Chapter Text
The plan was simple, thoroughly researched, and outlined in the blackest of ink. A gradual showcase throughout June, July, and August whereby Wednesday would affirm her friendship with Enid and using her unique Addams family charm court and woo Miss Sinclair by summer’s end. This was no shallow attachment or casual crush, this was the culmination of two years’ worth of friendship, trust, respect, and love building a werewolf sized room in Wednesday’s heart. A table had been built in the middle of it, furnished in the loveliest pink pastels with black accents, with room for two seats pulled up to its edges that may allow the occupants to lean in close and whisper sweet nothings into each other’s blushing ears. When Wednesday had first envisioned this scene, her stomach had started to flutter and an unusual red blush had overtaken her cool features.
‘So, this is love?’
Her summer vacation was to be the make-or-break mission of her young life, and she genuinely viewed it as such despite the difficulties of the last academic year. The blood that pumped through her veins, the air that pushed through her lungs, the very fibre of her being was on electrified tenterhooks as she entered the summer holidays with one sincere aim: to ask Enid Sinclair to be her girlfriend.
Wednesday did not falter in the earnestness of her feelings nor the genuineness of her heart but where the strings of concern and anxiousness pulled at her sleeve concerned her plans execution. How was she to pull such an endeavour off? She had never considered herself a romantic but she had grown up around two of the most nauseously in love parents a child could have. The saying, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, could be applied to Wednesday in so many areas, particularly in their shared interest in the macabre, their fierce love for family, their distaste for injustice, and their respect for the underdog, and yet Wednesday had always felt lacking in one area that her parents excelled in; romance. This was not surprising, after all a teenage girl has her whole life to experience the complicated chaos that is romantic love. While other girls may wistfully pine for it, replay rom-coms, and dip their toes into the depths of the soppiest fan fiction, daydreaming about what their future partner may be like, Wednesday had never been afflicted with such distracting thoughts. That is, until she came to the creeping realisation that she was in love with her best friend.
It had been slow, like dripping water against a flagstone that erodes over time. Day to day one would hardly notice, and yet it slowly kneaded its way further into the rock despite its roughness, gradually leaving its sharp, uneven edges smooth and well rounded. Wednesday’s heart, no matter how fiercely she tried to present otherwise, had never been as hard or impenetrable as rock, which made it even easier for Enid’s joyful character to wrap its soft-padded claws around Wednesday’s young heart. The evolution from reluctant roommate to reserved friend all the way to proud BFFs had been filled with action, danger, mortal risk, and betrayal from others that had only deepened and affirmed their bond. From afar one less acquainted with the eldest Addams child may think her too aloof or independent a character to take romantic love seriously. Wednesday Addams in love? What a joke! People may be attracted to such a girl in theory, but they would surely lose interest when they realised that she was a real person and not some blank archetype that they could paint their fantasies on to. Everyone wants a ‘Goth Girlfriend’ until they realise that she’s actually, well, a goth. A goth Wednesday was not, and yet the type of person to assume she was would have neither the patience nor the inclination to ask her, nor await her correction of their assumption. Yet fall in love she had, and it pulled her in directions she had never once considered.
Did she really willingly walk into a large over-stuffed chain box store because Enid had casually mentioned a brand of potato chips that she couldn’t buy in her hometown and Wednesday had decided she would buy her a whole box worth? Yes, yes, she did because the girl was in love and it was sickening. She felt ill except she had no symptoms of a fever and yet when she recalled the details of Enid’s face or the bounce of her blond hair the tips of her ears grew hot and she felt her heart begin to thunder within her chest. Love was a curious affliction, she thought, but the restless academics and adventurous thinkers of the world always considered what new experiences one could have that might deepen their understanding of the other living beings around them. Love was simply a new subject that Wednesday had yet to figure out, but she intended to ace it … if Enid wanted to be her partner in such an endeavour, of course.
What was an Addams to do?
