Chapter Text
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring —
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow — I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone —
And all I lov'd — I lov'd alone
- Alone by Edgar Allan Poe
Enid was a whirlwind of energy on the best of days, but on the worst days? She was an anxious and flighty ball of fur that grated on Wednesday's every nerve — not something she particularly appreciated when she was fixed on her hard wooden chair. In front of her, her beloved typewriter, with ideas flowing out of her brain at a pace, faster than a body gets charred when in contact with a live wire. She should know that, she's seen that many a times.
Today was yet another one of those bad days because Enid refused to calm down — she was pacing around the room, muttering to herself, gnawing on her painted nails. Wednesday did not quite understand how her human nails were chipped and short but they could turn into claws willingly, it was one of Wednesday's many curious pursuits developed through rooming with a werewolf.
Enid was not particularly stomping around but she was a werewolf and the attic room they had made their haven, was unfortunately filled with old creaking floorboards, that made a sound each time Enid finished another circle on her side of the room.
She was obviously worried about something banal again that affected her so intensely that it was as if her entire world was falling apart. Every minuscule thing was akin to a tropical cyclone to Enid, ravishing everything in its vicinity.
Wednesday tried to persevere, she was well-versed with several torture methods and a teenager's sulky mood was nothing compared to being waterboarded.
Or so Wednesday had thought — after the eighth time that Enid had cursed some variation of 'shit' Wednesday had enough of it.
Wednesday got up from her chair, crossed the faint line — still demarcating their boundaries, the reminder of the duct tape that Wednesday has mistakenly thought would keep their lives apart — and stood directly in front of the anxious and melodramatic wolf with all the deadpanned stare she could muster.
Which was a lot if she were the judge of it.
If it were before, Wednesday would have rather sworn off eating roadkill forever if it meant that she'd have to willingly subject her body to the bombshell of color that was Enid's side of room but now, she did not care at all. There was hives spreading on her body already but stopping Enid so that she might have some semblance of peace was more important.
Anything that would get Enid to stop worrying — only so that Wednesday could finish her writing session in relative peace.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Her presence instantly jostled Enid from her troubled reverie.
Her eyes widened as if Wednesday being on her side of the room was akin to witnessing a particularly gory crime scene, Wednesday wished it were the same atmosphere and not just the beginning of red rashes and bumps spreading over her body from all the color.
"Wednesday!" Enid exclaimed, she did everything with an exclamation, it was consistent and Wednesday hated to admit it to herself that it was even interesting at times, it blinded her, Enid's bottomless exuberance and warmth, it was much like staring into the sun, but Wednesday could appreciate the sheer effort.
Wednesday had to overlook the fact about how much it annoyed her at first though, that same warmth and colorful smiles that only gave voice to loud words.
Enid's voice reached some decibels that Wednesday was only ever accustomed with mourning bells in medieval times, signifying a death in the village — she never knew that those levels of noise could come out of a person. Much less, someone like Enid.
"Funny seeing you here!" Enid continued, as if she hadn't noticed Wednesday before in all her worry about something that Wednesday will learn of soon enough. Such a statement however, outcropped a sentiment which tasted like anger and sadness on Wednesday's tongue though she had the least amount of knowledge to why it was so.
Enid's worried gaze meanwhile morphed into a bright open smile and Wednesday was painfully reminded what situation she had willingly gotten herself into, the sweet taste of anger melted into dreaded joy. She had forgotten about the thoughts that had been subtly bubbling up like a cauldron full of rotting bodies within her after the whole Hyde business, all throughout the summer break when the distance between them felt more potent and tangible.
It was easier to ignore then, not particularly a breeze now, with Enid standing right in front of her.
She shouldn't have offered herself in the middle of Enid's problems because surely that would exacerbate her weird affliction but it was hard to ignore Enid, it was always hard, ever since the first time they had met, and now, it had simply gotten even more taxing after that brief moment of contact between them, that hug — like Wednesday was an animal who had recently got the taste of human flesh and didn't know how to go back.
Everything about Enid was screaming for Wednesday's attention and Wednesday didn't even feel like denying the call, which made her just take a screwdriver and jam it in her ears but that would still leave her other senses that were affected much the same by Enid's presence.
