All For Not

Page 8

"You're Wednesday, right? And Morella?" I turned to look at the voice, "Rowan. I know how you feel." Frowning Wednesday stood from her spot, after the boy introduced himself, "I guarantee you don't." I was curious about this one admittedly, "my mother promised me I'd finally fit in somewhere. I never thought it was possible to be an outcast in a school full of outcasts. But it looks like you're gonna give me a run for my money." He gestured to us and I looked down at myself, our school uniforms mine black and red, an almost blackened red if I were honest, and Wednesday in black and gray, "uhh... Sorry about the... nick." I looked at her face, a fresh bandage placed over the small cut, "no good deed goes unpunished." He rolled his sleeve down and smiled at us, "we must be going now," he looked surprised, almost disappointed as his eyes shot back and forth between us, "oh, right yeah, see you later, and thanks by the way, Biana can be pretty mean." I nodded and turned to leave, Wednesday nodding to him behind me before following me out of the infirmary as the door was shut behind us by one of the school's staffed nurses.

"A weird boy, he's troubled," She looked to me as we made our way downstairs and left the medical building in the back of the school, "how so?" I huffed, a recurring action of mine, "he shows signs of madness, perhaps you would know if you spent more time with Uncle Fester's beloved twins you would understand the signs." She had no care for the conjoined twins, "the twins wear too much pink even for straight jackets they are too colorful, it upsets me." Giving a small hum as we crossed the graveled grown towards the archway I spoke, "understandable," I can feel her glance at me before she speaks, "thank you again, mothers infatuation with having us spend time with others like the twins is quite the torturous feeling."

Nodding, she walks before me and I come to a stand right in front of the archway, only stopping at the sound of something large and stone-like moving, scraping on a surface above me. Huffing, I look up as a stone statue falls far above my head from a ledge and comes down to me, only to be pushed out of the way and knocked into the ground as the statue smacked into the ground and exploded.

Pure red darkness, light coming through my eyelids was all I could see until I opened them, "how boring, I'm still alive... And still cold." Sitting up I meet the eyes of Wednesday looking straight at me, "sister," I nod to her and my eyes catch movement, "Welcome back. Might wanna take it easy and lay back down." I raised a brow at the boy, "the nurse said you don't have a concussion, but you probably have a nasty bump, I bet," I furrowed my brows confused, "and why are you, the resident tortured artist, sitting at my bedside? No offense of course," he looked lost somehow, "I kind of saved your life is all," I looked at Wednesday and she looked at him before turning and leaving quietly, "you knocked me out of the way. Why would you risk yourself like that when you don't know me?"

"Call it instinct." I raised a brow again and he clicked his tongue as I turned, sliding my legs off of the bed, "and actually I do know you, Xavier Thorpe?" I blinked a few times thinking as he talked, "I know your name, you're dating Bianca. I must admit I don't remember her last name though," He had a smile on his face suddenly, "she's not my girlfriend," I watches as he looked down and chuckled before catching my eyes and speaking quickly, "I'm single actually, but I meant we met about two years ago, at my godmother's funeral."

"Adna Tanson, hailed a great witch by Marilyn Monroe herself, correct?" The smile brightened as my own face softened at the expression on his, "you remember that?" Nodding, I replied, "I pushed the button to stop the fire, I prefer burning people myself I'm afraid." I guess I had made a weird comment but he didn't seem to mind one bit, in fact he laughed, "honestly I figured you wouldn't remember me at all, I mean last time we met I was about two feet shorter, forty pounds heavier, I'm actually surprised."

"I suppose you do, your hair is much more likable as well. Why you hid in her casket is beyond my understanding though, it was a nice hiding place seeing as how you won the game by over three hours." He laughed again as I switched the subject back, "an inspired idea I guess you could say, I got stuck actually, you and Wednesday saved me," I gave a him a look not quite matching his large brightened smile, "well, she only pressed the conveyor button to see if Adna was crawling her way from death, my apologies on her disappointed reaction." He nodded, laughing again, I found myself liking the sound. "Don't worry about it. So... I guess now we're even."

"Maybe so, for now." I looked at the floor as I stepped down, shoes thudding silently against the flooring, "are you sure you want to get up," I looked up at him to see he had rushed to stand and put his hand on my shoulder blade, although once I caught his worried gaze he looked at his hand and retracted it sheepishly, "sorry, I just, I just meant that maybe you should wait a bit before you leave, you did get pretty much tackled into the gravel outside... Sorry by the way." I paused, genuinely surprised by his emotion, "what?" Shaking my head just slightly I licked my lips, "forgive me, I'm not used to anyone being concerned or worried about me, it doesn't happen often." He swallowed, seemingly a little nervous about the situation for a moment before he looked me in the eyes, "how do you know I'm worried or concerned? Maybe I just act like this." He shook his head a certain way that reminded me of an old comedy, where the lead actress constantly twitches as she talks to her vampire boyfriend.

"Keen eyesight gives me the advantage, being cousin Itt's favorite family member means I'm trained in all tell-tale signs." His brows furrowed as he nodded, expressing his confusion, "I can see it in your eyes and the way your brows crease." He chuckled again and I without a doubt liked the sound, very much an 'aesthetic' as it's usually called, "you're different, from what I remember, when we first met I mean."

"How so?" My brows furrowed and he smirked, "you're actually speaking to me."

......

Back at the dorms my mind wandered to Xavier for a moment before I reached my room. "Did you think my highly trained olfactory sense wouldn't pick up on the faint whiff of neroli and bergamot in your favorite hand lotion? I could do this all day." The angry words melded through the door and once the door no longer blocked their path they became clear as day, and so did the fingers tapping on wood, "Mother and Father sent you to spy on me, didn't they? I'm not above breaking a few fingers. That they thought I wouldn't find out proves how much they underestimate me." I opened the door only to shut it behind me as I watched Thing sign his way out, or try too.

"Oh, Thing, you poor, naive appendage. My parents aren't worried about me, they're evil puppeteers who want to pull my strings even from afar." Taking my bag off I set it at the post of my bed, closest to the dorm room door, "the way I see it, you have two options." Suddenly she wretched the drawer to the desk open and grabbed him, "option one, I lock you in here for the rest of the semester, and you go slowly insane trying to claw your way out, ruining your nails and your smooth, supple skin and we both know how vain you are." I turn to see her place him back onto the writing table, "option two, you pledge your undying loyalty to me." Walking over I look at Thing, pitying the poor appendage as he contemplated the offers, "sweeten the deal sister," I could practically feel the vein in her forehead pop out, as he finally bowed, "our first order of business is to escape this teenage purgatory." As Thing tapped I raised a brow and looked to her, "of course I have a plan and it begins now."