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“She had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.” - Carl Sagan
When Enid Sinclair was twelve years old, she ran away from home.
That was the official story. It’s what her mom and the cops chose to believe, not wanting to listen to Enid when she insisted she didn’t know what happened during the thirteen hours she was gone.
She told them that if she had planned to run away, she would have packed a bag with her. Some snacks, some money, a better pair of shoes than her brother’s hand-me-down Reeboks. Not with the itchy pink sweater and shorts she had on when she stormed out of the house in anger.
Enid’s mother never listened to her. They were arguing yet again about her grades, Enid trying to explain that she had a hard time focusing because everything around her seemed to be a distraction. But her mother insisted it was her fault, that if she would stop talking to people and paid attention, maybe her grades would be better.
She had just planned to go down to the park and sit on the swings until her mother sent one of her brothers to come get her. But as the sun started to set, nobody came by, and so Enid figured she should head home before she would get into more trouble.
Enid was afraid of the dark, and it seemed that the sun was setting way too fast, so she thought that maybe if she ducked through the woods separating the park and her neighborhood, then maybe she’d be able to get home quicker. But it turns out that was a bad idea.
It was too late to turn around when she noticed the birds stop chirping and the air growing cold. It was like time stood still, a ringing growing in her ears and a buzz on her skin when suddenly, all she saw was white.
Enid doesn’t remember anything. All she remembers is waking up at the edge of the forest, her sweater charred at the ends and the taste of metal in her mouth as she stumbled back to her house.
And then there were the scars. It took her a while to notice them, because the paramedics who checked her over didn’t seem to even see them, but it was when she got home after hours at the police station and got to finally take a shower that she felt them. Two tiny, perfect circles, an inch apart on the base of her neck. She would run her fingers over them back and forth that whole night, wondering what they could have possibly come from, what could have possibly happened to her.
There seemed to be one person that knew. Or thought they knew.
Her name was Wednesday Addams. Enid never paid much attention to her, nobody really did, because the Addams were creepy and weird and an outlier in their small, seemingly-perfect town. Enid’s heard every rumor that everyone’s thrown around about who they are and not once did she ever intend on crossing paths with them.
But then, later that week at school, Wednesday had approached her before she could even open her locker.
“I believe you were abducted by aliens,” Wednesday had said to her, stern and serious, “That night you disappeared.”
Enid freezes. People are already giving her funny looks after hearing she tried to run away. But if they heard Enid was abducted by aliens? They’d call her crazy for the rest of her life. “What makes you say that?”
“I was at the police station for a tour of their morgue,” Wednesday explains, saying it like it’s nothing out of the ordinary, “And I happened to overhear your conversation with the sheriff.”
“You should’ve really minded your business,” Enid scolds, starting to grow upset. Wednesday doesn’t seem to care though, not looking bothered at all.
“I just wanted to ask a few questions about your experience.”
Enid grits her teeth, face growing hot. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
The whole incident embarrasses her. Her mother had given her the lecture of a lifetime once they were back home, not caring to hear Enid’s theories. She had brought up the idea of something unexplainable happening to her, but her mother told her it was all nonsense, that she didn’t have time to listen to her excuses and to never bring it up again.
“But the things you described in your interview point to a classic alien abduction,” Wednesday tries to argue, taking a step towards Enid, “Missing time, memory loss, a glowing white light-“
“I wasn’t abducted by aliens you freak!” Enid shouts, loud enough to get everyone else to turn and stare at the two of them.
Suddenly, the intrigue on Wednesday’s face is gone, shattered and replaced by a look of disappointment. Enid’s always known Wednesday to be gloomy and stoic but now, she looks almost sad.
For a moment, Enid almost feels guilty for calling her such a word, but before she can say anything, Wednesday’s storming off, disappearing into the sea of students.
- - -
It isn’t until the end of junior year of high school that Enid talks to Wednesday Addams again. But this time, the circumstances are much worse than before.
Enid’s kept herself in line since the incident, too afraid of causing another scene and getting in trouble because her mom seems to hover over her like a vulture circling its prey. She goes to hockey practice on time and keeps her grades up the best she can and even gets a job and a boyfriend in the time leading up to her last summer in a town she’s slowly starting to feel trapped in.
Enid’s always wanted to live in a big city. She wanted to be able to go to a different coffee shop every day, be able to run into her favorite celebrities, be able to live and be herself without everyone knowing her every move.
But Ajax, her boyfriend, was perfectly content with staying in Jericho. His family owned the biggest construction company in town and he planned to start working with them as soon as he graduated. Sure, he’d make good money and they’d never have to worry about dealing with problems around whatever house they’d end up living in, but Enid was slowly realizing she didn’t want any of that.
So it’s why they’re arguing yet again tonight in a corner of Xavier’s backyard, Enid hoping everyone at the party is too drunk to notice. Ajax wants to do long distance and says he’ll visit whichever college Enid ends up going to. Enid just thinks that it’s better if they break up now so they have their senior year to themselves and she doesn’t have to keep pretending that she’s in love with him.
“You’re a great guy,” Enid tells him for the millionth time, because she hates making people feel bad, “But I think I need some time to like, find myself.”
Ajax’s eyes are red and glazed over, a frown on his face. “Can you at least tell me what I did wrong?”
“Nothing,” Enid reassures him, because even if he is lazy and dimmer than a broken light bulb, that’s pretty much been the extent of his flaws with her. He’s never been mean or rude to her, always buys her flowers and gifts, but she realizes it’s never really made her feel anything lately. She’s only really stuck with him because he’s cool with everyone and she wouldn’t really have a social life without him, but she realizes it’s not worth her sanity anymore.
“I think that sometimes, people just grow apart,” she says, and he nods slowly, trying to take it all in while he’s cross-faded into oblivion. “And it’s better to realize that early than trying to force something.”
Ajax blinks, like the thoughts are loading in his head, Enid trying not to cry because she doesn’t want to come off like the bad guy because she already knows that’s what everyone at school is going to think.
Then, there’s a flash of light zooming across the sky behind Ajax, and suddenly, Enid’s grabbing her head in pain.
“Hey, you alright?” Ajax asks, quickly at her side, hands gripping her shoulders tight as she squeezes her eyes shut.
It’s been a while since she’s had one of these headaches. They go as quickly as they come, but they’re sharp and hurt like hell, the pain glowing in her forehead and at the base of her neck where those two dots are.
“I’m fine,” she shrugs him off, grimacing at the taste of metal that’s overcome her mouth, “I’m just stressed about all of this.”
“You want me to take you home?” Ajax offers, looking worried, but Enid shakes her head at her.
“No, no you’re higher than a kite,” she tells him, running her fingers over her scars, “I can walk.”
“But you hate the dark,” Ajax pouts, but Enid’s already walking away.
“I’ll be fine,” she calls, trying to convince herself more than him as she heads out into the night.
- - -
It’s cold, a chilly late spring evening, and so Enid’s walking as quickly as she can, hoping that her parents have already gone to bed and she can sneak in unnoticed.
Xavier’s house isn’t far from hers, but it is on the other side of the woods, and as Enid comes up the edge of the line of trees, she stops. She hasn’t been out here at night since that incident, Ajax always taking her home whenever they’re out late, never wanting to look out of the window whenever they’d drive past because her head would start to hurt again.
It’s like she’s entranced, staring down the road that disappears into the trees, the taste of metal still ghosting her tongue.
She wonders if breaking up with Ajax was the right thing to do, because at least he was safe. Nobody would judge her or treat her differently if she was with him. But she’s thinking about how that’s not who she is, that she’d be holding herself back if she stayed with him.
Then, there’s a car horn startling out of her thoughts, and she sees Xavier and some friends in his new Corvette smiling at her out of his window.
“Hey Enid!” he greets, a sleazy smile on his face, “Heard you’re newly single.”
“Fuck off Xaiver,” Enid retorts, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms before starting to walk back down the street. Xavier follows idly behind her.
“Oh c’mon. You sure you don’t wanna go for a ride?” he teases, slapping the door of his car, and Enid feels her face growing hot with anger.
“I said fuck off,” she growls again, and Xavier finally gets the hint.
“Whatever!” he groans, and then he points up to the sky, “Just watch out for those lights!”
They laugh and speed off down into the woods, leaving Enid alone once again.
Ever since Enid’s incident, there have been reports of strange lights in the sky above Jericho every couple of months. There isn't any pattern to any of it and they don’t really cause any harm, and so by now if they make an appearance, nobody really bats an eye. It’s just become a part of everyday life for them.
Of course, Xavier doesn’t know that his words mean something more to Enid, and now all she can think about is getting home and away from the woods and hope those lights don’t make another appearance tonight.
So Enid just keeps walking, but the farther she goes away from the woods, the more she feels her head starting to ache again, the scars on her neck throbbing.
She fights it off. She’s just stressed because she broke up with the guy she’s been dating for the past three years and doesn’t even know what college she’s leaving him for and she’s still a bit drunk. But as she keeps walking away from the woods, it just gets worse to the point where there are tears growing in her eyes.
So Enid stops and falls to the ground with her head in her hands, trying to catch her breath. And then she glances over shoulder back into the woods, because it feels like they’re calling her, and as she slowly heads back, the headache fades away.
She should be afraid as she walks into the dark, afraid of what might jump out and take her, but she isn’t. Not until she comes up on a wrecked car on the side of the road, headlights flickering and illuminating the trees.
Suddenly Enid’s awake, rushing over to see if anyone’s inside. Her eyes grow wide when she sees who’s behind the wheel.
“Wednesday?” she gasps, seeing the girl slumped back into her seat with blood running down her forehead. Passed out in the seat next to her is a boy with curly hair and cracked glasses.
“Please,” Wednesday mutters weakly to Enid, “Go get help.”
Enid nods quickly, adrenaline coursing through her veins like a river. “Yeah, yeah I’ll be right back.”
She takes off, knowing there’s a gas station not too far away that’ll be able to call an ambulance. She bursts through the door and shouts to the cashier about what happened, and soon there are sirens in the air.
The sheriff looks a bit suspicious when he sees Enid at the scene, remembering when she had told him about disappearing in these same woods, surprised she had been wandering around in them now when she had come across afraid of them all those years ago.
Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to care about what Enid’s doing here or how she happened to find the crash, which is good because she really doesn’t know either. It’s like she was drawn to it, meant to find it somehow, guided by something beyond anything she could control. He asks if he saw what happened, but she doesn’t know.
Enid doesn’t want to think about the headaches or the lights and how it seems to be tied in somehow. Instead she watches as they load Wednesday and her passenger, a freshman Enid’s seen in the hallways at school, into an ambulance.
“Are they going to be okay?” Enid asks, and the sheriff just shrugs.
“I hope so,” he says as the doors of the ambulance slam shut. “It’s a shame how many kids drive so recklessly.”
He sighs, running a hand through his hair, glaring at Wednesday’s car like he thinks it’s her fault, and Enid remembers just how much the town resents the Addams. But she has a feeling this wasn’t her fault at all.
Enid ignores him and watches the sirens light up, the noise wailing in her ears as the taste of metal starts to dance on her tongue.
- - -
The sheriff is nice enough to give Enid a ride home, and Enid makes it inside without a hitch. But sleep doesn’t come to her at all, the image of Wednesday with blood running down her face and the boy passed out next to her still burnt into her mind.
She thinks about how some otherworldly force seemed to guide her to them, like she was meant to find the wreck and save their lives. She remembers the flash of light and headache again and tells herself no, aliens are not real, it was just a coincidence.
Enid stays up all night overthinking it all, just wondering if Wednesday and the boy who’s name she can’t remember are okay. She tries to will herself to sleep, wondering if she’ll have one of her dreams, the ones of galaxies and outer space that she’s had so many times since that night she disappeared. They’re never scary, always peaceful and comforting and seem to always come during the times when she’s feeling lost, just like she is now.
But sleep doesn’t come no matter how hard she tries, and eventually, when the sun rises, Enid gets out of bed and drives to the hospital with dark circles under her eyes. She feels nauseous walking up to the front doors, just hoping whatever update she gets is a good one.
Enid stops in her tracks as soon as she’s inside, because Wednesday Addams is sitting across the room in a chair, staring at the ground. Enid’s relieved to see her okay, but now, she’s not so sure what to say.
Of course, Wednesday notices her staring, and she looks up to meet Enid with tired eyes.
“Um, hi,” Enid stutters, suddenly feeling like she’s been caught red-handed even though she’s not doing anything wrong. Wednesday’s eyebrows furrow back at her.
“What are you doing here?”
Enid shrugs. “I came to check on you two.”
Wednesday’s glare turns more soft, then more ashamed. She shakes her head.
“I only have some minor cuts and bruises,” she says slowly, and Enid notices the scar on her forehead. She pauses for a moment, drawing in a shaky breath. “Eugene, on the other hand. He’s in a coma.”
Wednesday’s voice drops low, sounding defeated, and Enid feels her heart drop.
“Oh. Oh, I’m sorry.”
Wednesday’s jaw is clenched to stop herself from thinking too hard about any of it, feeling like it’s her fault and she should be the one in the hospital bed, not him.
“He does seem to have a significant chance to pull through,” she says, eyes darting from the floor up to Enid, “They said that if you hadn’t found us when you did, he might not have made it at all.”
Enid can’t exactly tell what the look on Wednesday’s face is, but it looks like she’s trying to be hopeful, a silent way of telling her thank you.
“Right place right time, I guess,” she replies, feeling a phantom ache in her head.
Wednesday’s gaze drops back down to the floor, and Enid feels a pang of guilt seeing her look so defeated.
“If he wakes up, I’ll tell him you came by,” Wednesday huffs, and Enid takes it as a sign that she wants to be left alone.
“Thanks,” Enid mumbles, forcing a weak smile onto her face, hoping it gives Wednesday even a tiny bit of comfort. “Hope you feel better soon.”
