The Harvest Festival took place in Jericho. It was basically a field in the middle of the night, lit by lights on strings. There was also fairground rides, which Ember wouldn't care about if people didn't make such loud screams when they went in them.

Just as they were now, as Wednesday, Enid, and Ember stood beside a flying swings ride, watching Tyler and his dad argue ten metres away. Wednesday and Ember wore all black, but Enid, of course, had a pink jacket on, complete with a bright pink jumper.

"Are you sure you can trust that normie?" She asked Ember one last time.

"I trust that I can handle myself," she answered, avoiding the question. She didn't know whether Tyler was to be trusted. But he had helped her so far, so hopefully he would continue to do so.

"Well," Enid smiled. "Good luck, and safe travels."

She extended her arms and stepped forward. Ember stepped backwards.

"Still not a hugger," Enid smiled with a closed mouth. "Got it."

And with a quick glance at Wednesday, who shot her a cold one back, she was off, taken in by the festival.

But as Enid disappeared into the crowd, Ember noticed Principal Weems sitting on a bench about twenty metres away. And even though people were walking in between them, her gaze was always fixed on Ember and Wednesday.

So she had to move.

She went to this stall where you shot darts at balloons to win free teddy bears.

Pop! In one motion, Ember had thrown as dart that hit the first balloon straight on. Pop! Pop! As with the second and third. Pop! Pop! Pop! The stall owner was looking at her strangely. Pop-

"Jeez, you get any better at this, you'll be taking home a whole pack," Xavier Thorpe was leaning against the stall table as he gestured to the panda teddy bears being given out.

"Pandas don't travel in packs. They prefer solitude," Ember replied, hitting another balloon square on with a dart.

"Oh, so you should take one. You can relate," Xavier shot back.

"Oh, and I would've thought you'd have got the subtle hint," Ember popped the last balloon and turned to face him. "You should know I'm waiting for someone."

"Oh yeah, who's the lucky guy?" Xavier asked.

If Ember had known what jealousy looked like, she would've detected it here, but she didn't, so she remained willfully ignorant for the time being.

"What does it matter to you?"

"Well, I don't want anyone going off with a stranger, but Ember-"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Tyler was standing behind her, Wednesday by his side.

"You're not," Xavier said angrily, giving Ember a glance before walking off between her and Tyler.

"Well, this is going to be trickier than I thought," Tyler said, walking into Xavier's empty space. "Dad gave me a curfew. We're gonna have to go if we want to make it back in time.

"We've got some dead weight I need to lose first," Wednesday said, for she had also noticed Principal Weems, who was now sitting at another bench, eating a burger.

Ember said in a low voice to Tyler. "Meet us behind the parking lot when the fireworks start."

Tyler gave her a quick nod before going off.

Just when the stall owner came up with a panda for Ember.

"You see that sad, lonely woman over there?" Ember said, suddenly thinking of a way to ditch Weems. "She needs this validation more than I do," she handed the guy the twenty dollars she was going give to Tyler. "Distract her for me, will you?"

The man took the bribe and nodded.

So, whilst Weems was looking at her new friend, Ember and Wednesday slipped away, just as a bang was heard from the sky.

The fireworks had started.

"Heyyy... before you leave, I wanted you to have this," Tyler said to Wednesday as they met him in the parking lot. He handed her a file. "It's your dad's police file from when he was at Nevermore. I think it's- the reason my dad hates him."

Wednesday slowly looked at it. "You okay?" Tyler asked her.

Wednesday paused. "I'm not used to people engaging with me," she said. "Most see me coming and cross the street."

"You're not scary," Tyler looked at Ember. "Either of you. You're just kinda... kooky."

Ember looked to him. "I prefer spooky."

"Oh," Tyler smiled.

"Now, our train leaves in an hour, we're burning moonlight," Ember said, her and Wednesday heading round the car-

And there was the three boys from a couple of days ago. The Pilgrim World workers.

"Ember! Wednesday!" Tyler grabbed Ember's hand and led her away, Wednesday following. "We can lose them in the crowd!"

So Tyler, Ember and Wednesday ran. They ran through the crowd, Ember trying to open her bag to get Thing to distract them-

Bang! Ember ran straight into Rowan, whom she remembered from the fencing team. But that wasn't the only thing. As she felt Tyler catch her before she hit the ground, she saw-

A book... spinning round... fire blazing in the quad at Nevermore... a raven... screeching... a skull... a watermark on a book...

Screaming... Rowan covered in blood... lying in the woods... yelling... dying... face slashed...

Ember came to in Tyler's arms, but got up immediately. Wednesday was behind her. Then she saw Rowan, heading into the woods... where she had seen him covered in blood...

"Ember! We- we need to go-" Tyler had had arm and was trying to pull her away, but she couldn't let Rowan-

"Ember, come on!"

