Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

At the young age of six years old, Enid Sinclair was smart enough to recognize that her living situation wasn’t ideal.

She would often watch silently as her father would often drink himself into a stupor, guzzling beer after beer with an emotionless mask before telling one of his children to get him more drinks from the shady gas station down the road with a spare twenty he had hidden from their mother. She knew to leave well enough alone and just do as told when it was asked of her.

It didn’t make any of the journeys less scary, especially when neither Atlas or Thalia could come with her; the neighborhood they lived in sat on the edge of the San Francisco line and was notorious for accommodating people from all walks of life due to cheap housing and limited property management from the county or an HOA. She learned from her oldest brother, Nikos, to keep her head down when walking through the streets and always carry a knife on her person when going out around town.

It had confused her when he had first mentioned it; Enid wasn’t allowed to hold a knife, let alone carry one, but he assured her that her tiny claws could work just fine if she ran into trouble. She even learned to keep her head down when asking the clerk for help with the nearly illegible notes her dad wrote for her to avoid their pitiful looks as she loaded the cans in her little red wagon before she went on her way.

It was scary, but most of the time it was worth the pats on the head and the drunken smiles she received when she brought Murray his next beer. Sometimes he even lifted Enid and set her on his lap for a while as he drank and Enid played with the small stuffed wolf the twins had gotten her for her sixth birthday. She didn’t like the hockey games he watched at first, but learned to love it when he would lift her up in the air in excitement when the team he was rooting for scored.

Nine beers in is when she always felt the most loved by him, so she never quite cared about the smell of the Busch Light that wafted off of him. She’d snuggle into his arms with a small rumble in her chest that hadn’t quite developed and he’d mindlessly pat her hair every once in a while, sometimes hands straying to stroke her lower back and up and down her leg.

The first time he had done it in front of one of her siblings was the last time she’d ever gotten to sit on his lap and it had gutted her until she’d gotten to cuddle up to Nikos, who was older than her by ten years. His hands didn’t stray from her hair and upper back as he rumbled back just as she did, the gun in his waistband was mindfully removed when she climbed up the couch and onto his lap as he glared daggers into their father, and he always whispered that he adored her and the twins more than anything in the world.

The best part was that he smelt just like Dad; of fallen leaves and pine trees that had all been covered up by alcohol on Murray.

She vaguely remembered her birth mother, an older woman with a permanent scowl on her face and glacier blue eyes that cut through your body like the bitter cold. Esther Sinclair was a whirlwind of negative emotions, often falling into old habits in an attempt to self-soothe her own irritation with both the mental and physical consequences of her life choices. She wasn’t a kind woman, by any stretch of the imagination; using both cutting words and bruising grips to keep the young girl in line.

Thalia and Atlas were the ones to keep her from most of the rage when their mother was sent into a spiral. They’d take her to the nearby park and take turns pushing her on the swing while whispering quietly and seriously between them, heads nodding and gesturing towards their house down the block. The ten-year-old twins would play any game she wanted before taking her to the arcade with the random quarters they’d find under Murray’s armchair when he was passed out asleep in bed, trying to win her as many plushies from the claw machines as they could before running out.

Talia would hold her hand as they walked and Atlas would growl at anyone who looked at them for too long, but it only helped until they were back at the house. Esther would growl and strike at anyone who came too close to her, even if just to offer help, and they had learned long ago that it was pointless to try and reach out for help.

Until one fateful day when she and Talia had gotten back from the store with papa’s drinks in her little wagon, she hadn’t recognized the cashier who helped them. In fact, they had nearly gotten turned away until Enid started sobbing and Talia had to comfort her in the middle of the gas station with a confession that they’d have to steal it if they couldn’t pay. The young man had given it to them free of charge after asking their names and the girls weren’t in a good enough headspace to deny the information.

The first time she had seen the red and blue flashing lights in her driveway was also the last.

She could remember what had happened, but it flashed through her mind to this day in a series of mental photographs and short snippets of flashbacks. She recalled two large men in matching uniforms knocking loudly on their door, followed by a younger woman with a gray suit, brown hair, and a gentle smile on her face. She had been the one to open the door, looking up at them with wide eyes, a newly acquired deep cut across the left side of her face from the clawed slap her mother had given her a few days ago.

Her shy eyes drifted from the shocked faces of the three adults in front of her to the flashing lights on top of the car in the driveway, a small, but rare, smile forming on her lips at the enchanting colors before she mumbled softly, “Pretty lights…”

The woman was the first person to shake herself out of her shock, gently nudging between the two officers to squat down in front of her with a soft smile,  “I think so too, red and blue go well together, don’t you think?”

Enid met the young woman’s eyes with a shy nod, taking brief comfort in her gentle smile. The woman only smiled wider before sticking out her hand that wasn’t holding a clipboard, “My name is Ashley and these two men with me are Officer Logan and Officer Skyler. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

The young blonde hesitated for a moment while looking at her hand like she didn’t know what to do with it before gently butting her head against it in a sign of trust, pulling back with a smile, “I’m Enid, you don’t smell okay… are you sick?”

Ashley laughed softly before she settled her hand on the top of the little girl’s head with a sad smile, “No, I’m not sick at all, Enid, I’m just human so I probably smell different. Can you tell me what kind of outcast you are?”

“Oh, okay…” The young blonde mumbled carefully, looking her over like she didn’t quite believe that she was alright, “What does Outcast mean?”

“That’s a good question,” The woman hummed thoughtfully, looking off for a minute to think of a way to portray it to a child before gazing back with another soft look, “Are you a vampire, or someone who can move things with their thoughts, or a werewolf? Something like that?”

“Oh…” Enid’s eyes lit up with recognition before she put out her hands and shot her claws out the quarter of an inch that she could manage at her age, “I’m a werewolf! Rawr!”

Officer Logan chuckled politely behind Ashley before she bent down to pat the top of her head, “And a vicious one indeed, aren’t you? My nephew is a werewolf and you remind me a lot of him.”

Enid puffed out in pride before footsteps fell heavily behind her, a bottle smashing into the wall just before the door and breaking into little shards as the young girl ducked on instinct. The officers shot up again from their cooing over the cute little girl, the two men had hands on their weapons and the brunette pulled Enid into her body to cover her up from the falling glass.