Wednesday looks back at her and nods, and Enid swears she sees the edge of her lips curve up for a split second before she leaves.
- - -
The last week of school is a drag.
Nobody pays attention in class or tries to get anything done. Enid just wants it to be over because now she has nobody to hang out with or talk to because they’ve all heard about her breaking up with Ajax. They give her glances in the hallways and she can hear people whispering behind her back. Even if she knows her summer is going to be as boring as ever, she just wishes it would hurry up already so she didn’t have to deal with people looking at her like she’s a loser.
She also wishes school would hurry up and be done with because it means she doesn’t have to hear Xavier brag to his friends about how much of an idiot he is.
“My dad took care of it,” she hears him say a few lockers down, “And he’s gonna get them to pay for a new car.”
Enid stops, wondering if she’s heard him right, and then realizes it was him who crashed into Wednesday. She saw him speed off into the woods the night of the party, still drunk.
Enid slams her locker door so hard it almost breaks, and that’s when she sees Xavier’s got his eyes on Wednesday, who’s just come back to school after the accident.
“Speaking of a new car,” he says, cornering Wednesday against her own locker, “What do you have in mind for me?”
Wednesday just keeps her back to Xavier, quiet, knowing that as much as she despises him, engaging will just make things worse.
“Hello? Earth to Addams,” he says impatiently, and that’s when Enid steps in to stop him.
“Leave her alone,” Enid sneers, “You should be ashamed of what you did.”
Xaiver just rolls his eyes. “It was an accident.”
“Eugene’s in a coma because of you!” Enid shouts, and now a crowd’s gathered. Wednesday peeks out from behind Enid, surprised that someone is standing up for her like this.
Xavier huffs, annoyed, clearly trying to show off.
“C’mon Enid. Don’t waste your time on this freak.”
He smiles when he says it, emphasizing the word freak as he looks right at Wednesday. Enid gets in his way once again, even closer this time, face hot.
“What did you just call her?” she says, and suddenly Enid remembers when she did the same years ago, all of that guilt rushing to the surface.
“A freak,” Xavier replies, cheeky grin on his face, I’m not wrong, am I-“
Enid doesn’t think when she punches him, she just swings as hard as she can because she needs to do something with all of her anger. Xavier stumbles down to the floor to a chorus of gasps.
“What the fuck Enid?” he spats, wiping at the blood coming from his nose as his friends rush to help him up.
Enid’s breaths are heavy as she stares him down, not caring about the consequences. Wednesday just hovers next to her, just as stunned as everyone else.
She never knew Enid Sinclair had that in her, and even though she hates for other people to fight her battles, part of her admires Enid for standing up to someone she’s always found to be an annoyance. She just doesn’t get why she’d do that for her.
Wednesday doesn’t have much time to ponder though, because their principal is breaking through the crowd, heading straight to Enid and Wednesday to take them to her office.
- - -
“The two of you will have to complete a day of community service picking up trash at the local park this weekend,” Principal Weems explains after a lengthy lecture. Enid hasn’t even made an attempt to argue, slumped in her seat, a stark contrast to the peppy girl Wednesday’s used to seeing in the halls. Still, Wednesday’s irritated that she’s gotten dragged into this mess when she was just a bystander.
“But I wasn’t even involved in the altercation,” Wednesday tries to explain, but Weems doesn’t seem to believe her.
“That’s not what witnesses said.”
“It’s true,” Enid finally speaks up, shifting to sit up straight. “It was just me.”
Weems glances between the two of them suspiciously, still seeming unconvinced.
“Well, this is what Mister Thorpe requested,” she tells them, “Believe me, this is fairly light punishment. It could be a lot worse.”
Enid sighs, knowing she’s right, that whatever her mom has waiting for her the minute she hears about this will make community service feel like a tropical vacation. She just nods, accepting her punishment, Wednesday begrudgingly doing the same.
- - -
Enid shows up to the local park at 8am sharp, ignoring the earful she’s getting from her mother as she drops her off. She’s never gotten in bigger trouble, getting grounded for the whole summer, only allowed to go to work and nowhere else. She’s not as mad as she thought she would be, at least not yet, because it’s not like was going to get invited to do anything anyways, especially after breaking Xaiver’s nose and dumping Ajax.
Wednesday’s already there, sitting on a park bench in a bright neon vest with a bucket at her feet. She looks so tiny, staring down at the ground waiting for Enid, and now Enid feels bad for getting her involved in all of this.
The person overseeing them gives Enid her own bucket and tells them to pick up as much trash as they can before noon. Enid keeps to herself but keeps her eyes on Wednesday, glancing across the park at her every few minutes.
Enid’s surprised she reacted the way she did, not even thinking twice to resort to violence, but there was something about the way Wednesday looked ashamed, and how Xavier felt no remorse that seemed to have made her snap.
Enid picks up a Milky Way wrapper and throws it into her bucket with a huff. She didn’t expect her last summer before senior year to go this way, and now that she has time to think about it more, she realizes how lonely it’ll be, stuck in her room all day and stuck working at a place that’s going to go out of business because of the new department store off the interstate.
Eventually, the sun reaches the middle of the sky and they’re both told they’re okay to leave. Enid’s mom is nowhere to be found, so she just goes to sit on the swings and wait.
Wednesday, for some reason, follows her and does the same. Enid figures she must be waiting for her ride too, so she minds her business, letting her toes drag along the ground as she sways back and forth.
“You didn’t have to do what you did,” Wednesday says after a moment of silence, “As enjoyable as it was to see Xavier finally be humbled.”
“I kind of had to,” Enid replies, glancing over at Wednesday. “I’ve been wanting to, actually. It was the perfect excuse.”
Xaiver’s always been a nuisance. The only reason she put up with him was because he was Ajax’s friend and he was popular and it meant she got included in everything. Wednesday’s still silent next to her, and Enid can feel how tense she is. She must still be thinking about Eugene, who Enid hasn’t heard anything about since her visit to the hospital.
“It’s fucked up, what he did,” Enid says, voice growing soft as the grass in front of them, “He’s an asshole for not owning up to it either.”
Wednesday doesn’t say anything, and Enid wonders if she should stop talking, because Wednesday’s starting to look uneasy, sitting so her boots dig into the ground to keep herself from swinging.
“I’d like to hope he’d get what he deserves,” Wednesday finally says, and there’s a flash of anger in her eyes, “But in the end, I just want Eugene to wake up healthy.”
She takes a breath, looking uncharacteristically shaky. Of all the times Enid’s seen her around, Wednesday’s always dark and brooding and terrifying. But now, she looks so vulnerable and unsure of herself, and Enid hates how it tugs so hard at heartstrings that she feels like they could snap.
“He’s going to be okay,” Enid assurers, hoping it to be true, “I know it.”
Enid doesn’t really know what else to say, especially to someone she hardly knows and had been a bit scared of up until this moment. She just wants Wednesday to feel like she doesn’t have to feel embarrassed about talking about any of it.
“He just deserves to see all of our time and research be worth it.”
Enid raises an eyebrow at Wednesday, seeing how her fists are clenched tight in her lap. She wonders what she’s talking about.
“Is that what you were doing out there that night?” Enid asks, “Researching?”
Now, Wednesday looks a bit less agitated and a little more relaxed, at least by her standards. Enid swears she sees a twinkle of excitement in Wednesday’s eyes, just barely a lighter shade of brown under the sunlight above them.
“Yes. I have evidence that supports Jericho being a UFO hot spot for the last five years.”
Enid’s interest fades in an instant, regretting even having asked. Wednesday notices how her shoulders slump and how she rolls her eyes and quickly sits up straight.
“I know you don’t believe in any of it,” she tells her, and Enid listens, “But we’ve been working on this for a while now. We were hoping to start an official Cryptid Club at school to get the necessary resources to help with our work. But you need three members to create a club, and my brother won’t be a freshman until this upcoming year.”
Enid sighs. She thinks it’s funny how something that haunts her seems to haunt Wednesday too, but in an entirely different way. She wishes she could find it all fun too, but it just makes her stomach churn.
“But why though?” Enid asks, trying to understand why Wednesday’s so fascinated, “Like, why are you so into finding this UFO?”
She wonders if maybe Wednesday might be the one to help her find answers, even if she was never really interested in searching for them.
“For a lot of reasons,” Wednesday starts to explain, “It would prove life exists outside of Earth. It would be a major scientific discovery. And people would finally take me seriously.”
Enid notices Wednesday’s annoyance at the last point, and now she feels a bit bad again, knowing how Wednesday’s always been bullied and talked about behind her back and shunned by the rest of the town all her life. Enid tells herself to act like she’s understanding at all, but she quickly finds herself not acting, actually growing interested in whatever Wednesday’s doing.
“Well, have you found anything?”
“Our camcorder was damaged in the accident,” Wednesday shakes her head, “I’m afraid I don’t have the parts to fix it at the moment.”
“I might,” Enid says before she can even think, and now Wednesday’s staring back at her with intrigue, “I work at the electronics store off Ophelia Street. We have a bunch of stuff lying around if you want to come by and take a look.”
“Does tomorrow work?” Wednesday asks, and Enid finds a smile tugging at the edges of her lips.
“Yeah. I’ll be there in the morning.”
Enid swears Wednesday’s about to smile too, and Enid doesn’t know why it makes her face go hot. She blames it on the summer sun, feeling the sweat glaze her skin.
Then, a car’s honking from the street, interrupting them.
“Enid!” she hears one of her brothers shout, “Mom got stuck running errands. She told me to come pick you up!”
Enid groans, pushing herself off of the swing. For once, she’s glad her mom’s forgotten about her, because she would gladly talk to Wednesday for longer.
“Is someone coming to pick you up?” Enid asks, glancing over her shoulder as her brother honks his horn again, ” We could give you a ride.”
Wednesday stands up, but she’s nodding a no back at Enid.
“It’s alright. I walked here. I can walk back.” She gives Enid another nod of goodbye.
“Oh. Okay. See you tomorrow,” Enid says, watching as Wednesday heads off in the other direction. Enid realizes Wednesday could have left at any time, yet she stayed to wait with her.
But Enid doesn’t have time to think about why Wednesday’s done it because her brother is honking at her again, and so she runs off towards his car, out of the heat.
- - -
Enid gets to work earlier than ever the next morning. Usually, she gets there within minutes of the store opening, tossing her things into the break room as she turns all the lights on and gets the cash register sorted.
But Wednesday seems like a very punctual person, and Enid doesn’t want to show up and see her waiting at the door for her. Enid cleans up the shelves and dusts the counter and then takes a seat behind it, eagerly checking her watch as the clock ticks towards ten in the morning.
The bell over the door doesn’t ring at ten. It doesn’t ring five minutes later. Or ten, or fifteen, and Enid wonders if maybe Wednesday’s changed her mind and doesn’t want her help.
Enid doesn’t know why she feels a bit offended at the thought, but then again she’s used to it. She just starts on the crossword in her magazine, trying to figure out a nine letter word that describes something that’s permanently imprinted.
A few minutes before ten-thirty, the bell chimes, and Enid looks up to see Wednesday storm right in.
“Wednesday. Hey,” Enid’s eyes light up immediately as she kicks her feet off of the counter and straightens herself up. Wednesday doesn’t look very happy.
“I apologize for my tardiness,” she explains, “I went to visit Eugene.”
Enid frowns. “You don’t ever have to apologize for that. Besides, the store’s only been open for like, half an hour.”
Wednesday just nods back at her, jaw clenched tight to stop herself from thinking about Eugene any more. Enid notices her holding something tight in her hands.
“So uh, whatcha got for me?” Enid asks, and Wednesday sets the busted camcorder on the counter in between them with a sigh.
“If you’re able to recover the footage, I’d be eternally grateful.”
Enid examines the camera gently, already trying to think about how to fix it. “I’ll take a look.”
She goes to dig around for some parts and some tools and gets to work on the counter, trying to ignore how Wednesday watching her so closely makes her hands shaky.
“Is it just you here?” Wednesday asks after a bit, glancing around at the empty store. Most of the things piled on the shelves are collecting dust, Enid the only pop of color in a place that seems so dull.
“Yeah,” Enid replies as she unscrews part of the camcorder, “Mr. Dort doesn’t really care what I do as long as I get everything on his list done.”
Wednesday just keeps watching her, how her tongue is stuck out as she fiddles with the camcorder tapes for another moment before looking satisfied. Then, she holds it up for them to see.
“Okay. Let’s try this. Follow me.”
She gestures for Wednesday to come with her back behind the counter, into a break room with a television that she gets the tape connected to. Wednesday crosses her arms tight, hoping whatever Enid did works.
The television hums to life, and now they’re both watching the footage from the other night. It’s dark, save for the street illuminated by the headlights of Wednesday’s car. Then, someone speaks up as the camera pans up to the night sky.
“My name is Eugene Ottinger and this Wednesday Addams,” he says, excitement in his voice, “It is May 14th, 1989, and we’re once again chasing the mysterious Jericho lights.”
“Don’t forget to document the time,” Wednesday’s voice chimes in from off screen, “Every detail is important.”
Eugene clears his throat. “Ah, right. It is currently 1:47am. We’re driving through the woods, taking Hyde Street as this is one of the locations where the lights have been reported.”
They keep driving, Eugene pointing the camera up at the sky, but there’s nothing to see. Then, there’s a quick flash of light before a screech of tires and the recording is cut off.
Enid sees Wednesday tense up next to her, fists clenched tight, and it makes her heart drop all over again.
“Could you rewind it?” Wednesday asks quietly, and so Enid does, but there’s nothing that looks like a UFO at all, the light moving much too fast. But Enid does see something else that makes her get a closer look at the screen.
“Xavier’s car” she gasps, noticing the car he was in earlier that night, “You can see him in it clearly here!”
Enid’s eyes are wide with realization, but Wednesday doesn’t seem moved at all, the look on her face still dark.
