to her things.

"Are those boxes where you keep your books?" Enid asked to break the silence.

Wednesday crouched down to examine her boxes, then stood when she was satisfied that they had been undisturbed. "My books, yes," she said. "Some of my drafts and... other writings are in secure storage in the attic."

Enid debated whether she wanted to know what 'other writings' meant to Wednesday, but decided to drop it. "How long have you played the cello?" she asked instead.

Wednesday glanced at her and then the instrument. "Since I've been physically capable of supporting it," she said. "I've learned several instruments, but the cello is my favorite."

"Can I hear you play something?" Enid asked before she really thought about it.

She blinked at her own accidental audacity and expected Wednesday to turn her down immediately. Instead the other girl took a step towards the instrument.

"I don't think you would appreciate any of the music I normally play," Wednesday said.

It wasn't a hard no, so Enid decided to press just a little bit more. "I think it'll sound nice even if it's not something I normally listen to. Although I guess you wouldn't know any modern songs."

Wednesday glanced at her again, and though it was hard to be sure, Enid thought the other girl was feeling challenged.

"You might be surprised," Wednesday said. Enid hid a snort at the implied confirmation of her suspicion.

Wednesday moved all the way to the cello, lifted it off its stand, and sat to play it. Enid wasn't super familiar with what kind of sound cellos made, but from the moment Wednesday pulled her bow across its strings she was enraptured. The sound itself was deeper than she had expected, but smooth and full. The melody Wednesday played started with short notes that rose and fell in turn, before going into a more energetic section that sounded like a chorus (or maybe a verse, it was hard to tell). The song alternated between the rising and falling and the faster section, with extra embellishments from Wednesday each time she switched from one section to the other.

Wednesday played the cello like she did everything else; with a serious intensity that revealed how much work she put into everything she did. Her hands flew along the strings easily, surely, and the bow moved with purpose. Her lips parted just a touch, enough to show her exertion. But her eyes were what drew Enid in. They already looked sunken in, but in her seated position they seemed darker still. But Enid could still make out every detail. The fine eyelashes, the deep brown of Wednesday's irises, wider in the darkness of her own room, with lighter flecks throughout. They were intense. Captivating. They bored into Enid's own, unblinking, as if she were trying to read her mind.

Enid tore her gaze from Wednesday's in a panic to watch her hands again instead. Those thoughts were dangerous. Those feelings were dangerous. Wednesday was complicated, and Enid didn't need any more complications in her life.

The song ended. Wednesday's hands stilled and her face lost some of its intensity.

"So?" she asked. "What did you think."

"That was incredible," Enid answered honestly. "What's the name of that song? I want to look it up, but I'm sure the original won't be as good after hearing your take on it."

"It's one of the few modern songs I actually enjoy. It's called Paint it Black."

Enid chuckled at the title. "I wonder why you enjoyed it."

Wednesday returned the cello to its stand and brushed past Enid to the door. "Come, let's find the others. Kitty is certainly back in her den at this point."

Enid had forgotten the reason she was in Wednesday's room. She had even forgotten why they were at the Addams Mano in the first place. She took a moment to collect herself then followed Wednesday, who opened the door when Enid started moving.

Enid followed Wednesday through the house. The other girl moved with purpose, unafraid in her family's home. But her confidence came from more than just familiarity; it was innate. It was the confidence of someone who didn't fear a fully grown lion. Of someone who knew they could do whatever they set their mind to. That was just who Wednesday was, a person who was self-assured almost to the point of arrogance. It might have been arrogance, if she wasn't so able to back it up. Enid couldn't help feeling jealous about that confidence considering how much of her own life consisted of self doubt.

When they reached the stairwell they met up with Pugsley, who asked Enid where she had disappeared to. She gave him the short version of what happened, and when she finished they heard a gleeful shout from below.

They shared a look before starting down the stairs towards Fester. They didn't even make it to the first floor before Fester was up from the basement, waving an envelope around triumphantly. Enid noticed specks of blood flying around as he waved his hand, and the white of the envelope was stained with red fingerprints.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"I found what we came here for," Fester said.

"Your hand, Uncle Fester," Wednesday prompted.

"No Wednesday, my hand is at the end of my arm. We were looking for my papers."

Fester maintained a serious look for a few moments while Wednesday's brow furrowed and one eye twitched. She exhaled more loudly than usual and Fester grinned.

"Ah, the joy of annoying family. May it never grow old."

"If you keep it up you may never grow older," Wednesday said.

Fester gave her an indulgent smile. "You've improved, my dear niece, but I don't know if you're there yet."

"There's only one way to find out," Wednesday threatened.

"But maybe we can find out after we get back to the beach," Enid cut in, worried about being abandoned at the Addams Manor because Wednesday and Fester decided to kill each other.

Fester looked at her and smiled. "I like your selfish prudence," he said. "Come, let's return to the car."

Enid wanted to protest being called selfish, but decided against stalling their return and followed the Addams back to the stolen car. She piled back into the back seat with Pugsley and Fester started it with his weird electricity powers. Enid didn't have the energy to worry about his driving, and instead just sank into the seat and breathed deep. The day had started with stress, with Fester's fake kidnapping, and had only gotten more stressful since. It felt like every moment after chasing him into that alley was more nerve-wracking than the last. Enid sighed again in an attempt to bleed off some of that stress.

She looked out the window at the flashing scenery and idly noticed that it was the late afternoon. They had spent a few hours in the manor, though it hadn't felt like that long. She wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of weird temporal disturbance surrounding the manor. That would even explain the family's odd aesthetic, at least a little. The Addams Manor was very fitting for the family. It was dark, mysterious, and potentially lethal- and she hadn't even seen most of it. She was sure the manor shaped the Addams just as much as they shaped it.

Enid closed her eyes. There had been one bright spot in her otherwise woeful day; she finally got to hear Wednesday play something for her. It had been jarring, haunting, and a little intense (much like Wednesday herself), but for all that, it had been beautiful(again, much like- no, not those thoughts). She could still hear the music echoing around her head, and focused on it. She let it drown out the occasional honking and yelling from the drivers around them as she relaxed further into a light sleep.

Chapter Text

When Enid, Fester, Wednesday, and Pugsley returned to the rental Fester swore them to secrecy so Gomez and Morticia would never know what he had taken from the manor. Wednesday and Pugsley easily agreed, and Enid followed suit a little more reluctantly. She had to trust that the siblings wouldn't see their parents actually harmed, and Fester himself seemed... not trustworthy, but more mischievous than malicious.

Fester hugged Pugsley and Wednesday much to Enid's surprise. The idea that Wednesday wold willingly accept physical affection from anyone was new to her. She hadn't seen Wednesday hug her parents a single time in the weeks they had known each other. Fester was more important to Wednesday than Enid had realized.

Then he was off. He returned to the stolen car and drove away with a wave. Wednesday and Pugsley stood for a long while in silence when he disappeared.

"When do you think we'll see him again?" Pugsley asked.

"I don't know," Wednesday answered. "A worry for another time. Come, let's get our stories straight."

Wednesday gave Enid and Pugsley a run down of what they would tell Gomez and Morticia they had done. She was fully committed to the deception, and displayed her talent for lying by choosing a story with enough detail to be believable, and enough left out to not sound fake. Enid was a little disconcerted at how easily the other girl lied.

Gomez and Morticia weren't expected back until late, depending on how the poker tournament went, or even the following day. Enid took the siblings to a nearby restaurant and texted her friends to see if anyone was up for hanging out that evening. Ajax responded right away, and he and Xavier met them at the restaurant for something to eat.

Enid tried to enjoy the food and the company, but kept wincing at Xavier's attempts at talking to Wednesday. She had known that he was interested in Wednesday, but hadn't realized how bad Wednesday would be at engaging with that kind of interest. It made for a painful viewing experience. Any topic Xavier brought up was met with short answers, his jokes fell flat, and when he tried to show her his powers by bringing a sketch of his to life, Pugsley showed more interest in it than Wednesday, who watched it with disinterested eyes before crushing it under her fist.

Enid started thinking of excuses to part ways with Ajax and Xavier just so she wouldn't have to suffer any longer, but when Wednesday raised her fist to look at her handiwork she had a question for Xavier.

"Is that the extent of your powers?"

Enid couldn't tell if Wednesday was trying to insult Xavier or was genuinely asking, but either way Xavier looked a little taken aback.

"No," he said. "I can do the same with bigger drawings, they just don't always... listen, I guess."

"Hm. And do you have any other psychic manifestations?" Wednesday continued.

"Like other powers? Sometimes."

Wednesday stared Xavier down. "Like what?"

"I have dreams," Xavier said. "Prophetic dreams, like your visions. They're just not always clear, and they're not always related to something I've interacted with. Or someone."

"Have you had any recently?" Wednesday pressed.

Enid could guess why Wednesday was taking that line of questioning. Whatever the other girl had seen the other night must have piqued her interest, and she was fishing for information about it. From his face, Xavier had figured out what she was doing as well.

"Is this about your vision?"

"Yes, I saw your gruesome death and was hoping you could give me more details so I could see it in person."

Xavier gave an uncomfortable chuckle but stopped at the look on Wednesday's face. "You are joking, right?"

"You know how visions can be," Wednesday said, voice even. "Uncertain. Cloudy. Incomplete. Although I do recall the screams quite well."

There was a short silence while the rest of them tried to figure out if that meant Wednesday was joking or being serious. Wednesday tilted her head at them.

"What? You can't tell a joke even when I'm being so obvious?"

Ajax and Xavier laughed, more in relief than amusement, and Enid smiled too. She was torn though. Joking about someone's grisly death was certainly a Wednesday thing to do, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more there than a joke.

"I guess not," Xavier said. "I was worried because I have had some weird dreams lately, and I can't tell if they're just weird or if they're from my powers."

"I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about," Wednesday said.

And with that she dropped the subject, turning instead to Enid to ask a question about their plans for after dinner. Enid turned to the boys, who shrugged. Xavier offered his house as a hangout since his dad was away, though maybe with less drinking than the last time they met up there.

Enid reached out to Yoko, Divina, and Bianca, though only Bianca could make it. Yoko told Enid that she was having a date night, but to enjoy herself and stay safe between Wednesday, Bianca, and Xavier. Enid winced, having forgotten that Xavier and Bianca used to date. She hoped things wouldn't be too awkward with Xavier's interest in Wednesday.

When they reached Xavier's house Bianca was already there, waiting outside on her phone. She was cordial with Wednesday, which Enid took as a good sign, and they all entered the house together. They decided to keep it light, no shots for anybody, and Enid took it upon herself to keep the conversation flowing and away from any sensitive topics.

She was helped, unknowingly, by Bianca. The siren started complaining to Enid and Ajax, her fellow lifeguards, about the upcoming event. A local radio station was hosting Christmas in July at the beach the following weekend, and Bianca was not happy about it. She tried to rope Enid into Ajax into commiserating with her, but Ajax shrugged and Enid loved Christmas too much to be upset at the news.

Wednesday and Xavier, however, were not so keen on the most wonderful time of the year. Wednesday even spoke more than usual, about the appropriation of Pagan practices by Christianity in an attempt to stifle those practices.

Enid couldn't help responding, at least when it came to certain aspects of Christmas. Sure the materialism was problematic, as was the hijacking of other cultures and celebrations. But for a lot of people it was as simple as a time for family and loved ones to meet up, spend quality time together, and share joy. Enid loved nothing more than spreading joy, and the cheeriness, the food, the music- she loved it all. Though trying to explain why she loved it to Wednesday proved fruitless. The other girl had a counter for every point Enid could make, and no one else was willing to back her up. If anything Bianca seemed to enjoy undermining Enid and taking pot shots from the side.

Eventually Enid gave up her argument with a huff, and Wednesday sat back looking satisfied. When she checked her phone to hide her annoyance she saw it was after eleven, not terribly late for summer vacation, but late enough that she decided to take Wednesday and Pugsley back to the rental to see if their parents had returned. Ajax offered to go with them, but Enid turned him down. She winced at his resigned look, and promised herself she would make it up to him, but she didn't want to invite him over on her own.

When they reached the rental Gomez and Morticia still weren't there. Enid offered to stay, but Wednesday stared at her until Enid rolled her eyes and wished them goodnight. She was sure nothing bad would happen to them- that they wouldn't enjoy, at least. Besides, Grandmama was at the house as well, and Enid knew how the old woman reacted to strangers.

The next day Gomez called during Enid's lunch from the rental to thank her and let them know that he and Morticia had made it back that morning. They had a lovely conversation about Gomez and Morticia's time in Atlantic City. The couple discovered that they had been lied to, that the casino that had contacted them didn't exist, but Gomez didn't seem concerned. Instead he told Enid about how they took the opportunity to check out each casino in turn and rate them on how predatory they were. He also mentioned that they hit a jackpot or two on the way, and Enid could only shake her head at the strange Addams luck.

She told them the cover story Wednesday had come up with to avoid mentioning Fester, but since she couldn't keep all the details straight she turned the conversation to future plans. She told Gomez about the upcoming Christmas in July celebration, and he seemed more confused than anything.

"Is December not enough?" he asked as his first question. "It even creeps into November with its cheer and good will, as if Thanksgiving weren't disgusting enough."

Enid held back a smile. "I think beach towns just look for any excuse to have a celebration, since they only have, like, a quarter of the year to make money."

She heard Gomez sigh on the other end of the phone. "Of course. Truly the greatest evil. If only it weren't evil in such a banal way."

"If you want to skip it I would understand," Enid said. "But they have some fun sounding events, and they even have one of the nights set aside for couples, if you wanted to treat Mrs. Addams to a date."

"Have they?" Gomez asked. Enid could practically hear his mind spin with ideas. "What will it entail? Physical feats? Tests of fortitude? Midnight duels?"

"Much more boring I'm afraid," Enid said. "I think it'll mostly be candle-lit dinners and tables for two, that kind of thing."

Gomez sighed again. "I'll never pass up a chance to show my dearest how much she means to me, but perhaps I'll plan something special for afterwards."

"She'll love that," Enid said. The rest of their conversation covered some of the planned events for the first day. There was a baking competition in the morning followed by a 'snow sculpture' competition in the afternoon, where groups would use sand in place of snow. In the evening the street parallel to the beach was going to be shut down and filled with tables and stands for local businesses to sell tacky goods.

Gomez was less excited than she thought he would be, but then again, the Addams family vibe didn't mesh well with a Christmas theme. He still promised to try to have a good time, but warned that he and his wife might have to bow out early: "despite our resilience in the face of torture, some things are too much."

Enid laughed and they ended the call. She felt good about the weekend until she ran into a complication. Ajax wanted to make plans for the weekend as well, and Enid had to tell him she would be entertaining the Addams for most of the time. He agreed to hanging out with everyone- Wednesday included- on the first day of the weekend, when most of the events were planned for bigger groups of family or friends. But he wanted to spend some of the second day with just Enid. And although Enid knew that Gomez and Morticia had plans, she had kind of figured she would be with Wednesday and Pugsley again.

"We'll figure something out," she said to end the conversation. "And if not this weekend, I'll make it up to you."

Ajax left with a sigh and Enid wondered what she should do. She knew she didn't have as much of an obligation towards the Addams as she sometimes acted, but she genuinely enjoyed her time with the family. Did she enjoy that time more than her time with Ajax? She felt guilt creep up just at the thought.

Enid wanted to be a good girlfriend. She wanted to have fun with the unexpected family who had treated her with a kindness and openness that she hadn't experienced with her own family. But when those wants clashed she was left frozen, uncertain what to do. She needed some advice and an outside perspective, since she wasn't only thinking of herself and Ajax. There was only one girl for the job: Yoko.

"Girl, You're going to have to make a tough call," Yoko said when she met up with Enid and heard her out.

"Thanks Yoko, great advice," Enid responded.

"Glad I could help," Yoko said with a smirk. "But I am serious too. How much time have you even spent with Ajax? And how much have you spent with the Addams?"

Enid chewed her lip. "Maybe about the same amount?" She looked away from Yoko's discerning stare. "Maybe a little more with the Addams."

"And how would you feel if he was spending all his time with some random family?"

Enid sighed. "Not great, I know."

Yoko sighed too. "I know they've done a lot for you, and I know you're getting something out of your little arrangement with them. I just want you to do what's best for you. I can't tell you what to do, who to, I don't know, favor, and maybe you can find some middle ground. But you're going to have to put on your big girl pants, have a couple of conversations, and make a tough call."

Enid groaned. "I don't want to wear my big girl pants, I want this summer to just be easy."

Yoko reached over and patted her shoulder. "I know. If it makes you feel any better my summer has been going great."

Enid snorted and Yoko laughed. "Yeah, thanks, totally makes me feel better." She sighed again before closing her eyes. "Maybe I'll just do the family day with the Addams and tell them I have plans with my boyfriend for the second day. It's not like I have to babysit or anything, Wednesday and Pugsley are both old enough to take care of themselves. Plus they're Addamses, so they could probably have taken care of themselves when they were babies anyway."

"Probably," Yoko agreed. "But that sounds like a good start to me. See? Wearing your big girl pants isn't so bad."

Enid smiled at the other girl. "Thanks."

Enid spent the rest of the night talking with Yoko, one of the few nights they had spent together just the two of them that summer. It was nice to get quality time with her friend, no Divina (as much as Enid loved the two together), no Ajax (as much as she was dating him), and no Addams (as interesting as they were). For a while she could just be an easygoing girl, gossiping with another.

The days before Christmas in July passed quickly, and before she knew it Enid was supervising a beach packed with red and green umbrellas over folding tables. The tables were set up for the baking competition, and some of the more eager participants had already staked out tables nearest the judges and put their pastries on them.

Enid was curious to see if any of the Addams were going to participate, but it wasn't until the deadline had almost passed when the family rolled up, Grandmama in tow. They were in their usual long black and white striped swimsuits, with extra black umbrellas for extra sun protection. It was Grandmama who placed something on one of the last tables, a cake that resembled a brain. At least, Enid hoped it was a cake. She wouldn't put it past the batty old woman to have and bring in an actual brain for a baking competition.

Since most of the people at the beach were there for the Christmas in July events few people were in the water, and Enid could safely watch the proceedings for the bake competition. She watched as the judges moved from table to table, sampling cakes, pastries, breads, and every other kind of baked sweet. Until they reached the Addams. They stopped to have a brief conversation with Grandmama, and even from a distance Enid could make out the hesitation on their faces. But whatever Grandmama said to them must have been convincing enough, because each judge took a spoonful to taste. Even from a distance, Enid could hear the coughing and retching when they put the spoons in their mouths, followed by Grandmama's cackling. Enid had a horrible few moments where she was sure that it really was a brain on a platter before one of the judges screamed about the heat of the spice in the cake.

Enid wasn't surprised when Grandmama's cake didn't win. She was sure if it were a different family they would have all been banned from the events and the beach, but she also wouldn't have been surprised if some of the funding for the events came directly from the Addams family themselves.

The next event was the ' snow sculpture ' contest, and the crowds were shooed away from the sweets tables to a set of roped off areas, one for each entrant in the competition. The Addams took one of the areas, without Grandmama or Lurch, and they wait ed for a different set of judges to start the competition. When it did , Morticia stood back, under her large black umbrella, content to watch her family work and directing wherever she saw something amiss.

It started simple, but as the family worked, their construction took on more detail, and Enid wondered if it was a real building they were trying to emulate. When they started on a tall central tower Enid figured out what it was: the Addams family manor. She recognized the wings emanating to either side, each at least three stories tall, and the domed greenhouse next to the main house. They flattened one area and put in small pieces of driftwood for their family cemetery. Then they started on parts of the grounds that Enid hadn't seen. There was some kind of maze spreading from back of the house which led to a shallow hole the Pugsley made. Gomez darted back and forth from the hole to the ocean, bringing back pails of water to finish what must have been a large pond or small lake. When they were done the family stood back, looking on at their family home with pride. Rightfully so, Enid thought, as they had a decent shot at winning with their sculpture.

But the family surveyed their work for only a few moments before Gomez pulled out an ornate lighter. He flicked it open and lit it before stooping down to ignite a fuse. Enid was too stunned to do anything. She didn't even know when the family had had time to put anything explosive in their sculpture, and she couldn't imagine a reason they would blow their creation up before the competition had even ended.

She hopped out of her chair and blew her whistle, hoping that one of the Addams would get the message and douse the fuses but she was too late. The fire travelled into the front door of the house and a few moments later a series of firecrackers went off in spectacular fashion, exploding and sending sand flying in every direction with a series of sharp cracks. Enid winced at the noise and saw many of the groups around them duck in fear.

The Addams meanwhile seemed delighted at the havoc wrought. Gomez and Pugsley cheered and clapped each other on the back, Morticia smiled over the large shades she wore, and Wednesday almost smiled. When the noise faded and the smoke was blown away by the sea breeze the beautiful sand castle, their own home, was no more. In its places was a horrible pockmarked landscape, barely recognizable as a miniature version of the Addams estate. The only thing that survived the explosions was the pond, too big to be properly destroyed by whatever explosives the Addams had on hand.

Enid stood for a few moments too stunned to do anything. The Addams spotted her and Gomez smiled, opening his arms wide over their destroyed sand castle and smiling proudly. Enid gave a weak smile in return, but didn't get to say anything to the family as Weems had come over to see what all the noise was about. The tall woman surveyed the plot of beach with astonishment, but only shook her head and sighed. She left them alone and told Enid to get back to her chair to watch over the few people who were in the water.

When the judges came around to the Addams... creation, they had similar reactions ; stunned silence followed by disconcerted looks. They marked down their scores quickly and moved on while the Addams began knocking more sand down , spreading their destruction farther . Enid's attention was pulled by a swimmer so she didn't get to see the end result, but considering the fact that it looked like a warzone before she had to look away, she could only imaging how rough it looked after.

As the afternoon passed the beach emptied, much earlier than it usually would have. The crowds took to the next street over which was full of stands for different vendors, and Enid could hear laughter and music and could smell the delicious food for sale. By three in the afternoon she was starving and yearning to join in the festivities, and when Weems came by to check the status of the beach and the beachgoers she gave her boss a mournful look. She received a sigh in return.

"Fine, we can close early today," Weems said. " Everyone is at the street market anyway ."

Enid pumped her fist, and she and the other lifeguards broke down their stations in record time. Enid grabbed Ajax and told him she was going to go to her cousin's house to shower before hitting up the street market, and he said he would do the same. She told him she would see what the Addams' plans were, and would hook up with them later when she was done with the family.

They split up and Enid cut through the street market, keeping an eye out for anything interesting to check out when she came back with everyone. She spotted the Addams- or rather, they spotted her and Gomez called out to her. She jogged over to them, noticing the looks son their faces. They looked absolutely defeated. She never thought she would see an Addams with that kind look on their face, and when she was close she asked Gomez what was wrong.

" We've tried our best, but I fear the atmosphere has bested us. I cannot understand how anyone can survive surrounded by this forced cheer. They even have music from that awful time of year playing wherever we go."

Enid winced. She personally loved Christmas music, but she knew it could wear on some. "Yeah, it's a little much considering it's like, 95 degrees out and they're singing songs about snow."

"It's not the weather, my dear, it's the... positivity, the joy of it all. It makes my skin crawl."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Enid said.

"No, Enid, I'm sorry. I thought we could survive, but we have decided to concede and return to our rental. We will have to cancel our plans for the evening."

Enid felt a little relieved hearing that. If the Addams were tapping out already then she wouldn't have to tell them she needed time with her boyfriend. "That's a shame," she said. "But don't worry about it, I can hang out with my friends, so I'll be fine."

Gomez gave her a relieved smile. "Excellent, my dear." He turned to his family. "Come, let us get out of this too bright place."

He, Morticia, and Pugsley turned to go, but Wednesday stayed rooted in one place, staring Enid down. Morticia noticed first and brushed her hand on Wednesday's shoulder.

"My little scorpion?" the older woman breathed.

"It's the usual crowd?" Wednesday asked Enid.

Enid nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"I'll stay."

"Are you sure?" Morticia asked.

Wednesday didn't look at her mother, but the boys were watching the pair with interest.

"Of course I'm sure," Wednesday said.

"Sure," Enid said. "I mean, of course. I didn't think you'd want to or I would have asked."

"Good," Wednesday said. She finally looked at her mother. "Then that's settled. You can return to the house, I'll make my own plans."

Morticia smiled that mysterious smile and nodded at her daughter. "Very well. I hope you have a miserable time."

"I'm sure I will," Wednesday said.

Her parents and Pugsley left and Enid turned to Wednesday.

"Um, I was going to take a shower then come back hear, if you were okay with waiting while I did," she said.

"That's fine," Wednesday said.

Enid nodded and led them to her cousins where she rushed through a shower and threw on something cool and comfortable. She texted Ajax and Yoko about her change in plans and hurried back to the living room. When she got there , where she had left Wednesday after briefly introducing her to her cousins, her cousins were nowhere to be seen and Wednesday looked pleased with herself. Enid narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Her cousins couldn't leave anyone alone if they tried they were so social, but here Wednesday was, a new person, without a gaggle of werewolves talking to her and offering her food or drinks she didn't want.

"What happened?" Enid asked.

"Hm?" Wednesday sounded with faux-innocence. "Your cousins wanted to get to know me, so I showed them my silver knife. They didn't want to know me any more after that."

Enid winced. She was sure she would hear about Wednesday later, when her cousins stopped hiding, but she couldn't say she was surprised. "As long as you didn't actually use it," she said.

"I didn't get the chance."

Enid groaned, but told Wednesday to follow her back out to the street market. They headed towards the intersection where the market started and waited for the others by one of the booths. While they waited Enid watched Wednesday. At first glance t he other girl seemed the same as usual, but the longer Enid observed her the more obvious it became that she was tense. There was an extra movement in her jaw, as if she were grinding her teeth, and her eye twitched occasionally. Enid couldn't tell if the tension was from the Christmas music blaring throughout the street market, or the prospect of hanging out with Enid's friends, particularly Xavier. She guessed the former.

"Stop staring at me," Wednesday said suddenly.

Enid blinked and looked away. "Sorry," she said.

"Is there something on my face?"

"No, I was just wondering why you wanted to hang out."

Enid looked back at Wednesday and the other girl had her fixed with her usual cold stare. "I just love the company so much."

Enid snorted at that. "Yeah, right. More like you love whatever mystery your vision gave you."

Wednesday's stare sharpened, but before she could answer they heard Enid's name being called out from down the street. They looked over to see Ajax and the others approaching. Enid put on her best smile and waved excitedly, but kept an eye on Wednesday through their greetings and as they started hanging out.

The other girl didn't give as much attention to Xavier as Enid thought she would. Instead she seemed... not interested, but wary of their surroundings. That set off alarm bells in Enid's head . She had hit the nail on the head just before her friends had shown up. Whatever Wednesday had seen definitely interested her enough to change her approach towards Enid's friends , and whatever interested Wednesday usually meant bad news for somebody.

But Enid couldn't dwell on Wednesday's mystery for too long. While they were walking through the street market trying to pick out something to eat Yoko pulled her back for a moment.

"You're hanging out with your boyfriend and still ignoring him?" Yoko said with a critical look.

"Right," Enid said quietly. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me," Yoko said. "I want you to be happy. You've gotta decide what that looks like. Big girl pants, remember?"

"Right," Enid sighed again.

She tried to push Wednesday and her vision out of her mind and enjoy her time with her friends. The market helped with that. Different local businesses and individuals had really brought their best cheesy holiday cheer out, and Enid let herself get swept away in the festivities. She pointed out some of her favorite punny shirts and picked out a pair of red and green sunglasses that had 'Ho ho ho' written down the temples. She put them on immediately.

The others got into the market as well, and soon everyone, except for Wednesday, was chatting and having a good time. They made it almost the entire length of the market while they talked about their holiday traditions. Enid wasn't even bothered when Wednesday tried to crater the mood by claiming her family observed a ritual human sacrifice on the solstice, though she did have to take a second to figure out if Wednesday was being serious or not. Bianca, however, managed to make things awkward by accident.

"So what do the lovebirds have planned for tomorrow?" she asked with pointed looks to the two couples in the group.

"What do you think?" Yoko answered with a smirk. "We'll take in the sights they have planned for a little bit, then we'll end up at my place."

"Gross," Bianca said. She turned to Enid and Ajax. "And you guys?"

Enid glanced between Ajax, who looked a little put out, and Wednesday, who looked like she couldn't care less about the conversation.

"I guess we haven't decided yet," Enid said. She knew Gomez and Morticia wanted to do something romantic the following day, but wasn't sure where that left their children or herself.

"What do you mean you haven't decided?" Bianca pressed. She glanced between Enid, Wednesday, and Ajax. "And what 'we' are you talking about?"

All eyes were on Enid and she panicked. "Well I was thinking-" she cut herself off. It was a wild thought, though she thought maybe it would solve her immediate problem. The only issue was if any of the others would go for it.

Bianca looked at her expectantly. "Thinking?"

"What about a double date?" Enid asked, looking between Ajax and Enid. "Me and Ajax, and Wednesday and Xavier?"

Everyone looked surprised, with the exception of Bianca, whose face darkened.

"Her and Xavier, huh?" Bianca said. She glared at Xavier as if it had been his suggestion.

"It was just a thought, nothing serious," Enid said.

"Yeah, sure," Bianca said.

"Is that- are you sure?" Xavier asked Enid. He turned to Wednesday. "Are you okay with this?"

Wednesday gave Enid a short look before turning her attention to Xavier. "Of course. I put her up to it after all. So. What do you say?"

"Y-yeah, of course," Xavier said. "I didn't think- well, never mind. I'm looking forward to it."

"Great," Bianca said. "Perfect. You guys can all have fun tomorrow."

She walked off to another stall, and the rest of them looked between each other.

"She'll get over it," Yoko said. She patted Enid's shoulder. "Come on, let's see what else this place has got."

The group wandered around the rest of the market until the vendors started breaking down their tables and tents and the crowds started to disperse. They made their way back to the beach to sit and chat for a while longer, and Enid plopped herself down next to Ajax and leaned into him. She stayed like that until Bianca got up to go home and the others started to follow suit. When Enid stood she told Ajax she had to talk to Wednesday on their way home and that she'd see him the next day.

"For our double date," she said with a smile.

Ajax hesitated, but smiled back. "Yeah, sounds good."

Enid waved goodbye to Ajax and Xavier and Yoko and Divina. When she turned to Wednesday the other girl had an eyebrow raised just over where it usually sat.

"We have to talk?" Wednesday prompted.

"Yeah. Thanks for covering for me earlier," Enid said as they started walking.

" I don't know what you're talking about."

Enid smiled. "I doubt that, but still, thanks. I also wasn't sure you would even go for it. Guess I was right earlier."

Wednesday remained silent for a few moment s . "You have an annoying habit of it. And of getting your way."

Enid's smile faded. "Can you tell me what you saw?"

Wednesday gave her a sidelong glance. "Perhaps. You've proven to be more resourceful than I first thought. You might be able to help."

"Resourceful, huh? Is that another annoying thing about me?"

"There are many."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Enid turned Wednesday's words over in her mind and worried. When they turned onto the street where the rental was Wednesday stopped. She turned to Enid, her face blank.

"I'll arrange my thoughts and materials tonight. Tomorrow come over before the date and I'll tell you what I saw. And what I've found."

Enid frowned. "How serious is it? I know you said it was a joke, but..."

Wednesday looked away. "I didn't see his death, no. But my vision was... cloudy."

"Right." Enid looked around, struggling to come up with something to say. "Xavier's my friend, so if I can help him I will. Thanks for trusting me enough to let me."

"I've made mistakes you picked up on," Wednesday said. "It wasn't about trust."

"That's not true," Enid said. "You have no problem stonewalling people when you want to."

Wednesday stared at her again as if thinking about what to say. When she spoke it was a single quiet word. "Most."

Then she turned and stalked towards the rental. Enid watched her go, torn between worry about Xavier, and quiet glee that she was somebody Wednesday trusted. She turned to leave for her cousins' house and made her own plans for the next day.

Chapter Text

The next day Enid woke early and rushed through her morning routine. Wednesday hadn't given her a time to come over, but she figured the earlier she went over the earlier she would get some answers. Before she could leave the house her aunt stopped her and admonished her about bringing the kind of person over who would joke about silver knives to a group of werewolves. Enid decided not to tell her that Wednesday certainly wasn't joking. Instead she contritely nodded and hurried out the door.

She stopped for coffee on the way to the Addams rental and decided to pick something up for Wednesday as well. She settled on a large black coffee, no cream or sugar, and carried both drinks the rest of the way. When she got to the Addams's rental she stared at the door, wondering how she was going to knock with both hands full. She blinked a few times, but before she could do anything the door opened, revealing Lurch. He stared at her in greeting then moved aside to let her in. She was glad the giant man was so easygoing- or maybe he just accepted her role in his family's- family? bosses family? Enid shook her head- family's life.

She crept through the house, hopeful that her early arrival meant no sudden attack from Grandmama. She felt safe when she made it to the stairs, but a shift in the air had her sprinting up them, keeping her hands as steady as she could so she didn't spill any coffee. Sure enough, Grandmama's cackle followed her, as did the sound of metal sticking in wood.

"Good show, wolf," Grandmama called up after Enid made it to the top of the stairs.

"Thanks Grandmama," Enid returned while she tried to catch her breath.

"Is that Enid I hear?" came Gomez's voice from the bedroom.

"Yep," she answered.

Gomez bounded out of the bedroom and Morticia glided after, both smiling at Enid as they did.

"And to what do we owe the displeasure of your sudden visit?" Morticia asked.

"I made plans with Wednesday for today," Enid said, though she was unsure what Wednesday might have told her parents. "Is she up?"

Morticia considered her for a long moment, lips just turned up in a smile that could have meant anything. "You know where her room is. Why don't you go see for yourself?"

"Right," Enid said uncertainly. "Will do."

She maneuvered through the house, careful to look out for any traps after her experiences with Grandmama and the foray to the Addams manor. She made it to Wednesday's room, and before she could knock the door opened. Wednesday stood there staring at her, and Enid couldn't quite tell what the other girl was feeling. She offered a weak smile and held up her coffees.

"You said to come over, so here I am," she said with as much positivity as she could muster. Wednesday's face darkened at that, and Enid was almost happy to be on familiar ground. "I brought one for you." She extended the coffee she had ordered for Wednesday, who looked at it with disdain.

"Drip," she said. "Drip coffee is for people who hate themselves and know their lives have no real purpose or meaning."

"Oh," Enid said, deflating. "Should I just toss this?"

"No. It's better than nothing, and I can make it more.. palatable."

