Morning came with Xavier already moving around the room.
Elias opened his eyes, checked his phone. 6:47 AM. He'd gotten maybe four hours of sleep after his conservatory work session.
Worth it though. The workshop was taking shape.
"Morning," Xavier mumbled, pulling on his uniform.
"Morning."
They got ready in silence. Xavier still looked off, probably still processing yesterday's gargoyle incident. He kept glancing at Elias like he wanted to say something, then thinking better of it.
Finally, as they were heading out, Xavier spoke. "You doing anything after classes?"
"Probably working on my projects. Why?"
"Just wondering. I might head into Jericho later. Need some art supplies."
"Cool."
They walked to breakfast together. The dining hall was buzzing with conversation, most of it about yesterday. The gargoyle. The near-death. Xavier the hero.
Elias grabbed food and sat with Xavier's group again. Ajax was mid-story about some prank involving stone vision when Bianca walked past their table.
She paused, looked at Elias. "How are you settling in?"
"Fine."
"Good." She studied him for a moment, then continued to her table.
"She's into you," Yoko said, grinning.
"She's just being friendly," Elias said.
"Bianca's never 'just friendly,'" Kent added. "She's either ignoring you or she wants something."
Elias shrugged and kept eating.
Wednesday entered late, grabbed minimal food, sat alone. She had a small bandage on her forehead from yesterday's cut. Otherwise, she looked completely unbothered by almost dying.
Xavier watched her the entire time she was in the room.
Classes were uneventful. Botanical Sciences had Ms. Thornhill gushing about some upcoming project. Wednesday participated with her usual morbid observations. Bianca competed for attention. The dynamic was becoming predictable.
Elias took notes and planned his Jericho trip.
He needed to pick up basic components today. Couldn't wait for the online orders to arrive. The threat detector he'd planned last night required immediate materials. Electronics store, hardware store, maybe a surplus shop if Jericho had one.
After lunch, he had a free period. Perfect timing.
Elias skipped the library, went straight to his room, changed into civilian clothes. Dark jeans, black jacket, backpack. He checked his wallet. More than enough cash.
Xavier wasn't around. Still in class or avoiding the room after their awkward conversation yesterday.
Elias headed out.
Jericho was a twenty-five minute walk from Nevermore. Quaint small town, very New England, very "we don't like outsiders." The locals gave him looks as he passed. Not hostile, just wary. Nevermore students weren't exactly popular here.
He found a hardware store first. Picked up wire, basic tools, some miscellaneous components. The clerk barely looked at him.
Next was a small electronics shop. More limited selection than he'd hoped, but he found a few useful items. Resistors, capacitors, some cheap sensors he could repurpose.
By the time he finished, it was almost 1:30. His stomach reminded him he'd skipped a proper lunch.
The Weathervane café was right there, windows steamed up, the smell of coffee drifting out.
Why not.
Elias pushed through the door. The interior was warm, moderately busy. Mix of locals and a few Nevermore students scattered at tables. Indie music played softly from speakers.
Behind the counter was a guy about his age. Curly hair, tired eyes, friendly smile.
Tyler Galpin.
"Hey, welcome to the Weathervane," Tyler said. "What can I get you?"
"Coffee. Black. And whatever sandwich you recommend."
"Turkey club's good. Want it toasted?"
"Sure."
"Coming right up."
Elias paid and found a corner table with a good view of the room. Pulled out his laptop and opened his component specifications file. Started cross-referencing what he'd just bought with what he still needed.
The threat detector design was simple enough. Proximity sensors, basic motion tracking, audio detection. He could wire it together tonight if he focused.
Tyler brought over his order. "You go to Nevermore?"
"Yeah. Just transferred."
"Cool. I'm Tyler." He gestured at the café. "I'm here most days if you need coffee or want to hide from school for a bit."
"Good to know. Thanks."
Tyler headed back to the counter. Elias ate and worked, occasionally glancing up at the other customers.
At 1:45, the door opened.
Wednesday Addams walked in.
