Beautifully Horrific// Xavier Thorpe

You underestimate us.

We walked outside the school, our custom black uniforms fitted us perfectly, our parents looked over at us, my father was the first to speak, "Look at you both, my little death-trap, my little flamethrower. Seeing you in this uniform brings back so many horrific memories, doesn't it Tish?"

"Yes, so many gloriously horrendous memories. Why don't you boys wait in the car, we need a mother and daughters' moment?" Mother commented, smiling softly at my father.

Pugsley squeezed us both in a hug, I looked down at him, I tapped him on the head, making him look up at me, I made a slitting motion across my throat and pointed at him.

"Pugsley you are weak, you smell like a victim. You'll never survive without us. I give you a month, tops." Wednesday commented.

He pulled away from us and gave us a soft smile, "I'm going to miss you both too. I hope you find your voice again soon, Val, I miss hearing your threats."

I watched as they all clambered into the car, I waved once at Lurch and received a grunt in response as he shut the door behind our father, I looked back up at our mother, she looked down at us, "Any plans of escaping end here. All family members have been alerted to contact me if you even so much as cast a storm cloud over their home. You have nowhere to go."

"Once again, you underestimate us, mother. We will escape this educational penitentiary and you will never hear from us again."

Mother sighed heavily, "Wednesday, Valdis, you are both brilliant girls, you get in your own way, though. I'm sure you will both grow to love Nevermore, and find it life-changing, just as I did. I got you both something..."

She pulled out two pendants from her dress, she showed them us, "W. M. V. Our initials. It's made of obsidian and Hawks eye, the obsidian will help conjure visions, and the hawk's eye will help enhance the power already surrounding you. It's a symbol of our connection."

"Which one of your spirits suggested this toe-curling tchotchke?" Wednesday asked.

I waved my hand in between us, the words appearing in the space, "We are not you, mother."

"Even without words you try to break my cold heart, Valdis." Mother sighed.

"We will never fall in love or be a housewife or have a family." Wednesday commented.

"I'm told that girls your age say hurtful things, and I shouldn't take it to heart."

I again made the words appear between us, "Fortunately you are lacking a heart."

"Finally, something kind to spell out to your mother. Lurch, the crystal ball please. We are not allowed to call during your first week, but we will speak next Sunday." Mother stated, handing Wednesday the crystal ball that once belonged to our grandmother.

We watched as they pulled away from the school, we were finally free from their watchful eyes and we looked at each other and smirked, Wednesday decided to head back to our room for the evening and start decorating for our side of the room. I had decided I would go and see the library, having heard it was one of the best for outcast literature in the world, and I still didn't know all that much about my powers, and I needed to get a grip on it, as well as looking for more stuff about helping Wednesday control her visions as well. As I suspected the library was empty when I got there, I skimmed through the bookshelves, looking for anything that sounded vaguely like what I was, I still didn't even have a word for what I was. Eventually I found a whole section about witches and witchcraft, witches were rare, even if there were more of them out there, they usually stayed in hiding, smart of them considering their history with normies. I grabbed a couple of books and sat at one of the many empty tables, I started to flick through the pages, finding certain things that piqued my interest, but one chapter on particular caught my eye, 'Pythonissam Terrae', loosely translated to 'Witch of the Earth.' I recalled stories my grandmother used to tell me, to give me nightmares as a child, such good memories, they were of a group of powerful witches that could manipulate and use the four elements of the earth to their will: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. I knew I could manipulate fire; I had been doing it since I was young, but the others, I had never tried. I glanced around the room, seeing a half full glass of water on one of the sides, I focused heavily on the water in the glass, a couple of tense seconds went past before the water started to bubble widely, then the water sloshed out the glass, causing the glass to fall and shatter on the table. I watched in shock, but I was startled out of my thoughts when I heard a voice exclaim, "Shit!"

I looked back at my book, continuing to read through the chapter, I heard someone picking up the shattered glass, I glanced up and saw it was Xavier cleaning up the water, he looked around the room and spotted me, "Did you see what happened?"

I shook my head slightly and looked back down at the book, he abandoned his cleaning and made his way over to the table where I was sat, "You're one of the new students, right?"

I looked up at him through my eyebrows, I nodded once and looked back down at my book, he chuckled lowly, "Not much of a talker?"

I didn't even look up and shook my head, he continued to talk, "Can I at least know your name?"

"Valdis Addams." I replied curtly.

"Nice to meet you, Valdis. I'm Xavier Thorpe."

"I know."

"Right, well, great talk, I'll leave you to it."

"That would be appreciated." I stated, turning the page.

"It's comforting to know you haven't changed, Addams." He mumbled, beginning to walk away.

I looked up, confused, "Changed? I've met you before?"

He turned back around to look at me, "Yes, we have. It was my godmother's funeral; your grandmother knew her. We were playing hide and seek, I hid in the casket, Wednesday had to save me before I was burnt alive. You sat reading the whole time and told me to go away every time I tried to talk to you."

I thought for a second, "I remember you now. Wednesday thought your godmother had risen from the dead, but it was you screaming in the casket. You were rather insistent on talking with me, interrupting my reading. I see not much has changed with you either."

He rolled his eyes, "I'll leave you to it then. Nice seeing you again, Valdis."

I hummed and looked back down at the book, I decided I would just check it out and take it back up to my room. When I got back to the room, there was a red headed women in the room, holding a large plant pot in her arms, when I entered, she turned around and sent me an unsettlingly bright smile.

"Good evening, Valdis, my name is Ms. Thornhill, I'm your dorm mom. I just came to see how yourself and Wednesday were settling in. I trust you have been welcomed."

"Enid has been showering us with hospitality. I hope to repay the favour. With fire." I deadpanned, placing the book on my desk and standing beside Wednesday.

"Anyway, here's a little welcome to Nevermore, I like to match each of my girls with a flower of my own growing. When I read your application, I thought of this one..."

"The Bat Orchid, my mother grows them. Thank you." I commented, taking the flower from her.

"Before I leave, I would like to go over a few house rules with you both. Lights out is at 10:00, no loud music in the dorms and no boys. Ever."

"What about going into the local town?" Wednesday asked.

"It's a privilege given, which can be revoked if needed. It's a brisk twenty-five-minute walk, or there is a shuttle on the weekends. The locals are still a wary of Nevermore, so let's not do anything to reinforce any outcast stereotypes. Which means keeping our claws to ourselves, no smothering people in their sleep and no burning people alive. Are we clear?"

There was silence in the room, Thornhill chuckled, "Great talk. Goodnight, girls."

When she had left the room, I turned to Wednesday, "There is something rather unsettling about her."

"I believe it is her optimistic smile." Wednesday commented.