Enid and Shark were walking across the quad towards Ophelia Hall after leaving the Nightshade Society's hidden chamber.
The rest of the members (plus Eugene and Lenore) had set out to begin their work within the security plan to ensure the safety of the Academy that night. Being just after noon it was still quite early and the number of students may have been less than if they were there at any other time during the school year, but they all determined that the sooner the word got out the better, to avoid confusion and to be sure to warn anyone who might have gone out to pay a visit to Jericho.
That had left Enid alone with the new Addams, heading back to the room where the other interdimensional counterparts awaited and hopefully her Wednesday as well, if the conversation with Principal Barker had gone well.
"So it is a school."
Hearing Shark's voice drew Enid's attention to the young girl walking beside her.
It had only been a few minutes since she had met her but the newcomer was proving to be one of the more "eclectic" Wednesdays in the group. Calm, her voice had taken on a quiet, hushed tone, though not quite reaching Needler's level of occasional monotony or Woe's fierce control. It was like a slightly more mature version of the seriousness exhibited by Pup. But at times, especially when making observations about something that caught her attention, her voice took on a genuinely cheerful air that was most reminiscent of Friday. And in the midst of that, recalling the confrontation after her arrival, such joviality was tinged at times with a jubilant sadism that reminded Enid of Wednesday in some of her more intense moments (also, she was still carrying the shovel with her, by the way).
All wrapped up in excellent manners and politeness and a way of speaking that seemed to fall into some strange archaisms.
She had called her Maid Sinclair after introducing herself until Enid's sheer insistence convinced the girl to call her by name, for crying out loud.
"Yes," Enid said in response to the comment, "Nevermore Academy. Founded in 1791 to educate and shelter the youth of the outcasts. We have lycanthropes, vampires, sirens...and I just realized I'm dropping on you the welcome speech for new students."
"It's okay. It is interesting," said Shark, "Attending here would be a change from the school Brother Pugsley and I go to."
"Hard to fit in with the normies, isn't it? My Wednesday had the same problem. A lot of us here, actually."
Enid had been on cordial terms with most of her fellow students before her arrival at Nevermore, but without any real friendships. It turns out that a young lycanthrope girl's habit of gnawing on the heads of Barbies to train her fangs at age five was socially frowned upon. She never experienced hatred or fear from her classmates (at least overtly or intensely), but she was never close to any of them. She truly had no real friends until she came to Nevermore and a certain vampire decided to semi-adopt her when she saw that she didn't fit in with the resident Furs.
Shark shrugged, "It's not too bad. No one messes with us, really. And there are some who haven't been afraid to approach us. N.J is a good friend and neighbor, for example," she explained, "The only time we had trouble at school was when Brother Pugsley started acting like a pushover to ingratiate himself with a girl he liked and some bully decided to take advantage of it. Luckily the girl in question made it clear that she preferred Pugsley being Pugsley and I didn't have to intervene."
The last sentence was delivered with a tone that suggested the bully had dodged a fate worse than death. Enid didn't doubt it for a moment.
They were approaching the stairs that would take them to the top of the Ophelia Hall tower when Enid decided to continue the conversation.
"Out of curiosity, which of you two is the oldest?" asked Enid.
"Brother Pugsley. But many mistake me for the eldest for being a head taller than him. And for not having the rational capacity of a baboon obsessed with explosives. That said, I love explosives as much as the next person, but there's room and time for other things, like acids or flesh-eating bacteria."
"That sounds... lovely? In a horrible way, I mean… I'm more into body maiming... whatthehellI'msaying..." muttered Enid before deciding to change the topic, "Hum... since there's nothing like Nevermore where you come from, I'm guessing there won't be much of a supernatural presence."
"Scant and in isolated communities," replied Shark, "Certainly nothing organized enough to build a place like this. In our town we Addamses are basically the biggest presence of strangeness, if you don't count occasional passing travelers who might belong to some non-human group."
