Burn slow

Chapter 31| Never more

POV Wednesday

I stared at the ebony clouds with gray laces above Nevermore. I couldn't force myself to make a step forward. This place seemed familiar and strange at the same time. Someone's warm hand slid down my arm, and our fingers interlaced, I slowly switched my eyes to Xavier. He smiled at me warmly. I have a brief look at our hands with a frozen question: "Is it obligatory?"
- You promised, - Xavier understood me without words. He squeezed my hand hard and I slightly squeezed it back.
I heard Mother's stringy voice somewhere from behind:
- You won't say good bye to your parents?
I unwillingly turned around on my heels. Mother tenderly touched my shoulder, and suddenly she flipped her head back, she got a vision, which finished as suddenly as it started.
- What did you see? - I asked my mother with demand, being stirred.
- You will find out, - Mother smiled mysteriously and gave a brief look at Xavier.
I got an idea what Mother could mean but had no attention to clarify my clue so I just turned around, holding Xavier's hand, hid in the shadows of Nevermore Academy.
- We have much to catch up, - Xavier was saying this to distract me from those once who were staring at me. That meant he distracted me from everyone because we were walking down the corridor, holding each other's hands. - We skipped the start of the semester.
- Our common extra classes with you will be a complete torture, - I hummed under my breath. - Looking forward for this.
- But what we can do after classes... - Xavier cocked his eyebrows and a foxy smile appeared on his face. I turned my head to Xavier, and I could bet he noticed the devilish flame in my eyes:
- After classes, - I almost whispered, - we can burn the bodies of those poor unfortunate souls who died last week. They already started to decay.
Xavier rolled his eyes at me and pressed me to himself.
- I have prepared a surprise for you after school.
- Like a new chemical set? I am running out of arsenic.
- No, but now I know what I can get for you for Valentine's Day, - Xavier nodded, processing what I just said. Once he uttered "Valentine's Day", I could not suppress the gag reflex. - Come to the woods after classes. I prepared a really special date for us.
- Special?
- You will like it.
I shortly nodded, secretly wondering what Xavier made up.

The classes were over, and I waited for Xavier in the woods as just we had agreed before.

It was twilight. The ravens screamed in unison with howling werewolves, who got out of Nevermore to see a full moon the shine of which devoured everything around. Cold strong wind slapped my cheeks, shaking the branches of old creaking trees that served me as an only cover from the rain. It was pouring like it craved to press me down to the ground.

- Wednesday, - someone whispered into my ear. I slightly turned my head, Xavier's face was in a couple of centimetres from mine. - Ready?
- Always.
Wet cold lips touched mine. Water dropped down Xavier's hair, rolling down his cheeks. His lips were soft and tender, in contrast to mine.

The loud sound of lightning that struck close to us made us get away from each other.

- I have something to show you, - Xavier smiled widely again and took my hand. I followed him into the darkness.

We turned out near the cave, which led to a system of tunnels which we vigorously entered. In several minutes of steep upward climb we reached our destination - a small but hot cave. There was a tiny pond in the middle, the water glowed in the light of the full moon. The walls and the ground was wrapped with a web: the cave was inhabited by spiders. Some of them stayed still, were just observing unwanted guests. Some of them moved their long thin legs time to time, like they were preparing for a meal.
- This is a heating source, - Xavier explained pointing at the pond. - Probably that is why these black creatures love their life here.
I made my way through the web to go forward. Xavier was staying behind.
- So do you like this place? - Xavier asked carefully.
I brought my hand up and one of the spiders crawled on my palm:
- I love it here, - I concluded, and Xavier smiled.
- We can feed them, - Xavier took out a plastic bag with flies, mosquitoes, locusts, and caterpillars.
- You prepared well, - I lowered my eyes, restricting myself from smiling. Xavier lifted up his chin with a satisfied smile.
I put a dead fly on my palm where the spider was sitting, and it quickly grabbed its snack. Xavier's frighted eyes made me slightly smile.

We stayed near the soothing water and wet walls glistened with blue and purple in the moonlight, when Xavier came close to me:
- Nothing will split us apart. Even death.
Xavier took my face in his.
- Never more, - I whispered, and my face got close to Xavier's. I kissed him slowly and gently, giving him that tenderness that could ever live inside me, only for him. But I could not compete in tenderness with Xavier. He kept his hands on the crown of my head, I kept myself close to him. Xavier kissed my lips, cheeks, nose, forehead and I was wondering how so much tenderness can fit in a body where the whole space is taken by 5 litres of blood, 10-11 kilograms of bones, 1.5 kilograms for liver...

Time seemed to stop existing, just like in the world of our united minds. It was calm and quiet in this space, in Xavier's arms, and this calmness could be compared only to the peace of death.

When we left a cave it was a dawn. The rays played around with wet leaves that were rustling in the wind. No sign of yesterday's thunderstorm.

- There is another part of the date that follows, a climax, so to say, - Xavier smiled mysteriously. - I will leave you for a couple of minutes. - I cocked my eyebrows but stayed silent, letting Xavier finish his plan. - It's creepy a lot bit, I am sure you will like it.

The slight wind caressed my hair, but it couldn't manage to blow away my thoughts. I was thinking about everything that me and Xavier lived through. And how sweet my revenge will be when I find Tyler and his new master Stacy. I knew: these bustards were still alive.

All of the sudden cold hands dragged me down, the beg was put over my head so you could not see anything and risked to suffocate. Other pair of hands bond mine so tightly I could swear it would leave the marks on my skin for a long time. What a romantic finish of the date.

I was roughly pulled back and put in the car. Since I still had a beg over my head, I could use only my senses to get the situational awareness.
I felt someone's warm body near me and made an assumption:
- Xavier?
- Wednesday! - Xavier was like a dog with two tails. - You are here!
- Of course, I am here. And I have to admit despite I have not had a lot of dates in my life this one is the best.
- Wednesday, - Xavier made a pause, - it's not a part of the date.

The car was taking us both far away, bag over our heads for optimal disorientation, wrists tied tight enough to cut off circulation, and no idea if we are going to live or die. It's definitely my kind of date...

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BONUS

Morticia's vision

- So it's a girl! - Xavier, older for several years, exclaimed, hugging his wife who still wore two black braids.
- Yes, - Wednesday nodded shortly, - and it needs vitamins.
- It's our baby, Wednesday, and we know that is it a girl! It is "she", not "it".
There came a knock on the door. Wednesday, staying silent, turned around and headed to the entrance door. But when she opened it, there was no one there, apart of a black envelope. "To Thorpes" - was written with white curvy letters.

Wednesday got back to the living room, showing the mail to her husband.
- What's that? - Xavier took an envelope in his fingers. When he ripped it off, there was a black sheet of paper with one single sentence:
"Wednesday's child is full of woe".

Wednesday's hand slid down to her stomach where one more life has already beaten.

- I guess we have another mystery to solve, - Xavier frowned, pressing Wednesday to himself.

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From the author TO YOU:

This is the last chapter of this funficion. I wrote it since winter and it's so sad to finish it. Thank you for being with me, with Wednesday and Xavier for all this time despite all the delays and stuff. Hope you got enjoyment from my work.

Love you!
Your Oryna