Her family doubtless all had their opinions on how she may approach this mammoth moment in her young life, but surely foiling a double-murder plot and saving Enid’s life in the last school year was the hardest part over? Their second year together was supposed to be one “filled with fun” as Enid had proclaimed it at the start of the first term, and yet it had transformed into a nightmare where Wednesday, plagued with visions of Enid’s death, had desperately fought to save her all the while her friend felt iced out and overlooked. The poor girl had almost died herself. Wednesday had barely time to breathe all year, and just when she thought Enid was done with boyfriends for a while a new one had taken the place of the old one. She had been too preoccupied to dissect her feelings at the time about why it irked her so much, a second useless boy to replace the first one, what was Enid thinking? But crucially Wednesday hadn’t been thinking either, and so now she found herself facing the start of the long summer break with nothing but time and Enid on her mind and in her diary. The summer months were wall-to-wall Enid Sinclair and by some cosmic miracle Wednesday hadn’t even been the instigator of her own good fortune, it had been Enid herself who had brought the subject up.
“We should sync our calendars,” Enid had innocently suggested as they packed up their belongings in their shared dorm room. “That way we can know when the other is free or when we might be busy. Remove the guess work, you know? While I trust the professionalism of the raven postal service I can’t say I’m bowled over by their efficiency compared to messenger or email. Just think about it, the beauty of the linked-up calendar between besties. Wednesday, it will be a GAME. CHANGER!”
Enid paused before offering an apologetic glance towards the window concerned that she may have upset a nearby worker of the Corvus class. “Not that I think ravens aren’t up to the task, obviously, that would be rude!”
“Enid, you really do say the most ridiculous things sometimes,” replied Wednesday with the faintest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth.
All the while in Wednesday’s head, her mind had been drowning with the same thought over and over again.
‘I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…’
So, it came to be that they had synced their calendars and proceeded to spend no less than two hours organising their summer break to maximise the amount of time they could spend together. Enid had led the spontaneous planning session and Wednesday had dutifully followed, albeit in a cool, reserved fashion that was tinged with a simmering level of agreement that Enid could perceive and be reassured in, but that would not risk betraying Wednesday’s feelings of excitement and euphoria.
If their love story was an anime, Wednesday Addams would be a tsundere extraordinaire and Enid Sinclair would be the bubbly deuteragonist who captured her heart.*
Meandering conversations and a couple of snack breaks had filled out their time, and none of it had included packing their room up, but after the two hours had concluded Enid had assigned the first two weeks of their break in June to Wednesday visiting her in San Francisco. This was followed by no less than three weeks in July where Enid would come to stay with Wednesday at the Addams family mansion, the total length being disputed by Enid in a non-serious fashion the entire time to which Wednesday had repeatedly reassured Enid that her family would love for her to stay.
“You’re sure, Wednesday? It wouldn’t be too much of an imposition, really? Three weeks is a long time after all,” Enid had said.
“Enid, my family adore you,” Wednesday had replied.
‘I adore you,’ she had thought.
“You’re practically an Addams in their eyes,” Wednesday had gone on to say.
‘I want to marry you,’ the seer had thought longingly.
“My mother cannot wait to host you, my father will doubtless look forward to showing you his antique gun collection, Pugsley thinks of you as a second sister, and I imagine Thing will be sick to be separated from you in the interim. Uncle Fester would pop by especially just to show you his latest dynamite concoction, or some other variant of explosive, and Granny will be returning this summer from her travels abroad. I … she will likely wish to spend some time with you as well. Werewolves are an especial fascination to her.”
‘I’ll gladly share you with them, but not too much.’
“Goodness, it sounds like those three weeks will be Addams family filled!” Enid had replied excitedly. “Though, I should like to get plenty of Wednesday time too, after all,” Enid had paused here and Wednesday remembered this specifically because her breath had caught in her throat at the way the blond girl’s eyelashes had fluttered, “that is the main reason why I am going.”
It was at this point that Wednesday had been ready to ascend. Often in her childhood she had surveyed graveyards, made etchings of tombstones, and measured her growing body for a coffin or two, assured in the knowledge that one day she would be forever entombed in the soft embrace of the dirt and the dark alongside her family. Just typical girlhood stuff. Enid Sinclair made her reassess this image more and more with each passing day. It was not the final destination that changed, but the timeline within which she got there, and how the view came to take shape. How long a life time might she have, and how many years could she spend with Enid before she inevitably took her place in the ground next to her family? Might Enid slumber next to her underneath a tombstone big enough for two? Would she want that? Want me?