“ENID SINCLAIR!” Her mother’s voice boomed from the other side of the house before footsteps began to quickly make their way towards her, making her eyes widen in panic as Esther continued to shout with a slur to her words, “Where the fuck are you, you little bitch! I know you hid my bottle!”

Just as quickly as they had softened for the small girl, Ashley’s eyes hardened as her gaze flickered down the hall, more than aware of Enid’s terrified shaking as she stood up and gently moved Enid towards one of the officers, “Officer Skyler, could you go show Enid the pretty lights on the top of your car? I’m sure she’d like that.”

Officer Skyler nodded with a small smile, holding his hand out for the small girl to take, “Let’s go see the lights, okay, little one? Sometimes they make noise too!”

“Really?” The six year old blinked with a shaky exhale, curious eyes flashing towards the car before she took the kind man’s hand, “That’s really cool!”

“Mhm,” He chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm as he guided her away from the house, looking back briefly to see the Ashley and Logan forcefully shouldering past a panicked Esther to enter the house before looking back down at Enid, “It’s to tell the bad guys we’re coming to get them.”

“Like a superhero!”

He chuckled again, this one almost sadder as he looked at her thoughtfully; this girl had gone through so much, according to the claims made by the anonymous senders, yet she still held onto her child-like innocence in the roughest of moments. “I think you’re the real hero.”

It was only a few minutes later when she saw her parents being dragged out in handcuffs along with her oldest brother, her other two siblings following another unfamiliar officer dutifully with a duffel bag in each hand.

“Hello, Enid!” Ashley greeted the young girl brightly as Enid entered her office with a smile on her face and her stuffed wolf in her hands, accompanied by one of the volunteer workers from the orphanage, “Happy birthday! How are you today, sweetheart?”

“Thank you and I’m good! Nikos, Talia and Atlas called today and told me happy birthday!” The seven year old chirped as she sat in the chair she always claimed when she came to Ashley’s office, “And Miss Riley bought me hot chocolate on the way here!”

“Oh, did she now?” The young woman smiled at the flushed volunteer, before picking up a few papers to make sure she had the right ones, “That’s super nice of her. So, do you know why you’re here today?”

Enid shook her head with confused eyes, a small frown picking at the corner of her lips as she squeezed the plushie in her arms, “No, am I in trouble?”

“No, no, nothing like that at all!” Ashley waved her hand in front of her dismissing the thought with a grin, “Quite the opposite actually! Not only did I want to personally wish you a happy birthday, but I also have some wonderful news to share with you!”

The blonde werewolf’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she wiggled in her chair, squeezing her wolf impossibly closer to her chest, “Ooh, is it a present?!”

“It’s kind of like a present, yes! You’ve been with us for about six months and while we consider you family, you are a lovely child with so much potential for growth with the right person,” Ashley smiled softly at the young girl, whose face had screwed up in thought once more, “I know we’ve talked about what kind of family you want in the future. I remember so clearly that you said you just wanted someone to like you for you. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone say that to me.”

Enid shrugged lightly as her eyes casted downwards, her kicking feet slowing to a stop before she stilled in her chair, “Mommy and Daddy didn’t like me, I know that. I just want a mommy or daddy who does.”

“I know you do, honey,” Ashley sent her an empathetic look before a smile once again stretched across her lips, “I’ve been talking to a woman for the past three months, filing papers and other things, but she’s looking to adopt a little girl. More specifically, she’s asked if she could adopt you.”

Enid’s head flew up to meet the young woman’s eyes, hope flashing in her own as she searched Ashley’s for any detection of a lie. After a moment, the blonde’s heart sped up in her chest, her eyes feeling wet with emotion, “D-Do you really mean it?!”

Ashley threw head back with a laugh, “Of course I do, kiddo! She’s actually here, would you like to meet her?”

“Yes!”

The young woman took a moment to pick up the phone on her desk before pressing a number on the speed dial, the other line picking up within seconds, “Hey, Diane, this is Ashley! Can you send her in? Alright, thank you!”

After setting the phone down on the hook again, she glanced over towards the excited blonde just as the door opened up, “Happy birthday, honey, I’d like you to meet your new mother: Larissa Weems.”

A tall woman walked in through the doorway of the office with a nervous smile on her face, her eyes jutting around the scene before locking onto to Enid’s awed expression with a soft look, “Hello, little one~”

“I should probably mention a few things about The Addams Family before we arrive.” Larissa’s soft, accented voice drifted into Enid’s ears as she spoke, making the preteen look over at her with a curious smile.

“Mum, we’re, like, ten minutes away,” The blonde wiggled in her seat as best as she could underneath the seatbelt to face the tall woman, leaning partially back against the door as her smile turned teasing, “You couldn’t have said anything before now?”

“What fun would that be?” The older woman reflected her daughter’s expression, briefly looking over to wink at her before continuing, “The Addams are some of my oldest friends, Morticia is like a sister to me. With that being said, they can be some of the most loyal friends or the worst of enemies; they’re a strange sort. They face danger head on, they love anything strange or scary, and no one quite knows what they are exactly; just that they’re, well, Addams.”

Enid’s face lit up with sudden understanding as she raised her eyebrow at her mother, “Is that why we brought a sword for their daughter’s birthday?”

Larissa let out a good natured sigh as she turned her car onto Cemetery Drive, a long road that winded around tall trees and hills, “Yes, that would be the reason; the Addams train early in many forms  of combat, along with other niche interests. However, I hear Wednesday is a big fan of blades.”

The blonde werewolf only hummed before looking out the window in thought, her hands mindlessly playing with the end of her blue sweater before she gasped in realization and whipped her head back over towards her mother, “I’m kind of dangerous; do you think that means they’ll like me?”

“I’ve gushed to Morticia about you on more than several occasions,” The tall woman chuckled at the younger girl’s enthusiasm, “I can assure you that they’re excited to meet you, but sweetheart, I don’t think hunting when you shift is considered to be particularly dangerous.”

“Eh, a girl can dream.” Enid grinned as they turned into the driveway, the gate somehow swinging open on its own to let them through, “Whoa, what was that?”

“That was the Gate, they think it’s possessed by the spirit of one of their ancestors.”

“...Huh?”

It was a few moments before the car came to a crawling stop with Enid ripping off her seatbelt and nearly tackling the ground with her excitement to leave the vehicle. She righted herself with a giggle before looking up at the dark manor with an awed expression, her mouth falling open as she took in the mix of gloom and architecture, “Whoa… it looks like the haunted mansion from Disney or something!”

