"I close my eyes...

Then I drift away...

Into the magic night..."

"I softly say..." Ember looked, almost gagging, upon her aunt and uncle, who were displaying a disgusting amount of affection. Gomez was now singing to Morticia with the music on the car radio.

Seriously?

"A silent prayer..." They now both started singing. "Like dreamers do... then I fall asleep to dream... my dreams of youuuuuuu..."

"You make me feel as nauseous as Pugsley was when I got him a dead rat for Christmas," Ember quipped, voice monotonous. She and Wednesday were sat across from them in the car. And they were smooching now. It had gotten worse.

Basically, after the whole 'piranha incident', Ember and Wednesday had been expelled from Nancy Reagan High. No surprise there.

The surprise was, the two were now being shipped off to some weird boarding school in the middle of nowhere. It was called Nevermore Academy.

"Darling, how long do you intend on giving us the cold shoulder?" Morticia suddenly asked her daughter. After Wednesday had found out about the school they were going to, she had been ignoring her parents.

She gave them a reminder of this now, as she asked their chauffeur, Lurch, to tell them of this. "Lurch, please remind my parents I am no longer speaking to them."

Lurch, who was sat in the front two seats with Pugsley, didn't say anything. Morticia and Gomez had already heard what their daughter had to say.

"I promise you, my little viper, you will love Nevermore," Gomez leaned forward, looking at Wednesday. Then he shifted his gaze. "And Ember, my fire spark, aren't you excited to see the place your mother went to school?"

"I can't wait," Ember replied, voice laced with sarcasm. She added coldly. "Or is this just another way to try to get me to enjoy this torture? And not the good kind."

"Don't you worry, Nevermore will be the perfect school for you two," Morticia took over.

"Why? Because it was the perfect school for you?" Wednesday retorted coolly. "I have no interest in following in your footsteps. Becoming captain of the fencing team, Queen of the Dark Prom, President of the Seance Society."

"I merely meant that finally you will be among peers who finally understand you," Morticia said back.

Basically, Nevermore was a school for 'outcasts'. People with psychic abilities, like Ember and Wednesday, people with shapeshifting qualities, telekinesis, and lots more, all went to the school. And all, apparently, had 'found their place' there.

Sentimentality isn't my strong point, Ember sighed. She had no interest in finding out about her mother.

In fact, she had no interest in the entire thing.

And then Morticia finally dropped the bomb. "Maybe you'll even make some friends."

Ember's stare said it all. Never.

"Nevermore is like no other boarding school," Gomez agreed. "It's a magical place... it's where I met your mother. And we fell in love."

They leaned in-

"Ember was right. More nauseous than Pugsley was with the rat," Wednesday said coldly, stopping their lips from touching.

"Darlings, we aren't the ones who got you expelled," Morticia pointed out. "That boy's family was going to file attempted murder charges. Now, how would that have looked on your records?"

"Terrible," Wednesday replied. "Everyone would know we failed to get the job done."

Everyone just took that in as Ember spoke up.

"We should've got electric eels instead. That would've finished him off."

❣︎❣︎❣︎

The car swung into Nevermore's gates soon enough. The school was in the middle of the woods, you see, with only a tiny little town called Jericho sitting right beside it. Apart from that, civilisation was scarce.

"At least it's turning into a beautiful day," Morticia smiled as rain started to pour down outside.

Ember looked out the window to see the straight road they were driving down now lines with pillars, gargoyle statues on top of them.

The school was actually able to be seen at the end of that road, and Ember had to say, it didn't look like one of the places she would like to spend a whole term of school in.

She was even less enchanted by it when she went inside, to the Principal's office. Principal Weems, that's what she was called. Apparently, she had been Ember's mother and Morticia's best friend at Nevermore when they went.

She had blonde hair, done up in a weird style, a pale face, but striking red lipstick, and a smile that just didn't sit one hundred percent right with Ember.

She's hiding something.

"Wednesday and Ember... hmm, very unique names," Weems commented. She was sat at her desk whilst Gomez, Morticia, Ember and Wednesday sat across from her.

"I'm guessing it's the day of the week on which you were born?" She asked Wednesday.

"I was born on Friday the thirteenth," Wednesday replied coldly, giving Weems and icy stare.

"Her name comes from a line of my favourite nursery rhyme," Morticia explained. " 'Wednesday's child is full of woe'."

"You've always had a unique perspective on the world, Morticia," Weems sighed and moved on. "And Ember..." She looked to Morticia. "Ophelia always loved a spark, I remember," she gave her old friend a stiff smile.

