☘︎ *⚜*☘︎
𝖂𝖊𝖉𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖉𝖆𝖞'𝖘 𝕮𝖍𝖎𝖑𝖉 𝖎𝖘 𝕱𝖚𝖑𝖑 𝖔𝖋 𝖂𝖔𝖊
☘︎ *⚜*☘︎
The night was thick with fog and the sound of howling wolves. Clouds hung overhead dark and threatening as the first drops of the night rain slipped through the edges, tumbling to the ground below where they splattered upon the dark forest floor that was littered with the fallen leaves of the decaying trees. One by one the drops fell, until a torrential rainstorm flooded the forest, sweeping away the fallen leaves of red and orange into a nearby river. The river was normally calm during the months of spring and summer and frozen during winter, but when the rain and leaves started to fall, it picked up its tempo, mimicking the rapids of a wide and powerful river.
And yet, even as the citizens of the village on the edge of the forest battened down their hatches for another long night of unrelenting rain, a young woman shrouded in a cloak as black as night made her way through the village square, tugging her hood further over her forehead. She had places to be, whether the rain pelted her or not. She tightened her hold around the bundle in her arms ever so slightly, pressing it closer to her chest as she swept the edge of her cloak around it to keep it dry. She rushed through the village, eyes flickering from one house to the next as the shutters shut in the light of the houses, darkening the cobblestones beneath her bare feet. Soon, the only light she was left with was the lights that lined the streets, which struggled to shine through the gloom of the night and illuminate the road that should have been as bright as it was during the day. Still, she pressed on, not daring to wait for a moment.
The forest greeted the woman with dark and twisted branches that snapped at her as she pushed them out of her way, leaving the path as soon as she entered the woods. Her feet found a hold in the cold autumn soil and she pulled herself along stumbling when a sudden root caught her by the foot and nearly sent her sprawling on the forest floor. She quickly caught herself, planting one hand against one of the trees as she caught her breath. She paused for a moment and stood a little straighter. She swept a hand across the bundle in her arms, pulling away a piece of fabric to reveal a small child, asleep in her arms and unaware of the danger she was in. The baby cooed in her sleep and nuzzled closer to the woman's warmth.
Shouting echoed through the forest and the woman whirled around, eyes widening when she saw the familiar glow of torches dancing on the dark bark of the trees around her. She quickly covered the baby once again and plunged into the darkness of the forest, cheeks flushing with exhaustion, feet starting to burn from the twigs and rocks scattered across her path.
She knew the villagers would have a difficult time following her through the woods. She was having trouble, and she had lived in the forest for the past thirty years, ever since she had crossed the barrier. For the villagers, it would be next to impossible. But she didn't dare stop. Not until she reached a grove of Hawthorn trees, that she recognised a dark shadow tucked just beyond the edge of the Hawthorns. She stumbled towards the shadow.
As she came to the shadow, she fell to her knees in front of it and reached out with her hand, finding the familiar wooden handle that she had buried beneath a pile of leaves. She smiled, despite the pain in her chest and her legs, and pulled the handle. The shadow came away to reveal itself to be a little door, only big enough for the woman to slip through. She did, holding the baby close to her chest as she slid through the opening before turning to shut it behind her. The two were covered in a thick blanket of dark silence, and in the silence, the woman let out a sigh of relief. They were safe.
After a moment of waiting in the entrance to their little home, the woman moved deeper, her hand pressed against the wall, feeling around for a sign of when she had reached the main part of her house. Soon, the wall fell away from her hand and she smiled. She patted around until she found a bed, and set the baby down. Then, she continued feeling around until she found the hearth and matchbox. She struck the match against the side of the box and smiled at the familiar glow of the fire and the heat it brought her. She dropped the match into the hearth and watched as the leaves and branches she had gathered started to burn. As the fire grew, it illuminated the small home that she had built for herself. The walls had been lined with stone, a few bits and bobs that she had collected over the past three decades, and a bed that she would now share with the young baby.
As her gaze fell on the baby, the little bundle started to wriggle and squirm, two little hands popping out of the fabric as the baby cried for her mother.
"Shh," the woman said, pulling the cloak from her shoulders and draping it over a woven chair. "Shh. You're all right. Mama's here." She scooped the baby up and sat down on her bed, leaning her back against the stone behind her. "Mama's here." She unwrapped the baby and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And Mama will stay right here."
She started rocking back and forth, smiling down at the little child as she started to sing. "Hush now, mo stóirín, close your eyes and sleep. Waltzing the lake, swaying the trees. Stars are shining bright, the wind is on the rise. Whispering words of long-lost lullabies. Oh, won't you come with me? Where the moon is made of gold, and in the morning sun, we'll be dancing. Oh, won't you come with me? Where the forest meets the sky, and as the clouds roll by, we'll sing the song of the sidhe. I had a dream last night and heard the sweetest sound, I saw a great white light, and dancers in the round. Castles in the hills, cradles in the trees, don't cry, I'll see you by and by. Oh, won't you come with me? Where the moon is made of gold, and in the morning sun, we'll be dancing. Oh, won't you come with me? Where the forest meets the sky, and as the clouds roll by, we'll sing the song of the sidhe."
