𝖒𝖎𝖉𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 // 𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐞

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐬𝐢𝐱 // 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞

midnight stands next to eugene, watching as wednesday compiles the images on her board. "enid wouldn't let me keep this in our dorm" wednesday states, crossing her arms as she looks to her setup. "no worries. mi colmena es su colmena" eugene assures, offering a smile. "much appreciated, eugene" midnight retorts, offering a softer expression than her usual one.

"i assume this is the creature that's been rampaging in the woods?" eugene questions, the twins turning to him with wide eyes. "you've heard about it before?" wednesday interrogates. "rumors. mr. fitts banned me from bug-hunting until further notice. claimed a bear was on the loose, which i knew was a lie. didn't match their hibernation schedules. speaking of monsters with sharp claws, could you give this to your roomie? put in a good word for me? i heard she still sans date for the raven" eugene declares, handing wednesday a jar of honey.

for a moment wednesday looks at the boy with a harsh expression, midnight somewhat furrowing her brows. "eugene" wednesday starts. "i know the chances of her asking me are next to zero, but i don't care. i'll keep putting myself out there until enid finally... sees me" eugene assures, midnight nodding softly in approval of his plan. "and if she never does?" wednesday asks.

"she will. i'm playing the long game. my moms say people will appreciate me when i'm older. i know they're probably just trying to make me feel better, but-" "listen, people like us, we're different. we're original thinkers, intrepid outliers in this vast cesspool of adolescence. we don't need these inane rites of passage to validate who we are" midnight assures, offering the boy a faintly stern look.

"so you're not going to the rave'n either?" eugene questions, midnights face faintly dropping. "actually, i am. with xavier" she admits, looking away somewhat shamefully. "i see" eugene mumbles. "well it's not like you actually like xavier, right? i figure we just have ulterior motives. his sketches are the closest thing we have to a lead to try and stop this thing, so midnight gaining his trust is our best bet" wednesday admits, midnight rolling her eyes.

"i never said i have ulterior motives. xavier is my friend, nothing more, nothing less. besides, he doesn't know anything we don't" the blue-haired girl argues, her twin offering a soft scoff. "that circle... i think i know where that is" eugene blurts, wednesday whipping her focus to the boy. "show us" she instructs, the boy nodding swiftly.

———

the trio stand in front of the cave, midnight focusing on the depth and detail of the entrance. her eyes scan the area, trying to find some sort of clue or evidence. "it's definitely a match. what were you doing out here?" wednesday questions, her focus on the cave. "collecting specimens. this place is ground zero for horny gypsy moths" the boy admits, midnight softly nodding in response as she constitutes to examine the area.

"do you think it's in there?" he questions, the twins still focused on the cave. "only one way to find out" midnight smirks, heading towards the cave with her twin by her side. eugene follows somewhat wearily, nervously checking behind the trio as he nears the cave entrance.

the three teens all look into the cave, the area clearly somewhat vast yet hidden by the lack of light. "not a huge fan of enclosed spaces. i'm claustrophobic" the boy admits, his voice somewhat unsure. "if you hear us screaming bloody murder, there's a good chance we're just enjoying ourselves" wednesday states, the twins beginning to venture into the area without second thought.

moments later eugene runs after them, a third flashlight joining the cave as the girls explore. "this is definitely its lair" midnight mumbles, looking around at the bones and chains. "are those... human?" eugene questions, his voice shaky. "no, i think it's got a taste for venison" wednesday declares, picking up a deer skull.

"is nobody going to address the chains on the wall?" midnight blurts, shining her light at the spectacle in hopes of drawing more attention. eugene and wednesday walk overall , the addams girl immediately examining the area. suddenly she shined her light on some claw marks, crouching down. "yahtzee" wednesday states, shuffling in her bag.

"what is that?" eugene questions. "concrete proof" wednesday elaborates, pulling the claw out of the wall before placing it in a bag. "of what, exactly?" midnight asks, crossing her arms. "that the monster is real" wednesday declares, midnight offering a speculative gaze. "interesting."

the trio swiftly returns to campus after their excursion, wednesday abandoning her twin and the apiarist soon after their arrival. although midnight wanted to trust that her twin had good intentions, she couldn't help worrying about what the girl was so quick to complete.

she ignores her thought, saying a quick farewell to eugene as the two diverge before putting in her headphones and starting her cassette player. in hopes of clearing her mind she begins walking around campus, circling the outskirts of the school. as midnight approaches the edge of the forest, suddenly her mind flashes to xavier, a smile crossing her lips for a split second. this whole smiling thing has really got to stop. tires out my cheeks.

as she continues to think about the boy midnight decides to head towards his shed, hoping to find the troubled artist. within a few minutes she arrived, unable to discern if there was movement in the shed. midnight moves her headphones down, knocking on the door softly. "what?" the boy yells through the closed door, her eyebrows furrowing.

rather than responding she knocks again, xavier swinging the door open moments later. the boy remains silent as he looks at her, the girls heart somewhat dropping. "hi" midnight mumbles, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible despite her discomfort. "i just caught wednesday in here, and she told me all about your plans. that you two snuck in here when i caught you the other day. did you only agree to go to the rave'n with me because you think i'm the monster?" xavier blurts, his face hard and faintly distraught.

"xavier, i had no clue she was coming here today, and i don't think you're the monster. all of these plans, these ideas, they aren't mine, they're hers. i only came with her to the shed the other day because i was hoping to stop her, and me going to the rave'n with you has nothing to do with any of this bullshit! i mean, seriously xavier, you don't trust me? i thought you were actually different."

"midnight, it's not like that i just-" the boy starts, his expression becoming much softer. "no, i hear you loud and clear. i'll uh- i'll see you around" the girl sighs, beginning to leave the shed. suddenly his hand wraps around her wrist softly, holding her back as she moves. "midnight, i'm sorry. just- i really do like you, and i just can't stand the idea that this- that us is all a lie" xavier admits, the two sharing a gaze.

for a moment midnight is silent, pondering her response. "well good thing it's not all a lie. as i've expressed, i like you xavier and that's why i said yes to the dance. not for wednesday or some stupid investigation, for you. but you tell anyone that, and you're dead" she states, a soft smile crossing the boys lips. "i wouldnt expect it any other way, addams" xavier smirks, allowing his eyes to drift across the girls complexion with a smile.

༺♰༻

𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊: 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚜! 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜, 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎'𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐! 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 (𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚢). 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢/𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝/𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 :)