I get a call from Ajax which is weird because while we had established that we were friends and talked to each other quite a bit, we didn't call each other out of the blue. I looked at Thing and he motioned for me to answer so I did.
"Ajax?" I answer
"Enid, Tyler is the Hyde, I'm going to confront him now, distract Ms. Thornhill." Wednesday's voice ring in my ear.
"Please don't confront him alone, please Wednesday. Thing almost died tonight, I don't want you to die." Tears develop in my eyes.
"Ajax, Yoko, Bianca, and some others are coming as well." I smile.
"Okay, stay safe. See you soon." Wednesday hangs up. Thing and I go distract Ms.Thorshill, the obvious location is her class.
"Ms.Thorshill, I have a question." I state while taking a seat opposite to her.
"What is it Enid, is it about the Dragonsnaps we covered in class today?" She pushes up her giant glasses.
"No, it's more like girl troubles. You see, I like Wednesday, like a lot, and we've kissed, and we've gone on a date, but Wednesday is really hard to read so I don't know if she likes me back." I sigh, slouching in my seat, and keeping my eyes down.
"You've kissed and gone on a date and you don't know if she likes you?" Confusion seeps through Ms.Thornhill's voice.
"Yeah well, we kissed the night of the dance, but her date was Tyler, and then the next day she was at the diner with Tyler, then we kissed another time, and she was with Tyler then too, so it's like am I silver and Tyler gold? Does she like me or him? It seems like me and I want it to be me, but I can't be her midnight love, not when her silver is my gold, I can't be her second best, close but not her favorite. And I keep coming back for more but I fear there's nothing from before." I try to get it all out in one breath, like wow I need water now, that was a lot like a lot a lot.
"Oh, um.. Well has she kissed Tyler?" Why would she even ask that of course Wednesday hasn't kissed Tyler...right? I mean I'm just here to distract Ms.Thornhill not be psychoanalyzed.
"I don't think so?" My voice trails into a question because I don't know, because while I do get jealous of Tyler I believe she likes me more so I never touch his name in conversations.
"Well, that's good right? She clearly likes you, you've shared a kiss. Perhaps Tyler's just a friend." Ms.Thornhill tries to reassure me but now I feel less reassured than before.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, I glance at it and see a message from Yoko.
'Wednesday's gone insane, she's about to torture Tyler' Why did no one stop her? Never mind I wouldn't want to get in Wednesday's way either.
I was about to get up and excuse myself so I could stop Wednesday, when Ms.Thornhill's phone goes off. She holds up a finger. And I wait patiently.
"Hello Weems.......Wednesday's in jail?...........got it....okay, bye." Ms.Thornhill gives me a guilty smile.
"Enid, could you clear up Wednesday's stuff, it seems like she won't be here much longer. Look on the bright side, maybe this clears up all your girl drama, and you'll find someone else who won't send you mixed signals, like... Yoko! You two get along well. Okay off you go." Ms.Thornhill gets up and starts ushering me out the door.
I go to my room and sit on Wednesday's bed facing the door, she's never in jail long. I'm sure Weems will bail her out and then Wednesday and I can hatch up some plan to prevent her from being expelled.
She doesn't show up until morning and she doesn't say anything and I don't know what to say. She gets out her suitcases and begins to pack, reluctantly I begin to help. We pile all her stuff in the center of the room. She gazes blankly and I wrap my arms around her.
"I'm going to miss you Wednesday. I'll miss you creepy lifeless eyes waking me up every morning...It won't be the same without you." I squeeze her a little harder, my voice teasing. Her eyes aren't creepy or lifeless, they're beautiful and brooding.
"So I assume you'll be moving in with Yoko; leaving me in the past." Is that jealousy in her voice! Why does that make me happy and feel like preening?
"Not ever! What about you, will you forget about me?" My voice starts out string but then it fades away to a whimper. I don't want her to ever forget about me. Our kisses, our cuddles, our date, or friendship, our possible life together.
"Enid..The mark you have left on me is indelible. Anytime I grow nauseous at the sight of a rainbow or hear a pop song that makes my ears bleed, I'll think of you." She turns me around and stares into my eyes and I know she's serious. I hold her closer my tears wet her shoulder.
