Only a few minutes remained before the race began. While the participants were finishing their last preparations, Alex held a cup of popcorn in his hands and wondered whether he should interfere to ensure Enid’s one-hundred-percent victory.

Dean, standing next to him and also chewing popcorn, watched everything happening and wondered how his life had come to this. An academy where monster children and supernaturally gifted teenagers studied… And here he was, a seasoned hunter, observing a school boat race.

But the longer he stayed in Nevermore, the more his worldview changed. For decades, he had believed that monsters were evil by nature — and life had only reinforced that belief. Dean had never met a creature that wished to live quietly and harm no one.

However, a few days spent among the students of Nevermore forced him to admit: perhaps he had simply never encountered those who truly didn’t want to hurt anyone.

While Alex and Dean were lost in their thoughts, the participants took their boats. Alex tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth and looked at Enid and Wednesday — both ready for the swim.

Enid turned her head, noticed Alex, and waved cheerfully. He smiled, gave her a thumbs-up — and it instantly boosted the girl’s confidence.

Wednesday also looked in his direction — with a cold, assessing gaze. Being a child in an adult’s body, Alex immediately stuck his tongue out at her.

Wednesday’s eye twitched.

She didn’t say anything — but her look promised a separate conversation later.

At that moment, Principal Weems was explaining the conditions and rules of the race. Alex and Dean heard an interesting fact about the crypt of Joseph Crackstone, the founder of Jericho. Hearing this, they exchanged a look: they should check that place when no one is around.

When Weems finished her speech, she raised her hand with a revolver and fired into the air — the race began.

Alex was still debating whether to interfere or not.

Eugene, standing nearby, began excitedly explaining what privileges the winners would receive. Even Dean whistled in surprise.

A couple of minutes later, Alex noticed Bianca’s friend — a merman — quietly diving underwater to push her boat and help her win. Alex snorted: well, if that’s how it is…

He took off his cap with cat ears, placed it on Eugene’s head, and handed him the popcorn.

“Dîn, hold my backpack. Carefully — there’s a very fragile thing inside,” Alex said, removing the backpack and giving it to his brother.

“And where exactly are you going?” Dean narrowed his eyes.

“I’ll be right back. I need to use the bathroom,” Alex said calmly, hiding his intentions.

“Hopefully not a cat one?” Dean smirked.

Alex only grinned and walked toward the nearest tree. Hiding behind the trunk, he transformed into a black cat and sprinted along the shore, tracking the boats.

Deciding to overtake the participants, he leapt onto a tree and began jumping from branch to branch until he was far enough ahead. Stopping, he noticed a red buoy in the middle of the river. For an ordinary cat, the distance would have been impossible… but Alex was no cat. He was the Demon King, who enjoyed trolling others a little.

Pushing off with precision, he jumped directly onto the buoy, which rocked gently on the waves.

From the buoy, Alex noticed a group of kids in purple robes — they were trying to slow down Wednesday and Enid’s boat, swinging an oar so wildly it almost hit all four girls.

Alex was about to intervene and sink their boat, but then he saw the same merman swimming underwater — he pushed the purple boat right toward the buoy.

Alex narrowed his eyes predatorily, smiling in a satisfied, catlike way. A few seconds later the boat crashed into the buoy… it rocked, but Alex didn’t even flick an ear.

Wednesday and Enid sailed past — and both noticed the black cat sitting on the red buoy.

“This cat looks familiar,” Wednesday said, squinting at him.

“Maybe it’s a sign that we’ll win?” Enid suggested hopefully.

“I doubt the outcome of the race depends on an ordinary cat,” Wednesday replied calmly, though she shot the cat another suspicious glance.

When all the participants passed by, Alex glanced at the kids whose boat had just crashed against the buoy, smirked, and easily jumped onto the shore. Still in cat form, he sprinted along the waterline, catching up with the boats.

