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“Enid, there’s a card here for you, honey – it’s probably from your grandmother, I bet she put some money in there now that you’ve wolfed out, she knows you’ll be needing new clothes to replace the ones you rip when you have premature transformations…”
With a grimace, Enid rolled from her bed, listening to her mother ramble on about how the old woman was so proud of her only granddaughter, how it was so exciting she’d get to spend her summer at a regular camp for young werewolves, how it was so great that she was normal… Feet stomping down the stairs and bounding into the kitchen, Enid swiped up the plain white envelope with her name and address typewritten across the front and she frowned at the lack of return address or even postage, finger touching over the familiar font face before turning the envelop over to smile at the thin wax seal there with the ‘WA’ stamped into it.
“Who’s it from?” Esther questioned curiously.
“Um,” Enid responded quickly, lips curling into one another tightly as her eyes went wide, bringing the envelope to her chest to protect as she looked away, thinking. “One of the girls at school,” she added to her mother’s wary expression, “You know, pack stuff.”
“Oh,” her mother breathed, smile spreading onto her thin lips, “One of the girls from your pack.”
With a laugh, body bending awkwardly as she began backing away, Enid told her enthusiastically, “Yeah, yeah, girl from my pack. We promised we’d all keep in touch, you know, werewolf stuff and things.”
“I remember those days,” Esther sighed, eyes glazing over as she glanced towards the ceiling, “We used to talk about our transformations, the boys we were considering, our futures in the community.”
Nodding, Enid took another step back, “Totally, community, boys, things transforming,” she flapped the envelope up and brought it back against her chest. Her mother took a step towards her and Enid raised her eyebrows, calling a simple, “Ok, bye,” before she turned and rushed back up the stairs frantically, through the door to her room and then twisting to close it and jump onto her bed, holding the envelope in front of her as though she were holding delicate porcelain.
“Enid, it’s just a letter,” she could hear Wednesday frustratedly telling her.
There had been a lot of letters to her at the Sinclair household: conversion camps, outreach opportunities for late bloomers, medical notices to let her know she was still abnormal, advertisements for pills and products that came on their heel, promising to make her normal. Nevermore sent her progress reports and class assignments and other pamphlets for extracurricular activities Weems used to forward on to occupy her mind – Enid knew. But she’d never gotten a letter from someone she wanted to hear from before.
She carefully popped the seal up without breaking it, breathing a small sigh of relief because she fully intended to save it as a keepsake, and she smiled at the sheet of stationery perfectly folded inside, bringing it out to sniff slowly. Her eyes closed involuntarily at the smell of the pleasant musk that was unique to Wednesday, old books and wood and ink and touch of something electric. The just right combination of those smells that made her stomach turn over stupidly as her mind imagined the girl at her typewriter, hammering out a simple letter to her.
Enid,
There is a small park, ten blocks to the north of your home. Meet me there at 7 in the evening on the day you’ve received this as I’ve had Thing personally deliver it after your postman departed in order to allay any confusions as to the date it was received.
I apologize for the subterfuge, but given your previous interjection on my request to interrogate your mother, I presumed this would be the correct course of action.
Sincerely,
Wednesday
Reading it three times and sitting up in bed, Enid switched her phone on to glance at the time, jumping when she realized it was almost seven already. Whimpering, she stood and panicked, not sure whether she should change her outfit, do something with her hair, or put on a quick layer of makeup before heading out before stopping to reprimand herself with a shake of her head.
“It’s just Wednesday, what the hell are you getting all worked up about?”
But she knew. Deep down. Enid absolutely knew.
She took a long breath and pushed her feet into the closest sneakers, trying to act casual in spite of her limbs failing to function in a casual manner before pulling a thin grey jacket off the back of her chair – something old of her father’s she enjoyed having around for the scent of him when he worked late – to put on while she made her way back down the stairs, nose wrinkling when she heard her mother call her name again.
“Enid, what… where are you going?”
Gesturing at the door, head tilting towards it, Enid answered as calmly as she could, “Just take a walk.”
“Tonight?” Esther tossed a thumb at the fridge and stated, “Your father’ll be home in a half hour, we have a cake.”