“What? I know you can’t see the lights, but this is still useful,” Enid tries to tell her, “It could help with getting him charged!”
“It’s no use. The sheriff is friends with his father,” Wednesday shakes her head. “He’d never let that footage see the light of day.”
Her tone is laced with hopelessness, and the excitement quickly fades from Enid’s face seeing how Wednesday still looks so down. She sees the scars on her forehead, slowly healing, and swallows hard.
“Look. What happened to you and Eugene wasn’t your fault, okay?” she says softly, and there’s a slight twitch of Wednesday’s lips, like she’s going to argue back. “He’s gonna wake up.”
“How did you find the two of us anyways?” Wednesday asks instead, looking up at Enid with a raise of an eyebrow.
Enid doesn’t really know how to explain it without sounding silly, hoping Wednesday out of all people will believe her.
“Uh. Well, I had this headache,” Enid says nervously, reaching a hand through her hair and brushing her fingers over her scars. “I get them every once and while, but usually they don’t last very long. But this one kept getting worse the farther away I walked from the woods.”
Wednesday’s silent, only a slight tilt of her head showing she’s thinking. Enid shrugs.
“It was like, I was supposed to find you.”
Now, Wednesday’s squinting back at her, Enid worried that what happened is so weird that even Wednesday Addams is questioning her.
“Sorry, that sounds crazy-” Enid apologizes, but Wednesday quickly cuts her off.
“I enjoy crazy.”
Enid swears she sees something change with Wednesday’s expression, that her glare grows a bit more understanding and she doesn’t seem as tense.
Of course, Enid knows she’s always seeing things, so she clears her throat and holds up the broken camera in her hands, reminding herself to focus.
“Uh. So, I can probably get this fixed for you by the end of the week,” she says with a more hopeful tone, and Wednesday nods back at her.
“Thank you for your help, Enid,” she replies, and Enid grins back proudly in a way that makes Wednesday stutter her words. “I appreciate it.”
Wednesday doesn’t say anything else back, turning and heading straight back out the door as the bell chimes in Enid’s ears, the camera heavy in her hands.
- - -
Enid’s busy trying to solve another crossword in one of her magazines when Wednesday comes back a few days later. Enid ignores how the sight makes her eyes widen and pulse seem to jump just the tiniest bit.
“Wednesday! Hey,” she greets, and thankfully Wednesday doesn’t look as annoyed as she usually does.
“I have your camera,” Enid says, pulling it out from under the counter. She had gotten to fixing it as soon as Wednesday had left the last time she was here, too eager to have it ready for her. She hands it over and Wednesday examines it, impressed.
“Thank you,” she mutters, finally looking back up at Enid with the slightest smile.
“It’s on the house,” Enid says quickly, because it’s the least she could do for someone who’s been through what Wednesday has in the past few weeks.
“Are you sure?” Wednesday asks, “I’d be more than happy to pay for your services.”
“It’s okay. I offered to fix it anyways,” Enid shakes her head, and Wednesday takes a breath and realizes Enid’s not going to back down. She stares at her for a moment, at her colorful hair and the smiley face drawn on the nametag pinned to her polo shirt. Wednesday’s always seen Enid around the hallways at school, gossiping away with her friends loudly as she hung off of her boyfriend’s arm. But here, she looks different. A bit more quiet, a bit more reserved than she usually seems, and Wednesday wonders what could have changed.
“So, are you gonna take that camera out again anytime soon?” Enid asks before Wednesday can try to leave and never have to talk to or overthink her again.
“I’m not sure,” Wednesday finds herself answering quicker than she means to. “While I wait for Eugene I’d prefer to focus on the information we’ve already gathered and see if there’s anything that I’ve missed.”
Enid finds herself intrigued, as much as it feels weird to think. She props her hand on her fist and tilts her head back at Wednesday.
“What are you looking for?” she asks, wondering if Wednesday will even tell her.
“There’s something bigger at play here. I believe there’s a pattern.”
“A pattern?”
“These dates of these sightings can’t be random,” Wednesday explains, now placing her own hands on the counter. “I’ve been trying to figure out what they have in common, but I’m also missing some.” She glances to the side for a moment before her eyes flick back up to meet Enid’s, which are now locked on her. “Do you remember when the library caught on fire a few years ago?”
Enid nods. “Yeah. Some idiot’s cigarette, right?”
“Yes. The newspaper archives from 1986 were lost in the fire.”
“So you’re missing parts of the puzzle,” Enid hums, and Wednesday nods back at her, the conversation between the two of them flowing like a current.
“But I know the police station would have any records from that year.”
“And so you’re going to break in,” Enid realizes, sounding a bit skeptical as she goes to lean back in her chair.
“It seems to be the only option,” Wednesday huffs, but she can see the interest burning bright in Enid’s eyes, like she’s waiting to hear more.
Wednesday knows she’s more than capable of doing all of this on her own. But she also knows Enid has a connection to all of this, a connection that might be useful to her investigation, and if Enid is as fascinated by this as she seems, Wednesday might just have to try and get her on her side.
“I just have to think of a way to get past the front desk without breaking a window,” Wednesday says, trying her best to sound unsure of herself. Enid seems to pick it up as quickly as she’d hoped.
“I’ve been told I’m a great distraction,” Enid says sarcastically, and for a moment even if Wednesday can see she’s trying to be funny, she’s not entirely kidding either.
“I’m surprised you’re offering to join me,” Wednesday says, trying to look past Enid’s comment and stay focused.
“Well, maybe I finally want some answers about what happened to me,” Enid mutters, and now Wednesday can tell she’s actually being serious. “Like you said, maybe there is more to it.”
Enid’s always stuffed all of this in the back of her head, wanting to move on from it, not wanting to be called crazy, but she’d be lying if finding answers might just help her find some closure she realizes she desperately needs.
“Alright,” Wednesday says, and she looks satisfied, “I’ll meet you back here tomorrow night.”
Enid watches Wednesday leave, the bell over the door ringing in her ears and the faint taste of metal on her tongue.
- - -
Enid’s leaning on the hood of her car, twirling her keys between her fingers as she glances around nervously. She hopes her lie to her mom about picking up an evening shift works, because her mom’s never really paid attention to her job and always thought Mr. Dort was too odd to ever talk to.
She checks her watch. Wednesday should be by and minute now, and with every minute that passes she grows more and more anxious. Not just because she’s grounded and about to break into and steal from a police station while she’s grounded, but she’s doing it all with Wednesday Addams. The girl from the family that the whole town is afraid of. She knows that if they get caught, she’ll probably be grounded until she’s married, whenever that might be.
Enid fiddles with the hair ties on her wrist like she always does when she’s nervous, snapping them against her skin over and over until she hears the crunch of boots on gravel and sees Wednesday walking up to her.
“Good evening,” Wednesday says, looking Enid up and down for a moment before glancing over at her car. “Are you ready to head out?”
Enid nods. “As I’ll ever be.” She puts a smile on her face, but lets go of the door handle when she sees Wednesday hesitate to get in. And then Enid remembers that Wednesday was in a car crash and realizes that she probably doesn’t want to drive right now.
“Oh, we can walk if you want-“
“No. This is fine,” Wednesday cuts her off immediately, swallowing hard. “I trust you.”
Enid’s surprised to hear those words come out of Wednesday’s mouth when they barely know each other, but she’s not going to question it right now, not when Wednesday is counting on her. Enid’s hyper-aware of every move she makes, from turning her headlights on to checking over her shoulder every time she changes lanes, stealing glances over to Wednesday all the way to the parking lot of the police station while Joan Jett blasts in the background.
Enid parks in the far corner and turns to Wednesday with a frown at the same time she turns the radio down.
“So this shouldn’t take too long, right?” she starts rambling before Wednesday can even try to reach for the door handle. “I got grounded after punching Xavier so I just told my mom I’m working the night shift and should be home before midnight.”
Wednesday’s head snaps over to her, confusion painted all over her face. “Wait. You’re grounded? Then why did you agree to this?”
Enid shrugs, and now she feels like maybe this might not be the best idea anymore.
“Well, it beats being stuck inside all summer,” she says to convince herself this is why she’s doing it, “And I need something to distract me after breaking up with Ajax.”
Now, Wednesday looks disgusted, and Enid feels like she’s just annoyed her even more.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to dump all of that on you,” Enid clears her throat and stares down the police station. “Back to the plan.”
Wednesday’s gaze lingers on Enid for a split second longer before she too turns her attention to the police station, a lone officer outside the door smoking a cigarette.
“The back door is locked from the inside. I’ll need you to talk to the officer at the front desk while I slip past. Once I’m in, you’ll come around back and I can let you inside.”
Enid raises an eyebrow. “Wait. So I’m not just a distraction?”
“I’ll need a lookout while I search for the files,” Wednesday tells Enid, and her eyes light up.
“Right. I got you. Promise.”
Enid nods with a grin and steps out with a burst of confidence, only to realize Wednesday’s still in the car. Then, she remembers that her car is a hand-me-down and she rushes over to the passenger side and opens it up, face as red as ever.
“Sorry. The handle is broken on the inside,” she stutters, “I should have mentioned that.”
Wednesday isn’t as glaring at Enid as hard as she thought she would, and Enid takes that as a sign that maybe tonight might just go well after all.
The police officer steps back inside, and a nod from Wednesday tells Enid to follow.
- - -
Enid was in the drama club at school for exactly one year. She would have stayed longer if she didn’t lose a leading part to some freshman named Agnes who rubbed it in her face so much that Ajax had to yank her away before she could do anything about it.
But now, she gets to use that experience to make sure the officer at the front desk of the police station doesn’t notice Wednesday trying to sneak past him. Wednesday’s hovering just outside the front doors, ducking out of sight as Enid puts on a distraught look and heads inside.
The officer at the front desk blinks at her, looking bored out of his mind. Enid makes sure to get his full attention, leaning over the counter so he can’t see past her.
“So, um, I wanted to report something,” she says, trying to act frazzled although she feels like she doesn’t even have to pretend right now.
The officer doesn’t look that concerned. “Report something?”
“Uh, yeah. I saw a werewolf in the woods.”
“A werewolf?” he drones, and Enid nods her head.
“Yeah. There was a full moon last night and I saw it. It howled at me and everything.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t just a dog ma’am?”
“No, I’m pretty sure I know what a dog looks like,” Enid retorts, hoping that her sounding upset will keep him talking to her.
“So did this werewolf do anything of harm to you or your property?”
“No. It was just concerning is all. I think you should have someone go take a look out there,” her voice grows more agitated. “In case it tries to bite someone.”
The officer rolls his eyes. Enid hopes Wednesday is about to make her move. “Is there a parent or guardian I can call to come pick you up?”
“Ugh,” Enid scoffs, “It’s not very professional of you to just brush off my concerns like this!”
“Let me call my supervisor since this seems to be a serious issue-“
That’s when Enid sees a shadow behind the officer and knows her job is done.
“Actually, there’s no need,” she quickly stops him, “I’m going to take this complaint to the fire department. Maybe they’ll take me seriously.”
She gives him a glare that she thinks Wednesday would appreciate, and then heads out the door, quickly ducking past the windows as she heads to the back of the building.
- - -
As promised, Wednesday is there waiting for her, peeking her head out in the dark. Enid slips right in and follows her through the halls to the room she’s looking for, which is surprisingly easy for Wednesday to open.
Enid holds her breath and keeps watch near the door while Wednesday searches around, sifting through drawers for what seems like forever. She wonders if her report is in here somewhere, buried among the files, and she’s curious about what it says. But she thinks it might not be anything interesting at all.
“Found it,” Wednesday finally says as Enid’s started to fiddle with her hair ties again, “Let’s go.”
But before they can head back out, Enid stops in front of the door to the sheriff’s office.
“Wait,” Enid whispers, holding up a small tape, “A little detour.”
Wednesday squints back at her. “What is that?”
“The footage of Xavier hitting your car.”
“I told you, it’s useless-“
Suddenly there’s a shadow coming down the hall, and so they duck behind the corner, Enid’s tape falling from her hands and sliding under a cabinet along the wall as Wednesday pulls her away.
“She said she saw a werewolf out in the woods,” one of the voices says, and Enid can see the officer from the front desk talking to someone on the other side of the room.
“A werewolf?” the other officer asks, the first one scoffs.
“Yeah. First aliens, now this. I think she’s got a screw loose or something.”
“Ugh, rude!” Enid says under her breath, but Wednesday taps her arm and points down the hallway.
“Focus. They’re blocking our exit.”
Enid can see Wednesday trying to figure out what to do, if they need to move or if they’ll get caught if they try to go anywhere. All Enid can hear is her heartbeat hammering in her ears, and she instinctively goes to reach for her hair ties when she gets an idea.
She grabs one of them and aims it down the hall at some papers on a bulletin board and hopes it’ll make enough noise to distract them.
Wednesday’s about to ask Enid what she’s doing when she watches the hair tie sail past them and smack the bulletin board.
“You hear something?” the officer from the front desk asks, and now they’re both occupied trying to figure out what made the noise.
“Go, go,” Enid whispers, and her and Wednesday scurry out and through the back door all the way to Enid’s car.
“Whew. That was close,” Enid huffs, catching her breath before turning to Wednesday in the passenger seat. “You get everything you need?”
“Yes,” she nods, running a finger over her files, “Good job back there.”
Wednesday does mean it, because she can’t help but admire Enid’s quick thinking even if she was so nervous the sweat is beading on her forehead.
“Thanks,” Enid grins, and Wednesday’s caught up for a moment, seeing how proud she looks.
“Although you could have come up with a more believable story,” Wednesday finally tears her eyes away, letting out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
“But it worked, didn’t it?” Enid chimes, staring her car up, “He was totally distracted.”
She giggles to herself, and now Wednesday is the one who’s nervous.
