"Nothing exists; all is a dream. God-man-the world-the sun, the moon, the wilderness of stars-a dream, all a dream; they have no existence. Nothing exists save empty space-and you!"
Wednesday kept her face blank, but she was seething on the inside. If her parents believed there would be no repercussions for dropping her in this wasteland of human life, then she was quite wrong.
Wednesday was going to rain down levels of hell on her parents' head that would make the apocalypse look like child's play.
"And this is the quad!" Enid, the insufferable girl who believed they would be roommates, cried with her hands waving around like a rainbow-bright windmill.
Wednesday slowly let her eyes wander the quad as Enid prattled on about terrible teenage cliched groups of werewolves, stoners, sirens, and vampires. Personally, she thought she might fit in with the vampires. She too had an insatiable bloodlust and preference for dark clothing. Though she would never join a coven- lead one, perhaps, but never join one.
"And what school is complete without our resident tortured artist and oddball?" Enid said. She pointed to two boys- one on the opposite side of the quad who was painting and one who sat alone at a table, flipping through an outdated newspaper and sipping a cup of an unknown liquid.
"What's his story?" Wednesday demanded, her eyes trained on the black top-hat that sat on his head and the ten-foot isolated radius that surrounded him. The boy looked well-maintained, dressed in a black two-piece suit, with a grey vest, a black tie, he stuck out like an amputated finger in a salad bowl, so Wednesday was determined to uncover at least a name.
"Xavier? Oh, well he used to date Bianca, but they broke up and nobody knows why," Enid said in a hushed tone, as if they were sharing secrets.
Wednesday saw that she was still gesturing toward Xavier, and she rolled her eyes.
"Not him," she snapped impatiently. "The oddball, as you said."
The only person in the quad who also seemed to have no desire to immerse themselves in bonding with their supposed peers.
"Oh." Enid gave the only rational minded boy in the quad a dismissive look. "That's Y/N, he's just... odd, even amongst us outcasts."
Wednesday clenched her jaw in annoyance. "I understood the 'oddball' reference, I am asking you why," she said tersely. It was a pity that Pugsley wasn't there, he would know almost better than anyone that it was time for Miss Mismatched Pink and Blue hair to run.
"He's just..." Enid chewed on her lower lip, her eyes flicking uncertainly toward the boy. "Weird," she finished slowly. "But I can't be too hard on him, he's given me juicy deets for my blog! You would probably like him. I heard he killed someone. Like you," she tacked on brightly.
Enid had finally said something that Wednesday found quite interesting. If this 'oddball' amongst the outcasts had killed someone, then he was quite clearly the person for Wednesday to meet.
As Enid brought Wednesday along to leave the Quad, the dark-haired girl gazed behind her shoulder to get one last look at the boy, only to find him long gone...
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He walked slowly down the sidewalk of their town dressed in all black despite the heat of the day. His face shaded by the brim of his hat, the skin around his mouth the only part visible. His trek stopped in front of a local coffee shop.
His head tilted back as he took in the old building. People flowed around him, their arms or shoulders grazing the material of his coat, but they never jostled. Never bumped or even acknowledged the man in a black three-piece suit standing idle outside the shop.
It was almost like he was there but not. An invisible barrier that everyone just knew to walk around. After a long while, he took the steps up to the door, disappearing under the shadow of the porch, taking the chill in the air with him.
Tyler Galpin, the cafe's troubled barista had noticed Y/N enter. Tyler stood behind the counter and greeted the well-dressed boy, like he would with any other customer. Y/N heard him, and his gaze slid to Tyler briefly, time freezing. His eyes were faded. They reminded Tyler of pictures of glaciers. White, blue orbs that chilled him despite the sun's glare. His eyes slid forward again, and Tyler watched him continue his path toward an unoccupied booth.
The booth was positioned beside a window which would give him a view of Dr. Kinbott's office across the street.
The coffee shop was nice; quiet. There weren't any other customers in there and Y/N could enjoy the soft music playing in the background while he waited. His enjoyment of the soft tunes was interrupted by a throat being cleared.
"You kind of brushed me off back there," Tyler chuckled as he stood there with a crooked grin on his face.
"Ah, I did, didn't I?" Y/N sighed, not bothering to even look in his direction, "where are my manners, Tyler? Tyler Galpin, my friend it's swell to see you." He admitted with his voice being as causal as can be.
Tyler's grin had disappeared, as a shiver went down his spine at the sound of his name. His face contorted into an expression of confusion.
"D- Do I know you?" He asked, and Y/N finally turned his head.
Everything about him was off-putting in Tyler's opinion. His eyes were set in so deep that the shadow of his hat's brim made them look like two black holes in his face. His suit was also dull, lacking any shine or color or flare.
Tyler tried not to squirm as those dark eyes stared him down. "I hope so," Y/N said. "I seem to know you."
"Can I get you anything to drink...?"
"I'll gladly take two coffees. Both dark roasts. Black as night." Y/N ordered.
"Expecting someone?" Tyler had the gall to ask.
"Matter of a fact, I am. See her come in, just direct her over." Y/N informed the barista.
"And how will I know it's her?"
"Oh, you'll know. She wears black and white, like your stereotypical goth. Got a mean mug, like she'll explode your head with her mind."
"Sounds like quite the woman."
"Oh, she's a riot."
Only five minutes had passed. Two steaming cups of coffee were at Y/N's booth, with the boy flipping through yet another outdated newspaper.
Gazing up, he saw Wednesday stalking straight to him. She stopped at the table and raised a challenging brow at him. He only replied by gesturing toward the open seat across from him.
She did indeed sit down, prompting Y/N to nudge a cup of coffee toward her, only for her to nudge it back.
"You prefer cream, Addams?" He spoke up, attempting to break the ice.
"What do you want?"
"I believe I should be the one asking that." Y/N replied, holding a menu out to her, "I heard the Peppermint Latte is great this time of year."
Wednesday clenched her jaw, something Y/N picked up on.
"You have something to say, Addams? If so, please don't hold your tongue."
"Why are you at Nevermore?" Wednesday demanded abruptly. "You hardly seem to be a vampire, werewolf, or gorgon. Are you a psychic?"
Wednesday watched as Y/N took a sip of his coffee, "Are you a vampire? You've got the pasty look down."
Wednesday rolled her eyes. "While I enjoy blood as much as the next person, I prefer it on my hands, not my tongue."
"Uh oh, looks like we've got a murderer on our hands, or should I say, 'attempted murderer'?"
Wednesday's eyes narrowed slightly, and her nostrils flared.
"Why are you here?" She asked, leaning across the table and staring him down uncomfortably. "If you refuse to tell me then I will be forced to resort to drastic, and possibly painful, measures."
Y/N gave her a smile that made her whole body shake. "I suppose you'll have to get drastic," he said, his eyes trailed out the window to three boys making their way to cafe. "Good luck."
With that, he stood up, heading for the door. When the shop's door swung open, three boys in pilgrim clothes entered, Wednesday watched as Y/N made no sign of moving out of their way, nor did they. They didn't seem to pay any mind to him, even when he walked straight through them.
Wednesday watched as he left, taking note of his body language. His hands were empty, hanging loosely at his sides as he walked. His back was ramrod straight, head held high, eyes looking down his nose. Wednesday's brow furrowed as she watched him, a thought starting to push to the surface that there was something strange about this boy, even for a monster's standards.
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Short ass introduction. I based Y/N off of one of my favorite NPCs in video game history. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. Hopefully you read the next chapter as well.
EDIT 4/8/24: I have been forced to republish this due to Mikexlrose