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Being a banshee was one thing, considering you had been pretty alone all your life and had never really had a “pack” like so many other outsiders had. It was harsh, sensing death and not having peer support, but that’s just how your kind worked.
But having a crush on Wednesday Addams was another thing. Death was easy to predict for you, but you had no idea what was going on behind her eyes. You weren’t even are you-will you-phase, it was just a complete mystery.
And Enid Sinclair had noticed your struggle, and decided to take matters in her own hands.
“You’ve been into them like, forever. I need you to act on your feelings,” Enid whined from her bed.
Wednesday didn’t look up from her typewriter, the click-clacking of the keys filling the pauses in Enid’s speech. “I fail to see how it affects you.”
“It affects me because you’re my friend! And for someone like me, this is basically torture. You like them, they like you. You’re perfect to each other, they literally sense death and you’re the biggest fangirl I know around those topics! I don’t understand why you don’t just act on it. It’s suffocating. I’m doing you both a favour and I hope that one day you will understand that.”
Finally, Wednesday paused and looked over her shoulder, catching Enid’s eyes in death stare. “If you’re implying you’re planning to interfere this imaginary ‘relationship’ I have with them, don’t. Whatever misguided matchmaking scheme you’re concocting, it will end poorly.”
Enid groaned. “Fine. Noted.”
Wednesday knew that she didn’t “note” anything from what she just said.
Next victim was you, naturally. She sat next to you at the fountain and you glanced at her briefly. “Hi.”
She grinned. “Sooooo. How’s your week going?”
You shrugged. “Basically just studying, otherwise I’m doing pretty okay. Why?”
She bit her lip and swayed a little. “Well, Wednesday asked for your help in something. This could be a perfect opportunity for you to approach her.”
You sighed, closing the book with a thud. “Enid, not again.”
She groaned. “Yes again! I’ve watched you two for weeks, doing one of my favourite romance tropes, long looks at each other while the other is not looking. The tension is killing me, probably literally at this point. I’m breaking out from stress, watching you two just… dance around each other.”
You rolled your eyes. “I know you’re always looking for romance and you live for the thought to find someone for your roommate, but you’re after the wrong person, I’m not the one. She doesn’t like me like that.”
She huffed, throwing her hands up. “I can’t believe you don’t see it! She even sits beside you at the lunch table and she has never commented on your chewing! And that’s her version of proposing marriage, you should know that!”
“That’s ridiculous. Maybe I’m just, I don’t know, I don’t try to force small talk and that’s why she prefers to sit beside me instead of one of your friends? No offence for your friends of course.”
She crossed her arms, you weren’t sure if it was because she tried to seem intimidating or because the chill of nearing winter was strengthening its grip. “She also glares at anyone who tries to flirt with you, making instant enemies with that person. She’s obviously jealous and fantasises about gutting the person who flirts with you. You’re special to her, in more ways than just one. I’m going to prove it, one way or another.”
You opened your mouth to protest, but she had already gotten up, bouncing away, leaving you wondering what on earth she was planning on.
The next morning, Enid approached you again as you were reading a book underneath your favourite tree. “There you are! Um, a funny story, I wasn’t able to make up a way for you two to meet up, but then Wednesday said that she’s going to that creepy antique shop today in about an hour, and asked for your company.”
You narrowed your eyes at her, immediately suspicious. “My company?”
Enid pressed her lips together and put her hands behind her back, swaying on her heels. “Well, I know that sounds stupid, but she really just wants another pair of eyes, and your eyes aren’t ‘entirely useless’ like mine are. Her words, not mine, by the way. And you have actual knowledge of the artefacts while I don’t. She appreciates that.”
“That does sound like her,” you muttered, before shrugging. “Yeah. Tell her I’ll be there. When did she want to meet up?”
Enid’s wide grin ignited your suspicion again. “In an hour, she’ll meet you there.”