She looked irritated. More than usual, which was saying something. Her eyes scanned the café with that analytical precision she had, cataloging every person, every exit, every detail.
Her gaze landed on Elias.
He was the only other Nevermore student in here. Everyone else was locals or tourists.
Wednesday stood there for a moment, clearly deciding something.
Then she walked to the counter. "Coffee. Black."
Tyler's face lit up. "Sure thing! You go to Nevermore too?"
"Unfortunately."
"Oh. Uh, cool. I'm Tyler."
"I didn't ask."
Tyler's smile faltered. "Right. Coffee. Coming up."
Wednesday took her coffee when it was ready, paid, then turned back to the room.
She walked directly toward Elias's table.
Didn't ask permission. Just sat down across from him.
Elias looked up, mildly surprised.
Wednesday pulled out a book from her bag. Something old, leather-bound. Opened it and started reading.
Completely ignored him.
Elias returned to his laptop.
They sat in silence for two, three minutes.
Then Wednesday spoke without looking up from her book. "Dr. Kinbott asks too many questions."
Elias glanced at her. "Therapist?"
"Mandatory sessions. Principal Weems's idea of rehabilitation." She turned a page. "She thinks I have trust issues."
"Do you?"
"I don't trust anyone. That's not an issue, it's common sense."
"Fair point."
More silence. Wednesday kept reading. Elias kept working.
"You weren't at therapy," Wednesday said.
"Don't have mandatory sessions."
"Why not?"
"Wasn't part of my enrollment requirements."
Wednesday finally looked up from her book, studying him. "They make exceptions for you but not for me. Interesting."
"I think they just assume you're more dangerous."
"I am."
Elias smirked slightly. "Yeah, I heard about the piranhas."
"They deserved it. My brother was tied up in a locker with an apple in his mouth."
"Extreme response."
"Proportional response. There's a difference."
"If you say so."
Wednesday's eyes flicked to his laptop screen. Scanned the technical schematics and equations visible. "That's not homework."
"Personal project."
"What kind of project requires miniaturized motion sensors and proximity detection algorithms?"
Elias closed his laptop. "The kind I don't discuss in public."
Wednesday leaned back. She took a sip of her coffee, eyes still on him. "You're building a security system."
"Maybe."
"For yourself or for sale?"
"Does it matter?"
"If you're planning to monitor other students, yes."
"I'm not." Elias met her gaze. "I just like knowing what's around me."
Wednesday considered that. "Paranoid or practical?"
"Depends on whether someone's actually trying to kill you."
Her expression didn't change, but something flickered in her eyes. "Someone tried to kill me yesterday."
"I heard. Gargoyle, right?"
"Three hundred pounds of stone falling four stories. If Xavier hadn't tackled me, I'd be dead."
"You have suspects?"
"Everyone. No one. Does it matter?"
Elias looked at her. "Usually matters to figure out who's trying to murder you."
Wednesday studied him over her coffee cup. "You're not going to ask if I'm okay?"
"You're clearly fine. And you don't want sympathy."
She set down her cup. "Most people are either intimidated or overly concerned. You're neither."
"I barely know you. Haven't figured out which response makes sense yet."
"Don't bother deciding. Both are useless."
They fell back into silence. Tyler approached with a coffee pot. "Refills?"
"No," Wednesday said.
"Sure," Elias said.
Tyler refilled his cup, glanced between them uncertainly, then retreated.
Wednesday checked her phone. "I need to meet Principal Weems."
She stood, gathering her book and bag.
Then paused. "You're going back to Nevermore?"
"Eventually."
"Don't do anything stupid in Jericho. This town has enough problems."
She left without waiting for a response, the door chiming as she exited.
Elias watched her go, slight smile on his face.
Tyler approached, wiping down a nearby table. "You know her?"
"Not really. But I think I'm starting to."
"She's... intense."
"Yeah."
"In a scary way."
"Yeah."
Tyler shook his head and went back to the counter.
