War Zone ღ✦

31. Unfathomable Reunion

"Umm... why are we at Sheriff Galpin's house?" Enid asked, looking over at Wednesday.

Wednesday didn't look back at her best friend as she responded, "He did not listen to me when I told him his son was the hyde until he saw it with his own two eyes. With Timothy Anderson and Michael Chapman, we have hard evidence and will be able to put them behind bars without a face-to-face confrontation."

"We shouldn't have come back here," Xavier muttered under his breath.

Ajax nodded with fear and anxiety in his eyes. "Definitely shouldn't have."

As they walked up to the front door, Enid's face was full of worry and skepticism. "Maybe he's not home. We should probably go back to--"

"We cannot go back to Nevermore. The demonic old men will have told Principal Opal their deceptive lies, and she will have believed them. They will send out search parties for us tonight," Wednesday replied.

Enid groaned in agony. "Why did Taylor Swift have to be so right in I Did Something Bad?! Couldn't it have been anything other than they're burning witches even if you aren't one?!"

"What are you even talking about?" Xavier asked, rolling his eyes.

Ajax shrugged. "She just likes Taylor Swift. Nothing wrong with that, man. Keep up to date. You obviously don't listen to pop music."

"Yeah, and for good reason, if they're singing about burning witches," Xavier muttered.

Enid crossed her arms anxiously. "Sheriff Galpin's obviously not here. Can we just go?!"

"He's not here, but I am. You were right, Xavier. You shouldn't have come back here," said a vaguely familiar voice from the forest.

The four outcasts turned around to see a curly-haired, hazel-eyed boy staring straight back at them.

Tyler Galpin, the homicidal hyde, stood before them.

"Goddamn it," Xavier muttered under his breath.

Wednesday simply stared back at the boy. "You must have some intensely strong death wish to come into the light like this."

Tyler smiled eerily back at the noirette. "No, Wednesday. You need my help. If you try to hurt me, I'll turn you back into Nevermore before killing you myself."

Xavier slowly but surely moved closer to Wednesday's side, trying to scare the jackass off.

"Oh please, Xavier, like you intimidate me. If it weren't for Wednesday, you would be in a high-security prison. You can't protect her for me," The hyde seethed.

Enid frowned and squirmed around anxiously. "We should really be leaving!"

Tyler shook his head. "No, no. Don't leave yet, outcasts. Wait for my father to return home. I'm sure he'll have lots to say to the five of us."

He then turned his attention back toward Wednesday. "I heard you broke your new boyfriend's heart. How unfortunate that he was just a little pawn in your game. You and I are more alike than you thought," said the boy, smiling toothily at the girl.

Xavier took Wednesday's hand out of impulse. "Sorry, Galpin. She's taken."

Tyler rolled his eyes, still smiling creepily at the four. "Please, Xavier, I don't want to date her. She's just a little monster like the rest of us."

"Go be a good little hyde and run back to your master," Wednesday demanded the hyde.

After a moment of awkward silence, the girl daringly smiled, "Oh, yes, I forgot. You can't. She was taken care of a few months ago."