The Way Of Woe.
Wednesday Addams x Vampire!Reader.
Chapter One: Here We Woe Again.
next chapter: The Devil You Woe.
masterlist.
summary: after a year in exile, you return to nevermore — and meet its new dark star.
word count: 4k
warnings : fem reader, implied latina; mentions of violence, dark themes ahead.
“Ms. Mortelli!”
You heard the glamorous voice of Larissa Weems commemorate your entrance. You beheld her elegant bearing, and the smile she flaunted like a prized possession. All of those things seemed more real than ever before your eyes until it all came crashing into a ludicrous parade of derangement. Her voice turned into a collection of queasy words coming out of an even more nauseating mouth. The man dared flash his teeth at you.
“Where’s Principal Weems?” You took less than two steps further into his room before asking, yet even your straightforwardness was not enough to shake his superficial joy.
“Well… Let’s say a lot has happened since your departure.” Much like him, your parents seemed to ignore your distress and encouraged you to move towards the chairs. Your mother mimicked the impostor’s smile, whereas your father remained somber.
Principal B. Dort, you read on the desk nameplate.
“We hadn’t told her yet…” Her lighthearted tone showcased the indifference only a vampire could have towards death.
“That’s okay! Weems is in a better place now!” His smile grew wider somehow as he waited for a reaction, getting nothing more than half a smile from your mother. “Don’t worry! You’ll love Nevermore’s new spirit!” You stared at your father in disbelief, and he couldn't help but smirk. “My name is Barry Dort. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The new principal went for a handshake, but pulled his hand back after he met your narrow gaze. “So!” He clapped his hands together instead. “I know she’ll make good friends here! And reunite with old ones,” he directed his speech to your parents. “You’ll have nothing to worry about. The past is in the past! I’m sure our Outcast family will give your daughter all the support she needs.— Oh! Would you like a sticker?” He turned back to you, taking a sticker out of his jacket pocket that read Outcast Pride.
“Don’t offer me anything that isn’t a sacrifice.” The answer you thought would leave him stunned made him chuckle instead, to which you reacted with a furrowed brow.
“See? I know just who you’ll be friends with! Now, off you go! The Quad is buzzing with new Outcast energy!”
“You take pleasure in my misery, don’t you?” You let out once the three of you exited the office.
“On the contrary, my little vulture. I think you will be the one to inflict misery upon this school.” Your father said while giving your back a gentle pat.
“You know that's not how it usually goes.”
“Please, you two. We all know this school has enough misfortune as it is.”
You proceeded along the route to Ophelia Hall, hoping your belongings remained untouched and ignoring the repercussions of your family down the corridors. The students seemed more scandalised by your mother's everlasting youth and inventive goth fashion, rather than your father's menacing stare. She waved at the teenagers with a smile, making them go quiet.
“Ever the petrifying beauty!” Your father quipped as usual, and you just picked up speed towards the dorms to avoid further mortification.
Entering your old room was a bittersweet journey. Everything was exactly where it used to be — the dusty coffin by the wall, the desk near the curtain-covered stained glass, and even your old record player. But all your eyes could focus on was the empty bed on the other side.
“It looks exactly like the first time!” Your mother’s voice brought you out of your trance, and you watched as her platform boots tapped against the wooden floor while she revisited the place. Your father placed your suitcases on the floor and went straight for the record player, examining his old possession. “How does it feel to be back?” You set down your guitar case with a sigh before answering.
“I don’t know.” You trailed off as you looked around. “I thought I—”
“Camilla?” A feminine voice down the hall cut off your words. “Is that you?” The voice became louder, and a lean figure in a black dress appeared by the door.
“Morticia!” Your mother walked up to the elegant woman and embraced her. “It’s been so long! What are you doing here?”
“Gomez and I were just escorting our son, Pugsley, to his dorm. But you know I couldn’t help paying a visit to our dear Ophelia Hall.”
“I most certainly do!” Your mother agreed with a chuckle.
"And how lucky are we to have both our daughters living here?” Morticia made her way towards you, lifting a slender hand to caress your face with a smile. “Daunting.” You tried to fight a smile of your own.
“I didn’t know your daughter attended Nevermore.” Morticia turned her gaze back to your mother, slowly letting go of you.
“It was truly our last resort. However, as I predicted, it has turned out to be the best option for our Wednesday... Most of the time. — Either way, our girls are bound to meet soon. I’m sure they’ll be great friends.”
Once your parents were gone, and your trunks unpacked, you took a walk around the school and found not much had changed from the last time you saw it — nothing other than some missing people, and many unfamiliar faces. That was until you reached the infamous meeting spot for teenage beasts, also known as the Quad. Despite your reluctance to be there, the memories came crashing like waves upon you, and so did the voices.
“She’s back!” Several students whispered as you made your way through the common area.
“Is that really her?”