Enid turns the radio up, telling Wednesday The Promise by When in Rome is her favorite song, and Wednesday tries not to get distracted by her singing along as she drives her home.
- - -
It’s a week later when Wednesday comes back into the store. She had told Enid that she would be by to tell her if the new dates added anything to her notes after Enid had helped her out of the car with a cheeky grin. And since then, Enid’s been thinking a bit too hard about all of it.
Enid remembers when she was afraid of her. She believed everyone who said Wednesday was a witch or a demon or even a serial killer and kept her distance from her in the hallways. But she never teased her or shoved her into a locker because Enid remembers when that was her until she started dating Ajax.
Well, there was that time Enid called her a freak years ago, and she thinks Wednesday’s probably forgotten about it by now, but now that she’s actually talked to her more, she’s starting to feel bad about it.
Enid figures she’ll apologize whenever Wednesday’s done with her. Which she doesn’t think is anytime soon with the way Wednesday strides in with a stack of papers tucked under her arm.
“Hey,” Enid greets, tossing her half-finished crossword to the side, “You find anything useful in those files?”
Wednesday sighs, looking annoyed, and Enid holds her breath.
“Nothing new,” Wednesday groans, “There are too many variables. The new dates just make things even more complicated.”
She lays out her notes across the counter, Enid’s eyes flicking between all of the scribbles and drawings, not knowing how to make sense out of any of it.
“Can I see the list?” she asks instead, and Wednesday picks out a paper with dates typed out and slides it towards her.
Wednesday, March 14th 1984
Wednesday, November 21st 1984
Wednesday, September 18th 1985
Wednesday, December 25th 1985
Wednesday, January 1st 1986
Wednesday, October 15th 1986
Wednesday, April 15th 1987
Wednesday, August 5th 1987
Wednesday, June 1st 1988
Wednesday, October 5th 1988
Wednesday, February 15th 1989
Sunday, May 14th 1989
At first glance, all Enid can do is snicker. “Are these seriously all Wednesdays?”
“Yes,” Wednesday mumbles, looking almost embarrassed when her cheeks turn a pale shade of pink. “It was quite interesting when I realized it. I had to double-check to make sure it was correct.”
“I guess they are trying to talk to you,” Enid giggles before going back to actually study the dates. She swears she tastes metal on her tongue when she reads through the list.
The first one is the day she got abducted, the date burned in her memory, and she’s frozen for a moment before she blinks hard and starts looking through the rest.
“What is it?” Wednesday asks, growing excited when she notices Enid’s brow furrow as she starts to realize something.
“Some of these dates,” Enid whispers, a bit hesitant, “I remember having headaches on those days.”
Now, Wednesday’s more intrigued than ever, watching Enid with awe. Enid runs a finger down the list.
“Christmas Day 1985. I snuck out of my room to try and catch Santa Claus in the middle of the night. The headache hit just as I saw my dad putting presents under the tree. Almost scared him to death with my screaming.”
Enid laughs to herself softly, shaking her head.
“And then New Year's Day, 1986. Not long after Christmas. My mom said I was being dramatic about the fireworks ‘cause she knows I hate them.”
She looks a bit ashamed now, frowning before she continues.
“April 15th, 1987. I had a hockey game. It happened right when I had an open shot. Everyone was so mad at me for missing it.”
Now, Enid looks truly disappointed, biting her lip as Wednesday wonders what’s going on inside of her head. She decides that they should move on so Enid doesn’t have to think about it anymore.
“They must be connected,” Wednesday suggests, “Your headaches and the sightings.”
Enid’s nodding, but only for a second as her eyes lock on another date.
“But wait. Are you sure about February 15th? I was with Ajax for Valentine’s Day when I had a headache. I thought it was the weed we were smoking.”
“That report came in just past midnight,” Wednesday explains, pointing out a messy time written next to the date at 12:03 in the morning, “So the 15th is accurate.”
“Ah. We were out at that bluff pretty late that night,” Enid’s face goes red, especially seeing how irritated Wednesday seems to have grown. “But May 14th. Yeah, I had a headache at Xavier’s party, before I left and found you.”
Wednesday’s leaning across the counter, a determined look on her face. “Do you remember the times any of these occurred? Even a guess?”
“Nope. Sorry,” Enid sighs, and she feels bad not knowing, especially when Wednesday had seemed so hopeful. Instead, her eyes drift back down to the list, then to her crossword puzzle not far away. “But I do think I have an idea of what we could do with these dates.”
Wednesday’s annoyance drops from her face, replaced by the wiggle of an eyebrow telling Enid to go on.
“Have you tried matching up each date with a letter of the alphabet?” Enid asks, and Wednesday swallows hard.
“I haven’t, actually,” she mutters sheepishly, but the smile growing on Enid’s face isn’t cocky, it’s amused.
“I think you’re overthinking all of this,” Enid grins, “Sometimes, the answer is right in front of you.”
She’s smirking now, taking the pen in Wednesday’s hand with ease.
Normally, Wednesday wouldn’t let anyone get near her notes, much less write on them, but she’s feels so flustered and even a bit impressed right now that she just watches Enid, listening to her mumble things to herself until she’s got a letter for each date written out in front of her.
NURYAOOEAEON, the letters spell, and both of them frown at how it doesn’t say anything that makes sense. At least, not in that order.
They take a few minutes spelling out words and phrases together, still not making much sense until Wednesday thinks that she has something spelled out using each letter.
“You are a no one,” she says, pondering what it could possibly mean.
“Well, that’s kind of rude,” Enid sighs across from her, “I don’t need the aliens to tell me something I already know.”
Wednesday stops staring at their scribbles and over at Enid, who’s still studying the words for a second longer. Wednesday hates how much Enid seems to talk down about herself, because she’s quickly learning she’s a lot more capable than she looks.
“Perhaps there are more letters to come,” Wednesday tries to reassure her, “And we don’t have the full message yet.”
Enid seems to agree with her. “So do we just wait around for another sighting?”
“It seems so,” Wednesday says, trying not to sound so disappointed even though they’ve uncovered a whole message. “I do think I can use this to find a new possible date. Perhaps the most recent date being a Sunday means they’ll return on a Monday.”
Enid finds herself smiling as she watches Wednesday ramble, how she’s scanning through her notes with an eye as sharp as a hawk.
“Your brain is really interesting,” Enid says, the words slipping out of her mouth easily because she means it, “Maybe they should have abducted you instead.”
Wednesday looks up at Enid confused, wondering why she seems to doubt herself so much. But Wednesday’s never been good at talking to people about feelings, and so she quickly gathers her notes up and tucks them back under her arm.
“I’ll return once I have more figured out,” she says with a curt nod, “Maybe pinpoint a time so we don’t spend all night waiting around to see something.”
Enid notices how Wednesday had said we without a second thought, and she wonders if Wednesday’s talking about her or Eugene when he’s feeling better.
“See ya,” Enid calls as Wednesday’s out the door in a hurry, and a part of Enid selfishly hopes Wednesday was thinking about her.
- - -
Enid hasn’t seen Wednesday in a while. She was hoping to see her come in sometime before next Monday, wondering if she would test out the theory she had mentioned, but she didn’t show up in time. Enid had wondered if maybe Wednesday finally got caught for breaking into the police station, but then she realized she’d probably be in trouble too. But she thought maybe Wednesday had taken the fall for both of them, and Enid hated thinking about her doing that, and she had reached for her hair tie only to remember that it’s still probably laying on the floor of that very police station.
Enid doesn’t know why she’s worrying so much. After all, Wednesday isn’t even really her friend. Wednesday just comes by because Enid’s connected to this investigation she’s working on and has access to stuff she can use. She’s just an extra hand, and Wednesday would never be friends with someone so different from her anyways. Still, Enid finds herself growing more and more attached by the day when she thinks about how she doesn’t really have anyone else right now.
Thankfully, Wednesday finally comes in before the next weekend, but it’s just her and no notes. Enid’s excitement quickly morphs into concern.
“Wednesday,” Enid says, finishing up the manicure she’s giving herself, “It’s been a minute, everything okay?”
Wednesday crosses her arms tight. “Our family had our annual summer trip to Spain. I insisted on staying home but my parents wouldn’t let me.”
“But you got to go to Spain!” Enid exclaims, feeling a bit of jealousy, “The only place my family ever goes to is Disneyland for a weekend. And that’s if me and my brothers don’t get into a fight on the car ride down.”
She mirrors Wednesday now, crossing her arms in frustration. Wednesday doesn’t respond right away, like she’s studying Enid, and so Enid clears her throat because she doesn’t like the awkward silence.
“Anyways. Did you get anywhere with your research while on vacation?”
“Unfortunately no,” Wednesday huffs, hovering near the counter and glancing at Enid’s open bottle of nail polish. “I think the best thing we can do is go out and try to get a sighting ourselves. Perhaps if you join, they might be more likely to show up.”
Her eyes flick back up to meet Enid’s, which are a dazzling blue in the buzzing fluorescent lights of the store. “If you’re comfortable, of course.”
Enid’s lip twists in thought. It wouldn’t be as risky as the police station. She just remembers Wednesday’s only asking her because it’s important to her investigation. But still, it’s not like she has anything else going on.
“It could be fun,” Enid shrugs, “As long as you have a flashlight. I hate the dark.”
Wednesday’s face grows into a smirk as she glances over her shoulder at the shelves of electronics. “I’m sure I know a store where we could find some.”
They wait until the skies clear up, which happens to be the next Monday like Wednesday had talked about. She does tell Enid she thinks she has a timeframe that might give them the best chance, and so Enid lies to her mom she’s doing an overnight inventory shift and drives off to Wednesday’s to pick her up.
- - -
The last time Enid went out to the bluff was with Ajax, back in February for Valentine’s Day. She drums her fingers on the steering wheel thinking about how that was the night she realized that she didn’t really like him anymore, that she was only with him because it felt safe, and he just happened to come along at the right time. She never meant to lead him on for so long after, but she thought that maybe she could make it work and not have to worry about the uncertainty that seemed to follow her around for longer than she’s realized.
The doubt creeping up her throat is threatening to make her sick, and Enid realizes that she’s starving. She spots a 7-11 on the corner and turns down the road.
“Where are we going?” Wednesday asks, Enid almost forgetting that she was in the car with her. “The bluff is the other way.”
“If we’re gonna do a stake out in the woods, we’re gonna need snacks,” Enid says, putting on a tone that’s peppy to get her mind back on track. Wednesday raises an eyebrow at her. “Don’t worry. It’s on me.”
Enid grins as she pulls into the parking lot, surprised that Wednesday doesn’t complain at all as she opens her door for her and follows her in.
Enid paces the aisles, not sure what she wants, so just grabs anything that catches her eye. Wednesday’s standing in the candy aisle, staring down a selection of chocolate bars when Enid finds her again, arms full of snacks.
“That is an absurd amount of sugar,” Wednesday comments, narrowing her eyes, “Need I remind you this outing is only for a few hours and not a whole weekend?”
Enid just shrugs. “What? I’ve got a sweet tooth.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t added a chocolate bar to your collection,” Wednesday says as she reaches for a candy bar for herself. Enid just snickers.
“Oh, I’m allergic to chocolate. On my 4th birthday I asked for a chocolate cake and ended up with a trip to the emergency room instead.”
Wednesday goes to put her candy back, but Enid quickly shakes her head.
“No, no, you’re fine. It’s only if I eat it.”
Wednesday eyes her carefully, but still puts the candy bar back and heads towards the cash register instead, a sign that she’s ready to leave.
“Speaking of birthdays,” Enid says, dumping her snacks on the counter. “You know mine is next week? The 28th. When’s yours?”
Wednesday’s quiet for a moment, the only noise coming from the beep of the cashier’s scanner. “October.”
“Of course it is. Do you like cupcakes? I’ll make you one cause I always ask for one on my birthday but nobody ever listens-“
“Enid.” Wednesday clears her throat, and Enid realizes the cashier is waiting for her to pay. She digs out some cash from her wallet and hands it over with a shy grin, grabbing her bag of snacks.
Enid stuffs some gummy bears into her mouth as they set out to the bluff. Just Like Heaven by The Cure comes on, and so she turns it up.
“This is my favorite song,” Enid says, and Wednesday rolls her eyes back at her because she’s heard her say that every time Enid has the radio on.
“You say that about every song,” she deadpans, but Enid isn’t bothered. She just grins over at Wednesday.
“I know. But this one, I want to have someone in mind whenever I hear it.”
There’s a weak smile on her face as she hums along, Wednesday watching her and how she seems to be thinking hard about something. One thing she’s noticed about Enid is that she tries to hide everything behind a smile, that there’s more to her than she lets on.
Eventually, they get to the bluff, Enid coming around to help Wednesday out with her bag of snacks stuffed under her arm. They walk for a bit until Wednesday stops and stares up, looking at her surroundings before deciding to settle down in a patch of grass.
“This location gives us the best view of the night sky,” Wednesday explains, pulling her camcorder out of her bag, “Not to mention the sightings reported by the teenagers who come up here. Hopefully there won’t be any tonight.”
Enid feels her cheeks go red for a second, and that’s when she glances over at Wednesday, who’s fiddling with the camcorder and trying to set it up on a tripod.
“Here, let me help,” Enid says, setting her bag of snacks down, going to hold the tripod for Wednesday. Their hands brush up against each other for a second, Enid almost dropping the tripod when she feels how cold Wednesday is. Luckily, Wednesday doesn’t seem to flinch, and she points the camcorder up to the sky once it’s set.
“Alright. It’s recording,” Wednesday says, “It is currently the evening of June 19th, 1989. The current time is 10:10pm. Now we wait.”
She sighs, like she’s already lost hope, and Enid feels a bit bad. She can see how desperate Wednesday’s been about all of this, and even if it means they stop hanging out, Enid wants her to get her evidence.
