[Shack Later That Night]
[Wednesday POV]
Enid led me to a shack hidden deep in the school. "This is where Percy and Xavier hide their drawings," she whispered. "Sometimes he brings me here… to have some fun."
Was that meant to make me jealous? Her tone carried too much sweetness, too much pride. I glanced at the shack — crooked wood, walls threatening to collapse at any moment. I'll have to ask him to bring me here as well, if only to overwrite her claim.
I pulled out my phone and messaged Perseus, telling him to find a way to bring Rowan to the shack. His reply came back instantly: a single emoji. No explanation, no questions.
I would never admit it aloud, but I liked that about him — the way he supported me without hesitation, without demanding reasons.
[Rowan POV]
Perseus sent me a message, asking me to meet him at the shack. He said he and Xavier needed help hanging some paintings with my telekinetic gift.
My stomach twisted the moment I read it. Did he know? Did he somehow find out what I'd done a few days ago? No… I'd hidden it too well. And this wasn't the first time he'd asked me for help, either.
Even if he did know, Perseus would understand. He always did. Once I explained the visions of my mother, the warnings of the future that awaited us if we didn't stop her, he would see reason. He had to.
The shack door groaned as I pushed it open. Dust swirled in the stale air, catching in my throat. "Perseus? Xavier? I'm here."
But the room was not empty.
She stood in the center, waiting.
Wednesday Addams. Pale, posture sharp, her face carved into a smile too thin, too wrong. A smile that belonged in nightmares.
"Rowan," she said, voice low and almost pleasant. "How thoughtful of you to deliver yourself."
My breath caught. Instinctively I raised my hand, willing my gift to snap her against the wall, but something heavy shifted behind me. A flash of pain burst through my skull. The world went black.
When I opened my eyes again, ropes cut into my wrists. A chair groaned beneath me. Metal pressed cold against my skin, humming faintly, and every time I reached for my power it slipped away like water through fingers.
The ropes bit deeper the more I struggled. My hands were slick, skin rubbed raw. The heat of the metal grew worse each time I strained, burning me alive from the inside out.
"Struggling won't help."
Her voice was calm, almost bored. Wednesday stepped into the dim light, pale as bone, eyes bottomless. She didn't look at me like I was human. She looked at me like I was something on her dissection table.
Enid hovered near the wall, claws out but trembling, refusing to meet my eyes.
Wednesday tilted her head. "Why did you try to kill him?"
Not if. Not maybe. Just why.
"I didn't— I swear, I didn't mean…" My words tangled, panic choking them.
"You pushed the gargoyle," she cut me off. "You aimed for Perseus. My fiancé."
The word struck like a hammer. Fiancé. Did she mean Perseus? I shook my head, frantic. "No! Not him! It wasn't him I wanted!"
She reached behind her back. When her hand came forward, blue sparks hissed in the shadows. A taser.
"Wait!" My voice cracked into a whimper. "It wasn't him! It was you!"
For the first time, she paused. The taser buzzed at her side, hungry.
"It was you," I forced out. "My mother—she left drawings. A prophecy. You'll destroy Nevermore. You'll kill us all. If you live, everything ends!"
Wednesday crouched, slow and deliberate, until her face was level with mine. The light caught her eyes, two black mirrors reflecting nothing back. Her lips curved into something thin and sharp.
"So you thought you'd play the hero," she whispered. "Murder the monster before the story begins."
Her smile widened. "How noble. Even willing to offer Perseus as collateral for your little prophecy."
The taser jabbed against my ribs. Electricity ripped through me. My body convulsed so hard I felt something tear in my shoulder. The scream ripped free of my throat before I could stop it.
She tilted her head, studying the way I shook as though I were a marionette dancing for her amusement.
Enid flinched, claws snapping back. "Wednesday…"
"Shut up," Wednesday hissed without looking at her.
My chest heaved. Tears burned my eyes. "Please! You don't understand! You'll bring ruin…"
Another jolt. My vision went white. My body jerked so violently the ropes carved trenches into my skin. The stink of singed hair filled my nose.
"How tragic," she said softly, watching the way I shook. "You thought you were saving the world. If destiny made you the hero, it chose poorly."
The taser vanished into her coat. In its place gleamed a scalpel, silver and merciless.
She trailed the blade along my cheek, slow enough to make my skin prickle before it broke. A thin line opened, hot blood dripping down my neck.
"Your mother should have drawn this instead," she murmured. "A picture of you bleeding."
I sobbed. My voice was broken. "Stop… please, stop—"
Her smile widened, delighted. Her scalpel hovered at my cheek again, then pressed, carving downward with excruciating slowness. Flesh lifted beneath the blade like wet parchment peeling away, nerves screaming with every drag. I howled, thrashing, but the ropes held. She tilted her head as if studying a canvas, her expression serene, almost curious.
"Tell me, Rowan," she whispered. "Why does your blood look so beautiful on my hands?"
I convulsed against the ropes, the chair shrieking beneath me as if it, too, felt the agony. My screams tore from my throat until they were nothing but ragged gasps.
Every instinct in me screamed the truth: Wednesday Addams wasn't human. She was a monster pretending to be one.
Enid finally stepped forward, voice cracking. "Wednesday, enough!"
Wednesday's eyes flicked up, venomous. "He tried to kill Perseus. Do you really want me to stop now? How much are you willing to do for him?"
She leaned close until her breath brushed my ear. Her face hovered between composure and hysteria, the line so thin it was terrifying.
"Please, Rowan. Scream for me. Break for me. If I'm destined to end the world, I might as well start with you."
************
Author Note:
I was looking at the Artwork section in the auxiliary chapter. There are a lot of new, beautiful pieces thanks to ZeeNovel and Cozbrough! Go check them out.
Also, enjoy the extra chapter.