Wednesday turned and walked into her room, and Enid took that as her cue to follow. Wednesday's room was the same as ever at first glance, dark and just a little musty, but Enid noticed a piece of cork board, painted black of course, against one wall. On it there were pictures, files, and photos; Wednesday's thoughts and materials no doubt.

"Give me that," Wednesday said, pulling Enid's attention away from the board.

The other girl was eying the black coffee in Enid's hand, and Enid handed it over. Wednesday poured some clear liquid from a glass vial into the coffee and took a long sip afterwards. Enid eyed the vial with suspicion.

"Strychnine," Wednesday said to Enid's unasked question. "It can save even the most despicable of drinks."

"I don't even know what that is but I'm sure it's terrible for you."

"Only if you have a weak constitution."

"So completely lethal, got it."

Enid almost laughed at Wednesday's slightly narrowed eyes. It was good to know the other girl wasn't resorting to threats over some light teasing.

"Sit," Wednesday said as she pointed at the chair in front of the typewriter. "Let's get right to it. I'll tell you the vision I had about Xavier then we can go over my findings."

Enid nodded, suddenly nervous, but sat despite her nerves. She didn't know a lot about Wednesday's visions, but the one the other girl had had of her had been one of the worst days of Enid's life. And from Wednesday's demeanor and interest in her vision of Xavier, Enid could guess that the vision was something bad.

"The night your mother accosted you in that ice cream parlor I had a vision of Xavier," Wednesday started.

As Wednesday started to speak her eyes unfocused, as if she were reliving her vision, and her voice took on an ethereal quality. "He was running. Panicking. It was late and the streets were empty. There were decorations on streetlamps and telephone poles, for some celebration or event. He tried to turn a corner but something hit him, a creature's arm, and he was knocked to the ground. He curled up and screamed. There was something in the air, a creature's howl..." Wednesday's voice faded out, and after a few moments she blinked and refocused on Enid.

"My vision ended there," Wednesday said. Her voice returned to its usual clipped tones. "My visions are clouded by the perception of their subjects. Xavier was panicking, so many details are... blurry. Indistinct. For instance I suspected the vision might come to pass this weekend, with the decorations everywhere, but there was a lack of red and green in my vision."

"Okay," Enid said, still stuck on the fact that her friend was going to be attacked by some creature. "I'd like to say that narrows it down, but I'm pretty sure a lot of weekends have events tied to them."

"I noticed," Wednesday said. "So unfortunately I've had to turn to the flash of the creature I saw."

"Creature. Right." Enid swallowed. "About that, is there any chance it's, y'know..."

"No," Wednesday said. "It's not a werewolf." She turned to the cork board. "That was my first thought too. Here, the information I've collected on different creatures, outcasts, and beasts."

Enid stepped up to the cork board with Wednesday and they studied it in silence for a few moments. It took that long for Enid to realize the extent of what she was looking at. At the center of the board was a drawing, presumably by Wednesday herself, of the arm she had seen. The arm was slender but well muscled, with leathery skin and spindly fingers that ended in vicious looking claws. Enid had never seen anything like it, certainly not from her own werewolf family.

Around the drawing of the arm there were different monstrous beings, either pictures, depictions, or articles. She spotted a section for werewolves in the farthest corner with red twine around it sectioning it off from the rest of the monsters on the board. She saw a small section for Yeti as well, though Wednesday had X'ed it off with more twine.

There rest of the board had other monstrous beings, some that Enid recognized and some she didn't: vampires, reptilians, poltergeists, banshees, revenants, Tall Men, Hydes. There was very little information for some of them, and Enid suspected those were more fiction than fact.

"A vampire seems most likely, though few get to be old enough or powerful enough to become so twisted," Wednesday said. She took down papers that she had pinned to the board and handed them to Enid. "Here," she said, "are reports from the mass-murderous vampire from the late seventies who grew in power and size as he killed."

Enid started to look through the papers but realized her mistake immediately. There weren't only newspaper clippings or hand written notes, but somehow Wednesday had obtained photos from right after several of the attacks, both candids and official crime scene photos. There was more blood than Enid had ever seen, and she only managed to look at two or three before she felt queasy and light headed.

"I- I don't feel.. Wednes..." she tried to speak, but she couldn't continue and collapsed to the ground.

The next thing Enid knew was the feeling of someone slapping her face, lightly, to wake her up. She blinked a few times, grateful that Wednesday kept her room so dark, and looked around from her position on the floor. Wednesday was standing over her, looking down with mild interest. She felt a pressure on her sternum and lowered her chin to find Thing there. That explained the relatively gentle taps. Thing wiggled his three middle fingers at her in greeting, and Enid managed to nod back. She looked to Wednesday.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You collapsed. I hadn't realized you had such a weak stomach."

"It's- those were crime scene photos! They were so graphic!"

"I've seen better," Wednesday said.

"I don't- how did you get those? Wait," Enid said as she held up a hand. "Never mind. How long was I out?"

"Barely fifteen seconds," Wednesday answered.

"Oh."

"Perhaps you won't be as much help as I thought."

"No, I can still help," Enid said. She pushed herself to her feet. "Just maybe not with... those."

"Lucky for you, I believe searching for the creature would be a dead end," Wednesday said. She strolled to the cork board and lifted it off the wall, revealing a second one underneath. She set the first on the floor leaning against the wall. "We know what will happen, we know roughly when and where it will happen, the why and how will depend on the who- not the creature, no, but someone must have motivation to attack Xavier. If we find that who, the rest will follow. Including discovering the creature."

The second cork board had only names, Xavier's surrounded by Enid and their friends, as well as Xavier's father, Tyler, and Lucas and his goons.

"So," Wednesday said, turning to Enid to give her a piercing look. "Tell me everything you know about the people here."

"Like if they can turn into a monster?" Enid asked, genuinely confused.

Wednesday looked less than impressed. "Like their relationship with Xavier or his father."

"Oh," Enid said. She looked at the board again. "Well I think we can rule me out, don't you?"

Wednesday only stared at her.

"Okay. Well I mostly only know him through Yoko. Yoko, Xavier, and the others all attend an outcast school here in Jersey, and as far as I know have been friends for a while. Like all through high school at least."

Enid paused to think as she looked at the board. "Xavier and Bianca dated for a while but broke up at the end of the school year. I heard from Yoko that she didn't take it well, and I mean, you've seen them together and she totally does not like that he's into you.

"Yoko and Divina are together and I don't think either are interested in guys at all. They're friends with Xavier. Obviously Ajax and Xavier are friends, best friends even." Enid floundered a little searching for something to say. "I don't know what kind of information you're looking for, honestly. Could you give me a hint?"

"I see," Wednesday said. "You're too close to most of the suspects. Fine. Tell me what you can about the normies."

Enid bit her lip. "I wish I knew more to help out better. I think they used to all be friends, and they jumped Xavier over something, something stupid I'm sure. They must have had some kind of falling out since Tyler stood up for you against them that one night. He said he changed, when I talked to him at the Ottinger bee farm. Maybe the others are mad about that."

Wednesday looked from Enid to the board, considering Enid's words.

"What are you thinking?" Enid asked.

"I'm thinking that a handful of teen-aged normies aren't capable of involving a monster in some plot for revenge or harassment. I wonder... Xavier's father is a well known psychic." She turned back to Enid. "Perhaps he crossed someone and they're pulling the strings behind the scenes. They could be targeting Xavier to circumvent his father's abilities."

Enid paled. "You think it's something that serious?"

"I can't be sure of anything until I get more information. There are too many variables for any conclusion to be drawn."

"So what's the next move?"

Enid waited with bated breath while Wednesday considered their options. Her eyebrows drew together in a small frown.

"The only immediate answer is to go on this double date you've roped me into. If nothing else it will be a good opportunity to get information directly from the source."

"Maybe I can help with that," Enid said. "We can try different angles to see if he or Ajax have noticed anything shady."

"Perhaps. One way or another I'll end the day with more information than I started with."

"Okay, that sounds a little ominous," Enid said.

Wednesday seemed unbothered. "What do you mean? I just plan on getting every bit of information that I can out of him."

"That might not be the way to go. It's a date, not an interrogation."

"First dates usually are interrogations, are they not?"

Enid blinked in confusion. Wednesday did have a point, in a way. "Well yeah, but also no, not, like, a harsh one."

"Explain."

Enid frowned. "I think he'll be put off if you ask him about enemies or monsters or anything like that. But maybe you could bring up any worries he's had lately?"

"Hm. Subtlety." Wednesday frowned as well. "It isn't my preferred method of getting information, but I can try it."

"Not to sound too judgmental, but how many dates have you been on before?"

"None," Wednesday said. "How hard can it be? Mindless drones go on dates all the time. It's not as if the concept is hard to grasp."

"I guess just going on one isn't hard, it's making the other person like you that's the difficult part."

Wednesday tilted her head. "Why would I bother?" she asked.

"Bother with what?"

"Making someone like me. Either they do or they don't. Isn't it better to know right away?"

Enid was stunned at Wednesday's point of view. "I wish I had your confidence," she managed to say.

It made a lot of sense, but at the same time flew in the face of the way Enid lived her entire life. Enid knew she was a people pleaser, and had tried at different times in her life to curtail some of her worst habits, but the idea that someone could just be their entire self the first time meeting someone new and be okay with the other person rejecting them was so uncomfortable to her. She usually did her best to be her best self and never offend anybody. She wondered if she would ever be able to live like Wednesday, even for just a day. She doubted it.

"It's not about confidence," Wednesday said. "It's about value. Whose opinion should I value and why should I value it. My life is my own to lead, and if someone thinks less of me for that, than their opinion is worthless."

Enid gave Wednesday a wry smile. "Can you record yourself saying that so I can listen to it next time I talk to my mom?"

Wednesday stared at her for a few long moments. "Parents have a strange power to affect even the strongest of offspring. For what it's worth, your last conversation with your mother was inspiring."

Enid raised her eyebrows at the sudden show of support. She had found the conversation more traumatic than inspiring, but it was nice to know that someone thought she had done well.

"Thanks," she said simply.

Wednesday nodded then gestured to the chair for Enid to sit. "So you think I should take a softer approach with Xavier tonight. Fine. Tell me how."

Enid tried to do just that. She wasn't exactly a master dater, but she had been on a few in her time. Some of the advice wasn't so well received. When she tried to tell Wednesday to keep it light the other girl threw out suggestions for topics that turned Enid's stomach. She doubted Xavier would be interested in the ins and outs of taxidermy, but guys could feign interest in anything if they were interested enough in the girl telling it to them.

Other advice Wednesday at least considered- at least with the help of Thing, who seemed excited at the chance to gossip. Enid suggested that Wednesday try to connect with Xavier over their respective psychic abilities, and reminded Wednesday that Xavier had said he had some odd dreams. She also implored Wednesday to tone down her sarcasm a hair, since regardless of her feelings on the matter, Wednesday wanted something from Xavier, and if he was too offended to want to continue talking to her then her plan would be ruined. Wednesday pointed out that she would simply switch to her preferred method of information extraction, and Enid sighed in defeat.

It was surprisingly easy to spend time with Wednesday talking about an upcoming date. The other girl wasn't putting up as much of a fight as Enid thought she would, and it would have felt completely normal except for some of the comments and ideas she had about appropriate conversation material. It was nice to have a conversation where she felt like an equal partner, and she was pretty sure that Wednesday was... maybe not enjoying herself exactly, but engaged.

They took a break for lunch- or rather, Morticia interrupted them to tell them to eat with the rest of the family. Wednesday reluctantly agreed, though Enid was happy to get to spend time with the other Addams too. Lurch had made something tasty, though Enid still hesitated to ask about the actual details of his meals. Instead she asked Gomez if he and Morticia would still be going to that evening's events or if they would be doing something else. He said they hadn't made up their mind, and that was when Morticia asked Wednesday about her and Enid's plans for the day.

"We're going on a date," Wednesday said without looking up from her plate.

Morticia and Gomez both looked genuinely shocked, and if Enid wasn't equally shocked she would have found their faces hilarious. The two exchanged a quick look before rounding on Enid.

"A double date," she said in her most easy-going tone. "Me and Ajax, one of our friends and Wednesday."

Another look passed between Wednesday's parents before Morticia spoke. "A date, Wednesday. How horrifying, you must be dreading it. I'm so proud of you."

"I'm not doing it for you," Wednesday said with a sharp glare at her mother. "Or even for myself."

"Of course, dear. And the boy, is he horrid?" Morticia asked.

"He's barely anything," Wednesday answered.

Morticia hummed and her eyes flitted over to Enid before returning to Wednesday. "How disappointing," she said.

"For once I agree," Wednesday said.

"Still, this could be a good experience for you," Gomez said. "Any chance at romance is one worth taking."

Wednesday pulled an impressive face at that, and Enid barely held back a laugh.

They finished their lunch with more macabre date ideas from the other Addams, with Enid's favorite being Pugsley's idea for them to dress up in camouflage and jump out at passers-by to see who could get the biggest scream. She almost hated breaking to them that they would just be going to the boring light show and dinner on the beach that the township had planned. When she asked if Gomez and Morticia were going to be there as well Gomez waved his hand dismissively.

"I think not. We had our fill of Christmas yesterday." He turned to his wife. "We'll have to find another way to express our love for each other."

Morticia trailed a finger up his cheek, and with a sudden flick of it left a small cut. Gomez snapped at her hand with his teeth in retaliation, and Enid could see the beginnings of something she didn't really want to see the end of.

"What're you going to get up to?" she asked Pugsley in a hurry, hoping to cut his parents off.

"Since everyone else is being boring maybe I'll put some camo on and terrorize the couples on the beach."

"Yes," Gomez said, still staring at Morticia, who was licking her blood covered finger. "Something out of the house would do you well."

"Come, Enid," Wednesday said. "Suddenly my appetite is gone."

Enid followed Wednesday back to her room. She debated whether she should bring up Wednesday's vision or their double date, but Wednesday had different plans. Her parents seemed to have set her off, or maybe- Enid suspected at least- the situation with her parents grated on the other girl more than she let on, and she finally hit a breaking point. Because before she knew it Wednesday was pacing around the room, rifling through her items aimlessly and staring at the cork board as she spoke to Enid.

"As you can see, you're not the only one with family issues," she started. "All summer they've been pushing me to experience new things. Dragging me into them when they can."

Enid nodded, unsure if Wednesday wanted sympathy, agreement, solutions, or to just rant. She settled on saying, "yeah, it sucks when parents do that."

"An understatement. I'm aware you like them well enough, but their insistence that they know what's best for me, her insistence that I-" she sneered as she recalled the words, "stretch my wings. A pointless sentiment."

"I know the feeling," Enid said. While Enid didn't think Wednesday's situation sounded so bad, as far as parenting went, she knew what it felt like when her mother made her feel like she wasn't living up to expectations. And even benign expectations could have negative results.

"You do," Wednesday said, settling from her constant motion to meet Enid's eyes. "Though I hate to admit it, that's one of the things I found interesting about you. I saw your fight with your mother the second time we met, yet you had the courage to stand up to me. And you still do, despite your mother's continued pressure."

"That's- yeah, I guess I can see where you're coming from," Enid said. "For what it's worth, you're not like your first impression either."

"In what way?"

"Not as bad, I guess," Enid said.

"Not as bad?" Wednesday asked, voice sharp.

"Yeah . I mean, you threatened me with a knife when I pulled you out of the ocean and you haven't stabbed me yet."

"Want me to change that?"

Enid threw her hands up quickly. "No, no, just making an observation."

Wednesday let the silence stretch between them. Her eyes dropped from Enid's face and roved around the room before she spoke. " Come, perhaps there is more that can be found about this mysterious monster. I've gathered some reading material, I'll give you one of the tamer books to not offend your delicate sensibilities."

Enid couldn't tell if Wednesday was embarrassed at opening up about her feelings towards her parents or if she just wanted to focus on her vision, but she suspected the former. While she took the book Wednesday gave to her she reflected on the other girl. Despite her cold and cruel exterior, Enid had seen flashes of... not quite a normal girl, but a person who had some of the same hangups and worries as anyone else.

She recalled the fencing match Wednesday had l o st, how she had looked for the other girl and found her under the boardwalk, disheveled, angry , and insecure at her own performance. There were the many times Enid had seen her stand up for someone who had been wronged, no matter how she tried to frame it. And here was another facet of the complicated character of Wednesday Addams; the girl who struggled with her parents' expectations, as many did. The girl who clashed with her mother, as many did. The girl who wanted to lead her own life, as... Enid did.

"Is it too much for you? Should I find a children's edition?" Wednesday's voice cut through Enid's thoughts.

Enid realized belatedly that she hadn't even opened her book, a worn leather-bound volume on mysterious myths.

"No, just... preparing myself. Your standards are a little different from anyone else."

She opened the book and Wednesday returned to her own. Of course there was the other side of Wednesday, the bigger side, her harsh exterior that made it hard to see any of the rest of her. Enid wondered why the other girl had let her in at all. She wondered why she wanted to see more . She forced herself to focus on the book Wednesday gave her.

The book proved to be interesting, but irrelevant to the search for the creature from Wednesday's vision. There were many creatures in the book, but Enid suspected most of them were fake, the creations of superstitious minds. Even when something was described with the proper skin , bone structure, or claws there were never any confirmed sightings. Whenever she glanced at Wednesday she could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't having any luck either.

They continued to read in silence for a while with only the sound of turning pages between them. Wednesday sped through her book and got another when there came a knock at the door . Wednesday glared as it opened , and the hair on the back of Enid's neck rose. Enid tensed up. Whenever that happened it was because-

"I'm not here to cause trouble," Grandmama said from the doorway when the door was fully open.

She had her usual half-manic look, smile wide and hair wild. Both hands were behind her back, a but Enid couldn't make out much aside from splashes of black and white .

"I heard you had dates tonight," Grandmama continued before Enid or Wednesday could say anything. "So I brought something for you both to wear."

"Grandmama I'm not going to wear whatever it is-" Wednesday started, but she was cut off by Grandmama.

"Bah, at least look at it first," she said.

Her hands whipped forward and she held up two dresses , one in black and the other in white. The black dress had wide-set shoulder straps that would leave a lot of the collarbone open, which tapered to a wide belt at the waist. It flowed back out to a multi-layered skirt that gave the whole outfit a nice shape. There was lace between the shoulder straps and lace trim all over, and Enid was sure it was for Wednesday and that the other girl would look amazing in it.

The other dress was all in white, made of a shimmering fabric with fur around the neckline, the sleeves, and the hem. It was simple and beautiful, and Enid loved it.

"O, M, G," she said as she stepped forward to feel the dress. "You totally didn't have get us something to wear, Grandmama. It's going to be a pretty casual thing."

Enid took the dress despite her words and rubbed the material between her fingers. It was even softer than it looked, and clearly made of something more expensive than she had ever worn before.

"It was no trouble," Grandmama said as she strode over to Wednesday and forced the dress into her hands.

Wednesday looked at it like it was going to come alive and strangle her- or rather like it was going to come alive and leave her alone, since she would probably enjoy being strangled to death, Enid thought to herself.

"Besides, I just had the materials laying around and a set of idle hands," Grandmama said. "You know they're the devil's playthings, so I decided to play with them."

"You made these?!" Enid half-yelled, incredulous and excited.

"Of course, wolfie , anything for the little scorpion's first date , especially when she gets so embarrassed."

Enid chanced another look at Wednesday, who looked something between hateful and mortified.

"Well put them on, they won't hurt you," Grandmama said.

Enid checked the time on her phone. They still had almost two hours before they were supposed to meet up with the boys, but what harm could there be in getting changed early? She bit her lip.

"I'll change in the bathroom," she said, and retreated to do just that.

As she changed she could hear shuffling and quiet voices on the other side of the door, the quiet hissing of Wednesday no doubt complaining about putting on the dress and the wheezing cajoling of Grandmama making her do it anyway. Enid giggled to herself and turned her attention to her own dress. It was a simple cut and getting it on after undressing was easy enough.

After the dress was on s he looked at herself in the mirror . She liked the cut of it, but something wasn't quite right. Her eyes roved over the dress, but the dress itself was perfect. Too perfect. Enid looked at herself instead and felt that she wasn't made up enough to match. The dress deserved more effort on her part, and- maybe, if the Addams had something for it- a bit of a makeover. After all, t he blue and pink highlights Enid had started the summer with had mostly faded in the sun, leaving just her natural blonde. Who even was she if she didn't show her love for her favorite colors?

She knocked on the door to the bathroom and asked if Wednesday was decent, and when she got the okay to enter, she opened the door. She regretted it immediately.

Wednesday was in the black dress, which looked incredible on her as End knew it would, but she or Grandmama had decided to put her hair up. Enid had thought the other girl never deviated from her twin braids, but she was sporting a braid along the top of her head with bangs over her forehead. There were stray lengths of hair framing her face, and Enid let her gaze wander all over it. Wednesday had on different make up than her usual as well. There was less liner around her eyes, giving them a brighter look, and her lips were glossy instead of natural.

Enid dropped her eyes to check out the dress properly and noticed the dress had a collar of fabric that was tight around Wednesday's neck. It helped support the rest of the dress and the sheer lace that covered Wednesday's shoulders and collarbone. Enid had a hard time tearing her eyes away from the other girl's neck. She had seen Wednesday in her Victorian bathing suit, but that thing was so ridiculous she never paid much attention to the skin it showed. But this dress was meant to attract, and Enid felt the full force of her attraction.

She had noticed from the first time seeing Wednesday that the other girl was... god she didn't even know how to put it. She recalled how Tyler called her magnetic and settled for that. Enid didn't make a big deal of her sexuality, mostly because it wasn't really anyone else's business, but she had long accepted that she was attracted to women. And now here Wednesday was, deepening the magnetic pull she had already felt for her. She was in trouble.

"Stop staring, it's rude," Wednesday said snidely.

"Sorry," Enid muttered. "Just, wasn't expecting a new hairdo. It looks good."

Wednesday was quiet for a moment. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Um," Enid started, desperate to get herself out of her own awkward way, "speaking of hair, I know it's a long shot, but do you guys have any kind of dye? I think what I have just is not it."

"'Course we do," Grandmama said, "and if we don't we can make some. What'll you like?"

"Pink?"

"Not what we usually have ready, I can tell you that," Grandmama laughed. "Come with me, we'll make some up."

Enid glanced at Wednesday, who gave a small shrug before returning to one of the books. Grandmama pulled her out of Wednesday's room. She continued pulling Enid, gently at least, past the indulgent smiles of Gomez and Morticia until they were on the third floor, which looked more like a witch's lair than anything. It probably was, Enid realized as Grandmama set to work .

The older woman set about gathering materials, a mortar and pestle as well as different plants and flowers. She hummed while she worked, a tuneless , meandering melody that was still pleasant. Her hands were sure and quick despite her age, and she quickly had a dye made up. T hroughout the process Thing brought up different materials for Grandmama; combs and brushes, clips, towels. When the dye was done and Grandmama rinsed her hands, she turned to Enid.

"This won't take long," she said.

She was right. Grandmama was as efficient at dying hair as she was at making the dye itself. She had Enid sit in a chair, wrapped a towel around her shoulders, and soon had Enid's hair sectioned and clipped so she could evenly apply the dye. Enid tried to tell Grandmama that she should change, to avoid any accidents in her new dress, but Grandmama waved her worries away and started to work.

While she worked she talked. At first Enid thought they were having a conversation, and Grandmama did respond whenever she said something, but she quickly realized that the old woman just liked to fill the air with stories of her family. While she listened Enid noticed a theme. Grandmama had story after story of some Addams or other facing strife, judgment, prejudice, but overcoming anyway. She touched on how removed the Addams could be, even from other outcasts, and how there was an image that others had of them.

"But we don't let that get to us. We just stay true to ourselves. A good way to live, right wolfie?"

Enid ducked her head, catching on to what Grandmama was trying to do, but Grandmama straightened her right back up.

"Yeah, Grandmama," Enid said quietly. "I think I understand."

"Of course you do. You're a good one, aren't you? A person with a kind heart."

"I don't know about that," Enid said.

"I do," Grandmama said simply. "And what's in your heart matters more than anything else." The old woman leaned in next to Enid's ear. "Take good care of her, you hear?"

"Oh no, it's a double date, we're going with-"

"I know what you said," Grandmama cut her off. "And I know what I said too."

She squeezed Enid's shoulder and set a small hourglass in front of her. "Now when that's finished you can rinse your hair and you'll be all set. I'm going to check in on the other one."

And she left Enid alone with her thoughts. Her dangerous thoughts, the ones centered on Wednesday. How beautiful she was, how compelling. How Morticia had reacted when Wednesday had accidentally implied they were going on a date, just the two of them . Grandmama's words just before she left. The thoughts that left her frustrated and guilt-ridden.

She pushed them aside, as best she could at least. She tried breathing exercises, she tried counting the seconds, then the grains of sand as they fell through the hourglass. When the last grain fell she stood so quickly the chair she was on fell backwards, and she rinsed her hair roughly, thoroughly until the water ran clear.

She found a mirror that Thing had brought and held it up to her face. The shade of pink Grandmama had made was perfect, not bubblegum pink like some dyes could get, and not so faded that it was hard to tell it was pink at all. The dye was even throughout, and when she held the mirror as far as she could the dye seemed to complement the dress.

She met her own eyes next. She tried to tell herself that this double date was for Wednesday and her need to investigate her vision, it was for Xavier and his safety, it was for Ajax to feel like she was invested in their relationship. It wasn't for her to indulge in pointless thoughts and fantasies, things that would never happen, should never happen. Could never happen. It could never happen for any of a hundred reasons, each more valid than the last. She stared at her reflection, hoping to see something in her own eyes to show that she believed herself.

Enid sighed when her reflection didn't change. She hadn't expected it to. She put the mirror down and headed back towards Wednesday's room. When she was close she heard Grandmama's signature cackle, followed by Wednesday's voice, low and threatening telling her to get out.

The door opened and Grandmama breezed past Enid with a wink. Enid steeled herself and entered the room, shutting the door behind her. When she did Wednesday looked at her from where she stood, in front of a mirror just as Enid had been a few minutes before.

"Disgusting," Wednesday said, eyes on Enid's new hair color. "It suits you."

"Thanks," Enid replied. She knew Wednesday meant it as an insult, but she also knew the other girl was telling the truth. Her new hair color suited her and that was disgusting to Wednesday.

"Almost ready?" Enid asked. "We can get there early and people watch."

Wednesday was silent for a few moments before she nodded. Together they left her room and headed for the front door, passing Wednesday's parents along the way. They told the two that they wouldn't wait up, and not to call if they got in trouble with the police. Enid laughed and waved while Wednesday ignored them.

The two made it to the meeting spot half an hour before the boys were supposed to get there. They had chosen to meet at some benches by one of the intersections between the boardwalk and the main road , and Enid and Wednesday claimed one when one opened up. Although Enid had enticed Wednesday with the promise of people watching, she quickly became aware that the two of them were more the subject of quick peeks and furtive looks.

It made sense when she also noticed that they were the only ones wearing dresses. Despite the town hosting a romantic couples day, most people had dressed for the weather, and were wearing as little as decency allowed. Certainly there was no one else in lace- or fur-trim. Enid glanced at Wednesday, who was completely unbothered by the stolen glances. She tried to take on some of that attitude herself, and leaned over and bumped her shoulder into Wednesday's. She grinned at the glare she received.

" I bet no one else will look as good as us tonight," she said.

She thought Wednesday would brush her off, or tell her not to care about comparing herself to others. Instead the other girl said, "of course not. Grandmama's craftsmanship is impeccable."

"They are nice dresses," Enid said. "I can't believe she had them done so fast."

"She's always been... eccentric. And a liar. She very well could have had these lying around for the past fifty years."

Enid bit her lip. Grandmama was clearly someone in the same vein as Fester: an important person in Wednesday's life that she looked up to. "Tell me about her."

Wednesday did. They sat together, people watching while Wednesday told her, in short bursts, about some of the crazy things Grandmama had done in her life. As interesting as the life of an experienced witch was, Enid found herself paying more attention to Wednesday than her words. The other girl lacked the passion of her father and the sheer oddity of her grandmother, but when she spoke about her family she positively glowed- at least for her (and when it wasn't her parents) .

And while she knew she should worry about indulging in feeling closer to Wednesday, when the other girl was letting her in she found it hard to care. She'd rather listen to Wednesday recount the many dangerous tales of Grandmama's babysitting than stress herself out any more than she already had. So she ignored the warning voice in her head and listened to Wednesday instead , until they were interrupted by their dates.

The boys were surprised to see them dressed up, but from the looks on their faces they appreciated it. Ajax and Xavier were dressed more sensibly than Enid and Wednesday, but somehow Enid didn't mind being out of place. She hopped off the bench to greet Ajax with a kiss on the cheek and turned to Wednesday and Xavier.

"Come on, let's grab some food and head for the beach!"

The others followed her to a nearby pizza place, and they each ordered a slice to go. Enid crinkled her nose when Wednesday ordered anchovies on hers, but tried to block out the smell as she led them over to the area of the beach that was set up for a romantic Christmas in July evening. There were other couples there, staking out spots on the beach around already set up tables, which were arranged in a rough semicircle around a large pile of wood . The bonfire would be lit up after the sun went down to provide the right ambiance for a romantic evening.

Since they were on a double date Enid had the boys move two tables and the accompanying chairs together. They sat and ate, and the boys told them about some chaos up the boardwalk, where people were claiming a gremlin was popping out of nowhere and terrorizing anyone who was nearby. Enid chanced a look at Wednesday, whose lip twitched in a rare show of amused pride, and she had to hold back a laugh herself.

She tried to steer the conversation towards Xavier and Wednesday to open the door for the other girl to get information from the other psychic. To her dismay- and Wednesday's consternation, which she could feel growing even without facing the other girl- Ajax kept trying to steer the conversation towards Wednesday instead. He would, Enid realized, considering he was probably trying to be a good wingman.

But the conflicting directions stall ed the conversation every so often, and Enid wince d every time it did . She want ed Wednesday to get the information she need ed , but she also want ed everyone to have a good time. Especially with her growing guilt towards Ajax, who looked as frustrated as Enid felt.

When the sun was low enough some volunteers came around and announced they would be lighting the bonfire shortly. Xavier stood and asked if anyone wanted any drinks, and Ajax immediately asked him to pick up some sodas. He also suggested Wednesday go with Xavier, as extra hands. Enid nodded and smiled when Wednesday glanced at her, and the two psychics went off.

"Hey, Enid," Ajax started when the pair were out of sight. " Listen, I appreciate you hooking Xavier up tonight, but..."

Enid bit her lip. That was not the start to a conversation that she wanted to have. "But..." she prompted anyway.

"But maybe we can set up a date for us? Just us?"

"Yeah, of course," Enid said.

"It's just been a while since it was only you and me. And we haven't really, y'know, done too much."

There was the guilt again, and Enid found herself nodding. "I know, sorry. Something just keeps coming up between the Addams and my parents, and yeah. Guess I haven't been such a good girlfriend."

"That's not what I'm saying, you're great," Ajax said in a hurry. "I'd just like some alone time with my great girlfriend."

Enid smiled at him. He was such a sweetheart. "Of course, yeah."

"Perfect."

They chatted for a few minutes before Xavier returned alone , with bottles of water and cans of soda. . He looked concerned when he reached the table.

"Where's Wednesday?" he asked. "She said she had to go t o the bathroom and I could handle the drinks."

Enid felt her stomach drop, but before she could even look around Wednesday was there, looking as she always did but smelling of... gasoline? Enid narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the other girl, who gave her a quick, sly look before addressing everyone.

"I was held up. " Wednesday said. "Not to worry. I took care of the obstruction."

"Is anyone hurt?" Enid asked.

"People are hurt every day, Sinclair," Wednesday said.

Enid figured the other girl was just messing with her and dropped it, hopping they could get the double date back on track. Wednesday and Xavier rejoined Enid and Ajax and the conversation smoothed out a little bit, though Wednesday mostly stayed quiet and acted as an observer. She seemed to understand that Xavier was still looking for some kind of sign of interest from Wednesday, and answered his questions without her characteristic snark. Xavier seemed pleased by that development.

When the sun set the volunteers announced they were going to light the bonfire. Wednesday shifted in her seat to get a better view, and Enid had a wild thought the other girl was genuinely enjoying herself before her earlier suspicion came back in full force. No. Surely Wednesday hadn't-

The volunteers lit a length of wood and tossed it in the bonfire, and when they did it erupted, not quite an explosion but close enough to make Enid flinch. She could barely make out the volunteer who had to throw the wood dive to the ground before she had to turn away from the intense light and heat. The other couples around them all gasped and screamed and yelled all at once, and a few started to duck and run.

Ajax and Xavier both turned to look at Wednesday, who regarded them with a blank face.

"They must have used too much accelerant," she said easily. "Not that I would know."

Enid snorted, then laughed. Ajax and Xavier turned their stunned stares to her and her laughter grew louder at the absurdity of the entire situation. Here she was on a double date with Wednesday that was more about a vision the other girl had than any romantic interest, and Wednesday had made the bonfire that was supposed to be the centerpiece of the evening blow up.

She managed to collect herself when the volunteers came around to shoo people away from the too-big bonfire. She tried to explain herself and what she had been laughing at without giving anything away, but she was pretty sure she only further confused the boys. Wednesday gave her a look, a new one to Enid, one that reminded her of when the other girl was talking about Grandmama, or while they had been in the car with Fester. But it was gone in a flash, and Enid wasn't sure if she had imagined it in the first place.

After the craziness at the bea ch the four of them took a stroll down the boardwalk, trying to salvage some semblance of a date from the evening. They stopped at an ice cream stand and Wednesday surprised her by ordering mint chocolate chip. She was less surprised when a mystery vial appeared from Wednesday's sleeve to drip a few drops over the ice cream, but she almost caused an argument anyway when she said she couldn't understand how anyone could enjoy mint in their dessert.

"Not everyone needs four kinds of chocolate, Sinclair," Wednesday said with a pointed look at Enid's triple chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup on top.

"Yeah, but mint?"

Wednesday's narrowed eyes promised revenge, but Xavier spoke up in support of Wednesday. Of course he did, Enid thought, he was trying to get on her good side.

But their dessert only carried them near Wednesday's house, and Enid caught the other girl glancing in the direction of the rental. She was sure Wednesday had had just about enough of socializing for the night, and she offered to take her home. Wednesday agreed and started to walk away but Enid managed to nudge the other girl and gave her the smallest nod she could in Xavier's direction. Wednesday only tilted her head at Enid, and Enid had to lean in to whisper to her.