Enid froze, surprised, asking, “You got me a cake?”
The woman smiled, nodding her head and for a moment Enid smiled too, imagining if there were cake, there might be presents, there might be a normal birthday waiting for her at the end of the night. But then her mother stated absently, “Of course, we have to celebrate the fact that you wolfed out, honey.”
“Oh,” Enid breathed, holding onto that smile tightly as she added, “I’ll be back in time for my coming out cake, I promise.”
“For what?” Esther asked in confusion.
“The wolf out cake, mom,” she pulled open the door, “I’ll be back.”
Stepping out, she held in a scream and walked down the path towards the sidewalk, turning in each direction before mumbling, “I’m not a compass, Wednesday. Left or right, just, left or right. What’s north?” She pulled out her phone and opened her maps app, searching for nearby parks before seeing the one Wednesday meant and turning sharply towards it, swiftly making her way through the dark streets.
It wasn’t particularly cold, but the breeze was, and Enid pushed her hands into her pockets, trying to remove the look on her mother’s face out of her mind. Instead she focused on the face she was rushing to meet. Meet me, the letter had said. There wasn’t some insane surprise, or some messenger waiting, it was Wednesday. In San Francisco. Her cheeks went warm and Enid raised her hands to them, rubbing at the skin as she saw the park coming into view and the girl standing underneath the light of the streetlamp.
Utterly still, hands in her own coat pockets, head looking out into the street ahead of her. Beautiful, Enid considered, terrifyingly so. Her cheeks burned and then Wednesday turned, just her head at first, but then her full body, watching her coming down the sidewalk towards her and Enid felt as though her feet had stopped taking normal steps. They rushed and slowed and tripped.
What the hell is wrong with you, Enid?
“I take it you got my letter,” Wednesday stated as Enid moved into the circumference of light coming off that streetlamp above them. “I was afraid Thing might have delivered it to the wrong home.”
Her laugh was soft, nervous as she came to stand before Wednesday, unsure of the appropriate way to greet her. Her instincts wanted to hug her, bury her head in her shoulder and take the longest breath possible she could, because it had been months with no contact and Enid understood Wednesday wasn’t the sort to keep in touch that way. Girlie letters or frivolous texts; Wednesday had more important matters to attend to than Enid Sinclair.
“Yeah, got the letter.” Enid nodded slowly, hands clasping behind her back to keep them from reaching, from flapping about, from being her usual self because maybe her usual self would repel Wednesday back… “How are you here?” Enid questioned sternly.
With a small nod, Wednesday allowed, “Private jet – I asked father for a favor, given the circumstances, and he mirthfully agreed on the condition that I bring him back a fresh loaf of sourdough bread from the Fisherman’s Wharf, which is already secured and waiting back at the jet for my return flight home later.”
Enid felt her face drop as she asked, “You’re only here for a little bit?” Turning to the house, Enid told her, “There’s… a cake.”
With a small nod of her head, Wednesday cleared her throat and started, “I…” she stopped, eyes coming up to meet Enid’s. “It was important for me to see you in person to give you your birthday gift.”
Lips lifting, Enid began to sway, seeing how it made Wednesday fumble, hands extracted from her pockets to land in fists at her sides. She really was no good with personal interaction, Enid knew, laughing softly, asking her quietly, “You came all this way to give me a birthday gift in person?” Then she tilted her head forward to tease, “Way to make a girl feel important, Wednesday.”
Enid could see the way her freckles disappeared in the blush the words elicited. Of course, she knew it wasn’t her, it couldn’t be her, Wednesday merely didn’t understand how to respond to flirtatious banter. Eyes drifting away, Wednesday stated, “It was a difficult decision – what to give you.”
“You really don’t have to give me anything, my God, Wednesday, just you being here – do you know how insane that is?” Enid laughed before sighing. “This is your life, isn’t it, like, you can literally do things like that, like we knew you were loaded, but…”
“Enid,” Wednesday stated, eyes closing.
