I'll Keep You Safe - Wenclair

Chapter 2: Friend and Foe

"So, what do you think of Nevermore so far?" Enid asked brightly, leading Wednesday to the cafeteria. To Wednesday's dismay, the girl had been put in charge of showing her around for her first few days. They were in mostly all of the same classes, so Enid sat next to her for every second of everyday. It was a challenge, to say the least.

"It's a new form of psychological torture," Wednesday responded.

Enid reacted much like Wednesday imagined her mother would, a shocked frown at her gloominess. She imagined they would get along well.

"Well, you like torture, don't you?"

It was unsettling how much Enid had gotten out of Wednesday in the night they'd spent together. Wednesday had been adamant about working on her novel and then going to sleep, but her roommate had been unrelenting in her interrogation. "Where are you from?" "What was your last school?" "Why are you here?" "What are you?"

She'd given her answers in very few words. She'd asked no questions. She figured maybe Enid would back off if she showed her complete lack of care.

She was wrong in that assumption. Enid was a parasite.

"I do. This is not the kind I like." Enid made an expression, asking her silently to elaborate. She cursed the depth inside her that made her want to. "My ideal forms of torture include metal spikes, axes, blood, screaming, and so forth. Not this teenage cesspool."

Enid cleared her throat. Her eyebrows may as well have joined with her hairline at this point. "Well, then..."

"What about you, roomie?" Wednesday asked with a smirk.

"Huh?"

"What is your favourite form of torture?"

"Physical affection." Enid winked. "Get on my nerves and I'll use it on you, roomie."

Wednesday just stared at her, incredulous. She dreaded both outcomes in that scenario. Either stay on Enid's good side, which meant being nice, or have to endure physical affection. Lose, lose.

"Now come on, slow poke. It's lunch time," Enid grabbed Wednesday's hand and led her towards the cafeteria, where most people ate lunch. Enid informed her that some of the older students would go into town to eat lunch, or they'd buy food and make lunch in their communal kitchens. But usually people just stuck to the cafeteria.

Enid went first, grabbing a tray and filling it up with everything that she could. Wednesday wondered what gave her such a big appetite. Wednesday trailed behind her, not grabbing any food. She rarely ate lunch, not seeing a point in it. She did however, grab herself an iced coffee from the fridge. Coffee kept her going through the days.

When she was done filling her plate as much as she could, Enid led Wednesday to a table with four other people sitting there. Wednesday didn't understand why she was letting Enid lead her places, or why she was willingly approaching a table with people there. Maybe the speech her mother had given her had subconsciously worked, maybe she was unintentionally trying to find the magic in the school. The thought didn't make her as nauseated as she had anticipated.

Enid stopped at a table, and she was immediately welcomed with a bellow of, "Wednesday!"

Her eyes tracked the sound to its source to find...

"Xavier." She regarded him with much less enthusiasm than he had. He had stood up, his fist presented to her. Their old handshake. She pressed her fist to his, a greeting punch.

The two had begun talking over crystal ball when Xavier found out from his parents that Wednesday would begin attending Nevermore. Their acquaintanceship had only existed for about two weeks, but Xavier treated her as if it had been much longer.