Wednesday takes a seat in the grass and Enid follows, watching how her eyes are locked onto the sky with a determined look on her face. Enid does the same, not remembering the last time she’s really looked out at the stars because she was afraid that whatever was out there might come back. It’s all so beautiful, being away from the city lights below them, and Enid tries not to think about how close Wednesday’s sitting to her. The stars in the sky remind her of the freckles on Wednesday’s face, and Enid winces at the fact that the thought seemed to come to her mind so easily.
“Hey Wednesday,” Enid says after a while, “You think we’re the only ones out here?”
“I don’t think we’ll be for long, knowing the reputation of this place,” Wednesday groans, glancing over her shoulder.
Enid laughs softly. “No, I mean, like, in the universe.”
“Obviously I believe in extraterrestrial life or I wouldn’t be doing any of this.”
Thankfully, her tone doesn’t sound annoyed. Enid bites her lip.
“But what if we really are alone,” she asks, starting to feel a bit anxious now that she’s really thinking about the thought of being alone forever, “Doesn’t that scare you?”
Wednesday’s quiet. She takes a moment to respond, but Enid sees her take a breath out of the corner of her eye before she does, like she’s thinking about it.
“It wouldn’t affect me either way,” Wednesday finally says, words coming out faster than her usual cadence, “I enjoy my solitude.”
Enid swears she hears Wednesday’s voice drop, like she’s not fully telling the truth. But Enid knows the only reason why she got invited to come along is because she’s connected to all of this. Not because Wednesday actually wanted her here.
Wednesday goes back to staring out at the stars, her knees pulled up to her chest, Enid watching her for a moment before she decides she should get to her snacks instead.
- - -
Time moves slowly, Enid finishing her gummy bears while she tries to spot different constellations. Wednesday doesn’t say much, only checking her watch to give updates for her recording on the time and weather. Enid’s growing restless, not wanting to bother her because she seems like she’s concentrating and she has no idea what to talk about.
“You sure you don’t want some?” Enid asks, holding up a bag of gummy worms towards Wednesday who shakes her head back.
“I’m fine.”
Enid huffs and checks her watch. It’s just a few minutes past midnight now. “Well, with that, it’s officially Tuesday. So it looks like the Monday theory didn’t hold up.”
Wednesday doesn’t seem to care, getting up to fiddle with the settings of the camcorder for a second, Enid standing up next to her.
“I know you’re lying. One gummy worm won’t hurt-“
Suddenly, there’s a sharp pain cutting through her head, and she drops to the ground, her bag of gummy worms falling down next to her.
“Enid?” Wednesday gasps, eyes wide as she sees Enid doubled over, clutching her head tight.
“Enid, what’s wrong?” Wednesday drops down, moving so fast she knocks the tripod over. She slings an arm around Enid’s shoulder while she cries out, not knowing what to do. That’s when there’s a flash of light above them, flying through the sky, and Wednesday’s eyes go wide as she’s entranced, but only for a moment as Enid sobs into her side.
“Enid?” Wednesday’s gripping her so hard it hurts, but suddenly she’s no longer tense, and whatever’s happened to her is over as quickly as it started, the lights zooming off into the night.
“Headache,” Enid mumbles, catching her breath, “I’m okay.”
She pulls away from Wednesday, wiping her eyes and fixing her hair, face red with embarrassment. Wednesday’s still staring back at her, looking more worried than ever, and Enid feels her chest burn at the sight.
“Did you get your footage?” she asks, because it’s hard for her to think about why Wednesday’s looking at her like that. Wednesday glances over at the tripod laying on the ground, the camcorder in the dirt.
“No.”
“I’m sorry,” Enid says, and now she feels like she’s going to cry again because she’s just ruined Wednesday’s investigation.
But Wednesday doesn’t look upset. Instead, her eyes seem to grow soft, her jaw clenched tight.
“Don’t be,” Wednesday says quietly, “We still got a sighting.”
Enid nods, her head still spinning, trying to do the math in her head.
“June 20th,” she says, “The letter T.”
Wednesday nods, still lingering on Enid before she reaches for her notes and scribbles it down. Enid goes to pick up the tripod and clean up her candy wrappers and they both decide it’s time to head back.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” Wednesday asks as they get back to Enid’s car.
“Yeah. I told you, they don’t last very long. I always feel fine after.”
Except right now, she doesn’t exactly feel fine, because she’s overthinking how Wednesday’s entire attitude seems to have changed in an instant, how she still looks so concerned even though Enid’s okay.
Wednesday gives Enid one last glance before getting into the passenger seat, Enid just wanting to get home and get to bed. She starts the car and Just Like Heaven comes back on again as they drive off, but Enid doesn’t sing along this time.
- - -
A NOTE ON OUR YEAR
YOU ATE OUR NEON
YARN? YEARN? NONE?
YOU ARE NOT A ONE
Enid stares down at the pink sticky note she’s been writing on, trying to make sense of the jumbled letters in front of her. The addition of the letter T doesn’t seem to have made much of a difference. In fact, it seems to have made things even more difficult. Enid figures they’re either missing letters, or they’re going to hear about more sightings.
She doesn’t know what’s more confusing. These aliens supposedly leaving a message for her and Wednesday, or Wednesday herself. Enid hasn’t been able to shake the other night from her mind, how Wednesday had looked so frantic after seeing Enid in pain, and Enid finds herself overthinking it all because she never thought Wednesday Addams was capable of being that sympathetic.
And of course, the moment Enid decides to work on a crossword puzzle to give herself a break is when Wednesday walks right into the store.
“Oh, hi Wednesday,” Enid gasps, sitting up in her seat. She’s just surprised to see Wednesday looking as caught off-guard as she is.
“Enid. I didn’t think you’d be working today,” she stammers, quickly gathering herself and fixing her posture.
“I switched shifts,” Enid says, amused, “Are you trying to hide from me or something?”
“Oh, no,” Wednesday answers quickly, “Just a surprise is all.”
Enid finds herself smiling, biting her lip before it grows any bigger because Wednesday’s eyes are as wide as the moon. “Well, what can I help you with?”
“I need a cassette tape,” Wednesday says sternly, “For music.”
“Well, we’ve definitely got those.”
Wednesday nods. “Of course.”
“Do you need a specific one?”
“No. I know what I’m looking for.” Wednesday quickly turns and heads down the wrong aisle, Enid trying to hold back a laugh as she finally realizes and goes to find what she needs. Wednesday quickly grabs a tape and heads back to the counter.
“So, what are you doing with this?” Enid asks, ringing Wednesday up and adding her discount, “Recording music to send to the aliens?”
“It’s for my brother,” Wednesday explains, and Enid notices how her eyes flick around nervously as she hands Enid some cash, like she’s doing something she isn’t supposed to. “I’m not sure what he plans to do with it.”
“Gotcha. Well, I’m guessing you don’t need a bag?” Enid asks, holding out the tape for her. Wednesday takes it and stuffs it into her pocket.
“No. Thank you Enid. I’ll be seeing you.”
Wednesday gives Enid a curt nod and is gone as quickly as she came in.
“Bye,” Enid calls, and now she’s adding finding out what could have Wednesday Addams so flustered to her list of things to figure out.
- - -
Enid spends the morning of her birthday at work. Mr. Dort had offered to give her the day off, but it’s not like she had any plans, so she thought she might as well make some money. Her dad is going to make them steaks for dinner and they’ll open presents and hopefully there won’t be any drama for her last birthday in this town because the moment she graduates, she’s set on moving out.
But for now, she’s in the break room fiddling with an old NES that she wants to fix and take home for herself. Nobody’s come in all day, so she isn’t too worried about being back here until she hears the bell over the door chime.
“One second!” she shouts, finishing up gluing parts together and dusting her hands on her jeans. She rushes out, but she doesn’t see anyone in the store.
What she does see is a cupcake on the counter, next to a cassette tape. There’s a note attached to it, and Enid’s a bit hesitant until she sees her name scribbled in familiar handwriting.
Happy Birthday Enid. I made a collection of all your favorite songs so that you don’t have to keep constantly changing the radio station when we are in your car. Also, I can promise you that the cupcake does not have any chocolate in it.
- WA
Enid feels her face growing hot. She feels like the paper in her hands is about to melt. She glances over at the cassette tape where the words ENID’S FAVORITE SONGS are written in sharpie. And she stares at the vanilla cupcake covered in pink and blue sprinkles sitting next to it, feeling like she’s going to be sick.
She thought Wednesday didn’t think of her as more than just a chauffeur, a pawn in this game she’s playing with something greater than the both of them. But she remembered her birthday and got her a gift and took the time to do all of this for her. Enid thinks she might faint because she doesn’t remember the last time anyone’s done this much for her.
She gathers herself and pops the tape into the store’s stereo, and the first thing to play is Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears, one of the songs Enid definitely remembered telling Wednesday about when she drove her home. She just didn’t imagine that every time she said that, Wednesday was keeping track.
Enid thinks it’s way too fitting, and as the song plays over the speakers, Enid feels her head growing fuzzy at the realization that she’s caught feelings for Wednesday Addams and she doesn’t know what to do about it.
- - -
The first girl Enid ever had a crush on was Princess Leia. She convinced her brothers to let her watch Star Wars with them, and Enid was hooked. She was Princess Leia for Halloween, and thought it was just because she wanted to be a badass like her. But as Enid got older she realized that it wasn’t just that. She thought she was attractive the same way her brothers did.
Enid tried to ignore it, because there was nothing wrong with admiring another girl’s looks and nobody had to know. But then her and Ajax went on a date to see Beetlejuice and she found herself drawn to Winona Ryder despite the fact that she looked so different from everything Enid liked and so she tried to blame it on the fact that had a hit from Ajax’s joint in the parking lot beforehand.
She thought that it was a phase and that staying with him might help her get over it. But Enid realized that this wasn’t going to pass, and as much as she was going to try and stuff it down, it wasn’t who she was. She’d keep to herself until she could move away from college and hopefully go somewhere she wouldn’t feel so suffocated.
But then Wednesday had to come along, with her eyes that Enid found as deep and dark as the night sky she dreamt of, with her sly smirks and deadpan humor and discreet way of showing she did think about Enid even when she wasn’t around. Now Enid’s torn between wanting to help Wednesday get her footage so they can stop talking to one another and Enid can get over something that will never happen or wishing that Wednesday cared about her the same way she did so she wouldn’t feel so alone anymore.
Enid knows Wednesday could care less about romance. She remembers Wednesday threatening to scalp the sheriff’s son when he tried to ask her to prom one year. And even Xavier had gotten turned down by her too, which is probably why he hates her so much now. Enid doesn’t think her chances could be any better. So she prepares herself to be as calm as possible whenever Wednesday comes by next, telling herself not to stare or trip over her words so she doesn’t seem suspicious because she knows Wednesday would definitely notice that something’s up.
Wednesday comes by at the beginning of July, but Enid has no idea that Wednesday’s just as nervous as she is, wondering if Enid appreciated her gift and if it was too much.
“Wednesday. Hi,” Enid greets as she walks in, and she looks as normal as ever. “Uh, thanks for the birthday present. I love it.”
Enid points over her shoulder to the store speakers on the wall, Cyndi Lauper blasting through them. Enid’s been playing her personal tape so much she’s probably going to wear it out.
“It’s a pleasure to hear that,” Wednesday nods, a gleam of pride in her eyes, “How was the rest of your day?”
“Nothing special,” Enid shrugs, “My mom picked up a cake from the bakery, but they mixed up the order and we got a chocolate one by mistake. So I’m glad I had that cupcake at least.”
Wednesday can see that Enid’s smile falters just a bit, trying to hide the fact that she wished she got to do more than just work on her birthday. It’s another moment that makes Wednesday feel bad for her, another moment that reminds her why she got her the gift in the first place. It wasn’t just because Enid had been helping her out more than she needed to, but because she truly knew Enid deserved it.
It also reminds Wednesday that she’s gotten much closer to Enid than she ever meant to, and that she needs to focus, which is hard to do when Enid looks at her like the moon lighting up the night sky.
“I was planning on going out to the bluff on the Fourth,” Wednesday tells her, crossing her arms to keep herself steady, “I believe the fireworks would be perfect cover for aliens looking to visit.”
“You think so?” Enid raises an eyebrow, leaning across the counter with a curious look on her face.
“It’s worth a shot. Perhaps they want to study our festivities. After all, they did visit on Christmas and New Years Eve.”
Enid thinks about it for a moment, but she already made up her mind the minute Wednesday walked in. “Well, that sounds a lot better than sitting at home all night.”
“You did mention that you disliked fireworks,” Wednesday says, and of course Enid can’t be surprised that she remembered. “Are you sure you’d want to go?”
“Yeah, I do. Since I’m still grounded it’s not like I can go out with my family anyways.”
Wednesday hates how the frown on Enid’s face feels like a rusty knife twisting in her gut, how her voice grows raspy when she sounds disappointed. She’s quickly grown to dislike Enid’s family.
“Well, I’m sure we’ll have a better time than them,” she says, and now Enid’s smile is genuine, as bright as the stars.
“Oh yeah,” she nods, “I’ll come pick you up after the sun goes down?”
It’s hard for Wednesday to fight back a smirk. She lets herself lose, just this one time. “I’m looking forward to it.”
- - -
Enid spends the time leading up to nightfall staring at her ceiling with headphones on, her personalized tape blaring in her ears to drown out the stray fireworks going off. But honestly, the fireworks are the least of her problems right now. The thought of being alone with Wednesday, up at the bluff watching those fireworks light up the night sky makes her more nervous than ever. She knows nothing is going to happen, that whatever Wednesday does won’t mean anything, that there’s a chance they get proof that aliens exist and they won’t need to talk again.
The moment the sun sinks beyond the trees, Enid gets into her car and heads across town to the Addams house. Of course her cassette is playing loud enough to drown out her thoughts, skipping to Madonna because her singing about being a material girl is one of the few songs on her tape that doesn’t remind her of Wednesday. When she pulls up, nobody’s outside yet, but she knows she’s early because she just needed to get out of her house.