‘She probably fluttered her eyelashes just now because she’s warm and she’s moving the heat away from her eyes. Enid couldn’t possibly be fluttering them at me,’ Wednesday had thought this to herself as it seemed the most logical conclusion she could come to. After all, why would her best friend be fluttering her eyelashes at her?
Then came August.
“Tell me if I’m getting ahead of myself, Wednesday, I mean, you might be sick of me by then,” Enid gushed before pausing.
‘Would a panda tire of the humble bamboo shoot? Oh, Enid,’ and it was all Wednesday could do not to hint at a smile again. This girl really did have a hold over her.
“What if, in August, we go on a girls’ trip? A week somewhere together that isn’t either of our houses, or this dorm room, or Nevermore, but somewhere new that we’d like to go to. I have some money saved up, and I promise it won’t be something super touristy it would be 100% certified Wednesday Addams compliant. I, I would have to work out what that might be, but I promise you it’ll be fun! Even you can stomach fun … in fact,” Enid had leant towards Wednesday at that moment, the weight of her hand on the bed sheets caused their bodies to lean together even closer. They were so close that Wednesday thought that Enid might hear how fast her heart was beating and she had swallowed hard, her usual confidence evaporating around her in a curtain of mist that only she could discern. “I think you secretly enjoy fun, even if you won’t admit it.”
“Now that’s where you’re wrong, Enid,” and Wednesday had fought hard to steady her voice. “I have no objection to the idea; I simply find that my definition of fun is quite different to what others find … agreeable.”
“Ha, yeah, people can be prettyyy basic,” nodded Enid sweetly, her tone had been playful and light, almost teasing, and Wednesday had had to steady herself so as not to press their foreheads together.
“You’re not,” Wednesday had replied quickly, earnestly, “you’re fascinating and fascinating people make fun out of even the mundane.”
“No Wednesday, that’s you!”
“Then we’re in good company together, are we not?”
That had been over a week ago and now here she was, Wednesday Addams, the girl who unapologetically walked to the beat of her own drum, scrambling to pack the most suitable and respectable black ensembles in her wardrobe for her stay in San Francisco with Enid and her family. Though perhaps ‘scrambling’ was too energetic a word to describe the calm but meticulous preparation that Wednesday was spending on packing her trunk. Every item was thought out, and some were packed, unpacked, and then repacked again after careful consideration. June was about making a good impression to Enid’s family and ensuring Enid had a fun time. She would show her best friend that she was there for her, and they could just do what girls do … whatever that was? Wednesday hadn’t the foggiest idea.
June was for laying the foundations, July was for gathering courage and showing what a good girlfriend she could be, and August was … well August was going to roll around regardless and Wednesday simply had to make sure that she was ready.
“Enid Sinclair, prepare to be wooed.”
----- 🐦⬛🖤🩷 🐺 -----
Wednesday noted how the Tamalpais Valley kissed the borders of the Muir Woods National Monument, its snaking panoramic highway offering views of the giant redwoods that she imagined drew many an insipid tourist. They would come in their droves pounding the well-trodden paths and absentmindedly touch the great looming trees with their oily palms and unappreciative fingers, snapping selfies and dropping litter without a second thought before packing back up into their air conditioned, gas guzzling monstrosities that they deem a suitable daily driver for a family of four with a dog that had never hauled so much as a plank of wood in its truck bed before careening off to some other tourist spot that was listed on a ’10 Best Places to Visit’ sightseeing website that had you scroll through never ending ads just to be able to read the article.
‘Pity,’ Wednesday thought, ‘that such enigmatic giants should be pawed at by such uninspired sheep. I wonder if they even think to look up into the canopy or if they are permanently bent over their phone the entire time? How sickening. The roots should pull them underneath to join them in the earth at the sheer disrespect.’
