The Woe We Deserve

Chapter 1

Most teenagers looked forwards to a new semester like a turkey looked forward to Thanksgiving. Especially when the reason for cutting classes short the previous semester was a murderous monster on the loose who turned out only to be a pawn in a scheme to resuscitate an outcast-hating, zombie pilgrim. Oh, and the love of Xavier's life-Wednesday Addams- was teamed up with the actual monster, hellbent on getting him arrested for a string of murders he hadn't committed.

Yeah.

You see, Xavier Thorpe didn't go to a normal high school; he also wasn't a normal teenager-well, none of his classmates were normal. Nevermore academy was a school of outcasts. Vampires, werewolves, psychics like himself. Xavier was the only son of a very wealthy, very famous psychic. But his life wasn't all that it was cut out to be.

His relationship with his father was thorny at best. Work always came first, and Xavier always came fourth or fifth, or whenever his assistant could find him a ten minute window to talk on the phone. As soon as he was old enough, he had been shipped off to Nevermore, to nevermore be thought of again.

So why was Xavier Thorpe so excited to resume his education after the heaping mound of burning dog shit that had been the last semester? A short, scrawny, sadistic girl called Wednesday Addams.

If Xavier was lame enough to have a Facebook, his relationship status with Wednesday would be "tried to frame me, and kill me, and then saved my life but also totally broke my heart."

And if Wednesday Addams had any social media or any online presence at all, she would tell you to mind your own business.

Even as he sped to the courtyard to try to catch a glimpse of her, Xavier felt torn. After several months of grappling with the unfortunate series of events, and trying very hard to restore whatever semblance of a friendship he and Wednesday had, he wasn't completely sure how he felt about it all. He wasn't completely sure he could trust her.

And yet he had spent all summer texting her, afraid with every text that it would be the one to finally piss her off and make her block him. Scared that every unprompted contact was aggravating her, but that she was just being nice because she felt guilty about what happened.

He had read and re-read their text exchanges, trying to pick up any clues or subtleties in her messages. Any hidden meaning behind her words that could fan the flames of his infatuation:

X: are you ready to go back to school?

W: I'm always ready.

X: right.

X: Well, it'll be nice to get to talk in person now.

X: I know how much you hate technology.

W: and talking.

X: right...

X: see you soon I guess.

...

But Wednesday, just like in real life, played her texts really close to the vest- giving him almost nothing to work with. And yet Xavier knew that she wasn't the kind of girl to expend her energy on someone she didn't consider worth her time... unless she was trying to get something out of them. Like paintings of the monster from his dreams. Xavier's psychic abilities were probably the only reason she had ever given him the time of day.

So Xavier waited in the second floor balcony looking out over the courtyard. He lurked in the shadows, taking a page out of Wednesday's book. He saw dozens of kids and parents hugging and laughing-it made his heart ache with longing for something that he'd never have. His father had sent him back with the chauffeur three days early. When you're the school's largest donor, you can get away with a lot. If it wasn't because of the attack on the school and Principal Weem's death, he was sure his father would have tried to keep him at Nevermore over the break.

Lost in thought, his soul nearly left his body when an unexpected voice whispered right into his ear, "Boo!"

He turned to find Wednesday Addams just inches from his face. She was dressed head to toe in black, like she usually was. Her braids fell neatly on either side of her face, which was the color of porcelain, or maybe a fresh corpse. His emotions ran wild through his body, the good and the bad, but in the end the good won out. He smiled sheepishly at her.

"Are you stalking me already?" she accused. "This early in the semester?"

"Who says I was looking for you?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"How early did you get here? I thought I'd be able to steer clear of the nauseating displays of affection," she said, turning her nose up at the courtyard, still buzzing with the sound of goodbyes.

"Next time, try getting here three days early," he shrugged.

"Perhaps I will"

He considered asking her if she would really want to be stuck in the vacant school grounds with only the staff for company, but he knew to Wednesday that was more like a dream-a chance to avoid all human contact and focus on whatever mystery she had been sucked into. So instead he just smiled.

"We can bunker down together."

She glared at him and said nothing.

"Are you going to Bianca's-"

"I have to go," she interrupted. Without another word, she walked away, and Xavier watched longingly as she disappeared down the hallway. Just like that, just like always, she was gone abruptly, with little explanation of regard for Xavier's feelings. And still, all he could do was hope their next encounter would be more fruitful. How pathetic was he?