"Now might be a good time to say you want to see him again," she said.

When Enid pulled back Wednesday had her lips pressed into a line, but she gave a small nod as well.

"Tonight wasn't as terrible as I expected it to be," she said. "I'd be open to seeing you again at some point."

"Great, yeah," Xavier said, looking surprised. "Should I give you my number?"

"I'll give it to her," Enid said. " If you don't mind. She doesn't have a phone of her own to take it down."

"Right," Xavier said. "I still can't believe that."

"I'll text you tomorrow," Enid said to Ajax, only to receive a tight smile in return.

Enid smiled as well, but knew she would have to really work to make the evening- and the past few weeks, if she were being honest- up to Ajax. She promised herself she would give it her best.

She and Wednesday made the short walk to the rental in silence until they made it to the end of the block. Wednesday stopped her there.

"Xavier was amenable to talking when we were alone to get the drinks. As much as I don't want to, I must admit you were right. He's a soft boy who responds to a soft touch."

Enid nodded. "Did you get anything useful out of him?"

"No," Wednesday said. "He kept talking about superficial things. I could only stand so much."

"Hence the gasoline?"

Wednesday gave a curt nod. "Hence the gasoline."

"Well it's progress still, right?"

"Yes. Minimal, but worth noting."

"Wednesday," Enid started. She floundered for words while the other girl stared at her. "About your vision. Did you really not see anything else? How it ended?"

"I told you everything I saw," Wednesday answered.

"Is... is Xavier going to be okay? Do you think we can really do anything about it?"

Wednesday considered her for a long time in silence. "I am what's known as a Raven in seer circles: my visions revolve around the dark side of life, the negative, horrible outcomes people fear. But they are accurate. Everything I see has either already happened or comes to pass exactly as I see it."

Enid stomach dropped, but Wednesday wasn't done.

"But I did not see how that night ends for Xavier. I understand you worry about your friend. I care only of solving the mystery of the creature. But the end is the same- we will find out what happens, we will be there, and we will stop it. "

When Wednesday spoke like that it was hard not to believe her. Enid let out a shaky breath and nodded. "I'll be with you. Every step of the way."

Wednesday nodded in return, and Enid hoped that some of the other girl's confidence would rub off on her.

Chapter Text

Enid didn't see much of Wednesday or the Addams in the days following their double date. True to her word she gave the other girl Xavier's number, and her own for good measure, but her phone stayed stubbornly silent. She wanted to know what the next step was, wanted to help Wednesday take that step, but didn't get the opportunity. Although she did give Xavier a heads up that Wednesday was busy, and not just ignoring him.

She did get to give Ajax more of her attention. It was nice and easy at first, spending time with her boyfriend. But the longer she went without hearing from Wednesday, the harder it became to focus on anything else. She hoped Ajax didn't notice her wandering attention, and if he did, he didn't say anything. Enid could live with that.

She was only a little surprised when the Addams family finally dropped in on her at work. Gomez apologized to Enid for the long drought in communication. He and Morticia had taken the family back to the manor for a day to tend the grounds and see to their pets (Enid barely suppressed a shudder at the memory of Kitty chasing her through those halls), but that day had turned into a week when Gomez spotted signs of an intruder.

"That's terrible," Enid said, trying to sound shocked and upset.

"Cunning enough to get in undetected, but sloppy enough to leave signs of their entry. I wonder if this is a challenge. I'll gladly take up the old mantle to show whoever did this what a master thief is truly capable of," Gomez said.

"I'm sure... whoever broke in is shaking at the thought," Morticia said, eyes on Enid.

Enid swallowed and nodded. "Totally. They're totally shaking."

"For now I must wait for their next move," Gomez said. "But in the mean time I would like to return to our touristic state of being. Enid, we heard tell that many who come to the beach spend a day at nearby outlets. Is that right?"

"Yeah, totally," Enid said with much more genuine enthusiasm than before. "People love to see if there are any extra bargains, they're almost like giant outdoor malls."

Gomez looked crestfallen. "You mean it has nothing to do with electricity?"

Enid's mind stalled for a moment while it tried to figure out what Gomez meant before she realized he was thinking of something like a wall outlet. "No, sorry," she said. "Just stores."

"I see," Gomez said, sounding disappointed.

"But hey, didn't you want a smart phone? That might be a good place to go then."

Gomez perked up immediately. "I did say that, yes. I would love the chance to risk my own soul." He clapped loudly. "Excellent, then it's decided. Your next day off will be spent with us going to these outlets and battling for my soul."

"Perfect."

With that the Addams waved their goodbyes, save Wednesday who gave Enid an almost imperceptible nod of her head to something behind Enid to her right. Enid's smile froze, and when the Addams were safely turned around and walking away she turned herself to see what Wednesday had been trying to indicate.

There on her lifeguard stand under a rock was a slip of paper, rough but sturdy, much like Wednesday's typewriter paper. She wondered how Wednesday had snuck a note to her without anyone noticing until she looked down and saw tiny tracks, of fingers skittering over the sand. Of course, Thing was involved.

The note, written in neat, tight cursive, told her to meet Wednesday that night at midnight, down the block from the rental. It also told her to destroy the note after she was done reading it, and while Enid rolled her eyes at the instructions, she found herself walking it to the ocean and rubbing it between her hands until it disintegrated in the water. There was no sense in pissing Wednesday off by ignoring her silly paranoia while she almost certainly had Thing still spying on her.

So that evening she told her friends she was tired and couldn't stay out too late, fed the same line to her aunt and cousins, and waited until the rest of the house turned in before she snuck out. So close to the boardwalk there were still people roving around, but most of them were drunk and mellow or drunk and boisterous, and either way they didn't think anything of Enid hurrying through the streets.

When she neared the meeting spot she didn't see Wednesday, but she caught the other girl's scent in the air. She looked around, trying to pinpoint the direction the smell was coming from, but a flash of movement close to the ground caught her eye. Thing was there, just under a row of hedges, and when Enid looked at him he took off. Enid followed.

After turning a corner in her pursuit of the sentient hand she saw a slim figure, dressed darkly, weaving their way through the foot traffic. Wednesday. Enid followed her instead, sure that Thing would end up in the same place. She followed the other girl up to the boardwalk, down a block or two to a section that was a little quieter, and through the fence on the other side of the boardwalk down to the beach.

When she landed strong hands pulled her under the boardwalk. There was only one person it could be. She turned around to face Wednesday, her enhanced eyesight allowing her to see the other girl clearly even in the dark.

"What's with all the extra... weirdness?" she asked.

She was met with an unimpressed stare. "We're trying to solve a mystery involving a family of psychics and you're wondering why I want secrecy?"

Enid frowned. "Fair. I feel like you could have just told me to meet you here though."

"I needed to be sure you weren't followed. Which..." Wednesday looked past Enid to the ground, where Thing appeared. He raised his thumb and Wednesday nodded. "We're in the clear."

"Good," Enid said. She bit her lip. "I don't suppose you've had any breakthroughs, have you?"

Wednesday took a breath. "No. My father's wild goose chase took up most of my time. I couldn't even raid the manor's library for its rarer books."

"I- well, I had some time, and I know it's not much, but I did get a list of events when your vision might take place."

Wednesday looked pleased- or at least as pleased as Enid had seen her. "Do tell."

Enid hesitated. "Now don't be too upset, but it's like I told your father; beach towns try to pack as many events into the months they're open as they can. So there are kind of a lot."

Wednesday nodded. "Tell me."

"I'll show you," Enid said, pulling out her phone. She opened a city-run website of the upcoming events they were hosting. "A lot of them are smaller events, and some of them are, like, weekly things." She scrolled through some of the days as Wednesday's eyes darted around her phone screen. "But there are some big ones, ones where the city will put up special decorations. They're hosting a 5k and a charity concert this weekend. There's a car show next weekend, an air show sometime during that week, the end of some frisbee tournament they've been putting on all summer after that, a comedian is having some kind of beach takeover, and, of course, labor day."

Wednesday continued to frown at Enid's phone as Enid spoke, and when she was finished the other girl didn't say anything for a while. Then, "normal people are so easily entertained."

Enid couldn't help the snort that escaped. "I'm sure some of those are actually a good time," she said.

Wednesday glanced at her. "For you."

"You'd find some way to enjoy yourself too," Enid said. "Even if it meant blowing something else up."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Clearly a bunch of teen-aged volunteers just used too much gasoline on that bonfire."

"Clearly."

Wednesday stood up straight and stared at Enid. "We have a narrower focus now. We'll know when to be most vigilant, though I noticed the decorations are often up a few days early."

Enid nodded.

"But it's more than we had before," Wednesday continued. "I'll open another line of investigation in the mean time."

"What line?"

"The normies. Between questioning Xavier and tracking the normies who hounded him, something must come up."

"You should probably frame it as dating, not questioning," Enid said. "At least to his face."

"Noted. And Sinclair."

"Yeah?"

"Good work."

Enid bit her lip but she couldn't stop her smile from coming out anyway. Wednesday had her go home first, and Enid was sure that Thing was following her to make sure no one else was. She didn't mind, since she was going to see Wednesday and the entire Addams family the next day anyway.

Which came quickly since she met up with Wednesday so late. Before she knew it she was making the walk to the rental, with significantly fewer people around than the night before. Enid had taken Wednesday's concerns to heart however, and kept her eyes and ears open, and her nose too for good measure. Nothing stood out as odd, so she knocked on the Addams' rental door as soon as she arrived.

Gomez opened the door, his family behind him, and he greeted Enid with his usual enthusiasm. They were dressed to go out- though with how formally they dressed there wasn't much difference between their going-out clothes and their staying-in clothes. Gomez pulled them all along to the car, where Lurch opened the doors and ushered everyone inside. Enid caught Wednesday's eye as everyone jostled for room and leaned in.

"No one followed me this morning," she whispered.

"Except Thing," Wednesday whispered back.

She straightened her back against the bench seat and gave Enid a triumphant look from the corner of her eye. Enid snorted.

"So Enid, tell me about the devices that are going to try to steal my soul," Gomez said.

Enid tried to, although she had no idea how good Gomez's technology knowledge was. He had called her using the rental's phone and had seen a computer, so she pitched it to him as a marriage between the two. She moved on to the internet and different apps, and Gomez nodded along, but she figured the best education she could give him would be hands on. So she unlocked her phone and walked him through some of her favorite features.

When she got to the camera an evil idea formed. She barely contained her grin as she opened her Snapchat.

"You can take pictures, but some apps let you apply filters or effects to see what you might look like with, oh, I don't know, cat ears," she said brightly as she selected a filter.

In a flash she faced the screen towards herself, leaned against Wednesday, and snapped a picture. She scooted away before the other girl could stab her, and turned her phone around to show Gomez. "There you go, me and Wednesday with cat ears."

"And whiskers too," Gomez said, clearly amused.

"Can you print that out," Morticia asked. "I'd love to keep it as blackmail material."

"Do it and I'll show you what your face looks like after being clawed," Wednesday said. "Without the use of filters."

"I guess I'll have to delete it," Enid said with an exaggerated sigh. She turned slightly away from Wednesday and winked at Morticia, who smiled just so in return.

The rest of their trip passed quickly, with more questions from Gomez and more demonstrations from Enid. She decided against risking her life any further by involving Wednesday in any of them.

They reached the outlets and Gomez gave her a questioning look. Enid knew why immediately. The outlets were a set of glorified strip malls surrounded by parking lots. There were mostly clothing stores, but Enid knew there were a couple of phone service providers sprinkled throughout. Of course, it was hard to know where to go, so Enid directed Lurch to park anywhere near the strip and said they would walk around and find the closest store.

The outlets were thrumming with people, maybe even more so than the boardwalk and the beach. Enid wasn't surprised, considering everyone was trying to get a good deal on something with the rising cost of everything. And the outlets had a lot of different somethings to choose from.

As they passed a group of clothing stores Enid got to indulge in one of her favorite activities; watching the two-way judgment between the Addams and everyone else. People leaving preppy stores stopped in shock at the sight of the Addams, and the Addams weren't subtle with their return looks. The gulf between the aura each group exuded made Enid want Yoko there so they could share a look and hide their resulting laughs.

Instead she decided to pretend nothing was wrong, and merrily told the Addams about each store they passed, to the family's increasing horror. Gomez swore up and down that there was some kind of mass brainwashing going on to force people to buy those kinds of clothes, and Wednesday and Pugsley both took on perpetually disgusted looks. She had to laugh when Morticia cried out that despite being different shops, the clothes all looked the same.

"That's capitalism for you," she said, only half joking. "Everyone's chasing the same thing: whatever sells best."

After some disparaging rumbling about the evils of capitalism from the Addams they made it to their destination, a phone service provider that would let Gomez choose a phone. He perked up once inside, and quickly approached the nearest salesperson, who seemed to Enid to be a female siren. She was worried at first about Gomez being taken for a ride, but the opposite happened. He swept the siren up in his enthusiasm and had her following him around the store as he tried every kind of phone imaginable. She shouldn't have been surprised, really, considering Gomez's own natural charisma and his deep devotion to his wife. Not even a siren could get between them.

While Gomez was busy searching for a phone, Enid stayed close to Wednesday. The other girl seemed only mildly interested in the technology around her, even after everything Enid had shown her.

"I'm surprised you're not looking for a phone too," she said

Wednesday glanced at her. "Are you?"

"A little. You never wanted to research something when you weren't near a book? Or get a picture of a really cool... roadkill?"

"And have someone monitoring my every move, both digital and physical?"

Enid could see the other girl's point. Still, "what about any ideas you have for your books? You can't tell me you've never lost a great idea because you couldn't get to your typewriter or even a pen in time."

Wednesday's eyes widened then narrowed and Enid knew she had the other girl intrigued. However Wednesday said, "I've never had an issue with my mind or my memory."

But Enid saw her eying some of the phones more closely.

Ultimately Gomez chose his phone, leaving a trail of demo phones and bewildered workers behind him. He paid in too much cash and didn't wait around for his change before dragging his family and Enid outside to test out his new phone. He called Enid immediately, and she answered in a serious voice demanding to know who was on the other side. He gamely played along until Wednesday pulled out one of her knives. He danced away from his daughter and kept up his good mood while they walked to the car.

During the drive back Enid thought she had found something that truly pulled Gomez away from his wife. He spent most of the time with his nose close to the phone, poking and swiping as he figured out how it worked. That was until he cried out in triumph and held the phone out at arm's length. Enid heard the click of the phones camera and a few moments later Gomez was showing her his new background, the selfie he had just taken with his wife.

"Cute," she said with a smile.

"I'll take one of the two of you," Gomez said, nodding towards Wednesday.

"What?" Wednesday snapped out.

But it was too late. Enid darted in, pressed her shoulder against Wednesday's, and leaned her head towards the other girl with a big smile. She kept her eyes on Gomez's phone, so she couldn't see what Wednesday was up to. She was worried that the other girl was really going to stab her for her audacity, but when nothing happened after a few moments she figured she was safe, and then Gomez said, "all done."

He flipped the phone around to show her the result. She looked about how she expected, goofy and too excited for being in a picture with Wednesday. Wednesday on the other hand looked apoplectic. Her head was tilted just down which enhanced the sunken look of her eyes as she stared into the camera. Her jaw was clenched, as if she were a breath away from snapping.

But what she wasn't doing was pushing Enid away. She hadn't as the picture was being taken, and she hadn't afterwards either. She had just waited for Enid to move on her own. And even in the picture Enid wondered if it was a trick of the light, or the jostling of the car, but she thought that, just maybe, Wednesday's shoulder was pressed into hers as well. Either way she knew one thing.

"You have to send me that picture."

Gomez did, and Enid gleefully kept her phone just out of Wednesday's reach while she saved it.

They arrived back at the rental in the early afternoon, but Gomez and Morticia agreed that they would stay in for the rest of the day. Pugsley said he would stay in his room with an e-reader that Enid hadn't seen him or Gomez pay for, and Wednesday looked at her brother with something akin to pride.

"It's good he's learning to defy capitalist practices," she said, and Enid knew the boy had stolen it. "Come, let's leave them to their devices."

"Literally," Enid joked, and moved out of arm's reach of Wednesday just to be safe.

Wednesday narrowed her eyes, but after a moment jerked her head towards the door and led Enid out of it.

Enid followed, but had to ask, "where are we going?"

"To Demeter's Creamery," she said.

Enid blinked. "Where Tyler works?"

"Yes. We're going to start our investigation of the normies with him."

"So what, are we just going in there and asking him questions."

"Of course not. We'll start with observing him. We'll see if anyone suspicious contacts him, and we'll follow him after work to see what he does."

"Are you sure he's even there today?" Enid asked.

"Yes. I had Thing stake out the creamery for a week to ascertain his schedule."

Of course, Enid thought to herself. Wednesday was nothing if not prepared. "Do you know when he's done today?"

"In the middle of the afternoon. That's when we'll follow him."

"What do you think he'll get up to?" Enid asked.

"Do you understand the point of a stake out?" Wednesday returned.

Enid huffed in indignation. "No need to be so sassy."

"Of course there is: to keep you on your toes. Let's go."

They made it to Demeter's Creamery and Wednesday pulled Enid into an alley with a view of the front doors. It was after noon so the sun was at an angle relative to the alley, leaving much of it in shadow. Enid hoped that she wouldn't stand out, though she was sure Wednesday would have no trouble disappearing into any darkness she could find. Sure enough, while Enid watched, Wednesday slid into a gap between one of the walls and a dumpster, and if Enid hadn't watched it happened she wouldn't have been able to pick her out. She tried to follow suit, and just managed to wedge herself in and duck down enough that she was fairly confident she couldn't be seen either.

She felt the other girl's presence behind her, and glanced over her shoulder. Wednesday's eyes were on the ice cream shop, intense and focused. Enid copied her, but after only a few minutes she gave up. Everyone who entered and left the shop seemed completely normal, and the few glimpses she could get of Tyler through the window weren't enough to be able to tell if he was paying more attention to one customer than another. And with nothing to focus on, the smell of the dumpster they were hiding behind and the heat of the day started to make themselves known, and Enid crinkled her nose in disgust at their predicament. She glanced at Wednesday again and she seemed entirely unbothered by their hiding spot or the temperature.

"How are you doing that?" Enid whispered.

"Doing what?"

"Making it look so easy to be back here? Is your nose working?"

"Of course it is."

"Then how can you stand being next to this thing?" Enid asked while knocking the dumpster with her elbow.

"Will power," was all Wednesday said.

Enid rolled her eyes. "Can you give me some?"

There wasn't an answer, but Enid could hear fabric rustling, then a thinly pressed purple flower appeared under her nose. "Take it," Wednesday said. "And stop complaining."

"Lavender?" Enid asked as she grabbed it.

"Yes."

"Why do you have lavender on you?"

"For its healing properties," Wednesday said. "Now be quiet."

Enid did, and she rubbed the petals between her fingers until they were wet and then rubbed her fingers on her neck, cheeks, and under her nose. She feared that she would still be able to smell the dumpster, but the lavender was quite effective. With its help she managed another half an hour before a new issue arose; boredom. She fought it as best she could, but a few minutes later her eyes and mind wandered.

Then a sharp pain in her side startled her and she turned to glare at Wednesday, who was glaring at her as well.

"Quit fidgeting," the other girl warned.

Enid huffed. "I want to, but it's hard to pay attention when nothing is happening."

"Plenty is happening."

"Anything important?"

Wednesday's silence was Enid's answer.

"Can I ask a question?" Enid asked.

"You just did."

Enid pursed her lips but took Wednesday's sarcasm to mean that she could ask another. "You saw my fight with my mom, and this attack on Xavier. Do you only see such... horrible things?"

Enid could hear the smallest hitch in Wednesday's breathing. "They're not horrible," she said, voice quiet.

"I beg to differ," Enid said, thinking of the fight with her mother that Wednesday had seen.

"Of course you would," Wednesday said. Before Enid could respond she continued. "What makes them horrible? The subject matter? The hard feelings, the suffering?"

"Pretty much exactly that."

"It's a pity," Wednesday said, "that you can't see what I see in those moments. The world is in a constant state of decay, yet each of us strives to put our own order to it. In those moments when someone is at their lowest, and they see the fruitlessness of their endeavors, they show who they truly are. Some fold, and let life push them around. Some fail, and spiral into despair to wither away into nothing. And some fight, harder than before. That is the vitality of living. The struggle to continue on against anything. The exhibition of will, in failure, injury, or death. That is what I see in those moments, not 'horrible' things, but fascinating. Wonderful. Beautiful."

"That's... I never thought of it like that," Enid said.

"Of course not. Few do."

Enid let Wednesday's words swirl around her head for a few minutes. She couldn't exactly agree with the other girl- it was hard to imagine pain and suffering as anything other than negative. But she could kind of see what was interesting in how people reacted to their lows. A thought occurred to her, one she hesitated to pursue. But she couldn't contain it, and voiced it to Wednesday.

"Which am I?"

"Hm?"

"What kind of person? The kind that folds? Fails? Fights?"

She risked a look back at Wednesday and was surprised to find serious brown eyes already looking at her. "You tell me."

Enid knew which she wanted to be, but was worried Wednesday viewed her differently. She had run from her mother twice that Wednesday had seen, and even her time in New Jersey was a way to continue avoiding her. She couldn't help feeling like she was a 'fold' kind of person.

Wednesday's eyes slid from Enid back to the Creamery and narrowed. "He's done."

Enid looked as well and saw Tyler leaving the shop. He looked either way up and down the street before setting off, and Enid felt Wednesday lay a hand on her shoulder. When Tyler was almost out of site she pushed her, and they started following the boy. Enid let Wednesday take the lead, unsure how close to get and how far to stay. Wednesday seemed well practiced at tailing someone, and easily kept pace with Tyler without him noticing.

Tyler's pace was easy, his body language casual, but that changed when he reached a corner. He stopped, his shoulders stiffened and he looked around. Enid was sure she and Wednesday were about to be caught, but the other girl grabbed her and turned the both of them to face a storefront.

"He's up to something," Wednesday muttered.

Enid nodded, unsure what to do. She kept her eyes forward, not really seeing what she was looking at, and waited for Wednesday to make a move. After a few moments of pretending to window shop, Wednesday pulled her along again.

Tyler wasn't down the street. He must have turned at the corner, Enid realized at the same time Wednesday broke into a jog. When they reached the corner Wednesday stopped, and slowly peered around it.

"Enid, he's at the next corner, turning right,"

Enid almost questioned why Wednesday was telling her, but she figured it out on her own in an instant. She was faster than Wednesday, and could get there to see where Tyler went next faster than Wednesday.

"Got it," Enid said as she took off.

She rounded the corner and spotted Tyler just as he turned off the street. She rushed to the next corner, aware of Wednesday's footsteps behind her, fading as Enid pulled away. She hit the next corner and repeated what Wednesday had done, pausing to poke her head around it. She spotted Tyler again, who looked around him before ducking into a building. Enid took the corner and could just hear Wednesday hiss out her name, but she needed to get closer to see the building Tyler had entered before she lost track of it. She slowed her pace and could feel Wednesday drop into step beside her.

"Where did he go?" Wednesday asked, voice low.

Enid slowed as she approached the building Tyler had disappeared into. "Right here," she answered.

The building was a doctor's office, converted from a residential home. There was a sign in the yard which read Borgo Pass Therapy with two names underneath, a Dr. Seward and a Dr. Kinbott. Wednesday stared up at the office with interest

"What a perfect opportunity," she said. "You're sure it was this building?"

Enid nodded. "Yeah, didn't take my eyes off of it."

" Then let's go somewhere more private. We have more planning to do."

Together they walked back in silence. Wednesday was clearly deep in thought working on her plans, and Enid was content to let her. Her own mind was spinning with worry. They had just stalked somebody, someone who was seeing a therapist. And they had done it on a suspicion that he was going to be involved in an attack on one of her friends. This was so far from what she had expected from the summer, even after meeting and interacting with the Addams and their spooky vibes.

And what if they were wrong? What if Tyler was just a young guy who made mistakes and was trying to change his ways? If she and Wednesday were chasing a ghost they could hurt Tyler and fail to protect Xavier. She glanced at Wednesday. The other girl's posture was straight as ever, her eyes focused and her mouth set. She wished she could have some of that confidence, the certainty that what they were doing was the right thing. But she didn't. She didn't even know where Wednesday was leading them, until they reached the boardwalk and slipped under it when no one was looking .

When they were safely in the shadows Wednesday stopped walking and turned to Enid.

" I know what I'm going to do."

There was that confidence again. Enid nodded for her to continue.

" I need to see what Tyler's been revealing to his Doctor. I'll drop in, get an appointment to see the layout of the office, then you and I will break in and get his files."

"Break in?" Enid asked. Listening to Wednesday was unpredictable, but hearing the other girl wanted her help breaking into a doctor's office brought her earlier concerns back in full force.

"Yes." Wednesday tilted her head at Enid. "Don't worry. I've never been caught breaking in anywhere before."

"How many places have you broken in to?"

Wednesday gave her a self-satisfied look. "Enough."

"Of course you have," Enid muttered. "Are you sure you want me there? I might ruin your perfect record."

"I'll be fine. If anything happens I'll leave you behind and use you as a scapegoat."

Enid's mouth dropped open, but the look on Wednesday's face was lighter than usual, not quite smiling but amused in her own way. If Wednesday wanted to play that game she could give it right back.

"You know I know where you live, right? I will not hesitate to snitch if you abandon me."

" You're learning," Wednesday said. Her face turned and her voice dropped. "But there's more to be done. Set something up with your friends and I'll join as well. I can still get more from Xavier. In the mean time I'll infiltrate the doctor's office." Wednesday's face turned thoughtful. "There's another full moon this weekend. That will be a good opportunity to break in to the office. Stay over again, and we'll slip out when my family is asleep. "

"Wednesday..." Enid started. She took a deep breath. If she wanted some of Wednesday's confidence, maybe all she had to do was ask. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing? Should we just watch over Xavier, or tell him about your vision?"

She was worried that Wednesday would dismiss her worries, would scoff and tell her to just listen and obey. Instead Wednesday took a deep breath as well.

"Visions have a way of coming true even when the subject is forewarned. We could tell him and have him protect himself, or flee, or something even more drastic. But it wouldn't work, or would come to pass before we expected, or in an unexpected place. How many places have celebrations with decorations on l amp posts ? The attack I saw could take place anywhere.

"No, it's better to try to intervene as we are, by learning everything we can about what's going to happen so we can put ourselves in a position stop it when it does. Tyler is one lead we're following, Xavier is the other. And if neither pan out we'll turn to the other normies, or Xavier's father. And above all, we'll stay vigilant during those events you found, as the evening approaches and into the night."

Enid nodded and released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Wednesday, I... thank you. I don't know how much help I can be, so I'm glad you're here."

Wednesday surprised her again. Maybe the other girl was just in a sympathetic mood , but she nodded at Enid in return. "We'll stop the worst from happening. Together."

And when she spoke with such conviction, Enid found it easy to believe.

Chapter Text

Following the day out stalking Tyler, Enid reached out to Ajax and suggested they get everyone together for a party, just as Wednesday planned. With the upcoming 5k set to shut down much of the town Ajax offered up Xavier's house, and his pool, as a way to avoid the crowds and still enjoy some sun and water. It was also the perfect way to watch over Xavier without him knowing, and Enid excitedly messaged everyone to get them on board.

Thing was acting as a courier between Enid and Wednesday so they could keep in touch without going through her father's or the rental's phone. Enid gave him the details about the party to pass along, and he returned quickly with Wednesday's demand to meet before the party. She had managed to get a session with Tyler's therapist to scope out the layout of the office, and she wanted to make a plan to guard Xavier for the evening then break into the office after the party.

In the intervening days Wednesday watched over Xavier and Enid tried to be sweet with Ajax. They didn't have any coinciding time off, but still managed to hang out outside of life-guarding. Enid kept making excuses to head home in the evening, which caused her guilt to grow, but seemed unavoidable. If Wednesday needed her she wanted to be ready, especially since Wednesday was the one risking her life. Ajax didn't say anything about her behavior though, and Enid figured that a solid two months of working in the worst of the sun was taking its toll on him. Either way, she was relieved she didn't have to face another conversation about her commitment as a girlfriend.

The day of the 5k, their pool party, and the full moon was a day off for Enid, and she spent the morning trying to tell herself that everything would be fine. She told herself that even if Wednesday's vision came to pass that night they would be able to stop it. It didn't help. She dressed with her mind still in disarray, a colorful sundress over her swimsuit, then threw a few things in a bag. When she left for the Addams's rental she wasn't feeling any more confident than when she woke up.

Wednesday was waiting for her when she arrived at the rental, in her usual black dress with white polka dots and her twin braids. Enid guess that, much like herself, the other girl had her swimsuit on underneath her clothes. As she got closer, she realized Wednesday was glaring at her.

"Good morning?" Enid said when she was close.

"I'm going to murder you."

Enid gulped. "Should I start running?"

"It won't help," Wednesday said. "I will hunt you down wherever you go."

"Before you kill me, can I ask why?"

"My father found the video function on the phone you coerced him into buying, and this place is not as... spacious as the manor."

Enid frowned. "I don't see how those relate."

"My mother was involved. They didn't spend much of last night sleeping. Neither did I."

"Oh," Enid squeaked out in realization. "Well I totally get it. If you wanted to spill my guts right here I'd understand."

Wednesday took a breath, let it out. "Unfortunately we still need to confront my vision. You get a pass on a gruesome death until after that."

"Good to know you only keep me around because I might be useful."

"Isn't that what everyone does?"

Enid couldn't tell if Wednesday was going along with her sarcasm or if she was being sincere. The other girl had a real knack for that, she thought. "So what do you want to do in the meantime?" she asked.

"First we get away from this house," Wednesday said as she started walking. "Then we plan. The party should be a simple matter, but the therapist's office may take longer. I'm not sure which of the two doctors Tyler is seeing, and we'll only have so much time to check both offices."

Wednesday led them to a coffee shop where Enid ordered a latte and Wednesday ordered a quad over ice. They gave each other judgmental looks, Enid mostly in a joking way, though she couldn't speak for Wednesday. They made their way to the furthest corner of the shop together and sat, and Enid asked a pressing question.

"So what happened with the therapist? And how did you get an appoint so quickly?"

"The receptionist told me they didn't have an opening for several weeks. I changed her mind."

"How?"

"I convinced her I urgently needed psychological attention. I used some of the details of my life."

"Like what?"

Wednesday told her, in a litany of sins and wrongdoings. Enid knew the other girl was a writer, and she sincerely hoped she was flexing those writing skills as she threw confession after confession at Enid's shocked face. Enid winced at a particularly detailed description of a play Wednesday and her brother were in that ended with a near human sacrifice and camp counselors roasting over a fire.

"And I didn't even have to include-"

"I'm not sure I want to hear whatever you're about to say," Enid said, cutting Wednesday off.

"You wouldn't," Wednesday said with that almost-amused look. "But you did better than the receptionist. She fainted when I got to the blood-"

Enid quickly held up her hand. "Once was enough."

"Dr. Kinbott came out to see the commotion and when the receptionist revived, she suggested I get an appointment as soon as possible. Dr. Kinbott saw me the next day."

"And that was yesterday?"

"Correct," Wednesday said.

"Did you actually, y'know, talk to the therapist? Like an actual session?" Enid doubted that Wednesday would see the point of therapy, or she would consider herself above it. But Wednesday had surprised her before, and she was burning with curiosity.

There was a short silence between them while Wednesday took a sip from her coffee. "Those sessions are supposed to be kept between the doctor and the patient," Wednesday said when she lowered her drink.

Enid smirked. "So you did have something to talk about."

"Believe whatever you want."

"Way ahead of you."

Enid could have sworn Wednesday's eye twitched. "Let's focus on what we came here to do," Wednesday said, "before you let your imagination run any more wild."

"Fine, if you insist," Enid said. She knew she was going to dream up conversations between Wednesday and her therapist anyway.

But Wednesday settled into a serious mood and told Enid her plan for the evening. During the party they would keep an eye on Xavier and their surroundings, and one of them had to be with Xavier at all times. She told Enid that Thing would be there as well, patrolling the outside of the house, and that if Enid saw him, she would have to drop whatever she was doing to see what was wrong.

Enid followed Wednesday's serious mood. "And what about breaking into the therapists' office? How are we going to watch Xavier and do that at the same time?"

"We wait. We stay vigilant throughout the party. We watch over the house until the darkest part of the night, and Thing will stay the rest of the night while we break in. If he sees something amiss he knows your phone number."

"But he doesn't have a phone," Enid said, just managing not to say that Thing was only a hand.

"Thing is resourceful."

Enid knew that much was true. "And what do we do if the, you know, monster shows up?"

Wednesday gave her a level stare. "I have a few tricks up my sleeves."

"And by tricks you mean knives?"

"And poisons."

Enid took a deep breath. "Okay. I don't know if I'm ready, but tonight's going to come either way."

"We will be."

Enid nodded. "Okay. Good. Then what are we waiting for? The race is going to start soon so we should beat the crowds to Xavier's house."

Wednesday followed her through the streets, which were slowly filling with people ready to cheer on the racers, and they reached Xavier's house. Ajax was already there, and he opened the gate in the privacy fence when Enid texted him that they could see the house. Xavier was finishing arranging the deck chairs around his in-ground pool. He stopped what he was doing when he saw them and came over to greet them.

"Hope you brought your suits," he said, with a less-than-subtle look at Wednesday's dress.

"I'm prepared for whatever this night may bring," Wednesday said.

Enid didn't like the way Xavier's eyes widened or the look he shared with Ajax. "Yeah, you never know when there might be another sudden fire," she said.

Xavier's excited look darkened enough for Enid to feel satisfied. "Hey, this is my actual house, just as a heads up."

"Yeah, of course," Enid said, "but we can't help accidents, right?"

"Fire just seems to follow me wherever I go," Wednesday added.

Xavier hesitated a moment, then laughed, apparently deciding they were just joking around. Enid wasn't actually sure if she was joking, and she also wasn't sure if Wednesday knew the meaning of the word. But Xavier moved on, getting them drinks, water for Wednesday and an iced tea for Enid, and leading them inside to a spare bedroom to change in.

Enid turned her back on Wednesday and started taking off her dress. She tried not to think about the fact that she was more or less stripping with the other girl in the room, and was soon only in her swimsuit. She had gone with a bikini, in a light blue that she had fallen in love with as soon as she had seen. She was excited to show it off a little, since she spent most of her time at the beach in her work one-piece.

"What do you think?" she asked as she turned around to face Wednesday, and was startled to find the other girl's eyes already on her. Wednesday herself was wearing her long swimsuit, black with white stripes and a skirt over shorts that ended just above the knee.