Elias sat there for another moment, thinking about the conversation. Wednesday was investigating the gargoyle incident. Obviously. She wasn't the type to let an attempted murder slide. And she'd sat with him specifically, told him about it, shared observations.
Testing him? Warning him? Or something else?
He finished his coffee, packed up his laptop, and headed out.
The walk back to Nevermore was uneventful. Students were streaming back from their own Jericho trips, carrying shopping bags and coffee cups.
Elias went straight to his room. Xavier still wasn't back.
He dumped his purchases on his desk and started organizing. Components in one pile, tools in another, reference materials stacked to the side.
The threat detector came together over the next few hours.
Elias stripped down the cheap sensors he'd bought, rewired them for better sensitivity. Built a simple circuit board to process the signals. Housed it all in a small black box about the size of a deck of cards.
Not sophisticated, but functional. The sensors would pick up movement within a ten-foot radius, analyze the pattern, alert him if something registered as a threat. Basic stuff, but better than nothing.
He tested it. Worked perfectly.
Around six, Xavier came back. Looked less shaken than yesterday, more like his normal self.
"Where were you?" Xavier asked.
"Jericho. Supply run."
"For what?"
"Projects." Elias gestured at the small black box on his desk. "Built this."
Xavier walked over, examined it. "What is it?"
"Proximity detector. Alerts me if something gets too close."
"Like... people?"
"People, animals, whatever. Picks up movement patterns and classifies them."
"That's actually pretty cool. Why do you need one though?"
"After yesterday? Seems smart to know if someone's sneaking up on me."
Xavier nodded slowly. "Yeah. Fair."
They went to dinner together. The dining hall was back to its normal chaos. Students talked and laughed, the gargoyle incident already becoming old news.
Wednesday sat alone again, eating mechanically, ignoring everyone.
Elias noticed her glance at him once. Brief. Assessing.
Then she went back to her food.
After dinner, Elias hit the library again. Spent two hours researching electronics suppliers, placing orders online. Most of it would arrive in a few days. Some specialty items would take longer.
He also researched Jericho's history. Founded in the 1600s, pilgrim settlement, lots of colonial-era buildings. There was some story about the town founder, Joseph Crackstone, but the details were vague.
Interesting, but not immediately useful.
By nine, he headed back to his room.
Xavier was painting, classical music playing softly. They exchanged brief conversation about classes, homework, nothing important.
Around ten-thirty, Xavier crashed.
Elias waited until his breathing evened out, then grabbed his tool bag and headed out.
The conservatory was becoming familiar now.
He'd cleared most of the debris. The main space was open, usable. He'd tested more of the electrical system, mapped which circuits worked and which needed replacing.
Tonight, he focused on the workbenches. Reinforced the legs, replaced rotted sections, sanded down rough surfaces. By the time he finished, he had three solid benches along the walls.
Progress.
He worked until almost two AM, lost in the rhythm of it. Building, fixing, creating. This was what he was good at. This was what made sense.
When he finally headed back, he was exhausted but satisfied.
The dorm was quiet. He slipped back into his room without waking Xavier.
But as he closed the door, he noticed something on the floor.
A folded piece of paper. Slipped under the door.
Elias picked it up, unfolded it.
One line, written in precise, elegant handwriting:
The gargoyle didn't fall. Someone pushed it. I intend to find out who. - W.A.
He stared at the note for a long moment.
Wednesday was investigating. Obviously. But why tell him? Was she testing if he was trustworthy? Warning him to stay out of it? Or was this an invitation to collaborate?
Hard to say with her.
Elias tucked the note into his desk drawer.
"She's hunting whoever did it," he muttered to himself. "This is going to get complicated."
He climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling.
Wednesday Addams was investigating an attempted murder. She had no powers, no backup, and apparently no sense of self-preservation. She was going to get herself into serious trouble.
Not his problem. He had his own projects, his own priorities.
Except... it kind of was his problem. Because if whoever pushed that gargoyle succeeded next time, the entire plot would change. Everything he knew from the show would be useless.
And maybe, just maybe, he actually cared if she got hurt.
"Damn it," he whispered.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.