"Cousin," Wednesday smirked. "You underestimate me, just like mother and father."

Ember shrugged. "Running away was always on the cards. We never specified going together."

"Wait, you're her cousin? The one with a steam powered guillotine?" Tyler had come round with Ember's quad, and was looking at Wednesday in her black uniform as if his eyes were going to pop out.

"You've been making friends," Wednesday commented, staring at Tyler as he disappeared back round the counter and she and Ember slipped into a booth beside the door.

"I fixed his coffee machine in return for a ride out of town," Ember explained. "But he doesn't get off for another hour, so we have to wait. How did you get here, anyway?"

"Thing escaped when you had that vision," Wednesday reiterated. "He got a ride back in a car and walked the rest of the way. I snuck here in a food delivery cart."

"Always the smart one," Ember rolled her eyes. "All we have to do is wait here for an hour then-"

"Yo, what're two Nevermore freaks doing out in the wild?"

Three boys clad in weird suit jackets, top hats with buckles, black polished buckled shoes, and leg warmers up to their knees had walked in.

One of them said. "This is our booth."

Ember studied them. "Why are you dressed like religious fanatics?"

The three boys looked amongst each other. "We're pilgrims."

"Potato, po-tah-to," Wednesday said, insinuating that they had no idea what they were.

"We work at Pilgrim World," the presumed leader snapped, slamming a flyer for 'Pilgrim World' on the table.

Ember looked at the leaflet. "It takes one of the most out of hand kinds of stupid to devote an entire theme park to people responsible for mass genocide."

"My dad owns Pilgrim World!" The leader spat at her. "Who you calling stupid?"

Ember looked up at him. "If the buckled, ugly, shoe fits."

"Guys, back off!" Before someone could strike, Tyler was coming through the crowd of boys.

"Stay outta this, Galpin!" One of the boys shouted.

"Yeah, stay outta this," Ember stood up, facing the guy who said his dad owned Pilgrim World.

He raised his eyebrows. "So tell me, freak, you ever been with a normie?"

"I've never found one that could keep up with me," Ember replied honestly.

Wednesday then stood up, going towards the boy. "Boo."

He stepped back.

"ARGH!" One of the boys went for Ember, but she grabbed his arm easily, kneeing him in the groin.

The leader tried to grab Wednesday, but the girl moved out the way and got his fellow boy, who extended a hand to punch Ember. The girl grabbed it easily, twisting it until it cracked.

"Aaahhh!"

She then threw the boy who she had by the arm into the leader, who tumbled to the floor, then slammed her bag into the other boy's face.

Wednesday took care of the last boy. He had taken several punches at her and she had dodged them all, kicking him in the face and making him tumble.

All three boys lay, in pain and groaning, on the floor.

Tyler was shocked. "Uh... where'd you learn the Kung Fu moves?"

"Our Uncle. He sent five years in a Tibetan Monastery," Wednesday answered.

"Was he a monk?" Tyler was confused.

"Prisoner," Ember said.

But before she could explain any further, another person came to join the party. He was clearly the sheriff of Jericho. Ember saw this with just his outfit; the plain shirt, giveaway hat and badge on his chest. But what she didn't expect was for Tyler to say. "Dad..."

The sheriff was his father.

"Tyler, what the hell's goin' on in here?" He asked, walking in, looking at the two girls. One in back. One in red.

"They were harassing a customer, and they put them in their place," Tyler said. Why is he covering for us? Ember thought. He hardly knows us.

The sheriff looked both girls up and down. "These little things took down three boys? Did you help her?"

"I find it funny you underestimate me," Ember replied coolly. "Your son couldn't even fix his own coffee machine."

The sheriff looked at Ember alone. "Tyler-"

And who should enter but Principal Weems.

"Oh, sorry, sheriff, these two slipped away from me!" She laughed, walking towards the two cousins. "Come on, Addams, time to go."

Ember gave the sheriff a glance before walking away-

"Hang on, hang on. Waiiit a minute, you're an Addams? Both of you?" He asked.

He looked at Ember. "Don't tell me Gomez Addams is your father?"

"He's mine," Wednesday answered.

"He's my uncle," Ember said, not breaking eye contact.

"Well, that man belongs behind bars for murder," the sheriff said, seeming angry. "Guessin' the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"These boys are just unconscious. But I could finish them off for you if you like." Ember said smoothly.

The sheriff was silent for a second, then said. "I'm gonna keep my eye on you. Both of you."

And so, stepping over one of the boys she had knocked out, Ember walked out of the cafe. Her escape plan had failed.

But she wasn't defeated.

Not yet.

❣︎❣︎❣︎

"Your first day and you're already on Sheriff Galpin's radar," Weems rolled her eyes, driving the car back to Nevermore. "Wish I could say I was surprised."

"What did he mean about my father?" Wednesday asked from the backseat.

"I have no idea, but a word of advice," Weems said sharply. "Stop making enemies and start making a few friends. You're gonna need them."

As they traveled along the road, suddenly, something came into view. An accident. And Ember knew she had seen it before.

A vision.

"Looks like an accident," Weems sighed. "I hope the driver's okay."

"He's dead," Ember spoke, unthinking. "Broke his neck."

"How can you tell at this angle?" Weems frowned.

Ember didn't answer.

And sure enough, as they passed the upturned car the driver had been in, his neck was broken. Blood ran down from it.

