The Woe We Deserve

Chapter 9

Saturday finally arrived, and Wednesday had half a mind to stand him up. But Enid berated her for even suggesting it.

"Wednesday, if you don't go on this date, I'm going to make the rest of the school year very very hard for you."

"Fine. If it means that much to you, I'll go."

"Oh yeah, you're really doing me a big favor," Enid said sarcastically.

Earlier, Wednesday had received a text from Xavier, instructing her to meet him at his shed at sunset. She obeyed.

When she approached the shed, the door was ajar, and it seemed the lights were turned off. She marched in anyway—it wouldn't be the first time she entered without permission.

The room was dark, except for a single candle burning on the table. As she approached, she saw Thing, lying motionless, covered in what was clearly ketchup. She shuddered anyway, reminded of the moment she'd found Thing actually dead several months before, until Uncle Fester was able to resuscitate him.

Upon closer inspection, she found a small piece of paper with Xavier's handwriting on it:

The only way to save him is to avenge him.

Wednesday looked around the room in search for clues. Near the table, was one of Xavier's recent paintings. It depicted a small cave she recognized from her walks in the woods.

Everything was suddenly clear. Xavier hadn't been gossiping with their friends; he'd spent all week orchestrating some sort of scavenger hunt for her. She'd been dreading some mushy date like dinner and a movie, but instead he'd planned something that she might actually enjoy, even if she knew she could solve it with her eyes closed.

"I thought a date was supposed to be for two people," she mumbled.

Thing broke character and pointed at the canvas again.

"I'm telling on you," she said.

The hand flopped back on the table and played dead.

Wednesday set out on her adventure. Xavier had left a flashlight and backpack by the door. In it she found a decoder, pad and pencil, and various other things she assumed would come into play later on. She also found a folded piece of paper that said: Thanks for showing up :)

It didn't take her long to find the cave. From a distance she could see the faint glow of a lantern. Inside, she found Xavier, on the ground, hands and feet bound, while Bianca stood to the side watching tik toks.

When he saw her, Xavier grinned and cleared his throat. Bianca looked up from her phone and sighed. She replaced her iPhone with a couple index cards and began reading unenthusiastically from her script.

"Wednesday. It's about time you showed up."

Wednesday leaned against the cave wall and gave the skit her undivided attention.

"I know what you're here for," she droned on. "You need Xavier's help. He is brilliant and you will not succeed without his help—Xavier I'm not reading this crap."

"What am I paying for?" he asked, holding back a smile.

"Well, you're definitely not paying me enough for this." Bianca scanned the index cards until she found a spot she found less offensive to continue reading from. "If you want to carry on, you must best me in a duel."

Looking extremely bored, she grabbed two fencing swords and tossed one to her. Wednesday caught it and looked at Xavier.

"Do I have to?"

"Only if you care about avenging Thing," he said.

Wednesday rolled her eyes, but continued to play along.