Wednesday couldn't escape her no matter how much she tried. Enid was, for the lack of better words, whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing.
Sometimes, in the quietest of moments, it sometimes feels like it's the same for Enid as well, when they're alone together, the easy companionship, the habitual orbiting.
Even now, the moment Wednesday established her presence in Enid's view it was as if, for Enid, there was nothing else to focus on, like tunnel-vision Enid had diverted all her focus on Wednesday, like the predator Enid was, with Wednesday being the unsuspecting but willing prey because at the end of the day that is exactly what Enid was — her bumbling feet, bright smiles and ruthlessness as she had attacked the Hyde were all parts of her. The paradigm of the microcosm.
Something within Wednesday's throat twinged at that thought and so Wednesday crumbled all her thoughts like a bad draft of literature and threw it in the metaphorical bin of trash at the back of her head, where most things colorful and mainstream went anyway.
"Your pacing is going to make our floor cave in," Wednesday mutters and doesn't look away, trying to intimidate the wolf but Enid doesn't care about that at all, she wasn't kidding when she had asserted the fact she wasn't scared of Wednesday in any shape or form, and Wednesday didn't know why but it made the twinge in her throat burn brighter, undeniably painful, Wednesday tried to swallow though her throat felt dry like sandpaper which was quite odd but pleasurable as well. A pain that rages without hurting.
"Sorry, roomie! I am just under a lot of stress right now!" Enid was reminded once again about her predicament and exploded in a flurry of colors, her multicolored hair bouncing as she jumped on her bed face first, which she then hid in her colorful pillows, kicking her feet in annoyance and frustration and screaming her heart out, which was thankfully muffled by the pillows.
Wednesday loathed to see such dramatics but instead of swiftly exiting the dorm like she should have, she tentatively sat down on Enid's colorful bed on her own volition. The hives had probably spread through to her bone marrow but that was fine, it posed the perfect opportunity to know if the blood parasites she had given herself were any good at defense against such things or not.
Enid jerked her head up when she felt the bed dip and turned her eyes that were full of surprise towards Wednesday.
Wednesday had the inhuman urge to blink back like a cat to reassure the astonished wolf but thought better of it and didn't do anything else, but what an absurd notion it was either way, Wednesday, blinking — Morticia would have surely gasped at that.
Enid quickly came to terms with seeing Wednesday on her bed and didn't react in any way that made Wednesday want to bolt away like a newborn foal.
Her firmness gave Wednesday a reason to come back to suffer again and again, not that Enid needed to know.
"Wednesday?"
"Tell me, what stupid mundanity of an event worries you now?" Wednesday cut to the chase, the sooner she knew about Enid's plight the faster she could get away from all the color and get her medicine.
Enid didn't need to know that Wednesday had foregone taking the medicine for months now, after the hug on that fateful night it felt like she had become immune to all the evils Enid had previously caused. Enid also didn't need to know that Wednesday kind of missed those small inconveniences, like a nasty burn on her skin.
"You wanna hear about it?" Enid asked, breathlessly surprised and Wednesday beat down that twinge that sprung up again with an awl, like the one her father had gifted her at the age of 2 just to get the hang of executions. She always preferred the guillotine after that but sometimes it was necessary to get her hands dirty. And Enid was much like grave dirt under her fingernails, she knew people didn't particularly like that but she was not people.
"Might as well before my ears start bleeding from your pathetic wolf whimpering."
Enid didn't take offense to that, nothing could faze her at that point, she was used to Wednesday's scathing tongue, it almost felt like affection at this point.
"The masquerade! It's this month and I don't know how to dance!"
Wednesday said nothing for a few seconds, Enid waited for a response. Finally Wednesday gave one.
"And?"
Enid sprung up, her face coming unnaturally close to Wednesday's suddenly and the same girl who hadn't flinched coming face to face with Hyde imperceptibly leaned back, stiff and uncomfortable, Enid tried to contain her excitement, she knew it was because of her colorful persona that Wednesday refused contact with her even more.
However, that didn't mean that didn't make Enid sad and sulky inside when she thought about it longer than a second.