A murmur of muffled voices coming through a closed door indicated to Enid that they were approaching the room at the top of the dorm. The she-wolf turned to Shark with a smile.
"Ready to meet your other selves?"
Shark returned a sharp smile, though Enid could see there was no malice in it this time. Just excitement and anticipation.
"Ready."
§§§
"Are we sure we need to keep a non-lethal approach to the matter?" asked Woe for the umpteenth time.
"Woe, I would love to be expeditious with the enemy, but I promised Enid to exercise caution," replied Wednesday, "That said, if the situation gets out of our control I will not criticize any of you if you decide to put a permanent end to our opponent."
Friday looked thoughtful, with Pup at her side holding her hand, "Mmm, I've never killed anyone. Father and Mother always tell me to wait until I'm older and have a good reason."
"Same thing," said the youngest Addams.
"If all goes well neither of you two will have to strike the final blow," said Wednesday.
"I don't understand why," said Woe, "Pugsley and I have caused more than one fatal traffic accident before we were five, we buried enemies of our family alive... The last opponent who posed some danger was electrocuted by my baby brother."
"A precocious child," observed Wednesday, impressed.
"No, not that much. It was more of a happy accident than anything else. But it sickens me to admit that the way Pubert clapped his hands and laughed at the pile of dust left by Debbie is one of my fondest memories."
"Aaaww, you love your little brother," said Friday.
"I tried to throw him off the mansion tower to see if he'd bounce off the ground, guillotined him, and before I came here I was getting ready to catapult him."
"You love him dearly!" repeated Friday, laughing.
"A lot!" emphasized Pup, nodding repeatedly.
Woe stared at them before folding her arms and looking to the side.
"I confess to missing the little abomination," she whispered, quiet but not quiet enough for the others not to hear her.
The brief, awkward silence was soon broken.
"I... It hasn't been long, but I miss Pugsley, and Mother and Father. And Uncle Fester, and Lurch...and the bats in the fireplace, and Th...," Friday began, her voice becoming more agitated and anxious before she interrupted herself after being hugged by Pup.
"Parker," Needler mused, "Almost two days without seeing me. By now she must have crashed the net with messages through her smartphone trying to contact me."
Wednesday watched her counterparts and couldn't help feeling a small amount of envy at their apparent ease in forging more social ties.
They all had someone to miss. Woe had the same emotional constipation as she did, but after a day and a half she had no qualms about admitting to missing her baby brother, and her story with that Joel guy portrayed a Wednesday who knew how to get in touch with the world earlier than she ever did.
Needler had not only her family but a person she loved and whose existence seemed to have no counterpart in this reality.
Friday and Pup seemed to be coping better, but even Friday was beginning to turn around the ever-present fear that there might not be a way back. And Pup... Pup was still too young, but Wednesday had no doubt in the little girl's ability to discern the seriousness of the situation sooner than later.
And what about her? What if she were the one exiled to another universe?
She would miss Enid without hesitation, but... Would she miss her family as much if she were in the same circumstance of being moved to another reality? Wednesday loved her family, but what if it was her old self from two years ago? When she was still being dominated by that stupid, juvenile rebelliousness towards her mother?
She couldn't remember the last time she had hugged her parents, and although she didn't want to, the idea of being deprived of the ability to choose to do so was...
She felt a tap on her shoulder bringing her out of her dark thoughts and what ifs. She turned and could see Thing, gesticulating.
"I know what you're thinking. And you would miss them,” said the hand.
"Would I?"
"Without question. Trust someone you cried for, child."
Wednesday responded with a slight nod and a faint curve at the corner of her lips as a gesture of thanks to the living amputated limb. Looking back at her counterparts, she prepared to speak and try to redirect the conversation again to that night's confrontation to help them focus their minds, but someone knocked on the door before she could begin.
The door opened slightly, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Enid's head peeked timidly through the opening, looking at them with a nervous smile.
"Hello?"
