Alex sat behind the Nevermore Academy greenhouse together with Enid, and the two of them settled on the roof of the school bus, enjoying the view of the moon and talking about little things. Their conversation was completely harmless: what new food they would like to try, where they wanted to travel, what places they dreamed of seeing. Alex wasn’t even surprised to learn that Enid had an entire list of places she wanted to visit. In his opinion, it suited her perfectly — always planning adventures in advance.

The topic of her family didn’t come up again. Alex intentionally avoided it — he didn’t want Enid to get sad once more. Every time she thought about her mother, her face showed a mix of sadness and irritation: her mom constantly tried to force a lifestyle on her, as if she wanted to turn her into the perfect “proper” werewolf.

An hour had already passed since the beginning of their date, and they were still sitting on the bus roof behind the greenhouse. Enid held a sweet fruit sandwich in her hands and, leaning on Alex’s shoulder, cheerfully swung her legs while gazing at the blue moon. She could never have imagined that one day she would be able to sit next to someone who knew she was a werewolf — and didn’t judge her for being unable to transform during the full moon. On the contrary, he supported her, repeating that she wasn’t a “house-trained puppy” meant to follow commands, but a living person with her own desires, feelings, and thoughts.

And those words touched Enid so deeply that she hadn’t stopped smiling the entire evening.

Alex turned his head to Enid and saw her eating another sweet sandwich. He smirked slightly. She said she wouldn’t eat much because she was afraid of gaining weight — yet she had nearly finished the entire container. Smiling, he lifted his hand and gently stroked her hair. Enid squinted contentedly, nuzzled her head against his palm, and moved even closer. So close she was almost sitting on his lap without even realizing it.

When Alex pulled his hand back and raised his gaze to the sky, his face was illuminated by the soft light of the moon and stars. He had always loved the night — especially starlight. But suddenly, the silence was broken by a long wolf howl. It was the Nevermore werewolf teens who loved howling at the moon together as a loud, energetic group.

Enid’s expression changed instantly. Her smile vanished, her shoulders dropped. Alex noticed, quietly sighed, and decided to distract her.

“Enid, want to see a trick?” he asked, looking straight into her eyes.

“What kind of trick?” she responded, lifting her curious gaze to him.

Alex smiled and placed both hands on top of his head. Enid tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what was happening. But a second later Alex lowered his hands — and her eyes widened in shock.

On Alex’s head stood a pair of black cat ears.

And that was only the first surprise.

Something behind him moved. Enid shifted her gaze to his back and saw a black cat tail slowly emerging from under his long black coat — gently swaying from side to side.

Enid froze, her mouth slightly open, her claws extending involuntarily and digging into the bus roof.

“This… uh… how?” she muttered, not even knowing how to form the question.

“Try to guess,” Alex said with a sly smile. “You’ve already seen it before. You just didn’t know it was me.”

Hearing his words, Enid frowned for a moment — then her eyes went wide with shock. She remembered that playful, mischievous look — the exact same look the black cat had given her before and during the Poe Cup. Alex watched her face and saw realization hitting her fast.

“So that black cat… that was you?” Enid asked, her voice trembling with disbelief.

“Exactly. And you girls are way too chatty. Next time, if you want to lure a cat, don’t use those dry snacks. Give actual food,” Alex said, rolling his eyes.

“You heard everything?! Like… EVERYTHING?!” Enid squeaked.

“Yep. And you really should stop getting distracted in class. Also, I heard you and Wednesday making a deal — using me as a bargaining chip,” Alex said cheerfully.

“That’s it. My life is over. Someone, please kill me,” Enid groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Alex struggled to hold back laughter as he watched her. She covered her face with her hands, looking as if her whole world had collapsed in an instant. Not that he was deliberately eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, but, like any living creature, he had an irresistible urge to catch some fresh gossip. And Enid and her friends were clearly the perfect source for any kind of rumors at school.