Ember subconsciously touched the raven broach Morticia had got her, almost glad when Weems got past the accident and they were driving on empty road again.

❣︎❣︎❣︎

That night, Ember played her violin whilst Thing turned the pages of the music. It was supposed to help her relax and feel better but it didn't really, and when she finished, and Thing asked her this, she replied.

"No, no I don't really feel any better. There's something wrong about this place. And not just because it's a school."

"Why the hell are you playing that out here?" Enid asked, coming out the window. Ember had just thought it felt right to come out of the half and half coloured window to play her music. She just felt more comfortable out there, under the pitch black sky, instead of Enid's colourful sanctuary.

"I prefer it out here, in the dark," Ember answered.

"Well, how did you even get that out here? I mean, it's a pretty small window? And plus, the music stand as well."

"I had an extra hand," Ember gestured to Thing, who gave a wave to Enid.

"Whoa," she said, half disgusted, half interested. "Where's the rest of him?"

"It's one of the great Addams family mysteries," Ember said, as Thing jumped down off the music stand and went over to Enid, who stared down at him. Again, the same way, but probably two thirds disgusted this time.

As werewolf howls were heard from below, Ember asked. "Are you going to wolf out? Because if so, I'll decide now if I want to spectate."

Enid pursed her lips and looked down. "I'm... not going to."

"Why?" Ember asked. "It's a full moon."

"Because..." Enid sighed. "Because I can't."

She showed Ember her sharp nails (or claws) again. "S'all I got."

She looked sad as she went over to the edge of the roof, leaning out over the wall. "My mum says some wolves are late bloomers, but I've been to the best lycanologist, I had to fly to Milwaukee, would you believe it?" She gave a dry scoff. "Yeah, she says there's a chance I may never... you know."

She trailed off. If Ember knew better, she would say she was about to cry, but she didn't. So she just walked forward and stood a metre away from Enid, also leaning over the wall.

"What happens then?"

"I'd become a lone wolf," Enid's voice went higher.

Ember considered it. "Sounds like the life I want."

"Are you kidding me?" Enid cried. "My life would officially be over! I'd be kicked out of my family pack with no prospect of finding a mate!"

"I'm not seeing the problem here," Ember said bluntly.

"I could die alone!" Enid sighed sadly.

Ember turned to her, fixing her ice cold gaze. Not even this was making her melt. "We all die alone, Enid."

Enid was shocked. "You really suck at cheering people up," she said, starting to cry, sobbing quietly. She put her head in her hands.

Ember studied this behaviour. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm upset!" Enid shouted back, looking at Ember. "Haven't you ever cried or are you above that too?"

Ember thought for a second. "It was the week after Halloween. I was seven years old. My pet spider, Robin, had wanted to go for a walk, and we were ambushed. They wondered what freak would have a spider for a pet, then two of them held me down and made me watch. Whilst the others ran Robin over until..."

She thought for a moment, thinking of the grave she had made for him at her house's graveyard.

"It was raining when I buried what we left of him," she said. "I cried my heart out beside that stone, spider carved on it. But it was that day that I learnt tears don't fix anything. They're just a symbol of the fact we need to move on. So I vowed to never do it again."

Enid looked down as the Furs continued to howl. "Your secret's safe with me," she finally said, smiling slightly. "Still think you're weird as shit, though."

"I can say the same about you," Ember said, finally thinking that she needed some more help.

"How would you like your single room back?" She posed the question. "All you need to do is show me how to use your computer."

Yes, that's right. Ember Addams had already figured out exactly what she had to do to get her and Wednesday out of here.

Second time lucky, she guessed.

Enid, meanwhile, was looking down, but eventually, she nodded.

So, after a quick crash course in technology, Ember quickly wrote on Thing:

CALL ME

4135551938

EMBER

He'll hopefully find Tyler pretty easily, Ember thought, as she sent him off.

Clearly, he did, because about half an hour later, a ring tone dialed off the computer. Ember braced herself to cross the tape to go to Enid's half of the room (she was off being 'social' somewhere) and hit the space button to initiate the call.

A very shocked Tyler came onto the screen.

"Uhh... hi," he said hesitantly to her. She saw him glance to the left.

"That's Thing," she said, knowing what he was looking at without asking.

Tyler's wide eyes went wider. "Is he... like- your pet?"

By the sound, Ember guessed a middle finger. Maybe worse.

"He's sensitive," she shrugged.

"Uhh... look, I know Nevermore is ground zero for all things weird, but... this is next level," Tyler said, glancing at the hand again. Then he chuckled. "So, what happened to not bowing down to technology?"

"This is a special case. Now, are you still willing to help me escape?" Ember asked.

"Well, after what happened to you today, I figured they'd have you in solitary."

"There's the Harvest Festival this weekend. Attendance is mandatory. I'm going to use it as a cover, " Ember said. From what she understood, the Harvest Festival was a place where everyone else would have fun, and she would stand, be unsociable, and not enjoy herself.

"So, if you're still willing to drive me to the train station, I can make it worth your while," she bargained.

Tyler smiled. "Yeah, I'm in. And, no charge. Consider it a freebie."

"Why?" Ember asked immediately, confused by everything this boy did.

"Because I wish I was going with you," he sighed. "Well, at least one of us will get out of this hellhole town."

"Two. Wednesday's coming with me," Ember said. "I'm not necessarily pleased, but I can't stop her."

"Okay," Tyler said. "So... what's the plan?"

Ember steeled herself, then began to tell him.