บท 292: wd134
On Sunday, all the students got up early. Luke already had all his belongings packed: his clothes, console, MacBook, and other things. Xavier also had his luggage ready to go back home.
"It's strange to see the dorm empty," Xavier commented, zipping up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.
"Yeah..." Luke said, sitting on the edge of his bed with a strange look in his eyes.
His 10th grade had ended. It had been a crazy year for Luke, even more than the last one. Besides, it was likely he wouldn't be returning to Nevermore next year. They didn't know how long it would take to recover the evidence in Ohio or if they'd make it out alive.
"You seem a bit melancholic. Next year will be better. Let's hope it's a more normal year, without zombie attacks or serial killers on the loose in Jericho," Xavier said, patting Luke on the shoulder with a slight smile.
"Where's the fun in that?" Luke asked with a slight smile, standing up.
"True. Facing an army of zombies was pretty fun. It was like a video game, and then going up against those bastards," Xavier said, recalling their battle against Amaranth and Deacon.
It wasn't a fair fight since there were four of them (Yoko, Divina, Ajax, and him) against two, but fights are never fair, especially in the harsh society of the outcasts.
"Will you come visit my house? Wednesday is also invited, though I doubt she'd want to come," Xavier added. He already knew Luke would be going with the Addams family, but the invitation from the Thorpes was still open. They could spend a few days together at his place; he also invited Ajax. Even if it wouldn't be for the entire vacation, it was better than nothing.
"I can't," Luke replied honestly.
"Why?" Xavier asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Family matters," Luke answered, giving Xavier a knowing look, and Xavier understood what he meant.
"Hm, you can't take a break. Alright, if you need any help, just let me know," Xavier said with a slight smile. He wouldn't hesitate to help his best friend.
"I'll call you if anything comes up," Luke said sincerely. He'd never had a friend he trusted as much as Xavier. Ajax also fell into that category. It took him over two years and several battles side-by-side to trust them.
Luke levitated his luggage along with Xavier's, and they headed to the door. They left the room and began walking through the Ravenloft common room. Many students were carrying their luggage while chatting with their friends.
Ajax, who was carrying several bags, saw them and started walking toward them. Behind him was his younger brother, Isidro, along with a few friends who were glancing at Luke.
[Sorry, Luke. My brother is really annoying and he's your fan], Ajax said through the mental link he shared with Luke.
Luke made a strange face at this comment. When Ajax arrived with Isidro, the latter's friends began introducing themselves to Luke, one by one.
"I'm a huge fan of 'Salem's Lot! Please sign my book," one of Isidro's friends said, extending the book and a pen toward Luke.
"I'm a big fan of Carrie! She gave those normie bastards what they deserved. Please sign my book!" exclaimed another, holding out his copy of Carrie to Luke. The other two also extended their respective books, asking him to sign.
'It's been a while since people came up to me asking for autographs,' Luke thought as he looked at the four books held out to him.
This was because he was a bit of a grouch, and many were afraid of him due to all the incidents he had been involved in: fights with older students, confrontations with powerful outcasts, and more.
In the Ravenloft dormitory, he was respected for his strength and feared for his personality, as if he were a demon who would beat you up just for talking to him, thinking you were bothering him.
"Sure," Luke said in a friendly tone. He could be a bit more considerate with his fans, though it wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. Besides, it was the brother of one of his only friends.
Isidro's friends, who were nervous about Luke's possible reaction, were very happy with his willingness. After he signed their books, they all wanted a handshake and chatted with him for about five minutes, asking questions about his next book, his interests, and so on.
Luke was very patient and answered everything calmly, with no irritation in his voice. Xavier and Ajax were surprised by this. They weren't the only ones; several students noticed the scene. When Isidro and his friends finally left Luke alone, other students felt encouraged to approach him, asking him to sign their books and chat, even if just for a few minutes.
'There were more fans than I imagined,' Luke thought, somewhat surprised, as he signed books and shook hands. He didn't quite understand why the handshakes made his dormmates so happy.
Luke spent over thirty minutes signing books and talking with his dormmates/fans. Finally, he was able to continue on his way with Xavier and Ajax toward the exit.
'I was surrounded by so many people, and nothing happened to me,' Luke thought, with a barely perceptible smile on his face.
When he first arrived at Nevermore and was recognized as Luke Poe, the writer of Carrie, he had been swarmed by many students, feeling a sensation of claustrophobia and discomfort. Fortunately, Enid had saved him. Now, that weakness he once considered pathetic no longer plagued him.
"Who are you?" Ajax asked, giving him a cautious look.
"Were you possessed by a ghost and now you're a kind person?" Xavier asked with a slight, teasing smile.
"Shut up. I can be nice for a day," Luke replied in an annoyed tone. It's not like he was never nice and was always grumpy and apathetic.
Though the main reason he decided to reveal all the evidence earlier was for Wednesday, another reason involved the potential deaths of his fellow outcasts at the hands of the Spellmans, Crackstone, and possibly an army of thousands of undead.
He didn't want his fellow outcasts to die in the crossfire because of his grudge and his crazy mortal enemies.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Xavier said as they left the dorm and began walking through the halls of Nevermore toward the main door.
"Excited to live in your girlfriend's house?" Ajax asked, clearly curious.
"I don't know..." Luke began.
On one hand, he was excited to see the Addams mansion and get to know the family in depth. As for living with Wednesday, he wasn't sure how it would work. They were both very independent, and he didn't know how she felt about him living in her house. It was a big step, and they had taken it rather quickly due to the circumstances they were in.