Wednesday, Enid, and the two other girls from their team were rowing with all their strength, trying to catch up to the group ahead. Wednesday suddenly set her oar aside, pulled out a spyglass, and looked forward. A mermaid’s tail fin flickered in the water — she immediately understood what that meant.

But before she dealt with Bianca’s uninvited helper, Wednesday’s gaze accidentally caught something on the shore.

A black cat.

He was running parallel to them, not falling behind for even a second.

Him again… Wednesday thought. The cat looked painfully familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why.

Setting the spyglass aside, she pushed away unnecessary thoughts and activated the mechanism she had attached to the bottom of the boat the previous night. A second later, a net shot out from beneath the hull — it wrapped perfectly around the merman, tying him up and dragging him to the bottom.

Freed from interference, Wednesday and Enid’s boat easily reached Raven Island with Crackstone’s crypt.

After docking, Wednesday jumped onto the shore, and Enid was about to follow her, but heard a strict voice:

“Stay and make sure Bianca doesn’t damage the boat.”

Enid nodded obediently and stayed behind. But she had no intention of sitting idle. As soon as Wednesday and the two other girls disappeared into the forest, Enid decided to act. Glancing at Thing, she narrowed her eyes — an excellent plan formed in her head.

“Distract them,” she whispered.

Thing gave her a thumbs-up.

Jumping ashore, he quickly ran across the grass, raised himself onto his wrist — and threw a stone at one of the opponents. Feeling a hit on the back of his head, the boy spun around sharply.

Without wasting a second, Thing showed both boys the middle finger. They instantly boiled with anger and sprinted after him. As soon as they ran off, Enid rushed to their boat. Her claws extended, and with one sharp motion she tore open the bottom.

At that moment, a black cat softly jumped down from a tree — and Enid blinked in surprise.

“Hi, kitty. You’re cheering for us too?” she smiled.

The cat winked at her — and dashed into the forest, leaving Enid even more puzzled.

Briefly, she caught herself on a strange thought: his eyes looked exactly like Alex’s…

But she dismissed it at once. There was no way Alex — an agent investigating the supernatural — could be a black cat. Right?

Meanwhile, Alex was already sprinting through the forest toward Crackstone’s crypt. He arrived just in time to see Wednesday touch the stone wall — and plunge into a new vision. While the other participants were already grabbing their flags, Wednesday went limp and collapsed to the ground. Alex ran up to her and gently touched her forehead with his paw.

The girl blinked as she came to. Opening her eyes, she saw a black cat right above her, watching her intently from above. She blinked again in confusion. Up close, the cat looked… too familiar. Too much like someone she saw every day. But before she could think about it, a mocking voice rang out:

“What’s wrong, kitty fell asleep?” Bianca drawled, taking her team’s flag.

These words snapped Wednesday out of her thoughts — she saw Bianca racing ahead. Realizing that she had been delayed by the vision, Wednesday gritted her teeth: she wasn’t going to lose, especially not to Bianca. Quickly getting up, she grabbed her team’s flag.

Alex, watching her, let out a soft meow and dashed forward. He hoped Wednesday would catch the hint and follow him. Clutching the flag, Wednesday held her gaze on the black cat for a fraction of a second — she even thought she heard it tell her to follow. Without hesitation, she sprang after him. Alex, running ahead, led her along the shortest route to the shore.

“Wednesday, faster! We’re last!” Enid shouted, seeing her friend sprinting.

Seeing the shore and her teammates, Wednesday finally put the puzzle together: the cat had guided her along the shortest path. She accelerated, jumped into the boat, and the team immediately pushed off from the shore.

Alex, already quite tired from running, lazily jumped onto the bow of the boat. Enid literally beamed with happiness: their team was called the Black Cats, and now they had a real black cat on board — like a lucky charm.