She sighed and leaned her head back against the stone as she thought of the land she had come from. A land different from this one. A land where she and her daughter would have been free. "Oh, won't you come with me, where the moon is made of gold, and in the morning sun, we'll be dancing free. Oh, won't you come with me? Where the ocean meets the sky, and as the clouds roll by, we'll sing the song of the sidhe. Grá go deo."
She leaned down and pressed her lips to her daughter's forehead. "I love you, my little one."
☘︎ *⚜*☘︎ - FIFTEEN YEARS LATER - ☘︎ *⚜*☘︎
A young girl gazed up at the large gate before her. Tall, iron, and connected to two large stone walls that seemed to stretch on forever in either direction. She glanced over at the cobblestone road that led through the gate. Children her age were all being driven up to the school in vehicles, some outrageously lavish cars that would have looked conspicuous in a grand city full of wealthy families, others in beat-up pickup trucks that seemed right at home in the little town just down the lane from where she stood now. She had not come in a truck, or a car, or even on a bike. She had come on foot. And by herself. Her mother hadn't dared come where the normies might realise who, or what for that matter, she was. It was too great a risk. But she understood. Fourteen years of living in the woods had taught her that normies fear her for what she is.
She pushed these thoughts aside. This wasn't her first year at Nevermore Academy. Most students came once they turned fifteen, or just before they entered the ninth grade in any of their normie schools, but there were a few that were slightly younger, whose powers were too powerful and frightening to the normies who lived around them. This was her second year.
Shrugging her bag further up her shoulder, she clutched the pendant hanging from around her neck, stepped out of the trees on the edge of the property, and revealed herself to the families in the cars as she approached the road. Between a small break in the vehicles, she slipped through the gate, crossing into the middle of the road before returning to the grassy edges on the other side of the gate. As her feet met the grass she let out a sigh of relief. She always hated the gate. She glanced over her shoulder at the two ravens towering over the name of her school. Nevermore Academy. She still wondered how her mother had found out about this school. There were others closer to home, but she still insisted on sending her to this one. She had many questions, but none that she ever felt like asking her mother.
Turning away from the gate, she continued alongside the road, ignoring the looks she got from her peers and their families as they watched the lone girl making her way up the road towards the school. It was only the first day and already she knew that she would be branded as a strange girl. No matter where she went, or what charms she and her mother used, she was always branded as the strange one. The one who stood too still. The one who was so beautiful that it almost seemed eerie. The one who never seemed to speak. The one who... She stopped herself from thinking of any more possibilities. She wasn't ashamed of who she was, or who her mother was. She held her head high. But that didn't mean she didn't hear the whispers and rumours.
She soon made it to the school and stopped just in front of the low wall that bordered the stone edges of the courtyard. Cars were coming and going, dropping off their children before turning around and disappearing into the fog that was slowly creeping across the campus. She smiled at the familiar sight and reached out her hand towards it as if calling it to her side. As the fog curled around her fingers, she felt a shudder of delight. Beautiful fog. There was usually fog in the forest back home. Fog or rain. One of the two. When it was sunny out, she and her mother would disappear into their hollow beneath the Hawthorn grove, which had expanded over the years. On days when the fog was thick or the rain was attempting to penetrate the rocky core of the earth, they would venture out into the forest and enjoy the weather that the world had brought to them.
She climbed over the wall, not wanting to disrupt the flow of traffic once again. She slid down the wall with ease onto the other side and smiled as she recognised a few of the faces who were lingering outside the doors to her school. There was Principal Weems, the incredibly tall blonde shapeshifter who she had been introduced to her first year at the school. Three of her siren friends, Bianca, Divina, and Kent, all of whom waved to her when they saw her coming.
"Y/N," Divina called, waving to her a little more than the others.
Y/N waved back and rushed across the courtyard towards her friends, her ivy sandals clicking on the cobbles. She slowed as she reached her friends and smiled at them. Kent immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a tight squeeze.
"We missed you over the summer, bug."
Bug. His affectionate nickname for her that he had given her the year before after realising how many insects had infested her room during her time at Nevermore. Butterflies, moths, bees, spiders... Any bug that was able to find a way in found its way in.
Unlike many of the students in the academy, Y/N had been given a room all to herself on the top floor, in one of the towers. The only other one she knew of who had a room similar to hers was Enid Sinclair, a werewolf who had yet to "wolf out" as the werewolves said. She had spoken with Enid a few times, but that was usually during class when Bianca wasn't around pushing Enid's buttons. Y/N had no major problem with the werewolf, but she was a little too... colourful for Y/N's taste. The only colours Y/N ever used were green and brown, and the blue uniform that she was forced into every day from nine to three thirty. Her least favourite part of the day.
