The girls of Ophelia Hall buzzed with focused energy, prepping for the Poe Cup. Enid, Yoko, and Wednesday crouched around their canoe, paintbrushes slashing black and gold stripes across the wood while paint flecks dotted their clothes.
Enid sighed dramatically, dipping her brush with a scowl. "Bianca Barclay's team wins every year. The past two years, no other boat has made it across and back without sinking."
Wednesday frowned, her brush pausing mid-stroke. "It seems she is very good with sabotage."
Enid sighed, flicking paint from her brush with frustrated emphasis. "There are no rules in the Poe Cup, and she is a siren, which makes her master of the water."
She set her jaw, voice turning steely. "Then we just need to beat her at her own game."
Aleksander caught Yoko painting the canoe and silently listening in, her vampire senses sharp, and leaned closer. "Since you're on the team, it's best you stay sharp. Chances are she will be after either Enid or you."
Yoko nodded firmly, fangs glinting in a brief smirk. "Don't worry, I will."
Wednesday paused, her mind elsewhere, voice flat as she straightened. "I've been reading tales of the Legendary Nightshade Society—from the Morozova Library. But not too much information was available. It's said to be one of the seven mysteries of Nevermore Academy."
Aleksander, leaning against a nearby pillar with arms crossed, chimed in smoothly. "The Nightshades were founded by your ancestor Goody Addams during her lifetime in the 17th century. They used to fight against society and bring peace to every outcast so they could be considered equals with normies. The Nightshades were believed to have been disbanded around 1992 when the group lost its charter after a normie kid was killed. It is implied that this was a result of the actions of the Nightshades. But it still exists to this day, just more secretive."
Wednesday nodded, her interest clearly piqued by the sabotage ideas. Enid looked at Aleksander with wide eyes. "That is amazing. I didn't know such a group existed in the Academy."Yoko's expression twitched slightly. Aleksander noticed this right away. He knew Yoko was part of the Nightshade Society, since he had picked up thoughts about it from Bianca, Xavier, and Yoko.Later, Wednesday went on to check out different clubs around campus. She came across Eugene Ottinger, a swarmer—a type of outcast who can control or influence the behavior of animals, like bees.Wednesday had a sibling-like relationship with Eugene. She told Aleksander directly that Eugene reminds her of her brother, Pugsley.
Aleksander saw the boy was having a hard time fitting in with the other students and had no friends. He spoke up. "You can come to my dorm room, if you have time."
Eugene's eyes widened behind his glasses, clearly surprised that someone actually asked him to hang out. "Really?" he replied, his voice earnest and a bit hesitant, just like the awkward kid from Nevermore who kept to his bees.
Aleksander smiled and nodded. "Yeah, really."
Wednesday becomes Enid's co-pilot in the race. On the day of the Poe Cup, Aleksander watched as a spectator from the riverbank. He saw Wednesday, Enid, and Yoko emerge from their tent in black cat-themed costumes—sleek black outfits with pointed ears and claw accents. Each team had selected the name of an Edgar Allan Poe poem as their team name.
The race started at a jetty on the river. All teams raced up the river towards Raven Island, where they docked at a jetty on the island and collected their team flag at Crackstone's crypt. The flag was then placed on their boat and taken back to the starting jetty, where it was taken to the finish line. The first team to reach this finish line wins.
Bianca's team began sabotaging the other canoes. A hidden merman, Kent, worked underwater alongside Luis and Michael, they handled the heavy lifting. Wednesday trapped Kent in a net shot from under the canoe.
While Aleksander made a simple, subtle gesture with his hand. Vibrant green, wispy energy—coiled from his palms, weaving through the water with ethereal trails. The river churned violently under its influence, surging upward to hurl Luis and Michael from the waves onto dry land in a crashing spray, while Kent remained trapped in Wednesday's net.
On dry land, Wednesday headed for the flags and had another vision. In it, a doppelgänger with white hair told her that she is the key. Wednesday figured out it must be her ancestor.
Aleksander watched Wednesday collapse from the vision, concern tightening his features.
He scanned the cheering crowd, then felt Marilyn Thornhill's emotions spike nearby—raw malice bubbling up despite her iron control.
He stayed thoughtful, voice low to himself. "It seems she is getting paranoid and impulsive."
Aleksander felt certain it wouldn't be long before Thornhill made her move, but he knew her caution meant it would take a lot of planning on her part.He muttered under his breath, shifting focus. "For now, let's figure out what vision Wednesday got."
Wednesday woke up on the ground as the others ran off with their own flags.The race continued, with teams trying to sabotage each other's canoes. Thing lent a helping hand and punched the siren underwater, which caused Enid's team to end up victorious.
Wednesday and the group carried their flag through the cheering crowd, Enid bouncing with uncontainable energy at the front.
Enid celebrated excitedly, grabbing Wednesday's arm. "Yeah, we did it! OMG, Wednesday, we did it! This is the greatest moment of my entire life. Admit it, you kinda got into the whole school spirit thing."
Wednesday spotted Bianca Barclay and her team swimming to shore, emerging dripping and furious. She smirked faintly. "You didn't tell me it was a dark, vengeful spirit."
Wednesday felt a quiet satisfaction seeing Bianca defeated.Aleksander approached through the crowd, offering congratulations. Wednesday gave him a small, rare smile in return.