“Well, it is haunted,” Larissa mumbled under her breath as she stepped out the car door with the black case containing the sword tucked under her arm, her eyes glancing at the onground cemetery before she stepped in line with her daughter, “But as far as I know the mansion has been here since the early to mid 1600’s. I’ve been told they relocated to New Jersey during the Salem Witch Trials to avoid persecution.”

“Larissa Weems, how dreadful of you to darken our doorstep,” A calm voice purred as one of the giant double doors opened with a slow creak to show a tall, lumbering man in an old butler’s suit that moved to reveal an elegant woman, her black hair shining in the foggy daylight and her long dress fitting around her like black silk. She glided out of the doorway and down the steps as Larissa guided Enid forward to meet her halfway across the gapped space, “How we’ve missed you, my dear, and this must be your little wolf, Enid!”

Morticia leaned forward to wrap the taller woman in a hug before she pulled away to open her arms to the small girl for her own hug, making Enid smile at the welcoming gesture before slipping her arms around her middle, “Welcome to the Manor, petite louve, we’ve all been so terribly excited to meet you.”

Enid giggled before pulling back with a large grin on her face, bouncing up and down on the balls of her heels as the yellow canvas of her converse splattered with a small amount of mud, “Thank you for inviting us, I’ve been excited to meet you all as well!”

The tall raven-haired woman put a hand to her chest as she sent Larissa a calm, yet adoring smile, “Issa, you failed to mention her cute little accent and how dreadfully polite she is.”

“Yes, well,” Larissa put her free arm around Enid’s shoulder, hugging her to her side with a proud smile on her face, making the small girl blush softly, “That’s what happens when you drag your daughter to London for three years before accepting a position back in the states. Sadly, I think she’ll grow out of it, but Enid’s been a real trooper.”

“I can tell, you’re a strong one,” The other woman only smiled knowingly before shuffling to the side, gesturing towards the open doorway with a graceful flourish, “But come in, everyone’s in the ballroom! Gomez has been a hurricane the last few days preparing for the occasion.”

It took almost everything in her not to gasp when they entered the manor, high ceilings and elegant banisters and columns, black marble floors that spanned almost all throughout the first floor. All of the decor was well kept and historical, the metal of suits of armor glinting the lights overhead, she almost felt like she was walking through a museum.

Larissa and Morticia continued to chat beside her as they walked through the halls, Enid’s eyes wandering over every little thing in the house with raging curiosity. She barely noticed when she heard the cracking open of a door, breaking her train of thought as she looked over towards the noise. Morticia pushed open the door to the ballroom, unleashing the cacophony of sound that was trapped inside.

All of the sudden, Enid began to feel quite nervous.

She noted about a hundred people in the spacious chamber, all chatting vivaciously with one another, while the occasional knife or ax flew overhead before someone would catch it and throw it back. Morticia guided them through the crowd with ease, ducking gracefully under an incoming knife before righting herself with a laugh, “Please excuse their excitement, it’s not everyday an Addams turns ten.”

“Ah, yes, how is young Wednesday? I remember you mentioning that she was picking up German.” Her mother asked as they weaved between two men fighting with swords on the table tops.

“Yes, she’s advancing with it quite quickly actu-”

Enid stopped listening as they finally got into view of the head table where the rest of the immediate family sat, her eyes flicking over the members one by one until her eyes landed on a short girl with black twin braids and bangs with a glare etched onto her face as a boy who looked unrelated to her spoke in hushed tones. She felt herself stop, making her mother stop in turn to look down at her daughter with a curious expression.

The blonde couldn’t move from her spot, something intangible rooting her in place as an overwhelming feeling clawed at her chest that made her want to howl. She nearly whimpered as the other girl’s glare was sent her way before it softened into a curious expression as her arms unfolded. Just who was this girl and why did she make Enid feel like she would do anything to have her look her way? The new feeling made her a bit anxious; it was a shift in her being, something that made her wolf both howl in joy and simmer calmly within her.

“Oh dear,” Morticia’s amused voice broke her out of her stupor, but Enid couldn’t look away from the girl’s intense onyx eyes, “It certainly looks like you and Wednesday have noticed each other.”

Wednesday.

Somehow, hearing the girl’s name made Enid even more nervous as a small blush climbed to her cheeks. Placing name to face only brought on the idea that Wednesday’s presence was somehow closer to an authentic existence in the natural world rather than an immaterial being from her mind’s eye.

“I must admit, this was a bit unexpected,” Her mother let out a shocked chuckle, her eyebrows shooting upwards, “I wasn’t expecting you to imprint until you were much older.”

Before she even had time to process the words, Wednesday had stood up from her chair, ignoring the boy talking to her, and walked towards her with a fire in her eyes. She stopped just short of a foot away before holding out her hand with a dark smirk on her face, “Wednesday Addams, woeful to meet you.”

Enid couldn't help but follow along and put her hand in Wednesdays, actively trying not to gasp at the electric current that circuited through her from the touch, “Enid Sinclair-Weems.”

Chapter Text

“Come on, Enid,” Bianca leaned her weight onto her hands as she lounged comfortably across from Enid on the werewolf’s bed, a smirk on her lips as she spoke, “You’ve been here two years now, someone has had to have caught your eye at some point.”

The blonde only huffed a laugh as she jotted down a few numbers in her notebook, an easy smile resting on her face as she looked up at the two girls in front of her while tapping the tip of her pen to the page in front of her, “Nope, sorry! Nobody here at least; they’re all much too… fake, is that the word I’m looking for? Pretty sure it is… yeah, fake!”

“Really? No one?” Yoko pushed lightly, swirling her pencil in the air as she tried to recall something from the back of her brain before the lightbulb went off in her head, “What about, what was it, Ajax? Isn’t he really into you or something? He seems pretty down to earth for the most part. If you ignore the massive amount of weed he smokes.”

“Is he? I hadn’t noticed…” Enid frowned deeply in thought, trying to remember any interaction that they have had before tapping her pen harder against her papers for a moment and shrugging lightly, “Doesn’t matter though; it’s cute and all, but I’m really not interested.”

Bianca scoffed with her eyebrows furrowed, sitting up on the bed out of interest as she rolled her eyes, “Really now and why’s that then, hmm? Too good for the commoners, Weems?”