"How were your summers," Y/N asked her friends, moving away from Kent a little. It wasn't that she disliked him, or was uncomfortable with his arm around her, but she always worried. Always worried that her powers would get out of control and he would start to spiral. Just like her father had.
"Boring," Bianca sighed. "Just like every other summer."
"Same," Divina muttered. "But we took a trip to visit some cousins up north, so that was fun."
Kent scoffed. "Speak for yourself. Opal spent so much time chasing me around I pulled a muscle in my tail!" He gently pulled Y/N back, noticing her hesitation, and gave her a small smile. He wasn't scared of her, or the possibility of her powers growing too powerful for her to control. Y/N returned the smile and allowed his arm to rest on her shoulders.
Divina stuck out her tongue, teasing her brother. "Oh, you poor little guppy."
Bianca rolled her eyes and turned back to Y/N. "Are you living alone again this year?"
She nodded. "Still technically part of your hall though."
"Good. I expect you to help us win the Poe Cup again this year then." At these words, she glanced over to where Enid Sinclair was hopping out of her car. Her mother was lingering by her daughter, giving her a pitying smile, while her father stood a little farther back, his hands tucked into his pockets. Y/N had hardly ever heard him speak, but he seemed a little more at ease with the fact that Enid had yet to become a fully-fledged werewolf.
"Do you already have it planned," Y/N asked as their little group made their way towards the doors. Kent bid goodbye to the girls before heading off in the direction of one of the boys' dormitories. The girls were all part of the same hall, so they headed up the same staircase that would lead them to the back of the school where their dorm was located.
Bianca scoffed good-naturedly. "Of course. I've been planning since the last one." She linked her arm through Y/N's, who in turn linked her arm through Divina's. "Now, I expect you to be my co-pilot, and I've already told Kent -"
Y/N drowned out the rest of Bianca's Poe Cup speech. It wasn't for another few weeks. There was no point in stressing out about it until they started working on their boat. Which wouldn't happen until the end of September.
Once the girls got to the main floor of their dorm, Y/N split off and headed to a small door at the end of the corridor, which she pulled open to reveal a tall winding staircase, already frozen over with frost from the night and the lack of insulation. But that had never really bothered her. Not when she had magic to keep her nice and toasty warm. She shut the door behind her to keep the rest of her hall-mates from freezing and headed up to her room in the tower.
The room in the tower had been a part of Weem's agreement for allowing Y/N to attend Nevermore with the rest of the outcast students. That and the pendant already resting around her neck, pressing against her skin with a dull burning sensation that she had grown accustomed to the year before. It was a little uncomfortable after not having worn it for two months, but she could already feel her body getting ready for another long three months of wearing the pendant before she was able to take it off.
Y/N pushed open the door to her room and let out a sigh of relief. Everything was just as she had left it the year before. She hadn't brought much with her. Only what she was able to fit into a duffle bag. Her mother would send a few things later if she got the chance, but Y/N wasn't counting on it. Her mother hardly ever dared to go anywhere near a normie town, let alone in it to try and send her daughter any mail. It would be three months before she could see her mother again.
Half of the room was what anyone would expect from a dorm room. A simple bed pressed up against a large spider-web window, with a wooden desk around a small corner that sat beneath a window. A wardrobe for her to put her things, and a few lamps and other things that she might need. She had asked Weems and had left her laptop, phone, and a few other modern things at the school over the summer in a box that now sat on her desk, waiting for her use. She hadn't wanted to bring them home, where the dirt of her dwelling might have ruined them. And she wouldn't have used them even if she had them.
The other half of the room, however, looked more like a greenhouse than a dorm room. Plants had grown through gaps in the wooden planks, a few potted ones had been scattered out among the floor, and a trio of small tree-like plants stood in one of the corners. The room had been dilapidated before Y/N had arrived. Ivy had already been creeping in, morning glories festered on the wall, and weeds had sprouted from nearly everywhere, turning the room into more of a forest than a dorm. But that had been perfect for an outcast like Y/N, and she had fallen in love with the room instantly. So Weems had given it to her and had allowed her to do whatever she pleased to make the dorm her own. Half the time she slept amongst the plants rather than sleeping on the bed that had been provided for her.
As she was unpacking, there came a knock at the door and Y/N pulled it open, smiling when she saw Divina on the other side.
"What are you doing here," she asked, pulling the door open to let Divina in.
Divina shrugged and flopped down onto Y/N's bed. "Just wanted to come and visit. Bianca's in a tizzy about the Poe Cup."
"It's not for another few weeks. Why is she so worked up about it now?"
Divina pushed her torso up to lean on her arms. "Have you met Bianca Barclay?"
Y/N rolled her eyes. "Fair enough." She pulled some of her clothes out of her duffle bag and hung them up in the closet. "You'll be on the team right?"
Divina nodded. "Of course."
"And Bianca's plan for Kent?"
"Same as last year. Use him to sink the other boats."
Y/N smirked over her shoulder at Divina. "You know, you're lucky there aren't any rules or we would be in serious trouble."
