The sunlight could not penetrate the thick, dark curtains in Wednesday's room, leaving it in gloom.
Despite this, Enid could feel the warmth of the new day thanks to her senses as soon as she woke up. Without opening her eyes and comfortably hugging the cold figure of her beloved, who once again had reverted to her usual position of arms crossed over her chest to sleep, Enid took a breath and enjoyed the scents of the house while tuning her ear.
She felt the warmth of the sunlight despite it being deprived of illuminating the room, felt the wooden footsteps of other people in the house (Theo and Dora, surely they were already up), and so on. The lycanthrope felt everything. Including the extra presence in the room, far too large to be Thing.
Enid was not alarmed. The she-wolf merely opened her eyes and let her still sleepy gaze focus on the smiling face of Eudora Addams, standing beside the bed watching the couple like a watchful gargoyle.
"Grandmama?"
"On your feet, loba. You and my granddaughter have had enough rest."
Wednesday, who had also been awake for a while now quietly enjoying the warmth of Enid's body hugging hers, opened her eyes, "I applaud your lack of prudeness regarding our privacy, grandmother, but a knock on the door would have sufficed."
"I already tried that granddaughter, and you didn't answer first thing in the morning," laughed the old hag, "I'm not going to reproach you for the pleasurable exercise that left both of you exhausted, but it's almost noon. And everything is ready."
Wednesday sat up, sitting up in bed as if propelled by a spring and almost dragging Enid with her.
"Have you been able to…?" the young Addams girl began to ask, but Eudora silenced her with a gesture.
"Explanations in due time. Now get ready and go downstairs and get something to eat, we have a lot to talk about."
§§§
Wednesday and Enid made their way to the main living room on the first floor of the Addams Mansion after a quick stop in the kitchen where Lurch and Thing greeted them with coffee for both of them and a light meal of bacon for the lycanthrope.
After a full helping of their respective late breakfasts, the pair were finally reunited with Dora and Theo. Even in their waiting manner, the twins were displaying their particular individualisms. It was obvious that Dora had been pacing in circles in front of the extinguished fireplace while Theo had merely lounged in one of the armchairs with a handful of books that he had surely taken from a quick foray into the family library or perhaps from Gomez's office. When Wednesday and Enid made their presence known, the twins immediately focused their attention on them. Dora paused and leaned forward slightly, sniffing. A mischievous little smile formed on her face as she turned to her brother, "Same as Mom and Dad."
Theo merely nodded, returning his gaze to the book. Enid reddened, clearing her throat a little before speaking, "Uh... What do you mean?"
"Nothing," the twins replied in unison.
Wednesday merely looked at them with slightly narrowed eyes but before she could say anything, one of the wooden panels on the living room wall shifted, revealing a secret opening and Eudora Addams emerged from one of the multiple hidden passageways that plagued the mansion. The old woman carried in her hands a rectangular box of dark wood, perhaps ebony or walnut.
Grandmama's presence filled the room with an atmosphere of expectation. Dora stood next to Enid and Wednesday and Theo finally put down the book and rose from the armchair, crossing his arms in a pose almost identical to Wednesday's.
Grandmama looked at the young people in front of her with a half smile and her healthy eye twinkling with amusement, "Oh, look at you, how serious you are."
"It is a serious situation Grandmama," Wednesday said.
"True granddaughter, it is, it is... but it's also dangerous and the anticipation has you quite eager, am I wrong?" the old lady replied, "But let's get down to business..."
Grandmama opened the box. Inside, they could see four golden rings.
"Ok…,” Enid mused, "I have a lot of questions."
"Questions after the explanation, little wolf," said Grandmama. The old woman focused her attention mostly on Wednesday, "These, granddaughter, will be your tools."
Wednesday nodded without saying anything more about it, the movement of her head more than enough of a signal for Grandmama to continue speaking.
"At first, my intentions were to recreate a modified version of the same ritual I used on your dimensional counterparts three months ago when we sent them to their homes," the witch began to explain, "Said spell should have opened a direct gateway to the Shadow Hyde's universe of origin, but I failed. I wasted an entire vial of that creature's ectoplasm before I was aware of what the real problem was."
Dora made to ask a question, but Grandmama stopped her with a wave of her hand, beginning to answer as if she had predicted the query, "The place that creature came from... is protected. It is impossible to access it with magic, at least with the methods I know. And the power I could only just perceive when I brushed against those defenses... It was not a shield, not a barrier or illusion. It was as if a piece of reality had been ripped from a universe and placed in a void beyond time and space."
A couple of nervous whimpers escaped Dora's and Enid's throats. Theo rested his hand on his sister's shoulder to reassure her. Wednesday couldn't disguise her astonishment at what she had just heard.
"The level of magic for something like that..."
