During the last week of winter, the Outreach Day arrived. Two weeks had passed since Luke and Wednesday had decided on this course of action, and another murder had taken place.
In total, there had been four murders-well, actually five, but the Hyde failed to collect Jonah’s mutilated part thanks to Luke and Wednesday, who stopped him.
Marilyn already had four parts collected for the ritual. If Luke went by the show, the teacher would need two more murders, since Tyler in the series had killed and mutilated a total of six people in his Hyde form.
During these two weeks, Luke made a decision. He would stop Crackstone’s resurrection ritual. Therefore, he would have to stop Marilyn and the Hyde.
Why did he decide this? For several reasons.
The main reason was Wednesday. In these two weeks, he realized that his feelings for the gothic girl were not fleeting. They didn’t disappear as he thought they would; in fact, they grew stronger.
It wasn’t something he could control. Moreover, to his surprise, Wednesday continued to spend time with him-even more closely than before. Although it wasn’t the typical closeness of a normal girl, Luke, who had known her for a while, noticed the differences.
For example, when they sat reading in the courtyard on a cold day, and Luke felt his entire body shivering from the cold, Wednesday would move closer to him. So close that they would share warmth between them.
Another example was when they talked; Wednesday was no longer as harsh when criticizing him for his tastes or other things. Her new kindness was noticeable, though only Luke could see it. To others, Wednesday would still appear as rude and sarcastic as ever.
Luke noticed these small changes and the opposite of what he thought happened. His feelings for Wednesday were not fleeting. On the contrary, they grew stronger, and Wednesday got closer to him in her way.
For this reason, he decided to kill Marilyn and the Hyde. He would not allow them to seek Wednesday’s blood for the ritual, risking her life in the process. In the series, if it hadn’t been for Goody Addams’ necklace, Wednesday would have died from Marilyn’s stabbing.
The other reason he decided to intervene in Crackstone’s return was for Nevermore.
If Crackstone were resurrected, he would attack Nevermore. In the process, he would destroy several parts of the school, and it was very likely there would be casualties. Luke wanted to take advantage of this to place more blame on the Spellmans, so when he presented proof that they were involved in Crackstone’s resurrection, their punishment would be much harsher.
But he was being very insensitive. Many people in Nevermore mattered to him, though it took him a while to realize this: Enid, Wednesday, Xavier, Ajax, Enid’s siblings, Principal Larissa, and so on.
His peers respected him, and he had come to realize this. He had never been as comfortable anywhere as he was at Nevermore-neither in his past life nor in this one. He couldn’t let a demonic normie madman destroy his home.
So, he changed his plans. He would gather evidence showing the Spellmans helping in Crackstone’s resurrection, but he would stop them before it could happen. It wouldn’t have the same effect of guilt on the Spellmans, but that was his decision.
He now also needed to collect evidence about Marilyn-her past, her knowledge about Crackstone, and more. That way, when he presented all the evidence, they could verify that Crackstone could have truly been resurrected and that it wasn’t just some questionable prophecy.
‘Today I have to take the photos; tomorrow I’ll extract the Faceless One’s memory…’ Luke thought as he traveled on a bus with everyone else heading to Jericho for their volunteer work.
‘I’ll also tell Wednesday the truth,’ Luke thought, more worried about this.
He decided to tell her that he already knew who was controlling the Hyde. How did he know this? Thanks to his enemies, whom he managed to find without them realizing, and by reading the memory of the Faceless One.
Why was he doing this? Because he felt guilty. He had used Wednesday, even though he already knew who was pulling the strings behind the Hyde and who wanted to revive Crackstone. He knew how worried Wednesday was about the prophecy.
‘The most likely outcome is that our relationship will end when she finds out I used her. It’s for the best,’ Luke thought, sighing internally. This way, he would fulfill his promise to Enid. “Why so quiet?” Wednesday asked, sitting next to Luke on the bus.
“I thought you liked silence,” Luke said with a slight smile.
“I do, but it’s strange not to hear your annoying comments first thing in the morning,” Wednesday said. Luke looked around and noticed they were the only ones at the back of the bus.
“I’m cold, that’s why I’m not talking. It’d be nice to get a little human warmth,” Luke said, rubbing his palms together.
Wednesday looked around, and upon noticing that no one was in sight, she moved closer to Luke until their bodies touched.
“Five minutes,” Wednesday said.
“Thanks, you’re such a kind person,” Luke said with a smile, emphasizing the word kind.
Since he only had five minutes, and it was likely the last time he would be this close to Wednesday, Luke rested his head on the girl’s delicate shoulder.
“What are you doing?” Wednesday asked, watching as Luke leaned on her shoulder.
“My face is cold. I have to make the most of the time you gave me,” Luke said with a slight smile. He closed his eyes and relaxed. Wednesday smelled nice.
Fifteen minutes passed, and they arrived in the town of Jericho. No one noticed the unusual scene of Luke sleeping on Wednesday’s shoulder. She maintained a stoic expression, occasionally glancing at the sleeping Luke.
“We’ve arrived. Wake up before I kill you,” Wednesday said, abruptly waking Luke.
“Hey… Why so aggressive?” Luke said, stretching.
“I thought you said only five minutes. You’re kinder than I thought,” Luke added with a slight smile. Wednesday said nothing, stood up and walked toward the bus door. Luke followed her. They both ended up volunteering at Uriah’s Heap, an antique shop. They were supposed to help the owner, and it was just the two of them.
Tasks were assigned randomly. Wednesday was supposed to work at Uriah’s Heap, but Luke wasn’t. He was originally assigned to the café where Tyler worked. Fortunately, they could swap jobs with other students, and Ajax had been assigned to Uriah’s Heap, so Luke traded with him. Ajax was grateful to avoid working in such a boring and strange place.
The owner of the shop was named Connie Jorgensen. She was an older woman with gray, curly hair, dark skin, and a peculiar sense of fashion.
The good thing was that the shop was empty. It was easy for Luke to control Connie’s mind. All he needed was to ensure she didn’t report to the Nevermore teachers that they had abandoned their assigned posts.
With his mental control over normies, Luke could give them more complex orders with longer durations. He and Wednesday left the shop through the back and started heading toward the
original cult house.
The distance between Jericho and the original cult house was greater than that to Nevermore, about 24 kilometers. If they were normies, it would have taken them much longer to get there, but they were outcasts.
A normie runner might take over two hours, depending on their skill level. However, it only took them around thirty minutes. Once they reached the forest, it was easier to run, as there
were no normie eyes or streets to cross.
They stopped about a hundred meters away. The cult house was already visible. Its dilapidated state was clear, but what caught Wednesday’s attention most was seeing people
inside the house.
The wooden fences surrounding the house were in terrible condition, yet despite the distance, they could see movement behind the fences. The outcasts’ vision was sharper than that of
normies.
“Could they be drug addicts?” Wednesday asked, hiding behind a tree and taking a closer look at the cabin, whose wood was nearly black. It was a miracle it was still standing.
“No. Look closer. What kind of vagabonds wear hoods and black cloaks?” Luke said, pulling out his five-thousand-dollar camera.
Wednesday noticed four hooded figures, looking very suspicious. Two were outside the house, while the other two could be seen inside through a hole in the wall that seemed to have
once been a window.
“Since when are you a photographer?” Wednesday asked, watching Luke take several pictures. She didn’t understand why he was taking photos. Did he want evidence? For what? Up until now, they hadn’t gathered any, as they had no plans to show it to anyone.
“A newly discovered hidden talent. Let’s get closer… I need better shots,” Luke said, and Wednesday nodded. She activated her stealth ability, covering them both.
They moved closer, until they were about 35 meters away, using the shadows of the trees and bushes for cover. Luke took several photos. His camera had excellent quality, and in the
pictures, the features of the hooded figures could be discerned despite their cloaks.
“Why are you taking so many pictures?” Wednesday asked, her expression puzzled. She had expected that they would discuss who these hooded figures were. For Wednesday, the most likely theory was that they were the ones controlling the Hyde. She hadn’t expected there to be so many of them. In a fight, they would be outnumbered.
“Let’s move back to a safer distance,” Luke said, stopping his photo-taking. He had enough
now.
Amaranth, who was among the hooded figures, sniffed the air several times. She sensed a familiar scent-or more precisely, blood. As a half-vampire, one of her abilities allowed her to detect a former victim if they were nearby, within about a hundred meters or less. Usually, the people she drained of blood were left completely dry, so she rarely needed to use this ability. That’s why its range was so limited.
However, this time, the scent of blood was barely noticeable, as if it were both there and not
there at the same time. She stepped outside the house and scanned the surroundings, but saw
nothing.
‘Has it been so long since I used my sense of smell that it’s failing?’ Amaranth thought,
dismissing her concern and returning to the house.
You can read 15 chapters in advance on my patreon.
Link: [email protected]/Nathe07