Divina waved Y/N's concerns off. "We'll win again and then we'll have peace from Bianca."
"So long as Kent plays his part." Y/N frowned and turned to Divina. "Don't you think we should have a backup plan in case anything happens?"
Divina shrugged. "I'm sure Bianca will think of something to make sure that we win."
"I don't doubt that."
☘︎ *⚜*☘︎
A few weeks had passed and Y/N was certainly feeling the strain of a sudden dump of school work that she hadn't at all missed during the summer. She had liked the long days where she could run barefoot through the forest without worrying about her pendant breaking and her powers accidentally luring in some unsuspecting victim. Now, she was forced to feel the strain of the impure iron against her clavicle, reminding her every waking second that she was an outcast. And the school work didn't help but pound in that message, especially when they studied outcast history. Divina and Kent always tried to make her feel better during this class, as they were subjected to a similar power, but it didn't help when the professors droned on about Y/N's special kind of outcasts and their history.
Fencing was the one escape Y/N had from all the mundane and irritating classes that filled the rest of her days. Besides the botany class that Thornhill taught, Fencing was one of the only activities Y/N enjoyed. Mostly because she always got to spar with Bianca, and they never held back on each other. They often fought without their masks on, though they kept the tips in place to keep from wounding each other.
Today's fencing practice, however, was a bit of a drag. Y/N had been paired up with Xavier, who was still somewhat hung up on the fact that he and Bianca had just broken up. He was hardly paying attention to the matches as they passed, so Y/N eventually gave up and focused on Bianca's match with Rowan beside them. It was no surprise when Bianca won, knocking Rowan back as he stumbled from the shock of her sudden strike. He fell back and ripped off his mask, turning to the coach who had been overseeing the match.
"Coach, Coach, she tripped me."
Y/N rolled her eyes. Rowan and Y/N had never gotten along. Mostly because she was friends with Bianca and the other sirens, and Rowan was not. Once upon a time, he had been okay with them, but after the end of the last semester, Rowan had been noticeably cold towards them, and a few of the other students around campus, though Bianca had yet to tell her why.
Bianca removed her mask.
"It was a clean strike, Rowan."
"Maybe if you whined less and practised more, you wouldn't suck." Bianca turned to the coach. "Coach, can I please go back to practising with Y/N? She's the only one around here strong enough to give me some real competition."
Y/N smirked and sent a teasing smile at Bianca, who sent one right back. "You wanna spar, Y/N?"
"I'll spar with you."
Y/N whirled around. She hadn't noticed anyone standing behind her, and her heart almost leapt out of her chest when she realised it was the boy who had challenged Bianca to a fencing match. The special case. The mid-semester transfer that Enid had told her about. He had been given special permission to stay in Ophelia Hall in his room next to Enid's because it was his mother's old dorm. Now that she could get a better look at him, Y/N realised he was stunning. A little dark and brooding, with cold and sharp edges that reminded her of the iron dagger that her father owned, but handsome nonetheless.
"Oh," Bianca sighed, sizing the boy up. "You must be the psychopath they let in."
"And you must be the self-appointed Queen Bee. Interesting thing about bees. Pull out their stingers, they drop dead."
Y/N rolled her eyes. It was only the first day and already the two were at each other's throats. Y/N hoped Bianca's ego wouldn't get the best of her like it usually did. She noticed how Bianca's face fell a fraction at the boy's jab.
"Rowan doesn't need you to come to his defence," Bianca said. "He's not helpless, he's lazy."
"Are we doing this or not?"
Bianca tilted her head to the side and backed up to her side of the mat, allowing the boy to take his place on the other side. Y/N noticed that his fencing uniform was entirely black, a stark difference from the standard white uniform that the rest of the team wore.
"En garde."
The first point ended up going to the boy.
"Point to Wednesday." So that was the boy's name. Y/N knew that Bianca wouldn't be happy about that. The only one Bianca was willing to lose to was her. Anyone else she saw as competition. Someone who needed to be knocked down a peg or two. They started fighting again and in a matter of seconds, Bianca had stolen the second point.
"The score is even."
Bianca smirked and pulled off her mask. "That first point was clearly beginner's luck." She and Wednesday circled each other. "Let's finish this."
"For the final point, I would like to invoke a military challenge," Wednesday said. "No masks, no tips. Winner draws first blood."
Y/N glanced over at Bianca. There was no way she was going to back down from a challenge like this. Her pride was too high, and she wouldn't dare look weak in front of the entire fencing team. Though Y/N doubted that Bianca would have backed down if it was a private match either.
Bianca took a few steps closer to Wednesday.
"It's your decision, Bianca."
Bianca only took a moment longer to consider it. "Let's see if you bleed in black and white." She tossed her helmet to Y/N, who caught it with ease.
A moment later, the fight started. The two were engaged in a dramatic swordfight, complete with kicks, flips, and every other sort of attention-grabbing stunt they could pull until the entire team had gathered around them to watch. But in the end, Bianca ended up drawing first blood, and Wednesday raised his hand to his brow, where a clean line had been drawn with the tip of Bianca's rapier.