"I thought you'd be wearing your usual swimwear," Wednesday said.

"Oh, the red one-piece? No, that's just a uniform. This is more my style. So?" Enid spun to give Wednesday the full effect. She smiled widely when she faced her again.

Wednesday was quiet for a few moments, then, "I see you're not afraid of skin cancer."

Enid rolled her eyes. "That's what sun block is for. Speaking of," she said. She reached for her bag and pulled out a bottle of sun block. "Think you could put some on my back?"

She held the bottle out towards Wednesday expectantly, but the other girl just frowned at it for a few seconds. When she kept just staring at it Enid was struck by what she had asked of her.

"Sorry, your visions, right? I'll ask Ajax if he can-"

"No need," Wednesday said, cutting her off. "I'll be fine."

She strode across the room and took the sun block from Enid. She stared at Enid until Enid realized she was waiting for her to turn around, and she muttered a quick 'right' while she did. After a moment of waiting she felt cold lotion and colder hands drop on her shoulder and she jumped.

"Sorry, your hands are cold as ice," she said.

"Thank you," Wednesday replied.

Wednesday's hands were strong and sure, and she covered Enid's shoulders, neck, and back with the lotion quickly. When Wednesday was done Enid turned back around.

"Thanks," Enid said as she took the sun block back.

"Don't mention it," Wednesday said, and Enid knew she was being serious, not polite.

"Need me to do you?" Enid asked.

"I have my own way of combatting the sun," Wednesday said.

Enid was about to ask what Wednesday meant when they were interrupted by a knock on the door and Yoko's singsong voice. "I hope you guys are decent, we're coming in."

The door opened and Yoko and Divina stepped into the room. Enid waved excitedly and jumped over to give them both hugs, while Wednesday only watched on.

"Looking good, girl," Yoko said when she pulled away from Enid's hug.

"Thanks. I can't believe I haven't gotten to wear this yet."

"You've been working too hard."

"True, so I'm gonna make up for it today," she said.

"Good," Yoko said. She turned to Wednesday and nodded in greeting.

Wednesday nodded back, then headed for the door. She gave Enid a significant look on her way out, a reminder that they had more than one reason for being at the pool party. When she was gone Yoko nudged her.

"And you've been spending time with her and her family," she said. "Which is fine, just... as long as you're happy."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be?" Enid asked.

Yoko and Divina shared a look, then Yoko shrugged. "Nothing. We're gonna change, you gonna stay and watch?"

"I'll give you guys some privacy, but if you're not out in, hmm," Enid pretended to check a watch she didn't have, "seven minutes, I'm coming back in here with an airhorn and a blindfold. No sense dirtying other people's houses."

"Bring Wednesday if you do, we can have a real party," Yoko said.

Enid snorted out a laugh and backed out of the room. "Seven minutes."

She returned to the yard to find Wednesday staring as Ajax and Xavier finished setting up a net of some kind. She saw the rackets and a few birdies and hopped over to help them finish setting up. She loved badminton. As soon as it was set up she grabbed Ajax and told Wednesday to join Xavier on the other side of the net so they could play a game.

Yoko and Divina joined them a little more than seven minutes later, just as Enid and Ajax beat Wednesday and Xavier. Enid was pleased that Wednesday engaged with the game and didn't just half ass it. Yoko declined playing Enid and Ajax, and said they would settle for a second and third place match against Wednesday and Xavier. Enid pouted at her, but Yoko held strong, and Enid left the court with a sigh.

She and Ajax had to watch the match unfold, which was entertaining in its own right, but still, Enid couldn't wait to challenge someone one on one. Maybe Wednesday would be willing to, considering her competitive nature.

Her planning was interrupted by Bianca's voice from the other side of the fence. She was talking to someone else, though Enid didn't hear a response, then she was knocking on the gate and yelling to be let in. Ajax rose to open the gate, and when he did Enid almost gasped.

There next to Bianca was Lucas, the boy who had accosted Wednesday with his two friends. The friends were nowhere in sight, but Enid couldn't believe that Lucas was there at all. She saw Ajax frown, clearly having recognized the other boy as well.

"Uh, hi Bianca. Want to introduce your friend?" he asked.

The others had turned from their game, and Enid could tell that both Wednesday and Xavier recognized Lucas as well.

"Bianca what the hell is he doing here?" Xavier demanded.

"Hey, listen," Lucas said, hands up. "I know I did some bad things in the past, and I wish I hadn't. Think we could put it behind us?"

Xavier looked like he wanted to say something, but Bianca cut in. "Please? I ran into him a few days ago and we got to talking. He really regrets what he did."

"I know it's not an excuse," Lucas added, "but Tyler was, you know, the popular guy, the Chief's son, I just wanted to fit in." He looked at his feet, he seemed as if he were repentant, but Enid wasn't convinced. Tyler had seemed much more... authentic in his regret.

"What's the harm?" Bianca pressed. "Besides, there's one of him and seven of us, nothing's going to happen."

All eyes turned to Xavier, the one time victim of Tyler and Lucas, and he took a breath. Before he could speak Lucas held up a bottle, an expensive looking bottle of amber liquid.

"If it helps, I brought the good stuff," he said as he gave the bottle a little swirl.

"Fine, let's see how this goes," Xavier said. "But I'm getting the first shot."

"Of course man, it's your house," Lucas said with a smile.

Xavier started to lead everyone into the house, and Enid caught Wednesday's eye. She knew they were on the same page. Lucas being there was definitely suspicious, even if he wasn't involved in Wednesday's vision. And they couldn't be sure he wasn't.

When they reached the kitchen Enid decided to speak up. "Maybe we start slow today. Don't want a repeat of last time."

"What happened last time?" Lucas asked.

The rest of them cast quick glances at each other, none willing to speak up- save Wednesday. "Vomit was involved. There was a stoning."

Lucas hesitated for a moment then slowly nodded. "Right, so slow is probably the way to go."

"So maybe we save shots for later," Bianca said. She took the bottle from Lucas and put it on a nearby counter. "Besides, drinking and swimming aren't good companions, isn't that right?" She gave a significant look to Enid and Ajax, and Enid snorted and nodded in agreement. She had seen enough people who 'only had one or two' drinks need to be pulled from the ocean to know how badly drinking and swimming mixed.

"Then let's get swimming," Ajax said.

Enid grinned. "Last one in is a rotten egg!"

She took off for the pool, with Yoko's voice asking how old she was following her. Enid didn't pay her any mind, and instead threw herself into the pool with her legs to her chest and her arms holding them in place. She could tell from the rush of noise and the churning of the water that she had made a big splash. While she was under water she heard two more splashes, and opened her eyes to see the forms of Divina and Ajax in the pool with her.

She broke the surface to grin at the others, not surprised that the goths considered themselves too cool to jump in a pool. With some minor cajoling ("What's the matter Wednesday, worried I'll have to save you from drowning again?"), Enid managed to convince everyone to get in, except for Yoko who stayed in the shade and out of the sun. Yoko amused herself by instigating conflict, first by encouraging everyone to play monkey in the middle with a small beach ball, then by questioning who would win in a chicken fight, where one person sat on another's shoulders and grappled with another pair.

Wednesday managed to get out of joining, citing her touch-sensitive psychic abilities. Divina shrugged and paired up with Xavier in her stead, and they had a small tournament, which Enid and Ajax narrowly won. Bianca proved to be an equal match for Enid in her natural element, but Lucas was the weak link, unable to keep his balance with the thrashing around above his head.

After their pool games they returned to the badminton net, for one-on-one matches which Enid dominated. Yoko was a tough opponent, with her quick reactions and enhanced power, but Bianca and Wednesday proved tougher. They were each so competitive that even when Enid gained the upper hand they never gave up, unlike Yoko who stopped trying when Enid went up by three. But Enid defeated each of them, and the boys proved easier prey still.

After Enid's domination on the badminton court they took a break for snacks and drinks and to get out of the sun for a while. Despite the hanging prospect of Wednesday's vision, and even despite Lucas's presence, Enid was enjoying herself. It was the first time in a long time that everyone was able to get together, and even Wednesday seemed amused at the goings-on.

The sun slipped down as they ate and talked. Enid kept reminding herself that as darkness fell, she needed to be more alert, in case Wednesday's vision came to pass. Wednesday seemed to have the same idea, because when Xavier stood to bring out drinks for everyone Wednesday was the first to volunteer to help. Enid noticed the sly looks that went around when the two went inside, and felt a little smug knowing there was more to Wednesday's help than there appeared to be.

The rest of them fell back into eating and talking, but after a few minutes without seeing Xavier and Wednesday Enid began to feel restless. A few minutes after the feeling began she knew she had to do something about it, and excused herself to the bathroom.

The back entrance to Xavier's house led to a hall, with a kitchen on one side and family rooms and bedrooms on the other. Enid could hear low voices from the kitchen, Xavier and Wednesday talking about... family, it sounded like. Xavier was saying something about his dad, and how difficult it was for him to live in the shadow of a great psychic. When Enid snuck past the kitchen she saw them, each leaning against a counter and facing each other. Xavier had a grim look on his face and Wednesday... looked the same as she always did. Enid couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

She left them to their moment and found the bathroom, further down the hallway. A few minutes later, and after a round of hyping herself up in the mirror for the coming night, Enid returned down the hallway. She entered the kitchen to see if Wednesday and Xavier needed any help getting drinks out to the others but stopped short. The two looked up at her entrance as she took in the scene before her.

Xavier had moved closer to Wednesday, surely into her personal space, and one of his hands was reaching out towards Wednesday. Enid wasn't sure where he was reaching, but she knew he was making his move. She stifled a wince at the look on his face, annoyance at the ruined mood.

For Wednesday's part she seemed unfazed by Xavier's proximity or by Enid's interruption. She slipped past Xavier easily and grabbed a few drinks, including the bottle that Lucas had brought, and said as she breezed through the kitchen and past Enid, "we'll continue our conversation another time."

She left Enid and Xavier looking at each other, and Enid gave him an uncomfortable smile. "Sorry, just thought you guys might need help with the drinks," she said.

He shrugged, though his face remained annoyed. "You didn't know."

"Still, I feel bad. It looked like you were making some progress."

Xavier ran the hand that had been reaching out for Wednesday through his hair. "I don't know, it's hard to tell with her."

"Well she wasn't actively stabbing you, so that's a good sign."

Xavier managed a quiet snort and grabbed a few drinks as well. Enid followed him back out to the pool. The sun wasn't quite set, but was below the surrounding houses, leaving everything in long shadows. As they returned to their drinks and games the sky darkened further, and Xavier had to turn on some hanging and standing lights. While he did, Lucas excused himself to take a phone call.

"So, you and Lucas? How'd you guys get to talking?" Yoko asked Bianca when Lucas closed the gate behind him.

"I ran into him one day, gave him some attitude for his shitty behavior, and he actually apologized," Bianca answered.

"So are you two, like, official?" Enid asked.

"We're not that serious, just seeing where it's going," Bianca said. Her eyes slid to Xavier for a moment before she continued. "Can't stay single forever, right?"

Before anyone could answer there was a knock at the gate, and Enid, who was closest to the gate, went to open it. Lucas was there, holding a brightly colored water gun, and his friends from the night he had accosted Wednesday were on either side of him, similarly armed. Before Enid could even blink in surprise they opened fire, and she reeled back as she was covered in a thick red liquid. It had a sharp, chemical smell, the smell of paint.

She let out a noise between a squawk and a screech and fell back. The three boys rushed over her and started spraying the others. The sudden onslaught caught everyone flat-footed, even Wednesday, who ended up with splashes of red over her lower half. The three normies whooped and jeered while the others yelled, and even reached into satchels they had for water balloons filled with more paint. They tossed the balloons, but hadn't counted on Wednesday. Her arms flew and the balloons popped before they made it halfway to the group, then her arms flew again and knives lodged themselves into the barrels of two of the water guns.

The normies looked down and paled.

"Holy shit," one of the goons said.

"Those are real knives," the other said.

"Let's get outta here," Lucas said.

Enid was on her feet by the time the normies started running. She considered stopping them, or scaring them, or tripping them up, but decided to step aside and watch them leave. She figured nothing good would come from delaying them, and she didn't want any of her friends to catch an assault charge- or in Wednesday's case a murder charge. She shut the gate and flipped the latch, although the damage was already done.

Silence reigned for a few moments as the stunned outcasts looked at each other. It was broken by Yoko. "What a bunch of scumbags."

"That's an understatement," Divina said.

"And you brought one of them here?" Wednesday asked, glaring at Bianca.

"He seemed remorseful," Bianca said, voice faint.

"Nice judgment," Xavier said. He looked around at everyone. "Come on, there's a hose around the side of the house. God I hope this doesn't stick to the concrete here."

Enid followed the others around to the other side of the house and they took turns hosing themselves off. That is, until Ajax had the hose. Instead of handing it off to Enid, he took a look at her, licked his lips, and sprayed her himself. She squealed and giggled at the sudden attack, a much more welcome one than the one from a few minutes before, and turned away from the water.

"Hey, I'm trying to help get the paint off. Can't do that if you're facing the wrong way," Ajax said.

"Oh yeah?" Enid said over the noise of the water. She whipped around, leaped forward, and snatched the hose from Ajax's hands. She stuck her tongue out at his amused smile.

"Fine, fine, be that way," he said.

Enid finished hosing the paint off of herself and turned to hand the hose to the last person, Wednesday, who had stayed back while everyone went ahead of her. Enid was tempting to do to Wednesday what Ajax had done to her, but realized at the last moment how that might look. She didn't want to appear to be flirting in front of her own boyfriend.

Instead she simply handed the hose over, but when Wednesday turned it on herself and opened the nozzle, Enid noticed something.

"Wednesday, what happened?" she asked as she darted her eyes over the exposed skin on Wednesday's arms and legs.

"Hm? Oh, that?" Wednesday asked, looking down at herself.

The other girl's skin exposed skin was an angry red, and bumps and blisters were already appearing. "Yes that," Enid said. "What the hell happened?"

"I believe I told you before, I'm allergic to color."

"I thought that was a joke," Enid said faintly. "Wednesday, you have to go to a hospital."

Wednesday looked offended at the thought. "I'd rather die."

"Girl, I know that's your whole vibe, but if you don't, and those wounds get infected... that's a lot of damaged skin, you could lose a leg," Yoko said.

"Promise?" Wednesday asked, eyebrow cocked at her.

"Okay, no, we're not doing this," Enid said. "Either you come with me at least to your parents, or I'm carrying you there kicking and screaming."

Wednesday glared at Enid. "You wouldn't dare."

"You know what, I think I'm going to carry you either way."

"Touch me and I'll-"

But Enid made her move, darting forward and getting under Wednesday's arms. One of her own arms got behind the other girl's legs and the other grabbed her shoulder, and in an instant Wednesday was in her arms, cradled against her chest in a bridal carry. When Enid stood and met her eyes Wednesday looked murderous.

Enid looked around a the others before she changed her mind under the lethal pressure from Wednesday. "Sorry to cut the night short, but this one is too stubborn for her own good."

The others were looking at Wednesday's wounds, and they all nodded for her to go. She was off like a shot, slowed only by the latch she had done earlier, but in a few seconds she was on the street and headed for the Addams' rental.

While she ran she felt Wednesday's hand creep up her arm to her shoulder, likely to steady herself against Enid's jostling pace. Her grip dug into Enid's shoulder, and Enid couldn't tell if the strength of the grip came from pain or anger. Knowing Wednesday it was probably anger.

Enid made it to the rental as the sun set, and when she ascended the steps Wednesday spoke, her voice sharp and clear.

"Put me down."

Enid hesitated a moment, but complied. She had done her part- had probably overstepped a dozen of Wednesday's boundaries too, she thought woefully. But someone in the house would know what to do about Wednesday's reaction, or would at least be able to make Wednesday address it. She hoped, at least.

The door opened to reveal Lurch, who stared down at them with his usual blank face. Wednesday breezed past him and Enid followed. After only a few steps she felt the familiar tingling that preceded an attack from Grandmama, but for once she was happy for it. She ducked at the same time Wednesday did, and a pair of knives lodged themselves into the floor behind them.

"Grandmama, perfect, Wednesday needs-"

"Nothing," Wednesday interrupted.

"I bet she doesn't," Grandmama said, appearing from the shadows. "I wouldn't either if I had a strong wolf to carry me around."

"That wasn't by choice," Wednesday snapped at the same time Enid said, "Her legs are injured."

"I see, quite a reaction," Grandmama said as she looked down at Wednesday's legs. "Your mother will have the perfect remedy, I'm sure. She's always been good with her plants."

"I'd rather you poison me now," Wednesday said, and Grandmama cackled.

"I would, dear, but I don't think I have anything strong enough to finish you off," she said. "Think you can manage the stairs, or will you need your wolf to carry-"

Wednesday started walking before Grandmama could finish making fun of her, but Grandmama didn't seem to mind. As Enid passed her she leaned in and whispered, "nice swimwear, wolfie."

Enid had almost forgotten she was only in her bikini, and started to stutter something about how she and Wednesday were just in a hurry, but Grandmama was already gone, back through the shadows to wherever she lurked when she was waiting for a new victim. Enid fought her blush and hurried to catch up to Wednesday.

"Uh, sorry," Enid said when she did. "I didn't mean to embarrass you Wednesday, I was just-"

"Quiet," Wednesday said. "I should have just put a knife in your rotator cuff."

Enid heeded Wednesday's order and kept her mouth shut. She followed the other girl to the second floor, where Gomez and Morticia were cuddling on a couch. They didn't look up at the girls' entrance, and only looked at them when Wednesday asked where Morticia's balms were.

"You look like you had an awful night," Gomez said, sounding pleased for them. "And those wounds- they're absolutely grotesque."

"Thank you father," Wednesday said.

"They're painful I hope," Morticia added.

"Excruciating."

"Congratulations dear," Morticia said.

"Unfortunately, as I have urgent need of the use of my legs, I'm going to take some of your medicinal plants to make a healing balm," Wednesday said.

"Of course my little scorpion, whatever you need," Morticia said. "Although, just this afternoon I happened to create a potent salve that might serve your needs."

Wednesday narrowed her eyes at her mother and Enid glanced between them. She knew Morticia was a seer as well, and she wondered whether the older woman had had a vision. Enid couldn't read her expression, the same mysterious smile she always had, but Wednesday certainly seemed suspicious as well.

"A coincidence, I'm sure," Wednesday ground out.

"I'm sure," Morticia repeated. "Our ice box was full, and yours is the coolest room in the house, so you may find it there."

Wednesday's nostrils flared in a rare show of strong emotion, but she didn't answer. She whipped around and stalked back through her house to her room, with Enid in tow. Sure enough, when they reached her room there were three vials of deep green liquid neatly arranged on her desk.

"That conniving spinster," Wednesday muttered, but she walked to the desk and opened on of the vials. "Grab a cloak if you want to cover up. Or suffer the cold, if you can" she said over her shoulder.

Enid looked down at herself, surprised again that she was only wearing her bikini, and hurried to Wednesday's closet to find something to cover up. When she did, she turned to see Wednesday examining one of the vials.

Wednesday took a wary sniff from it, then dipped the tip of her pinky in the liquid and took a taste. After a few moments she frowned, but made her way to her bed and sat on it. It was only when she put her heel on the bed that Enid realized Wednesday was still in her swimsuit as well, and she looked away, embarrassed despite the modesty of the suit.

She wasn't sure what to do. Getting Wednesday out of the party so she could treat her growing reaction had seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but from Wednesday's attitude she was sure the other girl was angry. She knew Wednesday was tough, and the Addams surely weren't regular people, or regular outcasts for that matter, but there was no way she would have been able to just power through without consequences. Even if she wanted to, with her bullheaded obstinance. Wednesday's voice broke through Enid's thoughts.

"If you ever do something like that for me again, I will make good on my promise to murder you," Wednesday said.

Enid wrung her hands together and glanced at Wednesday. She was staring at her legs, applying the salve to one with slow, methodical movements. "Look, Wednesday, I'm sorry, but that was such a strong reaction, I just had to do something."

"No you didn't."

"Yes, I did. I think we've known each other long enough for you to know that I can't just watch someone suffer."

"I wasn't suffering."

Enid threw her hands up. Of course Wednesday would claim not to be suffering despite the glaringly obvious wounds opening on her skin. Her worry turned to anger, and she directed it at Wednesday.

"Well sorry I forgot about your weird masochistic tendencies when I saw a bunch of giant rashes all over you, but I can't just let a friend risk their limbs like that, even if they are stupid enough to try."

There was a moment of silence, then, "I'm not a masochist. Or a friend."

"Whatever you say," Enid said, "but actions speak louder than words."

"They do, but I never receive sexual gratification from pain," Wednesday said.

Enid's mouth dropped open and she stared at Wednesday. She wouldn't have been surprised if the other girl didn't know the meaning of the word sex, but she knew enough to know what a masochist was. "Well then what were you feeling with those wounds? Because you sure seemed set on feeling it."

"Pain is like scratching an itch, or stretching a muscle. There's a satisfaction in experiencing it, but it's not sexual in nature."

Enid stared at Wednesday, who switched which leg she was applying the salve to. "I forgot who I was talking to. Who enjoys pain like it was stretching a muscle? I would have been sobbing."

"I haven't cried since I was six," Wednesday said absentmindedly.

"You know what, that actually makes sense. I can't imagine even baby you crying." Enid took a moment to try, but all she pictured was a tiny Wednesday, with small pigtails and a frown. "What made you cry?"

"The death of my pet."

It was said so easily, so dispassionately, but Enid still gasped. "Oh Wednesday, I'm so sorry."

"It was a decade ago," Wednesday said. "And don't apologize, you weren't involved."

"I know I wasn't, I was just empathizing. That's a terrible thing to happen, especially when you're young."

"Empathy is a weakness."

"I'm still gonna feel it," Enid said, undeterred by Wednesday's words.

Something in her tone must have gotten to the other girl, because she stopped treating her wounds for a few moments to look at Enid. Her mouth pressed into a line. "You shouldn't," she said after a few moments. "It clouds your mind, it weakens your resolve."

"It makes it easier to connect with others," Enid said. "It makes it possible to say that crying out of grief is natural- it's healthy even. Especially at that age."

"Age is no excuse," Wednesday said.

"I don't know, just look at me. I'm ten years older than you were and still crying over things my mother says to me." Enid meant to speak in a light-hearted way, but could hear the strain in her own voice.

Of course, Wednesday maintained her uncaring mask. Enid couldn't maintain eye contact and dropped her gaze to her hands, but when Wednesday spoke, her voice was softer than Enid expected. "I told you before of the power parents have over their children. It's natural that she affects you so. Of course I can't speak from experience- I want my parents dead, not their approval."

Enid snorted at Wednesday's words as the other girl switched from treating her legs to treating her arms. "Can we trade instead? I actually like your parents."

"I don't see the appeal," Wednesday started, "although... loath as I am to admit, they have given me space when I've needed it. Something your mother never did." Wednesday paused both speaking and rubbing the salve onto her arms. She frowned at Enid, and Enid gave her time to think.

"Many would have crumbled under the pressure you were under," Wednesday continued after a few seconds, "and though you suffered, and were pushed to be some other person's ideal, you managed to carve an identity for yourself. That is an... admirable trait."

Enid felt her face heat up and she looked away. "I don't know about that. I can wear these colors and dye my hair, and it helps, to have something I can actually control, just... sometimes I wish I didn't have to worry all the time. That I didn't have all this weirdness about me. That I was just a normie. In every way. " She looked at Wednesday, whose face betrayed nothing. "You probably think that's pathetic, don't you."

Wednesday stared at her for a few tense seconds. "I think it ' s very you. "

"Thanks," Enid said, trying not to read between the lines. At least it wasn't explicit confirmation that Wednesday looked down on her. She sighed. "I didn't mean to unload all my angst on you. I just wish things were different."

"Then make them different," Wednesday said.

" That's easy to say, especially for you. You're so... you," Enid said. "B ut... I don't know if I can."

"What makes it easy for me?" Wednesday asked. Her voice drew all of Enid's attention, and she stared at the other girl. " I've had many advantages in my life. But , " s he leaned forward towards Enid , " d o you think, if I left them all behind today, that I wou ld cease to be me. Do you think my advantages are all that I am?"

Enid was enraptured by Wednesday's eyes. They were intense, and all of their attention was on her; it almost more than she could bear. They weren't as dark as they first seemed, a dark brown rather than a pure black, and deep and beautiful. Enid felt drawn in and pushed away at the same time, wanting those eyes to look only at her yet afraid at what they might see, how they might judge her, sure that she would come up lacking.

"I- no, you 're- you'd find a way to keep going."

"Of course I would. Not because it would be easy, but because I can. So tell me, do you want your life to be different?"

"Yeah," Enid said softly, still lost in Wednesday's eyes.

"Can you do something about it?"

"I- I-" Enid swallowed against her suddenly dry mouth. "I still don't know."

Wednesday leaned back, and the spell Enid was under broke. She blinked and looked away.

"If you never try then the answer doesn't matter."

"Yeah. You're right."

"I often am."

They settled into silence again and Wednesday finished rubbing the salve on her arms. When she was done she went to the bathroom with a change of clothes, and a few minutes later she returned, looking pristinely put together.

" Find something that fits you and get dressed," Wednesday said. "We have a therapist's office to break into."

"What?" Enid asked at the sudden demand. " We can't do that tonight, Wednesday, you're-"

"My wounds are healed. Mostly."

Enid's eyes darted from Wednesday's arms down to her legs. The skin was still red, but there were no rashes or sores. "Sure it looks better now than before, but-"

"But nothing. To delay is to invite disaster. The longer we go without a clue the longer our enemy has to plan. We go now."

There was a note of finality in Wednesday's voice that Enid couldn't argue with. She sighed. "Okay. Let's break into a therapist's office and totally not get caught and sent to jail and ruin any shot of preventing your vision."

"Good to see we're on the same page. Now get changed and let's go."

Chapter Text

Enid tugged at the collar of the t-shirt she had borrowed from Wednesday as they peered at the therapist's office from the corner of the street. It was black and too tight on her, much like the matching skirt she had found, but it was all Wednesday had in her size and would probably help more than Enid's usual wardrobe with breaking in.

Her heart thumped at the prospect of doing something so illegal. Underage drinking was one thing, but breaking and entering was more than a fine and community service, she figured. If Wednesday was bothered she didn't show it- though Enid knew the other girl wasn't. On the walk over she had told Enid her plan in great detail, from which window she was going to open (to avoid picking the lock on the door in plain view of the street) to how they would split up searching the records for Tyler's file once they were inside. If anything she seemed eager rather than nervous.

Wednesday tapped her hand, the signal to start moving, and darted across the street, staying low and sticking to the shadows. Enid followed as best she could, and together they approached the office and slipped around the side of the building. Wednesday stopped under one of the windows and nodded to Enid. Enid nodded back and stuck her right knee out. Wednesday stepped on it and rested her other knee on Enid's shoulder while she worked on getting the window open. Even though both of Wednesday's legs were hidden by the skirt of her dress Enid ducked her head and looked away, just in case.

Although she couldn't see what the other girl was doing, she could hear some rustling, jingling, then a click, then the window being pushed up. She felt Wednesday's weight leave her shoulder, and turned around to follow her into the building. She hopped up to grab the sill and pulled herself after Wednesday. They were in.

From what Wednesday had told her, Enid knew they were in Dr. Seward's office. The other office, belonging to Dr. Kinbott, would be across the hall, with the reception area down the hall to the left, and a bathroom and possibly other storage to the right. Wednesday unlocked the door to the hallway and tried the one to the other office. It didn't budge, so she crouched down and worked on the lock. It unlocked with another click and Wednesday gestured to Enid to go inside.

Enid nodded and crept in. They had agreed to stay as quiet as possible- or rather, Wednesday had told Enid to keep it down under threat of immense pain. Enid had no problem with it though; she did not want to end up caught and arrested.

The room held a few chairs around a coffee table, as well as a desk and chair set at the back of the room. Enid imagined sessions took place at the coffee table, while any other work happened at the desk. To one side of the desk were a few filing cabinets, and Enid tip-toed over. She tried to open one, but it was locked. Just as she was about to find Wednesday to get it open a hand fell on her shoulder. She leapt into the air, smacking a hand over her mouth as she did so as not to scream. She landed and glared at Wednesday, who glared at her in response.

Enid huffed and stepped back so Wednesday could unlock the filing cabinets and stuck her tongue out at the other girl when she was done. Wednesday rolled her eyes and returned to the other office. When she was gone, Enid sighed and started opening drawers.

It didn't tale long to notice the files were alphabetized by the patient's last name. The only problem she had was that she couldn't remember Tyler's, if she ever knew it in the first place. She started the slog of sifting through file after file, checking first names as she went and hoping there weren't too many Tylers seeking therapy at the office.

Luckily for Enid she didn't have to look too long. About a quarter of the way through the documents she found a Tyler Galpin, who fit Tyler's age. The first page seemed to be mostly pieces of different police reports, which Enid found alarming, and she flipped through the rest of the file to see if there was anything to indicate she had the right file. She felt guilty as she did, on the chance that it wasn't Tyler's file, but it paid off when she spotted a passage towards the end of the file about a bee farm. She slapped the folder closed and rushed over to the other office, trying to be as quiet as she could despite her excitement.

Wednesday's head whipped around when Enid entered, but Enid just held the file up and met Wednesday at the desk.

"You're sure it's his?" Wednesday asked, voice just above a whisper.

"Positive."

Enid opened it to the first page and they put their heads together to read it. In between the police reports were notes from the therapist. The reports themselves dated back a few years, and detailed an escalating series of minor crimes, culminating in the assault on Xavier. Before Enid could look at the notes Wednesday turned the page, and she put her hand out to stop her.

"I'm in a hurry Sinclair," Wednesday said.

"I didn't finish reading," Enid said.

"I did."

Enid huffed. "Here, let me at least take a picture of each page so we can get the info and leave the file."

Wednesday's whole face scrunched, her lips pressing together and her eyes narrowing. But after a few moments she nodded. "Very well."

Enid started snapping away, using her body to hide most of the flash from the window. She spoke to Wednesday while she continued shooting. "See, these phones are useful for a lot. You never know what you might need one for next."

Wednesday stayed silent and Enid counted that as a victory. Tyler's file was thick; he had been attending sessions regularly for some time, and there seemed to be a lot of history behind his issues. Enid flipped page after page of notes, hospital reports, and another police report, which looked older than the ones from the first page. It took almost a full minute to get pictures of each page, and when she was done she turned to Wednesday.

"Alright, got them all," she said.

Wednesday didn't answer, and instead flipped back to the old looking police report. Curious, Enid leaned in to look at it as well.

It was a missing persons report from more than fifteen years before, when Tyler would have still been a baby. Enid gasped when she read the name: Francoise Galpin, wife of Donovan Galpin and mother of Tyler Galpin. Wednesday shushed her but she paid her no mind. Instead she leaned in to get more details.

Francoise had gone missing a little more than a year after Tyler's birth. There was a search, and references to other cases that weren't in the file, but as time went on the updates became less frequent, until it was marked as a cold case. Enid swallowed and turned to Wednesday.

"Poor guy, he lost his mother before he even knew her," she said.

Wednesday frowned at the file. "These other cases... are they more disappearances?"

Enid shrugged. "Seems likely. You think this could be related to your vision?"

Wednesday met Enid's eyes. "It's impossible to say with just this, but this could be something important in any investigation: motive." The other girl took a breath. "You have the pictures on your phone, is there any way to print them?"

"Yeah, we might have to hit a library or something but it should be easy."

"Then let's return the file and put everything back as we found it. I'll study it in more depth later, from your pictures, but this opens another line of investigation. Tomorrow we'll go to the nearest library. You can print your pictures, and I will see what I can find about these disappearances."

"Right."

Carefully they returned the file to Dr. Kinbott's office and Wednesday locked the cabinet. They backed out of the room, eyes darting around to make sure nothing was out of place, and repeated the process in the other doctor's office. They went out the window, and Enid held Wednesday up as the other girl locked the window as well, then they crept to the street. Enid felt a giddiness rise within her, the exhilarating feeling of getting away with something a little naughty. Although maybe breaking and entering was more than a little naughty. She wondered if Wednesday always felt that way, and if that was the source of the other girl's confidence.

They returned to the Addams' rental where Wednesday led Enid to her room's window. Enid knew the drill, and lifted Wednesday up to unlock it and followed her inside once it was open. The other girl climbed into her own bed and Enid climbed into the spare, but she found it difficult to sleep, still amped up by the thrill of their successful adventure. She wondered again how many experiences just like that one Wednesday had, and if all Addams had similar experiences. She entertained herself imagining different Addams going on wild adventures until she slipped into sleep.

She woke with a startle some time later, to the light noise of Wednesday moving about the dark room. She fumbled around blearily for her phone to check the time and found it was after 7 am, solidly morning but earlier than she wanted to be up on a day off. When she put the phone down she received another startle; Wednesday was staring down at her.

"Get ready. We have much to do today," Wednesday said.

"I don't think the library opens for another couple of hours," Enid said. She yawned when she was done speaking, and when she opened her eyes she found Wednesday still staring at her. "Fine, fine, I'll get up."

Wednesday left the room to do whatever it was she did in the mornings and Enid slowly worked through her morning routine. She hadn't expected to stay the night at the Addams' rental and she had left the party with little more than her phone, but was pleasantly surprised to find her bag waiting for her on the floor. She would have to thank Thing the next time she saw him.

By the time she left Wednesday's room she was alert and hungry. She followed her nose to the kitchen, where Lurch already had a healthy spread of breakfast foods waiting, and dug in with Gomez and Morticia. They talked about the party from the night before for a few minutes, and if they suspected anything about her and Wednesday's late night caper they didn't show it. Pugsley joined them a few minutes after Enid sat down and they went over their plans for the day. Enid wasn't sure how much to tell the Addams parents, but Wednesday swooped in to answer for her.

"We'll be out doing own thing," Wednesday said. "If she's done stuffing her face we can leave immediately."

"Of course, dear," Morticia said. "And I'm sure you won't return to us in Enid's arms again today."

Enid stifled a laugh and Wednesday glared at her mother and swooped back out of the room. After saying her goodbyes, Enid followed.

It was a short walk to the library, with Enid leading the way with her gps. By the time they reached it Wednesday had cooled down a little, and they split ways once inside to take care of their respective tasks. Enid found a row of computers and sat at the one farthest from the entrance, so she could hide what she was printing if needed.