She then turned to the two girls death staring her. "Did your mother tell you we were roommates back in the day? With yours, too, as well, Ember?"

"And you graduated with your sanity intact?" Wednesday asked. "I'm impressed."

Ember shrugged.

"Well... I see you two have had quite an interesting educational journey," Weems continued, looking down at the two files on her desk. "For Wednesday, eight schools in five years, and for Ember... ten?"

"They haven't yet built a four walls that can hold me," Ember challenged.

"I bet this place won't be any different," Wednesday added.

"I believe what our daughter and niece are trying to say is that they greatly appreciate the opportunity," Gomez stepped in, breaking the awkward silence. He looked to Morticia, who smiled and looked to Weems.

Who looked down at the records on her desk. "Nevermore doesn't usually accept students, but... given Ember and Wednesday's perfect grades, and both your family's long history with the school, I've spoken with the board, and we've made an exception."

Morticia and Gomez joined hands behind Ember and Wednesday's backs. The latter couldn't see them doing it but she knew it was happening. A moment of silence often meant this.

But eventually, it was Morticia who broke the silence. "Larissa, what about Ember's... um... therapy sessions?"

It was true. Ember went to therapy. Her mother had signed her up when she was still alive, and of course, Morticia and Gomez still made her do it, despite her hate for it. However, Wednesday didn't go. She had threatened her parents with the same torture she gave Pugsley to get out of it.

"Hmm, the school has a relationship with a therapist in Jericho," Principal Weems leant forward. "She can meet twice a week."

"Did you hear that, my little spark? You're in good hands," Gomez flashed Ember a smile. The girl kept her eyes front.

"We'll see if she survives the first lesson."

Weems seemed a bit stunned, but, looking down at the record, she remembered another thing she had to say. "I've assigned you to your mother's old dorms. Ophelia Hall."

Morticia gasped and grinned.

"Refresh my memory," Wednesday turned to her mother. "Ophelia's the one who kills herself after being driven mad by her family. Correct? She's also Ember's mother. Same difference."

She turned back to Weems as the principal spoke again. "You'll be in different rooms, of course. Ember, we've slotted you in with a girl who was living in a dorm by herself. Wednesday, given your... insistence for solitude, we've got you in a dorm on your own. We had two boarders that left last year, you see."

Ember ground her teeth at the fact she was sharing a dorm. Hopefully that girl she was in with liked torture.

Weems smiled down at the two girls. "Should we go and meet your new roommate, Ember?"

"I can hardly wait," Ember spoke sarcastically as her aunt and uncle stood up behind her.

Weems led the family up three flights of stairs, and a spiral staircase up a turret, and then they arrived at Wednesday's dorm. It was simple, one room, and Ember was only hoping that her room would be the same.

Anyway, after dropping Wednesday off to 'get settled', Weems led Ember to her dorm, Morticia and Gomez accompanying them. It was a couple more flights of stairs, then, finally, she turned into a room which made Ember want to puke at the sight of it.

There was just so much... colour. Everywhere. This girl that she was sharing with had a colourful bed, colourful drapes, two colourful rugs, lots and lots of colourful nick-nacks around the room, and even a colourful stained glass window, with a spider's web pattern in it, and each shape a different colour. A colourful shadow of the window lay on the ground. Ember wasn't going anywhere near that.

"It's so... vivid," Ember heard Gomez say behind her. He seemed surprised as well.

The girl who Ember was sharing with was sitting at her desk at that moment. She had short, blonde hair, with pastel streaks of pink, blue and purple in it. She had a bright pink lipgloss on and yellow, blue and pink eyeshadow. She was also wearing what Ember assumed was a Nevermore uniform. It was a sickening blue with black stripes.

"Howdy, roomie!" The girl said.

"Ember, this is Enid Sinclair," Weems spoke. Her voice may have seemed warm, but to Ember, it cut through like ice.

"Are you feeling okay? You look a little... pale," Enid said, looked concerned.

"Ember always looks half dead," Gomez said to her.

Enid debated in her head for a second, but then she came to terms with it, and opened up her arms, smiling warmly. "Welcome to Ophelia Hall!"

Ember stepped back so she wasn't in the hug. Enid's smiled vanished and she lowered her arms. "Not a hugger. Got it."

"Please excuse Ember, she's... allergic to colour. Except red," Morticia said.

"Oh, wow," Enid's eyes went wide. "What happens?"

