Hades and Persephone stroll into the hall arm in arm. They catch up with Wednesday and Tyler who have paused by the entrance. Persephone doesn't know if she's just being paranoid but she can't shake the feeling that the whole room is staring at their group.
"Why are they staring?" Persephone whispers to Hades through gritted teeth.
"I mean, we did kinda break the dress code." He smirks down at her. Their black attire certainly sticks out among the sea of white fabric.
"Wednesday Addams." Miss Thornhill comments, approaching the duo. "What a lovely surprise."
"Miss Thornhill. This is Tyler-"
"Galpin." Miss Thornhill interrupts.
Tyler speaks up to clear any confusion on how the two know each other, "Uh, yeah. Double-cap, no foam, two pumps of sugar-free vanilla."
Miss Thornhill chuckles to herself. "It's a small town. It's hard to keep secrets." Tyler laughs along with her.
"I'm gonna go get us some drinks." Wednesday announces monotonously before departing from her date and her teacher.
Miss Thornhill then notices Persephone and Hades lingering not too far away. "Wow, Persephone. I barely recognise you." Persephone lets out a forced laugh as she and Hades are dragged into conversation with the redhead and the normie. "Interesting choice of colour... and date."
Hades slides his arm around Persephone's waist at the comment. Miss Thornhill really has it out for him. Luckily, Persephone comes to his defence before he can verbally assault his teacher, "There's no one else I'd rather be here with." She states, no trace of amusement on her face as she intertwines her fingers with the hand Hades has placed protectively on her waist.
Miss Thornhill is taken aback by this sudden coldness from Persephone, who has never spoken against her like this before. Hades smiles smugly before leading his date away from the two. Miss Thornhill's narrowed eyes trail after the pair who laugh together happily as they disappear into the crowd.
"She really does not like me." Hades sniggers to himself. "Which I'm used to but usually I have to offend them first."
"You? Offend people? Never." Persephone gasps out sarcastically, placing a gloved hand against her chest mockingly.
Hades catches her hand in his grasp and brings it to his lips to plant a longing kiss while maintaining eye contact. They remain chest to chest as they stare at one another, oblivious to everything around them. "Behave, Cara Mía." He whispers to her.
"Where's the fun in that, Mon Cher?" She purrs back seductively, and slides her hand to rest on his cheek. His eyes gleam mischievously at her answer but his cheeks heat up with colour. Teasing the boy even more, Persephone murmurs, "I'll go and get some drinks." Then she struts away to the drinks table, black heels clicking powerfully against the floor as Hades' eyes never stray from her figure.
Persephone avoids interrupting Wednesday's rather tense-looking conversation with Xavier, before she is stopped by an elated Enid. "OMG! You look amazing. You and Hades look so good together. I'm living for it. And your hair!"
"Wednesday did my hair." Persephone reveals, making Enid's jaw drop. She didn't think the girl would do something so... kind. Especially if it didn't benefit her own agenda.
"Wednesday Addams?"
"How many other Wednesdays do we know, E?" Persephone chuckles. "You look stunning. Very you." Enid beams at the compliment, knowing that Persephone was the one who encouraged her to be true to her own style. "How's your date?"
Enid cringes, remembering her embarrassing moment earlier. "I spilled a yeti-tini on his pants."
"On purpose?" Persephone checks, quirking an eyebrow in amusement. Enid whacks her arm.
"No, of course not!" She denies as Persephone bursts out laughing. "You are... horrible!"
"Your date looks a bit lost without you." Persephone comments, motioning towards Lucas who stands awkwardly off to the side of the dance floor. He seems like he wants to join in but isn't quite comfortable enough in the environment.
"I need to go apologise for the yeti-tini incident." Enid panics, not bothering to say goodbye before rushing back to Lucas. Persephone grabs two cups of the blue steaming liquid and heads back to Hades.
"Xavier doesn't look happy with Wednesday." Hades comments, taking a sip of the yeti-tini.
Persephone leans in so Hades can hear her over the booming music, "I don't think he's happy with Wednesday's choice of date." Hades did not know the drama going on with his sister's love triangle so this news was a surprise to him. His eyebrows raise in astonishment as the couple both sip their drinks. As much as he enjoys gossiping in the corner with Persephone, he glanced longily at the couples who were wrapped around each other on the dance floor.
Spontaneously, Persephone blurts out a silly question, "Do you like dancing?"
"No." Hades replies immediately, regretting his harsh words as Persephone's face falls slightly.
"Oh," She says, swallowing another mouthful of her drink. "Okay." She mentally scolds herself for being so stupid.
"Ask me anyway."
Persephone looks up at him in confusion. She hesitates before spluttering out, "Will you- Will you dance with me?"
"Of course." Abandoning their empty glasses on a nearby table, Hades offers his hand for Persephone to grab. She grins widely, accepting his outstretched hand as he escorts her to the floor. 'Goo Goo Muck' by The Cramps begins to play as Hades twirls Persephone under his arm so that they stand face to face.
