Happy New Year to all!
…
Wednesday looked at Bianca and, most of all, at Enid. However, Enid didn’t look at her; she glanced briefly at Luke.
Luke couldn’t help but recall the words Enid had said to him that day. They weren’t pleasant, though he didn’t blame her. What worried him most was the possibility of having to fight her, as she had seemed on the verge of seriously attacking him that time.
‘Nothing happened at the Nevermore dance, and now months have passed since then. She must have gotten over it,’ Luke thought.
At the Rave’N in Nevermore, Luke had seen Enid wearing a pink wig and a white dress with pink hues. If she hadn’t attacked him then, even after seeing him dance with Wednesday and despite knowing he’d always said he hated dancing, nothing serious should happen tonight. Xavier approached Luke alongside Bianca. Yoko stayed with Enid, Divina, and Kent, chatting. “It’s been a while, bro!” Xavier greeted Luke enthusiastically, shaking his hand firmly.
“Looks like you’ve hit that growth spurt you were waiting for,” Luke remarked with a slight smile. He noticed Xavier was a bit taller than the last time he’d seen him at Nevermore.
“Yeah, we’re the same height now,” Xavier said with a smile.
“It’s not a competition, but I’ve grown a few centimeters too, so I should still be a little taller,” Luke said, straightening his posture and just barely edging out Xavier.
“Mm, I don’t think so. Must be your shoes,” Xavier replied, straightening the back.
“Ahem…” Bianca cleared her throat, giving Xavier a light nudge in the back, which made him stop comparing his height with Luke.
“Bianca,” Luke said, looking at her and giving a slight nod of his head.
“Luke,” Bianca replied, returning the greeting in the exact same manner. She then turned her gaze toward Wednesday, who was also looking at her.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Wednesday,” Bianca said in a serious tone, staring intently at Wednesday, who held her gaze just as firmly.
“Oh, and why is that, Queen Bee?” Wednesday asked in a completely neutral tone, though the sarcasm in the nickname “Queen Bee” was crystal clear to Bianca.
“I just couldn’t picture you at a party. Do you actually enjoy fun and normal things? I thought your code of existence was to avoid anything even remotely pleasant,” Bianca said with a smile that was anything but friendly.
“You’re right. Unlike you, I don’t enjoy the sparkle of lights and the echo of hollow laughter. I suppose those are essential for you. After all, you must maintain your illustrious position as leader of the flock,” Wednesday said, her tone icy.
‘Oh boy…’ Luke thought, exchanging a glance with Xavier. Their girlfriends were absolutely incompatible. It was impossible to imagine them ever becoming friends.
They could never double date. Those dates would end in deadly battles that they would have to step in to stop.
“At least I don’t hide behind a facade of nihilism to justify my inability to enjoy life,” Bianca retorted softly, though her eyes burned with intensity as she glared at Wednesday.
“Look, Bianca. There’s Chris and Emma-let’s go say hi,” Xavier interjected, taking Bianca’s hand. He quickly led her away, exchanging a knowing glance with Luke, who gave him a slight nod in return.
“Always so diplomatic,” Luke remarked.
“Mediocrity deserves an adequate response, at least once in a while,” Wednesday replied. Luke and Wednesday remained in a corner, conversing as they critically observed the guests, who were beginning to drink alcohol.
No one dared approach them to make conversation-mostly because of Wednesday. Luke’s image had improved slightly in terms of sociability, but Wednesday was intimidating to most people.
“Who knows? You might witness someone having a stroke from drinking too much,” Luke commented.
“Let’s hope so,” Wednesday replied in a low, monotone voice, tinged with a hint of anticipation.
She then turned her attention to a particularly loud group in the room, her lips curling slightly into what might be considered a macabre smile. “Werewolves can get violent quickly when they drink. It’ll be interesting to see if any of them lose control and start fighting. That could turn this dull gathering into something worth watching,” she added.
“Ajax would approve if it makes his party more legendary,” Luke said, eyeing a bottle of champagne. He had never drunk champagne before.
“Don’t even think about it,” Wednesday said, following Luke’s gaze.
“It’s only 12% alcohol-“
“No,” Wednesday interrupted.
“Are you my mom or something…?” Luke muttered irritably, looking away from the bottle.
“Would you like me to be your mom? Strange fetish you’ve got there,” Wednesday said
mockingly.
“Don’t twist my words,” Luke replied, his brow furrowing slightly.
Wednesday tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes fixed on Luke as a small, crooked smile spread across her lips- a smile that barely reached her eyes.
“It’s unusual for a comment to bother you,” she said in a low voice, stepping closer to him. She calmly placed her hands around his neck, moving close enough that their faces were dangerously near.
Luke froze, blinking in surprise at the unexpected gesture. This wasn’t like her, especially not in such a public setting.
She had seemed irritable all day, and now she was displaying a public show of affection. Something was off, and he couldn’t figure out what.
Several guests stopped talking and turned to look at them. Bianca, Enid, and Xavier were among those watching.
Just as Wednesday leaned in a bit closer to Luke, narrowing the distance between them with an evident intent, Ajax cleared his throat from the center of the room.
“Alright, everyone! Time to move to the main hall. The real party starts now!” Ajax announced enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the tension that had filled the air around
Luke, Wednesday, and the handful of people watching them.
After that, Ajax opened a large set of double doors and led everyone into the main hall.
Wednesday clicked her tongue in obvious annoyance as she pulled away from Luke. “How inconvenient,” she muttered to herself.
“What the hell was that?” Luke whispered, still trying to process what had just happened.
Wednesday ignored his question, turning gracefully to follow the others as they began to head into the main hall.
Luke followed Wednesday, dropping his questions as he was left stunned upon crossing the threshold and seeing the main hall Ajax had prepared.
The walls were covered in dark wood panels, contrasting with a black marble floor veined with gold, polished to a mirror-like shine. At the far ends of the hall, large windows with heavy black velvet curtains offered a view of the forest surrounding the mansion.
A dance floor occupied a prominent corner of the hall, its glass tiles glowing with lights that pulsed to the rhythm of the music. On an elevated platform, a DJ was already playing. To one side, there was a small bar manned by one of the mansion’s staff.
Opposite the dance floor was a quieter area, with black leather sofas arranged in a U-shape
around low tables.
What caught Luke’s attention most was a large circle marked on the floor in red lines in the back corner of the hall. Inside the circle, the floor was smooth stone.
“Is that a dueling area?” Luke asked.
“Looks like it,” Wednesday replied, equally surprised by this unexpected feature. Perhaps the
party would be more entertaining than she initially thought.
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