They all approached to observe the fallen enemy.
The Wednesdays and Enid formed a circle around the frozen Isadora Laslow. Woe tapped her with the toe of her shoe, as if testing that the abomination was truly paralyzed. Enid went over to sniff the body...
She was the first to notice the change.
All the lycanthrope's fur bristled at once. Her body tensed and she bared her fangs as a low growl erupted from her mouth. She did not avert her lupine eyes from the body, though she backed up a step and stood up slightly on her hindquarters to make use of the claws in her hands.
"Enid?" asked Wednesday, who immediately had an answer when she saw what was beginning to happen.
Isadora Laslow's frozen body began to shimmer under the layer of ice that covered her. A purplish glow, as if her skin had turned fluorescent while a pool of water began to form around her. The ice was melting.
Of course, it couldn't be that simple, thought Wednesday.
"Please Needler, tell me that's a side effect of your gun," said Friday.
"I'm afraid not," replied the scientist Addams as she prepared a fresh charge of ammo for her contraption, her brow slightly furrowed. It irritated her to no end that the witch seemed to be on the verge of overpowering her invention.
Woe and Shark both exchanged smiles. The former raising the crossbow again. The latter cracking her knuckles.
The layer of ice covering the witch continued to melt. Cracks began to form at the top, letting out a purple vapor that seemed to be escaping under pressure, forming a thick cloud around the body. All of the Wednesdays, from the oldest to the youngest stood on guard, with their guardian she-wolf beside them.
But it was obvious that there was more going on than just a simple unfreezing. The dense cloud of colorful vapor began to dissipate and before them stood Isadora Laslow, again in her normal human form, covered in bruises. She coughed, staggering, as if she were about to fall to the ground anew at a moment's notice.
"You... all of you..." she muttered.
There was a brief pause and a grimace of hatred formed on the witch's face as she was able to focus her gaze back on Wednesday. With a flash of light, the wand materialized in her right hand.
"I... I will..."
She spoke no more. She noticed a small hand grasping her wrist. Isadora looked down, mystified. Pup was holding her. No one noticed that the girl had moved.
"You're a meanie," said the child. And she pulled.
Isadora Laslow soared through the air, unable to tell up from down because of a six-year-old's judo throw.
Her disorientation was short-lived. The thump of her back against the hard ground was a jolt back to the reality of her position. But it proved to be brief as well, for once her blurred vision cleared again, the last thing she saw before oblivion finally claimed her was Friday's foot accelerating dangerously toward her face.
She barely felt the pain. And then nothing.
"Done!" said the pink-clad Addams, with an adorable grin from ear to ear.
At the same time Pup stood next to her and pulled the book from Isadora's satchel. Friday looked at the others as she pointed to the tome, which except for a bit of moisture in the corners, seemed relatively intact despite everything its bearer had been through, "We're going to need this, right?"
"Yes," said Wednesday, with a slight curve of satisfaction on her lips, "Excellent work, you two."
Enid gave a little hop getting in front of the two little girls and began to lick their faces like a giant golden retriever, prompting giggles to escape them.
"That tickles, Miss Enid!" said Pup.
The other Addamses watched the scene. Woe, like Wednesday, had the almost imperceptible shadow of a proud smile on her features. Needler clapped her hands a little, glad that at last everything had reached a satisfactory resolution. The only one who seemed somewhat disappointed was Shark, crestfallen and with her hands behind her back as she kicked half-heartedly at the air.
"Humph, I wanted to beat the witch's arse..."
"Sorry Shark," Friday said stroking Enid's fur, "It's just that I wanted to contribute too."
Shark looked at her pink counterpart, and the disappointment on her face gave way to a sigh and a small smile, "Well, that was an excellent kick to the face, Sister Friday. That nose of hers will have trouble breathing without making whistles, certainly."
"You really think so?"
"I couldn't have done any better myself. Believe me, I'm an expert on body trauma."
The smile that formed on Friday's face after that was so bright it would have lit up the quad and caused third-degree burns and burned corneas.
"Is it over?" a voice asked timidly from the outer doors.
They all turned their attention to the one who had spoken. Eugene, accompanied by Lenore, Bianca, Ajax and Yoko, entered the area. All of them watching the results of the fight with varying levels of astonishment.
"Damn it Addams, was it really necessary to smash the fountain?" asked Bianca.
"That was Enid's doing," said Wednesday without batting an eye.
The she-wolf turned to look at her mate with an indignant expression that was comical on her lupine face. Yoko began to chuckle like a maniac.
It was at that moment that Lenore ran towards Enid, stopping suddenly an instant before she had crashed into the transformed lycanthrope. Her eyes were shining with amazement and her body was trembling with excitement.
"Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! It's true that you can wolf out without a full moon! I had heard the stories of the senior furs, but seeing it live is something else entirely! You have to be the coolest werewolf ever!"
Enid lowered her head, tilting it to one side, but still looking at Lenore. A soft whine escaped her throat. Wednesday knew that if she were in her human form her beloved would be blushing up to her ears. Enid was still not quite used to being the object of admiration and respect from others, mostly because…
Putting homicidal thoughts toward Esther Sinclair aside, Wednesday shifted her attention to Eugene.
"Excellent timing," she said with a tone of approval, "How did you know when it was appropriate to come in?"
Eugene preened lightly at the compliment, "I had a couple of bees monitoring the scene the whole time, waiting for you to control the situation and ready to step in if needed," he explained, as he held out his hand. A small bee landed on the tip of his index finger, "And when I saw you were finishing up I used them to gather the others and lend a hand."
"Bee Boy is becoming quite the insect control pro," said Ajax.
"Yep...seeing a small cloud of bees come at you and suddenly form an arrow in front of your face telling you where to go is not something I ever expected to see," said Lenore.
"Sorry if that was a little freaky...," said Eugene, rubbing the back of his neck.
Lenore walked over to him and rested her hands on his shoulders gently, "Hey, I like freaky," she said, with a smile. He returned it.
"Uuugh," interrupted a jaded voice. Everyone turned to Woe, who had set the crossbow down at her feet and was folding her arms, watching the group with growing irritation, "Can we get the whole mushy business over with already?" she asked. lightly kicking the unconscious Isadora, "We need to decide what to do with this one."
"Certainly," said Wednesday, "I will go immediately to Principal Barker's quarters to inform him of the situation and initiate the necessary processes for repairs to the quad and the incarceration of the witch. I imagine he will want to leave it in the hands of the local authorities."
"Uh, question," Yoko interrupted, "Who was this chick in the end?"
"Isadora Laslow," Wednesday replied.
"Fuck... Rowan's cousin!?" exclaimed Bianca.
"Did you know her?" asked Wednesday.
"No," replied the siren, "Not in person, but Rowan talked about her often when he was still in the Nightshades, before... Well, you know."
"The way he talked about her you'd think she was like a second mother," Yoko said.
"That's the way she viewed herself," replied Wednesday, "And his death became a crusade to punish the culprits, but since Gates and Galpin were out of her reach..."
"Damn, dude...," Ajax muttered, uncharacteristically solemn, "She blamed it on you. What a fuck-up..."
"She's wasted two years of her life to become a sorceress and carry out a senseless vendetta," Wednesday said, staring at the unconscious enemy, "I respect the dedication, at least."
"Of course you do," Bianca said, rolling her eyes.
"Alright, so what do we do now?" asked Needler, "Do you want me to freeze her again just in case?"
"I don't think that will be necessary, Sister Needler," said Shark.
Wednesday turned to Enid, "Mia lupa, I've left a coat for you by the stairs to the tower of Ophelia Hall. Take it, transform back and escort the others to our dorm. I'll go see the principal..."
"Oh, Wednesday!" interrupted Friday, "It's still early! Can't we have a little run in the woods with Miss Enid?"
"Yes, please," added Pup, with adorable earnestness.
"Hell, yes!" exclaimed Shark, "I've always wanted to have a race against a werewolf. And maybe try a bit of wrestling..."
Enid whimpered.
"I confess that watching a lycanthrope in her natural habitat intrigues me, especially now that I won't be able to perform an autopsy," said Needler.
Woe picked up the crossbow again, "A hunt on a moonless night alongside a beast? Sounds like a good plan to me."
Yoko shook her head, laughing, "Wednesday, you'd better go with them. Spend the rest of the night enjoying yourself with your she-wolf and your gremlins. Bianca and I will talk to Principal Barker, and the others will stand guard here."
Wednesday responded with a slight nod to the vampire. She took the book that was still in Pup's hands and handed it to Yoko, "Leave it in our room. Thing will guard it."
She turned to Enid, who already had Friday and Pup perched on her back like riders. She couldn't help but let a brief smile escape her face at the sight, despite being aware of the rest of the company present, watching.
It was something that was becoming more frequent.
"Shall we then, mon soleil?"
Enid barked and took off at a run, howling. The laughter of the girls at her back accompanied her. The others set off after her, with Wednesday closing the march.
Tomorrow would be another day. A day to finish tying up loose ends. A day to begin studying the book of multiversal magic.
Soon they would have to find a way to return her counterparts home.
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