Wednesday's Week

Woe's Brother

The bee shack was thrown open and I ran inside. Tyler sat at the table with a pile of crumpled papers. And sitting on the table with a dead stuffed marmite in his arms was Pugsly. He sat crisscrossed, his head just under the swinging light. He had his head resting on his folded arms.

"Pugsly, what are you doing?" I asked, almost ready to pull him off the table. I moved in between him and Tyler.

Pugsly looked up and smiled at me, "I met your friend. He said I could stay here until you came."

"Tyler isn't my friend," I shot back. "It's not safe for you to be here Pugsly."

Tyler put the papers down and raised his hands, "I'm not going to hurt your little brother, Wednesday. He was just showing me.....these."

I snatched the papers. They were notes from bullies.

Freak. Weirdo. Rodent. Freak. Defenseless. Nothing without your creepy sister. Gross. Just leave already. Who let you out of your kennel?

I scanned the pages, catching the phrases. I gripped the papers harder, "I thought you took care of this Pugsly."

He put the marmite down. "I'm not you Wednesday. I can't make them fear me."

"I gave you hundreds of ways to put them in their place!" I argued back.

Pugsly slid off the table, "I don't want them scared of me! I want friends. I don't like being alone. And you left me so you can't be mad! You abandoned me in that place."

Tyler stood up between us, "I don't think arguing is going to help each other."

I glared at him, "Sit back down. You have no place in this." I wasn't taking friendship advice from someone who had manipulated me. I turned to Pugsly, "Mother and father are searching for you......but Snitches get stitches. You can stay with me as long as you like. But not here."

Eugene's words rang in my head. "Actually neither of you can stay here. I need a new place." I considered my options for a moment. "Tyler you are staying in Crackstone's crypt." I'd take Pugsly to my room. If I needed to hide him better I could always put him in the nightshade library.

I escorted Tyler to the crypt without Pugsly. He looked over at me as he stepped over a burnt out tree stump, "He seems nice."

"He's weak," I replied.

We got closer. Tyler tried talking again, "he's the reason you got kicked out of that school, right?"

I opened the crypt door and turned to Tyler, "Did you actually like me? The movie date. The dance. The kiss."

He looked up, "I want to be truthful with you, Wednesday. I found myself at the mercy of his next words. "I don't know. I can't figure out what I desired. I remember the jealousy of you and Xavier. I remember the kiss... and even if it hadn't been interrupted by you finding out what I was... I didn't want you gone."

"But you also would have killed me. You harbored anger too. And you would do anything Laurel asked," I reasoned.

Tyler stepped into the crypt. "I guess it can't be a simple solve for you this time Wednesday. But I haven't run away yet. That's got to count for something." I closed the door on him.

I stepped into my room with Pugsly behind me. "Enid, I'd like you to meet my brother. He was here for parents weekend, but we had been a little busy then." I stepped aside and ushered him in.

Thing jumped up and Pugsly scooped him up into a hug. "I missed you too!" He cheered.

Enid shook Pugsly's hand, "What brings you here?"

"I ran away," he replied honestly, looking down to the ground.

I pushed his chin up, "Confidence, Pugsly. It makes you look stronger." He pushed my hand down and followed Thing as he gave him the room tour.

Pugsly seemed very interested in Enid's side of the room. "And you two are friends?" He asked skeptically.

Enid clasped her hands together, "Best friends." She let her acrylic claws out to show Pugsly.

He put his marmite down on my desk, "I met her other friend that she keeps with the bees. He seemed nice. I never guessed Wednesday would have nice friends."

Enid looked up at me, "Some of us are nice. Others have a pension for violence and evil."

"That sounds more like my sister," he laughed. Enid met my gaze. She was clearly upset. I'm sure everyone was.

I turned to Thing, "You are in charge of Pugsly. Make sure no one else sees him." I needed to go and speak to Weems.

Her office door was closed, but I didn't let it stop me. "We both know Laurel couldn't have done half of what's happened to this school," I started. "And I know what kind of person is doing it."

Weems turned from the chair, "Wednesday, just in time. Please, come meet Mr. Vincent Thorpe." A tall spindly man stood up from the chair. He had a long black suit on and a blue flat cap that matched the scarf around his neck.

I paused in the carpet, "Have you come to finally visit your son?"

His thin lips pressed against each other. "I'm here on the behalf of an old friend. Your principal is having a hard time with a certain problem child."

I couldn't believe this, "Your having a psychic give me my evaluation? What qualifications does this man have?"

"I've got a PhD in Phycology," he answered.

"And yet you couldn't help your mentally struggling son?" I raised an eyebrow.

Weems glared at me, "That's enough Miss Addams. As you can see, she has no concern for any types of authority. She was almost expelled last semester."

"I wasn't on account of being right and saving the school," I reminded them. The fire crackled to the right of me.

Vincent picked up the file. Probably mine. "I do recall you having my son falsely put in jail."

"Is that a personal agenda, Mr. Thorpe? I do believe therapists aren't supposed to be putting their own life into the matter?" I argued.

A small prickly smile crossed his face. "I'm no therapist, Miss Addams."