Swish!
Three emerald-green snakes shot out from beneath the edge of Ajax's beanie, their forked tongues flickering as they hissed. One lunged straight at Victor's finger—
Crunch!
Venom's massive maw snapped open and clamped down on the snake's head.
The entire Quad fell silent.
Ajax's face turned deathly pale. "My snake!"
Venom chewed twice, then frowned. "Hmm… tastes like gummy candy."
Victor patted Ajax on the shoulder. "Don't worry! Venom's digestive system is super strong. In 24 hours it'll turn into—uh—some kind of black goo."
Wednesday observed calmly, "At least it's more nutritious than a rainbow unicorn pillow."
"Hey!" Enid stomped her foot, her leather shoes tapping sharply against the stone. "That was a limited edition."
Ajax trembled as he adjusted his beanie. The remaining snake-hair inside quivered violently. "I need to go to the infirmary…"
He staggered away as if he had just survived a natural disaster.
"What are you all arguing about?"
A black girl with short hair approached, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Her silver pupils shimmered with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.
"Bianca Barclay," Enid whispered. "A Siren. Don't mess with her."
Victor's eyes lit up. "A Siren? Can you sing 'Under the Sea'?"
He launched into an exaggerated singing and dancing motion, nearly stepping on Wednesday's foot.
Bianca narrowed her eyes. "Yes. But after I finish, you'll jump into the lake and drown yourself."
Victor pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket. "Want a taste? 82% cocoa—dangerous and alluring, just like your gaze—"
Bianca stared at it, then suddenly raised her hand.
Smack!
The chocolate flew through the air in a perfect arc.
"I hate sweets," she said coldly.
Before Victor could react, Venom surged from his shoulder. Black goo condensed into a ferocious, oversized face inches from Bianca's.
"Those who waste food," Venom rumbled, voice like distant thunder, "get added to my menu."
Bianca's pupils constricted. She instinctively stepped back half a pace.
Wednesday applauded softly. "Splendid."
Enid hurried between them. "Alright, alright! Victor, let's go check out the Werewolf Activity Area!"
Her fingernails lengthened unconsciously, piercing the fabric of Victor's jacket.
"Ow!" Victor yelped dramatically. "Your claws!"
She dragged him away by the arm. Bianca snorted and turned her back on them.
Venom retracted, muttering, "She tastes like expired sea salt… disgusting."
"Wednesday," Headmistress Larissa Weems called from the path leading toward the gates, "your family is waiting."
Wednesday swept her gaze over the group. "Don't die before I return."
She turned and walked away, black uniform billowing behind her like a living shadow.
Only Victor and Enid remained.
Enid exhaled in relief—then realized she was still gripping Victor's sleeve.
She let go quickly. Five neat claw holes punctured the fabric. "Ah! Sorry! I sometimes can't control it…"
Her nails retracted, but her fingertips remained faintly red.
Victor blinked—then grabbed her wrist enthusiastically.
"Wow! Your claws!"
He lifted her hand into the sunlight. "So cool! Can they peel apples? Open soda cans? Work as a craft knife?"
Enid stared at him. "…Are you serious?"
"Of course!" Victor nodded earnestly and produced an apple from nowhere. "Want to try?"
She hesitated, then extended her claws again—this time deliberately. The sharp tips sliced smoothly through the peel, which fell away in a curling ribbon.
"Perfect!" Victor cheered, biting into the apple immediately. "Way better than a fruit knife!"
Juice dripped down his chin. Venom extended a small tendril and wiped it away.
Enid looked down at her hand, voice softening. "Actually… I still can't fully transform."
Her claws withdrew slowly. "At most, I can extend them. And even that… I can't always control."
Victor tilted his head and tossed the apple core into a trash can five meters away without looking.
"So what? Venom says my brain is waterlogged all the time. We're still doing fine, right?"
Venom answered flatly, "It's a fact."
Enid giggled. The setting sun dyed her blonde hair honey-gold. She poked Victor's shoulder lightly.
"You're really strange."
"Thank you!" Victor grinned, revealing slightly pointed canine teeth. "Best compliment I've received all year!"
"Come on," Enid said gently, taking his hand. "I'll show you the Werewolf Activity Area."
This time, she was careful not to scratch him.
Their shadows overlapped along the stone path—an odd, mismatched harmony.
At the academy gates, Wednesday glanced back once.
Shadows overlapping like a clumsy paper-cut, she thought.
The sun sank.
Night claimed Nevermore Academy.
Moonlight poured through the dorm window like cold silver water.
Victor had already curled up in his "kingdom" by the bathroom door. Venom wrapped around him like a living black blanket, purring softly.
Enid wore headphones, barefoot, swaying gently to the music. Her short blonde hair bounced with the rhythm. Her pink nightgown shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
She twirled lightly, toes brushing the floor.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Wednesday sat at her antique typewriter, fingers striking the keys with surgical precision. In the candlelight, her eyes glinted coldly.
Enid spun again. Her heel thudded softly against the floor.
Wednesday's fingers froze.
"Enid," she said, voice like frost sliding across glass, "if you make one more sound, I'll fashion your headphone cord into a noose."
Enid removed one earpiece. "What? I can't hear you!"
Wednesday slowly turned her head. Candlelight danced across her face like an avenging specter.
"I said—" her fingers brushed the small knife beside the typewriter, "—quiet."
Enid lowered the volume slightly—but her toes continued tapping the beat.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rhythms collided in the room like opposing armies.
A vein pulsed at Wednesday's temple.
She rose and walked toward Enid.
"Do you know how the protagonist in my novel dies?" Wednesday asked softly.
"Of old age?" Enid guessed.
"Torn apart by monsters because she was too noisy." Wednesday smiled faintly. "The description is vivid."
Enid swallowed—but straightened. "You can't deprive someone of music just because you want to write!"
"I can," Wednesday replied calmly. "Especially when the 'someone's' taste is so—"
She glanced at the playlist.
"—nauseating."
Enid flushed. "This is Beyoncé!"
"Sounds like a cat being strangled."
"You—"
Her claws extended sharply.
"Chocolate, don't run!"
Both girls turned at the shout.
Victor lay sprawled in his territory, eyes closed, yelling at the ceiling.
"Catch it!" Venom's head popped out briefly, then withdrew.
Silence.
"At least he's sleeping soundly," Enid whispered.
Wednesday stared at him for a few seconds, then returned to her typewriter.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Enid hesitated—then turned off her music completely. She curled up on her bed, fingers rubbing the edge of her blanket.
Moonlight drew a pale dividing line across the floor—darkness on one side, rainbow chaos on the other.
A few minutes later, the typing stopped.
"If you must listen to music," Wednesday said without looking up, "use my record player."
Enid blinked.
Beside Wednesday's bed stood an antique gramophone, dust lightly coating a stack of black vinyl records.
"…Really?"
"Better than your 'strangled cat.'"
The hostility in her tone had softened—barely.
Enid padded over barefoot and flipped through the records.
"Mozart… Chopin… 'Danse Macabre'?"
"That one," Wednesday replied. "Is my favorite."
Enid carefully placed the record on the turntable.
The deep, mournful sound of a cello filled the room like drifting mist.
Enid swayed again—but softly this time, movements delicate as falling ash.
Wednesday resumed typing.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The music and keystrokes merged—not a battle anymore, but something stranger.
A harmony.
In the corner, Victor rolled over in his sleep.
Venom peeked out, watching the two girls.
"Humans are strange," it muttered.
Then it closed its eyes.