Unnoticed by the others, Alex subtly sped up the boat, using the water without arousing suspicion. Thanks to this assistance, Wednesday’s team quickly caught up to the boys from the Jesters’ team. When their boat drew level, Alex cast Xavier a look full of contempt and even grinned gleefully, watching the rivals’ boat start sinking along with the most overconfident participants.

Wednesday and Enid’s team began closing the distance to Bianca’s boat. Wednesday activated another modification — sharp spikes capable of piercing the hull. But before the team could get close, the boat suddenly veered to the side — underwater, the merman was pushing it.

Alex, sitting on the bow in cat form, gave a faint smile. He sent a light electric charge through the water — just enough to knock out the young “assistant.” At the same moment, the merman received a stimulating jolt underwater and instantly passed out.

Alex wasn’t worried: the merman couldn’t drown in principle, so he wasn’t risking accidentally killing a cheating teenager.

Wednesday hadn’t even called Thing before the boat stopped being pushed. She squinted skeptically and looked again at the black cat sitting on the bow. The cat lazily turned its head toward her and began scratching its ear with its paw, licking the pad — as if it were just a normal passenger being carried to the finish line.

With Alex subtly controlling the water, Wednesday’s boat quickly caught up to Bianca. When the boats drew level, Wednesday and Enid’s team made a sharp maneuver — the spikes sank into Bianca’s hull, leaving large holes. Water rushed in instantly, and Bianca’s expression at that moment was a perfect mix of rage, wounded pride, and absolute refusal to admit defeat — especially to Wednesday.

As the victorious team approached the dock, Alex nimbly jumped onto the shore and disappeared into the crowd. Wednesday and Enid received congratulations, and Wednesday suddenly felt compelled to look in a certain direction. She turned — and saw Alex approaching with a light smile, taking his black cat-eared cap from Eugene’s head and retrieving his backpack from Dean.

Their eyes met. Alex winked at her — easy, teasing, too… catlike. Wednesday squinted suspiciously. More and more evidence pointed to the black cat being Alex. But there was no direct proof. Only one common trait… the eye color. The unique iris pattern she had already seen — in the cat and in Alex.

And the longer she looked into his eyes, the more convinced she became: the black cat was indeed him.

“Went to the bathroom?” Dean smirked, looking at Alex.

“Something like that… barely found it in this confusing academy. What did I miss?” Alex said with the most innocent expression.

“You don’t know, huh,” Dean muttered sarcastically. Alex just shrugged.

“Wednesday and Enid won and took the Po Cup!” Eugene announced joyfully.

“I’m happy for them,” Alex smirked.

Alex still felt Wednesday’s heavy gaze on him, practically burning right through him, completely ignoring the fact that everyone around her was congratulating her on the victory. Enid also glanced at Alex and flashed him a victory sign. Alex looked at her — standing next to Wednesday, beaming with joy — and smiled, lightly clapping his hands in congratulations to both of them.

After that, all the students headed to Nevermore’s central courtyard for Headmistress Weems to present the winners with the cup. While Weems delivered a long, ceremonious speech, Wednesday didn’t take her eyes off Alex, who stood aside, leaning against a column next to Dean. Alex continued to smile, pretending not to notice.

When the Headmistress finally finished her inspiring speech, she handed the Poe Cup to Enid. She immediately jumped up in delight, and the surrounding students began applauding the team. Even Dean clapped, a faint smile on his face — after all, he was treating this job as a paid vacation, gradually getting used to Amara’s blessing that he would now have to live with.

While everyone congratulated the winners, Wednesday cast one more quick glance at Alex, then, trying not to draw attention, slipped away unnoticed. But Alex saw this — and understood perfectly why. Wednesday simply didn’t like being the center of attention, especially when people were congratulating her and being overly friendly.

“Seems like your pale friend doesn’t like so much attention,” Dean said, leaning his shoulder against the column and nodding toward the direction Wednesday had gone.

“She’s an introvert. She’s used to being gloomy and definitely didn’t expect so much warmth. That’s why she got flustered,” Alex replied, watching her retreat.