Enid only sighed as she continued to work out the math problem in front of her, rolling her eyes back with a small bit of annoyance at the pair of friends, “No, it’s probably just because I already have a girlfriend and a hot one at that. I don’t need a boyfriend.”

There was silence for a moment as Enid calculated her equation, smiling to herself at having finished her work before looking up to a pair of shocked faces. Her smile faltered for a second before falling into confusion, had she said something weird again? She let out a small nervous chuckle as she closed her notebook and wiggled lightly in her chair, “What is it?”

Almost simultaneously the two girls spoke up with shocked exclamations of: “You’re shitting me.” and “Yeah, no. Try again.”

Enid’s eyebrows raised quickly as she felt a bit taken aback, setting her book to the side before sitting up straighter while crossing her arms in front of her chest, “And why exactly would I be joking about that?”

Yoko put her textbook and papers on the nightstand to place her hands together to try and explain herself, “You’re telling me, your bestie of two years, that you have a girlfriend that you have never once mentioned?”

“Sounds a little suspicious there, Weems,” The siren crossed her arms, sending her an unimpressed look, “Usually we’d hear you blabber all about the people in your life; so why not your ‘girlfriend’ then?”

“I mean, when you put it like that it sounds totes weird,” The blonde winced for a second before shrugging sheepishly and leaning onto the back of her desk chair, “But we’ve only recently talked about telling people, I mean, Willa’s just really big on privacy and it was never a real issue at all. But she loves me without shame, even if she’s a little weirdo sometimes. You learn to love it, I promise. Even Nikos likes her and that’s saying a lot!”

“Alright, sure.”

Yoko only rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she leaned back in Enid’s bed, “Okay so let’s say we’re all going along with the joke-”

“Rude!”

“Shh, let me finish!” The vampire shushed her playfully, chuckling at her friend’s offended expression, “What is this ‘Willa’ girl like, hmm?”

“Oh, yes, tell us all about the mysterious suitor of yours,” Bianca teased the blonde with a laugh, making Enid roll her eyes once more, the blonde’s chest twinging with annoyance at the doubt of her mating bond, “We’d love to hear all about her.”

“Well, Willa isn’t her real name, it’s just a nickname. Her name is Wednesday and she’d probably be upset if I described her as anything but terrifying and deadly,” Enid’s eyes softened as she began to rant about her girlfriend, a gentle smile forming on her lips at the thought of the tiny goth, “But she’s like a little kitten the majority of the time. She’s a literal genius, drop dead beautiful and refuses to wear her hair down unless we’re alone and the door is locked, plays the cello, wears nothing but black and white, and could make a genius feel stupid in less than ten seconds. Not to mention she’s pretty much always carrying a weapon of some sort… that’s probably why one of my big brothers likes her so much, to be fair.”

Bianca only stared at her for a few seconds before laughing briefly, her head tossing back as her laugh seemed to shake the frame of the bed. She wiped her eyes as her chuckled subsided, only to throw the blonde a disbelieving look “Okay, so you really are delulu, aren’t you?”

“Oh my god, Bianca!” Enid growled lightly with her chest rumbling harshly before smacking her hand against her bed in offense, “I am not delusional! I have known this girl since we were ten! I imprinted on her, why would I make something like that up?”

“To get us off your back about a boyfriend, maybe? I don’t know, Weems, cite your sources and come back to me,” Bianca quipped and looked at her watch before rising gracefully from the bed to make her easy towards the door as she gathered her items in her bag, “I’m gonna need proof for a story like that, gossip queen. Anyway, ladies, I’ve got choir practice, so I’ll see you for dinner! Love ya, girlies, even if one of you is a liar~”

Without another word, the girl slipped out of the room, leaving Enid with a bad taste in her mouth and a serious scowl forming on her face before she faced Yoko with another growl as she pointed at the only other girl in her room, “And what about you, huh?!” 

“Hey now, calm down, pup,” The vampire raised her hands in surrender as the other girl’s eyes flashed golden momentarily, “I get what she’s on about; I’m just saying you dropped a major bomb with absolutely no warning. I didn’t even know you liked girls!”

Enid’s scowl softened for a moment, as her claws released and retracted with the flow of her temper, before taking a deep breath and placing her hands on her knees, “I don’t like anyone, not really. I love Wednesday.”

“And your family is alright with all of… that?”

Enid shrugged, her head falling to one side and squinting as she really thought about it, “Well, yeah I mean, they don’t really have a choice seeing as she’s my mate, yeah? But they’re all adults; Mom likes her since she’s known Wednesday since we were kids, Niko likes her because she’s dangerous and loyal, Thalia and Atlas like her because she waved a knife at my birth mom last time she tried to visit me… so yeah!”

The vampire looked her over for a moment before speaking hesitantly as she tilted her head to the side, “...And she’s definitely real, right?”

“What?! Of course she i-”

Enid’s desktop let out a ringing noise, making the two girls turn towards the monitor with curiosity. The blonde gasped as an incoming video chat popped up on the screen, the caller ID reading: Willa ♥️.

Yoko turned and sent Enid a shocked look as the other girl leaped with almost unnatural speed from her bed to push Yoko away from her desk, “Don’t you dare answer that, I’ll do it!”

“Oh no, you don’t! I need to see this, you don’t understand!” The vampire cackled, ducking under her arms before reaching over towards the mouse to click on the answer icon. She watched with raging interest as the video feed popped up on the screen, showing a pale young woman around their age with black hair that was tied up in twin braids, loose bangs that framed her angular face, and a set of piercing onyx eyes.

She wore a black dress shirt that was loosely buttoned, but not indecent, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her nails were immaculately painted black and her rings glinted in the soft amber light of the background. The girl’s eyes hardened into a glare as she sat her sight of Yoko, immediately taking note of the sharp fangs of her toothy grin, “So you’re the mysterious Wednesday then?”

Enid growled and with another hard push, she finally shoved Yoko out of her desk chair and onto the ground before sitting down and fixing her hair while smiling at her girlfriend.

“Ah, there you are,” Wednesday’s eyes turned soft again, her dark painted lips turning up ever so slightly at Enid’s excited expression, before she nodded over towards Yoko with curiosity “Who is the mosquito you have flying around your room?”

“Hey!”