Thankfully, it’s not long before there’s a knock on the window, and Wednesday’s opening the door.
“Hi,” Enid greets, her eyes immediately drifting to the boy standing next to Wednesday. He looks just like her, pale skin and dark eyes and an unimpressed look on his face. It must be the brother she mentioned when she came to buy the cassette tape.
“My parents insisted he come along,” Wednesday says, irritation thick in her voice, and she pushes him into the backseat while she goes to load her gear into the trunk.
Enid doesn’t know what to say, trying to think of something a teenage boy might want to talk about when he speaks first.
“I’m Pugsley,” he says, squinting back at Enid curiously, “And you must be Enid.”
Enid’s nose scrunches up in confusion. “You know who I am?”
“I snuck a look at Wednesday’s notes,” he shrugs, and then he looks a bit skeptical. “You’re in there a lot. She really thinks you’re the key to finding whatever she’s looking for.”
“Oh,” Enid hums, eyes moving to Wednesday who’s about to interrupt them, “Interesting.”
She grips the steering wheel tight as she turns back to stare out the windshield, thinking about what Wednesday’s written about her, but she knows it’s nothing important. Probably just notes about her headaches and times and dates, that’s all.
Wednesday sliding into the passenger seat next to her breaks Enid out of her thoughts, and she gets the engine started.
“We should head out if you two want time to grab some snacks,” Wednesday says, glancing back at Pugsley who already looks bored.
Enid nods, and she drives them to the 7-11, where Pugsley grabs even more than she does. Enid notices Wednesday telling him to put a chocolate bar back, whispering something to him under her breath, and Enid bites her lip to hide the fact that such a simple gesture has her flustered.
As Pugsley munches on a bag of chips in the backseat on the way to the bluff, Enid feels a bit relieved that he’s here because now it’s just not her alone with Wednesday who doesn’t think of Enid the same way she does. But at the same time, she still wishes it was just the two of them. At least Pugsley isn’t annoying, even if he tries to tell Enid that there’s no way the Forty-Niners repeat and win it all again.
They head a bit farther down the bluff this time because they know there will certainly be people out here tonight. Enid ignores how Pugsley raises an eyebrow at her coming around to open Wednesday’s door, quickly explaining to him that the handle is broken as they head to find a spot under the stars.
Enid takes a seat as she watches Wednesday help Pugsley get his telescope set up next to her tripod. Enid thinks it’s funny how they’re so similar despite Wednesday trying to act like they’re not related, how he’s so much more taller than her even if he’s younger. She’ll scold Pugsley but Enid can tell she doesn’t really mean it, that she’s just trying to help him in her own way. Enid finds herself smiling at their banter, wishing she was as close to her own brothers as they are.
Wednesday starts her recording and takes a seat next to Enid, close enough that their knees brush for a moment before Wednesday pulls hers up to her chest. Enid takes a breath and decides to open her bag of gummy worms to distract herself.
Pugsley’s busy with his telescope and Wednesday’s just staring up at the sky, a weak breeze ruffling her bangs. Enid tries to think of something to start a conversation, but her head is filled with static. Instead, she holds out her bag of gummy worms to Wednesday to see if she’ll take one, and surprisingly, she does. A tiny smile creeps across Enid’s face as they share the bag of gummy worms, not needing to say a word between them.
Enid checks her watch. The fireworks are set to start soon, and there hasn’t been any sign of anything unusual. Pugsley swivels his telescope around to a different part of the sky, stealing a suspicious glance at the two of them before going back to trying to find whatever he’s looking for.
Wednesday takes another gummy worm, and Enid feels like her heart is going to burst out of her chest.
“Hey Wednesday?” she mutters, and Wednesday tilts her head towards her to show she’s listening. “I wanted to apologize.”
“For what exactly?” Wednesday asks quietly, and Enid takes a breath, the words feeling stuck in her throat, words she realizes she’s been thinking about for years now.
“That time I called you a freak.”
“That was ages ago,” Wednesday says, rolling her eyes, “Besides, that word has always been a compliment to me.”
Enid bites her lip. The memory is still clear in her mind, the guilt still lingering. “I mean, yeah, but I could tell it did bother you that time.”
She remembers how the determined look on Wednesday’s face had dropped the moment the words left her mouth, how she looked like she was caught-off guard.
Wednesday’s quiet, her grip on her knees tight. Enid sees her staring out into the fireworks that are starting to appear in the sky, Wednesday thinking about how their colors remind her of Enid’s hair.
“Only because it was you saying it,” Wednesday mumbles, and the way her voice is so low Enid wonders if she didn’t want to admit it at all.
Now, Enid’s the one looking confused, wondering what Wednesday could mean. She finally turns to get a better look at Wednesday, who realizes Enid’s waiting for her to explain.
“You never seemed to be as crass as the rest of the people you hung out with,” Wednesday says, and her eyes flick to the ground for a moment before meeting Enid’s. “I guess I was just surprised you’d say something like that.”
Enid never would have imagined that Wednesday ever paid attention to her until her incident. The thought makes her dizzy, and she digs her heels into the dirt to try to ground herself.
“Well, I’m sorry,” Enid apologizes, and those few words seem to lift a weight off of her shoulders. “It was mean.”
Wednesday shakes her head next to her. “And I shouldn’t have been pestering you about something that made you uncomfortable.”
Enid feels like they’ve both gotten some closure now. There’s a weak smile growing on her face, and it makes her feel brave enough to nudge Wednesday with her elbow.
“Hey. Look at us now,” she snickers, and she swears Wednesday’s blushing, “You know I used to be scared of you? But you’re actually pretty cool.”
There are fireworks going off in the distance, but Enid isn’t bothered by them in the slightest. Not when Wednesday’s smirking back at her like this, thinking about how Enid’s smile is brighter than the fireworks in the distance.
And then Pugsley’s shouting at them, Enid having forgotten he was here.
“Wait! I think I see something!” he says, pointing up at the sky, and that gets Wednesday to jump to her feet and join him.
“What is it?” she asks frantically, and Enid’s exhaling a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding.
“That’s what I would say if I actually saw something,” Pugsley groans, and now Wednesday’s got a scowl on her face.
“Pugsley, this isn’t a time to be sarcastic.”
“I was promised aliens but all I’m doing is third wheeling you two,” he exclaims, pointing at Enid. “I should have just stayed home and blown stuff up with Uncle Fester.”
“Fine. We can leave,” Wednesday says, grabbing her camcorder hastily, “But if I read about a sighting in the newspaper tomorrow, it’s your head on a stick.”
She storms down the hill, Pugsley right behind her. Enid hesitates for a moment before following, trying not to think too hard about Pugsley’s comment, that he didn’t mean third-wheeling like that, because he’s just a grumpy teenage boy who needed an excuse to leave.
The car ride back to the Addams house is quiet, even with Enid’s tape playing and fireworks still going on outside. Wednesday’s got her arms crossed and is staring out the window, up at the sky, and Enid can’t help but feel bad that the night’s been cut short.
“We can go back if you want,” Enid tells her as she holds her door open for her once they park, Pugsley having gone back inside after muttering a thanks to Enid for the ride. “I don’t mind.”
But Wednesday doesn’t seem interested at all. Enid’s wondering why she looks so nervous, so uncertain, thinking she’s just upset that they might be missing out on what’s been chasing for so long.
“It’s alright,” she says, giving Enid a curt nod, “You should get home before your family does.”
Enid wants to tell her that she’s not afraid of getting caught out if it means that maybe they can spend more time together, that it would be worth it especially if they see something. But she doesn’t want to make Wednesday anymore annoyed than she already seems.
“I’ll see you later then,” Enid gives her a weak smile, hoping that it might make Wednesday feel a bit better. And as she drives off, she can see Wednesday watching her in her rear view mirror until she disappears.
- - -
It’s exactly twenty-four days until Enid sees Wednesday again, which for Enid feels like an eternity. She spends every day waiting for Wednesday to walk through the door, hopefully with a pile of notes to tell her what’s been taking her so long to get back to her. The only good the time apart does is help Enid slowly stuff her crush deep down inside of her, trying to lock it away for good, wanting her only problem to be figuring out how she’s going to be spending senior year all alone.
She wonders if maybe Eugene’s woken up and she’s spending time with him, which Enid would honestly be happy to hear. But her mom mentions that he’s still in a coma at dinner one night, and Enid felt too sick to finish her food that she had to excuse herself.
Enid’s starting to grow impatient. With Wednesday not showing up, with being grounded, with none of this alien stuff making any sense. She stares at the sticky note on the cash register that she’s left with the letters that she’s yet to figure out. Enid has to admit that she’s starting to lose hope, that all of this is a waste of time and eventually, she has a feeling it might not end well, she just doesn’t know or want to think how that might be. She just hopes that her and Wednesday will at least get along enough to where they can say hi to one another in the hallways at school.
Of course just as Enid thinks she should start finding other ways to entertain herself over the summer is when Wednesday bursts through the door.
“Wednesday,” Enid exclaims, genuinely surprised that she’s here, “Long time no see, did you go on another vacation-”
“We need to change our whole approach to all of this,” Wednesday cuts her off, slamming her hands on the counter, “Instead of waiting for the aliens to come to us, we go to them.”
Enid scoffs, even if she’s eager to see what Wednesday’s about to say. “Space travel seems ambitious even for you.”
“I’m talking about sending a signal to them,” Wednesday explains, a finger pressing down onto the counter hard, “We tell them that if they want to make contact, they can come to us.”
“And you’re going to do that, how, exactly?”
Wednesday pulls out a map from her bag, pointing to a red circle drawn in sharpie.
“There’s an old radio tower near the Gates mansion that I believe we can tap into,” she says, more determined than ever, “I was hoping we could go check it out after your shift ends.”
“Well, that is in twenty minutes,” Enid sighs, and she can feel herself falling right back down the rabbit hole she was so close to climbing out of.
Wednesday’s got that same smirk on her face the last time they were planning an outing. “Perfect timing,” she says, and Enid hates how she finds herself smirking right back.
- - -
“It really looks like it’s going to rain,” Enid says as she opens Wednesday’s door for her. There are dark clouds gathering and a stillness in the air. Enid can feel the pressure hurting her ears as they stare down the tower in the distance.
“Did you not bring a jacket?” Wednesday asks, and Enid shakes her head.
“Well, I didn’t think I’d be out here right now.”
“It shouldn’t be long,” Wednesday explains, holding out her map and making sure they’re heading in the right direction. Enid follows mindlessly behind her, glancing warily up at the sky every few minutes. “We’re just going to scope out the tower and see what we’ll need to prepare.”
They walk for a bit, through some shrubs and dead grass and squeeze through a broken fence. Honestly, Enid thinks this plan is a complete long-shot, but maybe it might just be the wake up call that Wednesday needs to take a break from all of this since Enid can tell it’s stressing her out. Her hair is a bit messier than usual and the bags under her eyes seem to be darker, but Enid thinks that maybe she looks different because it’s been a while since she’s seen her last.
Eventually, they get to the base of the tower. Wednesday picks the lock to the gate surrounding it, but Enid stops before following her inside.
“I swear I just felt a raindrop,” Enid gasps, squinting up at the sky. It looks angry now, Enid growing anxious.
“You’re imagining things,” Wednesday calls, already having pried open the tower’s control panel to get a look. Enid hovers over her shoulder, trying to figure out what they could possibly do to turn it into an outer-space telephone with the stuff she has back at the shop.
Then, Enid swears she feels another raindrop hit her shoulder. “Okay, it is totally about to rain!” she exclaims, but Wednesday ignores her, writing notes down and mumbling to herself. Enid looks back up at the sky, and soon, more and more raindrops are falling, growing harder by the second. Finally, Wednesday gets the hint, realizing Enid’s taken off back to the car.
“Ugh, I just did my hair last night!” Enid groans, trying to cover her head as best as she can as she runs through the weeds and ducks through the fence. Wednesday’s right on her heels, shielding her notes under her arm. They jump back into the car and slam their doors, both of them taking a second to catch their breath.
“I told you it was gonna rain,” Enid huffs, “Now we’re soaked.”
“My notes are intact,” Wednesday says, holding them up to double check, “That’s more important than being drenched.”
Of course, Enid can tell that Wednesday is still a bit annoyed, a scowl on her face and her bangs plastered to her forehead in a way that Enid finds a bit adorable.
“How about we go back to my place and dry off?" Enid suggests, and Wednesday tilts her head at her.
“Your parents wouldn’t mind?”
“They’re not home. My whole family is in Greece for the week visiting relatives.”
“And you didn’t go?”
“I’m grounded, remember?” Enid says, and the forced grin on her face makes Wednesday’s heart drop. She hates being reminded that Enid’s life isn’t as sunny as she is. She doesn’t get how even her own family seems to push her to the side without a second thought.
“Alright,” Wednesday says, hoping she won’t regret it, “If you insist.”
- - -
Wednesday’s not sure what to expect when she gets to Enid’s house. With the way Enid’s talked about her family, she imagines some kind of sinister looking mansion at the end of the street with a dead lawn and vultures circling above. But the house she pulls up to looks like every other suburban two-story in town, with a white picket fence and cheery Welcome sign hanging on the front door.
But Enid’s room is exactly how Wednesday would have pictured it. There are posters scattered across the walls, one of Star Wars and one of the Forty-Niners and another of Tears for Fears. There’s a hockey stick next to a bright pink skateboard in the corner and a radio on her desk and glow in the dark stars covering the ceiling. Her bed is covered in so many stuffed animals that there’s barely any space to sit and there’s a faint smell of strawberries and cinnamon in the air. It’s all so Enid, and Wednesday finds herself relaxed at the sight.
“Sorry about the mess,” Enid says shyly, “I didn’t think I’d have anyone over.”
