✓ | 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒, larissa weems

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗
𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐀'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕

"while most plants reward their pollinators with sweet nectar, many carnivorous varieties turn to sexual trickery or deception." thornhill explained. i absentmindedly tapped my pen against the wooden table, trying to stifle a yawn as mrs. thornhill droned on about plant pollination. wednesday and i were both excellent students, never struggling academically, which unfortunately left me with plenty of time to daydream during lectures.

"now, once the plant is pollinated, what do the male insects get in exchange?" professor thornhill asked the class. "nothing. just like all the guys at the raven," bianca joked, eliciting a chorus of laughter from the rest of the students in the room. i couldn't help but roll my eyes at the predictable joke.

"okay, okay. i know you're all excited about tonight, which is why i haven't assigned any homework." mrs. thornhill informed us with a smile. as the students erupted in cheers, i couldn't help but let out a sigh of annoyance. my plan to use homework as an excuse to avoid tonight's event had just been taken away from me.

frustrated, i adjusted the sleeve of my uniform once more, hoping the fabric would soothe the itch on my healing wound. the urge to scratch or slap my arm became unbearable, although i was glad it was finally on the mend. the medication thing stole from the infirmary had worked unbelievably well for the pain within the first few days. i had no idea what i would've done without it.

"hey, wednesday, are you going to the raven tonight?" i asked, curiosity piqued. my sister usually wouldn't be caught dead at events like these, but she had been spending so much time with enid, tyler, xavier, and eugene lately that i wasn't sure if one of them had managed to convince her to attend.

"i would rather stick needles in my eyes." wednesday responded dryly as she closed her book. i noticed how she glared evilly at bianca across the room, who was speaking with thornhill. our roommate had informed me that they don't get along very well, and news travels fast at nevermore, so i knew this feud had been persistent for a while. it was hard to miss the tension between them.

"right, of course. i was wondering if you wanted to sneak into the library tonight, like old times?" i offered, hoping to spend some time with my sister.

"i'll be staking out a cave with eugene. it's our only possible lead on the monster," wednesday replied, packing away her belongings. i could sense the seriousness in her voice, knowing that her investigation with eugene was important to her.

i whispered under my breath, "oh, okay. that's fine," while watching her walk out of the classroom without hearing my answer. i sighed in disappointment, glancing down at the books in my arms, until i saw a pair of red boots stepping towards me.

i accidentally locked eyes with miss thornhill, and immediately looked away. despite my less-than-perfect ability to read someone's emotions, she seemed concerned. i couldn't run away, as i was the last student in the room, so i found myself forced into a conversation with her.

"winona, how are you feeling? is the burn healing okay?" marilyn asked, her tone gentle and concerned. despite my efforts to remain composed, i could feel my heart racing in my chest as i tried to keep my expression neutral.

"what burn?" i asked with a calm and composed tone, masking my panic. "from the ceremony? i'm the nurse who bandaged it," she elaborated. my heart skipped a beat, but i managed to maintain my poker face as thornhill gently examined my forearm. instantly, i used my quick reflexes to conceal the healing scar within a millisecond, hoping that she hadn't noticed it.