The Sinclair household was tucked away near the top of the valley and as the Addams family car pulled off the main highway on to a minor road that clearly saw limited traffic Wednesday took out her knife from her pocket and began playing with it, her precise movements and impeccable finger work occupying her hands and, crucially, stilling her mind. Yet it was not her mind that was the problem but that troublesome dark organ that ran at a pace within her chest and threatened to rattle and crack its way out of her rib cage the closer their car got to its intended destination. Her parents had insisted that Lurch be her driver to and from the airport and he would come back to pick both girls up at the conclusion of the San Francisco portion of their summer break. It was a task he happily undertook with his usual pallid vigour, and it was an unspoken understanding that Thing would accompany Wednesday on her visit as well. Enid had explicitly asked him to come and although the eldest Addams offspring was initially concerned that this may hamper her opportunities to romance Enid, she realised that it was actually a boon to have him. Thing adored Enid and before setting off Wednesday had confided her plan to him under the strictest veil of secrecy.
----- 🐦⬛🖤🩷 🐺 -----
“This may be the most dangerous, daring, and demanding undertaking of my life so far and to help me in my endeavour I need, to put it colloquially … a wingman.”
Thing excitedly signed to Wednesday that he was “born for this” and that he would do everything he could to help.
“Naturally, Enid must not know what I am planning. For her to consider me as a suitable romantic partner and a worthy mate I must first prove myself in battle. This I believe I have done through our collaborative take down of the Hyde and the successful disruption of this year’s murder plot.”
Thing had given Wednesday an amused look, one that would have doubtless included an eye roll if he had possessed a pair.
“Cool the attitude, Thing. For an appendage you can be quite judgmental. Did my melancholy as a Raven lead me to see a vision that some may consider ‘extreme’ and ‘overblown?’ … perhaps. Yet when faced with the prospect of someone stalking Enid can I really be condemned so harshly for my concern?”
Thing’s unmoving stance was like daggers; his gaze penetrating and precise.
“Truly, you know how to needle at me until I am undone. Such unrelenting cruelty is impressive, Thing.”
He gave a low bow in response.
“Your time as an interrogator during the Cold War keeps you sharp, I see. I respect that,” admitted Wednesday, impressed.
The floorboards creaked underfoot as Wednesday paced backwards and forwards across her bedroom, her braids pristine as she moved with such precision that she barely jostled her hair. Thing watched her expectantly from atop her bureau, the young mistress momentarily in her own world as she trod the same path repeatedly until she came to an abrupt stop in front of her bed.
“The difficulty is that she likely has never considered me as a serious romantic prospect given my former attitude. If one is to be frank, I have given her no reason to. Yet knowing my nature she persisted until our friendship bloomed. I would surely be doing a disservice to her if I didn’t apply my upmost effort to this endeavour. Enid deserves someone who will love her sincerely, earnestly, unashamedly, and with the radiant joy of the sun that she emulates so sweetly. Nothing else will do.”
She glanced at Thing who looked thoroughly amused. He had never heard the young mistress speak in such saccharine tones before. Had Hell frozen over?
“Don’t look at me like that, Thing. Wednesday Addams may not be synonymous with gaiety and lightness, but it is something I would protect fiercely in those that I care about. Her qualities are endearing precisely because they are genuinely felt, not performed. Enid is unlike anyone I have ever met, and her friendship is of the upmost importance to me. Her happiness is the compass that I navigate by so that she may not face the perilous sea alone.”
She paused; her features subtly masked even in the privacy of her own room within the Addams estate. Wednesday dared not get her hopes up, it would be premature and ill advised, though it would also be the most natural thing in the world for a teenage girl to simultaneously yearn for and mourn the relationship experienced with her best friend.
“Enid enjoys me for me, as a friend. Perhaps, just perhaps…”
----- 🐦⬛🖤🩷 🐺 -----
A towering treeline, impenetrable and thickly packed gradually gave way to a vibrant clearing of tall, windswept grass that surrounded the Sinclair household. Their boundary extended into the trees but their gardens were separated from the untouched grass by a tall redbrick wall that encircled the entire property. As their car passed through the gates Wednesday noted the carved wolf statues atop their greyed and moss-covered pedestals that kept watch over every arrival and departure. Their eyes were firmly set on the treeline, their forms unmoving sentries that offered a subtle glimpse into the nature of the house’s owners.
“I suppose you will take in a viewpoint or two on your way back Lurch?” asked Wednesday as the cars tyres crunched under the stones of the driveway.