“And how do you even figure out what’s going on in that strange girl’s head?” Dean asked, shifting his gaze to Alex.

Alex just smiled and said nothing. He had long had to understand what girls felt — otherwise he wouldn’t manage his large family. Each of his wives had her own desires, habits, weaknesses. And the best husband must know when they feel lonely, when they need attention, and when they need something special. The blessing of love Freya had given him helped immensely — it allowed him to sense the wishes of the one he cared for. That’s why he understood Wednesday so easily.

Alex shifted his gaze to Enid, who was happily celebrating the victory with her friends. Dean, realizing his work here was done, decided to go check out the Crackstone crypt, while Alex would prefer to spend time with Enid. Patting Alex on the shoulder and sharing his plans, he left the courtyard. Alex watched him go — he knew perfectly well that Dean wouldn’t find anything in the crypt without Wednesday’s help.

At that moment, an excited Enid ran up to him. She grabbed Alex by the hands and began shaking them, her face glowing with a happy smile.

“Did you see how we won? We beat everyone! And there was a real black cat with us — it was like our lucky charm!” she exclaimed, shaking his hands.

“I saw. Your team did great,” Alex said, smiling as he gently stroked Enid’s hair.

“The girls are asking if you want to celebrate with us. After all, you helped us fix the boat,” Enid added, blissfully closing her eyes at his touch.

“Maybe another time. But in honor of your victory, I brought something for your team,” Alex said, taking off his backpack.

Enid immediately perked up, realizing that Alex had brought her a gift to celebrate the win. He opened the backpack and took out a neat pink box, tied with a matching pink ribbon. Enid’s eyes lit up instantly — the color of the box clearly indicated that the gift was meant for her.

Handing the box to her, Alex slung his backpack back over his shoulders and pulled the ribbon, helping to open the gift. Inside was a cake covered in delicate pink icing, decorated with the inscription: “Congratulations on your victory.” Alex had to put quite a bit of effort into making it in the hotel room, but fortunately, his inventory always contained everything he needed.

Enid’s eyes widened even more — the cake looked so delicious it seemed to emit a sweet glow.

“Where did you get such a delicious-looking cake?” Enid asked, practically swallowing her saliva at just the smell.

“I made it myself,” Alex replied with a slight smile, watching her stare at the cake without blinking.

“You made it yourself? Are you joking? It smells… incredible! I’ve never smelled anything so delicious!” Enid exclaimed in surprise, looking up at Alex.

“I like sweets. And if you love sweets, you have to be able to satisfy your cravings,” Alex smirked.

“That’s so cool… And what kind of cake is it? It’s so beautiful I almost don’t want to eat it,” she said, admiringly gazing at it.

“It’s a honey cake. The same one I mentioned yesterday. You looked like you wanted to try it — so I decided it would make the perfect gift,” Alex explained, gently stroking Enid’s hair.

“You knew we would win?” she asked, slightly embarrassed.

Alex just smiled in response, placed his hands on her shoulders, turned her, and gently nudged her toward the table where her friends and team members had gathered. Guiding Enid to the table, he carefully took the cake from her hands and placed it in the center. Everyone sitting nearby almost simultaneously caught the delightful aroma and stared at the cake, involuntarily swallowing.

“Help yourselves. I’ll go find your last team member,” Alex said, placing forks on the table, then waving and heading off.

Enid’s friends looked at her questioningly. She explained that Alex had baked the cake specially to celebrate their victory. The group exchanged glances — no one had expected him to be capable of making something so beautiful and fragrant, like a real work of art. They were even a little hesitant to cut such a perfect cake… but the desire to taste even a small piece was stronger.

Enid carefully cut a small piece and put it in her mouth. The moment the cake touched her tongue, it was as if a real fireworks display of flavors erupted inside her. She let out a quiet, involuntary moan of pleasure — and immediately blushed, realizing what she had done. But the taste was so incredible that she quickly continued eating, no longer hiding her delight.