Wednesday shakes her head, her way of telling her that she’s not bothered at all.
“You can use my bathroom and I can throw your stuff in the dryer,” Enid tells her, pointing to a door that’s cracked open across the room. She goes to dig through her closet and holds up a San Francisco Giants shirt and a pair of sweatpants that say JERICHO HOCKEY on the side.
“Here. You can change into this while we wait. These are like, the few black things I own.”
Enid’s grin goes from ear to ear, and Wednesday takes it with a nod. Enid finds a towel for her too, saying to just toss whatever she wants dried into the hall, and tells her she’s going to go change in her brother’s bathroom.
Wednesday shuts the door and locks it, but she still feels so exposed right now. She’s holding Enid’s shirt in her hands, trying not to overthink how personal it all feels. She could have simply asked Enid to take her home and not have to be here right now. But even if Wednesday feels out of place, she doesn’t feel uncomfortable. For some reason, being here with Enid feels safe.
Wednesday snaps herself out of her thoughts and changes into Enid’s spare clothes, taking out her braids to dry her hair off. She wonders if Enid is back yet, a bit nervous to open the door and have her see her like this because she can count the number of people who have seen her hair down on one hand.
Enid’s not in her room when Wednesday peeks her head out, so she throws her wet clothes into the hallway and goes to sit on the edge of Enid’s bed. She gets to braiding her hair, but doesn’t find herself rushing at all. She hears footsteps in the hallway and someone shuffling up the stairs and figures Enid must be on her way back.
Wednesday hears the footsteps stop outside of the door and looks up to see Enid standing there, watching her with eyes as wide as the moon. She quickly clears her throat when she realizes she’s staring.
“Um. We just got a new dryer so it shouldn’t be long,” she stammers, and Wednesday can feel the nervousness from across the room.
“Do you mind helping me?” Wednesday asks, and Enid’s nodding her head so fast it hurts.
“Uh, not at all.” She walks over to the radio on her dresser. “Is it cool if I put on some music?”
Enid’s only doing it to help drown out the thoughts in her head seeing Wednesday with her hair down. She doesn’t think it was possible for her to find Wednesday any more beautiful, and yet here she is, sitting in her room in her clothes and she has to bite her lip to keep herself from passing out.Thankfully, Wednesday nods back at her, and Enid flicks the radio on, Drive by The Cars playing from where she left off last.
She sits down on her bed slowly, close enough to reach Wednesday’s hair but not too close that she’s in her space. Enid’s hands are shaking as she takes Wednesday’s hair as gently as she can, afraid to mess up. She’s braided her own hair thousands of times, but this time she’s doing it for a girl who she’s absolutely head over heels for. Enid just can’t believe that Wednesday Addams, the girl who she used to think was a serial killer, is letting her do this for her. Enid thinks it has to mean something more than this investigation. She wants it to.
“I noticed your skateboard,” Wednesday says as Enid holds her breath, “Pugsley has the same one. Although his is black.”
“Ajax got that for me,” Enid says quietly, “Haven’t ridden it since we broke up.”
That feels like a lifetime ago now. Enid thinks about how these past few months with Wednesday have given her more of a rush than any of those years she spent with Ajax and now her stomach is doing flips.
“I never asked how you were doing after that,” Wednesday asks, trying to keep Enid talking because the words in the song playing are getting to her too much. “You two were together for a while.”
“I’m fine,” Enid clenches her jaw, “It needed to happen.”
Wednesday finishes up her braid. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s just. I don’t know,” Enid says, although she does know why. She’s just trying to convince herself that everything is fine, that this crush will pass. “It didn’t feel right. I was wasting his time.”
Wednesday leans closer towards Enid, just a bit, so she’s not reaching too far to hold her hair. “He’s foolish to break up with someone like you.”
“But it wasn’t him,” Enid shakes her head, dropping her finished braid, “It was me. It always seems to be me. Something is wrong with me,” Enid mumbles, and she’s biting her lip so hard it hurts. She keeps her eyes on the floor, clothes strewn all over. Everything about her life seems to be a mess, she’s in love with a girl, a girl who she knows won’t love her back. “I mean, even the aliens didn’t want me.”
“None of that is true,” Wednesday scolds, and Enid frowns even though hearing Wednesday say that means more to her than anything. “You must have been exceptional if they thought you were worth abducting.”
“Not exceptional enough. They must have found something wrong after they experimented on me and dumped me back on Earth.”
Her shoulders slump over, and she can feel Wednesday staring back at her.
“They experimented on you?” she asks, and Enid winces when she’s reminded of what Wednesday’s actually interested in.
“I think so,” Enid says with a huff, “I have scars from something.”
She finally glances up and over at Wednesday, whose face is inches from hers. Enid quickly turns around and pulls her hair up.
“Here. Look. They’re on my neck.”
Enid holds her breath, grits her teeth, feels her head spin as she can feel the bed move, Wednesday hovering behind her as she examines Enid’s scars.
“Fascinating,” she whispers, “Barely half an inch apart. Slightly raised from your skin. Almost indelible.”
“Indelible?”
“You’ve had them for years, yet they still look fresh. Like they’re permanently imprinted.”
Indelible, Enid thinks, and she remembers that nine-letter word in her crossword puzzle that seemed to elude her. It seems she’s found the answer.
“Do you mind if I feel them?” Wednesday asks after a moment of silence, and Enid’s words are caught in her throat.
“Sure,” she says, almost forgetting how to talk, and she feels herself freeze once Wednesday’s fingers drift over the skin on her neck.
“Are you alright?” Wednesday asks, “Does me touching your scars elicit any sort of feeling or reaction?”
Enid draws a shaky breath, feeling like she’s going to be sick. “Ah. No. Nothing,” she says quickly, and finally Wednesday pulls away.
“You just seemed tense, is all,” Wednesday replies, looking back at her with a curious glint in her eyes. “I thought perhaps you were remembering something about the abduction.”
Enid just shakes her head to that, and Wednesday’s still got her eyes locked on her, still looking like she has more questions to ask.
“What did the police say about your scars?”
“The police don’t know about them,” Enid shrugs, giving Wednesday an uneasy smile. “Nobody does. You’re the only one who’s seen them.”
Hearing that seems to make Wednesday’s determined look drop, replaced by something much more softer. The rain is falling down outside and tapping against the window and Enid realizes just how intimate the moment is, just the two of them seeing each other in ways nobody else has.
Then, the buzzer of the dryer goes off, and Enid finds herself pulling away, not even realizing how close their faces had gotten.
“Oh. Your clothes are done. I’ll go get them,” she says, jumping up and rushing out the door in a hurry. She stops at the bottom of the stairs, trying to catch her breath, trying to tell herself that she was just seeing things, that Wednesday was only looking at her like that because she must have realized that Enid has grown more valuable to her investigation.
She piles Wednesday’s clothes into her arms and makes her way back up the stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. She hesitates outside of the door for a moment, feeling like she should be allowed to go into her own room. Then Enid hears a creak of a floorboard that tells her Wednesday’s no longer on her bed, and so she forces herself back inside.
“Here you go,” Enid mumbles with a handful of clothes, and Wednesday takes them from her gingerly.
“Thank you,” Wednesday says, staring at her like Enid’s seen a ghost. She takes longer than expected to change, and Enid wonders if she’s overthinking what just happened too.
“Well, I suppose that means it’s time for me to head out,” Wednesday announces once she’s done, back in her own jacket and jeans.
And as much as Enid needs the space, as much as she wants to bury her head into pillows and scream, she wants to think that Wednesday felt something too. She wants to believe that maybe if the aliens didn’t want her, at least Wednesday would.
“You sure you don’t wanna stick around?” Enid asks, trying to sound hopeful. “We can stay here and plan for the radio tower.”
Wednesday shakes her head. “We can save that for another time. It’s been a long day.”
“Do you at least want a ride home?”
“There’s no need. The rain seems to be letting up,” Wednesday glances over her shoulder. “I'll let you enjoy your alone time.”
She takes a breath and gives Enid one of her nods before Enid can even walk her out.
Enid’s left standing there in her room, ears ringing, suddenly feeling like she’s stranded out in the middle of nowhere, drifting among the stars, alone like she knew she’d always be.
- - -
The skies stay cloudy and the rain comes down for another week. Enid thinks it’s fitting because it’s exactly how she feels inside, her mood dull and her thoughts stormy.
She replays that moment in her room over and over in her head, but Enid knows she’s imagining things. Just like how she must have imagined those lights and being abducted because she knows none of it was ever real. If Wednesday cared about her for more than just being tied to her investigation, then she would have stayed. She would have stayed and spent time with Enid because she actually wanted to.
Enid sucks in a breath as she mindlessly fills out an old crossworld puzzle she hadn’t finished, the last one in her book. Rain drums on the door of the shop as she sees the last word she has left is nine letters long and describes something that’s permanently imprinted.
She feels the scars on the back of her neck ache, remembering Wednesday’s hands tracing over them, how she had described them as indelible.
Enid writes it down, thinking about how Wednesday has left this mark on her that isn’t going to go away anytime soon. She tosses the puzzle book on the counter where it rustles the sticky note stuck on the cash register with those mysterious letters scribbled across it.
Enid’s starting to think that those letters mean nothing too, that she’s just desperate to find meaning in anything these days because nothing seems to make any sense anymore.
Enid sighs and leans back into her chair, staring at the door. Part of her wants Wednesday to walk through them, because Enid’s gotten so used to having her around even if it drives her insane. But part of her hopes that she never sees Wednesday again, because it hurts her so much to be in her orbit when she knows she’ll never be able to reach her.
Of course, that is the exact moment the doors to the store burst open, rain flying in, Wednesday striding over to her like it’s just another day.
“The weather is supposed to clear up soon,” Wednesday says, and Enid just stares back at her, wondering if she’s imagining this too. “I say we try our luck at the radio tower.”
Enid studies Wednesday’s face, trying to see if she’s acting differently, if that night changed her like it changed Enid. But she looks as gloomy and stern as ever.
“Are you sure about this?” Enid asks, the doubt in her having doubled over the past few weeks, trying to stuff down the curiosity in her that seems to make an appearance whenever Wednesday is around.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“And then what happens when it doesn’t work?” Enid says wearily, “What are you gonna do next?”
Wednesday squints her eyes at her, not wanting to back down from Enid’s challenge. “I have full confidence that we’ll be successful,” she says confidently as she pulls out a page of notes. “Now. Here’s the list of equipment we’ll need.”
Enid’s eyes skim down the page that she takes from Wednesday. She’s already made sure to keep all of the things they’d need in stock, so it doesn’t take them long to gather it all.
As Enid checks everything out, Wednesday can see the unease on her face.
“Enid,” she says, and her tone is so soft it gets Enid to look up at her, with concern. “Do you not trust me?”
She’d trust Wednesday with her life, even if she knows it’s a bad idea. She thinks it’s funny that Wednesday even felt the need to ask.
“I do. This is just, real big is all,” she mutters, “Like, you’d change the world if this works.”
It would change her world the most though, because she’s sure that it would be the end of them hanging out ever again. Wednesday just smirks confidently.
“That’s the goal.”
Enid grins back, and her eyes go back down to bagging the equipment and she doesn’t see Wednesday notice how her smile is forced.
“Alright,” Enid sighs, handing the bags over to Wednesday. “Then let’s plan for tomorrow night.”
- - -
Enid comes by Wednesday’s house a bit before midnight, the rain having let up not long before. She’s forgotten her cassette tape, so she settles on a radio station playing Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode as Wednesday slides into the passenger seat. Enid grips the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turn white, not even bothering to take her eyes off of the road to see what Wednesday’s doing. She doesn’t see Wednesday stealing glances at her, wanting to ask if she’s alright before biting her tongue.
Enid parks her car outside the broken down fence, but as she helps Wednesday out, she notices a sign hanging that she doesn’t remember from the last time they were there.
“Wait. Private property?” she reads, and now her heart starts to race, “Was that there before? Did you know about that?”
She spins around to face Wednesday, who’s got a flashlight out and doesn’t look concerned at all.
“I did. But we won’t get caught. Just stick to the shadows and follow my lead.”
Enid swallows nervously, irritated that Wdnesday doesn't seem concerned. “I don’t know about this Wednesday.”
“You’ve already broken into a police station,” Wednesday tells her, “What’s the difference?”
She doesn’t wait for Enid to answer, ducking under the broken fence and heading into the bushes. Enid takes a breath and follows, although she can feel the blood rushing in her ears.
Enid feels like they’re being watched, but not by something extraterrestrial. She swears she hears something in the distance, twigs on the ground snapping that aren’t them. But she just keeps her eyes on Wednesday as they finally reach the control panel of the tower, holding her flashlight up for her so she can see while she works.
There’s a metallic taste in Enid’s mouth, but she can’t tell if it’s actually there or just her anxiety skyrocketing. She glances down at Wednesday, who’s still working, and that’s when they hear a voice out in the dark.
“Who’s out there?” the voice shouts, deep and gritty, and Enid freezes up. She quickly shuts her flashlight off and Wednesday curses. Enid can see the outline of man in the trees, not far off.
“This is property of the Gates family!” the man says, “And I’m not afraid to shoot!”
Enid’s eyes go wide, and the man fires off a warning shot that scatters the birds that were asleep in the trees.
“Wednesday!” Enid grabs her shoulder and shakes her. Wednesday just swats her away.
“I’m almost finished,” Wednesday says through gritted teeth, plugging in a wire that makes the tower buzz to life. Wednesday stands back in awe, but it just spooks the man with the gun, and he fires again so close to the two of them that they have to drop to the ground.
“What are you up to?” he calls, and Wednesday finds herself grabbing Enid’s arm, moving in front to be between her and the man.
“What do we do?” Enid whispers frantically, Wednesday holding her breath as the man looks around for them. Enid shakes her again. “Wednesday.”