Lurch groaned in the affirmative, eliciting a nod from Wednesday in the backseat.
“You do so enjoy a pair of publicly installed binoculars overlooking a federally protected nature reserve. I suppose you have a list of birds that you wish to spot during your sojourn across the county?”
Her stoic driver offered another groan in reply.
“I envy your anticipation and excitement, Lurch. The valley offers little in the realm of the poisonous, venomous, or damned that I find myself yearning to return to our estate in New Jersey. At least there I could practice the latest in government leaked methods of military torture on Pugsley. Instead, it is I who must endure the torture of pretending to make polite small talk with Esther Sinclair, a woman who I would rather leave tied to the tracks for all the good she is to Enid. I cannot fake concern or respect for the woman, but for Enid’s sake, I suppose I must be … cordial. I imagine mother would not approve if I was rude to my host.”
The dark and melancholy mood that came over Wednesday in a thunderous wave when contemplating the imminent appearance of Esther Sinclair was nothing but a momentary blip as the outline of Enid came into view. Her hands began waving manically back and forth above her head and Wednesday allowed a smile to relax her face as she realised that Enid was jumping up and down on the steps like an energetic puppy in anticipation at her arrival. Suddenly, though it might only be perceptible to a person well versed in “Wednesday” her eyes had grown wider as her eyebrows rose above her jet-black bangs and she had the sudden realisation that her heart was practically galloping. If she was that happy and excited at merely the girl’s outline it was going to be a long summer.
‘Courage,’ Wednesday told herself, ‘you are an Addams. There is nothing that you cannot face.’
She repeated her father’s words of affirmation as Lurch pulled the car to a halt in front of the house steps and Wednesday saw Enid bounce down them two at a time before she landed with aplomb in front of Wednesday’s car door. It suddenly occurred to Wednesday that she was uncharacteristically uncomposed and when Enid flung the door open with wolf-like speed she had yet to slow down the rate of her heart. Any hope that she had of stilling it was entirely doomed as Enid’s full face came into view.
As always, Enid’s smile was from ear to ear, cute and canine, and so infectiously genuine that it could easily blind an unprepared bystander from its sheer dazzling beauty. Eight days, nine hours, and thirty-seven seconds was how long they had been apart between finishing the school year and Wednesday arriving at the Sinclair household. Utter agony, every second of it, and it was completely forgotten with one look at the blond girl’s plump cheeks and bright eyes. Wednesday fell all over again, or perhaps she simply felt settled in Enid’s presence that the lightness that her steps took against the gravel driveway was a happy symptom of her current state. One moment she was sat on red leather, and the next she was standing dead still in front of Enid, her arms hanging loosely against her sides, fists tensely balled together in the hope that she might calm herself. The taller blond leaned down ever so slightly, her hair swaying in the California breeze as she held her hands in front of her stomach.
“Howdy bestie!”
Not even twelve hours had passed since she had heard the musical tones of Enid’s voice over the phone, and yet it had felt like a lifetime. Wednesday really was in trouble. Let it never be said that an Addams shrank away from the challenging or the uncomfortable, these areas were their forte and Wednesday told herself that this was no different. As Wednesday composed herself she allowed her eyes to hold Enid’s warm gaze, the corners of the girl’s eyes crinkling with the size of her smile as her canines sparkled in the sun. Ordinarily, Enid’s outfits would be what Wednesday categorised as “an assault to the eyes and the senses” but she had gradually warmed to them over time. A mismatch of textures, sizes, and various shades of pink, it was as if an inebriated unicorn had puked all over her. The young Addams found it incredibly endearing as, after all, it was Enid’s signature. Yet Wednesday was surprised when taking in her current attire. Befitting the warmer winds atop the valley Enid was wearing a white t-shirt with short pink sleeves, low-slung brown cargos with a pink pastel enamel flower chain around her waist, and a pair of white converses on her feet.
Wednesday was confused.
“Enid, is everything alright?” asked Wednesday, her voice tinged with concern.
“What, no hello, huh? Straight to business I see,” replied Enid warmly. “Of course everything’s fine, Wednesday,” as she leaned in closer her voice was bright and breezy, “you’re here!”