Her friends exchanged glances and also took a piece. As soon as they tasted the cake, they instantly understood Enid’s reaction — it was amazing.

At that moment, Headmistress Weems walked by, heading in search of Wednesday. Smelling the cake, she stopped and approached with an interested expression.

“Headmistress Weems, don’t you want to try some cake? It’s very tasty. Alex made it,” Enid said, offering her a plate with a piece.

“This cake was made by Agent Voldigoad? What a versatile young man… In that case, I suppose I won’t refuse a small piece,” Larisa Weems said, deciding to try the treat.

Enid smiled, carefully cut a small piece of cake, placed it on a plate, and handed it to Larisa Weems. The Headmistress looked at the cake and had to admit: it looked and smelled simply magnificent. Deciding to try it, she took a tiny piece — and was completely unprepared for how delightful it tasted. Larisa caught herself thinking that she had never eaten anything as exquisite as this cake.

While the team enjoyed their dessert, Alex was already making his way toward Wednesday — he already knew perfectly well where she was.

He found her sitting beneath the statue of Edgar Allan Poe, the most famous graduate of Nevermore Academy. Wednesday hadn’t even noticed him approach. She was sitting with her head tilted upward, examining the belladonna sigil — the same one that had appeared in her visions and was depicted on the page Rowan had torn from a book, which had driven him to try to kill her.

But her thoughts were interrupted when Alex sat down beside her.

“What?” Wednesday asked dryly, turning her head.

“Nothing. I just thought you might like some company,” Alex said, giving a small smile and leaning his back against the base of the statue.

“I don’t need company. I’m fine alone,” she replied in a cold, detached tone.

“Everyone needs someone nearby. Loneliness isn’t the solution,” Alex said calmly, looking ahead.

“Since when do you think that? We are born alone and we die alone. Why make friends or care for anyone if, in the end, we’re destined to be alone anyway?” Wednesday said, looking at him as if he had just spoken nonsense.

“You’re right — we come into this world alone and leave it the same way. But who said we have to go through the whole journey alone? Why not live life alongside someone who will always be there? Life is unpredictable. Even your gift of foresight doesn’t see everything. You might think being alone is fine. It suits your nature. But my advice is this: when someone is by your side, life changes.

“When you see something interesting, you can share it. Discuss it. Experience emotions together. Feelings, attachments, relationships — they aren’t chains, they’re far more fascinating than you think. A friend who won’t abandon you in trouble. Someone who will love you and walk with you through any trial. Is that worse than being alone? Many dream of this, yet never have it. And one day, you’ll meet someone who loves you for who you are. And then your world will change,” Alex said, lifting his gaze to the sky.

“I might object to your point of view… but I see no reason. Were you talking about yourself?” Wednesday asked calmly.

“My dear Wednesday… would you have preferred I speak of myself? About the one who likes Wednesday Addams — the dark girl with a cold, vengeful nature, who seeks the truth even if the path leads to danger? Even if the abyss hides far more dark secrets than you can imagine?” Alex said quietly, leaning closer, almost touching her face, looking straight into her black eyes.

Wednesday felt his breath — light, warm, with a sweet undertone, intoxicatingly fragrant. She stared at him without blinking, into the most iridescent, inexplicably deep eyes. The longer she looked, the stronger the strange feeling grew inside her: he had something to hide. And she desperately wanted to know what exactly lay behind his friendly smile.

Alex stared intently into her black-as-night eyes — reflective of nothing, yet filled with hidden emotions. Confusion, excitement, curiosity… He saw it all. But he knew the time to reveal the truth had not yet come.

“How about this: in honor of your victory and the fact that you stepped out of your comfort zone… I’ll let you ask one question. Just one. And I’ll answer it completely honestly,” he offered.

“Black cat… that was you, wasn’t it?” Wednesday asked the first thing that came to her mind.

