In the End ~ Wednesday x Xavier ~ SLOW-BURN

Chapter 46

"Life had broken much of them, but they were there still persisting in the shards of their pieces."

~~~

Once they had returned to their dorms after the school day finished, Enid began to play that god-awful music that made Wednesday very much wish she could rip her eardrums out. It was one of those days when Enid simply wanted to listen to the music, and she blasted it through the room as she sang along with it, Thing hopping around with the colorful girl as they danced around the room. A 'jam out session' she had been told, and she recalled her and Xavier having one of those one time. But this was far more nauseating than the one in the car with him.

Wednesday tried her best to focus on her book, but the upbeat tune and the heartbroken lyrics caused her eye to twitch. Frowning, she slammed her book shut, rolling off her bed as she put her boots on, reaching for her phone and wallet in the process.

She grabbed a coat, bidding her distracted roommate a quick goodbye before she headed down to a bus, catching a ride into the town of Jericho.

As she watched the trees and buildings fly by through the window, her eyebrow furrowed as she recalled the vision. An oddly familiar presence lingered in the back of her mind, and she couldn't quite place a finger on what, or who it was. It was the very thing that had happened before, except this time she had a connection with one of the people in her vision. She frowned, wondering how much her mother would remember, and at that share with her about what happened that night. It seemed the woman played a key role here at Nevermore, but apparently passed. What was the connection, and why was her mother bickering with the said woman?

The bus stopped, and she hopped off, quickly walking into one of the stores. She had no idea what she was looking for, just something that caught her eye. It was Xavier's birthday in less than a week, falling on this Thursday. She had Enid plan the party, but Wednesday picked the flavor of the cake, along with the location. It wasn't like her to organize rambunctious events for teens to frolic around, enjoying themselves, but she figured Xavier enjoyed the events. 

It would be right outside his art shed, where there was space and not so crowded and hot as hers was in the dorm. She wasn't planning on taking any credit for it, but she knew Enid would make everyone well aware she had been the one to organize such a wretched thing. It was just another day with a cake and awful singing, as everyone seemed to be extra off-key for the song. 

Now she just had to search for a present for him, as she had postponed it until the last minute. She skipped fencing once again for this, and she hadn't even planned on doing so until she reached her dorm. But somewhere she found herself feeling slightly guilty she had waited this long, while he had picked such a heartwarming gift for her. Her fingers found their way to the necklace that lay on her chest, and she felt a wave of inspiration flood through her.

Her eyes darted around the store, searching for something that made her think of the boy but came out with nothing. She walked to the next store, then the next, before she finally found something that might be of interest to the boy. It was becoming exhausting, this search for a gift, but alas she had come upon an interesting discovery.

She dusted off the thick book, titled Mastering Composition Techniques and Principles to Improve Your Painting. Tracing the spine of the book, she fingered through the pages, before deciding to head to the cashier. It wasn't as if he needed it, but he may be able to learn more about his hobby, possibly teaching her. She paid for the book, was surprised it was relatively cheap and walked out the door with a satisfied grin on her face.