Lila's Last Walk
Lila Rowan tugged her scarf tighter as she left the library. The air outside was sharp, each breath frosting the air like smoke. She glanced up at the sky, pale gray and endless, and felt the unease in her stomach deepen.
Her friends had told her not to walk alone. Nobody should walk alone anymore. But she had brushed them off with a small, nervous laugh. *It's just across the courtyard. What could happen in two minutes?*
She moved quickly, boots tapping against the stones. The iron gates stood ahead, black and cold against the mist.
She thought she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned—nothing. Just the courtyard, empty and silent.
Her pulse quickened. She started walking faster, clutching her books tight against her chest. She was almost at the stairwell when a chill swept down her spine, so sharp it made her breath catch.
The scarf slipped loose around her neck. She reached for it—
And then—nothing.
No sound. No scream. No shadow.
Only the scarf, fluttering as it snagged on the railing.
The Discovery
It was Rowan who found it. He had been hurrying to class when he noticed the flash of red against the gray stone. At first he thought it was just fabric someone had dropped. But when he touched it, cold dread spread through his chest.
It was Lila's scarf.
He knew it instantly.
Within minutes, the courtyard filled with shouting. Students clustered around, some crying, some yelling at each other, their fear boiling over. A teacher rushed to pull them back, but the sight of the scarf twisting in the wind was enough.
Lila was gone. Just like the others.
And this time, it had happened in the daylight.
The Fear Spreads
The school was chaos. Doors slammed, voices echoed, students ran through the halls like trapped animals. Nobody felt safe—not anymore.
Enid clutched her phone with trembling hands, though she had no one to call. Her eyes darted to every corner, every shadow.
Bianca's voice rang through the corridor, sharp and furious: "We can't keep pretending this is random! Someone here is doing this!"
Her words found willing ears. Students shouted in agreement, their fear twisting into anger. Names hissed in whispers. One name above all.
Wednesday.
The Assembly
The great hall was suffocating with noise. Students sat rigid, teachers lined the walls, and Principal Grieve stood at the front, her face pale but hard.
"Another student has vanished," she said, her voice steady despite the roar of whispers. "Investigators will arrive tomorrow. Until then, you will remain in pairs at all times. No exceptions. And you will obey curfew. This ends here."
But the room did not settle.
Voices shouted from the benches. "It's one of us!"
"They knew about Marcus!"
"She writes it before it happens!"
Wednesday sat in the middle of it all, her posture perfect, her hands folded on the table. Her dark eyes swept across the chaos, calm and detached, as though watching a play unfold.
Bianca rose to her feet, her face flushed, her voice trembling with rage. "It's her. Everyone knows it. She doesn't deny it!"
Gasps cut through the room.
Wednesday stood slowly, her movements precise. She turned her gaze on Bianca, her face unreadable, her voice calm.
"I do not deny it."
The room erupted. Students surged to their feet, shouting, pointing, some backing away from her in terror. The hall became a storm of voices.
"Get her out!"
"She's dangerous!"
"She's *enjoying* this!"
Xavier stepped forward, his face tight with anger. "You think this is a joke, Wednesday? You think you're clever? People are scared to sleep at night and you—"
"—tell the truth," Wednesday interrupted, her voice cold but soft enough to cut through the noise. "The world is cruel. It eats the weak. I simply describe the menu."
"Enough!" Principal Grieve's voice cracked like a whip. She slammed her hand against the table, silencing the room. Her eyes were locked on Wednesday, sharp and unyielding. "Miss Addams. You will remain under observation. You will go nowhere alone. And if I discover you are behind this…" Her voice dropped lower, darker. "I will end it. Personally."
The room shivered.
Wednesday tilted her head, her lips curving faintly into the suggestion of a smile. "Then I suggest you prepare for disappointment."
The words lingered like poison, burning long after the meeting ended.
Principal Grieve's Interrogation
That night, Grieve summoned Wednesday to her office. The firelight painted her face in sharp shadows as she gestured to the chair across from her desk.
Wednesday sat, her back straight, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"You enjoy this," Grieve said quietly, studying her. "The chaos. The fear. You sit in the middle of it like a spider in its web."
Wednesday's lips twitched faintly. "Spiders are efficient. They don't waste time chasing flies. They let the flies come to them."
Grieve leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Are you telling me that's what you're doing?"
Wednesday blinked slowly, then said, "I'm telling you nothing. You asked for clarity. I prefer shadows."
Grieve's jaw tightened. "Do you know who's behind this?"
"Yes," Wednesday said simply.
The principal's breath caught. "Then tell me."
Wednesday's eyes glimmered. "I just did."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Grieve realized, with a chill that sank deep into her bones, that the girl in front of her wasn't afraid. Not of her. Not of suspicion. Not of anything.
And that made her the most dangerous one of all.
Enid's Breaking Point
Enid sat curled on her bed, her blanket wrapped tight, her tears soaking into the fabric. She could still hear the students shouting, the fear in their voices, the anger.
And Wednesday. Calm. Cold. Admitting without admitting.
The *click-clack* of the typewriter started again.
Enid covered her ears, rocking slightly. "Please," she whispered. "Please, just stop."
The typing went on.
She stood, trembling, and crossed to the desk. She slammed her hand down on the keys. "I said *stop*! Don't you care? Don't you care at all about what's happening?"
Wednesday looked up at her, her dark eyes unblinking. Her voice was soft, almost tender. "Of course I care. Stories without witnesses are boring."
Enid's breath hitched. Her hands shook so badly she had to grip the desk to stay steady. "You're scaring me, Wednesday. You're… you're not the person I thought you were."
Wednesday rose slowly, stepping closer. Her face was calm, her eyes glimmering. "No, Enid. I'm exactly who I've always been. You just finally see it."
Enid stumbled back onto her bed, her body trembling, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to run. She wanted to scream. She wanted to leave.
But she didn't.
Because some part of her still couldn't let go of Wednesday Addams.
And that terrified her most of all.