"Your face finally got that splash of colour it so desperately needed," Bianca smirked. She chuckled and lowered her rapier before giving Wednesday a mocking bow and heading over to Y/N to retrieve her helmet. Y/N adorned hers and as the other pairs returned to their fights, Bianca and Y/N started their own, bouncing back and forth on the mat as they held each other at a constant stalemate. Bianca would advance, and Y/N would retreat before swiping a wide arc with her blade and forcing Bianca back a few steps. This continued until the practice was dismissed, and they left to change into their uniforms in the locker room.
"He was good," Bianca said, buttoning up her blouse.
"But you still beat him," Y/N said. She tucked her pendant beneath her blouse and tried to hide the wince as she felt the tiny bits of iron pressing against her skin. She would have to file them down later and talk to Weems about possibly getting a new charm. This one was getting old, and the magic was starting to fade. Most magic had a longer life, but constantly battling against a curse as powerful as Y/N's had worn the charm thin.
"He got a point."
"And you got two," Y/N said. "You're not going to win every single time Bianca."
"I know, I know. But I still like to."
Y/N rolled her eyes and grabbed her duffle bag. "Are you heading back to the dorm?"
Bianca nodded. "You're going for a walk I assume."
Y/N shrugged. "It's raining. You know me."
Bianca smiled. "I sure do. See you later, Y/N."
Y/N waved to Bianca and headed out of the locker room, heading out to the courtyard. Normally, she would have continued walking for a little bit until she was deep enough in the woods that she could remove her charm, but today, she stayed close to the school. There had been more and more reports of attacks in the woods as of late, and she wasn't sure if her magic would work on a bear or not. So, she made herself comfortable on one of the benches, before dropping her water-proof duffle bag beside her and leaning back against the wall of the school, allowing the rain to trickle down the curves of her cheeks. It was comforting to feel the kiss of the rain on her skin once again. It felt as though it had been ages.
She must have sat out there for an hour before finally feeling ready to return to the stone confines of the school. Oh, how she hated being trapped by walls of stone and iron.
☘︎ *⚜*☘︎
The day after, Y/N decided to head down to Jericho for some time to herself. Not that she didn't have that whenever she was at school, but she needed something warm to drink, and new sights to see. There were only so many times she could visit the greenhouses before she got tired of the plants and their whining about how Thornhill didn't give them what they wanted. But what did she know? She was a normie. She couldn't understand the words the plants spoke. As far as she knew, Y/N was the only one in the school who was able to do that.
So, with a book in hand, and an umbrella in the other in case of sudden rain, Y/N left the school campus and made her way down to the village, and over to the Weathervane. It was one of her favourite places to visit in the town. That, and the graveyard not too far from city hall where she could have some time to think quietly. Even down in Jericho, where most of the normies were wary of Nevermore students - and they had learned her face well enough to know she attended the school - she could hardly find a moment of respite. The graveyard offered her a place where people were forced to be quiet, not only because of the haunting atmosphere but out of respect for their dead who had been buried in that land.
The Weathervane blended perfectly with the rest of the brick buildings in Jericho. Built on a corner, the Weathervane was the only café in Jericho. Or at least, the only one that Y/N had found. She was sure that there was another hole-in-the-wall café elsewhere in the town, maybe on one of the less travelled streets up by the residential area, but this was the one Nevermore students frequented.
She pulled her scarf a little further up her neck as she crossed the street towards the building. The bell over the door chimed as she stepped in, and she let out a sigh of relief as she felt the warm aroma of coffee and tea embrace her. The door swung shut behind her, trapping the cold air outside, and Y/N walked further into the building. One of her normie friends, Tyler, was working at the counter.
"Hey, Tyler," Y/N said, waving to the boy as she approached.
He glanced up from the latte he had been making and smiled through the shaggy brown curls that had fallen over his eyes. He quickly finished the latte, called for someone named Jane to come and get it, and met Y/N at the register.
"Hey, Y/N," Tyler said, smiling awkwardly. "The usual?"
She smiled. "Of course." She peered over at the display case. "And can you throw in one of the scones?"
Tyler nodded and punched in her order. She handed him the money and went to sit down in her usual booth just beside the counter. She set her book down on the table and opened it to where her f/c bookmark was holding her place, one hand propping up her chin while the other held the pages open. Tyler brought over her order a few minutes later, and she gave him a thankful smile before turning back to her book.
She had about an hour or so to kill before she had to head back up to the school, and about ten minutes into her much-needed break from Bianca and the other outcasts at Nevermore, the espresso machine started hissing. Y/N glanced over with a raised eyebrow, wondering what was wrong with the machine. But as soon as she glanced over, the machine exploded and Y/N jumped, nearly spilling her coffee. She quickly put her bookmark back and got to her feet.
"Tyler," she asked, batting away the steam. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
Y/N walked over to the espresso machine and watched as Tyler pulled off the grate on the top to try and get to the mechanism inside.