"And!? Wednesday! It's a ball! A gala! I've never been to a ball! What if I embarrass myself if I can't dance! This isn't the Rav'n where they'll be playing pop music! What will everyone say? I will be torn to shreds on the school forums for being an idiotic nobody from the wilderness!" Enid whined and groaned as she brought a pillow in front of her and hid her face in it again.
Wednesday had a sudden urge to liken herself to that pillow but she ignored that urge quickly, like drowning a man in a bath full of acid.
"You live in California, that hardly counts as the wilderness,"
"That's not the point!" Enid groans into the pillow. Wednesday is unsure how she can still make out Enid's words.
"You embarrass yourself almost daily anyway Enid." Wednesday tried again.
"Not helping!" Enid growled from her pillow.
"There's a lot of time till the Masquerade, you can learn how to dance." Wednesday tried to soothe the whining werewolf again, despite herself.
"Who's going to teach me!?" Enid screams and turns back to lay back on the bed but before she could, Wednesday suggested what she didn't even know she was thinking of herself, her dead heart felt uncontrollable inside her chest as if it was thumping.
Warm with human blood.
'Ugh.' She thought inside her head, disgusted at even the thought of it. The fact that she wasn't made of cobwebs and darkness like her dear grandmother was a terrible shame.
"I could."
Enid froze and slowly lifted her head, her eyes wide and Wednesday lurched into action. Shame, embarrassment, fear, nausea, revulsion and all things terrible gripped Wednesday's mind as she stood and walked towards her part of the room, basking in the cold familiarity of apathy than whatever she had just partaken in. She wished she could take it back, like an errant splatter of blood wiped away with the help of peroxide but Enid had already heard her.
It was simply too late now.
There was no way to flee.
Wednesday had trapped herself into a corner — much like Macbeth who refused to heed to the prophecies of the three witches and had written his doom by his own hand for killing the king.
"Really?" Enid exclaimed also jumping up. Wednesday had her back to Enid as she stared at her typewriter in confusion and incredulity.
"Really? Really? Really? Really?" Enid repeatedly asked, bouncing on her heels and coming closer to Wednesday with each jump. Wednesday turned around sharply, ready to deny it and emotionally manipulate Enid into thinking it was a hallucination — that Wednesday had never suggested such a thing but it was a mistake to look at Enid's bright face again.
She was blindsided once again by the warmth that threatened to overtaken Wednesday like the flame licking at the coffin stuck inside the furnace, until all that's left is an urn full of ashes. She turned away again, unsure if her face was an appropriate level of apathy.
"Yes. It is not as if you have other friends who know how to dance well."
Enid ignored that comment as well, squealing and giggling as she came closer still to Wednesday, she had always been a physically affectionate person and Wednesday's heart throbbed at the notion of Enid's affectionate body grabbing onto other people much the same.
It was utterly absurd how her body was reacting when it came to things about Enid, Wednesday had to find out what was wrong with her, before she accidentally spoke something she wasn't thinking and got into more trouble.
"Tomorrow here after class, be ready. I'll teach you the basics of ballroom dancing."
Enid nodded enthusiastically and after jumping up and down in excitement ran to her bed and jumped on it, happy and calm, texting rapidly something on her phone.
Wednesday sighed and went back to sit on her chair, continuing her novel, pretending not to notice when she mentioned 'Evelyn' more than three times in a second line.
There was definitely something wrong with her and it had to do something with Enid so Wednesday knew what she would do tomorrow. She had to put on her detective hat and investigate a little.
Of course, some light stalking of her roommate wouldn't hurt anyone.
The next day, Wednesday observed Enid with the precision of a vulture stalking its dying prey and Enid for all her jovial nature and easy smiles, found Wednesday's eyes every time, like the two of them were two rival animals of the jungle, playing a deadly game of hunt with each other.
Wednesday felt her throat burn with something each time their eyes met each other, a silent battle of sheer will perhaps and Wednesday lost as much as she won.
In her defense Enid wasn't playing fair from the get-go, which was to be expected from a real animal of the forest — especially one which was as ruthless as Enid was when she had bravely taken a swipe at the Hyde.
The way she had growled and cowed the Hyde's destructive nature for more than a few seconds.
No, if anyone was allowed to play unfairly, it was Enid, and she did, in the most annoying way possible.
Enid winked.
Excessively.