You pretended to focus on the path before you, but a part of you wanted to sneer and answer the people who dared talk behind your back. Fortunately, an old friend found you before you had the chance to do so.
“Oh-Em-Gee! I waited so long for this moment!” Enid ran up to you and jumped into your arms, forcing you to take a step back and breathe out your first laugh that day. The werewolf let go as fast as she appeared and began rambling like her life depended on it. “I’m so happy to see you! I have so much gossip to fill you in on! — And I’m sorry you’re not getting your major comeback! I swear I tried telling everyone that the O.G. Goth Girl was coming back, but something huge stole the show! Speaking of that—” Although you found it amusing, you had to interrupt Enid by grabbing her arms.
“Slow down, Enid. We’ll get to all of that. — But what do you mean something else stole the show? Everyone’s talking about me.” You motioned towards a few groups of kids around the Quad.
“Uh…” Enid pursed her lips, not knowing how to break it to you. “They are kinda talking about my roommate…”
“Oh.” You exhaled, with a raise of your brow. “You finally got a roommate?” Your question almost made Enid jump.
“Yes! She’s so cool! But so scary… I’m used to it though!” Enid shrugged her shoulders. “I think you’re either gonna love her, or hate her. You both have the tragic goth girl thing going on,” she gestured towards your burgundy shirt and dark bootcut pants. “Just… in different ways.” You acknowledged her bullet-train of thought with a curt, breathy laugh, but before you could say something in return, she found something else to add. “Look! There she is! — Wednesday!”
You turned to look at the direction Enid pointed out, spotting the dark cloud she told you about in no time. She was the only student apart from you that wasn’t wearing Nevermore’s signature purple, but her choice of wardrobe was even more striking. Her long overcoat and pigtails moved with the same methodical rhythm as she took her steps closer towards the two of you, with an alarmed death stare that seemed permanent.
“Who’s that?” She asked as soon as her heavy shoes came to a stop in front of you, not hesitating on eyeing you up and down.
“That’s my vampire friend I told you about!” Enid was quick to step forward and introduce you, hugging your side with an excited grin. “She’s finally back!”
“It’s intriguing to meet the one who prepared Enid for my arrival.” Your lips turned into a mild smirk as you tried to free yourself from Enid’s embrace.
“I tried my best.”
“You did a terrible job.” Wednesday answered even more bluntly, and you glared at Enid, finally letting go of her.
“Well, she’s a terrible learner.” Wednesday only raised an eyebrow at that.
“Hey!” Enid whined. “Don’t be mean! Wednesday’s already taking care of that.” She turned her sulking stare from you to her roommate, and you followed.
“So you’re the one who stole the attention from my return to Nevermore.”
“You can have it back. I have no desire for frivolous renown.”
“I thank you, actually. And I can’t wait to find out what kind of bloody murder you’ve committed.”
“Actually—” Enid raised her hand to explain, but was cut short by a mere head tilt from the other girl, who then drifted her eyes towards you.
“You haven’t heard?” Her monotonous tone gained a barely perceptible pitch change. You nodded, knowing exactly what she meant; you weren’t in touch with the breaking news in Jericho.
“I wasn’t living around here, and my family communicates only by letter. Not that I wanted to hear anything about this town either way.”
“Man, that was the hardest part! Do you know how hard it was waiting for days to get a reply?” Enid complained while grabbing your arm and beginning to walk with you, assuming Wednesday would follow. “Oh! By the way, how was your country? Tell me all about it! Were there any cute boys?”
Wednesday, however, deviated from your route once she saw her parents talking to Principal Dort, so Enid and you spent the rest of the day catching up in their dorm. The drastic change to the other side of the room fascinated you, and she filled you in briefly on her counterpart’s habits before moving on to all the other episodes of the past semesters. By the time you ran out of gossip, as well as snacks, it was already dark outside. Upon realizing that, Enid told you she was going to look for her friend, which you supposed would be her roommate, who still hadn’t turned back to the dorm.
As your favorite time of the day arrived and people started retreating to their rooms, you figured you would explore Nevermore during the dark, just like you used to do. Once you exited Ophelia Hall, you took your time analysing the portraits on the walls until you reached the one you were looking for, and lifted it to see what was on the back of the frame. It was still there — the moving bat, drawn by Xavier. You smiled, wondering when you would see him again; he had been a good friend of yours until he began his relationship with Bianca. With a sigh, you let the frame hit the wall and resumed walking the path towards your next stop, the library.
Despite the long walk, it was a pleasant moment. The only sounds that reached your ears were the swirling current of wind coming out the distant window and the tapping of your boots against the stone floor. It grounded you, and made you come to terms with the fact that you were indeed back, which might just have its bright sides. But just as you were about to get a hold of the heavy door, you began to hear music in the distance. You bit your lower lip as your hand fell back to your side and contemplated whether it was suitable for a vampire to be so inquisitive. Ultimately, you let mischief take the win.