“Let me think,” Wednesday mumbles, brushing her hair out of her face when she gets an idea. She unties one of the bands around her braid and pops her head up to get a better look at the man and the bushes he’s standing in front of.
“What are you doing?” Enid asks, trying to yank Wednesday back down.
Wednesday looks down at her with panic in her eyes. “When I shoot this, we make a run for it.”
“A hair tie against a shotgun?” Enid exclaims, “Are you crazy?”
The man takes a step towards them, his shotgun glinting in the moonlight.
“We don’t have any other options,” Wednesday says, and Enid realizes she’s right, because the moment they try to move any more, he’ll spot them and blow them to pieces.
Wednesday raises up just enough to stay hidden, and she aims her hair tie at the clump of bushes just like Enid had done back in the police station and lets it fly.
“What was that?” the man growls, whipping around, and Wednesday yanks Enid to her feet.
“Go, go!” she shouts, and they both take off back through the grass. The man spots them now, cursing at them, and a stray shot lands so close to Enid’s feet that she stumbles into the dirt.
Wednesday feels her heart drop as she reaches down to grab her, afraid that she’s been hurt. It reminds her of that time when she had her headache, how Wednesday was so caught off guard and terrified of seeing her in pain and how it made her feel helpless.
“Are you okay?” she asks, but Enid pushes her away and stands up on her own.
“Just run!” she shouts, and it’s not frantic, but angry and it scares Wednesday enough to listen.
They finally get to Enid’s car, the man not as fast as them, and Enid peels off so quickly her tires burn into the pavement.
The radio is the only sound in the car as Enid drives them back, but Wednesday knows it’s not one of the songs on her tape. She recognizes it though, because Pugsley’s played it before. Never Tear Us Apart by INXS. Wednesday wonders if Enid will make a comment about it like she usually does, but she doesn’t seem to care.
Wednesday just tries to catch her breath, wanting to ask Enid if she’s okay again, but the fire in Enid’s eyes tells her that she doesn’t want to talk. Instead, she just looks at the readings on the transmitter she’s cobbled together to give her readings from the tower’s broadcast, but it seems even more scrambled than the thoughts in her head.
When Enid parks her car at the end of the Addams driveway, she’s out of her seat in a flash, opening Wednesday’s door so fast it almost falls off its hinges. But Wednesday stays glued to her seat.
“I don’t think the message sent,” Wednesday says, staring down at her transmitter. She’s waiting to see what Enid says, but then she notices that Enid is waiting for her to get out.
“The signal doesn’t seem to be broadcasting,” Wednesday says again, finally getting up to show Enid, “We’ll have to go back.”
Enid doesn’t even bother to look. “I’m not doing that again,” she says, but she doesn’t sound worried or unsure. She’s upset. Wednesday tries to ignore it, shaking her head
“But at least this time, we can have a better plan-“
“There isn’t gonna be a next time!” Enid shouts, and now Wednesday’s paying attention, “You lied to me and put both of us in danger for your silly science experiment!”
“Enid-“
“That’s the only reason you hang out with me right? Because I’m useful to you? Not because you actually like me?”
Wednesday can see Enid’s eyes glazing over with tears, the bright blue now burnt out.
“Enid, you’re very important to helping me prove that aliens are-
“Aliens aren’t real, Wednesday! And I guess neither was the hope of us being friends.”
Enid slams the car door behind Wednesday shut, and she’s driving off so fast her engine almost gives out.
Wednesday’s left standing alone, the stars above her seeming to twinkle a little less brighter than usual.
- - -
Enid hasn’t dreamt of galaxies in a while. Most of that is probably because she hasn’t gotten much sleep in the past few days. It’s hard when all she can think about is how everything she thought about Wednesday was true. She didn’t care about her. She just cared that she would agree to do whatever she needed like some lap dog.
She calls out sick to work because she’s so tired and her head has been aching non-stop. She just blames it on the lack of sleep. Not on some otherworldly force even though she swears all she can taste is metal and feel how the scars on the back of her neck seem to tingle.
Enid just accepts that she’s going to be alone this school year, and even beyond that, shunned by the girl who was shunned by everyone else. Her family notices her moping around but they don’t care to ask what’s wrong, her mother only telling her that if she’s going to spend all day in her room, she might as well clean it.
They all leave without her over the weekend to go camping one last time before school starts, and Enid finds herself alone once again. But she figures her mom is right for once and decides cleaning her room will be a good distraction.
She doesn’t turn on her radio because all she’ll think of is Wednesday again, with her freckles that look like constellations and gaze as deep and dark as the universe Enid found comfort in dreaming of. She shakes the thought out of her head and starts to sift through the pile of clothes on the floor.
Enid stops when she pulls out the San Francisco Giants shirt that Wednesday had worn, and now the dull ache that’s been lingering in her head for days starts to grow. She’s about to toss it to the side when her radio turns on by itseld, cycling randomly between all of her favorite songs and blasts of static before settling on Just Like Heaven.
Enid remembers telling Wednesday that one day, she hoped to have someone in mind when she heard it. And now, she does.
Her head aches even more now, and images of the bluff flash in her mind, like something is telling her to go there. Enid can’t ignore it, how the feeling tugs at her gut and almost puts her in a trance, so she changes out of her pajamas and races out the door, into the endless night.
- - -
Wednesday had stayed standing out in her driveway for what felt like eons, watching Enid’s tail lights until they faded into the dark. The transmitter in her hand had buzzed, signaling the connection had failed completely, but Wednesday could care less. All she could think about was how betrayed Enid had sounded when she slammed that car door and took off, how she realized that all of this meant much more to Enid than she could have imagined.
She had stayed up every night since then, going over her notes again and again to find what she had missed, trying to figure out what wasn’t making sense. But Enid was everywhere in her writing. She had written down every song Enid said was her favorite and found a confetti cupcake recipe for her birthday and had her work schedule written down in between the endless theories in her pages.
Wednesday realized that she owed Enid an apology. She didn’t want Enid to think that she didn’t care about her at all when in reality, her feelings for Enid had grown into a full blown supernova, too much to contain anymore. That night in Enid’s room had titled her off of her axis and made her realize she needed to steer herself back on track and finish her investigation before she dug herself into too deep of a hole.
The ache that had been growing in Wednesday’s head since that night seems to have gotten worse by the time the weekend came around. She doesn’t know why, but something is telling her to go out to the bluff, that the answers she’s looking for will be out there tonight.
She’s starving, and she figures part of the reason why her head hurts is because she hasn’t eaten all day, so she steals a bag of Pugsley’s gummy worms from the kitchen and heads out into the night.
Her feet ache by the time she reaches the top of the bluff, sky shimmering above her. The stars are endless, and Wednesday just sits and stares up at them and asks for whatever’s out there to at least give her some sign that maybe her and Enid will talk to one another again because she has so much she still wants to say.
“Wednesday?” a familiar voice calls out from behind her, as if on cue, and Wednesday spins around to see Enid’s silhouette in the dark.
“Enid? What are you doing here?” she asks, clutching the bag of gummy worms tight.
“Looking for you,” Enid shrugs, “At least, that’s what it seems like I was supposed to do.”
Wednesday’s just staring back at her, wondering if maybe she’s fallen asleep and this is some strange dream because Enid seems to be glowing in the moonlight.
“My head started to hurt,” Enid explains, “And then my radio turned on by itself. It started switching between songs until I got the hint.”
She’s biting her lip like Wednesday’s come to notice she does when she’s nervous. Her fists are balled in her sweater sleeves and Wednesday can see that she doesn’t look as upset as she did a few days ago, at least for now.
“What about you?” she asks, and her eyes dart to the bag of gummy worms in Wednesday’s hands, “I don’t see your camcorder. Are you not out here for your footage?”
Wednesday swallows hard. “My head started to hurt as well,” she says slowly, “I thought it was because of the lack of sleep with how much I’ve stayed up trying to figure out a way to apologize to you. And then something told me to come out here.”
She glances at the ground, and then back up to Enid, whose eyes are now a deep, dark blue like the night sky above them.
“I’m sorry Enid. I never meant to lie to you or put you in danger or make you feel so expendable, because that’s the last thing you’d ever be to me.”
Wednesday takes a breath. Now that the words have left her mouth, they start to spill out all at once.
“I tried to just focus on my investigation. I tried to ignore the way you made me feel because it terrified me to my core to feel this way about anyone. But something about you draws me to you. You’re like a black hole.”
She grits her teeth, the admission burning her throat. She expects Enid to be offended, but she laughs softly, a tiny smile curling at the edge of her lips. “I know that’s a compliment coming from you.”
Now, Wednesday feels a bit of relief, Enid’s grin being a calming sight. But she still feels so terrible about everything she’s gotten them into.
“I understand if you want nothing to do with me anymore,” she mumbles, "I almost got you killed and acted like it was nothing. I can finish this investigation on my own and stop being a nuisance to you if that’s what you’d like.”
Enid’s grin slowly drops to a frown. “I wouldn’t like that at all, actually,” she says, voice raspy, and Wednesday’s staring back at her, eyebrows knit tight.
“I don’t feel lonely when I’m with you” Enid says quietly, “You actually made me feel seen. I want to keep solving mysteries with you.” She swallows when she realizes just how close they’ve seemed to have gotten. “As long as we’re honest with each other.”
Wednesday thinks this is what it feels like to be sucked into space. Frozen and unable to breathe, because Enid’s looking down at her with so much hope and wonder in her eyes. She’s never kissed anyone before, it’s something that’s never even crossed her mind, but now, she finds herself drawn to Enid, eyes flicking to her lips, and she can tell Enid’s thinking the same.
But before either one of them can move, suddenly they’re engulfed in a blinding light. They both shield their faces as something rises up from below the bluff above them. Wednesday’s eyes go wide when she sees the outline of a ship, its lights blinking bright and a wind coming from it that blows that rustles the grass at her feet. She turns to Enid, who is in just as much awe as she is, colorful hair whipping around in a frenzy. A grin spreads across Enid’s face, and she’s surprised to see Wednesday do the same, Enid starting to break out into laughter that this is actually happening right now.
And then, the ship is gone, flying off into the night like it was never there. Wednesday and Enid are still in shock, fascination on both of their faces realizing what they’ve both seen. But now, Wednesday isn’t mad that she hasn’t gotten footage of it, because Enid’s dipping down and pulling her in for a kiss.
Enid thinks this is what the Big Bang must have felt like, an explosion of light and warmth and color all at once. She’s buzzing, on fire, the scars on the back of her neck tingling but this time, she knows nothing’s wrong.
The kiss doesn’t last long, but it finally feels like the stars have aligned, both of them pulling away with their foreheads pressed together as they try to come down from everything that’s just happened in a matter of seconds.
“Hey. Wait,” Enid mumbles, “I didn’t have a headache this time.”
She’s confused, wondering what it could mean, and Wednesday’s already trying to come up with a reason when she sees Enid’s eyes go wide. Wednesday’s terrified thinking that all of the euphoria she’s just experienced is about to be ripped away in an instant.
“Enid, what’s wrong?”
“We have to go,” Enid says, sounding panicked, backing away from Wednesday.
“What?”
“Eugene,” Enid says, “Eugene, he’s awake. C’mon!”
She takes off back down the bluff, Wednesday grabbing her bag of gummy worms and chasing after her.
“Enid, wait!” she calls, catching up to her just as she gets to her car. “How do you even know this?”
“They told me,” she says, pointing up at the sky, “They told me he’s awake.”
“But- how-”
Enid’s breathing heavily, a cheeky grin on her face. “I know it sounds crazy. But you said you like crazy.”
Wednesday knows she’s right, and now there’s a hopeful buzz growing in her chest. They climb into the car and head straight to the hospital, and Eugene’s moms are the first people they see when they arrive.
“Wednesday. Enid,” one of them says, a smile on her face, that tells them they have good news. “What perfect timing.”
- - -
Enid lets Wednesday have some time alone with Eugene, not wanting to overwhelm him. She hangs out in the hallway, staring at all of the charts on the wall, eyes caught by the calendar outside of Eugene’s room. The date reads August 12th, and Enid counts the letters on her fingers.
August 12th. 12. The letter L.
Enid’s got that string of letters memorized by now, having stared at that sticky note for days on end. She stares at the ground for a second, trying to slot the L into one of the phrases she had written down, trying to figure out what new words she could make with it. She’s about to grab a piece of paper when she realizes what the message is, the taste of metal faint on her tongue.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
She’s grinning to herself, something in her telling her that it’s right, that it's what she's meant to have learned. And as she hovers in the doorway watching Wednesday catch Eugene up on their adventures with a smirk on her face, she realizes that no, she’s not alone anymore at all.
- - -
After Eugene wakes up, three things happen.
First, the sheriff retires, and his replacement decides to give the police station a makeover. During that makeover, they uncover a tape under a filing cabinet, a tape that has footage that clearly shows Xavier Thorpe’s car committing a hit and run on the night of May 14th, 1989. And since the new Sheriff could care less about Vincent Thorpe, she gets the footage submitted and Xaiver finally gets charged for what he did. Even his father can’t save him this time.
Second, Wednesday’s car finally gets fixed in time for the new school year. But she doesn’t drive it all, choosing to ride with Enid instead, even if the handle on the inside of her passenger door is still jammed.
And third, Jericho’s high school finally gets an official Cryptid Club. Principal Weems receives the following letter on her desk on the first day of school:
To whom it may concern,
Please accept this as the formal application for the Cryptid Club to become an officially recognized club at Jericho High School. The Cryptid Club serves to investigate the strange and unusual and create a space for its members to feel safe to question the unknown. We plan to meet on Wednesday afternoons from 3pm to 4pm in the library.
Our four members and their years are as listed, in alphabetical order by last name:
Pugsley Addams, 9
Wednesday Addams, 12
Eugene Ottinger, 10
Enid Sinclair, 12
Morbidly,
Wednesday Addams, Club President