Wednesday hadn’t lied: Enid really was the queen of gossip. Thanks to her bright and friendly personality, she easily got along with people and just as easily drew out new stories. Alex even considered it a genuine gift — and Enid made full use of it.

To calm her down a little, Alex pulled Enid closer. She buried her face in his chest, still acting as though her entire world had crumbled and the person she liked had discovered all her unpleasant secrets. But after a moment, she hugged Alex tightly around the waist and inhaled his scent deeply, as if trying to memorize it — just like those with wolf genes in their blood were meant to do.

Alex didn’t pay much attention — she was far from the first girl to sniff him. Other girls in his family had the same strange habit. And whenever he tried to find out why they did it, he always got the same answer: he simply smelled nice.

“Have you calmed down?” Alex asked softly, stroking Enid’s hair while she continued inhaling his scent.

“Yes… Did you hear a lot?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Not that much. Mostly gossip about who likes whom. But it was still interesting. School drama is way more entertaining than TV shows,” Alex replied with a wide smile.

“I’ve never met anyone who can turn into cats… Is it some kind of race? Or… something else?” Enid asked, studying him curiously.

“It’s transformation magic. I’m not just a cat. Watch… Poof! And now I have wolf ears and a tail,” Alex said, placing his hands on top of his head.

When Alex removed his hands, wolf ears and a tail had appeared. Enid’s eyes literally sparkled — she could immediately sense that Alex had truly become a wolf, even if only partially.

Seeing Enid light up with excitement, Alex began to explain what the magic was and how he used it. Enid nodded as if she understood, but in reality her gaze was glued to his wolf ears, twitching slightly in response to every sound around them. Seeing this, Alex decided to joke and bared his newly appeared fangs.

The moment Enid saw his sharp teeth, she squeaked quietly with delight — and if Alex hadn’t stepped back in time, she might have reached into his mouth to touch them. Alex honestly didn’t understand where her enthusiasm for his half-wolf form had come from, but it was exactly what brought back Enid’s bright, hyperactive personality. Now, alongside her endless chatter, she had an uncontrollable desire to touch his ears and tail.

In Enid’s mind, everything was simple: if Alex could transform into a half-wolf, then he was a werewolf. And if he was a werewolf… then it was possible to form a pack with him. Those thoughts alone were enough to lift her mood so much that she immediately forgot everything that had embarrassed her before.

“Does Wednesday know you can do that? She said something about a deal and some kind of payment for questions… I never really understood what she meant,” Enid said after another failed attempt to touch his tail.

“You know Wednesday. She doesn’t like getting answers for nothing. So if she wants an answer, she has to give something of equal value,” Alex replied with a slight smile.

“Mmm… you’re right. That’s exactly her. What about your investigation? Is there really a monster?” Enid asked cautiously, glancing at him.

“I’m not telling. You love to gossip. In a day, all of Nevermore would know the monster exists,” Alex said, playfully poking her in the nose.

“That’s not true! I can keep secrets!” Enid protested, pouting.

“Of course, I believe you, queen of gossip of Nevermore. It’s just that the situation turned out to be far more complicated than Dean and I expected. And it might even be connected to our main investigation… the one that caused serious changes at the Bureau. Directors don’t get replaced for no reason,” Alex said, letting out a heavy sigh.

“Is it that bad? Worse than the monster attacking tourists in the forest?” Enid asked carefully.

“Unknown for now. But we’ll manage. Just don’t tell anyone. We don’t need unnecessary panic. Even if it’s just a regular monster — we’ll handle it like we always do,” Alex said, taking out a cigarette.

“And what do you do with such monsters? Kill them? It’s just… my uncle did something similar…” Enid said, looking slightly embarrassed.

“Your uncle hunted monsters? Why would a werewolf hunt other monsters? I have vampire friends — I’m almost like family to them — but they stay on their territory and don’t come out,” Alex asked, surprised.

“My uncle wasn’t born a werewolf. It’s just… what happened was a situation. My aunt accidentally bit him, and he became one of us. I swear, it was an accident! We don’t hurt people, our family lives peacefully. It’s just that my aunt was alone… and it was that time… you know. And she bit my uncle,” Enid recounted more quietly, blushing more with each second.