“To be honest, I expected a different question. But yes — that black cat was me. I was the one who placed my paw on your forehead when you had the vision at Cracklestone’s tomb. I led you through the forest to the shore. And I sat on the bow of your boat. Is that the answer you wanted?” Alex asked, remaining just inches from her face.

“That works. For now. It’s enough that I know: you can turn into a cat. And maybe… not just a cat,” Wednesday said, keeping her gaze fixed.

“Cough-cough… Am I disturbing you?” a female voice sounded nearby.

Alex and Wednesday simultaneously recoiled from the close distance, no longer looking directly into each other’s eyes. Hearing the voice, they both turned their heads in unison. Before them stood Larrisa Weems — wearing a friendly smile, but the slight twitch in her eyelid betrayed that she was barely containing her irritation. Especially as she looked at Alex and Wednesday, who had been just inches apart a second ago.

Wednesday, maintaining her cold, impassive demeanor, calmly placed her hand on Alex’s face and pushed him slightly away. Only now did she realize how close he had been… and that he had completely invaded her personal space, something she hadn’t even noticed at first.

Alex merely gave an embarrassed smile and shifted his gaze to Larrisa Weems, who was still trying to hold her smile.

“Agent Voldigoad,” she said in an even tone, “even if you treated my students to a delightful cake, I would prefer that you not flirt with one of my students. At least — not on Academy grounds, where you might be seen.”

“My apologies, Miss Weems. That was unintentional,” Alex replied with a small smile.

“We were not flirting,” Wednesday said coldly.

“As you say, Miss Addams,” Weems replied with a restrained nod. “And you, Agent Voldigoad… I understand you are a young Federal Agent. But I ask you to restrain yourself while on Nevermore grounds. This time, I will look the other way — in gratitude for the cake.”

She first glanced at Wednesday, then shifted her gaze to Alex.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the cake, Miss Weems. But I think it’s time for me to go. Until next time… my dear Wednesday,” Alex said, standing up and, smiling, waved goodbye.

Larrisa Weems and Wednesday watched as Alex, hands in his pockets, leisurely walked down the corridor, humming a tune to himself, until he stepped out into the central courtyard.

When he disappeared from view, Wednesday also wanted to leave — just to avoid a conversation. However, Larrisa spoke first.

“Wednesday, I’m glad you’re becoming popular… just like your mother,” Weems said with a gentle smile.

“My mother and I are completely different people — different types, different personalities,” Wednesday replied, giving her a cold look.

“Once… your mother looked at your father in the exact same way,” Larrisa said softly, allowing a hint of nostalgia. “When they were at Nevermore, Morticia also won the Po Cup. I was her navigator. And Gomez constantly came to cheer her on. You’re a lot more like her than you think.”

Wednesday stared for a few more seconds in the direction Alex had gone. Thoughts she had never allowed herself before began to swirl in her mind. She immediately tried to suppress them — she had promised herself not to repeat her mother’s mistakes. Yet the persistent desire to uncover Alex’s secrets would not leave her, no matter how much she convinced herself that her feelings had nothing to do with it.

Larrisa Weems watched Wednesday with mild concern as she gazed thoughtfully down the empty corridor. In the end, the headmistress simply shook her head and quietly walked away without saying a word.

Hearing the footsteps fade, Wednesday turned — Larrisa had already disappeared around the corner, leaving no comments behind. Instead of going to Enid and the rest of the team, Wednesday decided to return to her room and focus on writing her detective novel — just to distract herself from unwanted thoughts.

By evening, Enid was already sound asleep, hugging the won Poe Cup and smiling foolishly in her sleep. Wednesday continued typing on the typewriter, trying to drown out her thoughts with the sound of the keys — but even that didn’t help. Suddenly, a quiet scratching sound came from the glass.

