Burn slow

Chapter 19| The Australia Redemption

POV Wednesday

I was short of time to design an excruciatingly elaborate plan for scuppering the trip to Australia. That felt weird not to have Thing by my side. When we made it to Addams Mansion, he didn't bother to apologise. It looks like I was utterly convincing about depriving him a couple of fingers, so he kept out of my sight for all the time. But I had no intention to coop up my head with thoughts about Thing's betrayal or let a futile feeling, which was similar to stabbing with a blunt knife, take over.

Having finished with all preparations, I got comfortable on the freezing stone tomb in the basement of Addams Manor, enjoying chilly hugs of my snakes, which were sliding up and down. Their slimy thin maroon bodies inlaced my limbs and neck, letting me feel a slight lack of oxygen that brought me pleasant tingling. Vivid multicoloured spots appeared before my eyes; special satisfaction came when one of the snakes blew me a bite. My fun increased even more with Mother's clamour, - a delicious smirk adorned my face.

- WEDNESDAY! - Mother was so infuriated that it seemed she could light the fireplace with no matches: she found out that I had burnt all my documents needed for the trip to Australia.
- You called me, Mother? - I approached her with innocent eyes. - Did anything happen to my documents?
- Don't act like you don't know what happened to the documents, - Mother breathed in and out, calming herself down. - But I know how to fix it.
- You'd better have known how to fix my phone that you broke yesterday, - I tried to make make my words sound piercing, but Mother pretended not to have heard it:
- PUGSLEY! - a loud call came out of her lips.
Brother ran down the stairs alarmed. He avoided looking at Mother, mumbling something about giving "them" back.
- Sweetheart, say this louder, - Mother came closer to Pugsley. He raised his culpable wet eyes at her.
- Okay, I took your and Father's handcuffs for testing a new torture but I promise to give them back immediately!
I gave Brother a side eye; blush crawled along Mother's pale cheeks.
- We will talk about it later, - Mother hurried to change the topic of the conversation. - Tell me, do you want your sister to go with us to Australia?
- Sure thing! Only crazy would refuse from enormous spiders with their hairy long legs, and crocodiles with sharp teeth, and venomous snakes...!
Maybe I did go crazy, but it definitely happened not in that way I expected. "Weird" and "spooky" would be the closest adjectives to describe my state of my mind.

- I know, I know, - Mother patted Pugsley's shoulder. - But the thing is that without her documents she won't be able to make it to Australia. Ash is the only thing that had left from her documents, - Mother's voice was too sweet and disappointment at her face was overproduced.
- Don't worry, - Pugsley straightened up with a proud face, - let me handle this.
I frowned and dotted Pugsley and Mother with my eyes.
Pugsley lifted his right hand towards the pile of ash and in a few moments the documents, safe and sound, rested at the fireplace.
- If you had spent more time with your family, Wednesday, instead of having sedated them, you would have known that recently Pugsley opened his talent - to reverse things, - Mother picked up the documents and locked them under her armpit. - Take your luggage, children, we are going to the Antlantic City International Airport in 10 minutes.

Mother left the room with the gait of a victor.

- If I do go to Australia, I recommend you to sleep with only one eye shut, - I walked my mother down to the door with my eyes and then turned around to Brother, having crossed my arms on my stomach. Then I headed to the exit, having pushed Pugsley with my shoulder.
- What? Why? - Pugsley was bewildered, but I let his questions be rhetorical.

That was time for Plan B:

While Father was pulling my luggage out of the house, his face got scarlet and wet.
- I didn't expect it will be that heavy.
- I couldn't leave my grave-digging set at home, - I concealed a smirk.
- Everything for my Little Viper, - Father smiled and gave the bag to Lurch with relief.
When we got in the car, and Lurch tried to start it, we heard a muffled noise out of a hood - there was something wrong with an engine. I didn't bother myself to pretend I had nothing to do with it. Being bored, I indifferently stared at the window, waiting when Parents would declare we had to stay at home.
When Father took a closer look at the engine, it turned out that someone had removed a flywheel without which the car couldn't be started. What a pity.