“Oh, that’s just Yoko,” Enid looked back to briefly giggle at her best friend's expression, which held a mix of shock and offense as she laid on the floor, before looking back at the goth and leaning her head on her hand with a dreamy smile, “We were just talking about you, actually.”

“All horrible things, I presume?”

“The worst.” The werewolf winked with a grin, making Wednesday’s cheeks flush the smallest amount as she smirked back with adoration in her eyes. She looked back at Yoko before laughing again, “Yoko, get off the floor and pull up a chair, she can’t stab you through the screen.”

“I can try though, cara mia, don’t doubt me.” Wednesday smirked and leaned back in her chair as she crossed her arms, waiting for the vampire to finish setting herself upright. “Tanaka, it’s woeful to meet you, I’ve heard much.”

Yoko sent Enid a look before meeting Wednesday’s gaze with a wide grin, “I’d like to say the same, but I literally just heard that you existed in the last ten minutes and I spent nine of them thinking that you were fake.”

“Ah, I remain as mysterious as ever, I approve. However, doubting allies is unwise.” The goth nodded before casting her eyes towards the blonde for a moment, soft familiar Italian floating into her ears as her girlfriend spoke, “Ti ha turbato, amore mia? Devi solo dire la parola…” [Did she upset you, my love? You only have to say the word…]

“No, Bianca l'ha fatto prima, ma ora sto bene.” Enid shook her head with a laugh as she leaned forward in her chair, “But forget about that, you look extra pretty today and I missed you~” [No, Bianca did earlier, but I’m alright now.]

Wednesday blinked for a moment and the left side of her lips curled upwards slightly into a ghost of a smile before she schooled her features in front of Enid’s best friend with the light clearing of her throat, “Thank you, you look ravishing as always. I… missed you as well.”

Enid grinned at the comment, ignoring the dramatic gasp from Yoko as the vampire hit her arm repeatedly, “Enid, you should have told me about her sooner, how dare you?! She speaks Italian? YOU speak Italian?!”

“Ow, ow, Stop! Oh my god, of course I do,” The blonde giggled at the stampede of questions while rubbing her arm before sending it back, elbowing Yoko playfully in her side, “It’s Willa’s first language after all! She taught me all that I know!”

“This was a hoe move, lady! A hoe move!”

“Anyways, the reason I’m calling is to inform you that I have finally been expelled,” Wednesday interrupted the bickering pair with her monotone, yet pride-tinged, words as another smirk pulled at the corner of her lips, “There is good and bad news.”

“Expelled?!” Enid yelped as she sat up in her chair, pulling all her attention together to focus on her girlfriend once more before relaxing at the girl’s well hidden excitement with a sigh and a fond roll of her eyes, “What did you do this time, you little trouble maker?”

“This time?!” Yoko failed to whisper, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she looked between the pair, “What do you mean, this time?!”

The maniacal smile that grew on dark tinted lips made Enid’s heart flutter in her chest, her eyes drifting over the curves of her mouth to the dimples on her cheeks as she listened to the girl gloat. On anyone else, this would be a little worrying, but it was so entirely Wednesday and, if she was being honest, the small goth wore pride well.

It was kind of hot.

“I let some of my piranhas loose in the pool during the school’s water polo practice,” She mused wistfully, as she leaned back in her dark leather chair, “You should have seen it, cara mia, it was horrifyingly glorious; the blood in the water,the panic, and the screams, they were truly worth witnessing in person.”

“Oh, I bet,” Enid couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm, once again ignoring Yoko’s guffaw at the remark as she folded her fingers together and hiked her chin to splay on top of them, “Were those the same water polo guys that were bugging Pugs last week?”

“The very same.”

“Then I suppose it was worth it,” The blonde grinned before readjusting herself, her heart beating faster in her chest the longer she gazed upon her love,  “So tell me the good and bad news.”

“Oh yeah,” Yoko leaned forward in her chair and dropped her head onto Enid’s shoulder in interest, way too invested in this story to back out now, “Seeing as you’re not behind bars, what’s the verdict?”

“Well, the bad news is that because a man-child is now missing a testicle, I’m on probation.” Wednesday sighed, a small frown pulling at her lips as her nails tapped against her desk with annoyance, “To what extent they care for a bully to reproduce, I’m not sure, but I’m thoroughly convinced I’ve done the world a service.”

“Oh, for sure,” Enid nodded with a barely held together expression, trying her best not to laugh at her love’s serious words, “But what’s the good news, baby?”

“The good news,” Wednesday’s cheek flushed for the briefest of moments before she elegantly cleared her throat before reschooling her features again, “Is that because of my expulsion, I only have one option of schooling available to me.”

Enid’s heartbeat suddenly sped up as a wide grin split her lips, her clawed hands reaching to grasp the arms of her chair as she gasped excitedly, “Oh my god! Willa, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Indeed. It seems as though I’ll be enrolling in Nevermore Academy in the next week, give or take a few days, but I shall keep you updated, of course.” Wednesday flashed the werewolf a smirk, her dark eyes glittering in the amber light, “There are a few things I need to take care of here, but rest assured I will be with you soon.”

“Aw, baby, that’s like, really cute and romantic!”

“This whole situation is fucking wild, just putting it out there.” Yoko piped up from her seat, pulling off her sunglasses with an amused grin.

“You take that back, I am not cute.” The goth ignored the other girl once again as she glared at the blonde, leaning forward in her seat to show her dark, violence filled gaze.

“I’ll take it back if you bring Thing with you.”

“Who the fuck is Thing?!”

Wednesday squinted at her girlfriend in thought for a moment, crossing her arms over her chest and just looking at her before sighing, “And just why would I do that?”

“Because I miss my little manicure buddy, Wends, bring him and I won’t call you cute for a whole week, I promise!” Enid crossed her fingers over her heart and sent the girl a wink, “Hope to die~”

“Fine, have it your way, you temptress,” The goth girl’s cheeks heated up as she glared again at the werewolf, this time without malice as she sneered, “He will come with me; he has put in his own request as well.”

“Ah yes, the old tag team, it works every time,” Enid smiled wistfully before she shifted her spine to arch forward with hooded eyes as she leaned her cheek on one hand, sending Wednesday a slow smirk as she spoke softly, “So, Wednesday is not super cute, we’re all in agreement.”

“Yes…” The goth replied almost hesitantly, waiting for the other shoe to inevitably drop.