And that’s how an hour later, you stepped through the door of that shop, seeing Wednesday look through a shelf of porcelain dolls. She didn’t even look at you when you entered, and for a moment you thought she didn’t hear you. But then she turned around. “How is your schoolwork?”
You frowned, she had never before asked about your schoolwork. “Uh, fine. Our history teacher keeps getting distracted though and we’re awfully behind from the schedule because of that so that’s slightly stressful, but otherwise everything is going fine.”
She nodded, letting her eyes swipe over the massive shop. “And the artefacts, which ones you need help with? I think I have most expertise with cursed jewellery, preferably the ones that caused mass murders.”
You opened your mouth as you frowned and tilted your head. “I… what artefacts?”
She narrowed her eyes for a moment. “Enid told me you want my help in identifying fraudulent artefacts from real ones, for your course with ancient magic.”
You shook your head. “Oh, no. We aren’t at that point yet with the course, the teacher is stalling at telling about some dark wizard from a hundred years ago, I’m pretty sure she has a crush on him and— um, anyway, to me she told you want an outsider opinion about some mystery stuff you found here.”
Her gaze flicked to yours. “Interesting.”
Silence. Of course. Enid and her sly plan.
“I believe we have been set up,” Wednesday muttered.
Your heart jumped a little, but you decided to pretend you’re stupid. “Uh… what do you mean?”
She gave you a stare that screamed “don’t bullshit me”. “I know you already realised this is Enid’s doing.”
“I… yeah. I know. I just wanted, uh. Never mind.”
Silence. You half-expected her to walk out, find Enid and do… something. But instead, she stayed, her eyes observing the shop again.
“This is not… entirely unpleasant,” she muttered after a moment and you blinked.
“It isn’t?”
“Unless it is for you.”
“Yes! I mean, no, I mean that… I like being here with you.”
Her eyes met yours again, narrowing. “You are either unusually patient or foolish to participate into Enid’s theatre act.”
Heat creeped up your neck. “Yeah, maybe both.”
“Foolishness is forgivable when it’s entertaining.”
“I entertain you?”
“Not in a conventional sense,” she said, looking through a locked glass cabinet with an old pocket watch inside. “But you don’t… bore me. That’s rare.”
Your heart thumped faster and faster, those were the highest compliments you had ever heard from her. You followed her to the cabinet, trying to pretend your heart wasn’t aggressively tap dancing in your chest.
She tapped the glass lightly. “If you had to guess, does that have a real curse or is it a replica?”
You looked it over and not even after two seconds, you replied, “real. It’s meant to ward off something worse than death. I wonder who it belonged to.”
She nodded. “It seems like Enid’s meddling was worthwhile after all.”
You smirked. “Careful, I may blush and think you’re flirting.”
“Don’t push your luck.”
The moment was interrupted by a slight shift from the window, and a flash of a pink coat , which sent Wednesday rushing out from the antique shop, and you caught the owner of that coat hiding behind some crates.
Wednesday crossed her arms, staring down her best friend. “Explain.”
“Uh, hi?” she squeaked, her face turning as pink as her coat. “I was worried you would get cursed so I just observed over you, I wasn’t spying, I swear.”
Wednesday cocked an eyebrow, which made Enid groan. “Fine! I was spying. But only because I can’t watch you two anymore pining over each other, I had to do something. You were into them and once you were hostile at one of my pack members because he complimented them, I had—”
“Enid,” Wednesday interrupted her rambling, and she immediately stood up straight. “If you ever attempt anything like this again, I will lace your favourite nail polish with nightshade. Perhaps putting some wolfsbane with it.”
Enid flinched a little. “Whoa! Okay, okay. I won’t, I’ll stop. Promise. Just… don’t kill me before the weekend?”
She sighed. “Fine. You are safe until Sunday evening.”
She turned back to the shop, and Enid grinned at you before she whispered, “you’re welcome.”
Then, she scurried off and you followed Wednesday back inside, your pulse spiking to the skies.
Yeah. Sometimes Enid’s plans aren’t so horrible after all.