UNDEAD BECOMES HER, wednesday addams

xii. feeding the family in the mess hall

They made it all the way back into town fine, the mayor and his three stowaways. Francis had flown above them, in case the mayor took a detour and ended up somewhere far from Nevermore or Jericho.

Noble got out of the car, looked both ways, and began to cross the street. Wednesday and Ollie snuck out of the car. Mayor Noble was run over.

Noble was run over. Ollie's eyes widened and she sprinted for him, ignoring the pain in her legs as she skidded to a stop by his body. 

"Mayor Noble! Mayor Noble, are you okay? Sir, please," Ollie said incoherently, cradling his head. The sheriff came running out and over to them.

"Noble!" he shouted. 

"Call 911!" Ollie shouted at a stranger. "Hey, hey, look at me, just hold on, help is coming, Mayor Noble, please, hold on a little longer-"

"Oh, God," Sheriff Galpin groaned. "Get an ambulance!" he shouted.

"The car," Ollie said. "Sheriff, the car. It didn't have license plates."

"What? Later, kid, when the ambulance comes. Noble, stay with us, man."

Ollie looked over at the mayor's car and saw Wednesday slowly approaching, her face frozen in an expression of shock. She looked back down at the mayor and realized the blood leaking from both sides of his mouth was running down his head and onto her skirt.

That's going to stay, she thought, and started to cry.

Sheriff Galpin sat across from both girls in a booth at the Weathervane, rubbing his face. 

"Is he okay?" Ollie asked, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"He's alive. Barely. I'll get you back after I take your statement."

Wednesday frowned. "I already gave it to your deputy. Blue Cadillac with no license plates."

"Yeah, I know." The sheriff pulled a recording device out of his pocket, turned it on, and slid it over to them. "I want a better one. What were you doing in the mayor's SUV?"

"We saw him coming out of the Gates mansion," Ollie said, and realized she might've just messed up whatever elaborate lie Wednesday planned. She was a lot of things, and one of them was too much of a coward to lie to the police.

Galpin frowned. "The Gates mansion- what the hell were you doing there?"

"Looking for white baneberry," Ollie lied. Oh, never mind. "There's a tiny patch right there. It's one of the creepiest plants I've ever seen. Wednesday came with me because she has an interest in the strange and macabre. Obviously. We overheard the voicemail the mayor left for you."

"We were intrigued," Wednesday said. "Or, rather, I was intrigued. I dragged Ollie along with me for the ride."

Sheriff Galpin sighed. "Back when the mayor was sheriff, he used to have a lot of wild theories on cases he couldn't solve. So, we'd dissect them over pie, sitting right back there in that booth. Most of the time they went nowhere."

Wednesday stared evenly at the sheriff. "Call me old-fashioned, but when someone is run over on their way to give the police key information, it usually means they were onto something. And all signs point to the Gates family and that house."

"The Gates family," the sheriff repeated."How? They're all dead. Every last one of them. And I don't believe in ghosts."

"Maybe you should," Ollie said. She pushed the stop button on the recording device and the girls left the booth. 

"How do you manage to end up at the center of every terrible thing that happens around here?" Weems fumed, pacing back and forth in her office. Her words seemed to be directed at Wednesday, but since the girls came in together, Ollie was left cowering in a corner.

"Incredible luck," Wednesday deadpanned.

"As of now, the school is on full lockdown, and your off-campus privileges are revoked until further notice."

Wednesday pursed her lips and left the room silently.

"Ollie," Weems said, in a much gentler voice. "This behavior is quite unlike you. I understand you were just trying to help a friend out?"

"Yeah. I'm the plant guy, and it turns out Wednesday is also somewhat of a plant guy. I- I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven. You may still go into Jericho on weekends, but the campus lockdown does still apply to you. I'm afraid that means no lake until it is lifted."

"At least we have the fire shower in the conservatory," Ollie said, trying to find the bright side.

"Yes, we do. Now, off to bed. It's late, and you've had a trying day."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ollie said, and scurried out of the room.

"I heard about what happened to the mayor," Ms. Thornhill said, gently pushing the door to Ollie's room open. "That must've been horrifying to witness."

"I guess," Ollie said, already compartmentalizing and shoving away the memories. She sat at her desk, having cleaned it off of everything but the water dispenser, which had been shoved to a corner. 

"I brought you a venus flytrap. I know it can't really help, but it could be a distraction." Thornhill set the plant on the desk.  

Ollie glanced over at it, then pulled a silverfish out of her ear and dropped it into one of the open jaws, watching it close over the wriggling insect. "Thank you. I appreciate the gesture."

What she wanted to say was his blood dried on my skirt. What she wanted to say was Wednesday didn't even seem to care. What she wanted to say was I just want my dad. She didn't say any of that.

Instead, she got out of her chair, so abruptly it fell over, and threw her arms around Ms. Thornhill in a tight hug. "Don't say anything," Ollie mumbled, considering she usually needed as much comfort as a steel bear trap. After thirty seconds, Ollie let go, and said, overly formal, "Thank you. I'd like some alone time, now."

"Of course," Ms. Thornhill said, and quietly left, shutting the door behind her. 

Ollie stared at the closed door before righting her chair and sitting back down. She looked down at her skirt and the two bloodstains there, right where she'd had the mayor's head rest. She felt sick, and she couldn't pinpoint exactly why.

Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up. Enid had texted, informing her that Wednesday had suggested a birthday redo, and to cover for them if anyone asked where they were by saying that they were at the lupin cages. 

Okay, she texted back. She knew that Wednesday was more than likely using this endeavor as an attempt to explore the Gates mansion, but she was too emotionally strung out to burst Enid's bubble. At least she didn't have to spend anymore time with Wednesday Addams today. 

Ollie double-checked that her curtains were closed before changing out of her school uniform, leaving the skirt folded on top to remind her to wash out the blood when she was dressed again. 

Francis stood on his perch, watching her impassively, not making any noise. Even he knew she wasn't in the mood for games tonight.

Oh, she thought suddenly, interrupting another thought of his blood dried on my skirt and a potential emotional breakdown. I didn't even wish Wednesday a happy birthday.

"I didn't say happy birthday," she said out loud, and her voice sounded dead. "Who cares? She probably hates her birthday and any well-wishers probably get the guillotine. I hope she has a shitty birthday, anyway."

Francis clacked his beak, as if to say, You don't mean that.

"How do you know what I do and do not mean?" she snapped, before dropping her head. "You're right. I don't mean it. I wish I could, but I don't."

Francis pecked at his wooden perch.

"Quiet, you."