She whispered an apology and tried to still her body’s motions, feeling her feet fidgeting as her fingers twisted together. What sort of gift would Wednesday Addams, who just flew across the country on a private jet, give Enid, her bestie from school. Enid felt a lump growing in her throat, hoping it wasn’t anything expensive. She’d knit her a snood – and she didn’t even like it. Frowning and looking to the ground, Enid nodded to herself.
“You really don’t have to give me anything, Wednesday,” she repeated softly, smiling up at her to allow, “I’m honestly just happy to see you. You have no idea.”
Contemplating, Wednesday met her eyes and began again, “It was a difficult decision – what to give you. There were a litany of material items I knew would satisfy the spectrum of your colorful whims but non felt quite apropos. And I considered that maybe I simply wasn’t adept at deciding what was an apropos gift to offer a best friend since I’ve never had one so I consulted with the only source I trusted.” She paused to take a breath. “Fester suggested that I rob a jewelry store.” Enid laughed quietly, bowing with Wednesday’s as the other girl hid her own smirk. “I chose not to heed his suggestion, but it did jog a memory from childhood of an exchange I’d seen others partake in and while I’m not one to bend to traditions, I thought this one might deserve some leeway.”
Wednesday reached into her pocket and removed a small, long black box with a silver bow neatly tied around it and she handed it to Enid. “Wednesday…” Enid stated simply, taking the box from her and staring at it in her hands.
“Happy Birthday, Enid,” she told her awkwardly, beginning to fold her arms before dropping them at her sides again. As nervous, Enid knew, as she was.
Undoing the bow, Enid pocketed it and then carefully pried the box open, looking down at the gold necklace inside and smiling at the pendant in an odd teardrop-like shape with a small sun etched into it and she looked up to see Wednesday fish out a necklace from her own collar, displaying a similar pendant in silver, the moon etched into hers.
“The best of friends fit together like yin and yang, and though it revolts me to admit this, you were right – we are a friendship anomaly. Our differences complement each other and though occasionally we grate on one another’s nerves, we work, as you so aptly put it.” Enid reached for Wednesday’s pendant, stepping closer to her, seeing the way Wednesday’s body froze; hearing the way her breath hitched; feeling that odd tension that always buzzed between them when they stood too close to one another.
Smiling, she lifted her own into her hand to fit the pieces together and then asked her quietly, “Am I allowed to hard-launch our friendship on social media?” She smiled at Wednesday’s confusion. “Can I take a picture and let people know we’re friends, Wednesday?”
“Is it normal to make such proclamations on social media?” Wednesday mumbled, stuttering in a way Enid had never heard her do before.
Enid shrugged, “Nah, but this one feels pretty important to me.”
Hand coming up, Wednesday held her pendant, and Enid removed the cellphone from her back pocket, shifting them together closer to the pole for better light and she held her own pendant to snap the photograph, staring at it for a moment – her pink thumbnail across from Wednesday’s black one and she smiled. Wednesday took the necklace Enid held and undid the clasp as Enid raised her hair, allowing the shorter girl to affix it to her and she smirked down at Wednesday’s, now exposed and sitting atop the black turtleneck she wore.
This one felt pretty important, she repeated to herself as Wednesday stepped back, giving her a small nod, as though she’d completed a task she’d been afraid of and Enid smiled, whispering, “Thank you, Wednesday.”
“I have…” Wednesday began, swallowing roughly and raising her chin to finish, “Another gift.”
Eyes widening slightly, Enid opened her mouth to protest, but before she could do anything, Wednesday was slowly stepping into her, arms wrapping around her back, head settling into her shoulder. She knew the girl could feel her heart thundering in her chest as she stood frozen to the spot at the unexpected affection coming from her friend, but then she felt it, coming from a space in Wednesday’s chest, the drumming of her own terrified heartbeat.
Wednesday, Enid reflected, was genuinely afraid.
Her arms shifted up around Wednesday’s shoulders and she exhaled a tension she hadn’t even realized had been building up in her for months. Enid laid her head into Wednesday’s shoulder, nose tucked into her neck, and she felt her whole body calm as she took a long breath of her and then she felt herself silently crying, wishing with all of her heart that she would open her eyes and they would simply be at Nevermore, standing on their balcony. She heard her name called out into the night and she held Wednesday tighter, feeling her arms constrict as well, knowing this short visit would be coming to an end.