Hades' experience with dancing has been limited to the ballroom lessons his mother and father encouraged him to take. Not to mention the horror of witnessing his parents engage in a passionate tango ending in champagne fountains and a very heated kiss. So to say he was nervous about his first dance at a school event was an understatement. But Persephone stands in front of him, with a smile that would rival the beauty of Aphrodite. And with her by his side, he believes that the impossible will always be possible.
The two enjoy a gleeful time on the dance floor, filled with plenty of laughter, fun and smiles. They didn't care who was watching their strange, unsynchronised dance moves. Persephone gets dizzy with the amount of times Hades spins her around. She almost misses some of Wednesday's uniquely killer moves. The Addams style of dancing feels very freeing for Persephone. They have no regard for how other people may view them, they just do whatever they feel like doing. Hades adds some tango moves into the mix that his father taught him, dipping Persephone a couple of times just to hear her unfiltered laughter and to have her nestled in his arms.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Yo, yo, yo! Almost eleven o'clockity, so haul it out on the dance floor one last time before the Rave'N says 'Nevermore!'" The DJ announces as people swarm to the floor. Hades and Persephone have barely left the floor, enjoying their time together too much to separate.
'Physical' by Dua Lipa blasts out around the hall as the students jump and dance around. Among the blanket of white outfits are two dark patches. Persephone has her arms looped around Hades' neck as she mouths along to the words of the song while being swayed side to side. She swears all her best moments in life have been experienced when she is with this boy.
Suddenly, her euphoric peace is interrupted and Persephone is very glad she didn't wear white. Thick, red liquid spurts from the sprinklers and begin to coat the pristine clothes of the outcasts' attire. The crowd begins to panic as they realise that they are being covered in, what they assume is, blood. Screams of panic ring out as everyone sprints from the hall. Some people slip in the pools of liquid, crashing into scattered tables and chairs.
Wednesday is situated in the middle of the floor, smiling up at the ceiling as jets of 'blood' continue to rain down upon her. She raises a finger to her mouth to taste the familiar metallic tang of the bodily fluid when her face falls in disappointment.
Locating her calm brother in the chaotic room, she spots him sheltering Persephone with his suit jacket. Wednesday calls out to him, "They couldn't even spring for real pigs' blood. It's only paint."
Hades scoffs, "What a bunch of amateurs!" Suddenly, Wednesday's head snaps upwards after being repeatedly bumped into by numerous escapees.
"Wednesday!" Persephone exclaims, pulling Hades to rush to his sister. Miss Thornhill has the same idea and the three face Wednesday as her head shoots forward.
"Wednesday! Are you okay?" Miss Thornhill asks, a comforting hand placed on Wednesday's shoulder.
Wednesday doesn't answer her question but instead declares, "Eugene is in the woods. He's in danger." She sprints away, with Persephone chasing after her. Hades was not about to let the two do something dangerous without him, so he quickly followed behind.
The trio charge through the shadowy woods calling out for the bespectacled boy. Persephone can sense the discomfort of the nature around her, telling her that there's something sinister in these woods. Everything is unnaturally still, no breeze flowing through the trees and no sign of life anywhere. Persephone despises the sensation of dread she feels as they travel further into the darkness. Normally, being surrounded by nature fills her with comfort, but this is the first time she's felt like a stranger in a place that used to feel like a sanctuary.
Coming to a stop, the group rotates in a circle in an attempt to spot the young beekeeper. Hades keeps his hand hovering near Persephone to keep her close to him, for his benefit as well as hers. Meanwhile, Persephone's heartrate increases and she feels her breathing pick up. This is definitely not how she saw her night going. She envisioned it with a lot less running, especially not running in heels. Wednesday and Persephone call out into the night again, "Eugene!"
This time they are relieved to hear a response. "Persephone! Wednesday! Over here!" They scamper in the direction of his voice.
"Eugene?" Wednesday shouts as they hurtle over a small hill. A piercing animalistic roar reaches their ears, making the group skid to a halt.
Persephone's eyes widen in horror as she gasps, "Eugene." No one can stop her as she hurries off, spotting a small body collapsed on the ground. The Addams siblings are quick to catch up as Persephone kneels beside Eugene. Tears prick her eyes as she lets out small cries, "No... No, Eugene."
His eyes are shut, giving him a peaceful appearance if it wasn't for the red liquid coating every inch of his face and body. Persephone finds herself desperately wishing that it was just harmless red paint covering his clothes, like the rest of the people at the Rave'N. A cruel practical joke that would leave Eugene laughing at their faces and cheering 'Ha! I got you!'. But she knew that idea was a fantasy and it would be naive of her to believe that the liquid was anything other than what it was: blood.
The trio looked upon the boy with heartbroken expressions. If only he had just waited. He was very brave... Too brave.
"Oh my god!" Miss Thornhill shrieks, running up behind them. Persephone's head turns to look at her teacher, silent sobs shaking her body as Hades wraps his arms around her. "Is he alive?"
What a memorable evening.