It didn't take long to figure out how to print the pictures she took, and she rushed to the printer to collect them. Despite the tension she had felt the night before, she was somehow more nervous in the light of day. She almost dropped her papers when she tried to straighten them out in her hands, and she stumbled over her own feet when she hurried back to the computer to make sure everything was closed and logged out.

She followed her nose to Wednesday, who was in a dark corner of the library surrounded by newspapers and dust. Enid slid in next to the other girl, doing her best not to break her concentration, and looked over some of the newspapers herself. They were dated from the same time as Tyler's mother's disappearance. The headlines immediately grabbed her attention.

They were all about different disappearances, occurring over a span of a few months before Tyler's mother's own disappearance. Enid read the names, ages, locations, genders, anything that could suggest a pattern, but couldn't make one out. She hoped Wednesday could.

"Tyler's connected," Enid said to try to gauge Wednesday's thoughts. "Or at least his mother is. Right?"

"They don't have to be," Wednesday said, "but I also don't believe in coincidence, not of this scale. Something caused these disappearances, and whatever monster or outcast it was, is back." She turned to face Enid. "You have the print outs of Tyler's file?"

Enid nodded and tapped the papers she was holding.

"Good."

Wednesday scooped up all the articles, uncaring that she was probably supposed to check them out or even leave them at the library, and started for the exit. Enid found herself following Wednesday again, though she wasn't sure where to at first. Only when they hit a particular section of boardwalk did she realize they were heading to the spot under the boardwalk Wednesday had retreated to after her fencing loss to Bianca.

They ducked under the boardwalk and advanced a few yards to find a tarp lain out on the ground with Thing waiting over it eagerly. Enid greeted him and he waved back while Wednesday got to work laying everything they had collected out on the tarp. They watched Wednesday scowl at the arranged materials for a while, then she started to move. One article moved to the left side of the tarp, another moved next to it, another moved to the right end, some moved further up the tarp, some fewer moved further down until the other girl seemed satisfied.

"Enid, come look," Wednesday said.

Enid moved next to her and stared down at her handiwork. "A timeline?" she asked.

"And more. Look, the ones higher up," she said pointing to them, "reference a young detective, Detective Galpin."

"Tyler's father," Enid said.

"And these aren't just disappearances," Wednesday said. "They're murders. Brutal deaths at the hands of something that was never found. Read some of the descriptions, they're quite colorful."

"I believe you," Enid said, remembering pictures Wednesday had found of other crime scenes. She was sure anything the other girl described as 'colorful' was something she didn't want to see. "So brutal deaths, like at the hands of our mystery monster?"

"'Five gouges in the torso, as if by five great claws-'"

"Please don't quote the articles to me," Enid said. "So this monster attacked a bunch of people fifteen years ago, disappeared, and now it's back?"

Wednesday nodded to the right end of the tarp, the latest entry in her makeshift timeline. It was Tyler's file, opened to the page of his mother's missing persons report. "Her body was never found. It was connected to the others because of the timing, but with no body..."

"You think it might be her?"

Wednesday's mouth pressed into a line. "There are still too many factors, too many unknowns. It could just as easily be Tyler's father. He'd have been in the prefect position to obfuscate any evidence."

Enid nodded. "So... what do we do now?"

Wednesday's eyes roved over the files before turning to Enid. "We keep watch over Xavier. Arrange more hangouts with him and the others in the evening, hangouts that we can extend overnight. And during the day..." Wednesday looked back towards the entrance to their spot under the boardwalk. "I'll have to arrange a meeting of my own. Perhaps I'll bump into Tyler during his next session with Dr. Kinbott."

"Is that safe? If someone in his family is a murderer, won't they notice someone new getting close to him?"

"We need answers," Wednesday said. "And I intend to get them, no matter what."

They split upon leaving their hidden meeting spot, Wednesday to make arrangements with the therapists' office and Enid to make plans with Ajax and the group. They texted back and forth with different ideas for everyone to get together, then he hit her with an unexpected line. He wanted to plan a date night at the end of the week, just the two of them, and Enid felt a familiar guilt rise. She hesitated for a few minutes and Ajax sent a question mark, and Enid knew she had to agree. She tried to steer him towards doing something in the early evening, and he excitedly ran with her idea, bringing up the car show that would be in town. Enid worried her lip as she stared at her phone, but replied that she was excited for it.

The next day Thing delivered a message from Wednesday, telling her that the other girl was going to go through with her plan to bump into Tyler. She told Thing to tell Wednesday to be careful, though she knew that wasn't going to happen. She also relayed the plans she had made, on Friday with everyone and on Saturday with herself and Ajax, and asked if Wednesday had any ideas for how to watch over Xavier when Enid was busy with Ajax.

Thing didn't return for some time, and Enid began to worry. Just as she started on her third imagined scenario of a disastrous meeting between Tyler and Wednesday her phone rang. It was from the Addams' rental.

"Wednesday?" Enid asked as soon as she answered.

"Enid," was the flat greeting.

"What happened?" Enid hurried to ask. "Are you okay?"

"Unfortunately. I ran into Tyler as planned, and though our meeting was brief he was open to further contact. He offered me his number."

"Okay, yeah, that makes sense," Enid said, remembering how interested Tyler had been at the Ottinger farm. She took a breath to calm herself. Wednesday surprised her by offering more to the conversation without Enid needing to ask.

"He seemed eager to talk, though there wasn't much time. I suspect his intentions are romantic in nature. Loath as I am to admit it, you may have more experience in dealing with amorous attention than I do. Would contacting him tonight for a meeting tomorrow be too forward?"

Enid was surprised that Wednesday was so easily asking for advice. If anything she thought Wednesday would have an answer for anything already planned out. But then, the other girl didn't seem to give much thought to romance or attraction.

Enid shrugged even though Wednesday wasn't there in person to see it. "I think we're most of the way through the summer, so he'd be happy to hear back so soon."

"That works well with my desire to get answers. I'll contact him immediately."

"Are you sure?" Enid asked. "I can move things around with Ajax if you need me to."

"It's best not to arouse suspicion," Wednesday said. "Including with your friends. Follow the plans you made this weekend. I'll contact Xavier as well, on your date night with the gorgon, so we can protect him both days."

Enid bit her lip. "I'm still worried about you meeting up with Tyler. Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"It's the only idea that will get us more information; whether it's safe is immaterial."

"Then do you want me to hang around as backup when you do? I can watch from a distance and call someone if something happens."

"You're too conspicuous, Enid. At least for now we should be operating as quietly as possible. No, go about your job and your daily life as normal. I'll be fine."

"Right," Enid muttered, trying not to feel hurt.

After a brief silence Wednesday continued. "I'll have Thing with me. Keep your phone nearby, if it'll quiet your mind."

"I will," Enid said. She wanted to say more, but couldn't think of anything that Wednesday wouldn't immediately dismiss as needless worry. Instead she said, "I guess I'll see you Friday."

"Yes," Wednesday said.

The other girl hung up unceremoniously and Enid sighed. There was nothing else for her to do. She tried to take Wednesday's advice and focus on her life, but throughout the week the other girl was never far from her mind. She was distracted enough that pretty much everyone noticed; her family, her friends, and of course, her boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" Ajax asked late in the week when they were packing up the lifeguard stations.

"What do you mean?" she returned as her mind raced to come up with an answer that didn't revolve around Wednesday.

"You've been a little off for the past few days," he said. "Did something happen with your family?"

"Yeah," Enid said, relieved to have something to latch on to. "Just a tough phone call since the full moon just passed. I don't know why they still bother asking."

Ajax winced in sympathy. "It'll happen, Enid. Maybe as soon as you can get away from them."

"Yeah, you're right."

They finished putting everything away in silence and collected their things. Ajax broke the silence first.

"Sorry to bring it up, I just wanted to see what was wrong."

"Thanks," Enid said. "I'll be alright though. See you later? I wanna shower before we all get together."

"Yeah totally, see you at Xavier's."

They split up with a kiss and a wave, and Enid hurried back to her aunt's house to get ready for the evening. She wasn't sure how she was going to navigate the night. She wanted to help keep an eye on Xavier with Wednesday, but she didn't want Ajax to feel any more neglected than she knew he already did. She wished she could tell Yoko what was going on. She always had a fresh perspective and a way of framing it that put Enid's mind at ease. If she messed something up because she couldn't focus then she would never forgive herself.

Her tumultuous feelings stayed with her when she made her way to Xavier's house, and if anything grew stronger when she saw Wednesday already there, staring into space as Xavier tried to talk to her. There wasn't much summer left, and there were only so many days that her vision could take place. Enid was sure the other girl just wanted to be extra safe when it came to her vision. That had to be why she was already at the other psychic's house.

With that thought in mind she tried to push the others out to focus on enjoying herself. It was hard at first, with the events of the previous week hanging over them. Bianca was more subdued than usual, and turned snappy when she picked up on how close Xavier was to Wednesday. Yoko and Divina helped, at least a little. Enid always had fun Yoko, and with Divina in the picture she could enjoy their shenanigans, even if she herself wasn't feeling so great.

Luckily between the other girls and Ajax, the atmosphere improved and the evening passed in a blur. Enid kept a close eye on Wednesday for any sign of her vision coming to pass, but none came. Every now and again she could feel Ajax's questioning looks, and when she did she leaned into him, or squeezed his arm. She hoped it was enough to ward off any discussion, at least until their date the next day.

When they started to wind down Enid found an opportunity to talk to Wednesday away from the others for a moment. She asked what the plan for the night was, and the other girl gave her her signature look.

"Thing and I will keep watch until sunrise. Thing swears he can contact you if something goes wrong."

"You sure you don't need me here?" Enid asked.

Wednesday tilted her head. "Staying out until all hours is not unusual for me, but you need to maintain appearances."

"I don't mind staying, I do have enhanced endurance."

"You guys making plans?" came Ajax's voice from behind Enid. She startled and turned to face him with wide eyes.

"No, no," she said. "I mean, kind of?" She looked to Wednesday in a panic, hoping the other girl could spin a lie in an instant.

"There are a few arboretums my parents wish to see, with Enid's help. We were trying to coordinate a day some time next week around her work schedule."

Enid breathed a sigh of relief. Of course Wednesday could lie so easily. She probably made a game of it in her day to day life.

"It's not called the Garden State for nothing," Ajax said. "The girls were gonna head out, they wanted to say bye."

"Yeah, of course. We should probably call it a night too," Enid said, unsure herself if she was talking about Wednesday or Ajax. She realized she needed to clarify, and her boyfriend needed the reassurance. She turned to Wednesday. "We can finish the details another day?"

Wednesday nodded and gestured for Enid and Ajax to lead them back out to the others. They said their goodbyes and started off to their respective houses. She, Wednesday and Ajax started in the same direction, but Wednesday said she had something to take care of and broke off early. Enid wanted to say something to her, to tell her to be careful, but knew it would have been useless.

Instead she stayed with Ajax for the next day and told him how excited she was to have a proper date, just the two of them. He seemed pleased, and when it came time for them to part ways as well he leaned in and kissed her. She pulled away a few moments later with a smile, and waved as she said goodnight.

But it wasn't a good night, not for Enid. She tossed and turned when she tried to get to sleep, thinking about Wednesday's vigil over Xavier and the specter of an unknown monster looming in the night. And there she was, safe in a bed, leaving the other girl alone. At her insistence, sure, but that did little to assuage Enid's guilt.

The next day dragged for Enid, her fatigue and anxiety weighing her down. She still had to work as well, then try to be present with Ajax on their date. She spent most of her shift frowning and sighing, and Ajax questioned her mood when they took their lunch together.

"I'm fine," she said. She put on her best smile. "Just wondering what to wear tonight."

Ajax returned her smile, and Enid breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

When their shift ended Enid told Ajax that she needed to freshen up before their date and hurried off to her cousins' house. She had to fight through extra crowds, drawn in by the car show that she and Ajax were planning on strolling through. Ajax had definitely been excited that their date night lined up with the car show, and Enid was glad for it. He might even forget all about her lack of attention all week if she were lucky. But the sight of the flags and ads for the car show brought back a chilling memory, of Wednesday relaying her vision to Enid. Her vision could come to pass that very night for all they knew.

Enid tried to push the thought away by telling herself they were doing all they could, and she managed to shower and change in record time. She headed back out to meet up with Ajax, at one of the stores on the main road instead of the boardwalk for once. The crowds increased the closer to their meeting spot she got, but she managed to pick Ajax out of the crowd and grab his arm when she reached him.

"Hey hot stuff, fancy meeting you here," she said.

He smiled in greeting. "At the place we agreed to meet, and the time we agreed on? Who could have guessed?"

Enid bumped his shoulder and slid her hand down to his. "So what do you want to do first?"

"I've already seen some sweet rides since I've been here, so maybe we can just walk around for a bit and see what shows up."

"Lead the way."

Ajax did just that, pointing out different cars as he did. Enid tried to pay attention to what he was talking about, but almost all of the cars looked the same, and the names seemed like random assortments of letters and numbers. For all she knew he was making them up as he went along.

She went into autopilot as they continued down the street, wishing they had chosen something they both could enjoy. As much as she wanted to make up for her lack of attention towards Ajax, a car show just wasn't doing anything for her. She wondered what Xavier and Wednesday were up to. The other girl had mentioned making plans, but Enid doubted those plans involved cars and crowds.

They were probably alone, somewhere quiet and secluded. Wednesday hadn't seemed super interested in Xavier, but he was a good guy, and maybe some time together would change her mind. They could even be bonding over their psychic abilities. Enid frowned at the thought. Wednesday would be too busy looking out for signs of her vision to care about anything Xavier had to say.

But thinking about Wednesday's vision brought all her worries back to the surface. If something were to happen that night and Enid missed it because of her date she didn't think she'd be able to forgive herself. And as resilient as Wednesday was, how would she really be able to handle a monster on the hunt? For all they knew the vision could even take place after it attacked Wednesday, and that was why Xavier was running, because-

"Enid?" Ajax's voice cut through her thoughts.

She perked up and smiled at him, but knew from the look on his face that she had messed up.

"Are you all here?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Of course I am."

Ajax pulled a face. "Really? All your attention is here, with me?"

Enid let out a nervous chuckle. "Of course, where else would it be?"

Ajax shrugged. "You tell me."

"There's nothing to tell," Enid said.

"It just seems like there is."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Enid said. "Come on, let's-"

"Enid," Ajax said. He stopped walking and Enid followed suit. "Listen Enid, I was interested in you all summer, and you asked me out so I figured you were interested in me too. But we haven't really done much together."

"We're on a date right now," Enid said defensively.

"After how many weeks?" Ajax prodded. "And we don't even act like a couple when we're just hanging out with everyone. We barely give each other any affection, and I know I can try and show more, but you never seem to mind one way or the other."

"No, I'd like that," Enid said, unable to meet Ajax's eyes. This was not the way her night was supposed to go.

"Is it something I'm doing? Or," Ajax hesitated a moment, but seemed to gather himself and press on. "Is it Wednesday?"

"What does she have to do with us?"

"When she's hanging out with us it's like you're more interested in her than me," Ajax said.

"That's not true-" Enid started, but Ajax interrupted.

"Well , it feels that way. "

"Well it isn't that way. There's nothing going on with Wednesday, I just have to keep an eye on her is all. "

" Are you sure?" Ajax asked . " Because it seems like more than that. Like she's who you actually care about ."

"I think you're seeing things that aren't there."

Ajax's face darkened. "Want to ask the others? I bet even Yoko would say something's up with the two of you."

Enid almost winced, considering her last couple of conversations with the vampire. Instead she covered her guilt with anger. " Listen, j ust because I'm bi doesn't mean I'm interested in everyone I hang out with."

"That's not what I'm saying, Enid, I just-" he stopped himself and sighed. "I just want to feel like your actual boyfriend, instead of just a friend."

"Well sorry I make you feel that way," Enid said. "Sorry I've been such a horrible girlfriend."

"Not horrible," Ajax said, voice strained. " But c an you really say you've been invested in this relationship?"

" I don't need this right now," Enid said.

"Well neither do I," Ajax said.

"Glad we're on the same page then," Enid said with a frown.

Ajax frowned as well. "What do you mean by that?"

Enid huffed. "Nothing drastic, just... let's cool off for the night. I don't think either of us want to have this conversation right now."

"What conversation?" Ajax asked, an edge to his voice.

Enid hurried to answer. "One where we're both angry. And stressed. I told you I'm having a rough time with my mother again, so maybe I'm not ready to talk about my shortcomings."

Ajax's face softened and Enid's stomach twisted at her blatant lie. "I'm not trying to blame you or anything, I just... I don't know. Maybe you're right, we can talk about this later."

"Yeah." Enid bit her lip, and when Ajax didn't say anything she continued. "Walk me home?"

He did, sticking to her side in silence. Enid wanted to say something more, and she was pretty sure Ajax wanted to as well, but when they reached her cousins' house they just exchanged tight smiles and a hug and she disappeared inside. She made it to her bed and flopped down onto it. She felt awful. She had lied to him about her family, who had been far from her mind for some time. Everything Ajax had said had been too close to home, from her lack of affection to her interest in someone else. In... in Wednesday.

It felt pointless to deny it any longer. Wednesday was intense, captivating, and free in a way Enid might never be. Enid knew she felt a pull towards the other girl, even if she didn't want to, a pull that was stronger than any she had felt towards Ajax. She balled her hands into fists as anger and self loathing assailed her. Enid didn't want to have any interest in the other girl. She would have been happy with a simple summer, no Addams family to drag her around, no deadly vision, no intense girl to captivate her. But nothing in her life was easy. Nothing ever went her way.

God she just wanted to be normal.

Enid startled awake the next day with a sentient hand on her sternum. "Thing!" she gasped as she sat up. "What are you doing here?"

He told her that Wednesday wanted to go over her observations of Tyler and Xavier, as well as plan their moves for the coming week. Enid didn't feel up to it, but knew she was going to go anyway. She told Thing to wait in her room while she got ready in the bathroom in the hall.

When she was ready she and Thing hurried to the Addams's rental. It was a quiet morning, which Enid was thankful for. She could try to collect her thoughts and prepare herself to face the biggest issue in her relationship with Ajax. After the night before she wasn't sure how she would react to seeing Wednesday.

Despite her best efforts she wasn't prepared when they got to the rental and Wednesday was there waiting for her. The other girl had her usual polka-dotted dress, her hair in its usual pigtails, and her expression was set in its usual stony way. Enid couldn't believe that this was the girl who had taken over her mind so thoroughly. She took a deep breath and waved in greeting.

"Hey Wednesday," she said.

Wednesday nodded. "I thought it best to discuss our situation outside the house. Too many prying ears in my family."

"Of course," Enid said as easily as she could. So there would be no distraction for her from Wednesday. Great.

Wednesday led them off, but away from the boardwalk and their usual meeting spot under it. They walked in silence for a while, until they reached a low stone wall separating the road from a cemetery. Of course Wednesday would want to talk while surrounded by the dead, Enid thought to herself.

They slipped through an opening in the wall and strolled through the cemetery, along a narrow lane until Wednesday stepped among the headstones to reach a copse of trees. They stopped in the shade of the trees and Wednesday turned to face her.

"I've had an... interesting few days since last we talked about my vision."

"Tell me about it," Enid said.

"I moved forward with my plan to meet Tyler. He seemed surprised to hear from me, but eager to meet."

"Did you learn anything?" Enid asked.

"Much, though nothing related to my vision. Tyler is surprisingly open about his traumas, naively so."

"Oh," Enid said, unsure how else to respond. "Anything juicy?"

"His relationship with his father is strained, and he fears it has something to do with the fate of his mother. He moved on to talking about Xavier and his guilt in his actions towards him before I could pursue the issue further."

"You let him?"

"I had to tread carefully. A strained relationship doesn't mean no relationship, and if he says something to his father and his father is involved, that would spell disaster."

Enid sighed. "It's a shame this couldn't just... be easier, I guess."

"Few things in life are."

"I guess," Enid said. She continued after a moment of thought. "Did you two make plans to meet up again?"

"Yes. And my suspicions about his intentions were correct. He specifically asked me on a second date."

"That's..." Enid hesitated, unsure how to continue. "How do you feel about that?"

Wednesday's face darkened. "In my limited experience, dates are boring, mindless things. But I will have to suffer through more if I want information."

"That's the spirit, just what anyone would want to hear from someone they're dating," Enid tried to joke, though it hit a little too close to home after the ending of her own date with Ajax.

"If only I could be so blunt with him. I fear he's too delicate to handle that. Him and Xavier."

"Xavier?" Enid asked. "Duh, you were with him last night, right?"

"Yes."

"How'd that go?" Enid

"It was fine. We stuck to the quiet parts of town. He has more insight into psychic powers than I expected. He kissed me."

Enid startled at Wednesday's words. "What, really? And you didn't kill him?"

"That would defeat the purpose of protecting him."

"Right, just kind of figured you wouldn't be down for that kind of thing."

"I never gave much thought to physical intimacy before."

Enid bit her lip, both curious and fearful of the answer to the question she wanted to ask. Her curiosity won out. "But you let him kiss you. Did you... are you interested in him?"

"Not so much in Xavier, just- he presented the opportunity to explore something I haven't before, and my curiosity needed to be sated."

Enid chewed on her lip. "So what did you think?"

Wednesday's face didn't change. "Not much. The physical sensation was nothing special, and nothing stirred in me, as seems to happen in mediocre fiction."

"Right," Enid muttered. Her stomach was twisted in knots, and she felt a creeping anxiety settling over her. "Maybe he's just not a good kisser."

"It's possible. Or there needs to be greater compatibility built up with practice. The only way to know for sure would involve tracking data and introducing variables in the way of more trials and other partners. As much as I enjoy a scientific study, I doubt the subject matter is worth the effort."

"Probably not," Enid said, suddenly desperate to change the subject. "So what about Tyler?"

"I won't turn him down, if he makes an advance," Wednesday said, and Enid realized the other girl hadn't followed her question, had thought Enid still wanted to hear about her kissing other people instead of her plans to prevent her vision from coming to pass.

"It would at least make for an interesting contrast," Wednesday continued, seemingly unbothered by the thought of kissing Tyler as well as Xavier.

Enid felt like everything was falling apart. Ajax had pushed her away, and here Wednesday was, a complete novice when it came to romance yet the center of a love triangle- or would it be some weird diamond shape, if Enid included her own feelings? Would it matter if they were included, with two boys on either side, a looming threat, and her own cowardice getting in her way? Or would Wednesday leave her behind, like everyone else was. Enid felt something snap inside her.

"Must be nice," she said bitterly.

"What?" Wednesday's eyebrows raised just a hair, a big gesture for her.

"To have two boys fighting over you. And here I can't make it work with one."

Wednesday's eyes narrowed dangerously, but Enid was feeling dangerous too. "I don't know what happened between you and your boyfriend," Wednesday said, "but it should stay between you and him. As for Xavier and Tyler, they're interest is not a concern of yours. Frankly it doesn't matter to me, either."

"Of course it doesn't," Enid said. "Why would it? You've got a mystery to solve, and it doesn't matter what anyone else wants."

"That's right. I'm glad you understand," Wednesday said with a glare.

Enid scoffed and Wednesday's glare deepened.

"You want your friend to die?" Wednesday pressed, clearly agitated by Enid's sudden outburst.

"No, I-" Enid huffed in frustration. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. Everything just comes to you naturally, even when you don't care about it. Even relationships I guess."

"I didn't ask for their interest."

"From what you told me you didn't seem to mind it either."

"If I have to entertain interest from a couple of simple-minded boys to see this investigation through to the end then I will," Wednesday said.

God Wednesday could be so callous, Enid thought. But a moment later Ajax's hurt face came to mind, reminding her that she had been using him as much as Wednesday was the other two. She could feel her anger deflate- if anyone she should have turned it on herself instead of Wednesday.

"I know this is important," Enid said. "Let's just- just pretend I never said anything, okay? I had a tough day, but we should focus on what's important."

"This is clearly important to you," Wednesday said , "or you wouldn't have brought it up.

"Can we just leave it? I'll get over it after a good night's sleep."

"Don't blame me for your shortcomings," Wednesday said. "If I had my way this summer would have been very different for me."

Enid hated how much their conversation reflected her own thoughts, the ones that had haunted her all night. "Right, of course, sorry your parents wanted something normal for you," she said.

Wednesday stilled and stared at Enid for a few moments, and Enid felt something dark looming in the other girl. Then she spoke. "I'd have thought you'd have more sympathy for my parents wanting me to be something I'm not- after all, yours want you to be a werewolf."

Enid recoiled as if she had been struck. She knew the other girl could be cruel, but after all their time together, after how much they had changed each other, she had forgotten what it was like to have that cruelty aimed at herself. And the worst of it was that the other girl was right.

Her vision blurred and when she blinked she felt hot tears run down her face. But she could see Wednesday's face more clearly, with that same dark expression she always wore. When someone tells you who they are, believe them, she thought bitterly.

"Fuck you," she said and her vision blurred again with more tears. She didn't wait for a response. She turned on her heel and walked away.

Chapter Text

Enid spent the first two days after her fights with Ajax and Wednesday at Yoko's place, wallowing in misery. She had grabbed a few things from her cousins' house in tears, stopping only long enough to tell them she was staying at a friend's house when they asked her what was wrong. She hadn't even let Yoko know ahead of time, but when Yoko opened the door for her she had let her in without a word. Enid had been torn between shame and gratitude, but Yoko told her to take her time and talk only when she was ready.

So she had tried to figure out what she could do to fix everything, cried, tried to figure out when everything had even gone wrong, cried some more, called out of a lifeguarding shift, and finally cried until she fell asleep. The next day saw fewer tears but more introspection, more questions, and more self-loathing. She spiraled with the idea that if she had been stronger she would have been able to ignore her feelings for Wednesday, or would have been able to acknowledge them earlier and saved Ajax the heartache, or would have seen Wednesday for who she truly was and saved herself the heartache, and even more fundamentally, if she could transform, as any other werewolf could, she wouldn't have been in New Jersey at all that summer, and everyone else's lives would have been easier, and her mother wouldn't be so disappointed in her, she'd have friends who didn't think she was pathetic, needing to monopolize their bed to cry and snivel and-

"C'mon girl, let's get you something to eat," Yoko said, interrupting Enid's self-flagellation in the evening of her second day at Yoko's house.

"Go away," Enid muttered from her den under the covers of Yoko's bed.

"Nope, you're stuck with me. So what do you want to eat?"

"Nothing, so I can just waste away."

Yoko didn't answer, and Enid wondered for a moment if she had really pushed her best friend away with her pathetic behavior, but then the covers were pulled off of her and she was spun around by strong hands until she was facing Yoko. The other girl stared at her for a few long moments, but Enid couldn't stand the look on her face and ducked her head. After a few more moments Enid was pulled into a tight hug.

Yoko's voice was low right next to her ear, and as serious as Enid had ever heard her. "Enid, whatever happened to send you over here in the state you were in, I can tell you you didn't deserve it. I don't care what it was. You're my best friend, I know you, and I know that you deserve so much better than you've gotten. So when I hear someone talking bad about you, even if it's you yourself, I'm gonna have something to say."

Yoko pulled away then and Enid pulled back as well. The other girl poked her cheek to get her to make eye contact, and when she did Yoko continued.

"So don't make me smack some sense into you, because I will do it. Especially if you're talking nonsense about yourself. Alright?"

Enid swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat and nodded.

"Good. So come on, let's get you some food."

Yoko made to move away, expecting Enid to follow, but Enid grabbed her hand to stop her. "You were right, Yoko," Enid said.

Yoko turned back around to face her.

"To be worried about me and Ajax and... and Wednesday," Enid continued.

Yoko nodded for Enid to continue.

"I... the other day I went on a date with Ajax, and it didn't go well. We were walking around seeing the cars around town for the car show and I just... I just kept thinking of Wednesday. And not even, like, romantically, just what she was up to. And of course Ajax noticed, and he asked me why I was distracted, and even he asked if it was her. I guess everyone noticed."

Yoko sighed and reached a hand up to smooth down some of Enid's hair. "You wear your heart on your sleeve, girl."

"God I'm such an idiot," Enid said.

"What did I just say?" Yoko asked rhetorically. "And for what it's worth, that's one of my favorite things about you."

"Thanks," Enid said, feeling a little choked up.

"So Ajax figured you had something for Wednesday and, what? Went off on you?"

Enid bit her lip. "Worse. I lied to him and convinced him I was just stressed out about my family."

"Way to girlboss your way out of it," Yoko said.

"Alright, I appreciate you're trying to build me up but you don't have to compliment toxic behaviors."

Yoko smiled at her. “Glad to see you still have a sense of humor. And of right and wrong.”

Enid could only manage half a smile in return. “I have to be honest with him, don’t I?”

“I think so.”

“I can’t believe I let this happen.”

“Nothing about letting,” Yoko said. “You can’t help what you feel. Or what you don’t.”

“When did you get so wise?”

“I’ve been wise. Isn’t that why you always come to me for advice?”

Enid smiled a little brighter. “No, it was mostly the convenience.”

Yoko scoffed. “Be that way, see if I give you any more advice.”

Enid wanted to keep joking with her friend, but her mood had only improved by so much. “Thanks, Yoko,” she said instead. “For everything. Your advice, letting me crash here, picking me up.”

Yoko pulled her into another hug. “Anytime, Enid.”

Enid hugged back and they stayed there for a while before Yoko spoke again. “So you going to tell Wednesday you like her?”

Enid pulled back. “I’m not even sure I still do.”

Yoko blinked a few times. “What do you mean?”

“I- god I keep just dumping stuff on you,” Enid said.

“Enid, what else happened?”

“I went to see Wednesday after my fight with Ajax,” Enid said. “She- we made plans to meet up kind of last minute, but I felt like I had to be there, and I just- I shouldn’t have, really. She had been on a date with Xavier, and told me about it, and she told me about T- about another guy who seemed interested.” Enid had barely stopped herself from saying Tyler’s name, though she wasn’t sure if Yoko would say anything to Xavier.

“I kind of lost it on her. I yelled at her, pretty much told her nobody mattered to her and that she was selfish."

"So... the truth?" Yoko prodded.

Enid shrugged. "I don't think it is, actually, I just think she... she takes a while for someone to matter to her. And maybe she's stopped, y'know, trying to care."

"Alright, I can see that," Yoko said. "So how'd she take that?"

Enid bit her lip, remembering Wednesday's words and the cold look on her face. She sniffled a little. "She said I wasn't a werewolf."

Yoko's face darkened. "I'll kill her."

Enid shrugged again. "It's not like it's not true."

"The hell it isn't," Yoko said. "A stupid purity test is what it is. Just because you haven't wolfed out."

"But that's the most important part of being a werewolf."

Yoko frowned at her. "I'm not going to tell you how to interpret your own life- no, wait, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Everyone has told you your whole life that wolfing out is it, it's what makes you a werewolf, but that's the problem. It's this big thing that's so built up that it's like an impossible hurdle. But you're not the only werewolf I know, E, and you know what? I've seen your speed, your strength, hell, even your senses- and I bet you'd beat most of them the other 29 days of a month. You know, the vast majority of the time."

"I don't- that's not true, there's no way."

"Yes there is. And yes you are, more werewolf than most. Would you rather be better twelve days a year, or the other 350?"

"Yoko..." Enid started, but she was choking up again at her friend's support.

When Enid didn't continue Yoko spoke again. "I can't tell you what to do about Wednesday, but I don't think you should give another thought to someone who can't see everything there is to you. And if she says you're not a werewolf, then she isn't seeing you."

Enid nodded. "You're right," she managed.

"Yeah, I usually am," Yoko said. She let Enid sniffle and rub the tears from her eyes, and when Enid looked at her with a watery smile she continued. "Now come on, out of my bed before your stench seeps in so much I won't be able to get it out.

"Hey, I don't have a stench."

"Mmhmm, sure, says the girl who hasn't showered in at least two days."

Enid managed a guilty laugh and let Yoko pull her out of the bed, to the kitchen, to the table with something warm to eat, and to a shower to clean herself up. Through it all she thanked whatever power was out there that she had managed to make a friend like Yoko.

After some food and a nice long shower Enid felt almost back to normal. The conversations she knew she had to have still hung over her, they just seemed... more manageable. Especially if she focused on one at a time. That night, when she let Yoko have her bed back and took the couch instead, she stayed up turning over what she wanted to say to Ajax. She needed to be prepared; the next day was a shared shift with him, and she figured she might as well be prepared for their talk sooner than later.

But when she made it to the beach for her shift Weems jumped on her right away to put her to work helping to set up crowd control measures for the air show that afternoon. Enid was pulled all over the place, running around here and there whenever she was called for. She suspected Weems wasn't pleased that she had called out of two shifts and was giving her the worst of the grunt work, but the work was mindless and let her finish collecting her thoughts and steeling her nerves.

During a quick lunch break Enid found Ajax. He seemed hesitant, as hesitant as Enid felt, she was sure. She took a breath and told him she was ready to talk if he was. He nodded, and they agreed to meet up after their shift.

The rest of the shift was a blur as Enid anticipated talking to Ajax. She barely noticed the roaring planes overhead when the air show started, though some were low enough that they were impossible to miss. She wondered if the Addams were in the crowd somewhere hoping that one of the planes would crash and burn, but she tried to push them out of her mind. That was a conversation for later, after... after Ajax.

But their day ran later than usual with the clean up for the air show, so Enid didn't get a chance to clean herself up. She was almost thankful, though, since she wasn't sure if her resolve would last long enough for her to leave and come back. She could feel it slipping even as she hurried through the departing crowds to find Ajax, so when she did she pulled him along to the boardwalk to find somewhere to talk.

They walked along in silence for a while, dodging rowdy youths and meandering families that took up most of the walkway. Enid didn't have a destination in mind, but found her feet taking her to her and Wednesday's spot. She held back a sarcastic snort- even now she couldn't escape the other girl. It was Ajax who stopped at an empty bench, sat them down, and broke the silence between them.

"So..." he started. "How have you been?"

"Fine, I guess," Enid said, not wanting to tell him she had been laid up in bed for two days. "I... I'm not sure where to start."

Ajax snorted. "Me either."

Enid felt some relief at that, and pressed on. "I guess I should start with 'I'm sorry.'"

"Me too," Ajax said. "I know you were having a tough time with your family and I pushed you anyway."

"That's-," Enid winced at the reminder of her lie. "God there's a lot I have to say.

Ajax blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Like what?"

Enid took a few steps to a nearby bench and sat. Ajax followed. "Like... you were right. About Wednesday. Well, about me and my... interest."

"Oh," Ajax said. He looked away from Enid.