But, as Rowan started running, Ember had no choice. Leaving Wednesday and Tyler behind, she ran into the woods after him.

"Rowan, come back!"

She chased him along the road and into the woods. "Come back!"

"Ember, what do you want? Why are you following me?" Rowan asked her, as he stopped and she drew level with him. He had an inhaler in his hand, clearly having used it seconds before.

"I don't have time to explain, but you're in danger," Ember said, begging that he would listen.

Rowan chuckled. "I think you've got it backwards."

Ember's eyes widened. But, just as she understood, Rowan displayed his talent to her, throwing her against a nearby tree with his telekinesis.

"Argh!" She grunted, as the impact threw her bag containing Thing off and rattled her head against the hard bark.

Rowan held her there, giving her a sick smirk. "You're the one who's in danger."

"What are you doing?" Ember fought to keep her voice normal. The bang against the tree had winded her quite badly.

"Saving everyone from you," Rowan said, face wet with sweat, eyes wet with tears. "I have to kill you."

What? Ember felt dazed. "The gargoyle? That was you?"

"Yeah," Rowan said. He looked deranged. "And if that hopeless romantic Xavier Thorpe hadn't saved you, I wouldn't have to be doing this right now."

Ember didn't even consider the last part of the sentence. "It's always the quiet ones," she thought aloud.

Rowan payed no attention to this. With his other hand, he levitated a piece of paper up to Ember's eyeline.

It portrayed almost exactly what Ember had seen in her vision. The quad, on fire. Except this time, there was a girl there. A girl with two dark plaits, and a red uniform. The red was the only colour in the picture. Ember stared at it in shock. She had no idea what this was. But time was up to view it, as it floated back down to Rowan the next second.

"The girl in the picture, that's you," Rowan explained.

"You want to kill me because of some picture?" Ember asked.

"My mother drew that picture twenty five years ago when she was a student at Nevermore!" Rowan shouted. "She was a powerful seer. Told me about it before she died."

"Rowan. Put. Me. Down," Ember said, shaking with the strain of trying to fight the telekinesis.

"NO! My mother said it was my destiny to stop this girl if she ever came to Nevermore, because she will destroy the school and everyone in it!"

He shoved her harder against the tree, her head hitting the back of it again. "Urgh!" She strained.

Then she saw something move in the forest beyond.

"Rowan!" Ember shouted. "Rowan! Rowan- put me-"

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

A roar sounded from the forest, and then Rowan was getting thrown on his back, yelling.

Ember fell to the ground, looking up immediately as she saw what had thrown Rowan.

It was big, with short legs and a long, wide torso. Its legs and arms had muscles bigger than anyone's Ember had ever seen, and its claws were currently slashing at Rowan's face.

He was still yelling.

And blood was flying.

Then the monster turned around, and Ember was rendered silent.

It had big, huge, bloodshot eyes with small pupils. Its mouth had at least fifty sharp teeth, and its roar could be heard by the deaf.

It just stared at Ember, then ran off, leaving a dead Rowan behind.

She knew he was dead, but even still, she scrambled up, running over to the boy who had sworn to kill her.

Blood splattered his face and body. He had a couple of slashes in his face, and a deep one on his stomach. His eyes lay closed, and his heart not beating.

He was gone.

Then, out of nowhere, the picture he had shown Ember floated down and landed on his stomach wound. Ember picked it up immediately and studied it, knowing it was the reason she could be dead right now.

The reason she would be, if it wasn't for a crazy homicidal monster.

❣︎❣︎❣︎

The next night at Nevermore, Ember sat down hesitantly at her desk. Yes, she was staying. She had to be. There was no hope of getting Tyler's help after she ditched him. Wednesday hadn't gone either, knowing Ember had had a vision.

After she had taken the picture off Rowan, she had ran from the woods, running straight into Bianca Barclay. The only words she had spoken before she passed out were "go for help".

She had woken up in the infirmary, but now had retired to her room. She had two things on her desk. One was Rowan's picture, and one her uncle's police file. Wednesday had given it to her.

"Hello, my spark!" Suddenly, the crystal ball, which was also on her desk, lit up with Morticia and Gomez. They were calling her on the Sunday, just like they had promised.

"So, tell us, darling, how was your first week?" Morticia asked.

Let's see, Ember evaluated. I narrowly avoided death twice, discovered that my uncle may be a murderer, learned that I could potentially destroy the school, and was mysteriously saved by the thing I thought was the enemy.

"As much as it pains me to admit, you were right, aunt," Ember said to Morticia. "I think I'm going to love it here."

She flashed a short smirk, reveling in this for a moment before realising the truth.

There was a case to be cracked.

And she was going to be the one to do it.