Chapter Text
Dread seeped through Enid as her father’s car rolled to a stop. Their destination was innocuous looking enough on the outside, faded bricks and a worn side. The only factor that would key one into the inside workings of the building was the name lettered across it – a name carried by a well-known pack.
She never said it was well known for positive reasons.
Her pastel-colored nails gripped the edges of her skirt in an attempt to hide their shakiness.
“Come along,” her mother snipped. Enid’s car door was opened by her father. A neutral look adorned his face, as if he hadn’t played a deciding factor in this appointment. It was just her luck, wasn’t it? To be berated for years about her never wolfing out, only to be once again shunned when her wolf wasn’t to her parents liking. Mostly her mothers, but her father never stood up for her. He would play at being innocent, but deep-down Enid knew he harbored the same thoughts her mother had. He wouldn’t have driven her to this appointment if he didn’t. He wouldn’t have pretended not to notice the years of abuse the rest of her family put upon her if he didn’t.
Before, Enid wouldn’t have even classified it as abuse. It was just her life; it was what the lowest member of the pack deserved. Yoko, and eventually Wednesday, too, had helped her realize that. Her heart clenched at the thought of her friends. She hadn’t told them about today. She hadn’t texted (for Wednesday had, eventually, relented to letting Xander give Enid her number) either of them much lately, for that matter.
Her parents hadn’t believed her when she first came home, after the events at Nevermore. Enid had been so excited to tell them about wolfing out– so relieved! Only to have her soft feelings snatched away by her mother’s stoic expression.
“I didn’t raise you to be a liar,” had been her words. Enid had tried to explain, to prove that her wolf had finally come out, and on a blood moon, too! Her mother had sighed and slapped her, all in one breath. “Pitiful,” her eyes darkened. “Did you think your sob story involving a girl – an Addams – would help you?” Her hand had reached back up to Enid face in an oddly gentle motion. “You already ruined your looks with your hair…now with scars, too? Come now, Enid. We all know you couldn’t protect yourself from a lamb…you’ve the scars to prove it. Stop with your lies.”
She’d been sent to her room, after that. Enid didn’t understand. She hadn’t felt or heard from her wolf since the attack, but she knew she was there. Enid had the scars to prove it. Wednesday was Alive to prove it. No matter what her mother blamed her scars on, she knew the truth. Come the next full moon, so would her family.
If only said full moon weren’t so far away. She’d kept herself busy in the meantime, staying out of her family’s way and texting her friends. Her mother had punished her by throwing out her kpop décor, stuffed animals, and anything else to keep her room devoid of emotion. So, Enid didn’t have much in the way of room décor right now, and she longed to be back in her Nevermore room. Her heart twisted every time she thought of her roommate. Wednesday was ok, she knew that. Enid had saved her. So why did her heart race each time her face crossed her mind?
And it crossed it. A lot.
Sue her, she was bored and reliving memories via photos and quiet voice calls. The other girl loathed texting, always convincing Enid that if she wanted to talk to her it would have to be over voice call. She didn’t mind – she liked hearing Wednesday’s voice. She never dwelled too long on that. She just missed being in the same room, that’s all. Never mind that Wednesday was the only one she conceded to actual phone calls with.
Enid missed school lunches, too. She’d forgotten just how bland her mother’s cooking was. That is, when she got to eat it. With her siblings, there was rarely enough left for her. Every time she ate too much of it her wolf stirred in her; uncomfortable. She couldn’t tell why – she just figured she’d gotten too spoiled by the lunch ladies of Nevermore. There were other times her wolf stirred, too. Each jab her brothers made towards her. Each time her father didn’t spare her a second glance. Anytime she was around her mother, really. It hadn’t spoken to her like she knew most werewolves inner wolf did, though. She didn’t remember much from her first time wolfing out, but she knew, obviously, her wolf had been mostly in charge. She remembered the aftermath, too.
Enid longed for another hug from Wednesday. This break from school was miserable. Nobody even knew if Nevermore Academy would reopen. The thought of never going back made her nauseous. She may have gotten off on a bad start with the other wolves, but by the end of this year she had grown to feel at home there. The school year had ended badly, sure – Tyler had been a Hyde and she’d been broken up with – but she’d made close friends and finally wolfed out, too.
She tried not to think about Tyler too hard after coming home. Thoughts of him resulted in anger boiling to the surface, angry and ready to strike. Another feeling she couldn’t pinpoint, too. Jealousy, maybe? It made sense. Tyler had wasted so much of her and Wednesday’s bestie bonding time together by stealing her away and manipulating her. As for Ajax…she honestly hadn’t thought of him since leaving Nevermore until now. They had broken up just days into being home from the extended school break.
If she was honest with herself, though, she hadn’t been invested in the relationship for longer than that. Ajax was fun! He was. A good kisser, too…when he actually showed up. But Enid wanted something stable, more real. Someone serious enough to not accidentally stone themselves. Someone to show up on time even when they hadn’t stoned themselves. The boy wasn’t great with communication, either. That just didn’t translate well into long distance. Especially when neither loved phone calls, Wednesday the exception. With Ajax on call, it was too silent. Very much awkward. Ajax did a lot of cool stuff, and Enid was happy for him. She just…didn’t ever get to give her own input.
Enid never felt she could be completely herself around him. She didn’t feel comfortable talking about her family issues with him. So, it was likely for the best that the two had broken up when the full moon finally came around.