Turning her head, Wednesday saw a black cat on the other side of the window. It was sitting on the ledge, carefully scratching at the glass with its claw. Rising from her desk, Wednesday approached the window, opened it, and stepped out onto the balcony. Alex was already perched on the railing — in his cat form.

“Why are you here? And why… like this?” she asked, looking down at him.

“To help you find that very book from your visions. Although I guess you’ve already figured out where the secret library might be,” Alex said, lazily licking his paw.

“And how on earth could you know where this book is?” Wednesday asked, keeping her eyes fixed on him.

“It wasn’t difficult, nya. In private schools like Nevermore, there are always secret clubs. And the Belladonna symbol is a perfect clue. Even if I couldn’t take my eyes off yours…” he smirked. “I still notice everything around me. On the Edgar Poe statue where we sat, the book had the Belladonna mark.”

Wednesday squinted slightly, watching Alex laugh in his cat form. Without saying a word, she returned to her room and a minute later came out with her backpack. Alex smiled contentedly and jumped down — he knew perfectly well that Wednesday wouldn’t miss the chance to test her theory. He waited until she climbed down the drainpipe.

When Wednesday reached the bottom, Alex ran ahead on all fours, and she followed him, trying not to be seen. Upon reaching the statue, Alex jumped onto the book in Edgar Poe’s hands and pretended to read — though he already knew the answer.

Wednesday climbed onto the statue and shone her flashlight.

“You need to snap your fingers twice,” Alex hinted, turning his little face toward her.

“How did you figure it out so fast?” Wednesday asked, managing to write only four words in her notebook.

“It’s simple. You had to write the opposites of the words, take the first letters, and form a word from them. It turned out to be ‘Snap Twice.’ Come on — I’ve got little paws,” he said, standing on his hind legs and dramatically raising his front paws.

“You could’ve done it yourself,” Wednesday said, jumping off the statue.

“I just wanted to spend some time with you. But now — enough delay, let’s check out the secret club’s hideout,” Alex said, instantly leaping onto her head.

“If you don’t get down, I’ll turn you into a stuffed toy,” Wednesday said coldly.

“Many have tried, my dear Wednesday. And there’s not even a body left of them. I’m not the soft-hearted guy you might think. My job is to hunt monsters. And to hunt monsters… you need to be a scarier monster,” he said, leaning forward to look her straight in the eyes.

Wednesday met his feline gaze — but instead of fear, she felt only curiosity… and an even stronger pull toward his secrets. Alex, not waiting for her reaction, jumped onto her shoulder — so she wouldn’t complain about him sitting on her head.

Pushing aside unnecessary thoughts, Wednesday focused on the task. She raised her hand — and snapped her fingers twice.

Immediately, a mechanism clicked: the raven on the statue lowered its wings, and the statue slid back, revealing a passage. Behind it was a staircase leading down. The walls were lined with paintings all the way to the bottom.

As she descended, Wednesday saw shelves full of books. Alex jumped off her shoulder and walked along the railings, moving his paws. He looked around — thinking that the club members should occasionally dust and remove cobwebs.

Guided by her vision, Wednesday went straight to the right shelf — the very one from which Rowan had ripped the drawing, believing it foretold the school’s destruction. She quickly found the book, opened it — and saw the missing page.

Alex sat on the top shelf, looking down. He already knew what would happen. And he was right: as soon as Wednesday put the book in her backpack, a sack was pulled over her head, and her hands were instantly bound.

Alex simply closed his eyes and smacked his paw against his face in disappointment — these kidnappers were so pathetic that it was hard even to be angry at them.

To be continued…

(I’ve been thinking about it. And I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t find the right solution for the Raven Ball. After all, there will be an event there that will help Alex get closer not only to Enid but also to Wednesday. But for that to happen, Enid needs to not go with Alex, and everything needs to be canon, so she’ll be upset, and Alex will support her, protecting her. Of course, I don’t want to do that, because I feel like the ultimate villain. I hate even thinking about it. But I’m interested in hearing your opinions.)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep