Wednesday's Week

Woe Hates Company

I woke up in the infirmary. The pale lights made my head ache. A snuffle sounded beside me. I opened one eye. It was my aunt Ophelia.

"Don't cry. You'll become dehydrated," I spoke, cracking my lips open. My throat was dry. I looked down at my black hospital gown. "How long have I been here?"

Ophelia raised her hand, symboling three. Three days? Why had I been out. I looked at my aunt, "This is from our little mind fight?"

She scoffed, pulling down her tissue, "It was not a fight! Wednesday, that was reckless and foolish. If you had told me you wanted to practice defense, I would have set that up. You could have been left in a vegetation state until you died!"

"Did it work?" I asked instead, grabbing the glass of water off of the little table.

She folded her arms. "Actually I had full access of your brain after you slipped. But I cared more to save my niece and pull us both out."

Thing scuttled in the room. He brought me black pudding. He jumped up on the bed and layed beside me. He had clearly been worried.

"Just for the torture you put me through, I'm not taking away those pink balloons," she pointed to the balloons tied to the side of the bed, courtesy of Enid. The little table also had a jar of honey and a drawing of Nero. There was a little note with the drawing.

"Ask anytime you want your pet back," it said. Xavier.

But there was one more thing on the table. A little black box. I reached for it. I almost dropped the box. In it was the little pink ballerina I had found in Laurel Gates music box.

"Wednesday!" Enid ran into the room. "I'm so so so sorry."

I looked at her, "You have no need to apologize. This was me."

She didn't say anything, just held my hand. I let her until she calmed down again. I slid the little box underneath the sheets before anyone else saw it. "You woke up just in time for the guest schools. They are coming tonight. Principal Weems have us condensed to make room."

"As in-"

"We've got two roommates for the weekend." Terrible news. I tolerated Enid, but more? No, I would find somewhere else to go.

I stood up and grabbed my clothes. My aunt said goodbye and excused herself. I slipped off the gown. "Let's go see the damage."

Principal Weems had squished the Ophelia hall girls into one room. They had created a fort around Enid's bed and were gossiping and giggling. I pulled the contents of my room into the big chest at the bottom of my bed. I took the corsage and placed it in there along with various books and weapons. I locked it and hung the key around my neck.

I packed my backpack with the drawing of Nero, the little black box, a knife, food, and a grenade. To not upset Enid any further, I snuck out quietly while they stayed under the tent of blankets.

I had considered going to the bee hives, but their buzzing would be too loud for me to concentrate. This left the Nightshade library or the roof. And I did not want to see any of the nightshades. I climbed out of a hall window.

The cold air swept across my face, stinging my ears and lips. Thing held tightly to my shoulder as I twisted my body and pulled up. My fingers gripped the ledge. I leveraged off off my arms and rolled onto the tiled roof.

The night sky was covered in stars. Growing up, I had little time between my evil plans to sit still and consider the sky. It made me feel small. I hated it. But tonight, It seemed suffocating like it was all closing in on me. Thing jumped off my shoulder.

Are you still having dreams?

He meant of Tyler. I had hoped that a busy school schedule would erase these thoughts. "If Laurel is still alive, she isn't his master anymore. But a Hyde gravitates to a master. And Tyler was a new Hyde. A young Hyde is like a child, unable to lead itself." I spoke out loud, filtering my own thoughts as I let them out.

Thing pointed to the road. The School gates opened and three school buses drove in. They were here. I unfolded my spyglass to inspect further. The first bus was a shimmering blue. It seemed like it had been under water for thirty years. The next one was black. The windows had black out curtains. The third one was classic yellow but it was painted with horrific suns and flowers.

The buses pulled up and the school lights flooded the gravel way. Principal Weems and a flock of students went out to meet the late guests. The vampires all wore full black suits. The sirens had various athletic clothes on. And the "Suns children" students were mostly wearing pajamas.

Enid put a hand out to a vampire. It looked her down and scowled. My grip tightened on the spy glass. A small girl in a squirrel onesie squeezed by the vampire out of the yellow bus to greet Enid instead.

Two people from each Hall were showing the new students where they would be staying. Ajax waved at Enid before corralling a whole siren clan away. They didn't wear necklaces like Bianca. Did they try and even keep themselves from controlling people? I could invest in a pair of quality ear plugs.

The staff put in charge of the visiting students stepped out of their respective buses. The yellow bus was a gangly man in an awful peach and mint track suit. The vampire was a curvy black woman and the siren was a transparently pale man. He rolled down the back of the bus off the wheelchair ramp.

Weems shook each of their hands, even though her hands went through theirs. She spoke with her arms and hands, pointing at the school. She paused as her eyes climbed up the building. Could she really see me from this far?

The wind was knocked out of me as something hard hit the center of my back. I flew forward off of the roof. I grabbed the edge before plummeting to my death, "If only you had wings," Marcus spat on me.

My arm began to burn, "You are going to kill me? Why?" I stalled.

"No, you are going to jump off this roof after the traumatic events of last semester," he whistled. "You, Wednesday, are in my way. My father promised me I'd rule here and I've come to find someone residing on my throne."

I grunted, "I abdicate it! I don't want the stupid 'Nevermore crown'."

He shook his head, "That isn't how it works. A vampire unlocks their true power after usurping a ruler." His fangs extended out, shining in the night air. "I'll have to fully drain you."

A rock smashed into Marcus' head. He turned violently to face Thing.

"Run!" I warned Thing. I let go of the ledge to grab onto the stone molding around it. I slowly slid down. Thing flew down, catching the last strap of my backpack. Marcus roared in anger. The air turned to smoke as he turned into a bat. I slid into the window and ran.