"What's wrong with it?"
"No idea," he confessed. "Don't suppose you know how to read Italian, do you?"
Y/N shrugged. "Sorry."
Tyler sighed and glanced down at the instructions again, trying to make sense of what was written. Y/N headed back to her table and started reading again. She would be no help to Tyler, and with her luck, she would just end up making the situation worse. She drowned out the fizzing and hissing of the machine, allowing her ears to fill with a sort of hum, like the sound of a bee buzzing by in the distance. A trick she often used to drown out the world when she would rather focus on her book.
Unfortunately, that trick didn't work to block out the shifting of scenery in front of her. A shadow crossed her vision and she glanced up from her book. The new boy was sitting across from her, staring at her as if waiting for something. What he was waiting for, she wasn't quite sure. She shut her book and leaned back in her seat, taking a sip of her drink as she did so.
"Wednesday Addams, right," she asked, trying to break the tension that was so thick it could have been decapitated. With a guillotine.
"Correct. And you are Y/N."
Y/N frowned. "You know my name?"
"Enid told me." Wednesday sat up a little straighter. "So. What sort of outcast are you?"
"Excuse me?" Were these usually the sort of questions he led conversations with? No pleasantries or beating around the bush first? As she gazed at him, she deemed that he didn't seem like the sort of person who would enjoy small talk. He struck her as more of a blunt, straight-as-an-arrow sort of guy.
"I've ruled out that you're a siren, even though you seem to hang out with them almost exclusively. I've also decided that you're not a gorgon, werewolf, vampire, witch, or any of the other usual outcasts. So what are you?"
Y/N sighed. "Something you've never seen before." Upon realising that she had finished her drink, she slid out from the table and went to put her cup back on the counter. Tyler was there to take it from her.
"I see you met Wednesday," he muttered as he took the cup, glancing over her shoulder to where the boy sat, watching them like a vulture.
Y/N's eyebrows flicked up her forehead as a near-silent sigh slipped between her lips. "He's trying to figure out what sort of outcast I am."
Tyler grinned playfully at her. "Does anyone know?"
"A few people."
"A few?"
"Four. Technically six if you count my parents."
"I'm guessing I'm not one of those four." Tyler walked over to the display case of pastries and pulled out a pastry, which he then dropped into one of the small paper bags tucked between the register and the espresso machine, and handed it to her. "On the house."
"You're gonna get in trouble if you keep doing this," Y/N said, pulling out the pastry and taking a bite.
Tyler shrugged. "It's worth it."
"Oi!"
Someone was standing at the register and Tyler sighed. "Gotta get back to work."
Y/N nodded and turned back to her table, meeting Wednesday's eyes almost instantly. Why was he staring at her? Was it that odd for her to talk with a normie kid, even if Xavier had told her time and time again that he didn't like seeing the two of them hanging out? She scoffed internally at the thought. As if she would let Xavier tell her who she could and couldn't hang out with.
She slid back into her seat in front of Wednesday and set the pastry down on top of the bag. "If you're just going to stare, why are you here?"
"It's easier to try and piece you together if I'm sitting right in front of you. The seats would obstruct my view from anywhere else."
"Am I allowed to read?"
Wednesday didn't answer, so Y/N took that as a yes and reopened her book, allowing the hum to fill her ears once again.
She flipped through one page after the next, smiling as she lost herself in the pages and the ink written across the fibres. She felt as though she could feel the tree behind the pages and its voice in the words as she drew her hand across the page. As if the ink was its sap and blood. She knew it wasn't, but after living in a forest, she had learned that every tree had a voice, whether people were willing to listen or not. Hawthorns were the dreamy ones, who sang to the night sky and who imagined what it would be like to dance together in the light of a full moon. Yews were reclusive and brooded more than they spoke about anything else. When they did speak, they often told her important woodland information, like where to find the best witch hazel or where the mandrakes were hiding. Then there were the oaks and willows, who were both the happy sort, who would tell her about every little creature that had danced through their branches as she sat with them, falling asleep against their bark. Her mother had asked her which ones were her favourite. And in all honesty, she wasn't quite sure. Some days she preferred the gentle touch of the willows, but others, she rested in the branches of the yews, listening to their every word.
Buckled black shoes entered her peripheral and Y/N glanced over to see a trio of boys standing beside their table, eyes flickering from her to Wednesday. She rolled her eyes and shut her book. The world was not being kind to her today. Tyler was, but it seemed as though the rest of the world was determined to distract her from her reading.
"Good afternoon, boys," she said, gathering up her things and sliding out from her side of the table.
"Where you goin', freak?"
"Back to school," she snapped, her irritation already getting the better of her. "I'm in no mood to deal with you three." She wondered how much satisfaction she would find if she were to take off her necklace and allow them to fall prey to her powers. She decided that it wouldn't be enough satisfaction so she left her necklace and pushed through the group, heading for the door. The world had stolen all of her patience today.