Every time their eyes met across the classroom or the quad, Enid would wink, not in an exaggerated manner but in a flirtatious way surely and quick enough that only Wednesday caught it each time and not one of her friends around her. Yoko could have at any point of time but that would be feasible only if she ever stopped looking at Divina.
Wednesday didn't get flustered, it was simply impossible, the doctors of her childhood had deemed her incapable of feeling flustered but now it was as if she were past all cures. She was being driven frantic mad with evermore unrest and it was all due to some banal act of closing one eyelid at a time. It should not affect her so but it did.
Enid, knowing perhaps of the curse she had bestowed on Wednesday, for she was shrewd that way, only giggled whenever Wednesday had to look away, her heart beating hard against her ribcage. Her very own tell-tale heart. It was a low, dull, quick sound — such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton.
At lunch they gathered together, their ragtag bunch of friends — which was more akin to just a reunion of the nightshade members along with Eugene. Wednesday tried to reign in her observation now because there were too many eyes on her now, especially that of Xavier, and she didn't want his stupid nosy self to but into their game, but she couldn't help it.
Enid's presence drew her in no matter how much she tried resisting and this when they locked eyes again — Enid was openly smiling, her head turned towards Wednesday even though she was trying to listen to something Ajax was saying.
The thrum of envy and wrath that the boy used to bring is no more ever since Enid had commented aside the day after the new term had begun that they weren't dating anymore. Wednesday had chalked her relief at the fact that she wouldn't have to see Enid making out in their room anymore.
That is all she had to say on that matter.
Perhaps.
Enid nodded her head as Ajax said something nonsensical and her eyes perused the table to see if anyone was watching them, Wednesday noticed everything and then had to sit there to witness Enid's fit of boldness as she sent a flying kiss towards Wednesday's direction.
Wednesday's eyebrows raised in surprise but Enid only smiled, all canine teeth and pearly whites. As if she had done something she shouldn't have done, no matter if it were a casual thing between Yoko and her to kiss each other fully on the cheek — it wasn't something casual with Wednesday and Enid knew that because this time she looked away first, her flying kiss suddenly gaining the color of vulnerability instead of a small prank played on a touch-averse friend.
And that is when it happened. The burning in her throat reached the tipping point and she felt something choke her from inside her throat.
She tried to clear her throat but to no avail. She felt like puking her guts out. She abruptly stood up and went towards the bathroom. She hadn't made enough haste however as she threw up on the cubicle floor rather than into the toilet.
She was expecting the horrid cafeteria food or even blood or phlegm but what she saw instead were flowers.
Flowers she knew well enough, they were quite the pretty flowers her mother had in her greenhouse because they were dangerous as well as being aesthetic to look at and right then, they were on the floor because Wednesday had thrown up.
They had come from within her. She had thrown up flowers. It was utterly absurd.
Wednesday, in all her long life had not heard of someone in their family throwing up flowers so she couldn't reference this with anything. It was simply unheard of.
Wednesday swiped her mouth with the back of her hand and bent down to touch the flowers in the floor. She was unsure if they weren't some hallucination she was seeing due to food poisoning or a curse. When she touched the petals with her nail, careful to not let it touch her skin openly they felt like real flowers, not a hallucination, and that made her even more confused.
She had no way of understanding why she had just thrown up Lilies of the valley but here they were, intact, painfully real, poisonous but pretty. Wednesday thought back to the part where Enid's flying kiss had first kick-started the itch in her throat and wondered if Enid was to blame for this but then Wednesday shook her head.
'Surely not', she thought.
Enid was not a witch, in fact she had dropped her witchcraft class because she was horrendous at following instructions and staying still to meditate for more than a minute at a time.
Then another thought flashed inside her head and Wednesday's eyes widened as she stood up abruptly — she didn't know if this was possible because she had never been told of this facet of the curse but everything made sense once she had thought about it.
She walked towards the sink and splashed water on her face. Hunched over the sink she looked at her haggard face in the mirror, her eyes alight with fear.
"Wednesday? I wasn't paying attention and you were suddenly gone. Xavier told me you rushed towards the washroom. Are you okay?"
Enid called out from outside and Wednesday shut her eyes tightly at the voice. She put her wet face in her hands in despair as the itching in her throat returned, compelling her to tell Enid the truth or choke on the flowers that were just like Enid — pretty and deadly at the same time.