“No, Wends is super sexy.”

And there it was, but not nearly as bad as she had been expecting; this was acceptable, it even made her feel… attractive? The goth blushed, but kept the proud smirk on her face. “As if I’ve been anything less, cara mia? I-”

A loud yell in french sounded from the background on Wednesday’s side of the screen, making the shorter girl lift her head towards the door for a few moments before looking back to her computer, “Ah, Grandmama needs help lifting the cauldron again, I shall speak to you later, Enid.”

“Okay, no worries,” The blonde werewolf smiled and waved at the screen, “Tell them I miss them! I love you!”

Wednesday seemed to freeze for a second before her expression finally melted into the softest smile Yoko had seen yet during the chat, “I love you too.”

After a few seconds the call had ended and Enid looked over at Yoko with a smug grin splitting her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair, “I told you she was real, asshole.”

Yoko could only laugh through her shock, “I’ll never doubt you again. Wow, okay, so… I really thought you were just fucking with us. Is she always so intense?”

“Yeah, she’s an Addams, you never know with that lot.”

“Okay, so…” The vampire sat up straight in the spare chair, shuffling back and forth along the hardwood as she rubbed her temple, “She’s prone to violence, sexy as hell, could make a baby cry by looking at it, and wildly proper with her vocabulary?”

“Yes.”

“Well, she's just your type then.”

“YOKO!”

Chapter Text

“So, what you’re telling me is that Enid has roped you into her little charade too?”

“No,” Yoko let out a dramatic sigh as she shifted her blood back from one hand to another, glaring over her glasses as she sipped from the straw, “I’m telling you that I literally met her right after you left, so maybe ease up on the jokes, B. Enid might get…weird about it.”

“Okay, so you want me to play along with this fantasy that Enid is dating a goth girl named Wednesday. A girl I’ve never heard of that just so happens to be wickedly smart, absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, and carries a knife at all times?” Bianca raised an eyebrow over her summer salad, skewering a slice of strawberry with her fork before lifting it to her mouth with a theatrical snap of her teeth. “Yeah, no. That’s not happening.”

Yoko leaned in, resting her elbows on the table and humming thoughtfully, “You know, Wednesday’s apparently supposed to start here next week and from what I heard from her, she let out a school of piranha against the water polo team. So I’d be careful not to-”

“Hey, guys, what are we talking about?” Divina interrupted the conversation as she slid onto the bench across from them and placed her lunch tray down on the table, eyes flickering back and forth between the two in interest.

“The legendary saga of Enid’s fictitious goth girlfriend.” Bianca waved her fork like a wand, adopting an exaggerated voice before rolling her eyes and spearing another piece of salad, “Honestly, if Enid has a girlfriend that no one’s ever heard of then I’m the fucking tooth fairy.”

“Oh, we’re talking about Wednesday?” Divina smirked, snagging a few fries to dip into her ramekin of ketchup before munching on them, “I heard all about her this morning in Outcast History; Blondie wouldn’t stop rambling about how excited she is for us to finally meet her.”

“Oh, so you believe her?” Yoko’s eyes sparkled with hope as she peered over her glasses at Divina, the straw still perched between her lips.

“No, not really, but it was funny to hear how many increasingly wild facts Enid could make up on the spot.” The siren shrugged with a small chuckle, making Bianca gesture at her like she’d just scored a point, a look on her face that screamed, ‘See?’

Yoko deflated on the bench seat, putting her head in her hand as she propped her elbow on the tabletop with a groan, “I wish I would have taken a picture last night or something…”

“Aw, it’s alright,” Bianca patted her shoulder with false sympathy and a mocking look on her face, “I wouldn’t have believed you even if you did; AI is crazy nowadays.”

Yoko was beginning to understand Enid’s frustration at the lack of belief from the student body, hell, even she didn’t believe the blonde when she had first heard of her. However, that was then and this was now and the vampire was suffering the same fate as if she had stumbled into the same pit the werewolf had. Yoko straightened up in her seat before turning her body to face Bianca with a serious expression and a hand placed between them, “A hundred bucks that she’s real and shows up by this time next week.”

“Oh, you’re on, Tanaka. This will be the easiest money I’ve ever made.” The other girl slipped her hand in Yoko’s and gave it a shake before turning back to her food with a smirk, “And if it just so happens that I somehow lose, I’ll even throw in free coffee for a week.”

“Bet.” The vampire smirked back as she sipped her blood once more, her mood perking up at the thought of being a hundred dollars richer at the end of their deal, “Hey, did you guys know that Enid speaks Italian?”

“That, I actually did know,” Divina stated with a nod as she finished chewing a piece of fried fish that had been pelted with malt vinegar, “She totally cursed out the exchange student after he made fun of her sweater last week.”

Bianca raised a brow at the unexpected information, the strawberry on her fork dropping back onto her plate before she pierced it again, “Really now? Little miss sunshine letting loose and I missed it?”

“No, you were there, but you and Yoko were too busy arguing across the quad with Xavier.”

“Ahh, that makes sense.”

Suddenly, the aforementioned blonde skipped over with a wide smile on her face and a plate full of barely cooked steak that dripped blood onto the porcelain as Enid placed it on the table and slid in next to Divina, “Howdy, besties! What are we spilling the tea about today?”

“Your ‘hot goth girlfriend’, apparently.” Divina snickered quietly and made air quotes as Enid’s smile dropped to turn into a small scowl.

“Ugh, are we still on that?” The werewolf whined as she stabbed a slab of steak with her fork and ripped into it with her teeth, a small stream of blood dripping down her chin while she chewed before she wiped it with one of her many napkins, “Wednesday is as real as you can get, I promise I’m not making her up.”

“Don’t worry bestie,” Yoko reached over to pat her free hand with a solemn look and a nod, “I totally believe you.”

Enid rolled her eyes at the vampire before taking another bite with all of the intensity of a starved wolf, “Yeah, but that’s only because you actually met her! You didn’t believe a word I said until she called me on Discord last night!”

“Oh, so you saw the fabled Wednesday?” Divina wiggled her eyebrows at her girlfriend from across the table before taking a sip of her juice, “What was she like then, hmm?”

“Hot and terrifying.” Yoko plainly stated before gesturing to the blonde with a smirk, “Literally Enid’s type in a nutshell, she described her perfectly. Hot, goth, and probably taller than me.”