"Nothing happened," Enid rushed to say. "For a while there I thought she hated me, and I wasn't her biggest fan either. And, well, she might still hate me, but I... I guess I felt something there, and I kind of just froze our relationship without realizing it."

"You froze..." Ajax started, but couldn't finish.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing you did, and I shouldn't have let myself get sucked in. You've honestly been so patient and kind to me and I just... I just took advantage of that."

"So I was just, like, some kind of backup plan?" Ajax asked.

"No, god no, I was interested in you, you were- and are- nice, and cute, and a person I really wanted to be with. But then I spent more time with Wednesday and everything got so muddled that I ended up thinking about her more than you, and I am so, so sorry."

Ajax stared at her. "I'm all those great things according to you, so what did you see in Wednesday that was so much better?"

Enid faltered. How could she explain the appeal of Wednesday Addams when she came off so powerfully negative? And even as close as Enid thought she had gotten to the other girl, how well did she really know her? After a few moments she spoke.

"She was free. In a way I could never be. A way few people are."

"So because her family has a lot of money?" Ajax spat.

"No, no, not that. She'd be herself even without anything, I'm sure." Enid recalled answering a similar question from Wednesday in the same way. She chased the thoughts of the other girl away to push on. "She lives her life the way she wants to, I guess. Without worrying about anyone else."

"That's called being an asshole, Enid."

Enid wanted to argue, but couldn't find it in herself to follow through. After everything she had seen from Wednesday she was sure the other girl did care about some of those around her, even if it was only a little bit, but there was so much evidence to the contrary that she couldn't blame Ajax for feeling the way he did. Especially after what Wednesday had said to her. Enid knew she wasn't one of the people Wednesday cared about.

Ajax sighed, drawing Enid from her thoughts. "Enid, I don't- what does this mean for us?"

"I don't know," Enid said. "I think... I think that maybe-" she took a deep breath. "Maybe we'd be better off as friends. If you'd be okay with that."

Ajax frowned at her. "You said nothing happened between you and her, right?"

Enid nodded emphatically.

"And that she might hate you?"

"I- yeah," Enid sighed.

"So you're breaking up with me for someone you have no shot with?"

"No, no," Enid said with a frown of her own. "I'm not going to try to get together with Wednesday."

"Good, since Xavier's been talking to her. Can't see why he's interested, though. Or why you were either, even if she's so free to be her bitchy self."

Enid had no response except a pained look, and Ajax turned away from her to watch the passing crowds. They sat for a few minutes like that, Enid waiting for Ajax to give her anything else and Ajax apparently ignoring her. She wouldn't blame him if he just got up and left her there in her misery. After the way she had hurt him she was sure she deserved it.

"So you still want to break up?"

"What?" Enid asked, snapping herself from her funk.

"You don't want to get together with her but don't want to be with me?"

Enid hated Ajax's tone, the pained confusion of someone wronged despite doing nothing wrong themself. "I'm sorry," she said. "Like I said, it's nothing you did, I just think we'd make better friends than partners."

Ajax sighed. "I guess you're right. I wouldn't want to be with someone who thought I was a runner up anyway."

"I don't think you're a runner up, I just-"

"I know," Ajax said. "If you said we should stay together that's how it would have felt. And just..."

"I'm sorry," Enid said again. The words felt bitter she had said them so much in the past few minutes.

The two stayed in silence together for a few more minutes before Ajax again broke the silence.

"That's it, I guess," he said.

"Yeah," Enid murmured.

"Not the way I saw things ending."

"Me either."

Ajax sighed again and stood. "I don't know if we can be friends, right away at least. Give me some time."

"Of course," Enid said.

Ajax looked down at her as if he had more to say, but after a few moments shook his head. "See you around."

"See you," Enid said as he turned. She wasn't sure he heard her, her voice was so quiet.

She stayed on the bench for a long time after Ajax disappeared into the crowd.

After enough time had passed for Enid to collect herself, she stood and started walking. She had one more conversation to face, one that would probably be even tougher than the one she had just had: confronting Wednesday Addams.

The walk to the Addams' rental was a blur, and when she reached the street Enid stood on the corner to hype herself up. She just had to go up to the foreboding house, get past Lurch and Grandmama, avoid any awkward conversations with Morticia and Gomez, and give Wednesday a piece of her mind. Easy. It would be easy, and she wouldn't falter or stutter or shrink under Wednesday's permanent glare.

Enid took a deep breath, set her face in as harsh a look as she could, marched up to the house, up the steps, and knocked on the door.

Lurch opened the door after the second knock and Enid stopped with her fist in frozen in the air in surprise. The looming butler stared down at her, and for the first time since meeting him Enid felt uncertain. Had Wednesday forbidden her entrance to their rental? Did any of the family want her there? Would she have to go through him to get to Wednesday?

But then Lurch stepped aside, as he always had before, and Enid tentatively entered the house. She waited in the entryway for something to happen, some trap to go off or Wednesday to appear behind her with a knife. But even when she took a few steps forward, nothing did. She made it to the stairs without even a hint of a whistling knife thrown by Grandmama. She entertained the thought that no one else was home and that Lurch had let her in out of habit, but just as her courage was starting to wane she heard a noise from the kitchen.

Enid took a second to compose herself and started up the stairs. When she reached the kitchen she found Morticia, humming to herself while steeping something in a mug. She glanced at Enid when Enid entered the room and smiled.

"Enid dear, how are you?" Morticia asked. "We spoke to Larissa yesterday and she said you had called out sick. Is it something terminal?"

"Oh, no," Enid said, startled at the sudden topic and the hopeful look on the older woman's face. "It was nothing serious, just a little under the weather."

"Hm, not even a little suffering?"

"No, sorry," Enid said, not quite sure why she was apologizing for not suffering.

"A pity," Morticia said with a knowing smile. "And what brings you to the house this evening?"

"I... had to talk to Wednesday." Enid answered. "Of course, we can make plans too," she hurried to add.

"I'd like to," Morticia said. "Although I feel the need to wait for Gomez. He and the children are on an errand for me. I found myself in dire need of some ingredients for a recipe I'd like to try."

"Oh," Enid said, not sure how else to respond. Morticia had always unsettled her in a very particular way, as if she could see right through Enid to her very core.

Morticia leaned over her drink and fixed Enid with a serious look. "Enid, might you have something on your mind?"

Enid shied away from Morticia. "No."

"Nothing to say?"

Enid shook her head.

"Perhaps you've been avoiding... us?"

"No, no, never. You guys have been so welcoming to me, I've loved spending time with you," Enid said. That much was true, and when Enid looked back at Morticia she seemed to believe her.

"I'm pleased to hear that," Morticia said. "Though if not all of us, perhaps just one?"

Enid swallowed and opened and closed her mouth a few times. Morticia's knowing smile returned. The older woman spoke again.

"We were close, once upon a time; my precious daughter, so like myself and so much her own person, even when she was young. But time, and life, change us all. It's selfish of me, to want that closeness back. But I do want it back anyway, even though it may never return. There is one thing I want more than that, though. Another selfish desire of mine."

Morticia's smile turned wistful. "I want my daughter to open herself to the different passions of life. Passions to live and die for. Should she turn away from them I won't press her further, but I want her to try; for her own sake, I tell myself, though I'm not sure that's true. I think she would be satisfied with a life as she is now."

Enid stayed quiet to allow Morticia to get all of her thoughts out. She wasn't sure what exactly the older woman wanted from her, but would hear her out. She and the rest of the family had treated Enid so well, after all.

"Perhaps I've pushed you too far in seeking to open my daughter up. I didn't mean to make you responsible for fulfilling my wishes, but that is what I have done. I would understand if you wish to end our agreement. You can leave, if you like, and my family will not bother you again."

"Not at all," Enid said. "I meant what I said earlier, I really have enjoyed my time showing you guys around. You've made me feel more at home than my own parents. I just- I had a hard time with Wednesday the other day, is all."

"My little scorpion can be much to handle. I thought none outside the family would be able to, or would have the patience. Just the way she wants it, of course. I don't know what my daughter said, or did, but I'm glad to see you come back, even if it is to take your revenge."

"What? No, not revenge," Enid said.

Morticia hummed and Enid felt judged. "I hope you at least make her fear for her life."

"I don't know if she can," Enid said without thinking.

Before she could apologize Morticia chuckled. "You may be right. I think it would still be worth a try. I do so love when my family fight each other."

"I'll try," Enid said sheepishly. She was going to have a difficult conversation with Wednesday, but she doubted the other girl would be phased.

There was a noise from downstairs, the sound of the door opening followed by Gomez's voice. Enid glanced at the stairway, but a touch on her shoulder brought her attention back to Morticia.

"Enid, dear, I have one more thing to say. No matter what happens with Wednesday, you have a place with my family. We are used to... complicated dynamics. After all, we are the Addams family. And though we may fight, we look out for each other just as much. And after what you've done for us, that includes you."

Enid could feel herself choke up and had to clear her throat to respond. "Mrs. Addams I... thank you. That means a lot. I don't know if I deserve-"

Morticia held up a hand and Enid stopped. "You deserve more than you appreciate, little wolf. I'm honored my family and I can give you some of that."

Enid could only nod, then Gomez was at the top of the stairs.

"My love, my fire, our time apart was excruciating," he proclaimed as he stared at his wife.

"Unending torment," Morticia returned, completely ignoring Enid for her husband. "How will you ever make it up to me?"

"You send me away on an errand for a whim and demand I make amends?" Gomez asked as he strode across the room towards Morticia. "How devious," he said when he reached her.

"Would you have me change my ways?" Morticia returned.

"Never," Gomez said. He took her hand and bent to kiss it, then continued kissing up her arm to her shoulder and her neck.

"Hi Mr. Addams," Enid said, hoping to distract him before the couple went at it right there at the table.

Gomez paused and slowly turned to look at Enid. "Ah, Enid, you're recovered. Did you suffer much?"

"No, just a little sick," she said.

"A pity," Gomez said. Then he returned his attention to Morticia and Enid beat a hasty retreat.

Enid stopped when she reached the first floor and took a few deep, calming breaths. Being ambushed by Morticia hadn't been a part of her plan, but considering how the conversation went she wasn't upset by it. To think that the Addams would have a place for her didn't seem real to Enid. They accepted her so easily, compared to...

No, Enid thought to herself. She couldn't let herself be distracted by negative thoughts, not when she was about to face the most negative person she knew. She shook her head and tried to put on a stern face before striding through the house to Wednesday's room. She knocked on the door when she got there and it swung open on it's own. Wednesday was there, leaning over her desk. She didn't even look back at Enid when she spoke.

"Shut the door after you come in," she said.

Enid frowned, but did as she was told. "You're not surprised I'm here?" she asked after the door shut.

"I knew you were upstairs with my mother."

Enid wanted to ask how, but Wednesday probably had half a dozen ways to know who was coming and going in any place she was staying. Instead she asked, "do you know why I'm here?"

"I'm sure you're about to tell me," Wednesday said, back still to Enid.

"Will you at least look at me?" Enid demanded, her anger boiling over.

Wednesday stood and turned. Her glare was impressive as ever, but Enid wasn't about to back down,

"Happy?" Wednesday asked.

"No," Enid said.

"Good."

Enid pursed her lips. "I get I said some things that pissed you off, but so did you. And you know what, maybe I deserved to hear something harsh, but that... what you said was over a line. I'm sorry for what I said, for what it's worth. I'm not expecting an apology from you- I know you're not the type to give them."

Wednesday's glare had dwindled to her usual unreadable look, but Enid doubted anything she said even mattered to the other girl. She pressed on anyway.

"You know what, it doesn't matter. The only reason I even came back is because of your vision. I don't want anything to happen to Xavier, so I'll keep helping you until we stop it. If your parents want to do something, I'll be happy to show up for them- besides, we wouldn't want to make anyone suspicious, right?"

Wednesday didn't answer, maybe sensing that Enid had more to say, so she carried on.

"You don't have to worry about me. Not that you would anyway, just... I don't know, let's only talk about the vision and go our separate ways when this is all over."

"Is that everything?" Wednesday asked.

"Yeah," Enid said, not sure what Wednesday's reaction would be.

There was a moment of silence while they stared at each other, then:

"Okay."

Enid wasn't sure if she felt like screaming at the simple response to her diatribe or laugh at herself for expecting anything else from heartless Wednesday Addams. She settled on seething silently while the other girl turned back to whatever was on her desk.

"Come, look at what I've gathered," Wednesday said.

Enid walked over to lean over the desk as well and saw a series of handwritten notes there. "What is this?" she asked.

"The collated evidence we collected related to my vision," Wednesday said. She pointed to different pages as she continued. "There are the names and dates of the disappearances fifteen years ago. There, the most likely nights my vision could occur. The names of different monsters that could fit what I saw. There are notes from my meetings with Tyler, and there are observations when I've watched over Xavier in the evening. Tyler wanted to meet me to watch the air show earlier, but my mother got in the way of that. I had been making some progress, though his attempts at sympathizing with me are growing tiresome."

"What kind of progress?" Enid asked.

"His relationship with his father is poor, and I've been... hinting that I would think more of him if he rebelled more. Something like sneaking me in to see the inside of a police chief''s office, maybe even showing me some cold cases that no one even thinks about anymore."

Enid nodded. That was Wednesday to a 't', manipulating her way into getting what she wanted. "Smart," she settled on saying. Better to avoid any more strife with Wednesday than she had to.

She looked back over the evidence they had collected and noticed one of the likely dates of the attack was that very evening. Of course, she thought, an event like an air show would have flags and fliers galore. "Do you have a plan for tonight?" she asked.

"Xavier wanted to meet. Afterwards I'll keep watch over his house, to ensure my vision doesn't come to pass."

Enid nodded. "Let me help after your date."

Wednesday frowned but Enid spoke before the other girl could. "I know you said I stand out, but you can't be in two places at once. If Tyler wants to hang out another day, or we find another clue, wouldn't it be better if I knew how you like to stay hidden?"

Wednesday was quiet for a few seconds, but eventually nodded. "Very well. I'll send Thing for you when Xavier and I part."

"I'll be at my cousins' house."

Wednesday nodded at her and Enid turned to go. As she crossed the room she wondered if the other girl might have more to say, but she opened the door, closed it, and left the Addams' rental without another word from Wednesday.

Enid decided to wait outside her cousins' house, not wanting to subject herself to the noise and drama that half a dozed young werewolves could produce. She found a bench nearby and pulled out her phone. She texted with Yoko here and there, but mostly scrolled her socials. It didn't take long for her to tire of seeing the best of her friends' lives and the worst of humanity, so she popped in her earbuds, put on some music, and closed her eyes.

Her conversations that evening had been... trying. She had known what to expect with Ajax, though that didn't make the conversation any easier. The guilt over the harm she had caused was still there, in the back of her mind, and would be for some time. If anything she was glad he hadn't been angrier- he would have had the right as far as she was concerned. She hoped, sincerely, that they would be able to keep talking as friends. But the ball was in his court, as far as the future of their relationship went.

Morticia waiting for her had surprised her. Of course the older woman had known something was up with Enid and Wednesday's relationship. And of course she would have something to say. She admitted to meddling in her daughter's life, and using Enid to do so, but Enid found she couldn't mind. Despite the underhandedness Morticia had shown, she had still treated Enid like part of the family- more, she had offered her a place with the Addams family.

Enid swallowed at the thought. It had taken a lot of strength not to tear up at the offer. But it wasn't as simple as saying yes. Despite Morticia's assurance, Wednesday was still an issue for Enid, as was her own family. She didn't want to give up on them- didn't want to think that they had given up on her. And Wednesday was... Wednesday. Complicated, cold, driven and strong, willing to hurt others to protect those she cared about, willing to hurt others just because she could.

That conversation had gone more smoothly than Enid could have hoped, but she was left disappointed at that. Wednesday's response to everything she had had to say was a single word, a word that left Enid feeling now as if she had never mattered to the other girl. She had thought Wednesday at least didn't mind her presence, if not actually appreciated her. But after that response, she wasn't so sure. Maybe Wednesday had faked opening up to Enid. Maybe she didn't care for her. Maybe she couldn't.

A tap on Enid's ankle startled her to her feet. It was dark, later than she thought it would be, but no one was close enough to have bumped into her, except, of course... She looked down at Thing and frowned.

"I know you don't have a mouth, but would it kill you to make a little more noise?"

Thing shrugged his fingers mockingly and Enid rolled her eyes. He asked if she was okay and Enid nodded.

"Just a lot on my mind."

Wednesday? Thing asked.

"What do you think?"

Thing stilled for a few moments. He seemed to shrink down into himself, a defeated sigh in his body language if Enid knew the sentient hand. He started to apologize for Wednesday but Enid cut him off.

"It's fine, really. I talked to her already, and we're on the same page. We don't have to get along to save Xavier, and I'm not going anywhere until we do. And maybe we can sneak in some time for a manicure too."

That seemed to cheer Thing up, and Enid nodded at the hand. "Alright then. Wednesday's waiting. Lead the way."

Chapter Text

The stakeout of Xavier's house alongside Wednesday wasn't as awkward as Enid imagined it would be. Thing led her to a quiet spot two blocks away from Xavier's, a small park with a large tree, from which Wednesday dropped to the ground in front of her and hurriedly pulled her back up it. Wednesday spoke to her quickly but quietly, explaining the benefits and drawbacks of the view from the top of the tree. When they reached the top Wednesday continued her lecture, pointing out some of the other hiding spots she used.

After that, they spent most of the evening in silence. They moved once, to one of the spots Wednesday had pointed out, but only so Wednesday could gauge how sneaky Enid could be. She felt a surge of pride when the other girl had nothing to say.

The next day proved exhausting for Enid. She knew she had better stamina than most, but between the emotional drain and the late night, she barely made it through her shift. She managed to squeeze a nap in before meeting up with Wednesday again for another night of staking and learning.

They kept up that schedule, Enid working and Wednesday investigating Tyler and Xavier during the day, then meeting up in the evening to keep an eye on Xavier's house. The end of summer was fast approaching, with only two weeks before labor day, and Enid felt the pressure of Wednesday's vision hanging over her head. The long days and nights weren't helping her stress over the vision either, but she couldn't see any other way to help.

Friday came and Enid found herself fighting off sleep while she and Wednesday watched over Xavier's house. Wednesday seemed perfectly content in complete silence, but it made for a difficult time for Enid. When their vigil ended, as the sky turned from black to gray, they descended from the tree and started off towards their respective houses. Enid stifled a yawn, and cast a sideways glance at Wednesday. Wednesday herself seemed to be handling the pressure better, but even she showed signs of stress. The dark circles under her eyes were deeper, her normally sharp movements had lost their certainty, and Enid could swear she could hear the other girl's boots where before she was a ghost.

"Wednesday..." Enid said before she could stop herself. The other girl kept walking but gave her a glance. Enid decided to press on. "Do you think we can keep this up?"

"I can," Wednesday said, "I'm an Addams."

"And I'm a werewolf, but there are still limits to how much either of us can push ourselves," Enid said.

"Not for my family."

"Of course not," Enid muttered, regretting not stopping herself earlier.

"If there are limits I intend to find them," Wednesday said.

Enid shook her head. "Sounds about right for you guys."

She meant to end the conversation there, but Wednesday surprised her by carrying on. "You don't like it? Riding this delicate balance, at the edges of your abilities and endurance?"

Enid gave Wednesday another side-eye. "Of course I don't like it. The anxiety, the stakes; Xavier could die! One of us could while trying to stop that from happening! I don't know how you're managing to hold up."

Wednesday was quiet for a moment. "I finish what I start. I'll see this through to the end if it takes everything I have."

"I want to too, I'm just... worried we won't be able to."

"Worrying is useless," Wednesday said. "Doing is the only thing that matters."

"I'm glad you're built the way you are, I just... do you even like Xavier that much?"

"It doesn't matter how much I like or dislike Xavier," Wednesday said.

"I guess not, but it seems like it'd be easier to stay focused if you cared about his well-being."

"The blasé answer of a superficial mind."

Enid's teeth ground together, but Wednesday didn't notice or didn't care. The other girl continued.

"My father told you the story of Goody, a great ancestor of mine."

Enid had to think back, but recalled a bloody story used to put Wednesday to sleep. "She killed someone who was targeting outcasts?"

"More than targeting. The man wanted to eradicate outcasts. He had plans and machinations, to start in his small town and spread his message of hate and violence throughout the country, the world. And she stopped those plans. She took her revenge for the deaths of her mother and her peers, and she ended him and his line. That is what it means to be an Addams. That is the conviction needed to see something through to the end."

That was the standard she held herself to, Enid realized. Probably since she had first heard the story of her ancestor as a small child she had internalized the thought that if someone crossed her, she had to respond in kind. Of course, Goody had had a good reason to turn to such extreme measures, but would a child, even an Addams child, have had the maturity to understand that? Considering the way Wednesday led her life, Enid wanted to answer 'no'. The other girl lived a transactional life, with stark, unchanging judgments towards others.

"The situation we face today is nothing compared to what she faced," Wednesday continued. "Yet it has been the truest test of my mettle in my life to date. I don't intend to fail. I can't if I want to surpass her."

Enid realized that this was the kind of conversation they would have had before she blew up at the other girl, the kind of conversation that had drawn her to the other girl in the first place. It was a conversation she could only have with Wednesday, not just because it involved her vision, but because the other girl was so blunt about everything. She reveled in her honesty, Enid thought, and even though she could easily lie, she only seemed to do it when necessary. Enid balled her hands into fists. She hated that she still felt a pull towards the other girl. She tried to pull herself together, tried to ignore the growing empathy and understanding she was feeling. She knew it wouldn't be reciprocated.

"If that's how you're going to live your life, then good for you," Enid said. "And I'm going to help see this thing through to the end as well, even if I'm not an Addams. But burning ourselves out too fast won't help anyone either."

To Enid's surprise Wednesday remained silent. She didn't know if she had made a point the other girl appreciated or just annoyed her too much, but they reached the intersection where they parted ways without another word. While she was alone with her thoughts she told herself 'not again'. She couldn't be suckered into worrying over Wednesday. She would focus on everything else- the vision, her friends, the other Addams, even her cousins. Just not Wednesday.

The weekend passed and with it the latest event the town put on, the frisbee tournament that Enid hadn't even noticed going on. In the interest of focusing on anything not Wednesday, she decided to try to relax a little, doubting that Wednesday's vision would come to pass while the city was removing promos for one event and before they started gearing up for the next. She met up with Yoko on her first day off since calling out to catch her up on the latest news from her own life. Yoko nodded sympathetically while Enid recounted her conversation with Ajax, and told her she had done the right thing. However her follow up question gave Enid pause.

"So have you seen Wednesday since then?"

Enid blinked a few times while her mind raced, and Yoko stared at her quizzically. The other girl raised an eyebrow when Enid didn't answer.

"So you just decided to ghost her?" Yoko prodded.

"Uh, well, about that…"

"Enid," Yoko said, exasperated, "you're still seeing her? Like with the whole family or what?"
"It's not like anything is going on," Enid said. "And I did talk to her. I told her we could just ignore each other, pretty much, just because the rest of her family hasn't done anything and they still want me to show them around."

Yoko sighed. "As long as you know what you're doing. I'm just looking out for you, Enid."

"I know you are," Enid said. She bumped her shoulder into Yoko's. "You know I love you for that, right? Like you've been the best friend I could have asked for this past week."

"Only the past week?" Yoko asked with a smirk.

"Well you've been so busy with Divina the rest of the summer," Enid teased.

"I'm not sorry."

"I don't blame you."

Yoko laughed. "Good. I'd hate to have to choose between you two."

Enid smiled at Yoko's reaction, but it waned after a few seconds. "Listen, Yoko, if we all get together to hang out and Xavier wants to bring Wednesday... that's fine, me and her can get along fine. Or good enough, at least."

"I hear you," Yoko said.

"And if Ajax doesn't want to see me I'm perfectly okay skipping out."

"No way," Yoko said. "Snake boy will have to deal."

"Yoko," Enid started, not sure how to approach her friend.

"Girl, you're my best friend, but I have known those guys longer. Trust me, he'll be fine."

Enid managed a small smile. "Thanks Yoko."

"So with that settled," Yoko said, "you're off tomorrow, right? What are you doing tonight?"

Enid shrugged. She and Wednesday were supposed to stake out Xavier's house again, but she didn't want to raise any suspicion with Yoko. And since they had just been talking about getting together, Enid could guess where the other girl was going.

"So nothing?" Yoko pushed.

"Something; whatever you have planned for me."

Yoko smirked. "That's the spirit. Me and Divina were thinking another pool party at Xavier's- without any unexpected guests this time."

"Yeah, I'm down," Enid said. She bit her lip and thought for a second. "So you think Ajax will be there?"

"That's the plan," Yoko said. "Wednesday too probably, if Xavier has anything to say about it."

Enid nodded, but stopped after a moment. Wednesday had told her during their last stakeout that she had plans with Tyler that evening. If Xavier wanted to invite her to a party as well, something would have to give.

"Enid," Yoko started quietly, "I know you said you were fine with her, but I can make sure Xavier doesn't invite her."

Enid shook her head. "It's alright, really," she said. Wednesday would have to figure something out on her own, she figured. The other girl was more than happy to hurt others if she didn't bother to make up some cover story.

"Good. And if I catch her saying any more nonsense, I'll set her right," Yoko said.

Enid smiled at her friend. "Come on, if it's another pool party I think I want a new bathing suit."

The two set off to cruise the boardwalk and see which beach shop had the least offensive prices. They found one that didn't immediately make their eyes bug out of their heads, and after a few minutes of browsing Enid found a patterned one piece in pink with blue and white flowers splashed across it. More modest than the light blue bikini she had worn before, but she wasn't exactly looking to impress anyone at the party.

After Enid bought her new suit Yoko dragged her to meet up with Divina at Divina's place. The siren kindly offered to toss the new suit in the wash, and the three girls spent the afternoon talking and getting ready to go out. It was easygoing chatting; exactly what she needed to keep her worries away. When Enid's suit was finished being cleaned and dried she put it on, tossed some loose clothes over it, and they headed over to Xavier's house.

Ajax was already there, and answered the door for the three girls. Enid exchanged a tight smile with him as he moved aside to let them in, but luckily for her- or another example of Yoko being the best friend she could have asked for- Yoko jumped into a conversation with Xavier that pulled everyone into some light-hearted chatter. Bianca showed up after a few minutes, without anyone in tow, and Xavier led everyone out to the pool.

Enid managed to have a good time, just playing different pool games and challenging the others to see who could hold their breath the longest, or retrieve pool toys from the bottom of the pool the fastest. She handily beat Ajax and Xavier, but the two sirens had to have their own bracket to keep things fair. Yoko of course refused to expose herself to that much sun, but made sure to enjoy herself as the referee, heckling the rest of them as they played. Enid sent a mock glare at the vampire when she told her to 'fetch' as she scattered some toys around the pool. She complied immediately after, but stopped short of bringing a toy back to Yoko in her mouth.

Divina and Bianca stayed in the water longer than the rest of them, challenging each other while caught up in their pride as sirens. Enid and the others cheered them on, and Ajax and Xavier even made a small bet on who would win more challenges. Yoko got in on the action as well, betting on her girlfriend, but it was Bianca who came out on top. Xavier shook his head, despite having bet on her.

"She's too competitive, and pretty damn good with her powers," he said.

"Quiet, or her head will get even bigger," Yoko said sullenly.

Bianca and Divina joined Enid and the others on the beach chairs they were resting on. Divina flopped down on the same one as Yoko and demanded the vampire comfort her. Enid smiled, but seeing the two girls flirting with each other twisted her stomach with guilt. She tried not to look at Ajax, and tried not to think of Wednesday, and instead got up and offered to fetch drinks for anyone who was thirsty. Xavier stood as well and offered to come with her.

Enid followed him to the kitchen in awkward silence, and waited while he pulled out what everyone had asked for. She planned on just grabbing an armful and beating a hasty retreat, but Xavier looked at her expectantly. Enid stared back for a second while she contemplated whether she wanted to get into a one-on-one conversation with Xavier, but... she couldn't just ignore someone when they clearly wanted to talk. She reluctantly spoke up.

"Something up?"

"Yeah," Xavier said. Enid suppressed a sigh. "I invited Wednesday, but she said she was busy. I was wondering if you heard anything from her, what she's up to."

Enid pressed her mouth into a line in fake consideration. She shook her head after a second. "Nothing I know about."

Xavier sighed. "She's so private and she really doesn't let on a lot. It's hard to know what's going on in her head."

"Yeah, I feel that," Enid said without having to act. "But she didn't say anything to me about today."

"I was hoping she did since you guys are pretty close," Xavier said with a frown.

"Not that close, I guess," Enid said. "I don't know what she's up to. She likes to do her own thing, even with her family around. Maybe especially with them around. She's probably just blowing off some steam by terrorizing people on the boardwalk."

Xavier nodded, but made no move to take the drinks out to the others. After a few seconds he spoke again. "Has she ever talked about me?"

Enid scrambled to come up with something that sounded believable without being the harsh truth. "She appreciates your powers," she settled on.

"Yeah?" Xavier asked with hopeful eyes.

Enid shrugged, and Xavier seemed to pick up on her discomfort.

"Sorry, maybe you don't want to talk about this kind of stuff since you and Ajax- well, yeah."

"It's alright," Enid said. "I'm glad we've been able to be pretty normal tonight."

Xavier considered her for a few moments. "I know it's not my place, just... what happened? You guys were perfect together."

"I just..." Enid didn't know what to say. How could she explain that she didn't feel a connection with Ajax that she had thought she felt with Wednesday. Especially to a guy who thought he had a connection with Wednesday, who was, at that very moment, hanging out with another guy.

"Things aren't always what they look like, I guess."

Xavier looked troubled at her non-answer, but Enid wasn't about to address his concerns. She picked up a few drinks and nodded towards the doorway. "Come on, let's get these to everyone."

"Yeah, let's."

Enid led Xavier back out to the others, and she tried to settle down into having a good time. Yoko gave her a look and she tried to give a reassuring one in return. It seemed to work, and Yoko turned her attention back to her girlfriend.

The sun began to set, earlier than Enid was used to. They were deep into summer, almost out of it, really, and the days were getting shorter. She didn't want to think about the end of summer. There was the prospect of the werewolf camp her mother had arranged hanging over it, but more than that... she would be away from Yoko. She would be away from Ajax, Divina, even Xavier and Bianca. The summer had been the closest she had gotten to everyone. She felt like she belonged.

And she couldn't forget a certain gothic family. She could still hear Morticia offering her a place with them. God how tempting it was, the idea of calling up her mother and telling her she had found a place to stay, a family that cared. If only Wednesday...

Enid snorted at herself. That could have been the theme of the summer, 'if only Wednesday'. If only she weren't so taciturn, if only she weren't so headstrong, if only she weren't so free. If only she hadn't had that vision, Enid reminded herself. The werewolf camp wasn't the only thing hanging over the end of summer. Wednesday's vision would come to pass soon. It had to.

"You okay?" came Ajax's voice, breaking Enid from her thoughts. He was sitting on Yoko's beach chair, and a quick look found the vampire in the water with her girlfriend, safe to swim with the sun going down.

"Oh, yeah, hi, totally," Enid stammered. She tried to collect herself. "Just thinking I'm going to miss this. Hanging out with everyone."

"Me too," Ajax said. "Although I guess it's different for you."

"Yeah."

"Sorry, I- I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

Enid managed half a smile. "They were kinda there anyway. Hard to ignore, when we only have like two weeks left."

"Still."

Enid nodded, and the conversation petered out. She wasn't sure what to say to Ajax, considering she didn't even know where he stood on 'them'. He was looking around, watching the others and watching nothing at all. But after a few seconds he managed to look at Enid with half a smile.

"It's still weird, I guess," he said.

Enid nodded. "Yeah."

"It felt easy before. Talking to you, I mean."

"It was for me too," Enid said. "I really-" she cut herself off.

"Really?" Ajax prompted.

"I really did like hanging out with you," Enid said. She looked away from Ajax's gaze. "I really wish I felt..."

"Yeah," Ajax said. "Me too."

"I'm sorry," Enid said. "I know that doesn't really mean anything, but I am."

"It does mean something," Ajax said, and Enid looked at him again. "I'd like for it to be easy again. Talking to you, I mean. As friends."

A wave of relief washed over Enid. "I'd like that too."

"Cool."

They sat in silence for a few moments, but Enid was too expressive a person to leave it at that.

"Can I hug you?" she asked.

Ajax chuckled. "Yeah, sure."

He opened his arms and Enid leaned into him for a hug. She stayed there for a few seconds, glad for the comfort, the reassurance, then pulled away. They gave each other awkward smiles before Ajax glanced over at the pool, where the others were engaged in more play. He looked back at Enid and nodded that way, and Enid smiled and pulled him over to cannonball into the middle of the fray. When she came up for air Yoko caught her eye, and Enid managed a genuine smile in return.

Their night went on for a few hours, with bursts of energy for new activities that grew further and further apart. When everyone started to yawn Xavier offered them places to sleep, though only Ajax took him up on one. Enid and the girls said their goodbyes, and when they split again a few blocks from Xavier's Enid stopped and turned back. She still had a watch to keep, and she knew where Wednesday would be.

Enid reached the small park by Xavier's house and clambered her way up the tree in the middle. When she neared the top she saw the outline of a figure, small and lithe. Wednesday.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself," Wednesday said when Enid settled on a branch.

Enid nodded. "How long have you been up here?"

"Just over an hour," Wednesday said.

"Oh. You didn't want to stop by?"

"What do you think?"

Enid thought for a moment. "Yeah, doesn't sound like you."

She stopped herself from saying more, but Wednesday spoke instead.

"Tyler has agreed to show me his father's study," she started. Enid watched her in silence as she spoke. "He claims his father sometimes brings home files, cases he finds interesting or is working on. Considering his involvement in the murders fifteen years ago, he may have kept some evidence. Especially with his wife involved."

"Do you know when he'll be able to show you?"

"His father will be busy with some kind of invasion next weekend."

Enid frowned. "Invasion? Oh, the takeover. Some guy is doing a couple of comedy shows on the beach."

Wednesday grimaced. "What a poor choice of words for something so mundane. I had hopes of something even more interesting than a potential murder happening before the end of summer."

"I'll probably be busy as well," Enid said.

"Of course. Tyler would find it suspicious if I brought another person on what he thinks is a date."

"True," Enid said. She bit her lip and glanced at Wednesday before looking away. She cursed her innate curiosity. "You were worried about getting too close to Tyler, to that investigation, and now you're going into his house?"

Enid felt, more than saw, Wednesday's gaze on her. "My vision approaches whether we take steps to prevent it or not. I'd rather prevent it."

"Yeah," Enid said. "I just... wish we had more to go on."

"You'll be safe; I'll be alone with Tyler," Wednesday said.

"That's not- I can still worry- never mind, I guess you wouldn't get it."

Wednesday stayed quiet for a few seconds, and Enid decided not to press the issue. She looked out over Xavier's house, but everything looked normal.

"Thing still has your phone number," Wednesday said. When Enid looked at her, she was looking out over Xavier's as well, and distinctly not at Enid. "If you want to feel useful, keep your phone on your person."

Enid snorted. "Thanks."

They passed the rest of the night in silence, and when Wednesday was satisfied that nothing would happen, they split, Wednesday back to the Addams' rental and Enid back to her cousins' place.

Despite the late night, Enid returned to work with plenty of energy. She went out of her way to greet Ajax normally, and he seemed to appreciate the return to normalcy for them. The entire day passed normally for her, the first in a long time, and even meeting up with Wednesday to watch over Xavier's house felt normal after doing it so many times.

The rest of the week went much the same, with Enid's new normal becoming her routine. If anything she had to remind herself not to get complacent, considering what was at stake. The biggest change came in her interactions with Wednesday. She kept them curt and businesslike despite her lingering interest in the other girl. But keeping her at a distance was best for herself, she was sure. And Wednesday didn't seem to mind. She had probably been waiting for Enid to leave her alone all summer.

Their vigils were mostly done in silence. Even when something suspicious arose, they alerted each other with small noises and hand signals. It usually turned out to be some innocent beach goers returning home, though on one occasion Wednesday alerted to a four legged figure that Enid had to tell her was, in fact, a regular dog.

They had one strategy meeting in Wednesday's room as the weekend approached. Their biggest issue was figuring out how to manage Wednesday's time between Xavier and Tyler, both of whom wanted to see her throughout the weekend. When Enid idly wondered if Morticia and Gomez would have any plans of their own that weekend as well Wednesday shook her head.

"I'm sure my mother already got what she wanted out of the summer," she said.

Enid didn't ask what she meant by that, though she had a guess.

Together they managed to work out a timeline between Xavier's and Tyler's plans. On Friday Wednesday would spend the morning with Xavier for what Enid discovered was her least favorite meal ever invented: brunch. Enid was tempted to ask if she could watch over their date just to see if Wednesday would actually be able to make it through the whole thing without murdering anyone.

Luckily for them, Xavier's father was in town and wanted to take his son out for dinner, so that left Wednesday free for Tyler's evening plan; showing off his father's office to impress Wednesday. Enid was still hesitant about the idea of Wednesday entering the Gulpin household when someone there was a prime suspect, but Wednesday reminded her of their need for certainty and lack of time. Enid reluctantly agreed, but told her she would still meet up to watch over Xavier after she was finished with her own plans.

Both Xavier and Tyler had asked to hang out with Wednesday all day Saturday, which Wednesday found particularly annoying. She told Enid she'd rather spend all day with her family than either of the boys, a damning statement coming from her. They decided that Wednesday would split time with them by using her family as an excuse. She would tell Tyler she had a family dinner and could only spend time with him until early afternoon, and would tell Xavier that her family was taking a trip back to the manor and wouldn't be back until late in the afternoon.

Enid insisted on tailing Wednesday across both dates, in part to ensure nothing went wrong with the dates themselves, and in part to avoid Tyler or Xavier seeing the other. There were only so many places to be in a small beach town, and if either of the boys was out and about when Wednesday was with the other, they needed to know about it. Thing would help as well, sticking by Enid to act as a courier should she need to pass a message to Wednesday.

Wednesday would tell each of the boys that she was busy Sunday to keep it free so the two of them could go over any new information she found. Enid suspected it was also to keep her from killing either of them, but she couldn't say for sure. For all she knew, Wednesday was enjoying her dates with either or both of the boys. She recalled the other girl saying she wouldn't turn down some of their advances, and she seemed to indulge her curiosity more often than not, but... that was none of her business.

Once they finished their planning, Enid left. She didn't want to repeat the mistake of engaging with someone who didn't care about her. Her conversation with the other girl about Goody could have been a door to more hurt, and she felt anger at herself for opening it. She had been so sure that she and Wednesday were getting close before their fight; maybe not friends, but the nearest equivalent that Wednesday could be. But seeing how quickly Wednesday had gone back to the distance between them, how easily she could deceive the two boys, Enid felt like an idiot. Of course she had known better than to expect any different, but it would have been nice to get some acknowledgment from the other girl of her part in their fight.

Friday came quickly, and while Enid was at work her mind kept slipping to Wednesday's brunch date. She wondered how the other girl was holding up, but considering she didn't see any smoke rising above the town, she figured Wednesday was reining herself in. Still she kept a sharp eye out for Thing, in case anything happened, but he never showed. She hoped that was a good sign.

By the end of her shift Enid was sure nothing too bad had happened, but she still hurried over to Yoko's in case the vampire had heard something from Xavier. If she had, she didn't let on, and instead they spent the evening with Divina competing at old video games and chatting. She bowed out when she noticed Divina and Yoko cuddling closer and closer, and made her way to the tree in the park which overlooked Xavier's house. Wednesday was already there.

"Enid," she greeted first.

"Find anything at Tyler's?" Enid returned.

Wednesday's eyes stayed focused on Xavier's house, but her jaw clenched. "His father had copies of the case files for the murders. All of them."

Enid's blood ran cold. "Why would he if he wasn't involved?"

Wednesday stayed silent for a few moments. "His wife was one of the victims. He could be holding onto them as some form of obsession. A case he failed to solve in time."

"She was the last one, wasn't she? Why would a killer stop with her if they were never caught, unless it was someone close to her. Maybe she realized what was happening and it scared him into killing her. And maybe afterwards he- I don't know, realized what he did? Came to his senses?"

"There are many possibilities," Wednesday said. "But you're asking the right questions."

"Can we just... can we just confront him? Or tell somebody about the files? Is it legal for him to have them? If he's locked up he won't be able to attack Xavier," Enid said.

Wednesday frowned. "Something isn't adding up. Perhaps fifteen years ago the attacks were random, but Xavier and Tyler are connected. Tyler's father is aware of Xavier. It would be too coincidental for Xavier to be a random target if Tyler's father was starting anew, but what motive would Tyler's father have for targeting Xavier?"

"Tyler is being punished, right? For bullying Xavier? Maybe he doesn't think he should be."

"Yet striking at Xavier immediately casts suspicion on his family," Wednesday said. She shook her head. "There's more here than I realize, but I can't make out what I'm missing."

Enid watched Wednesday as the other girl stewed. That was the most emotion she had shown since they had met, and Enid was surprised it was frustration towards herself. Wednesday was normally so self-assured, even in the face of the unknown, but now... the pressure was really getting to her. She chewed her lip as she tried to think of a way to help her.

"Maybe we should focus on the monster again," Enid started. Wednesday finally glanced at her before looking away. "We might as well try to find a weakness if it's a big monster. There were claw marks, right? On the other victims?"

Wednesday nodded.

"But you're sure you didn't see a werewolf?"

"From my vision, no, that was no werewolf."

"There's gotta be another outcast that can transform," Enid said.

"There are," Wednesday said. "And we've run through the possibilities."

"Well why not just make a plan for each then?"

"You want me to make plans for wildly different enemies, with wildly different powers, some of whom might not even exist?"

Wednesday was looking at her again, with her signature glare. Enid smirked back.

"You're an Addams, right? Should be easy for you."

Wednesday blinked, maybe the first time Enid had seen her do so, and looked away. "You're right," she said quietly. "I am an Addams. 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.'"

"Is that the family motto?"

"A quote, from Sun Tzu, but apt for the situation." Wednesday paused and considered her.

"What?" Enid asked. "Something on my face?"

That dark gaze lingered on her for a few more moments and Enid clenched her fist against her quickening pulse.

"I think you would make for a fine Addams," Wednesday finally said. She looked back to Xavier's house before Enid could respond.

That bombshell of a statement kept Enid quiet for the rest of the night. She turned it over and over in her head trying to make sense of it. When Morticia had offered her a place with the Addams she had been touched, but with Wednesday she felt much more complicated. The other girl thought she wasn't a werewolf but would make for a fine Addams? What the hell did she actually think of Enid?

By the time the sky started lightening up Enid's frustration was at an all time high. Wednesday couldn't seem to help jerking her around, and Enid was pretty sure the other girl wasn't even doing it on purpose. She could have been much more manipulative if she were doing it on purpose, Enid was sure. But that didn't help her resolution to ignore the other girl.

Enid frowned the entire walk back to her cousins' pace. She just had to make it through the weekend, the week following, and the next weekend while stopping a murder, all while in close contact with Wednesday. She could do that. And who knew; after putting up with the trials of Wednesday, maybe werewolf camp wouldn't be so bad.

Chapter Text

Enid followed Tyler and Wednesday as the pair made their way down the street some distance ahead of her. She couldn't see them, and they definitely couldn't see her, but she didn't have to be able to see them to track them- her nose could pick out Wednesday even on the crowded street. Thing was on her shoulder, garnering some odd looks from passers-by, but Enid tried not to mind them. Her focus was on listening our for any potential chaos from the couple ahead.

The two were on their planned date, though only one of them was taking it seriously. Wednesday had told Enid she would take the chance to dig into his relationship with his father to see if she could get any insight into his father's mental state. There was still a chance the elder Galpin wasn't some monster who was going to attack Xavier at some point in the near future, but Enid at least was convinced it was him.

Tyler was taking Wednesday to a breakfast spot on the main street parallel to the beach. Enid had looked it up, and it seemed like a nice spot with some great dishes; very social media ready, she felt when she looked through the pictures. Wednesday was going to hate it.

When she neared the address Enid slowed and crossed the street, just to be safe. The breakfast place came into view and Enid spotted Wednesday's black umbrella. The other girl followed Tyler into the restaurant and Enid looked around for a spot where she could watch the building without being seen herself. She lucked out with a cafe that had a seat open at the front window. She ducked into it, placed an order, and took the seat before anyone else came along.

By the time her order was up and she rushed to grab it and return to her seat, Wednesday and Tyler were taking their own seats at the restaurant's outdoor seating. Wednesday looked downright apoplectic, either at being on a breakfast date or being forced to sit outside, Enid couldn't tell. Tyler seemed hesitant, but he must have been braver than most because he tried to start a conversation despite Wednesday's mood.

The date seemed to settle down from what Enid could see. Wednesday's face dropped from angry to her usual neutral glare. Tyler initiated most of the conversation, but Wednesday seemed to open up more as the date went on. She was trying to get information, Enid was sure, but it was odd to see the other girl lack her usual combativeness.

Enid watched for any trouble, but the first few minutes of the date were quiet. With just more than a week left in the summer she knew something had to give, but the longer she sat and watched Wednesday and Tyler the more she doubted something was going to happen in the middle of the morning- until she spotted a familiar face across the street. Lucas and the two goons who were with him the first time they met were walking down the street, laughing and joking with each other.

Enid frowned at the development. If she rushed over she might make it in time to intercept Lucas and the other normies, but the fuss might draw more attention than the three walking past. She grimaced. Better to stay hidden, she settled on. She knew Wednesday could handle herself, considering the last confrontation with Lucas had ended with knives flying through the air. She held her breath and watched.

The three normies neared Wednesday and Tyler from behind Wednesday, so Tyler spotted them first. His scowl was impressive, though not as impressive as Wednesday's when she turned to see what he was looking at. The look on her face seemed to be enough to deter Lucas from any mischief, and the three normies passed the couple with little more than angry glares. Enid breathed a sigh of relief.

After the normies passed, Wednesday seemed to want to hurry the date along. The server rushed through every stage of a sit down meal at a restaurant between Wednesday's pointed looks, and Enid felt a stab of sympathy for the poor girl. But the check came in record time, and Wednesday led Tyler away with a purpose.

Enid dashed out of the cafe to follow them. Wednesday walked through the streets with practiced ease, never wavering from whatever destination she was headed towards. Enid recognized the area after a while and frowned. Wednesday was heading for the cemetery where they had fought. There were fewer people out and about this far from the boardwalk, so Enid dropped back until she could barely smell Wednesday.

Sure enough, when the cemetery came into view, Wednesday's smell grew stronger, and Enid knew the couple had stopped somewhere in there. She ducked down and approached the stone fence that surrounded the cemetery. She followed it to one of the gates and tried to channel her inner Wednesday as she slipped through it and off the path into the rows of headstones.

In the quiet of the cemetery she could make out Wednesday's and Tyler's voices, though they were indistinct from her spot. She crept down the aisle, doing her best to stay below the height of the headstones, until she could make out their words.

Tyler was talking about his father from what Enid could hear. She came to a stop and leaned against a headstone while she listened. Tyler spoke of his frustration with a father detached from raising him, stuck in the past with his disappeared wife. He jumped to his mother then, telling Wednesday how angry he had been his entire life that she had gone, with no answers as to how or why. He spoke of his sessions with Dr. Kinbott and how he had run into a wall with his progress. Unloading all of his pent up feelings regarding his parents on the Dr. had helped at first, but he felt that they were only going in circles as more sessions passed.

Through it all Wednesday spoke sparingly, asking questions here and there to guide Tyler wherever she wanted. It was only after Tyler had finished talking about his sessions that he asked a question of his own, about how Wednesday's sessions were going. Enid perked up, wondering what Wednesday would say, but after a brief silence Wednesday dismissed the sessions as nonsense, only useful for getting her away from her parents.

Tyler laughed at that and fed her a line about making them similar in that regard. There was another silence, one that extended suspiciously long, and Enid dared to poke her head just around the edge of the headstone she was hiding behind. She jerked her head back in an instant. Tyler and Wednesday were kissing. God how she didn't need to see that.

But a few moments later she heard Tyler's panicked voice calling out Wednesday's name. She looked around the headstone again and saw Wednesday locked in a vision. She just stopped herself from running over there; she knew the other girl would fall out of it after a few seconds. Tyler meanwhile was looking around in a panic. Enid kept an eye on the two until Wednesday blinked and came back to herself.

Enid ducked down again and listened as Wednesday explained her visions to Tyler, who seemed to accept the situation in stride. Wednesday went on to tell him that she had to go meet up with her family, the lie she and Enid had decided on to give her time with both Tyler and Xavier. Tyler sounded reluctant to let her go, but Wednesday didn't seem to care and hurried out of the cemetery. Enid waited until Tyler left as well, then followed after Wednesday.

She followed along until she realized Wednesday was heading to their spot under the boardwalk again. She hurried forward until she caught up with the other girl and fell into step beside her.

"You saw what happened?" Wednesday asked, staring straight ahead as she continued walking.

"You had a vision," Enid confirmed.

Wednesday nodded. "We'll talk more when we get somewhere private."

"Yeah."

It didn't take long for them to find their secluded portion of beach and slip under the boardwalk. After they were far enough under and hidden from sight, Wednesday started pacing. Enid let her collect her thoughts.

"I believe I saw the night Tyler's mother left," Wednesday started. "His father was speaking to her about something serious, accusing her of something. 'I know what you've done,' he said. At first I thought I was seeing a lover's spat over infidelity. But," Wednesday frowned at Enid. "What if we are worried about the wrong Galpin?"

Enid's eyes widened. "No way. You think the monster might be his mother?"

Wednesday nodded. "Officer Galpin was in a position to cover his own tracks, but just as easily could have covered for his wife. His dilemma may have led to the confrontation I saw."

"His mother's body was never found, right?" Enid continued for Wednesday. "She just disappeared."

Wednesday nodded again. "There was no body, she could have been in hiding this whole time."

"But what would bring her back?"

"Anything. Nothing. Ultimately it's an interesting question, but I'm not sure we'll be able to answer it before the attack on Xavier."

"And it still might not be her, right? It could be his father?"

Wednesday frowned. "I wonder. It seems to make more sense than a police officer committing a series of murders only to stop and start again fifteen years later."

"Okay," Enid said while trying not to panic. "Okay, so there may or may not be a threat we won't even recognize. Great. We can handle that." She looked to Wednesday. "Can't we?"

Wednesday nodded. "I have some ideas, as well as something I want to research." She looked around, searching for something that wasn't there, then settled her gaze back on Enid. "Honestly I'd like to cancel my plans with Xavier. But now isn't the time to drive him away."

Enid nodded. "Probably not. When are you meeting him?"

"Now, but I wanted to discuss my vision with you first."

"Oh! You have to get out of here and meet up with Xavier then!"

Wednesday took a breath and nodded. "Fine, but it's not urgent. I've been late before. I think he likes the mystery."

With that she breezed past Enid, who could only gape after her. For someone who detested romance, she sure seemed to know how to hold people's interest. And Enid knew she was no exception.

She followed after Wednesday when she felt the other girl was far enough ahead. She didn't want Xavier to see her, though she was sure she or Wednesday could come up with a convincing lie. Wednesday was meeting Xavier at his house, then the two had a reservation at a spot on the boardwalk. Enid and Wednesday had gone back and forth on whether Enid should get a table as well, but decided it would be too strange for her to be there alone if Xavier spotted her. Enid would simply watch the entrance and keep her ears opened in case something happened inside.

Wednesday reached Xavier's house without incident, and spent some time inside. It was still a little early, and Xavier was probably ecstatic to have Wednesday in his house without everyone else there. Enid decided to wait around the corner until the couple left, and after half an hour of trying not to think about Wednesday alone with Xavier, her nose alerted her that the other girl was back outside. She let the two get more of a head start before following after.

The place they were going was nothing fancy- no restaurant on a boardwalk could ever be called fancy, Enid was sure- but had good food and a lively atmosphere, so Enid was sure Wednesday would hate it. But it did have an open floor plan, so Enid would have an easy time watching over the couple.

They were seated by the time Enid reached the boardwalk, and she managed to find a stretch of railing with a good view of the restaurant while still being inconspicuous. Xavier's back was to her so she could see Wednesday's face, and the other girl seemed to barely be holding it together. They would all be lucky if she didn't burn the place down before the night was through.

While the pair ordered and waited, Enid went to a nearby stand to get something to eat of her own. She ate as she watched over Xavier and Enid, who seemed to be getting along... okay. Enid couldn't help feeling a creeping tension come over her. After the conversation with Wednesday she felt something catastrophic was going to happen; namely Tyler's mother coming out of nowhere and crashing the date. But the date continued without incident, and Enid managed to settle her nerves a little.

The only hiccup Enid could see was when Xavier used his powers to make one of his drawings come to life and start dancing. She couldn't see Xavier's face, but Wednesday's jaw was clenched and she seemed to be doing her best not to acknowledge the dancing piece of paper. Enid wanted to go up to Wednesday, pretending she had just spotted the couple so she could get a word in with the other girl about dating etiquette, but she reined herself in. It wasn't entirely Wednesday's fault anyway; if Xavier couldn't tell how Wednesday would react to a dancing doodle after spending so much time around her, then maybe he needed a word about Wednesday. If Enid was sitting across from Wednesday instead-

She shook her head. It wasn't the time, and she wasn't supposed to be having those kinds of thoughts about the other girl.

After the couple finished their food Enid perked up. They would be on the move again soon, though Enid wasn't sure if Xavier would try to extend the date or if Wednesday would allow it if he did. She began to look around for anything suspicious when she spotted Lucas and his goons again, walking down the boardwalk towards the restaurant. Enid frowned. She doubted the normies would do anything with how scared they were of Wednesday, but they could cause problems in other ways.

She had to make a decision quickly, so before she could overthink, she stood and strode over to intercept the normies. They didn't see her coming, but they sure noticed when she stopped in front of them with her best impression of Wednesday's glare on her face. The three stopped short, and Lucas held up his hands.

"We didn't even do anything," he said before Enid could get a word in.

"Then consider what I'm about to do payback for crashing the pool party," Enid said.

"That short goth chick already threw knives at us," Lucas said, backing up.

Enid snorted. "I seem to remember she only plugged up your water guns. If she meant to get you she would have."

"Hey, having knives thrown at you is traumatizing enough, alright?"

Enid paused while a memory of Grandmama flashed through her head, but carried on anyway. "If you think that was bad then you're going to hate what I'm about to do." She brought up her hands and extended her claws. "Or you can turn around and get out of here."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "It's a free boardwalk, freak, and if you just go wild and attack us how would that look for your kind?"

Enid narrowed her eyes as well. "Maybe I don't really care how normies view 'my kind.'"

"Then you should care about what my father can do to you if you really wanna die on this hill. Tyler and his father aren't here, so it'll only be my word against yours."

Enid held back a growl, but before she could respond Lucas's eyes shifted to something behind her and he smirked.

"Oh, I see," he said. "This little stunt wasn't about getting back at us at all, was it?"

Enid glanced behind her and spotted Xavier and Wednesday through the crowd. Her heart stopped for a moment, fearing that they would see her and Lucas and have questions she wasn't ready to answer, but Wednesday led them away. When she looked back at Lucas he seemed jovial.

"So that's it, huh. The little goth is two-timing Tyler and you're covering for her?"

Enid clenched her jaw, angry that she had been found out, but in a split second decided to roll with it. It's what Wednesday would do.

"You caught me," she said. "I'll drop the act, but I'm sure you realize that my threat still stands. If you tell Tyler what's going on, you're going to find out how sharp these claws actually are."

Lucas scoffed, but he glanced at her claws for a moment and Enid knew she had him. "Whatever you say, freak. I don't care if you're screwing Tyler over, he's none of my business anymore anyway." He looked at each of his goons in turn. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They passed by Enid, giving her a decent berth, and Enid turned to watch them. She doubted they would say anything to Wednesday and Xavier even if they caught up with them, but she could only hope that Lucas wasn't lying about not caring about Tyler. She felt an overwhelming need to talk to Wednesday.

Just when she was about to track the other girl down, and give the normies an extra glare as she did, Thing appeared at her feet. He had been with her while she was watching over the restaurant, but had disappeared when she got up to confront the normies.

He told her that he had caught Wednesday's attention and directed her away from the confrontation, and had given her a rough idea of what was happening. Enid thanked him and told him to crash the date and get Wednesday out of there so she could talk to her. They could watch over Xavier and discuss any action they might need to take against Lucas and his goons.

Thing hurried off and Enid hurried to the small park near Xavier's house. She climbed up it and waited while her anxiety rose. Luckily she didn't have to wait long before Wednesday joined her. When the other girl reached her level, she considered her closely.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I ran into Lucas and the other two," Enid said. "The ones who-"

"Who attacked us with paint, I know," Wednesday finished for her. She narrowed her eyes. "They passed Tyler and me this morning."

"And I saw them just now. And they saw you with Xavier."

Wednesday took a few moments to think. "So they think I'm seeing both of them?"

Enid nodded and Wednesday frowned.

"They could cause problems," Wednesday said.

"Lucas said he doesn't really care about Tyler, but I don't know, he could say something just to be an asshole."

Wednesday's look turned faraway as she considered their options. "I fear there may not be much we can do," she said eventually.

Enid bit her lip. "I kind of figured, just... something doesn't feel right."

"It's as you said; he may say something to Tyler because it's his nature. But we cannot pull away from monitoring Xavier, and my time is already too short to properly keep tabs on Tyler and these normies as well."

"I was worried you'd say that," Enid said.

"Unless you would be okay with outright murder?" Wednesday asked, a gleam in her eye.

"I would not," Enid answered.

Wednesday let out a long-suffering sigh. "Then we'll have to let them be. We can't stretch ourselves that thin. We have only nine days until the end of the summer. If we watch Xavier, we catch the villain."

Enid nodded and the pair lapsed into silence. Their vigil stayed peaceful, and at the end of it Wednesday told her to get some rest and meet her at the rental when she awoke to go over Wednesday's vision from earlier in the day. Enid nodded solemnly and they parted ways. She only managed to get a few hours of fitful sleep before she gave up and got ready to head to meet Wednesday.

When she got to the rental Wednesday was waiting for her, and she ushered her hurriedly through the house and to her room.

"I spent all night looking through the evidence again," Wednesday started, moving around her room with a speed Enid hadn't seen before. "One of Tyler's parents is involved in this. We already know to look out for his father; he'll be easier to spot, as a police officer. But importantly I found a picture of his mother, from an article the paper ran on her disappearance."

Wednesday passed a worn scrap of paper to Enid, who studied it for a few moments. Tyler's mother was plain, with probably brown hair down to her shoulders and a pretty, if forgettable face. Enid wondered if she was looking at a killer, and if she was, how someone who looked so normal could do such terrible things.

"And whether it's the mother or the father, I believe I've narrowed down what they are," Wednesday continued.

Enid perked up. "What's that?"

"A Hyde."

Enid frowned and tried to remember what kind of outcast a Hyde was. She knew Wednesday had mentioned it before, but nothing was coming to mind. When she didn't respond for a few seconds, Wednesday continued.

"You don't remember what a Hyde is, do you?"

"Uh, let's pretend I don't."

"They're said to be able to transform, into some earthly shape of their innermost desires."

"What does that mean?" Enid asked.

"No one knows," Wednesday answered. "The name comes from an English legend of a man unable to control his vices. One wonders if it was more a horror story to enforce the repressed British morals of the time."

"I guess we ruled out everything else," Enid said. "We're stuck with a myth."

"'When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' Every kind of outcast started as a myth, before coming to light. Why not one more?"

"Right," Enid said. "And I guess it makes sense how random the killings were. If someone was transforming into a monster they couldn't control..."

"I pity them," Wednesday said. Enid's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Having the desire to kill but no will of their own to act. Pathetic."

And her surprise left her. Of course Wednesday would focus on the unwillingness of someone to take a life. Still, she could agree with the pity, if for different reasons.

"It must be terrible, transforming and committing these terrible acts without knowing what's happening."

"Hold your empathy," Wednesday said. At Enid's look she continued. "What little I found of the myth pointed to the desires being real, or real enough. And there's nothing to say they don't have control; for all we know Tyler's mother- or father- could have stalked their victims and transformed purposefully."

Enid looked away. "I guess that's true."

"Enid," Wednesday said to draw her gaze back. Enid let it. "I'm serious. Hold your empathy. All we know is that something is going to attack Xavier. Something with a desire to kill him. Anything else is conjecture that can cloud our goal: preventing Xavier's death."

Enid swallowed heavily. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

Wednesday searched her face and seemed satisfied with what she found. "I'm going to continue looking through some old tomes. I should have more luck with a clearer picture of what to look for. Feel free to look through one yourself, if you like."

Enid nodded and Wednesday turned to her desk. Before she could stand to grab a book of her own to look through, a flash of movement caught her eye. She followed it down to the leg of the bed she was sitting on. Thing was down there, hiding most of his body behind the leg while he crooked a finger telling Enid to come closer. She glanced at Wednesday, who was still pouring over her tome, and crouched down to get closer to Thing's level. When she was close he pulled a piece of paper into view and pointed at Enid. Enid frowned and reached for the paper.

"What is that?" came Wednesday's voice, sharp and angry.

Enid snatched the paper up and stood. Wednesday was glaring at Thing, not Enid herself, which Enid found suspicious. When Wednesday finally snapped her gaze to Enid the other girl strode forward with her hand out.

"Give that to me," she demanded.

"What is it?" Enid asked, holding the paper closer to herself.

Wednesday's eyes narrowed. "My personal effects. Return it to me."

Enid felt a tap at her ankle and glanced down at Thing long enough to see that he wanted her to flip the paper over. She looked at Wednesday, torn over who to listen to, but her curiosity got the better of her. She looked at the front of the paper and spotted her name.

"Enid!" Wednesday not quite yelled.

It was the most emotion she had directed at Enid, but that and her name on the paper only spurred her on. She angled her body so the paper was on the far side from Wednesday and kept reading.

There wasn't much there. Her name was towards the top left corner and followed by a comma, then a space below followed by more lines. A letter, she realized, in Wednesday's crisp handwriting. The other girl had written her a letter, but what Enid was holding was clearly a draft. Some lines were incomplete, some were crossed out with a single line, some words were scratched out completely.

It read:

Enid,

My words the other day were

What I said the other day was

After our fight

I was wr

I thought myself above

I reg

I did not mean to

I need

Tell me what I can do to make things right

"You tried to write an apology?" Enid asked. She looked up at Wednesday's face, which was turned into a frown.

"Lies, Enid, I tried to write lies to get you to return. You're more useful than nothing, at least."

Enid frowned in return. "I don't believe that. If you were going to lie you wouldn't have struggled so much with what to write."

Wednesday's jaw clenched. "They needed to be believable."

"You could have found the words. You're a writer, aren't you?"

Wednesday stayed silent and Enid snapped.

"Why couldn't you just say what you needed to say, Wednesday? It's not like I was expecting much from you anyway."

"You're clearly sensitive about these kinds of things," Wednesday said. "If I got the words wrong there was a chance-" she cut herself off.

"A chance?"

Wednesday shut down again, but Enid felt a tremor of hope. She could guess at where the other girl had been going. She decided to try a different tactic.

"I think you meant what you were writing. Everything you crossed out, everything you couldn't put down, were all things you couldn't say out loud."

Wednesday's sullen look spurred Enid on.

"Wednesday, this summer has been strange, and you've been the strangest part of it. I thought you hated me when we first met, and maybe you did. But it really felt like you came to, maybe not like me, but at least appreciate our time together. I even thought we were getting close." Enid dropped her gaze before she continued. "That night, I know I shouldn't have said what I said, but after what you said... I wanted to hate you. I tried to, too. But I couldn't."

"You should have," Wednesday cut in.

Enid lifted her gaze back up to meet Wednesday's. "What?"

"I meant to harm you as deeply as I could. To hate me for that is only natural."

"But you didn't mean it, did you?" Enid questioned. She raised the half-finished letter and hit it with her other hand. "That's what this is about, isn't it?"

"Does that matter?" Wednesday countered. "Whether what I said was true or not, my intent was to hurt you. There should be no words good enough to make you forgive that."

"Shouldn't that be for me to decide?" Enid asked.

"You're too naive for that," Wednesday answered. "You don't value yourself highly enough."

"What does that mean?"

"It means 'I'm sorry' isn't good enough . If someone went out of their way to hurt me like that, I would demand their still beating heart as recompense."

"Then maybe I am naive," Enid said. "But a simple 'I'm sorry' would be good enough for me. If you meant it." She leaned towards Wednesday before she continued. "So you tell me, did you mean it? The words you couldn't say?"

Wednesday's jaw clenched and she stared at Enid with a fierce look. Her breathing came faster as she worked herself up to speaking.

"Enid..." she started. She paused for a few more moments and Enid let her collect her thoughts.
"I thought, at the beginning of the summer, that spending time with you would be unbearable. But you've proven more valuable than I cared to admit. You've proven more challenging. More interesting. And the thought of driving you away bothered me in a way that has never happened before." Enid was stunned. She couldn't think, let alone talk, but the other girl wasn't finished.

"The mark you have left on me is indelible. That's my answer. Take it as you will."

Enid wondered why the other girl couldn't just give a straightforward answer. But after a moment she realized that the other girl had . She had admitted that Enid was someone she wanted around. Someone important to her. Important enough that she had gone out of her comfort zone for her. God that was not good for her heart. She pressed her lips into a line.

"I'll take it as an apology," Enid said. She felt her face ease and knew she was giving the other girl a soft smile. "You know, we work. We shouldn't, but we do. Like some sort of weird... almost friendship."

Wednesday was silent for a few moments, then, "tell anyone and I'll kill you."

Enid snorted, then giggled, then tried to prevent a full on laugh and failed. The unexpected threat that was so like Wednesday that it completely broke the tension she had been feeling for days on end . She knew she had her own part in their spat, but Wednesday's stubbornness and her insistence on maintaining her emotionless exterior had made it tough to gauge how the other girl felt about her. And of course, as soon as she opened up, as little as it was, she had to follow it up with murderous intent.

When she calmed down a little she caught sight of Wednesday's face, and it almost set her off again. When they had just met she would have thought the other girl was furious, but now she could tell that the other girl was more bemused than anything. She looked almost stunned, probably caught between anger at being laughed at and confusion as to why. Enid managed to bring herself all the way down to only a big smile.

"Of course Wednesday, I won't tell a soul."

The other girl nodded and returned to her books while Enid watched her with a smile on her face. Maybe things between them would go back to normal, she hoped, especially with so little time left in the summer.

Unfortunately for her, she was wrong; if anything things felt more awkward between them as the last days of summer passed. Wednesday didn't seem capable of dealing with her in a normal- for her at least- way. Instead of her usual blunt honesty she was hesitant, often taking a long time to acknowledge or respond to Enid. Their late night vigils, which were already quiet, turned downright catatonic, and when the other girl did say anything it was a curt greeting or farewell.

The only exception was when Wednesday needed to inform Enid of the plans she made with Tyler and Xavier. Throughout the week she met up with each boy twice, luckily on different days, but that didn't make things easier for Enid. She watched over the dates as she had the first two, but as the week went on her anxiety grew. Every passing cop looked like Tyler's father, every older woman like his mother. She even wondered if they were just off base entirely, and any random passerby could be a monster waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Labor Day marked the last weekend of the summer, and both boys wanted Wednesday's attention. Enid and Wednesday worked out another timeline using her family as excuses to keep the dates separate. She would start Friday afternoon with Tyler and alternate who she spent time with for the rest of the weekend. If everything went well, neither boy would know about the other, and they'd be able to catch some sign of Xavier's attacker before it happened. That 'if' stuck in Enid's head.

The Friday of Labor Day weekend started like the rest of the week had. Enid woke up as close to her shift's start time as she could get away with, and she hurried through getting dressed and eating to make it to the beach on time. The first half of her shift dragged and she tried to fight off sleep, but the last weekend of summer brought out the crowds, and the second half of her shift was a blur of noise and chaos as friends and families gathered for one last hurrah. By the time she and the other lifeguards closed down their stations she was exhausted; and she had more work to do that evening.

As she returned to her cousins' place to change and slam whatever food she could find, she spotted the rising moon. A full moon. When the sun set, it would be a blood moon. An ill omen at the best of times, with a murder hanging over hear head it spelled disaster. Enid felt a shiver of fear pass through her. There were only three days left in summer, and on one of them Wednesday's vision would come to pass.

Enid tried to push her fear aside; it would do her no good. She could only imagine what Wednesday would say to her if she knew her thoughts. Probably something about destroying the part of the mind that felt fear, she tried to joke with herself. It didn't work, but she soldiered on anyway. They were so close to the end, she could put up with her fear until they reached it.