"It's not that of a mortal being," Grandmama said, "It's impossible to get through those defenses. Hell, it's impossible to even mark a specific point to go to. Running to the Shadow Hyde's place of origin is beyond what we can do from here. But there are other possibilities..."
Grandmama advanced to the small table in the center of the room and posed the box, inviting the others to come forward. The old woman took one of the rings and held it up to Wednesday's eyes.
"It's taken me all night and I've used up the rest of that monster's gray goo, but this will be helpful," Eudora Addams said, "These rings feature runes forged from that creature's ectoplasm mixed with a few drops of the reserve of your blood I had saved for emergencies, granddaughter."
Wednesday instantly understood what the old woman had created. So did Theo as well.
"They're trackers!" the boy exclaimed.
"And travel devices. The runes carry with them the basis of a teleportation spell. Every universe has its quirks, but an Addams is an Addams and Wednesday's blood here should resonate thaumaturgically with other Wednesday's across the multiverse, even if they are of different species. Combine it with the mixed ectoplasm of the Hyde Shadow and..."
"And the rings should take us to universes where there is simultaneously the presence of one of the monsters and one of my variants," Wednesday finished.
"Exactly right granddaughter!" exclaimed the old woman, "But the multiverse is vast. You will travel blind."
"Blind?" asked Enid.
"Once on, the ring is activated by the wearer's concentration. It is very intuitive. But, the only way to travel to a specific destination is to have been there before. But following the trail of blood and ectoplasm to a new destination..."
"It will randomly take us to any universe that meets the conditions. But we can safely return at any time to this or any other universe we've been to while passing through," Wednesday concluded. She turned her gaze to the twins, "That means you could return to your home without a problem if you wish."
Theo shook his head, "Not without our mother."
"Okay, question," Enid said, "With four rings, assuming it's one for each of us...doesn't that mean we would each end up in a different universe, separated?"
"I made the four rings for safety, so that if necessary any of you can return here or to any other universe you visit that you deem safe," Grandmama explained, "But the teleportation spell has a radius of effect of about ten feet, so it's enough if only one of you activates your ring and the rest of you stay close. You will all be transported to the same place."
No words were spoken, but the brief exchange of glances that ensued between Enid, Wednesday and the twins resulted in the decision that Wednesday would be the ‘navigator’.
"Uh... Is there any risk of something going wrong and us showing up on the other side merged into a single aberrant creature, or with swapped heads, or fused with a wall or something?" asked Dora.
"That only happens in movies and tales, child, this is real life," replied Grandmama.
"Aaw," mumbled the young lycanthrope, as if it grieved her to have missed the possibility of something like that happening. Enid tried not to think too hard about it.
"Now, as I see things, you have an immediate path to follow," Grandmama continued, "You must locate the Wednesday of the universe you reach and prevent her from being abducted. This is followed by two remote possibilities of achieving a result."
"The first would be to capture the Shadow Hyde alive," said Wednesday, "Well, a Shadow Hyde."
"True granddaughter, remember that being is a construct and surely there are multiple of them. But if they all share abilities, capturing one alive is one of your best bets."
"It could serve us to study its abilities, discern the defenses of its home world," said Theo.
"Or we could force it to take us with it," Wednesday said, "Enid's importance will be paramount if we go with that option, for all we know she's the only one with a chance of subduing those creatures."
"Then, there is the second possibility. Prevent those beings from capturing other Wednesdays. Do that multiple times, in multiple universes, and sooner or later..."
"Oh no," Enid said, "I see what that alternative is, and I'm not sure I like it."
"You have good instincts, lobita," Grandmama replied with a sharp smile, "But yes, your second option is that you cause such a disruption in the plans of the one responsible of all this for that individual to decide to intervene directly and intercept you in person. And for your safety, I hope that's not the option that presents itself to you, as exciting as the prospect of a direct confrontation with someone capable of separating a piece of reality from its respective universe is."
"I don't know, I wouldn't mind sharpening my claws on the face of the bastard who kidnapped our mother," Dora said.
Enid would have liked to protest or say something, because she really wasn't looking forward to the idea of coming face to face with someone so absurdly powerful. But the memory of Friday's face flashed through her mind and the guardian wolf found herself nodding at Dora's words, understanding exactly the young woman's sentiment.
Wednesday took one of the rings, placing it on the ring finger of her left hand. She felt a tickle on her skin, noticing the charge of magic contained in the metal. It was strangely pleasant, just like the tingle of a sleeping limb waking up.
Enid, Dora and Theo followed suit, taking their respective rings. Both Dora and Enid raised their eyebrows in surprise as they put them on.
"Wow, this is...," Dora said.
"Amazing, how did you...," Enid began to ask, turning to Grandmama.
"I told you it was intuitive, didn't I?" the old woman replied.
“Intuitive is one thing, it's quite another to have knowledge of how to use this suddenly appear in my head," Enid said, perplexed, "As if I've known it all my life, as if..."
"As if by magic," Wednesday finished off, throwing a smile at her she-wolf. Enid returned it.
"Agh, don't get all mushy, I can still smell what you did last night," said Dora.
"Can we go now?" asked Theo, his arms crossed and an expression of apparent boredom that couldn't hide the humor with which he perceived the situation.
Wednesday looked at the twins, "Enid, if we have spawn of our own, I hope they come out more civilized."
"Eep!"
The Addams held back a sigh and with a single movement grabbed Enid by the waist, pulling her closer to herself. With a single nod of her head, she gestured for the twins to come nearer. Dora and Theo stood next to her back, almost glued to her.
"It's a ten feet radius, isn't it?" asked Enid, "Do we need to be so close together?"
"Better to be safe," said Theo.
Wednesday raised the hand where she wore the ring, clenching her fist. The gold metal band on her finger began to glow and a draft began to form around them. The Addams looked at Grandmama, who was watching with anticipation.
"It's time then," Wednesday said, "See you soon Grandmama."
Eudora replied something, but Wednesday could no longer hear the old woman as a white light enveloped her senses.
§§§
The teleportation was somewhat anticlimactic for Wednesday.
There was no sensation of movement, no vertigo. There was no discomfort in her gut, no sense that her atoms had disintegrated and reintegrated. Just a breath of air, a blast of light like the flash of a camera, and suddenly she was somewhere else.
Wednesday noticed how the closed air of the Addams Mansion living room had given way to a cool, moist air. And instead of the inside of the old house, they were in....
"A forest?" asked Theo.
The ground was covered with autumn leaf litter and trees surrounded them, spreading a cool shadow over them. But no, it wasn't a forest...
"I can hear traffic," Dora said.
"And I smell people, and pollution, lots of pollution," added Enid.
Wednesday started walking forward and the others followed her. They noticed how the trees were spaced very evenly apart, obviously planted by human hand.
"Are we in a park?" asked Enid.
Finally, they emerged from the trees and came upon a cobblestone path, with benches and lampposts, traversed by young men and women carrying backpacks, folders, books. A few looked at the group that had emerged from the trees with momentary interest... At the end of the path a neo-Gothic building with the text "BLACKMORE UNIVERSITY" could be seen. And beyond, the very recognizable skyline of a certain city.
"We're on a college campus," said Wednesday.
"And this is New York," Dora added, stepping forward and pointing to the distant skyscrapers.
"What year is it?" asked Theo placing himself next to his sister, looking at the obvious students, "From the way they're dressed I'd say the seventies."
"I think we'll find more answers if...," Wednesday began to say, only to be suddenly interrupted when from behind her back she heard Enid's trembling voice.
"W....Wed..."
Wednesday and the twins turned. Enid was standing tense and motionless, as if paralyzed and very pale, with a panicked expression on her face. With her eyes, she pointed downward. The three Addams followed her gaze and saw the unmistakable shape of a black scorpion climbing up the werewolf's leg.
"Hey, you've made a friend!" exclaimed Dora.
"Wednesday... please...," whispered Enid.
Without answering, Wednesday bent down and took the arachnid between her hands with utmost gentleness. The moment the creature was no longer on her, Enid's whole body suddenly relaxed with a resounding sigh of relief. Wednesday held the scorpion in her palms and brought it close to her face, watching it intently with an expression as indecipherable as the emotions the little creature was bringing out in her.
The scorpion was incredibly docile. It had shown no aggression as it climbed up Enid's leg and let itself be grabbed without any problems. Now, on top of Wednesday's hands, it was making small movements with its pincers, as if greeting her.
Wednesday couldn't help but let a longing-laden smile begin to take shape on her face.
That was the moment when a voice caught the group's attention.
"Claudia Augusta!"
A young woman, about nineteen or twenty years old, was running toward them. She was wearing a conservative one-piece dress of a dark blue color, with a high white collar and showy buttons of the same color. Blue stockings also covered her legs. She wore a pair of black combat boots that contrasted slightly with the rest of her attire. Her pale face and her black hair, gathered in two short braided pigtails, clearly showed who she was.
Her attention was still focused on the scorpion, "There you are, my tiny monstrosity! You've got to stop escaping from your terrarium or one of these days you'll...!"
She interrupted herself as she rested her gaze on the person holding the animal. Her eyes widened wildly and surprise lit up her face as she looked at Wednesday and Enid.
"Wednesday?" she whispered, as if not quite believing her eyes, "Miss Enid?"
Wednesday's face reflected the same surprise, but it was Enid who was the first to react. The lycanthrope advanced a step toward the girl and sniffed the air. She recognized the scent instantly, and now that she was paying attention, she could recognize that face with absolute perfection in spite of the age difference. This was no ordinary Wednesday Addams.
Enid didn't fight the smile that formed on her face or the tears that began to well up in her eyes as a simple name left her lips.
"Pup."
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