The three friends continued talking along the way about their romantic situations. Xavier and Ajax hadn't had much luck with their dates from the Rave'N, but they still held out hope of finding the right girl.
They arrived at the main entrance, where several parents had come to pick up their children. There were also several buses lined up to take students home.
Ajax and Xavier said goodbye to Luke and went off to meet their parents, who were already waiting for them.
Luke noticed Natasha walking toward him. She wore a black tank top with jeans and leather sneakers.
"Happy to be done with the school year?" Natasha asked, stopping near Luke.
"I don't know…" Luke replied, looking at Nevermore's gothic structure. He might not be back here for quite some time.
"Are you feeling sad? That's new. I thought you hated schools, like those kids who self-diagnose with depression," Natasha said with a teasing smile.
"Of course not," Luke immediately denied. "It's just that, just when I get special protection, I might not be coming back to Nevermore," he added with a frustrated expression.
He had risked his life and spent months gathering evidence to make sure the Spellmans would be punished for the attempted murder against him through a massive attack on Nevermore. One of the rewards he obtained was that, as long as he was at Nevermore, the Spellmans couldn't try to kill him again.
Actually, they can, but if they are discovered, they will be severely punished by the council. So it's very likely he could have had a normal year at Nevermore—or maybe not—but the assassination attempts wouldn't be as brutal and blatant as in the past two years.
"Maybe we'll accomplish our goal before vacation ends, and you can start 11th grade at Nevermore," Natasha said, resting a hand on her chin. What she wanted most was for Luke to have as normal a life as possible and to train intensely without the risk of being killed. That way, he could get stronger, and their chances of winning would increase.
"However, I doubt they'll leave you alone even if you're here. They attacked Nevermore on a large scale, and they won't stop until they kill you. They're too eager to do so, and a warning with the threat of punishment won't stop them," Natasha added, and Luke nodded.
Although staying at Nevermore was still a much safer option than going to Ohio with Natasha and Wednesday, where they could be attacked freely by who knows how many Spellman members.
Without further delay, Luke and Natasha walked toward Nevermore's main entrance, looking for the Addams family.
Wednesday stood motionless, watching the road in front of the school, surrounded by tall trees. Next to her, her luggage was neatly and meticulously placed: an immaculate black suitcase and a simple matching backpack.
The only movement came from her brother, Pugsley, who was playing with a snake about 30 cm long. He was amused dodging the small reptile's quick bites, which was clearly irritated, but this didn't seem to bother Pugsley.
'Where did he get a snake?' Luke wondered as he approached.
"Hey, where are your parents?" Luke asked, addressing Wednesday directly. Her eyes stayed fixed on the street for a moment before she slowly turned her head towards him, her expression still impassive.
Despite seeing her boyfriend for the first time that day, not even a slight smile broke her usual stoic demeanor.
"They went on a date. To Jericho Cemetery. They wanted to see all the graves that were disturbed by the dark ritual Atlas performed," Wednesday replied in her monotone voice.
Luke nodded, unsurprised. For Gomez and Morticia, a date like that at eight in the morning would be completely normal. They were probably at the cemetery since dawn. Natasha, who had been listening to the conversation in silence, stepped forward and grabbed Luke's floating luggage.
"I'll go put your luggage in the car," Natasha said before disappearing with it in seconds, leaving the two of them alone. She had a car to follow the Addams family.
Pugsley had stopped playing with the snake and was now squinting at Luke with a look full of distrust. It was obvious he wasn't thrilled about Luke's presence, much less that he was dating his sister.
'Jealous over his sister?' Luke thought, noticing the poorly disguised hostility in the boy's gaze. An amusing idea crossed his mind.
He remembered the incident from the night before, when Pugsley had looked smug as Luke coughed after trying a cigar.
'Time for a little revenge,' Luke thought, smiling inwardly as he stepped close to Wednesday, stopping just a few inches from her. His proximity made her look up.
"What do you want?" she asked in her typical neutral tone, but her eyes seemed to suspect Luke was up to something.
"You see your boyfriend and don't even say hello?" Luke asked with a slight smile. Last night, he'd secured the privilege of one kiss a day, whenever he wanted. Wednesday herself had granted him that reward; he didn't have to do anything.
Before, he had to gauge each gesture, analyze her expressions to see if it was appropriate to get close or if the situation allowed for a kiss, but now he had the freedom to cross that barrier—at least once a day.
"I just want a simple kiss," Luke added.
Wednesday's eyes narrowed slightly, showing a hint of irritation. She didn't like displaying any sort of affection in public, especially with her little brother watching from a few meters away.
"It's not the time," she said, hoping that would be enough to stop him.
"So what? You yourself said I could kiss you once a day whenever I wanted. I didn't force you to offer that benefit. Are you not going to keep your word?" Luke asked with a slight smirk that irritated Wednesday, but at the same time appealed to her.
She exhaled slowly, her expression impassive, though her eyes showed a faint but visible irritation. She didn't like being pressured into anything, but, after all, she was the one who'd granted Luke the daily kiss privilege.
Breaking her word would be worse than any discomfort.
Finally, with a look that said, "This doesn't mean I enjoy it," she leaned toward Luke just enough for him to kiss her briefly on the lips. A short, cool kiss that Luke savored.
Pugsley, who had been watching the entire scene with growing disgust, clenched his fists. His hand closed tightly near the snake's head, gripping it so hard that within seconds, the snake stopped moving.
Luke noticed the gesture out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. His small revenge was complete. Normally, he might try to get along with his girlfriend's brother, but he didn't care.
The three of them waited in dead silence for Morticia and Gomez to arrive. They had to wait nearly ten minutes before they noticed a distinctive black car in the distance
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