Reconstructing your previous steps, you turned right and made your way to the music room. As you drew closer, the symphony became more harrowing, and it almost made you feel like you had a pulse, bounding out of fear. You grasped the handle and opened the door in anticipation, and as the music went on, you walked further into the dark room to catch a glimpse of the player. Your eyes widened at the sight of Wednesday, slouched over a cello and striking the chords with abrasive pressure. You couldn’t help but feel lured by her moves, yet guilty for seeing her in such a raw disposition — in which she was so disarmed by her absorption to the point of only stopping when her fingers lapped against the strings.
“That was excruciating.” You said as you moved closer, making Wednesday turn her head up on the spot and stare at you with wide eyes.
“You.” She noted in disdain, losing her astonished demeanor within seconds before staring away from you with a subtle quiver of her lower lip. “My hand’s a little stiff…” You frowned at the answer, but mostly at her yielding stare.
“It was a compliment. That’s just the kind of music I enjoy.” You spoke in a somewhat serious tone, but tried to approach her with ease. Her eyes darted back to you as you pushed yourself up to sit on top of the teacher’s desk.
“I’m not trying to please anyone. I play for my own fulfillment.”
“You don’t look like the most fulfilled by your music.” You could see how wrong this could go, but you enjoyed the thrill of testing one’s limits; Wednesday, in special, looked like she was on the verge of hers.
“What do you know about music, anyway? Or fulfillment, for that matter. Do they offer pig’s blood at the cafeteria?”
“Argumentum ad hominem.” You stated in flawless latin, and her brow furrowed. “I expected more from you.” You were, in fact, expecting her next move, but it seemed exposing her faux pas was enough to get a reaction that defyed predictions. Wednesday just hit her Doc Martens against the floor with a loud thud as she got up, and left the room, carrying her cello. You rotated your torso and watched her go in amusement, declaring your first nightly adventure as prosperous.
Wednesday barged into her shared room, not even caring that Enid’s guests were still around and making a bee line towards her desk. Enid’s expression turned into one of worry and she got up straightaway, gesturing to the door.
“Everyone out!” Her friends huffed at the sight of her roommate, but vanished in no time.
Less than a second after closing the door, Enid was standing beside the typewriter.
“What happened, Wednesday? Does this have to do with that stalker? Please, tell me everything’s alright! It’s just the first day of school!” Wednesday closed her eyes briefly while gripping the wooden table in front of her.
“Be quiet. Nothing’s happened.”
“You don’t look like nothing’s happened. You look like a lot has happened.” Enid rambled. “You look… terrifying. Even to me.” She grimaced, taking a step back.
“I said everything’s fine, Enid.” That made Enid go quiet and move to her bed with a sullen look. Wednesday, however, kept staring at the window motionless for about ten minutes before finally speaking up.
“Your friend.” The werewolf let out a sigh of relief after having watched her in concern the whole time. “Why did she leave Nevermore?”
“Well, nobody really knows the actual reason,” Enid began while sitting up. “But when her roommate died… People started talking… So her family fled the country.” Wednesday turned her head at last to stare at the line dividing the room, and it was clear by the look in her eyes that her mind was racing with thoughts; there was a saddistic glint in them that startled Enid even more.
“Did she do it?”
“Of course not!” Enid protested, moving to stand on her knees. “I know she would never do that!”
“Great. Don’t tell me. I’ll find out myself.” Wednesday turned back to her desk, keen on having yet another mystery to solve.
The next day, you only caught a glance of the arrangments for the Founder’s Pyre from your balcony, as you preferred to wait inside until it was time to face the student body. When the sun went down, you got dressed in the uniform that was delievered that morning and reluctantly came out of your room.
The setting of the event wasn’t as bad as you expected, the Da Vinci’s had done a fine job on their phoenix and the lighting made things feel rather pleasant. The one sign of chaos that added up to it was the muffled sound only you could hear amidst the noise: Wednesday and Enid rushing through the crowd and towards the pyre. You began making your way through the crowd in the same direction.
Once Wednesday got to the pyre, several people bumped into her and she felt something being stuck inside her pocket, but when she reached for it, she cut her hand — grabbing it with more caution, she found it was a note wrapped in razor blades. She unfolded the piece of paper and read the words out loud.
“If you don’t want your novel to go up in smoke, meet me under the pyre. P.S. I found a few more typos.”
Wednesday didn’t think twice before moving to the back of the pyre nor discarding a few wood log pieces. And when you got there, she was already crawling inside it while Enid called out her name. Since the ceremony had just started, you believed Wednesday would have enough time and stood back, yet all of a sudden Principal Dort lighted up the wooden phoenix and you panicked.
“Wednesday! I’m getting help!” Enid shouted one last time before sprinting to the stage.
