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Bianca read the letter once again through teary eyes:
‘For abuses of her sirenic powers, Ms. Bianca Barclay is to be expelled, effective immediately.’
After everything, she had still failed. She was going to have to return to her mother and the sunshine cult and abuse her powers. She had been doing so well! She had only used her siren song once since entering the school and that was to save all of her classmates. That should count for something. But no, her mother had been right. She wasn’t cut out to- “Is this base display because they found out you used your siren powers to get into Nevermore?” Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice from behind her.
Bianca whipped around and was met by her short (former) nemesis standing much closer than expected. She took a step back and rubbed at her eyes. “I’m being expelled for manipulating the board.”
“So you’re crying because you were caught? You’re above those” she grimaced, “emotions.”
Bianca shook her head. “How do you do that?” she asked. Wednesday raised an eyebrow at the teary-eyed siren. “How do you not get upset, not get ruffled by anything. I’m crying my eyes out because of an expulsion letter, but it’s just a stupid high school. You got stabbed by a crazy pilgrim worshiper like it was nothing.”
“I don’t get upset, I get even.”
Bianca scoffed. “Of course you would say that. Wednesday, getting even is how I got here.”
Wednesday tilted her head, the slightest indication of interest. When Bianca didn’t continue, Wednesday waved her hand: “Explain.”
“I came to Nevermore to get back at my mom. She wants me to be just like her, and she still thinks I should be, even after I made it here.” She held up the necklace that muted her manipulative voice. “It may have been her power that got me in initially but everything else is mine and mine alone.” Bianca rubbed her temples. Wednesday watched her clench and unclench her jaw.
A disturbing feeling of familiarity rolled over Wednesday. “You want to prove you are your own person. I feel similarly,” she offered. Bianca rolled her eyes but Wednesday continued: “My mother wants me to be just like her. Both of my parents went here and told me I’d love it, but I know all they want is for me to be just like them. It’s why I tried to run away from Nevermore so many times.”
“And now here you are, hero of the school, protector of the outcasts.”
“An unfortunate byproduct that will soon be corrected.” As if on cue, both girls heard an ominous boom from elsewhere on Nevermore’s grounds. The chandeliers rocked and the walls shook. Wednesday could hardly keep a grin from rising as she held eye contact with Bianca. To her credit, Bianca didn’t shrink under Wednesday’s cold stare. Then the screams started.
Bianca glanced down the hall . “Do you need to check on that?”
“ It’s being handled ,” Wednesday dismissed.
“Hm,” Bianca hummed.
“Besides, you can’t get expelled. I won’t allow it.”
Bianca raised an eyebrow. “You won’t allow it?”
“Certainly not,” Wednesday replied curtly. “ I didn’t let them expel me either. I’m incredibly hard to remove, like a poisonous burr.”
“Gee, thanks. Bitter comfort when I’m already expelled.” Bianca held up the crumpled letter. Wednesday snatched it out of her hand. She scanned it quickly then looked up at Bianca from below her fringe.
“Nonsense, they can’t expel you when the headmaster’s files have all disappeared.” A firetruck’s sirens wailed through the forest trees. Wednesday looked toward the window. “Imagine that, everyone’s records gone in a puff of smoke.”
Bianca walked to the window and leaned out. Everyone was congregating in the quad, staring up at the gaping hole blown into the side of Nevermore Academy. Smoke rose as charred papers drifted away on the wind.
“ Holy shit, Wednesday did you really-”
“What a tragic, unforeseeable accident. There’d been a gas leak in that wing for weeks now. I thought they were keeping it like that for the pleasant lightheaded feeling, but I suppose not. These old buildings do take a lot of maintenance.” Bianca watched teachers scramble to get a headcount of students and shepherd them away from the rubble. “It will take them months to sort through the mess. They may never get all of their files back. It’s impossible to say.” Bianca gaped at this pint sized girl who had saved her. She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes. Wednesday abruptly broke eye contact and started down the hallway. “I should go see if there were any victims.” Bianca had a sneaking suspicion that she meant victims she could dissect. She also suspected that no one had been killed. Knowing Wednesday’s “bad” luck, it was unlikely anyone had even been hurt in the blast.
Bianca reached out and grabbed Wednesday’s wrist. “ Wednesday, wait,” she started. Wednesday’s eyes bored holes into the point where Bianca’s hand connected with her sleeve. Bianca let go. She hugged her sides and sighed. “Answer one question for me. Why go to all this trouble?”
The unspoken ‘ for me ’ hung heavy in the air.
Wednesday pursed her lips. “You are one of the only people at this school who presents any sort of competition for me. Going home to run a pyramid scheme cult? What a waste. Even a child can construct a triangle. You have people here you can rule over without your powers.” She held up the expulsion letter and a lit match. “I’ll dispose of this trash.”
With that, Wednesday walked away, leaving a trail of inky black smoke in her wake. Bianca stood and stared after her. The smell of burning paper wafted over her and she took in her sudden de-expulsion from Nevermore by the machinations of one Wednesday Addams.