“So your aunt wanted to find a partner, and there happened to be an unlucky hunter at her doorstep, who assumed she was killing people. So she bit him, and then they got married? That’s funny,” Alex chuckled.

“If you put it that way… yes. He’s very cheerful. And he always supports me. He also said I shouldn’t push myself to transform during the full moon,” Enid said with a bright smile.

“Nice to hear. And when did he become a werewolf?” Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

“About three years ago. But back then there was an unpleasant situation with my aunt’s family… very unpleasant. If you don’t mind, I’d rather not talk about it,” Enid said quietly.

“If it’s a sad story, we don’t have to. The main thing is that your aunt is okay. And you got an uncle who supports you,” Alex said, gently putting his arm around her shoulders.

Enid smiled widely and took Alex’s hand — the one he had around her shoulders. She pressed herself a little closer to him and playfully swung her legs, simply because she felt closer to Alex. She didn’t care at all that they had only met recently. She enjoyed being near him, receiving his attention — and that was more than enough.

But all good things must come to an end sooner or later, and the reason was Alex’s phone, which suddenly rang. Hearing the sound, Enid immediately looked at him. Alex pulled the phone from his pocket and saw the caller ID — it was Dean. Glancing at the time, he frowned: it was already two in the morning, and Dean usually slept at that hour. Curious about the reason for the late-night call, Alex answered — and what he heard only made him exhale heavily.

He had known it would happen, but he had hoped for something else. If Dean had gone into the forest with Wednesday to search for the burned chapel, Alex thought Tyler wouldn’t kill a homeless person… but alas, nothing had changed. Laurel Gates was still collecting body parts for her ritual.

After finishing the conversation and promising Dean he would return as quickly as possible, Alex put away his phone and sighed again.

“Did something happen? Your partner’s voice didn’t sound happy at all,” Enid asked cautiously, looking at him.

“Yeah. I need to go back. Come on, I’ll escort you to the dorm so no one notices,” Alex said, shaking his head.

Enid simply nodded. She understood: work was work. She didn’t argue — even if their moonlit date was ending differently than she had hoped. No one could have predicted it would turn out this way.

Jumping off the roof of the school bus, Alex took Enid’s hand and carefully led her across the Nevermore grounds, trying not to draw attention. However, instead of heading for the front door, he directed her toward the drainpipe — the very same one Wednesday usually used to sneak out of her room.

Enid looked first at Alex, then at the pipe. Her eyes asked a silent, very clear question: “Are you serious?”

“You don’t mean to tell me I have to climb this pipe back to my room?” she whispered, pointing at it.

“And how else are you going to get inside? If you haven’t noticed — it’s already two in the morning. And if you don’t want punishment, then yes, climb the pipe,” Alex said calmly.

“I… I’m afraid of heights…” Enid murmured, lowering her head.

“Ah, alright. Climb on my back. I’ll help you get to your room unnoticed,” Alex said, crouching so she could get on.

Seeing his back, Enid lit up and smiled. A second later, she was already sitting on his back, wrapping her legs around his waist. Alex stood, pushed off the ground, and jumped, grabbing a ledge on the wall. With surprising ease and speed, he climbed higher and higher until he reached the balcony of Enid’s room.

All the while, Enid clung to him, barely able to hold back an excited squeal — she hadn’t expected it to be this amazing.

Once at the top, Enid jumped onto the concrete platform and looked at Alex as if she didn’t want him to leave at all. Alex just smiled softly, stroked her hair, and hugged her. Enid responded, pressing herself tightly against him. She didn’t want to let him go, but she knew he had work. He had come to Jericho for her sake.

Pulling back slightly, Enid smiled — a little sadly, but sincerely. Alex waved at her, jumped onto the ledge, and, facing her, leaned back slightly before disappearing from view, swiftly falling downward. Enid ran to the railing and saw him already running along the path, disappearing into the night.

Sighing with relief, she returned to her room, trying to be as quiet as possible… not even noticing that Wednesday’s bed was empty.

Meanwhile, Alex had already jumped over the tall stone wall of Nevermore Academy and retrieved a motorcycle from his inventory to return to the city. Starting the engine, he immediately accelerated, eager to reach his destination as quickly as possible.

On the way back, his thoughts returned to that “Uncle Enid.” For some reason, Alex felt that this person was someone familiar from his past life, even if they had never met in person. Alex shook his head, dismissing the thought. Most likely, it was just a coincidence.

Entering the city, he slowed down and headed toward the morgue. As he approached, he noticed Dean, Sheriff Donovan, and the coroner standing near the entrance — the coroner had been pulled from his home in the middle of the night. Alex parked the motorcycle nearby.

“Sorry I’m late, something came up,” Alex said, stepping off the motorcycle with an apologetic smile.

“You’re just in time, Agent. I hope we didn’t interrupt anything important,” Sheriff Donovan said, shaking his hand.

“I was just out for a night ride. Sometimes I like to ride in the quiet. Dean already gave me a rough idea of what happened. Can we take a look at the body?” Alex replied, shaking Donovan Galpin’s hand and glancing at the coroner.

“Of course, follow me. I just need to find the keys,” Coroner Anwar said with a tired but friendly smile.

Alex nodded with a slight smirk and looked at Dean. He looked as if he had just been woken from sleep. Dean had his hands in his pockets and was yawning, trying his best not to pass out. Catching Alex’s gaze, he lifted his chin in a silent question: how was the date?

Alex gave a thumbs-up — everything went great. Dean nodded and stifled another yawn.

When the coroner finally found the keys and opened the morgue, Alex, Dean, and the sheriff followed him inside. Alex immediately felt a familiar energy — Wednesday was here. He just shook his head. The gesture did not escape Dean’s attentive eyes, and he silently asked what had happened. Alex gestured that he would explain later.

“Thanks again for coming back to the morgue so late, Doctor,” Donovan said, addressing the coroner.

“No problem, Sheriff. As I said, I’m ready to help however I can,” Anwar replied, walking down the corridor.

“In what condition did you find the body?” Dean asked, trying to get at least some details in advance.

“Whoever committed these murders… In all my career, I’ve never seen anything like this. You’d better see it for yourselves,” Coroner Anwar said, opening the doors to the cold hall of the morgue.

Alex, Dean, and Sheriff Donovan entered the room with the refrigerators, following the coroner, who immediately headed toward one of the drawers to open the fridge containing the body of the murdered man.

Alex, however, shifted his gaze to the skeleton mannequin against the wall.

He noticed a Thing’s finger slightly peeking out of the mannequin’s skull. Seeing that Alex was staring directly at it, the finger quickly retracted, pretending it had never been there.

Alex just shook his head and walked further into the hall to look at the body.

Approaching closer, he realized that it was the same homeless man he had seen running out of “Uriah Hipp.” Dean recognized the man too — he had seen him in the old burned-down chapel.

“I wanted to show you something before I send the report on the latest victim. It’s a real puzzle,” Coroner Anwar said, approaching another refrigerator.

“Aside from the fact that the poor guy looks like something ripped right out of him?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Almost. The killer didn’t just tear off the victim’s leg — they also removed two toes from the left foot,” Anwar said, taking out a jar containing the severed leg.

“Maybe an animal bit the toes? The body wasn’t found immediately,” Alex suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“I would think that too. But look — see here. Marks from a surgical saw. The toes were removed with it,” the coroner said, pointing to the distinct cuts.

“And the other victims… were body parts missing too, or just this one?” Dean asked.

“If you hadn’t reminded me… All the previous bodies looked as if a wild beast had torn them apart. But now it’s clear — some parts were missing from earlier victims as well,” Anwar said, nodding.