Wednesday drew a big breath in as Enid knocked on the door, anxious as always but all Wednesday could feel at the moment was dread and confusion — how was it possible that the Addams' curse had gotten hold of her, she had thought it was skip her like uncle fester — she wasn't soft, she did not love.
She knew the least about it, whatever she had with Tyler was selfish and her being curious, an inkling of a mystery that needed to be solved and then it was hate and vitriol, but this was something else — her feelings for Enid were warm and all consuming, as evident from the flowers on the floor and the burning she felt in her chest. She knew she cherished Enid after the fight with the Hyde, she knew of this but then she remembered her parents and what the curse had reduced the two of them to, and she didn't want that for Enid.
The love of an Addams' was a wretched thing, an obsessive hearkening, a most bloody affair and she couldn't make Enid go through that, no matter how much her supposed crystalline heart suddenly wanted it — her brain would not let her feelings affect Enid in such a way — she would not let her feelings drive her astray. She promised herself she wouldn't become her parents and she had to stay true to that promise.
If she were to die for it, then all the more reason for Morticia to feel guilt and regret.
"I'm fine Enid, stop trying to break the door." She said, she couldn't recognize her voice though, it sounded soft and shaky and Wednesday had to talk with her parents soon if she were to find a way out of Enid understanding her feelings.
She opened the door, hoping she looked sick and deathly but not warm and in love as she felt when she gazed upon Enid's worried eyes. She didn't understand how the realization of the curse could change her mood and feelings so quickly but Wednesday adapted quickly.
Her feelings made her throat itch again and her heart throb but she gave Enid her usual stare. Enid wanted to ask but instead she sighed and let Wednesday walk outside of the washroom.
"What happened? Is it food poisoning?"
Wednesday scoffed and waved her worries away with a dismissive hand. "Don't be stupid Enid, I've eaten roadkill ever since I was a child. It's a curse effect."
"What!?" Enid exclaimed and Wednesday wondered how she could possibly fall in love with such a creature. She stamped herself in her own mind at that, of course she would love Enid. Enid was ethereal, her exclamations all included because she had protected Wednesday with that same exuberance in the dark of the night and then cried tears of relief, naked, in front of the entire school once she held Wednesday.
"What do you mean?" Wednesday gets jolted from her reverie and tries to explain in an inconspicuous way.
"I give myself curses sometimes, to see what effect they have, nothing to worry about. I must go the room now, however, I have something to talk with my parents. Do not disturb me."
Enid is still worried but nods quickly but then she's making an affronted noise again that makes Wednesday stop in her tracks. Her body literally freezes and she wants to turn around and ask what is wrong, if she can help and then feels angry at herself for such reactions — it wasn't normal. It wasn't her.
She turns around slowly and just raises an eyebrow again, repressing the urge to throw up lilies of the valley again, right in front of Enid, or more drastically, profess her newfound undying and irrevocable love and obsession.
But she doesn't and just stands there, her arms folded against her chest in order to hold herself and her feelings in check.
"What about our dance rehearsal? You said you'd help me? Should we reschedule if you're sick? Wait, sorry, cursed?"
And Wednesday had totally forgotten about it. She lamented inside her head because there was no way she would be able to be that close with Enid without spilling her guts but if she denied the help now then Enid would be suspicious, or worse, sad.
Wednesday gritted her teeth before breathing in to calm herself down again and nods, tersely, once.
"Yes, that would still happen but not before the classes end and until then, tell all the teachers I'm sick and don't let anyone disturb me in the room, you don't lurk around there either. I'll —" and Wednesday loathed to say this but it had to be said.
"— text you when I'm rid of this curse."
Enid is surprised that Wednesday mentioned her cell phone first by her own initiative but quickly nods before Wednesday could take it back and fluttered away, her walking having small hops in it.
Wednesday saw her walking away and yearned to follow, surely if Enid walked into hell like Eurydice she would've been sure to follow like Orpheus — she wouldn't sing and beg but kill to get her back but it's the thought of the notion that counted.
She forced herself to turn away and walk towards her room however, because she had to talk with her parents and find out a way to get rid of the flowers as soon as possible.