you can rent a space inside my mind (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter Two

(cw: mental health issues, spicy content) 

Tyler's mouth fell open in awe and he and Wednesday entered the main foyer. The massive room resembled the inside of a cathedral, with large columns framing the walls and a rounded, spherical ceiling. Each pillar was spaced in even intervals back through the length of the room, forming an elegant, gothic colonnade. The floor, columns, and crown molding were all made of a dark, smooth stone with light amounts of marbling throughout. Each column was topped with expertly sculpted flowers and leaves, in a traditional Corinthian style. The ceiling was tall and covered in custom paintings, all of renaissance-esque men and women feasting, dancing, reading, and frolicking in carefully painted, dark-flowered meadows.

Two sets of stairs framed the main room, leading to the second floor. Each stair was made of polished, gleaming black walnut wood, surrounded by wooden banisters. At the base of the staircases, the banisters were topped with delicately carved angels with serious, brooding faces. Long, wine-colored rugs were draped down the stairs, to offer extra grip to whoever climbed them. At the top of the stairs was a balcony overlooking the main room, and a long hallway that extended horizontally in each direction. On the bottom floor on the far wall was a massive door leading into a back room. Two doors on each side of the foyer's walls, placed between columns, led to their respective rooms. Massive, hand-woven rugs picturing grape orchards and mountain landscapes littered the floor, breaking up the monotony of the hardwood floor.

With four columns on each side of the room and a door between the first and third spaces, there was an empty space left in the second break on each side, which was filled by ornate statues. Tyler stared in shock at the massive, towering stone statues, one being a perfect rendition of Leda and the Swan and the other being a fox, standing perched on a rock outcropping. A massive portrait of the entire Addams family sat in the center of the back wall on the second floor, towering over Tyler and Wednesday. Electric, somber lanterns were affixed to the walls, keeping the room bathed in orange light. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, with multiple tiers all containing thousands of glittering, hanging black diamonds. Electric-powered, the chandelier ensured the entire foyer was well-lit.

Tyler stepped fully into the house, looking around in shock as he walked past the entryway. Wednesday didn't comment, or even really notice his surprise since she was so used to being in her house. She simply took off her coat and left it on the coat rack by the door before toeing off her flats and stretching. Tyler followed her lead, taking his jacket off, and then his sneakers, leaving him in his fuzzy knit socks Enid had gifted to him. Wednesday went to head upstairs before turning around and taking Tyler's awe and the overwhelmed expression on his face. She padded back toward him, holding his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Would you like a tour, or to go to my room?" Wednesday didn't want to overstimulate Tyler on his first day in her house. He turned around as if to grab his bags, but Wednesday intercepted him. "Lurch will bring them and our coats and shoes up to my room." Tyler turned around, looking extremely overwhelmed. Wednesday knew logically that not many people, even at Nevermore, came from as much money as the Addams family did, but she'd never had someone over who was so out of their depth in her home. Wednesday decided to just take him up to her room so he wouldn't have too much new information to process. After all, to her joy, he was going to be here all summer; he'd have a chance to discover and memorize each room.

Tyler followed Wednesday silently as she tugged him along, rendered completely speechless by the beauty and detail in the Addams' home. It looked straight out of the Louvre, or one of the old, grand cathedrals or castles in Europe. The mansion put the Gates family home to shame and practically made it look like a shack. Tyler grew embarrassed at the memory of bringing Wednesday to his home but shrugged it off. Wednesday didn't care about how much money he had, or where he'd grown up. Even though he was way out of his comfort zone and nervous about screwing everything up, he knew Wednesday would never judge him for where he came from. She wasn't shallow like that.