His Hyde's Jekyll

Chapter 8. New bait..

"Hiya, bestie!" Enid waved cheerfully as she popped out of the hearse. As usual, it looked like a rainbow had vomited all over her garments.

"Hello, Enid." Wednesday stepped back warily as her roommate extended her arms towards her. "What are you doing?"

Confusion crossed Enid's face. "I thought hugging was something we did now-you know, after what happened that night."

Wednesday could feel the eyes of her family burning a hole through to her spine. She should have known this would happen-she doubted if Enid even knew the meaning of the word confidential. Half the population of Transylvania probably knew by now that Wednesday Addams had embraced someone of her own accord. If only she had had the foresight to blackmail her into silence before she left.

Well, it was too late now. Damage control was the only option left to her.

"You're mistaken," she said, imbuing icy coolness into her voice. "What happened that night was due to extenuating circumstances and will not be discussed again. Is that understood?"

"I get that you're embarrassed," Enid said, "but you really shouldn't be. You're actually a really great

Wednesday sent her a death glare, but her roommate had grown unfortunately immune to those as of late. So much for damage control.

"Well, we're happy to have you with us, Enid dear," her mother said. "Please make yourself at home during your stay."

"I hope your family was alright with us spiriting you away for a while," her father added.

"Believe me, Mr. and Mrs. Addams, I'm not missing anything. They're on our annual family camping trip, and let me tell you, sharing a tent with five brothers is totes disgusting." She gave an exaggerated shudder.

"Well, please, come in," her mother smiled. "Wednesday will give you a tour of the place!" Wednesday opened her mouth to protest, but her mother raised a silencing finger. "Enid is your guest, darling. Be a hospitable host and show her around, please."

Seeing that resisting was futile, she begrudgingly resigned herself to her fate. She had built this coffin for herself. Now she had no choice but to lie in it.

"I can't believe I'm staying in an actual castle." Enid's peppy voice grated in her ears as they passed through the main entrance. "I mean it'd be even better if the vibe was more Cinderella and less Dracula, but still, it's a flipping castle."

They finished touring the first floor and were headed for a flight of winding stairs when Enid stopped suddenly. Wednesday glanced at her impatiently. "What?"

"You're bleeding."

She ground her teeth in annoyance. Her knife wound must have opened again. Curse Enid's heightened werewolf senses.

"It's from the arrow," she lied. "It's almost healed, but it still bleeds every now and then. It's nothing to worry about."

"You really have to take better care of yourself," Enid said. "I hope you haven't been pushing yourself too hard while you've been here."

Wednesday wondered briefly how Enid defined 'pushing oneself too hard,' but she said nothing.

They turned down a long hallway and Enid paused to examine a portrait of a man with dark shoulder-length hair and strong features. "Who's that?" she asked. "He's kind of cute."

"Enid, I know you rarely think of anything other than the opposite sex, but an infatuation with a portrait of a man who's been dead for five hundred years is a bit much even for you."

"No need to be so judgy," Enid said defensively. "I'm not infatuated with him. I was just making an observation."

Wednesday stared at her, unconvinced. "To answer your question, his name is Heinrich the Horrible. He went mad and killed his wife and nine children before committing suicide. Some say that his grief-crazed ghost still haunts these halls." Her lips twisted slightly. "On second thought, maybe your taste in men isn't hopeless, after all."