“I know you think it’s stupid, the whole pen pal thing, but, could you write me?” Enid whispered into her neck.
Wednesday nodded against her. “Yes, Enid,” she said simply.
Her mother called out again and Enid stepped back, wiping at her eyes and smiling down at Wednesday who stared into her the way she usually did – undiscernible in any way. Enid huffed a small laugh at it, how she always thought she was so close to deciphering the internal workings of Wednesday Addams and then… Wednesday kissed her lightly on each cheek and bowed, turning away and taking a step back.
“What did you do that for?” Enid questioned quietly.
Wednesday eyed her sideways and then slowly, she told her, “Addams tradition.”
Enid stared, cheeks on fire, and she finally sighed, “It’s… It’s a good one.”
“You should get to your cake,” Wednesday stated.
“You could come,” Enid offered, thinking about Wednesday, in her living room, with her parents, her four brothers. Going up to see her room, staring in horror at all of the colors and chaos. She nodded back towards her home, taking a step in that direction.
Wednesday remained still, giving her a solemn nod before she saw Lurch emerge from the shadows beside a black car Enid hadn’t even noticed. She waved to him and he grunted and she looked to the tapping from within the car, seeing Thing signing excitedly from the dashboard.
Happy Birthday, Enid!
Enid smiled again and she waved, pushing the long black box into her jacket pocket, knowing she would keep it and the ribbon as well. She watched Wednesday disappear into the car and she turned, slowly making her way back towards the home where she could hear her parents fighting over something. Her brothers were all locked away in their rooms, she knew, playing their music through headphones to avoid being told they were too loud.
Walking through the front door, Enid closed it softly and went towards the stairs before hearing her name called sharply from the kitchen. Turning towards her parents, she stepped into the space and looked to them, seeing the exasperation in their faces. Nothing new, she thought, eyes dropping to the small sheet cake that sat on the counter. A neat “Congratulations on Finally Wolfing Out!” written in red across the white icing.
Enid nodded at it, gesturing to tell them, “That’s great, that’s what’s important.” Glancing up at the stairs, she sighed, “I’m just going to wash up, ok?”
Groaning, Esther argued, “Why, what did you do on your walk, you look fine… wait, Enid, who do I smell on you?”
Eyes turning to see her father’s head bob downward, Enid told her honestly, “A friend, she came to say Happy Birthday.” She looked to her father as he raised his gaze to her curiously, a small smile hidden within that beard of his. “She couldn’t stay long, but, yeah, she came by to see me for my birthday.”
“And she couldn’t come meet your parents?” Esther asked. “What sort of friend is this?”
Murray set his hands at her shoulders, telling her sheepishly, “Honey, let’s let her get cleaned up, we’ll get the boys down and cut the cake, we’ll have a good night, ok?”
Taking advantage of her distraction, Enid went up the stairs and straight into her room, closing the door behind her and moving to her desk to remove the long black box from her pocket and set it there with the silver ribbon, just beside Wednesday’s letter. She smiled down at them as a gentle knock tapped at the door.
“Yeah, I’ll just be a minute,” she turned to see her father entering, walking towards her to envelop her in a hug. A strong warm one she smiled into.
Murray looked to the items on her desk and he asked softly, “Is this friend Wednesday Addams?”
Laughing, she nodded. “Yeah, can you believe she just took a private jet, like it was borrowing a car from a friend.”
“The Addams?” Murray scoffed. “Oh yeah, I believe it.” He gave her back a soft pat and shifted back, watching her shrug out of his old jacket and drape it back over her chair.
Enid eyed him and winced as she asked, “What were you fighting about now?”
He sighed. “The damned cake. I told her not to prioritize…”
Hands rising, Enid shook her head. “It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine, sweetie, it’s your birthday,” he told her bluntly.
Smiling, Enid touched at the pendant hanging against her chest and she took a long breath, still smelling Wednesday’s scent as it now lingered in her room from the jacket she absently eyed. With a nod, she confidently stated, “It’s ok dad, I got everything I wanted.”