“Got it. Thanks, Doctor. When you finish the report, send it to me. And don’t tell anyone about this,” Sheriff Donovan said, looking at the coroner.

“Before we leave… do you mind if my partner and I examine the body? We might not be dealing with a wild animal, but a serial killer disguising murders as animal attacks,” Alex said calmly, stroking his chin.

“You think so, Agent?” Donovan asked, looking at Alex.

“Now, more likely yes than no. A wild animal isn’t going to use a surgical saw to cut off a victim’s fingers before bed. If a serial killer wandered into town… then everything falls into place,” Alex said, as if thinking out loud rather than stating a known fact.

The sheriff frowned slightly but nodded. Alex’s words sounded convincing: it was indeed possible that there was no forest monster — just a maniac collecting trophies. But Donovan still didn’t fully believe it and intended to continue his own investigation, even though Alex and Dean were federal agents.

Dr. Anwar also nodded and headed to his office to finish the report. As he left, he mentioned that he would retire next week and was planning to take his wife on a vacation. The sheriff warmly wished him a good trip.

When the coroner’s and sheriff’s footsteps faded, Alex and Dean exchanged glances.

“So, now we have a monster that likes collecting trophies?” Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I think it’s probably the opposite. But first… Have you ever seen a dead princess?” Alex said with a smile, approaching the refrigerators.

“Dude… I didn’t think your tastes were that… specific… Should I call home?” Dean said, looking at Alex with genuine disgust.

Alex’s eye twitched — he really wanted to throw something at Dean, but there was nothing around except the autopsy tools. Rolling his eyes, he walked over to the refrigerators and crouched down to open the lowest one in the center of the row.

Opening the door and pulling the drawer slightly toward him, he met a pair of cold black eyes. Dean, noticing what Alex was doing, stepped closer — and of course, he also spotted Wednesday, who for some reason had decided that the body fridge was the perfect place to hide.

Alex and Wednesday’s eyes met. A faint smile still lingered on Alex’s face, while Wednesday’s expression — as always — was completely calm and impassive. The Thing hiding in the skull of the anatomical mannequin realized it had been spotted and immediately jumped out, landing on the table.

“Well, hello there, my dear Wednesday,” Alex said, smiling and looking her straight in the eyes.

“How did you find me?” she asked, blinking and studying his gaze.

“Not hard at all, my dear Wednesday. I just knew you’d be right here,” Alex replied, extending his hand to help her out.

Wednesday looked into his eyes, and his words stirred a storm of emotions deep inside her. She knew he had gone on a date with Enid earlier that evening — yet the thought that he always knew where she was brought a strange, inexplicable satisfaction. She took his hand and climbed out. Alex closed the fridge with his foot.

Dean watched this with the expression of someone feeling like a third wheel. Leaning on the table, he suddenly felt light pats on his arm and turned his head. The Thing was gesturing wildly. Dean didn’t know the sign language, but he understood perfectly — these two had once again drifted into their own little world.

“Alright, you two, that’s enough. You’ll have plenty of time to admire each other. First the corpse, then everything else,” Dean said, pulling them away from their usual exchange of looks.

“What have you been able to find out?” Wednesday asked, pushing Alex’s face away with her palm. He just chuckled softly.

“Parts of the victims’ bodies were stolen. We thought the monster ate some parts and left others. But it turns out…” Alex began explaining while Wednesday kept her hand on his cheek.

“…someone is covering it up as monster attacks to collect body parts,” Wednesday finished for him.

“Now the question is — why do they need them? And that kid who tried to kill you… they dragged him off completely,” Dean said, leaning on the cold metal table.

“Have you been able to figure out what kind of monster it is?” Wednesday asked, frowning slightly.

“For now, we have about twelve creatures that resemble what we saw today at the chapel. I managed to wound it while chasing it. But that bastard runs really fast,” Dean replied, frowning even more.

“Can I take a look?” Wednesday asked, shifting her gaze to Alex. It seemed his opinion really mattered to her.

