only this and nothing more

22

Tana sits in the bathtub still, holding her knees as she remembers that night. No one has talked about it since, especially since they were sent home only a day after the event. Tana cries in the shower. What she really wants to do is scream. She wants to be angry and set fire to the old Gates Mansion. She wishes she set Crackstone ablaze.

But it's over. Now she just has to deal with the "after".

She eventually stands up and turns off the water. She dries off with her white towel and looks at herself in the mirror. Her upper chest is severely bruised from her broken ribs. She looks at the stitches in her shoulder. Then she looks down at her forearms and the scars of the burns she inflicted on herself.

Although she knew she was going to fall into a spiraling headspace if she kept focusing on all the parts of herself she didn't like. So she puts on her nightgown and leaves the bathroom. She looks at the bed and knows she can't sleep on the sheets without overheating. She sighs and lies down in the corner of the room. She shivers as she isn't able to heat herself up until her hair dries. She closes her eyes and tries to sleep, but she knows she probably won't. Crackstone and Thornhill haunt her dreams now. She remembers seeing Wednesday held against the table in the quad. She fell unconscious thinking Wednesday would be killed. It was a miracle that she woke under Wednesday but now it's a nightmare that follows her.

Wednesday lies down in her bed and is unable to fall asleep as well. She feels extremely guilty but won't admit that to anyone. Well, except for Enid, because it was in the moment that she revealed her guilt. As she lies in the darkness of her room, she wonders if Tana is as restless as she is. She ponders going downstairs to check on the redhead but ultimately decides against it. She already let her hair down and changed into her night clothes, she couldn't let Tana see her like this.

So she just closes her eyes and lies in silence, while Tana lies on the floor in her room, sleeping with the lamps still on.

***

The next morning, Wednesday wakes up at six in the morning. Once Wednesday is awake, it is nearly impossible for her to go back to sleep. Some mornings at Nevermore she would wake at three or four in the morning and have to sit in the darkness to avoid waking Enid. She gets out of bed and heads into her bathroom to shower.

After showering and making herself presentable for the day, she heads downstairs. It's eight now and her father is awake, preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, my viper," he greets.

"Good morning, Father," she answers.

"What do you plan to do with your first day off?"

"I'm not sure. I finished my novel, but perhaps I could start another one," Wednesday ponders.

"Another investigation for Viper De La Muerte?" he smiles. He's always been supportive of whatever Wednesday partakes in. Her novels are her pride and he loves hearing the updates on her storylines.

"Maybe. Or maybe a new character," she says, "Like a subplot character."

"I see," Gomez answers. Pugsley comes into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Eggs, beans, bacon, sausage, the usual spread," he answers. He takes a couple of different dishes with him to the dining room. Pugsley follows him but Wednesday diverts off to a different hallway. The hallway that leads to Tana's room. She stops in front of her door. She hesitates before knocking.

No answer, no sound of movement. Wednesday thinks for a moment before knocking again.

"Tana?" she calls out. No answer. For a moment, she thinks logically about the fact that the redhead might still be asleep. But then panic sets in. What if something happened during the night? A broken rib could puncture her lung or her concussion could cause death. She goes to open the door but pauses for a moment. Her mother always taught her to respect privacy but her mind takes over and she grasps the doorknob.