“Hate to rain on your parade, Yoks,” Enid giggled around another bite of steak, feet kicking under the table, “but Wennie’s only, like, five feet tall. Total hottie, certified shortie. She says it’s the perfect stabbing height, direct shot to the kidneys and all. I say it’s the perfect size for plopping her on my lap and resting my chin on her head.”

“Oh, so she’s, like, tiny-tiny?” Yoko mused and hummed while sipping her drink. “Wild. I had her pegged for tall, dark, and terrifying. Guess perfection had to tap out somewhere.”

“It’s insane the lengths you’ll go for a prank, Enid.” Bianca rolled her eyes, then stood before scooping up her tray and trash. “You even roped Yoko into it, and she almost sounds convinced. I’ve gotta meet Ms. Capri before class. See you guys later and don't forget our deal, Tanaka.”

“Oh, I won't," Yoko wiggled her fingers in a wave as Bianca left, leaving a fuming Enid behind that only chomped her teeth angrily into her second steak with a huff, “I’m gonna be richer by next week, just you wait!”

Divina looked a bit put out by the interaction as she slowly turned towards the werewolf with a cautious expression, head tilted to the side, “So… is this a bit, or do you actually have a secret girlfriend we’ve somehow never heard about?”

“I do have a girlfriend!” Enid snapped as she stabbed at her lunch like it owed her money, her blue eyes flashing golden as she huffed at the siren, “I’m not a liar or a prankster! Yoko even met her!”

“To be fair, Yoko is an actual liar.” Divina shrugged her shoulders pleasantly, winking at her girlfriend when she was sent a playfully offended expression before looking back towards the blonde with a straight face, “Pics or it didn’t happen.”

Enid groaned lightly before putting down her fork and fishing her phone out of her pocket, turning it on and navigating to her camera roll, “You guys are the crazy ones, I swear, when have I ever lied to any of you? Here, she sent me this last month when her family did their annual portraits.”

She spun the screen around to show a stark black-and-white photo with the full Addams lineup. “Morticia and Gomez, her parents; her little brother, Pugsley; and my favorite little psycho, Wednesday.”

“Wow, okay,” Divina squinted at the screen as Yoko nearly climbed over the table to see the picture, “She really is short isn’t she?”

“And her mom is smokin’ hot! Holy shit!” 

Yoko whistled while Enid sent her a grossed out look and a smack on the arm, “Ew, don’t say that! Morticia is like a second mom to me.”

“Well, she can be my mommy too, if you know what I say- OW!” The vampire rubbed her arm where both Divina and Enid had just hit her, whining as she tilted her head back, “Tag teamed by my own girlfriend and best friend, will this injustice never cease?”

The blonde rolled her eyes and scrolled through a few pictures to find one she was looking for, “See, here’s one that I took this summer before she took us out to dinner! She was so romantic and so, so pretty that it almost hurts to look at it for too long.”

“Oh my god, that dress is to die for!” Divina gasped and took the phone into her own hands to look over the details as she zoomed in, “Where did you guys even go out to eat looking like that?”

“Some French place that I don’t remember the name of,” Enid smiled adoringly at the picture; it had been one of the most romantic nights of her life. Wednesday had done everything right; buying the werewolf a dress of her own, taking her to dinner, pressing soft kisses to her hand throughout the meal that left dark red stains on her skin. It sufficed to say, Wednesday had gotten very lucky that night, “I do remember that none of the meals had any prices next to them and they had the best steak tartar that I’ve ever eaten.”

“Girl, I hope you gave her a little something, something at the end of the night, if you know what I mean,” Yoko wiggled her eyebrows at the other girl and Enid went cherry-red, smiling bashfully. “Because I don’t know how you kept your hands off her if you didn’t.”

The werewolf smirked at the pair as she took her phone back to look for more pictures through the maze of random memes and gifs that she had saved previously, “Oh she got her payment at the end of the night, I’ll tell you that much~”

“You dirty dog!” Divina cackled as she peered over Enid’s shoulder as the blonde rapidly scrolled past a series of pictures that looked suspiciously scandalous, “Were those nudes?!”

Enid blushed harder and opted for strategic silence, tapping open one last photo. “Okay, this is probably the only time you’ll ever see her smile. She was in a freakishly good mood after finding another secret tunnel under the mausoleum. Do not tell her I showed you, or I’m going to have to break your leg.”

Divina was quiet for a moment as she took in the image, eyes scanning over it before she turned towards Enid with an apologetic look, “I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you earlier, it just feels like she just came out of the void and appeared out of nowhere. Congratulations though, pup, you two make a really cute couple.”

Enid put her arm around the siren’s shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before letting her go and putting away her phone, “Aww, it’s okay, Div, thank you for apologizing! It’s more than I’m gonna get out of some people.”

Yoko snickered at the way Enid glared at the direction Bianca had left in even after the siren had moved on to another part of the building. She drained the rest of her blood bag before tossing it into a trash bin as they all stood up, “And that’s why I’m going to be a hundred bucks richer and filled with free coffee when Wednesday shows up. If she’s going to be hardheaded about it, then I’m taking full advantage.”

Enid turned to lay on her back on her large beach towel, the fibers soft against her skin as she took in the sun’s rays later that day. It was starting to cool down as fall approached, leaving the blonde with no option but to take in the nice weather before it got too cold to enjoy her usual lakeside tanning sessions. She let out a content sigh as reached up to straighten the tie of her pink bikini top before folding her arms behind her head, kpop blasting in her ear though her black airpods Wednesday had gifted her.

She hummed along quietly, eyes locked onto the clouds as she made them into different shapes in her mind with a smile glued to her lips. Her eyes slipped shut as soaked in the light rays of the afternoon before a shadow passed over her, causing her to open her eyes again to land on the lanky figure of Xavier as he walked over to stand next to her. She frowned slightly as he blocked the sun, taking out a singular earbud and raising an eyebrow at his sudden appearance, “Thorpe.”

“Hey, Enid,” He started as his gaze flicked up and down her body before finally looking her in the eye, making Enid cringe with the sudden urge to cover herself despite being proud of her body and all her scars, “I overheard a little something when I passed you and Yoko in the hallway earlier, is it true Wednesday is coming to Nevermore?”