"See you, Tyler," she called as she bumped the door of the café open with her hip. "See you later."
Tyler waved to her over the counter as she left.
☘︎ *⚜*☘︎
That night, as Y/N stood outside her tower, watching the full moon as it rose over the tops of the trees, she heard the sound of a cello playing and frowned. No one had played the cello in all the time she had been here. Yes, there had been a few students who had played the violin, or the guitar, and there had even been one who had brought an entire drumkit with him, but she had never heard a cello being played in the halls of Nevermore. She smiled at the sound and leaned down to rest her arms on the stone railing, her eyes fluttering shut as she allowed herself to bask in the sound of the instrument.
But all too soon the music came to an end and Y/N let out a tired sigh. She drew herself back into her room and shut the spider web window behind her before pulling off her pendant and allowing herself to breathe. Every day from three to nine, she wore the pendant around her neck to keep her powers from reaching beyond the borders of her room. Like her pendant, the edges of her room had been sprinkled with iron shavings, and the doorstep had an iron beam nailed into place. She was surrounded by a border of iron, and though it wasn't enough to harm or kill her, she could feel the way the iron started to sear her as she stepped over the iron beam every day. As she slept every night, with her bed hovering close to the edge of the room, she could feel the iron wailing to her as it tried to burn away her powers. This place was as much a prison for her as it was a refuge.
She sat down on her bed and stared at the charm as it lay in her hands. It had been shaped to look like a butterfly, with a series of runes carved into the butterfly's body. A part of the spell that dulled her powers. The spell had been heightened by the use of iron. She got to her feet and approached the floor-length mirror on the opposite side of the room. She pulled down the collar of her shirt and sighed as she rubbed her fingers over the familiar burn pattern that sat where the pendant had rested. A rune was burned into her skin. It wouldn't fade. Two months every year wasn't enough time for the area to fully heal, scar, and fade. It wouldn't leave until she had graduated, and that day couldn't come soon enough.
There was a knock on the door and Y/N's eyes shot open. She quickly adorned the pendant again before walking over to the door and pulling it open. She smiled when she realised it was just Divina.
"Hey," Y/N said with a small smile.
"Hey. Just wanted to make sure you got in all right. We didn't see you for the afternoon and Bianca was getting worried."
"She could have called," Y/N teased.
"We all had choir practice, and then she wanted to get some extra studying done."
"So, clearly she wasn't too worried."
Divina chuckled. "We all know you can handle yourself, Y/N." She reached out and squeezed Y/N's hand. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Y/N nodded and squeezed Divina's hand in return.
☘︎ *⚜*☘︎
The Harvest Festival was one of Y/N's least favourite mandatory events of the year. A night when she, and the rest of the Nevermore student body, were forcibly escorted down to Jericho to celebrate the night with carnival rides, games, every sort of food imaginable, and forced social interaction. It was a night that Y/N usually spent with an arm looped through Divina's, and her other through Kent's, but tonight, Bianca had pulled them off to go on some of the rides, and Y/N had opted to stay behind. Carnivals were never really her thing, and certainly not the rides.
So as Bianca, Divina, and Kent drove themselves silly on the rides, Y/N wandered through the fairgrounds, wondering if there was anything that she could keep herself entertained with until the Nevermore students could return to the school. She pulled a timepiece from her jacket and sighed. Two hours and forty-five minutes left. At least. But that all depended on how Weems was feeling towards the end of the night. The last time they had gone to the Harvest Festival, Weems had stayed for an extra two hours.
"Y/N."
Y/N smiled when she heard Xavier's voice behind her and turned to face the boy. "Hey, Xavier," she said, inclining her head a little as the boy approached. As always, his hands were tucked into his pockets, but his pained expression seemed a little less currently. "How have you been?"
Xavier shrugged. "Okay, I guess."
"Thinking about the breakup?" It wasn't her business to pry, but she couldn't help herself. Bianca hadn't told her anything about the breakup.
Xavier shrugged again and Y/N fought back an eye-roll. He needed to stop shrugging. She hated it when he did that. "Amongst other things."
"As always," she said jokingly, "the mind of an artist is forever tortured."
Xavier rolled his eyes. "C'mon. I'll get you a panda plushie if you shut up." He didn't give her much of an opportunity to answer and led her over to one of the carnival games where Wednesday Addams was already throwing darts at the board, popping each balloon in quick succession.
"Jeez, you get any better at this, you'll be taking home a whole pack." He paid the vendor and picked up a handful of darts.
Wednesday noticed Y/N standing behind Xavier and eyed her for a moment. He knew that she was aware of his staring, yet she didn't even spare him a glance as she watched Xavier aim for the balloons. He was still curious about what sort of outcast she was, but not curious enough that he would contemplate derailing his plans of escape to try and piece it together.
"Pandas don't travel in packs," Wednesday said, picking up his last dart. "They prefer solitude."
"All right," Xavier muttered, throwing another dart. "Subtle hint taken." He threw the rest of the darts, one after the other, and the vendor handed him a panda, which he then handed to Y/N, who took it with a small smile.