Seeing no alternative, you ran towards the fire and turned into a bat. Once you flew between the sticks, you spotted the pile of paper she was looking for and dashed against it, making it fall on the ground in front of her. Wednesday looked up and widened her eyes at you, but wasted no time in grabbing her manuscript and beginning to crawl out of the fire.
“We need to put out the bonfire!” Enid yelled as soon as she broke through the audience. “Principal Dort! Wednesday is trapped under the pyre.”
You, on the other hand, got stuck inbetween the contorting branches of the bird’s tail. You thought you wouldn’t be able to come out, but as the phoenix rose to the sky and its tail broke free from the rest of the pyre you were able to release yourself and fly away. You hovered above the herd of students and only came down when you found Wednesday making way through the sea of people, turning back into human and walking towards the center of the field.
“Here she is! Right on cue!” Principal Dort celebrated as she turned up, covered in ashes, much like you were. “Our student of honor, Wednesday Addams!” Everyone began to clap at his announcement, while you found all of that rather odd and moved to the front with a frown. “None of us would be here today without your bravery.” You proceeded to stand beside Wednesday and looked at her, seeing an expression of equal consternation on her face. “Wednesday, would you help me unveil something very special?” Dort said with enthusiasm before skipping towards a covered painting. “I had this commissioned to commemorate how you and your ragtag group of Nevermore buddies saved our school!”
He pulled the black veil that concealed the painting, displaying the disturbing image of Wednesday smiling and wielding a sword in front of Bianca, Enid and Eugene. Everyone clapped and cheered, except for Wednesday and you, who stared at the picture in bewilderment.
“Could you give us a few words of inspiration to launch us into the new era?” Dort prompted Wednesday to come forth with his fist up.
“Wednesday! Wednesday!” The students chanted, and Wednesday threw her smoky manuscript into your chest before stomping her way up the stage. She approached the painting with repulsion, then turned around and extended her hand to receive the microphone.
“Tonight…” She opened, as her state of contempt turned into a pondering face. “is our banquet of discontent. And we shall gladly feast on those who would subdue us.” She glanced around, studying the reactions, and the entire audience applauded. “Our fight is just beginning. And I’m ripping the band-aid off the scab of civility, and will not cease until our enemies have been vanquished!” You kept switching from looking at the people surrounding you and back at her, feeling mortified that she would say something like that.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” You let out a scoff as you turned to leave the ceremony, but Wednesday continued her speech.
“And by enemies,” you turned your head back to look at her as the rest of the students went silent and she lowered her fist. “I mean any imbecile stupid enough to cheer on some shallow, rabble-rousing diatribe like that.” Disappointment filled the faces in the audience and left yours as you turned to watch her again. “You thought I was your hero? I’m not. I always play dirty, and I never fight fair. The only side I’m on is my own. The only place I’ll lead you is off a cliff.” She then turned towards Dort. “So do not put me on a pedestal. Because I will burn it down.”
And just like that, Wednesday dropped the microphone and grabbed a torch from the stage to burn the dreadful painting inspired by her. She turned towards the horrofied spectators with the torch in hands and threw it on the floor, descending the stage and walking towards the heart of the commotion. You found her little circus far too amusing, until she grabbed your arm with force and pulled you through the swarm.
“Wednesday, stop!” You yelped as she pulled you into the castle and down the stairs at a brisk pace, letting go when the two of you reached the ground and turning to face you.
“I was doing fine on my own.”
“And I let you feel like you did it yourself.” You said before throwing the heavy paper stack into her arms. “If it took you any longer to get out of there, the ashes of your lousy portrait would’ve been replaced by your own.”
“That doesn’t concern you. Unless, of course, you were the one who wanted to meet under the pyre.” You furrowed your brow at her overconfident accusation, sneering afterwards.
“Right. I save you and get the blame for a stupid note.”
“I never mentioned any note.” Wednesday thought she had the final evidence.
“Because you were smart enough to read it out loud! Did you forget I’m a vampire?” When Wednesday opened her mouth to answer, Enid came running down the stairs.
“What the hell are you guys doing? — Wednesday! How could you do that?” Enid cried out and grabbed Wednesday by the arm, causing her to throw her head back and collapse, with black tears coming down her cheeks. You were quick enough to hold her and ease the impact, yet both you and Enid were filled with equal desperation as you placed her unconscious body on the floor and tried to wake her up.
“Wednesday!” Enid called out, just for her to gasp seconds later and begin to convulse. You stood up right away in panic.
“I’ll get her mother.” You reassured your friend before speeding back towards the field, but not even you knew for certain if things would turn out right.
Even though you saw Wednesday in that state only for a matter of seconds, that memory would stay with you for all of the hundreds years you were bound to live, just as the fragments of your past that you tried to forget. Leaving Nevermore was not an easy decision, and it seemed like returning was an even worse one.
