"This was a disaster!" Weems says frustrated, pacing around as Wyatt sat in her office expressionless as usual.
"The mayor is furious! I have received countless phone calls, e-mails, people in town, alumni and parents. They want answers and so do I!"
"I would lead the inquisition, but I left my thumbscrews and racks at home."
"Mr. Addams." She says in a low dangerous voice. "You are on thin ice, wafer thin ice."
"I swear on my late scorpion's soul, my hands are clean." Wyatt says truthfully.
Well he was right, since he didn't do anything, he came up with the plan, but Thing carried it out.
"I may not have hard evidence, but I see you. You're a trouble magnet." Weems seethed.
"If trouble means standing up to lies, decades of discrimination, centuries of treating outcasts like second-class citizens or worse." Wyatt defends.
"What are you talking about?" Weems asks tired.
"Jerico. Why does this town even have an outreach day? Don't you know it's real history with outcasts? The actual story of Joseph Crackstone?" Wyatt asks lowly.
Weems sighed in defeat. "I do. To an extent." She admits.
"Then why be complicit in it's cover-up? Those who repeat history are doomed to repeat it."
"That's where you and I defer. Where you see doom, I see opportunity. Maybe this is a chance to rewrite the wrongs. Start a new chapter with the normie-outcast relationships."
(By worshipping the very person who destroyed unique people? Hell no Weems.)
"Noting has changed since Crackstone. They still hate us. Only now they sugar coat it with platitudes and smiles." Wyatt points. "If you're unwilling to fight for the truth..."
"You think I want the truth? Of course I do. But the world isn't always Black and White, there are shades of grey."
"Maybe for you. But it's either they write our story or we do. You can't have it both ways."
After a moment of silence Weems spoke up. "You're exhausting." She told him.
"I know." Wyatt told her with a pointed look.
Weems let out an exasperated sigh. "Good night Mr. Addams."
Wyatt turned around to leave when Weems spoke up again.
"But, you should know. I don't tire easily." She told him.
Wyatt stared at her for a few seconds and then left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the meeting house the homeless man took out the camera he stole when he heard a crumbling noise of leaves and a sniffing.
He stood up and yelled. "WHO IS IT?!"
(Who is it? Is it a friend of mine. Who is it? Is it my brother? Who is it? Somebody hurt my soul now. Who is it? I can't take this stuff no more.)
A few moments later the monster burst through the meeting house and leaped onto the man. He screamed and dropped the camera which took pictures as the man was eaten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enid and Y/n were in their dorm, Y/n was in her pajamas and was helping Enid get ready for her date.
Enid took out a bright multi colored shirt. "Too much?" She asks.
Y/n winced. "Yeah."
"I am so glad to have my date with Ajax tonight. You know if you wanted we could do a double date! With the boy next doooor." She teases.
Y/n rolled her eyes at Enid. "I don't think he'd like that, Enid." You told her softly.
"Oh come on, it would probably help you get your mind off the train wreck of an afternoon. I literally think I have PTSD. I didn't even get to do my dance routine!" She stresses.
"What a tragedy." Y/n mumbles sarcastically. Personally thinking what Wyatt did was right.
"What kind of twisted psycho would want to ruin such a life affirming moment?" Enid asks.
"Personally, I think that was done for the best. Crackstone was an asshole. Even more that that though. I hope he is rotting in hell right now." You say.
"Y/n! How could you say that!" Enid says in shock.
Y/n cleared her throat awkwardly "You're gonna be late." She tells Enid.
Enid grabbed her jacket. "Wish me luck!"
"If he breaks your heart. I will nail-gun his." Y/n promises laying on her bed.
Enid smiled and rushed out of the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wyatt in the dorm next to them, typed away on his typewriter.
"I don't believe in mandatory volunteer work, sugar-coated history, or happy endings."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Out in the forest, Eugene was collecting samples of fungus from trees.
"Most of all, I don't believe in coincidences."
Eugene stopped working when he noticed red and blue lights flashing, sirens wailing. There must have been another attack...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the quad, Ms. Thornhill was acting real suspicious looking around the area where Edgar Allan Poe's statue is. She snapped her fingers twice and hurried down the passage to the Nightshade's library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To paraphrase Agatha Christie, one coincidence is just a coincidence, two are a clue, three is proof."
Ajax put his towel over a mirror and removed another towel to take a shower before meeting Enid.
Unfortunately (or fortunately), the towel fell off while he showered. He closed the tap and moved the curtains. But he came face to face with his reflection.
"No!" He screams as he turned into stone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poor Enid sat by the greenhouse waiting for Ajax, she kept checking the time and looking around for any signs of her crush. But he was nowhere to be seen. Unknown to her, he had been turned into stone in the shower.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rowan's drawing of me and Crackstone happens sometime in the future."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Principal Weems sat down relaxing in her chair and drinking some wine in front of the fireplace in her office.
"Gabriel Addams' and Ophelia Clearwater's warnings about Crackstone were in the past. And the monster here? That's in the present."
Weems looked down at the yearbook in her lap with slight anger.
The page was turned to Morticia's picture.
"Three coincidences I know are connected."
Weems ripped out that page in anger and threw it in the fire. She watched it burn with satisfaction on her face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Kinbott sat at her table with a sewing machine in front of her. She was sewing a red scarf for another one of her rodents.
She tied the scarf around a rodent then put it in the cupboard with multiple others inside it.
"That monster could be anyone"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tyler relaxed in his bathtub and slowly sank below.
"The sheriff thinks all the monsters only exist behind the walls of this school. The truth is, there are monsters everywhere. Normie humans aren't always right and Outcasts are always wrong, it's very often the case that Outcasts are somehow right in their decisions."
Tyler opened his eyes under the water and let out a muffled scream because of the water.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sometimes the monsters we least suspect are the most dangerous."
Enid paced back and forth, almost bursting with anger at Ajax. She lets out a scream of rage, extended her claws and slashed the tires of a school bus.
"They don't need teeth and claws to terrify."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xavier exited his at studio in the woods, most suspiciously, he had fresh, painful looking scratches on his neck.
"They hide in the shadows when no one is looking. And then, they strike."
Xavier locked the shed, then pressed a bloody cloth to his neck wincing in pain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But, I am looking now. And I won't stop until I find the truth."
The police put a crime tape around the area of the old meeting house. A officer looked at the dead body of the homeless man, he then handed the sheriff the camera he stole.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sheriff stood in a dark room with red lights used for printing photos. When the picture touched the water, an image slowly began to appear, it was the monster. With it's giant yellow, bulbous eyes, sharp teeth, scaly skin, no hair and it's razor like claws.
He looked down at the photo. He had no idea what the monster was. But he did know one thing. There was a monster out there.