A bloom of heat rippled across her cold white cheeks and Wednesday steadied herself immediately against the attack of pure sweetness that was clinging to her insides. A toothache would be preferable, the kind that required an electric drill and pliers.
‘She’s simply greeting her best friend, compose yourself.’
After taking a breath to center herself Wednesday wanted to follow-up immediately but she noticed the waiting figure of Esther Sinclair looming just inside the doorway and decided that now was not the time.
“Eight days,” said Wednesday simply.
“What?” Enid replied, unsure what her friend meant. She tilted her head to her right side and smiled with a closed mouth, and it made her cheeks look particularly squishable.
“Eight days, nine hours, three minutes, and twelve seconds since we were parted from each other Enid. I must admit I have found it to be most disagreeable. I find I have become so used to your presence that your absence is … loud. Of course, the time spent apart was likely a breeze for one such as yourself, after all you are less melancholy than I am. You have a more flexible routine than I.”
Wednesday noted that Enid’s right eyebrow twitched upwards ever so slightly.
“Are you kidding! It’s been gross, I’ve hated it. I put a countdown on my phone the moment I got in the car back to San Francisco. Look, I’ll show you.”
In a flash she retrieved her pink phone from her back pocket and tapped on it furiously for a few moments before she whipped it around to show the screen to Wednesday.
“I added a widget to my phone’s calendar and today’s the big day! Go on, Wednesday, click on it! I want you to see.”
The shorter girl squinted slightly, dubious of what was to come but curious at her friend’s excitement, and so she dutifully read the text on the screen. In black italics it read BESTIE TIME in all capitals and it was bookended by two hearts, one black and one pink. Wednesday’s finger hovered momentarily above the screen before she lightly tapped on the glass. In a burst of colour, the screen was filled with fireworks and the black and pink hearts began to beat in unison.
“Isn’t it the coolest?”
“It’s certainly colourful,” she replied, taken aback at how giddy she felt, before hastily adding, “and memorable. Utterly befitting the occasion in your signature style, Enid. Thank you for showing me.”
Enid’s face stretched so far into a smile that Wednesday thought it looked almost painful.
‘Perhaps smiling has its perks after all,’ she thought.
With a dull patter Thing appeared on Wednesday’s right shoulder and Enid began to coo over him. Without a moment’s hesitation she extended out her pinkie finger for him to shake and he happily accepted. It was their signature greeting whenever they saw each other.
“You’ve gotta see the fireworks too, Thing,” she squealed in happiness, tapping the screen again so that he could watch. “Cool, right?”
Thing signed happily in agreement and Enid’s eyes flicked to the other side of the car as Lurch unloaded the last of Wednesday’s belongings from on top of the roof.
“Hi Lurch,” she greeted enthusiastically, giving him a wave.
Lurch groaned in greeting and the whisper of a smile could be seen at the corners of his mouth, and Wednesday thought there was even a sparkle in his eyes. It was only natural that everyone in her family adored Enid and it filled her chest with pride.
“I hope you guys had a good journey up,” asked Enid, “I know the heat isn’t appealing to everyone.”
“One must wonder why werewolves would seek to settle here at all, given all the fur,” Wednesday quipped.
“Ha, well you got me there. Summer shedding is no joke; I would stay well away from all of my brother’s if you favour your sanity. I’ve left a lint roller in your room for fur shedding emergencies.”
“Enid, how considerate, but a little fur shed is unlikely to bother me. Besides, it would be incredibly rude of me to take exception to a werewolf’s natural cycle when I am a guest in one’s home.”
“Well don’t say I didn’t warn you. Our winter coats are uncomfortably warm in summer, and so all that extra fluff has gotta go. Pretty lucky that you’re only allergic to colour, eh Wednesday?”
“I have found that I’ve become more tolerant of it of late,” admitted Wednesday. “Your influence, I suppose,” as Wednesday’s voice trailed off.
Thing give her shoulder a knowing squeeze and Wednesday couldn’t help but give the helping hand a formidable glare.
“Does Lurch want to come in and rest for a bit before he heads out again?” enquired Enid. “He’s done a lot of driving.”
Wednesday nodded in approval.