"I love you too." My voice is small but I feel her faintly stiffen before her arms wrap around me and I know she heard, and I know she loves me.
"I always believed relying on other people to be a sign of weakness, that inevitably they'd lead me to disappointment. Turns out I've been the disappointment." Her voice is soft, vulnerable. I look up from her shoulder to catch her eyes, they flicker.
"Are you kidding me? I've learned so much from you, part of it admittedly being criminal behavior, but most people spend their whole lives pretending to give zero f's and you literally never had an f to give. Any chance you have a plan to elude Weems?" I smile.
"Xaviar was right, the prophecy can't be fulfilled if I'm not here." She brakes from my embrace to hand me a drawing of her, that pilgrim dude, and the school burning.
"On a positive note, I got a text from Eugene's moms, he's awake, maybe Weems will let you visit before you head for the station." I give her shoulder one last squeeze as Thing snaps his fingers and motions to Wednesday that they need to leave. I quickly hid a thing of silvermoon nail polish and a pink wolf plushie in one of her suitcases. I give her one last hug and she walks out the door and I crumple up into a ball and cry.
I don't know how long I was crying, but the next thing I know my claws randomly start extending, I forgot about the blood moon, and Eugene calls.
"Hey Eugene..." I trail off waiting for him to talk.
"Is Wednesday with you?" Panic surges through me.
"No, she left this afternoon, didn't she visit you?" I try to keep a level voice.
"She and Weems left to confront Ms.Thornhill who they think is controlling Tyler." He starts to panic which does nothing to calm my nerves.
"Okay I'll check out the conservatory." I was about to hang up when Thing rushes in in utter panic. I throw my phone to meet him as he begins to rapidly sign.
"Slow down!" I urge it's no help if I can't understand.
"Principal Weems is dead? What about Wednesday?...Ms.Thorhill and Tyler took her to Crackstones crypt, what the heck. Who are the nightshades?" He signs Yoko so I quickly grab Yoko and beg for her to explain as we make our way to Crackstone's crypt.
"You were in a secret society and never told me?" I stare at Yoko waiting for a reply.
"It was a secrete." She shrugs, some bestie.
"How secret could it be when even Kent is apart of it?" I ask exasperated, but everyone ignores me.
"We don't want to cause a panic and alert Thornhill, so how do we get everyone out?" One of Yoko's friends says.
"We'll use our siren song to convince them." Convince them not to panic? To keep quiet? To turn a blind eye? Who are we convincing of what?
"Thing and I will go look for Wednesday." I wouldn't be much help in the siren song department.
"Okay, Nightshades forever." Bianca says and then everyone snaps.
"Seriously a secret snap too?" I look at Yoko in exasperation, she once again just shrugs, that's it. Wednesday is my new official secret keeper.
I'm running with Thing in the woods when I start wolfing out! I feel my ears and snout, after all this time I finally wolf out! But I will celebrate latter, I need to find Wednesday now.
The hyde, Tyler, is about to attack Wednesday when I tackle him. Wednesday escapes and I'm left to deal with an angry hyde. The new wolf vs the experienced killer hyde oh how perfectly planned this was. I'm held up against a tree, I think he's going to rip my throat out.
*gun shot*
"Tyler is that you?" The sheriff asks.
Tyler goes to attack the sheriff, his dad, so I tackle him again. Why am I playing hero today? I kick him into a grave, the grave breaks and he returns to his human form, his father holds him, and I grab Thing, we need to find Wednesday.
I'm covered in blood, and I don't know if it's mine or Tyler's. I cautiously approach the group of Nevermore students they part for me. I look at Yoko and Ajax.
"Where's Wednesday?" No one meets my eyes, so I begin to run back to the school. Suddenly Wednesday appears, I run up to her and hug her, she wraps her arms around me instantly and I know she's safe, we're all safe. I smile and hug her harder.
"I may need help washing the blood out of my hair." I whisper into her ear, she makes a sound like a laugh and pulls away. I beam brightly and she shakes her head. I kiss her lips and despite the blood and the crowd she kisses back. We walk hand in hand to our room. Thing trails behind though he might stay with Eugene for the night.