"Come on, Wednesday, talk wordy to me."
"Terrible."
"Define it."
"Terrible?"
Enid shrugs. "Yeah. You love reading the dictionary."
It’s completely silent and Enid waits her out for nearly a full minute before she looks at her phone to ensure the call hadn't dropped. Then she hears several pages turning at once.
"Terrible—adjective: extremely bad, poor quality, or strongly repulsive."
"What a terrible word," Enid jokes.
She can almost hear Wednesday’s smile through the phone.
Enid asks Wednesday to read the dictionary to her, and Wednesday pretends to hate it.
“Harrow,” Gideon whispers through her lips, and the sound is bittersweet. Gideon’s words but Harrow’s own voice.
Like a whisper caressing the folds of her brain, Gideon hears the icy whisper of her tormentor’s voice, Don’t stop.
“Ianthe’s taught you a thing or two.”
Jealous?
Gideon frowns, tries her best to sound believable when she says, “No.”
Liar.
She shivers.
Must you abbreviate every other word?
Ye
Wednesday scoffs.
I’m going to bed, she responds.
thnk of me bbycakes
You’re missing vowels and a comma.
And u
I’m missing you in case that wasn’t obv
You’re always obv.
now whose abbrv
Who’s*
???
Goodnight.
Enid leans in at the same time Wednesday turns her head, and their lips connect briefly. Wednesday’s eyes widen and she stops moving.
Enid pulls away with a crooked little smile. "Oops," she says, and her voice is lower than before when she adds, "Got your lips that time." Enid then has the nerve to lick her lips, and Wednesday tracks the movement. "My bad."
"Enough," Caitlyn interjects softly. She cups Maddie's face and asks, "Who did this to you?" as she stares at the purpling bruise of her eye.
Maddie meets her gaze. "I had a match."
"A...match?" Her posture turns stiff and she looks at Vi with accusation plain on her face before she even utters a word.
Vi's hands jut out, palms up as if she has nothing to hide, and she shrugs a little. "She just needed to work off a little steam."
"Then go for a run," Caitlyn says firmly. "Go for a drink, go smoke a joint for all I care." She drops Maddie's face and steps back to regard the two of them. "But can everyone stop walking around here looking for danger for once?"
They both look down, and Maddie digs her toe into the floor. Her mouth twists in thought. "But...I won," she says quietly.
"Yeah, it was actually pretty cool," Vi mumbles.
Caitlyn stares at the two of them staring at the floor and shakes her head at the obvious ploy they both too frequently employ to get out of her crosshairs during moments like this. It doesn’t help that the two knuckleheads resemble each other so much in this moment that Caitlyn briefly questions if she has a type. She'd never admit how easily their tricks work on her, but even now her insides thaw as she watches them. She frets over them constantly, all too aware from experience how quickly she can lose everything. If she could always hold them close, always have them by her side, she would.
"All right," she finally sighs. "Tell me all about it."
Maddie looks up first with instant excitement turning her eyes to starbursts. She follows Caitlyn's wordless direction to sit on the edge of the bed. "Okay, mind you, I have extensive hand to hand combat experience," Maddie says as Caitlyn grabs her apothecary bag of first aid bandages and antiseptic. Vi grabs a seat on a nearby armchair and kicks her feet up. They share a brief, heated embrace during which Caitlyn nips at her scarred lip before she pulls away and they refocus on Maddie. "But I've never been in a pitfight, like Vi, and..."
"No, no," Mel scolds. She peers down at her through hazel eyes brightened with interest as she places a finger to Caitlyn's lips and says, "Puppies don't speak."
Caitlyn drags her tongue along the length of her finger. "Yes, Ms. Medarda." She then takes Mel's entire finger into her mouth.
"On second thought, maybe I'll make an exception." Caitlyn bites the tip, and Mel's tone turns admonishing. The chain attached to Caitlyn's collar rattles between them when she yanks a little. "Now, now, you mustn't ruin my manicure."
Caitlyn releases her. Her smile is roguish as she says, "You like when I call you that now."
Mel frowns. "I'm already regretting my decision."
Caitlyn smiles in amusement but refrains from saying another word.