“A cooling refreshment would be most agreeable. Lurch,” began Wednesday as he walked round the back of the car with a large trunk underneath one arm and Wednesday’s typewriter box under the other. “Enid has invited you to stop over for a while so you can take some refreshment. I agree that it’s a good idea before you depart. Please continue unloading the car and then join us in the house.”
The sheer size of the smile that swept across his face almost bowled Enid over, it was so sweet and unexpected.
“Lurch, do you like iced peach tea?” asked Enid all excited.
The towering man’s eyes beamed.
“Great! I’ll get the pitchers ready.”
Suddenly, Enid looked back behind her before snapping her head around to face Wednesday.
“We’d better say hi to my Mom. She’s been expecting you too, obviously, and wants to say hi. Sorry, I don’t think we can avoid it.”
Enid sounded apologetic and Wednesday instinctively reached out and took her left hand in her right.
“Nonsense, it would be incredibly negligent of me to not acknowledge my host upon arrival, and I imagine your mother feels the same way having me as her guest.” Wednesday paused. “Naturally, having travelled far we may wish to keep it short and sweet before freshening up.”
Enid smiled a knowing and thankful smile at her friend’s attentiveness and considering the sudden grip around Wednesday’s lungs she didn’t trust herself well enough to speak without sounding a fool, and so she allowed herself to give Enid’s hand a squeeze. She thought she saw the taller girl’s breath catch before the moment was lost in the breeze.
“Enid, dear, aren’t you going to bring your friend into the house. I doubt she wishes to camp out on the steps for the whole two weeks.”
The grating voice of Esther Sinclair wafted down uninvited and Wednesday internally cursed the woman’s name.
Enid’s face was equally irked.
“Better go up or she’ll get restless,” admitted Enid.
Wednesday’s demeanour was serious and deadpan.
“I would certainly hate to make a wolf restless. Little Red should’ve gone into Granny’s cabin with an axe instead of a basket … or perhaps a rifle. This is a mistake that I have no intention of imitating.”
Enid’s eyes lit up.
“Oh my god, Wednesday, you’re not … you’re not carrying anything, are you?”
“Enid, open gun carry is illegal in California although conceal carry is permitted for folding knives that aren’t switchblades.” Wednesday paused. “Although I do conceal carry my tanto blade for any every day eventuality that may require one.”
“Sooo, you can conceal carry fixed knives here?” inquired Enid, she was genuinely uncertain what the law was, and was wildly hoping that her hunch was incorrect.
“Actually, the law requires all fixed blades to be visibly carried within a sheath at the waist but I fear this would ruin the element of surprise within the scope of personal protection.”
All Enid could offer in response was nervous laughter.
“I guess I should have expected that.”
“Shall we face her together then?” asked Wednesday reassuringly.
In response Enid offered Wednesday an inviting smile, and any concern over what weaponry the shorter girl may or may not be carrying was quickly forgotten as they made their way up to the house. Wednesday had never bore a natural talent at offering people what they needed as she was prone to insular insight and acts of self-interest, but when it came to her family and friends (mother, father, Pugsley, Eugene) she had tried to do better of late.
But with Enid it was different. With her she didn’t have to force herself or actively remind herself to look outward, although admittedly she found herself tied more and more often into knots the deeper their friendship became. Instead, she naturally sought to support Enid in her discomfort or disquiet, her distress or her worry, and Wednesday understood what a sore issue her mother was for the youngest Sinclair child. Anxiety threatened to bubble to the surface and it made Wednesday angry on Enid’s behalf. If Enid allowed her to be her champion, Wednesday would relish taking up the sword for her, but this would likely do her no favours in winning Enid’s heart, and so the blade that Wednesday would have to wield would be made of soft tongue flesh that could still whip and sting when required.
Standing in the middle of the foyer was the grey-haired Sinclair matriarch, her arms crossed in front of her stomach and her mouth a thin line across her face. As Wednesday and Enid stepped into the soft yellow light the woman’s demeanour remained stiff but she softened her mouth ever so slightly in an act that Wednesday found disingenuous.
“Mom, you remember Wednesday. She’s travelled a long way so I’ll show her straight to her room.”
With almost comical haste Enid twisted on the balls of her feet, whipping her whole body to the right towards the brown wood staircase beside them. Holding on to Wednesday’s hand in her left, she gently tugged at the top of her friend’s arm with the other and began to usher Wednesday towards the foot of the stairs before Esther called after them.