"Enid, mia lupa," Wednesday said, looking at her girlfriend quizzically, "Of everyone in this place you don't have to knock on your own room door."
"Er… I was just trying to create a little anticipation," replied the werewolf.
"What for?" asked Pup at the same time Needler's eyes went wide and her pupils shrank.
"Oh... Oh!" she exclaimed, again in her manic state, "Another one of us!"
Enid rolled her eyes and without another word opened the door all the way while stepping aside to let in the figure walking behind her.
The newly arrived Shark looked at them, with a smile that seemed to oscillate between euphoric and psychotic, her hand gripping the shovel firmly as if it were a staff or a spear.
"Greetings!" she exclaimed, "Oh, this is almost like an Addams Family reunion. One of the weird ones."
Friday and Pup were the first to approach the newcomer as Enid closed the door to the room again while responding to Thing's greeting.
"Hello!" exclaimed Friday, "I'm Friday and this is Pup. Ah, we are Wednesdays but those are our nicknames..."
"I have been informed by Maid Sincl... by Enid in regards to the use of nicknames to avoid confusion. You can call me Shark."
"A sharp name," Woe commented.
"Why the shovel?" asked Needler.
"The whole family was playing a session of Wake the Dead when I was transported here," Shark explained, looking at the shovel, "From what little I know of the situation, I think it may come in handy."
"Enid, didn't you tell her what's going on?" asked Wednesday.
The lycanthrope shrugged, "Just the basics. I thought it would be better if you gave the details."
Wednesday looked at her counterparts, "I guess we need to explain the whole plan again to bring Shark up to speed."
"It's no inconvenience," Needler said, "We can count it as extra preparation and it will help keep our minds busy."
"Oh, you are wearing pink too!" suddenly echoed Pup's voice. The little child was pointing at Shark's stockings.
"Ha!" laughed Friday, turning to Woe, "Look Woe! I'm not the only one!"
"Fantastic," muttered Woe, deadpan, "Astonishing, even."
"Is there a problem with pink?" asked Shark, looking at the three older Wednesdays, "Mmm, I detect a certain monochromatism, very much in Mother's style..."
"Woe doesn't like bright colors," Friday explained, "And Wednesday claims to be allergic, but Needler thinks it's psychosomatic."
Shark looked at Wednesday, "You're allergic to colors?"
"Yes."
Shark turned her gaze to Enid and the more colorful side of the room, before refocusing on her older counterpart, "And you're dating her?"
"Immunity from overexposure."
"Suuuure," Shark said, "I respect the masochism, though," she said, before turning back to Friday, "And Sister Friday, if anyone mocks or laughs at your choice of color, remind them that pink is the color of your enemies' blood..."
"...dissolved by the tears they shed after being crushed by your heel!" finished off Friday.
"Why did you call her that?" asked Pup.
"Call her what, Sister Pup?" asked Shark, leaning toward the little girl.
"That. Sister."
"Oh!" exclaimed Shark, resting her gaze on all present, "Well, the way I see it we're all the same person but different. So it's like we are family regardless," she explained, as she began pointing to each Wednesday one by one, "Sister Pup, Sister Friday..."
Her finger paused pointing at Needler.
"Needler," the mad doctor said with a half smile.
"Sister Needler!" continued Shark, finally pointing to the last two.
"Sister Woe and... Sister Wednesday. Our hostess at this Addams Family reunion."
"I hadn't really stopped to think about it," Enid interjected, watching the girls with an amused smile, "But it's true, I know we used the cousin story at first, but it's more like you're..."
"Sisters," finished Wednesday.
And again, something resembling a smile formed on her features, mirroring those that had formed on the faces of all the others.
Enid couldn't help a strange shiver at the scene. Six Wednesdays smiling…
She didn't know what dangers they would face that night, but Enid Sinclair was sure that the enemy would have more regrets.
Six Addams sisters and a werewolf? Bring it on.
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