When she reached the spot on the boardwalk where Tyler and Wednesday were supposed to meet up Wednesday was already there. She spotted Thing as he approached her, and offered him an arm up so he could perch on her shoulder. He told her there was no sign of Lucas, for what that was worth, and that nothing seemed out of place.

Tyler showed up shortly after, and led Wednesday down the boardwalk. His plan was to take Wednesday to The Pier, a large jetty turned small amusement park, complete with rides, games, and overpriced food. Enid remembered taking Wednesday there early in the summer, and remembered how much the other girl wanted to get out of there. Tyler was lucky Wednesday needed to keep an eye on him, Enid thought.

The date passed smoothly, as far as Enid could tell, though she was sure to keep a healthy distance between herself and the couple. Tyler managed to get Wednesday on a ride, though there was no face painting afterwards. Wednesday didn't engage much with Tyler whenever he tried- she seemed more concerned with the crowd around her and the possibility of one of Tyler's parents skulking about.

Towards the end of the date Tyler stopped them in as secluded a spot as he could find and leaned in close. Enid looked away- she didn't want to see another kiss between the two- but when she looked back the two were arguing. Enid wanted to creep closer to hear what it was about but held herself back to watch. Something as simple as an argument could be the catalyst for Wednesday's vision, if somehow Tyler's father found out about it and decided to do something about it. At that thought her breathing quickened and her heart started to thunder, and she stood though she was unsure what more she could do.

Then Tyler seemed to deflate, Wednesday turned and started walking away, and Enid took a breath. Whatever the two had been discussing was over. Enid slunk back into the crowd and made her way to the exit. She hid herself in the crowd on the boardwalk and watched as first Wednesday, then a few minutes later Tyler left The Pier before moving. She wanted to be sure that Tyler wasn't going to follow the other girl, and was relieved when he didn't.

She followed after Wednesday herself towards her next date destination; the cemetery. It was more secluded than the rest of the town while still being open enough to see if any threats were near. Of course, Xavier thought he was just having a picnic dinner during twilight with a quirky goth, But what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him- Enid hoped, at least.

By the time Enid reached the cemetery the sun was down and the moon was high in the sky. The full moon always caught her attention, but the stark difference between the blood moon overhead and the usual soft white moon stopped her in her tracks. For a few moments she could almost feel it, the primal call that other werewolves felt, but no change came, and she tore her gaze from the sky and refocused on the task in front of her.

She entered the cemetery and the line of headstones to get closer to Wednesday and Xavier. After all of her anxiety, and with how close they were to the end of summer, she felt the need to be as close as she dared to the couple. She spotted them through a gap in two headstones and stopped behind the closer one. They were on a blanket in a clearing in front of a mausoleum, looking cozier than Enid would have liked.

She looked back at the entrance she had used and frowned. While she had a good view of that entrance, she knew there was another. The twisting in the pit of her stomach wouldn't let her be, so she leaned in close to Thing and told him to watch the other entrance, just in case. She felt a little better when she saw him heading off, and she turned her attention back to the couple.

The evening passed slowly, alone, pressed up against a headstone in a cemetery listening in on a date and waiting for something terrible to happen. The moon arced overhead, casting a red glow on Enid and her surroundings, and she found herself getting lost in it again. The sound of Wednesday's and Xavier's voices fell away, along with the dank smell of the cemetery and the feeling of the hard stone she was leaned against. Her heart sounded in her ears. Her skin crawled with an itch she couldn't scratch. Her claws extended on their own.

She blinked and retracted her claws. Another failure, though she hadn't even been trying to change. She lowered her head in shame and disappointment. A full blood moon was supposed to be more potent than any other. If she couldn't transform under one when it was directly overhead...

She was pulled from her thoughts by a frantic drumming on her thigh. Thing was there, and Enid blinked a few times until she realized what that meant. Someone had entered the cemetery from the other entrance. She jumped up, ready to shout to Wednesday to run, but it was too late. She saw a figure on the main path, a familiar figure.

"What are you doing here with him?" came Tyler's angry voice, echoing out over the graves.

Chapter Text

At the sound of Tyler's voice the couple in the cemetery looked around and Enid ducked. She wasn't sure if her presence would be a help or a hindrance in whatever happened between the three teens, but she figured if one of Tyler's parents was to show, it wouldn't hurt to be able to surprise them. She peeked past the headstone to keep an eye on what was going on.

"Tyler-" Wednesday started as she rose to her feet, but Xavier cut in.

"What are you doing here?" he yelled, already up and bristling.

"I wasn't talking to you, Xavier," Tyler said.

"That's too bad, because I'm talking to you," Xavier responded.

Tyler turned fully towards Xavier, his face twisted in anger, but Wednesday stepped between the two boys.

"Now may not be the best time," she said, looking wary. Enid wasn't used to seeing the other girl so hesitant, or Xavier so angry. He was looking over Wednesday's head and seemed undeterred by her intervention.

"No, why not now?" Xavier asked. He addressed Tyler directly. "You just can't leave me alone, can you?"

"This isn't about you," Tyler said.

"It sure seems like it, since you're crashing my date. What the hell did I ever do to you? Exist?"

"Xavier, perhaps it would be best-" Wednesday started again, but Tyler spoke over her.

"I was wrong, okay, I know that, but that's besides the point," he said.

"You were a little more than wrong when you and those other normies jumped me, but I guess since you know it's wrong, then everything is okay," Xavier said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"That's not what I'm saying, I'm here-"

"Because you can't just leave well enough alone. Figures, coming from the son of a cop."

Tyler's jaw clenched. "What do you know about me, huh? Or my family?"

"I know a slap on the wrist and a little bit of therapy hasn't stopped you from being an entitled asshole."

"I'm not that guy anymore," Tyler said.

"Yeah right, I bet you're just biding your time, saying the right things until the heat is off."

"What would it take for you to think I've changed?" Tyler demanded.

"I don't think you can," Xavier said.

"Xavier," Wednesday cut in. She spoke slowly while both boys looked at her. "Emotions are high tonight. Let's-"

"No," Tyler interrupted. His breathing grew heavier as he spoke. "You don't get to tell me what to do, after this-"

"Leave her alone," Xavier interrupted as well.

"She's lying to you too," Tyler said. "We were on a date earlier today."

Xavier looked at Wednesday with doubt in his eyes, but a breath later and he turned back to Tyler. "Let me guess, you think you own her because of that?"

"No, just- that doesn't bother you?"

"We didn't have that talk. Did you?"

"I-," Tyler glanced between Xavier and Wednesday, eyebrows drawn down in frustration. "No, no we didn't, but-"

"You thought you had some kind of connection?" Xavier pressed.

"Dammit Xavier," Tyler said.

From the look on Xavier's face he seemed to be enjoying pushing Tyler's buttons.

"You must be afraid you don't measure up," he said.

"I just want-"

"I think me and Wednesday have a little more in common, considering we're both outcasts."

"We have plenty in common too," Tyler said.

"Like what?"

"You don't need to have powers to be alone."

Xavier snorted. "You're right, but in your case you just have to be a bad person."

Tyler took a step closer to Xavier. "I'm not a bad person, I just had some shit I was working through-"

"Like parents who didn't want you," Xavier said with a sneer. "Well join the club- but the rest of us don't take it out on the people around us."

Tyler pointed at Xavier as he said, "don't you ever talk about my family again, it's none of your business."

"You made it my business when you jumped me," Xavier said.

"This really can wait until the morning," Wednesday cut in again. Her voice was tense, rushed, anxious in a way Enid had never heard before.

Tyler clenched his jaw. "I don't think it can," he said.

"The only thing we agree on," Xavier said. He passed Wednesday to take a step closer to Tyler as well, and the two boys stood only an arm's length apart.

Enid frowned from her hiding spot. Wednesday was trying so hard to get Xavier and Tyler to stop and go their separate ways, but she didn't seem concerned about being interrupted by anyone else. If anything her focus was on... Tyler. Enid's blood ran cold. The wrong Galpin, Wednesday had said the other day. They had been wrong twice. The Hyde wasn't Tyler's mother or his father, the Hyde was-

"Why don't we settle this right now then," Xavier said. "Just you and me. No friends to hold me down , no father or his badge to hide behind. Unless you're too scared being all alone."

Tyler snarled and slammed his fist on a headstone next to him. "I'm not afraid," he said, but all eyes were on the headstone.

There was a crack in the stone. Xavier and Wednesday shared a look but Tyler kept talking, unaware of what he had just done. His voice rose and he spoke faster and faster as he went on.

" You want to talk about my family, fine. You want to say I'm like my father, fine. You want to say me and Wednesday don't work, fine. If you don't want to see I've changed then fine . But if you're gonna say all that, then I might as well go back to the old me."

"What the hell..." Xavier started, but Wednesday grabbed his arm, her eyes on Tyler.

"Xavier, run."

"No, we're settling this right here and now," Tyler said, reaching for Xavier.

But Wednesday pulled the other psychic away and pushed him towards the exit nearest Enid. She turned in a flash to face Tyler.

"Don't get in my way, you of all people," Tyler said. He was almost panting and his eyes were bulging as he stared Xavier down.

"Calm down-" Wednesday started, but Tyler shouted over her.

"Don't tell me to calm down," he yelled. His shoulders heaved with each breath and his hands closed and opened again and again.

"This can all be explained-"

"I don't want an explanation," Tyler said.

"Wednesday, what's happening?" Xavier asked.

Enid couldn't watch anymore. She leapt out from behind her headstone and rushed to Xavier.

"You have to get out of here," Enid said. Xavier stared at her for a few moments, but Enid didn't let him freeze. She shoved him with more force than Wednesday had, and he stumbled towards the entrance. "Run!" she shouted after him. His eyes darted to the two behind her and he turned around and started to run.

"Tyler!" Wednesday's panicked voice was the only warning Enid had before Tyler crashed into her as he started to run after Xavier, but it was all the warning she needed. She snatched his arm and held it with both hands and the boy came to a stop, but just barely. He turned to face her and Enid froze.

Tyler's face was twisted, no longer the handsome teen he had been, but something awful, that took his features and turned them into a hideous caricature of what they once had been.

"You knew too, didn't you," he asked. "That's why you're here." His voice, too, was twisted, coarse and inhuman. He seemed to grow before her eyes, then she realized that he was. His arm widened in her grip, and she had to look higher and higher to see his face.

"You don't have to do this," Enid managed to say.

"Get off," Tyler growled, and when he shook his arm Enid couldn't hang on. She took a step back and watched in horror as Tyler continued to transform.

H is skin turned gray and as he grew his clothes started to rip . His face contorted again in a pained grimace and he hunched over. His arms hit the ground, twice as long as they had been, and at the ends of his fingers were claws a few inches long.

The whistling of a knife cutting through the air caught Enid's attention, and she watched as it bounced harmlessly off of Tyler's skin. Wednesday was by her side then, more knives in her hands, but she stilled when she saw that they couldn't get through.

A tearing noise brought Enid's attention back to Tyler's transformation. Tyler was thrashing around, some scraps of his clothes on the ground and some he was clawing at to free himself. He was massive, at least twice his human height, with a bulbous hunch. When he looked at Enid and Wednesday Enid felt rooted to the spot. The thing before her was like nothing she had ever seen, with its bugged-out eyes and sharp teeth. Enid felt her doom was at hand.

But Tyler- th e Hyde- Enid wasn't sure how to refer to him- gave a deafening roar and turned , chasing after Xavier, and sure to make Wednesday's vision come true. All their hard work, their plans, gone , just like that. She felt b lindsided by the reality of their enemy. Only when she felt Wednesday's arms grab her shoulder did Enid blink and manage to shake herself out of her shock.

"You need to transform," Wednesday said.

"I- what?"

"You need to transform."

"Wednesday, I can't, the moon has been up all night and-"

"You can," Wednesday said. "You've never been one to do something solely for yourself. So you're going to do it for me."

Enid looked at the other girl crestfallen. "Even if you say that-"

"There's no time," Wednesday cut her off again. "I'm going to go after them and do what I can, but my knives couldn't get through his skin. But you can."

Enid looked up at the moon in despair, recalling her earlier failure to change.

"Don't look at the moon," Wednesday said. She grabbed Enid's face in both of her hands. "Don't change because of it. Don't do it for your family. Don't do it because you were born a werewolf. Not because Xavier needs help. Do it for me. Because I know you can."

"I don't know if I can," Enid managed to get out between quick shallow breaths. Too much had happened all at once: Tyler crashing Xavier's and Wednesday's date, the shouting match between the two boys, Tyler's transformation. Everything was spinning, her heart was racing, her hands were grasping at nothing. The only thing keeping her grounded was the feeling of Wednesday's hands on her face.

"You can," Wednesday said.

"Can I?"

"Yes. You're a fighter. You always have been."

Enid focused on Wednesday's hands and the world slowed and came into focus. Her eyes, which had been darting between the red moon above and Wednesday, settled on Wednesday. The other girl was staring at her, eyes boring into her own with more emotion than she had ever seen them have. She almost felt her world upend again, but Wednesday spoke.

"I'm going now. I'll buy you time to transform. And you will. I know you will, Enid. I believe in you."

And with that the other girl was gone, leaving Enid feeling both cold and too hot. Something was wrong. She felt too aware of everything around her- the slight chill in the air prickling her skin, the fading sounds of the transformed Tyler skittering through streets a few blocks away, the smell of decay in the cemetery around her. And above it all the moon, too bright, too big, drawing her eyes upwards. It commanded her attention. She tried to blink it away and focus on Wednesday's words. The other girl believed in Enid. Enid almost didn't believe it, but as she continued to stare up at the moon she swore she could hear Wednesday's voice, echos from their interactions over the summer.

"You're more astute than I gave you credit for, as well as more bold"

"It seems you can't help being interesting"

"You had the courage to stand up to me"

"You managed to carve an identity for yourself. That is an... admirable trait"

"I think you would make for a fine Addams"

There were other voices then, Gomez and Morticia, Grandmama, Yoko.

" If your family cannot support you tonight, then let ours"

"That includes you"

"What's in your heart matters more than anything else"

"You deserve so much better than you've gotten"

Wednesday believed in her. She had for a long time. And she wasn't the only one. There was a family there for her in the Addams, in Yoko, and there was no way she was going to let them down.

The blood moon filled her vision. She felt her body tense up. The moon bore down on her, and her breathing quickened again. Then she felt it. Pain, followed by cracks and convulsions wracking her body, her teeth growing and sharpening in her mouth, her shoulders widening until her shirt tore. But she didn't look away from the moon. She couldn't. It was happening. It was really happening.

As she continued to change her mind stayed on Wednesday. She needed to get to Wednesday. She'd be able to help Wednesday. She was going to protect Wednesday. Then she knew no more, and the wolf woke in her place.

Enid's wolf opened her eyes to the very moon that had brought her out. She stood tall, twice Enid's height, with golden fur and a pair of long canines extending out of her mouth. She opened her mouth and howled at the moon, long and loud, a challenge to the world. There was a feeling deep inside her, a sense of purpose; something she wanted, something she needed. The world was swirling with scents, too much information all at once to figure out easily, but after a few seconds of sniffing, one scent stood out from the others. An image of a human girl flashed through the wolf's mind, and a surge of warmth spread through her. The girl was her purpose, and the scent was easy to follow. So she did.

The wolf crossed the distance to the entrance to the cemetery in a few long strides. Her movement felt loose and easy, and she could feel power in every limb. After only a few seconds she was flying through the streets, towards the girl, and towards... something else. Something that reeked of danger.

Out of the darkness came a lone figure, a boy panicking and running away from the smell. A familiar boy, small compared to the wolf. He stopped when he spotted the wolf.

"Enid!?" he yelled. "You- what?"

The wolf stopped and considered the boy. The name he called her stirred something in her, but the wolf couldn't be bothered to care.

"Wednesday- Tyler caught up to me, but Wednesday, she- and he-"

That name caught the wolf's attention more strongly. That was the name of the girl she was running towards. She didn't spare another thought to the boy in front of her, and instead leapt over him to get to her goal.

The wolf was close when she smelled blood. A feeling of panic welled up within her, and she redoubled her speed. There was a gap in the houses ahead of her, with a single large tree in the center of it, and beneath the tree was the girl, Wednesday, held against it by her throat by a hulking figure.

The wolf growled as she ran, and in three great bounds slammed into the figure, making it drop Wednesday. The monster recovered quickly, swinging its long arms to crash into the wolf's chest, throwing her towards some playground equipment. The wolf recovered quickly as well, and she and her opponent circled each other.

They came together in a flurry of claws and teeth. The monster's skin was hard and thick, and the wolf's first few swipes did little to deter the monster. The monster's claws were at least a match for the wolf's own, and after the two separated for a moment the wolf could feel blood running down her arms. She growled an brandished her claws.

The monster moved first, charging at the wolf. She grabbed it and diverted it aside, managing to rake her claws along its side. She turned to continue their fight, and the two grappled again. The monster was strong, stronger than her, and gained the upper hand. It pushed her back into a set of swings and the two became tangled in the chains. The monster headbutted her, stunning her long enough to grab a chain and wrap it around her neck.

She brought a paw up and grasped the chain as well, fighting the crushing pressure until she could push her head out. She gnashed at the monster's hand holding the chain, and it let out another howl as it let go. She tore her way out of the chain and lashed out blindly at the monster, forcing it back until she was clear of the swing set. She felt a sense of satisfaction at the pained noise it let out.

They parted again, each wearing bloody wounds from the other. The monster stared her down with hateful eyes. The wolf snarled to show it she wasn't afraid. She brought her claws up and charged.

The wailing sound of a siren in the distance accompanied her charge, and the two clashed again. The wolf used her greater speed to swipe at the monster and stay out of its grasp, but it was a dangerous game to play against a dangerous opponent, and she could feel fatigue starting to set in. The monster retreated towards a multi-leveled jungle gym, keeping its back towards it to prevent the wolf from attacking from any other angle than the front. The wolf growled, uncertain about attacking the monster head on, but she knew that waiting was its own disadvantage as well.

She charged in at her top speed and rammed the monster back into the equipment behind it. The plastic and metal of the equipment warped from the strength of the impact, but it wasn't enough to incapacitate the monster. Instead it got its arms on the wolf and managed to slam her to the ground. It struck at her again and again, with fists and claws, and she howled in pain. One strike raked down her face and blood clouded her vision.

Then there was a break in the onslaught, followed by a roar from the monster above her. She wiped an arm across her face to clear her vision and saw the girl hanging off of one of the monster's arms, one of her hands wrapped around a knife that was sunk deep into one of the wolf's claw marks there. As the wolf watched, the monster managed to grab the girl and throw her into the warped jungle gym. The girl crashed through it and part of the equipment collapsed in on her. The wolf barked out in anger and rose to her feet.

The monster turned back to face her but she didn't care. Her purpose had been hurt, and her anger blinded her to the danger, her pain, and her fatigue as she charged again. The monster tried to catch her but its movements were too slow, and she slashed at its arms and chest to render them useless. The monster retreated again, but she pursued it.

As it moved, the wolf understood that something was wrong with the monster. Its movements were slower, less powerful, and it swayed and stumbled on unsteady legs. She kept up her attack, striking out at it again and again until it hit the tree in the center of the park. She rammed her shoulder into the monster, knocking the wind out of it. It fell to its knees and blinked up at her, but she didn't stop her assault. She knocked it back into the tree and struck it again and again until her arms grew heavy and her legs gave out.

She growled at the monster, but there was no response. Instead it seemed to be shrinking, changing form into something human. She fell backwards, unable to keep herself up any longer. Her fatigue had caught up with her, but she had defeated the wretched creature that had been attacking her purpose. Her head fell to the side, towards the jungle gym, She wanted to crawl over, to see if the girl was alive, but she couldn't find the energy to move.

She heard footsteps approach, and a panicked voice shouting the name she had been called earlier. Her head was pulled to the other side and her vision tried to focus on another face, a girl about the same age as her purpose. She seemed familiar, but thinking was so hard with how tired she was. Instead she let her eyes drift up to the moon, that primal master of her and her kind, slowly losing its red color for its normal white. It shrank in her vision and everything became dimmer until blackness enveloped her, and she knew no more.

Enid Sinclair blinked her eyes open to the sound of police sirens and urgent voices. Her entire body ached, but some parts hurt more than others- her arms, her face over her right eye. She tried to lift her arms to see what kind of damage she had suffered, but could barely get them off the ground before they fell again. She groaned at the sensation, and she heard someone rush to her side.

"Enid!" It was Yoko. "Are you okay?"

"Dunno," she mumbled in response. She looked at her friend and had to squint to make out her face. The look of concern she found there worried her. "What happened?"

"You tell me. Xavier said Tyler transformed, and I saw you did too, but he said Wednesday was-"

A shot of adrenaline ran through Enid at Wednesday's name and she pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Easy girl," Yoko said, reaching out to Enid- or rather her clothes, not her own but a long coat that smelled of Yoko. The other girl pulled it tight around her. "Your transformation must have torn your clothes. What happened to Wednesday?"

"I don't..." Enid started, but flashes of a fight with a monster- no, with Tyler, she reminded herself- had her struggling to recall what happened. There was Tyler's transformation, then the moon and her own transformation, Xavier, and Wednesday held against a tree, then...

She looked over to the jungle gym and rose to her feet.

"Enid?" Yoko said as she grabbed her arm to steady her.

"We have to see if she's okay," Enid said as she started towards the ruined equipment.

She stumbled along the way but never took her eyes off of the ruined section of the jungle gym, hoping the other girl was okay. Each step she took diminished that hope, but then she spotted movement. Bits of the jungle gym fell as a figure came stumbling out of the crater in the middle of it, and Enid broke into a run.

She crashed into Wednesday harder than she meant to and held her tight. She let relief wash over her and reveled in it for a few moments before she pulled away to inspect the other girl. At first glance she was bruised and battered, but alive and whole. Her eyes roved over the other girl as she tried to figure out the extent of her injuries. Her clothes were dirty and torn, and Enid could smell blood on her. She spotted a gash along her waist and bruising around her neck where the monster- the Hyde, Tyler, whatever she needed to call it, she thought angrily to herself- had held her against the tree. When her eyes reached Wednesday's face she dropped her hands from the other girl's shoulders. She was looking at Enid with wide eyes and as much emotion as Enid had ever seen.

"Sorry, I know you're not a hugger," she said.

Wednesday didn't say anything for a few moments, but then she pulled Enid back into a tight embrace of her own. Enid returned the hug automatically, too stunned to think. For her usual strong and silent demeanor, Wednesday felt small in her arms, thin and brittle. But the way she held onto Enid demanded equal strength in return, and Enid found herself with both arms again wrapped tightly around Wednesday. She drew in a shuddering breath.

"You're okay," she managed to get out.

She felt Wednesday nod against her chest. "So are you."

"Yeah. I am."

The two girls fell into silence and they continued to hold each other for a long time.

The police came and took statements from Enid and the others, and a shocked Chief Galpin had to recuse himself when he saw his son in handcuffs. Tyler didn't look at anyone when he was led away, and Enid couldn't help but wonder what was going through the boys head. Despite all the damage he had caused in his transformed state, it didn't seem like he even knew he was a mythical outcast until the moment he started to transform, and Enid couldn't help empathizing with him. His life had been irrevocably changed.

As had her own, she knew. While Yoko fussed over her, then EMTs looked her over, while she and Wednesday rode in the back of a police cruiser to the rental, while Morticia smiled at her and gave her a healing balm for her wounds, while she changed and prepared for bed on the spare in Wednesday's room, she couldn't fathom that she had actually transformed. She was a werewolf, a proper werewolf, though she knew Yoko would dress her down if she knew that Enid thought of herself that way.

When she and Wednesday finally laid down in their own beds her exhaustion weighed her down but her whirling mind kept her awake. Her transformation had taken a shock and extreme danger to someone she cared about, but it had finally happened. She couldn't remember much of the transformation itself, outside of the sight of the moon and the onset of the pain that came with her body changing. Werewolves rarely could, from what she remembered from her studies, but it still surprised her that such a pivotal moment in her life was just... gone, locked away from her in another part of her being.

There were flashes that came to her, moments and feelings the wolf experienced that were clear. She could recall the power and strength in the wolf's form, the sense of purpose it felt just by existing. She could recall bits and pieces of the fight with the Hyde, upsetting pieces centered around Wednesday. Wednesday against the tree, Wednesday clinging to the Hyde, Wednesday flying through the air and crashing into the jungle gym. The wolf's anger in those moments mirrored her own, and she wondered how much of herself came through in her wolf form. She at least knew from Yoko that it had blonde fur with highlights matching her own hair.

She continued turning the events of the night over in her head until Wednesday's voice interrupted her.

"You're still awake."

It wasn't a question, but Enid answered as if it were anyway. "Yeah, I am."

Wednesday was quiet for a few moment. "You always had it in you."

"What?" Enid asked, her mind trying to catch up.

"To transform. There was nothing wrong with you. Just the people around you."

"I..." Enid didn't know what to say. "I'm glad I did. I couldn't have saved you otherwise."

"Enid," Wednesday said, tone serious, "the reason you could transform is because you would have tried to save me even if you couldn't transform. It's who you are."

Enid swallowed heavily and tried to find her voice. "Thanks," she managed to squeak out. "For everything. For believing in me."

There was silence between them but Enid kept thinking, no longer about her transformation but about what happened before it. What helped her to do it: Wednesday's words.

"I'm also glad that-" she cut herself off, unsure if Wednesday would even want to hear what she had to say.

"Go on," Wednesday said quietly, as if she knew Enid's mind.

"I'm also glad that we met."

There was silence from Wednesday, then she said, "as am I."

Enid didn't know what she had expected the other girl to say to her sudden confession, but reciprocation was a surprise, especially so quickly. The idea of Wednesday being... happy seemed foreign, but Enid had heard the sentiment before, she realized. What had the other girl said? An indelible mark?

"Get some sleep," Wednesday said, pulling Enid from her thoughts.

"Okay," Enid said, and as if the other girl's words had been a magic spell, her eyes drifted close and she fell into a quiet sleep.

The next day was its own kind of chaos for Enid. The scar she found marring her face when she went to brush her teeth startled her- she thought that an Addams' healing balm would be able to heal anything, but clearly a Hyde's claws were too sharp or too potent for that. Finding out her face had been marked by her fight, perhaps permanently, was bad enough, but she also received a message from her mother reminding her that she would be flying in that evening to take Enid to the werewolf camp the following day.

Enid didn't even know where to start to respond to that. She wasn't sure if her mother would even believe her if she told her that she had transformed. A terrible thought struck her then; that changing might have been a one time thing for her. That the next full moon would come and she would be stuck in her human form and her nightmare would begin anew.

Her thoughts continued to eat away at her through her morning with the Addams, though there was plenty to take her mind off of things when she found herself surrounded by the entire family. Pugsley and Gomez led a small interrogation, asking how it felt to transform, how much pain there was, if she could feel her bones and organs moving around inside of her. They were delighted when she grimaced and gave them an affirmative answer.

It was Morticia who asked the difficult question.

"What do you plan to do now that you've transformed?"

Enid shrugged, and her earlier thoughts came crashing down on her.

"We had the thought," Morticia said, her eyes sliding over her family, "that with Wednesday starting a new school, and our desire to have her see the end of the school year without being expelled, it might be beneficial for both of us if you... wanted to stay."

"If I wanted?" Enid repeated.

"It's quite a prestigious school, not far from here. I'm sure we can make an arrangement for your enrollment. You could stay at the manor and commute, or stay at their dormitories," Morticia said.

"I- but- their semester must be starting in, like, three days," Enid said.

"I'm sure they'll make an exception for a newly transforming werewolf," Morticia said. "Think it over. No need to hurry your answer."

Enid nodded dumbly and Wednesday led her away, through the house and onto the streets. She didn't seem to have a destination in mind, but Enid was content to follow her. They meandered to the boardwalk and strolled down it.

"Don't mind my mother," Wednesday said. "Feel free to turn her down. We've tortured you enough."

"I didn't think you'd ever get enough of torturing someone," Enid said.

Wednesday glanced at her. "I never thought you'd be open to being tortured."

Enid shrugged. "I think it's only torture spending time with your own parents," she said. "And... it is kind of tempting."

"To avoid spending time with your parents?" Wednesday asked.

"There's only one outcast school in New Jersey, the one Yoko and the others all go to," Enid said. "It'd be nice to see them all more than just for summer. And..." Enid bit her lip. She wasn't sure how open Wednesday would be to shows of affection, but maybe her transformation gave her newfound bravery, because she pressed on. "And it'd mean more time with you."

Wednesday's expression didn't change but she glanced at Enid. There was a few seconds of silence, a limbo for Enid while she waited to find out where she stood with the other girl, and then Wednesday spoke.

"I plan on staying in the dormitories," she said. "To get away from my parents."

Enid blinked. "I wonder if they offer doubles."

More silence from Wednesday, then, "they do."

Enid couldn't help the smile that spread on her face.

They spent the rest of the afternoon strolling and people watching, trading observations and jokes about the people and shops around them. Enid kept most of hers lighthearted, and tried not to laugh at Wednesday's sharper ones.

When the sun began to dip she said goodbye to Wednesday, though she wasn't sure if it was for the day or for good. With her mother's imminent arrival she knew she had to make up her mind, but she felt stuck. Maybe seeing her mother and the inevitable conversation that would follow would help her decide. For Wednesday's part she seemed to understand Enid's unspoken conflict, and let her go with a simple nod. When the other girl was out of sight Enid took a deep breath. It was time to face the music.

When she got to her cousins' place everyone was out. The kids were probably enjoying their last few days of freedom, and she knew her aunt was picking up her mother at the airport. She packed up her belongings except a few things to get her through the next day, then sat in the living room, nervously alternating between staring at the door, scrolling on her phone, and messaging Yoko for support.

The noise of a couple of car doors opening and closing alerted Enid to her mother's arrival. She stood to face the door and felt useless. She didn't know what to do with her hands or her face, if she should smile or wave or hug her mother or go over and open the door and greet them on the-

The door opened and Enid tentatively raised a hand. Her mother was there, half turned to face her aunt, but when she spotted Enid she opened her arms and took a few steps towards her. She stopped short, a startled look on her face.

"Enid, you did it," she said. "You transformed. And- oh, dear, what happened? Did you get in a fight with another werewolf?"

She crossed the few feet between them, her eyes fixed on the scar Enid knew she sported, and reached out a hand to feel it. Enid's voice caught in her throat, but she managed half a shrug under her mother's soft eyes and gentle touch.

"Tell me everything, dear," her mother said, and Enid swallowed.

She did, vomiting out details all out of order, going back and forth to try to explain the events of the summer that led to her transformation and fight with a mythical outcast. At some point her aunt left them alone. Her mother gasped and fretted when Enid described Tyler's transformation, and she teared up when Enid told her what Wednesday had said to her before she transformed. She reached out for Enid but neither knew how to carry on when Enid was done speaking.

"Enid, I can't believe you had to face that alone," her mother said. "I wish I had been here to help."

"It wouldn't have mattered, we were so worried about giving ourselves away," Enid said.

"Still, I- I wish things had been different this summer," her mother said.

"Me too," Enid said.

"Well," her mother started, "it's still great that you transformed. When we get back to California we'll have to figure something out about your last year of school, but-"

Enid knew, as soon as her mother starting speaking about going back home, that she didn't want to go with her. Not for that semester at least. "Actually," she said, cutting her mother off. "Wednesday is going to a new outcast school this semester, and her mother said they can get me in too."

Her mother stopped short and blinked in surprise. "Enid, I know we've had a lot of issues, but you should be around family after transforming."

"Mom I... I can't," Enid said.

"What do you mean?" her mother asked, clearly taken aback.

"All this time I've been doing whatever you want me to do, to try to wolf out and get your acceptance. It turns out I only wolfed out when I stopped caring about wolfing out and someone accepted me for who I am. So I'm going to stay by the people who get me. I hope one day that includes you."

"Enid, I've only ever wanted what's best for you."

Enid nodded. "I'm sure. But right now, what's best for me is staying here."

If her mother had any complaints she kept them to herself. Instead she quietly agreed and she moved the conversation to Enid's transformation. For all of Enid's hang-ups regarding her mother, the older woman had a great depth of knowledge when it came to werewolves, being one herself and raising Enid's brothers as well. They talked about the pain of transforming, how it never got any easier, they talked about the difficulty remembering what happened and the panic that could come with waking up in an unknown place, wondering what had happened the night before, if they had hurt someone.

Their conversation ran late into the night, staying away from their relationship yet finding common ground between them. When Enid began to yawn, her mother said it would be best for them to turn in, and they bid each other goodnight. Enid called up the Addams rental before she turned in and was surprised when it was Wednesday who answered. She told the other girl her decision and the other girl gave an acknowledging sound.

"That's for the best," Wednesday said, "since, my mother already spoke to the headmaster to get you a spot."

Enid stared at her phone for a few seconds in shock. "Did she have a vision about me or something?" she asked when she recovered.

"I doubt it," Wednesday said. "She simply has a bad habit of meddling where she doesn't need to, and an undue confidence in her perception of others."

"Hm, sounds like someone else I know," Enid said before she could really think about it. The silence on the other end of the phone gave her pause, but her own joke had her smiling while she waited.

"If you ever insinuate that I am like my mother, no one will ever find your body," Wednesday said.

Enid bit her tongue to stop her smile from coming through in her voice. "Understood, ma'am, I won't let it happen again." She doubted she was very successful.

"My mother will want to see you tomorrow," Wednesday said. "To confirm details with you and rub in my face that she was right."

Enid smiled at the thought, but it slowly slipped from her face as a new one occurred to her. "Wednesday... I know you like your space. I don't want to pressure you into sharing a dorm room. They're close and we'd be all in each other's business, so we don't have to share one if you don't want to."

"Do you want to?" Wednesday asked.

Enid thought for a few moments, more seriously than she had before. Wednesday was hard to get along with, was curt to the point of being mean, and took joy in the misery of other's. And she had a bit of a crush on her despite it all. Was sharing a room with her the best idea? Enid snorted at her own question. Of course it wasn't, but she couldn't deny the truth.

"Yeah, Wednesday, I'd like to."

"Then it's decided, roommate."

Enid let out a choked laugh at that, and confirmed that she would see the other girl the next day. After she hung up she wiped away a few tears; she didn't know when she had started to tear up, but it was the end of a long day, a long weekend, a long summer. But for all that had happened she wouldn't change a thing. There was a lot to figure out- uniforms, classes, tuition, holidays, a hundred things she couldn't even begin to consider. But she would face them. She had grown, she knew, from the person she was at the beginning of the summer.

And most importantly she wouldn't be alone.