“First, go back to Nevermore. After classes, you can come to our hotel — maybe your perspective will help,” Alex said, keeping his hands in his pockets.

Wednesday looked at him carefully once more. Alex looked as if he was desperately in need of sleep, and Dean was no better. She understood that she needed to head back too — if anyone noticed her absence, it wouldn’t end well for her.

Alex, Dean, and Wednesday calmly stepped outside. Well, more precisely — Alex and Dean went out through the door, while Wednesday took the same route she had used to get in: through the ventilation shaft.

Dean watched as she climbed back into the vent with an absolutely impassive expression, and he glanced at Alex with a look that said, “Are you serious?” Alex just shook his head.

Before leaving, he said goodbye to Coroner Anwar. Once outside, Alex approached Wednesday, who had already emerged from the alley, and offered to give her a ride back to Nevermore. She didn’t object and climbed onto his motorcycle.

Dean waved and headed back to the hotel — he needed to catch up on sleep after the sheriff’s late-night call.

Wednesday wrapped her arms around Alex’s waist as they rode, and for some reason, it didn’t feel unpleasant to her — it felt… calm. It was the second time she had ridden with him on a motorcycle, and touching him didn’t provoke her usual disgust, the kind she felt when someone else tried to get close.

When they arrived on the Nevermore grounds, Alex cut the engine.

“What do you think — why would anyone need body parts?” Wednesday asked, wanting to hear his opinion.

“Hard to say. There are many ways to use human remains — including the simple collection of trophies. Maybe whoever controls the monster is just feeding their ego. Or maybe they need the body parts for… more specific purposes,” Alex said, giving her a subtle hint.

Hearing his words, Wednesday just raised an eyebrow — a new puzzle to think over. Seeing her deep in thought, Alex waved goodbye and rode his motorcycle back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, he immediately heard Dean’s soft, steady snoring. Not wanting to disturb his partner, Alex quickly settled onto a bed and fell asleep too.

Wednesday, meanwhile, returned to her room the way she usually did — climbing up the drainpipe. Once inside, she silently changed and went to bed to rest and regain her strength.

When she woke up in the morning, the first thing Wednesday did was pin all the photos she had taken from the morgue to the board. She wanted to think carefully about why anyone would need to take parts of murdered people. The Thing helped her, handing her pins and sheets as she furrowed her brow, studying the board and recalling Alex’s words.

He had been right: whoever controlled the monster could be collecting the body parts as trophies. Or — for some other, far more frightening purpose. But what exactly that purpose was, Wednesday still didn’t know.

At that moment, Enid returned from breakfast. She stopped at the doorway, noticing that half of Wednesday’s room had been transformed into the corner of a true investigator… or a maniac.

“When I suggested you decorate your part of the room,” Enid said with a grimace of disgust, “I didn’t expect you to turn it into a serial killer’s lair.”

“Your soft unicorns are worse,” Wednesday replied calmly, barely turning her head and crossing her arms over her chest.

“So that’s why you came back in the middle of the night?” Enid asked, rocking on her heels and hiding her hands behind her back.

“The Thing and I snuck into the morgue to copy data on the monster’s victims,” Wednesday said as casually as if she were talking about a trip to the library.

“Ugh… Everything about that sentence is disgusting,” Enid grimaced. “I don’t even know what’s worse: breaking into a morgue or poking at photos of corpses.”

“I’m trying to understand its motives. Why does it need body parts? Alex said the abductions might not have been random,” Wednesday said, not turning her head, her gaze fixed on the board of victim photos.

“Maybe… let’s not talk about this,” Enid said, trying to steer the conversation away.

Enid tried to distract herself, but Wednesday was already showing the photos.

“All the victims had body parts removed in a brutal, surgical manner. The first — a kidney, the second — a finger, the third…”

“Wednesday, I’m not going to…,” Enid started, her face visibly paling.

Her skin took on an unpleasant greenish tint. Before she could finish, Enid rolled her eyes and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Wednesday simply looked at her limp roommate calmly. Then she picked up the photos Enid had dropped and paused for a moment, thinking: if Enid faints at the sight of a few pictures, what would she do when discussing Alex’s work?

