𝓚𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓸𝓻 𝓚𝓲𝓵𝓵

Weird Meets Disaster

Wednesday didn't want to come to Nevermore, she didn't want a roommate, and she definitely didn't want a tour worthy of a college brochure with an insufferably bright girl being her tour guide.

"Nevermore was founded in 1791 to educate people like us," Enid, her forced roommate, said. "Outcasts, freaks, monsters, fill in your favorite marginalized group here."

"You can save the sanitized sales pitch," Wednesday told her. "I don't plan on staying here for long."

"Why not?"

"This was my parents' idea. Oh look, there's my mother smirking at me. They've been looking for any excuse to send me here. It's all a part of their nefarious, yet completely obvious plan."

"What plan?"

"To turn me into a version of themselves."

"In that case, perhaps you can clear something up," Enid said. "Rumor's been swirling around that you killed a kid at your old school, and your parents pulled strings to get you off."

"Actually, it was two kids, but who's counting?"

"Welcome to the quad."

"It's a pentagon."

"The whole snarky Goth girl thing might have worked at normie school, but here things are different. Let me give you a wiki on Nevermore's social scene."

"I'm not interested in participating in tribal adolescent clichés."

"Well, then use it to fill your obviously bottomless pit of disdain. There are many flavors of outcasts here, but the four main cliques are Fangs, Furs, Stoners and Scales. Those are the Fangs, AKA vampires."

She pointed to the table of kids wearing sunglasses.

"Some of them have literally been here for decades. That bunch of knuckleheads are Furs, AKA werewolves. Like me!" Enid smiled as the Furs howled. "Full moons get pretty loud around here. That's when Furs wolf out. I suggest you pick up noise-canceling headphones."

"I'm assuming Scales are sirens?"

"You catch on quick. And that girl, Bianca Barclay, is the closest thing Nevermore has to royalty."

Enid pointed to a girl with her hand in the fountain. Even from afar Wednesday could see the iridescent scales on her hand.

"Although her crown's been slipping lately," Enid continued. "She used to date our resident tortured artist, Xavier Thorpe. But they broke up at the beginning of the semester. Reason unknown."

"Fascinating," Wednesday said flatly.

"I know, right? My vlog is, like, the number one source for Nevermore gossip."

"Theeen there's Erix." Enid pointed to the boy. "He's the flirt of Nevermore. Not really a player but he's not above using charm to get what he wants. He never chose a clique, he just hangs out with all of them. Mainly the sirens though."

The brunet was lying on the rim of the fountain, his limbs sprawled over a few sirens. The siren Enid pointed out earlier had her other hand running over his curly hair.

He was...pretty. To societal standards at least.

"What is he?" Wednesday asked curiously.

"He's the only one of him here which is sort of lucky." she leaned over to whisper, "He's a bit like you though. He was expelled for a certain incident at his old school."

"Yo, Enid!" A boy ran up to them. "You're not gonna believe the dirt I heard about your new roommate."

Wednesday raised an eyebrow at that.

"She eats human flesh. Chowed down on that kid she murdered. You better watch your back."

Enid moved aside revealing Wednesday behind her.

"Quite the contrary. I actually filet the bodies of my victims, then feed them to my menagerie of pets."

"Ajax, this is my new roommate, Wednesday," Enid introduced them.

"Whoa." Ajax gasped. "You're in black and white. Like a living Instagram filter."

"Ignore him."

"You seen Erix anywhere?" he asked.

"Behind you." another voice spoke up.

They turned around to see the boy from the fountain standing casually. Ajax and Enid jumped while Wednesday studied him.

He was as attractive up close as he was lounging on the fountain rim. For a moment she thought he might have been a siren before remembering Enid saying he was the only of his kind at the school.

His voice must've just been... distracting.

"Stop doing that!" Enid hit his arm.

"No promises." Erix shrugged. "Were you gossiping about me again? You know I can sense when people are talking about me."

"Then I guess your ears are always burning."

"Save for that week you lost your voice." he winked as Enid glared at him. He then locked eyes with Wednesday. "Wednesday, right? You're prettier than your reputation would have one assume."

She shrugged. She wasn't sure she could trust her words to not mention how familiar he seemed.

"You're one to talk," Enid muttered.

"Dude where've you been?" Ajax asked him.

"'Therapy', remember? I told you this morning." Erix shook his head. "Come on, we still have that test to study for."

("Therapy" was clearly a code for something but Wednesday had no clue what yet.)

Ajax followed after him as he walked down the corridor. "Oh c'mon! Can't we just chill or something?"

"Gorgons spend way too much time getting stoned," Enid said as the boys left. "He's cute, but clueless. Luckily, those two usually keep each other in check. It's a small school. There wasn't much online about you. You should really get on Insta, Snapchat and TikTok."

"I find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation," Wednesday replied simply.

"Maybe to you but it's still a good way to learn more about people."

Wednesday got the feeling she had someone specific in mind.