"Wounds open wherever it touches me," Ember replied monotonously. "My cousin, Wednesday, is worse. She breaks out into hives and the flesh peels off her bones."

Enid definitely went a shade paler at that.

"Luckily, we've special ordered you two uniforms," Weems said. "Yours will be red, Ember, since we heard about your... exception for it. And for Wednesday, we have black."

She turned to the other girl. "Enid, please take Ember and her cousin along to the registrar's office to pick them up along with their schedules. Oh, and give them a tour along the way."

Ember was already done with this school and she hadn't even spent a full day in it.

She turned to Morticia and Gomez, giving them a death stare and slowly walking out of the dorm. Enid skipped after her, giggling and smiling.

After a quick pitstop to collect Wednesday (who was enjoying solitude) and introduce her to Enid, the three girls headed downstairs to the main part of the school. Enid was the only one talking.

"Nevermore was founded in eighteen seventy one to educate people like us. Outcasts, freaks, monsters, fill in your favourite marginalized group here!"

"You can save the sanitised sales pitch."

They had reached the entrance hall of the school. It had golden pillars, shining walls, glass cabinets, lamps on the walls, and lots of students milling about around it.

Ember sighed. "I don't plan on staying here for long."

"Why not?" Enid asked, seeming sad.

"This was my parents' idea," Wednesday disclosed. "It's all a part of their nefarious, yet stunningly obvious plan."

"What plan?" Enid seemed interested.

"To turn me into a version of themselves," Wednesday said.

Ember suddenly noticed a photo in one of the cabinets. It showed the school fencing team back in the day. All were dressed in white, with their helmets under their arms and their swords in their hands. A young Morticia stood at the fore, with a girl who was unmistakably Ophelia, right beside her. Ember's mother.

"Oh look, there's my mother smirking at me," Ember spoke flatly. "It's nice to know that, even in death, she can still lord all her achievements over me."

Enid gave her a weird face and moved on, bringing Ember and Wednesday out to the school courtyard.

"In that case, perhaps you can clear something up," Enid said as they walked. "Rumour's been swirling round that you killed a kid at your old school, aaaaand, your parents pulled strings to get you off."

"Actually, it was two kids, but who's counting?" Ember said without emotion, walking faster onwards and outside.

"Welcome to the quad," Enid held her hands up, gesturing to the space. It was a large area, with benches, grass, pillars and a huge fountain pool with a tree growing in the middle of it in the centre.

"It's not a quad," was the first thing Ember said.

"It's a pentagon," Wednesday added.

Enid sighed, leaning forward and saying to both the girls. "The whole 'twin snarky goth' thing might've worked at normie school, but here things are different."

"We're not twins," Ember said.

Enid frowned before squealing again and smiling. "Anyways, let me give you a wiki into Nevermore's social scene!

They walked around the 'quad'.

"I'm not interested in participating in tribal adolescent cliches," Wednesday told Enid. The more time she spent with Ember's roommate, the more she disliked her.

"Well, then use it to fill your obviously bottomless pit of disdain," Enid shot back. "There are many flavours of outcasts here, but the four main flavours are Fangs, Furs, Stoners and Scales," she counted them off on her fingers.

"Those are the Fangs, AKA vampires. Some of them have literally been here for decades!" Enid continued, pointing to a group of people (majority girls) sitting at a bench a couple of metres away. They all had sunglasses on, for obvious reasons, and were all drinking from clear bottles that contained a red liquid. Ember had her suspicions about what it was.

"That bunch of knuckleheads are Furs, AKA werewolves, like me!" Enid said. This was Ember and Wednesday's first insight into what her 'outcast ability' was. However, she didn't look a bit like the other werewolves, who all had curly, tousled hair, and were all howling at the three girls as they walked past. "Full moons get pretty loud around here. That's when Furs, like, 'wolf out', I suggest you pick up some noise cancelling headphones."

"I like the sound of pain orientated screams," Ember said flatly.

Enid shrugged. "And these-"

"Are Scales, which I presume are sirens?" Wednesday asked, referring two a few people sitting beside the fountain pool, talking. They all had the strange, non-human eyes, with was usually a give away for siren qualities.

"You catch on quick," Enid sighed. "And that girl, Bianca Barclay, is the closest thing Nevermore has to royalty," she pointed to a girl with dark skin, a buzz cut, and a toothy smile that didn't sit right with Ember.

"Although her crown has been slipping a bit lately," Enid shrugged. "She used to date our resident tortured artist, Xavier Thorpe, but, they broke up at the beginning of the semester. Reason unknown."