"You should know I'm waiting for someone."
"Oh yeah, who's the lucky girl... or guy?"
"What does it matter to you?"
Tyler appeared from the crowd and waved to Y/N as he made his way over to the booth. Y/N smiled at him and waved the panda's paw in return. As he approached the game, he noticed the tension between Wednesday and Xavier and slowed his steps. "Didn't mean to interrupt," he muttered.
Xavier scoffed. "You're not." He stalked off without another word, pushing through Xavier and Wednesday as he headed off in the direction of the Ferris Wheel.
Y/N rolled her eyes. She could tell that it was time for her to go as well and nodded to Tyler and Wednesday before turning to leave. Before she could, however, a cold hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back. She glanced behind her and frowned when she realised Wednesday was holding her wrist.
"What?"
"I'm leaving."
Y/N nodded. "Okay. What does that have to do with me?"
Wednesday stared at her for a moment before pulling her closer. "You're coming with me."
Y/N scoffed and pulled her wrist out of his vice-like grip. "Yeah, sure. In your dreams." She rubbed her wrist as she took a step back. "Piece of advice, Addams. If you want a girl to come with you, asking is a better tactic than dragging her along like a rag doll." She headed off in the opposite direction in search of her friends. She had endured enough of Wednesday Addams for one night.
She wandered through the carnival grounds, biting her lip as she looked for something to do. It had only been half an hour or so since the carnival had started and already she was bored out of her mind. She needed something to do. Anything. But nothing seemed to pop up. She could join Enid and Yoko for some frozen yoghurt, she could try and find Xavier and call him out for being rude to Tyler and Wednesday and ditching her, she could go try to find Divina, Bianca, and Kent - though they were probably so far lost in the rides now that she wouldn't find them until they all returned to Nevermore - or if she was truly desperate she could go look for Thornhill to try and educate her about the proper way to care for the plants in the greenhouse. The venus flytraps were growing tired of worms again and again. She contemplated the last option for a moment but decided she wasn't that desperate. Maybe she would just go look for the scales. She had to be able to find at least one of them, right? The carnival wasn't that big.
She turned to head in the direction of the rides, but before she could, she heard the familiar sound of the trees in the woods calling to her. They whispered her name, drawing her attention as their ethereal calls floated to her ears on the wind. She frowned and turned to the woods. Why were they calling to her?
"Y/N. Come."
Y/N bit her lip. Weems wouldn't be happy if she left the grounds, but she hadn't been in the woods for what felt like forever. And they were calling her. She glanced at the fairgrounds around her. Weems was nowhere to be seen. Or Thornhill or any of the other teachers for that matter.
"Y/N..."
Letting out a frustrated groan, Y/N hugged her panda tighter and crossed the bridge that would take her to the woods. As she neared the other side of the woods, she realised she could hear someone talking. Urgently. She stopped dead in her tracks and shut her eyes, allowing her senses to be overwhelmed by the messages of the trees.
"Deep in the woods."
"He needs your help."
"Go to him."
"Y/N."
"Beware the monster."
"This way."
Y/N opened her eyes and smiled when she saw a faint trail of magic stretching out in front of her. The pendant had been enchanted to withhold the dark powers she held, but the powers that connected her to the forest still ran free. She started walking again, slowly at first, before picking up the speed as the forest urged her to move faster. She was soon running through the forest, her feet silent as she darted over the leaf litter, moving with the grace of a deer as she allowed her powers to guide her. It felt as though she were running in the forest around her home with her mother again.
But the happiness faded away when Y/N arrived where the forest had been guiding her. Rowan was standing in the middle of a clearing, his hand in front of him as he used his powers to pin Wednesday to a large tree. Y/N stared up at Wednesday with a horrified expression, meeting his eyes as he glanced over at her.
"Rowan! Let him go!" She took a step towards Rowan, ducking when his hand shot out towards her. She could feel his telekinesis surging over her head as he tried to grab her. She plunged her hands into the ground and called the earth to her. Vines sprung from the ground, rushing like waves towards Rowan and pulling him up into the air. He dropped Wednesday and Y/N ran towards him, helping him into a sitting position. "Are you okay?"
Wednesday nodded, unable to form words.
Y/N suddenly let out a scream as she felt the forest around her cry out in agony. She whirled around and her eyes widened in horror as she watched her vines being shredded by the claws of a raging beast as he pulled Rowan to the ground. The claws shredded Rowan's chest and Y/N watched in horror as Rowan wailed in pain. She crumpled to the forest floor as she listened to the pain of the forest. Many people didn't know, but when a life was taken in the forest, human, creature, or plant, the forest felt it. And as an extension of the forest, she felt the forest's pain too. She could almost feel the monster's claws tearing through her flesh, and she cried out at the pain.
But then the pain stopped and Y/N glanced up. The monster stared at her and Wednesday before snarling and running off. And then Y/N passed out.
☘︎ *⚜*☘︎