A prickle of annoyance ran through her at the hope fizzing in his voice, perfectly matched by the spark in his eyes. She sighed and shooed him aside with a lazy flick of her hand, trying to reclaim a sliver of sunlight before she answered, “Yeah, she’ll be here within a week—give or take a few days.”

He lit up like he had just won a gold medal and, predictably, stayed planted right where he was. Her sigh deepened to a full-bodied groan as she pushed herself upright, a small scowl tugging at her mouth. He didn’t seem to notice or care, he just pumped a triumphant fist in the air. “Yes!”

“You do realize that you’re swooning after a girl who is already taken, yeah?” Enid’s eyes narrowed at him as she crossed her arms over her chest, “She’s my girlfriend, Thorpe, not some tragic muse who’s going to faint over your broody doodles and conditioner-commercial hair.”

He halted his celebration to cast her a piercing stare, which was diluted by the confusion that marked his expression as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "You can’t stop me from making my move just because you’re her best friend, you know that, right? It’s like you don’t want her to be in any kind of relationship unless it’s all about you."

Enid massaged her temple in annoyance, battling the inevitable headache that came with Xavier’s presence. She knew the boy was a bit slow on the uptake, but surely he must have realized by now that her use of girlfriend wasn’t at all in a heterosexual manner, but rather a very gay one. It was almost as if he had convinced himself that Wednesday and Enid were just two straight girls who needed a man in their lives, “Xavier, what do you think I mean by girlfriend?”

"What are you getting at, Weems? Just like every girl does; you’re a friend who happens to be a girl, isn’t that obvious?" The tall boy scoffed at her, rolling his eyes while tucking a strand of his long hair behind his ear like he had just solved the mystery of feminism. "And honestly, you’re not doing a great job at being a best friend. Wednesday and I would be perfect together. I have no idea why you can’t see that."

The blonde only groaned against her hands before she pulled herself back to look him in the eyes, a serious expression washing over her as she mourned the loss of the peace that she had before he had shown up, “You realize that when I call her my girlfriend, it also suggests that we’re dating, right? We kiss, we cuddle, we have sex just like any other couple would. I’m not sure how to be clearer without using sock puppets for the remaining brain cells you still have.”

“Yeah, okay, you can stop lying whenever you feel like it,” The psychic snorted at the words like she had just told a joke, “Like Wednesday Addams would ever date you; you’re much too peppy and soft for her and she doesn’t even like girls. You should just give up and settle for someone like Ajax and I can finally get a date with Wednesday without you hovering over her.”

Enid stood from her spot on the towel with a growl that rumbled in her chest before she stepped into his space and jabbed an angry finger against his chest, causing him to step back a few feet, “Listen here, Mr. ‘Daddy Doesn’t Love Me’, I’ve had it up to here today with people doubting my relationship with my girlfriend. If you had two brain cells to rub together you’d probably realize that you’re about at dumb as a box of fucking rocks. Seriously, you’re not edgy, cool, or even remotely interesting. You’re just a lame dude who doesn’t know when to pack it in."

Xavier gaped at her, his mouth opening and closing in disbelief, but Enid was just getting warmed up. Shoving him toward the lake, she added, "If you don’t believe me, just text her and ask yourself! Oh, wait, you can’t because we both know that she never gave you her phone number! You’re nothing but a sad little worm squirming around, seeking validation from people who couldn’t care any fucking less about you. No one cares that you hate the world for no reason, nobody likes the brooding act you put on, and nobody wants to deal with the pretentious attitude you carry with you like a freaking shield that covers up the fact that you are an insecure little boy. So do me a solid and leave my girlfriend and I alone!”

With a final shove, she sent him careening off the wooden dock with a shocked yelp, sending him flailing into water. Breathing heavily, she flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to strut back to her towel, only to find her mother striding down the path with a narrowed gaze that betrayed a hint of amusement. The tall blonde’s heels clicked soundly against the dock as she approached, “Enid Weems, just what on earth is going on here?”

“Oh, hi, mom!” Enid waved cheerily before wrapping her arms around her mother's waist and resting her forehead against her sternum with a sigh of relief. “I just sent Xavier for a little swim because he was being super weird about my relationship with Wennie.”

“You know that I support you, darling, but you can’t just shove people into the water because they’re making you mad.” Larissa sighed, fondly smoothing a hand over Enid’s hair and slipping an arm around her shoulders, “This is going to be more paperwork that I have to do and I’m going to have to blame my own daughter when I polish off a bottle of wine.”

Enid huffed a laugh at the thought before gazing up at the older woman with wide, puppy dog eyes, “I can help you with the paperwork if you’d like.”

“My dear, you’d doodle hearts and stars in the margins and I’d have to do it all over again.” The headmistress chuckled, then glanced over as Xavier dragged himself out of the water. “Mr. Thorpe, am I safe to assume you’re uninjured?”

“Only my pride,” he grunted, hauling onto the dock and flopping onto his back with a grunt. “Didn’t have my phone on me, so that’s a win. Is she getting punished for this? I’d like to file a complaint.”

“Considering you’re fine, nothing’s broken, and you were provoking a werewolf about her mating bond, no.” Larissa’s tone went flat as she pivoted away. “Frankly, you’re lucky I don’t discipline you for the disrespect you showed toward my daughter and her girlfriend.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Enid bumped her head affectionately against Larissa’s arm, then reached down towards her blanket to grab her clothes and tug on her shirt and shorts over her bikini. “You’re the best. Love you.”

“You’d better, you little troublemaker.” The principal’s eyes sparkled as she pulled a folded paper from her pocket and handed it over. “Wednesday’s new schedule, as requested by her. I expect you’ll give her the full tour when she arrives on Friday, yes?”

Enid gasped as she opened the page, looking over the schedule with interested eyes before they peered back up at her mother with confusion, “She’s coming on Friday? That’s only two days away!”

“Well, you had better get started on cleaning that dorm of yours, darling,” Larissa smirked with a sly wink before turning to walk away down the path she had come down, “Your dorm is the only one with an empty space after all. Remember to come down to the cabin for dinner tomorrow, I’m making your favorite stew from the deer you caught last week. I love you, little wolf”

“I’ll be there at six! Love you too, Mama!” Enid called, grinning and waving as her mother sashayed away.

She glanced down at Xavier for half a beat, then casually nudged him back into the lake with a swift kick. “Bitch.”