Enid pointed to the 'tortured artist' she was referring to. Xavier Thorpe had just turned around then, having been painting on a wall across the quad. He was tall, with long hair that was in a bun at that moment.

"Fascinating," Ember spoke. It was quite plain to Wednesday that she had no interest in the subject at all, but not to Enid.

"I know, right?" She asked enthusiastically. "My vlog, is like, the number one source for Nevermore gossip-"

"Yo! Enid! You're not gonna believe the dirt I heard about your new roommate!" A guy in a blue beanie hat had come up to Enid, who had spun around, concealing Wednesday and Ember. "She eats human flesh! Totally chowed down on that kid she murdered. You better watch your back."

Slowly, Enid stood aside to reveal Ember and Wednesday. Both were wearing identical dark stares, and their gazes were unwavering.

"Quite the contrary," Wednesday spoke. "We actually fillet the bodies of our victims then feed them to our menagerie of pets."

The guy with the blue beanie stared, eyes wide, absolutely shocked.

"What's the matter? Snake bit your tongue?" Ember asked, for a little snake had been popping out of the boy's beanie hat a second before. It had retreated, though, at the sight of the two girls.

Enid sighed. "Ajax, this is my new roommate, Ember. And her sister, Wednesday."

"Cousin," Wednesday and Ember said in unison.

"Whoa..." Ajax, as he was called, looked both girls up and down. "You're both in black and white," he said, for Ember was still wearing the dress she had put on for moving to Nevermore. "You look like you're about to go kill something! You look- like- like a living Instagram filter-"

"Ignore him, gorgons spend way too much time getting stoned," Enid said, pushing Ajax out the way. Once he was gone, she added. "He's cute, but clueless."

Ember rolled her unblinking eyes.

"You know, it's a small school, and there wasn't much online about you," Enid gasped. "You should really get on Insta, Snapchat and TikTok!"

A pause. "I find social media to be a soul sucking void of meaningless affirmation," Wednesday said.

Enid shrugged. "But it's a good way to find out the goss, you know? It's cool."

"As ice." Ember said curtly before walking away, Wednesday swiftly following her.

As she changed into her new uniform (red, of course) she was busy plotting ways to escape the school.

"Ahhh, look at you two deathtraps!" Gomez said, as the two girls, one in red and one in black, stepped out to say goodbye to their family. "Seeing you two in your uniforms brings back so many terrible memories, doesn't it, 'Tish?"

"Yes," Morticia grinned. Then a pause. "Why don't you boys wait in the car?" She asked of Gomez and Pugsley. "Wednesday, Ember and I need a moment."

Gomez gave Wednesday and Ember a quick hug. Then Pugsley went and embraced both girls. Neither enjoyed it.

"Pugsley," Wednesday said. "You're soft and weak. You'll never survive without us. I'll give you two months, tops."

"I'm gonna miss you too, sis," he looked down. "And you too, cuz," he spoke to Ember.

"The pain of separation will burn in my heart," Ember said in a monotone. "A pleasant feeling, all in all."

Pugsley smiled slightly as he and Gomez went to stand by the car, and Morticia stepped forward to the girls.

"Any plans you have of running away end right now," she said firmly. "I've alerted all family members to contact me the minute either of you darken their doorstep. You have nowhere to go," she added in a whisper.

"As usual, you underestimate us, mother," Wednesday said. "We will escape this educational penitentiary, and you will never hear from me again."

Morticia sighed. "You two are both brilliant girls, but sometimes you get in your own way. I'm sure you will grow to love Nevermore, and find it as life changing as I did."

"I doubt it," Ember said.

Morticia looked at her niece. "Ember... I got you something."

And, from out of her pocket, she pulled a broach. It was made of a black stone, and on it was a raven.

"It's made of obsidian," Morticia said. "Which Astec priests used to conjure visions."

Ember reluctantly took it. "I could almost bring myself to say thank you, aunt. But now quite."

Morticia sighed. "Lurch, the crystal balls, please."

The driver suddenly pulled two cases from the car, and handed them to Morticia, who handed one each to Ember and Wednesday.

"We're not allowed to talk to you whilst you're settling in, so we'll call you both next Sunday," she said.

"That's assuming I want you to," Ember said.

Morticia smiled. "You remind me more and more of your mother everyday? Now... would you be a dear and let me and Wednesday have a moment to ourselves?"

Ember wasn't being a 'dear', but nevertheless, she was gone before Morticia finished her sentence.