The thought came and went so quickly that Wednesday barely noticed, but she unconsciously decided: Enid clearly wasn’t suited to Alex’s character.

She silently pinned the photos back to the board and looked at the Thing sitting atop it.

“Bring her smelling salts. Again.”

The Thing nimbly jumped down and ran for the salts. Returning, it confidently, with practiced movements, brought them to Enid’s nose.

Sensing the sharp smell, Enid’s eyes snapped open, she winced, and immediately lit an aromatic candle — anything to get rid of the acrid scent.

“And what exactly are you even talking about with him if you faint at the sight of a few photos?” Wednesday asked, emotionlessly.

“For starters…” Enid pressed the candle to her nose. “Alex and I weren’t discussing his work. He was talking about the places he’d been, and not a word about his cases… until his partner called him.”

“Really?” Wednesday raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Really! We have plenty of topics to talk about. And that doesn’t mean we have to talk about corpses or the forest monster,” Enid said, looking at Wednesday as if she were a villain.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s your fault you passed out,” Wednesday said evenly. “Who would’ve thought…”

Her voice carried a faint, barely noticeable note of sarcasm.

Enid wanted to argue but only let out a heavy sigh, fully aware that arguing with Wednesday was pointless. Wednesday cast a brief glance at her and once again caught herself thinking that she had far more advantages than Enid — the latter certainly wouldn’t be able to help Alex with his work.

But the next second, Wednesday frowned. It wasn’t the comparison that unsettled her, but the very fact that she had automatically thought about how she might be useful to Alex. It sounded absurd. Illogical. Alien to her.

However, there was no time to dwell on her own thoughts — lessons were waiting.

Wednesday arrived early to Marilyn Thornhill’s biology class and took her usual seat. Soon, the classroom began to fill with students. Xavier dropped into the seat next to her — moving stiffly, as if in pain.

Squinting slightly, Wednesday remembered what Dean had said: he had wounded the monster, but it had managed to escape. And then — how she had encountered Xavier at the edge of the forest that same night.

The chain of events was far too suspicious.

Her squint deepened. Her gaze slowly swept over him from head to toe — assessing, cold.

“I pulled my back in gym,” Xavier said, noticing her piercing look.

At this obvious lie, Wednesday narrowed her eyes even further. The lie was as flexible as he was — in other words, not at all.

Meanwhile, Marilyn Thornhill continued the lesson, and the conversation smoothly shifted to the upcoming Raven Ball, set to take place in Nevermore. Just mentioning it was enough to excite the entire class. Almost everyone.

Wednesday, of course, didn’t react at all. Such events were a waste of time — and nerves — in her eyes.

“Don’t want to participate?” Xavier asked, leaning toward her. “Don’t you like disco balls, vodka punch? And the DJ will be Mc. Bloodsucker.”

“I’d rather stick needles in my eyes,” Wednesday said coldly. “Though, maybe I should.”

“Well… or we could just go and have fun,” Xavier persisted, smiling.

He leaned over to put his book in his backpack, and the edge of his shirt lifted, revealing a clearly visible wound on his neck — neat, fresh, very much like claw or fang marks.

Wednesday instantly focused on it. Now she didn’t just have suspicions — she had near evidence. And if her guess was correct, Xavier could very well be the monster.

When the lesson ended, Wednesday rose from her desk and headed for the exit. She already had a plan: go to Xavier’s private studio, where he usually painted alone. There she could verify everything — and no one would notice.

She didn’t like wasting time. And she didn’t like riddles without answers.

And here, there was both a riddle… and a suspect.

To be continued…

(So, the ball is coming soon. Maybe. I’m not sure. I just don’t see Alex, Enid, and Wednesday going to the ball together. I can certainly manage it somehow. Hmm… Anyway, I’m a grown-up man and I can find the right path. Until then, pam pam pam.)

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep