Monday, September 15 – 7:00 AM
Dong… dong… dong…
The eerie sound of a funeral bell echoed through the room, filling the air with its ominous resonance. It was the alarm Wednesday had chosen for her phone, as dramatic and gloomy as she was.
The sound pierced Luke’s ears, causing him to frown and bury his head in the pillow with a muffled groan. It was the daily reminder that he had to get up, get dressed, and face the dreaded school day with an identity that wasn’t truly his.
The idea of deceiving others, making them believe he was someone entirely different, held a certain allure. But that didn’t make waking up any easier. And worse yet, having to act like he belonged to the opposite gender all day long. It was Monday morning, and Luke cursed the very existence of school weeks under his breath.
The alarm kept ringing, each chime reverberating in his head. Burying his face in the pillow did nothing to drown it out, so Luke sought refuge in the one thing that always managed to soothe his irritation.
He turned toward the delicate body lying beside him, half-wrapped in the blankets.
Wednesday, still asleep, breathed calmly, her face serene and perfect, like someone deep in peaceful slumber.
Luke slipped under the blankets, wrapping his arms around her and settling in next to her. His head rested close to hers, close enough to catch the faint scent of her hair.
He buried his face in her hair, closing his eyes and holding her tighter.
Wednesday’s eyes slowly fluttered open. Finding Luke embracing her, she didn’t appear the least bit annoyed and made no attempt to pull away.
“Not wanting to get up again? Stop trying to run from reality and embrace the early mornings,” Wednesday murmured, her eyes half-closed as she adjusted herself in Luke’s embrace.
The funeral bell continued to toll, and the room remained shrouded in darkness.
She also preferred nighttime, but during the school year, she adjusted her sleep cycle.
“Nothing will happen if we skip one day,” Luke remarked in a hoarse voice, not opening his
eyes.
Wednesday let out a mocking huff. “You know Jenna can’t miss a day. Her brainiac personality wouldn’t allow it,” she said in a soft yet cutting tone. “And as for you… if you skip, the whole school will know you’re not there. The school will call home, and our delightful mother will either have to lie or expose you.”
“Don’t mess with me,” Luke muttered, knowing he had no way out. His fake identity as Tuesday had gained so much popularity in such a short time that his absence would cause a scandal.
Wednesday turned toward him, giving him a small tap on the forehead with her finger, enjoying the slight annoyance it caused. “Happy with your popularity, Queen Bee?” she asked mockingly.
At the tap, Luke opened his eyes and looked at Wednesday. Their faces were very close, and though it was dark, with his clairvoyant eyes and their proximity, he could see her features perfectly.
Luke loved Wednesday’s face in the early morning-a face no one else got to see, only him.
“I don’t know if I’m happy, but it’s funny how everyone acts around me-kind of entertaining, though I’m not sure how much longer I can stand it,” Luke replied, with a hint of bitterness and a faint smile.
His popularity, while morbidly amusing to him, also weighed heavily. He hated being the center of attention and had an antisocial personality.
After replying, Luke couldn’t help but kiss Wednesday.
Wednesday accepted the kiss.
“I guess this makes mornings more bearable,” Luke commented when they finally pulled apart.
“Of course,” Wednesday said, getting out of bed and turning off the alarm.
She turned on the light and began changing. The windows had to stay closed-no one could see Luke in his original form. In a small town and a new house, there were always nosy
neighbors.
“Speaking of your popularity… stop trying to conquer the school and focus on finding information,” Wednesday said, her tone returning to its usual serious monotony.
Wednesday had read through a large number of books in the school library. Her goal was to find historical texts about Shadyside’s founding and significant events in its past: important local families, town legends, and seemingly irrelevant facts that could become key if analyzed correctly.
There were books with information that couldn’t be found online, what made this research approach useful.
Natasha had a job related to local administration, which gave her access to historical archives and official town records.
Though she’d been busy this week managing her false identity and handling routine tasks, she hadn’t wasted any time. She knew she needed to act discreetly, as some of the files she could use wouldn’t be easily accessible.
The only one who seemed to have done little was Luke. Unlike Natasha and Wednesday, who shared their findings, he hadn’t looked for information or contributed to the investigation. The day before, they’d held a routine meeting to discuss their progress so far.
Although they hadn’t discovered anything significant during this first week, they were a step ahead compared to when they arrived.
“I know I didn’t contribute anything to yesterday’s meeting… but don’t worry, I’ve got a lead and something that might be important,” Luke said with a faint, confident smile as he got out
of bed.
“What is it?” Wednesday asked in her monotone voice, though with a hint of curiosity.
“Confidential,” Luke replied, trying to act mysterious. It was a small lead, and he needed to ensure it was worthwhile before sharing it.
Wednesday rolled her eyes and dropped the subject. They got dressed, Luke took the potion, and they headed downstairs to have breakfast before going to school.
“So… when are you going to contribute something to the investigation?” Natasha asked, placing a plate full of food in front of Luke.
Wednesday, sitting beside him in her Jenna disguise, read a small book while sipping her morning coffee.
“You’re complaining about me not contributing, too? It’s only been a week,” Luke replied
with a grimace.
“A week, and you’ve done nothing. Do you think we’re here on vacation? Time is gold. I thought you were supposed to be a great detective,” Natasha said, recalling how Luke had solved the Crackstone mystery, capturing Marilyn and the hooded Spellmans.
“That was luck. With my clairvoyance, I noticed someone watching me when I left Nevermore. After that, it was as simple as catching the stupid faceless one and reading their memories,”
Luke replied irritably.
What he had done well-and he wouldn’t downplay it-was gathering evidence to present to the outcast police, ensuring the Spellmans and others faced justice.
However, the situation in Shadyside was entirely different. No one was watching him, and he didn’t have anyone whose memories he could read to uncover something. Here, he had to find evidence buried for over a decade.
“Oh, and I thought we had the next Sherlock Holmes,” Natasha said with a faintly mocking
smile.
“I may not be the next Sherlock Holmes, but I’ve found something much better than books or documents with irrelevant information,” Luke replied with a disdainful grin.
During yesterday’s meeting, the only thing Natasha and Wednesday had found were Shadyside’s important historical events and notable incidents-barely anything worth
mentioning.
None of the events tied into what they were looking for: a major event over a decade ago, around the time their parents should have arrived in Shadyside or Sunnyvale. “You seem confident. What is it?” Natasha asked curiously, looking at Luke. They weren’t competing to see who could bring the best information or find evidence the fastest. The sooner someone found a lead, the better for everyone.
“He won’t tell you. It’s ‘confidential.’ He probably doesn’t have much confidence that it’ll be useful,” Wednesday commented without lifting her eyes from her book. She had completely read Luke’s behavior from earlier when he tried to act mysterious about the lead he’d found. ‘She read me like a book…’ Luke thought, shooting Wednesday a glance. She knew him far too well.
“Well, that’s disappointing,” Natasha said, turning her attention back to what she was doing. “It’s not that it’s useless. I got a lead through someone from Shadyside,” Luke said in a more
serious tone.
That caught both of their attention. Natasha looked at him again, and even Wednesday briefly
shifted her focus from the book.
“What is it?” Natasha asked.
“I talked to a guy, Simon, on the phone. One of my contacts,” Luke began with a smug smile. His new phonebook was filled with new contacts.
“I asked him if Shadyside is as boring as it seems, and the guy wouldn’t stop talking to me-
he sounded like a parrot. I guess he felt accomplished having my attention,” Luke added,
speaking slowly.
“And?” Wednesday asked, turning toward him with a slight raise of her brow. She remembered Simon, the lanky guy who reeked of marijuana-one of the “new friends” from
Tuesday’s rebel group.
“And at some point, he mentioned something interesting. He said that last summer, his friend Violet was investigating some kind of conspiracy,” Luke responded.
“What kind of conspiracy?” Natasha asked skeptically. She didn’t have much faith in a normie
teenager’s investigation.
“From the little he told me, it had to do with why so many people leave Shadyside and why no one seems to talk about it. According to Simon, Violet found it strange that every year several families leave town, and no one treats it as something significant,” Luke replied. Wednesday put her book down on the table and looked at him more attentively. “And what else did he say? Did she find anything shady?”
“No. Simon didn’t seem to believe in the idea of a conspiracy and barely paid attention to Violet’s investigation. From what he said, they visited some abandoned houses, but in the end, he said Violet gave up, thinking it all pointed to families simply leaving for somewhere more interesting,” Luke answered with a slightly irritated tone.
‘Stupid Simon,’ Luke thought. If he had paid more attention to his friend’s investigation, Luke would have more information by now.
With his identity as Tuesday, Luke had gotten close to Violet. She was one of the people he interacted with the most, along with her group of stoner friends.
However, Violet never mentioned her investigation, even though Luke had asked her the same
questions he later asked Simon.
He had asked her first, so he really thought the normie had nothing relevant to tell about
Shadyside. It wasn’t until Simon brought up the investigation that Luke realized Violet might have been hiding something.
Next time he saw her, he planned to talk about it-or simply read her memories if she refused
to share.
It was likely Violet hadn’t mentioned the investigation because she didn’t want to come off as a weirdo in front of Tuesday. If her close friends didn’t take her seriously, someone like Tuesday-who had a rebellious and uninterested image-was even less likely to.
“So, are you going to talk to this Violet? Or read her memories if she refuses?” Wednesday
asked. Luke nodded.
“There’s a slight chance she found something, but I don’t think it’s connected to the evidence or your parents. They were only in Shadyside or Sunnyvale for a short time. If someone’s making people disappear from town for some unknown reason, it won’t have anything to do
with them,” Natasha commented.
“That’s true. But if there really is something shady going on here, whoever’s behind it might have information about my parents or their arrival, something,” Luke said with a shrug.
He wasn’t very hopeful about this. The chances of a conspiracy existing were slim, and even if there was one, it was unlikely to have anything to do with his parents.
But if there are criminals who have been making people disappear from Shadyside for years
and no one says anything, it means these criminals are highly capable. There’s also a small chance they might be outcasts.
And if they are outcasts who have been around for a long time, they could know something
about his parents’ arrival more than ten years ago. So, there’s no harm in investigating. “It’s a thin thread, but it’s worth following,” Wednesday commented. Just then, a car horn sounded. Luke stood up and looked at Wednesday. “Come on, my loyal subjects will take you to school. You don’t have to walk,” he said. Even
though it was only a 15-minute walk, Luke didn’t want Wednesday walking alone while he
rode to school in a car.
“Fine,” Wednesday nodded, getting to her feet.
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