“Goodness, Enid, why the rush? Let me at least say hello to the girl before you run away with her.”
Wednesday thought her tone leaned more towards being amused than irked, which wasn’t necessarily bad, but her body language still suggested a slight unease. Clearly, she was more used to hosting other werewolves and while the Addams family were certainly outcasts like them, their brand of different was not a natural fit in the world of a werewolf pack. They were human after all. Esther regarded the young Addams warily, and despite them having met before (she had visited Enid last year before the start of their second year together at school) the woman had yet to decide whether she liked the girl or not.
“It’s alright, Enid, while I am certainly rather dishevelled after my travels one should always make time to offer greetings to one’s host. Thank you for having me, Mrs Sinclair, I appreciate you opening your home up to me again so that I can visit Enid.”
Enid looked down at Wednesday, taking her in from her shoes to her head, and the blond girl couldn’t find a single shoe lace, button, or hair out of place.
“Formal as ever, I see, Miss Addams.”
This time, Wednesday did think she sounded slightly irked, and she had to repress a gloating smile.
“An Addams is taught manners as soon as they’re out of the crib. It goes hand in hand with petrol bomb making and the most efficient way to flay a corpse.”
Esther gulped and Wednesday could see that it took everything that the woman had not to take a step away from her, but they both knew that to do so would be a sign of weakness. Esther would feel it as one, and Wednesday would recognise it as such, and so the woman simply inhaled deeply before ignoring the comment entirely and switching her attention to her daughter.
“Enid, sweetie, you haven’t shared what you have planned though I imagine you two girls will find enough ways to fill your time over the two weeks that they’ll just fly by.”
Wednesday sensed that this was a personal wish on Esther’s part more so than it was a throw away remark.
‘How excellent that I clearly get under this woman’s skin so much. As long as it doesn’t transform into outright hatred that would encourage her to seek my removal from Enid’s side, her unease is something that I can work with.’
“Enid’s father is away with work, but he’ll return next week. Enid, when you see your brothers’ can you please remind them that dinner is at 7pm and I expect them washed and ready by 6:45pm.”
“Good luck with that, they’ll probably be hanging out at the treehouse in the woods all day or down by the ford.” Enid paused. “I don’t imagine they’d listen to me anyway.”
“Just remind them if you see them, honey. I need to go into town for some supplies. You girls will be alright on your own, won’t you?”
Before Enid could reply, Esther moved towards the door with her car keys in hand.
“Be good!”
With that, she strode out the front door and while she did offer a smile to her daughter it dropped just enough as her eyes crossed that of Wednesday’s confident gaze that the woman quickly flicked her eyes away.
“Er, okay, bye Mom!”
Enid called out to her and going by her tone she clearly had not realised that she was about to go out.
“Whatever,” Enid said, increasing her grip on Wednesday’s arm as she led her towards the stairs. “Now it’s just the two of us!”
Thing tapped two fingers on Wednesday’s shoulder in a huff.
“Three of us! Sorry, Thing,” she smiled apologetically.
A low groan from behind them announced the entrance of Lurch with Wednesday’s bags.
“Follow us, Lurch, it’s just up here,” said Enid excitedly as she began to jump up the stairs two at a time, and Wednesday happily followed, allowing the taller girl to lead her.
“Gosh Wednesday, I cannot wait for this summer. We’re going to have so much fun together.”
“So much fun,” echoed Wednesday as her naturally cool palm got hotter and hotter within Enid’s warm embrace.
*[Footnote]: I think Wednesday and Enid would enjoy Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. Enid would make them watch it together and Wednesday would dutifully agree, because whatever her girl says goes. Suletta and Miorine [SPOILER ALERT] getting engaged in the first episode would give Wednesday heart palpitations and leave her questioning whether she should’ve proposed to Enid on their first proper date together, or if that’s only something that happens in GL’s. The fact that it’s a mech anime with a yuri twist would fly right over her head. Enid, on the other hand, would be jotting down notes and playfully calling Wednesday “my Groom” just to see her girlfriend blush because the little werewolf is a menace.