During the last week of winter, the Outreach Day arrived. Two weeks had passed since Luke and Wednesday had decided on this course of action, and another murder had taken place.
In total, there had been four murders—well, actually five, but the Hyde failed to collect Jonah's mutilated part thanks to Luke and Wednesday, who stopped him.
Marilyn already had four parts collected for the ritual. If Luke went by the show, the teacher would need two more murders, since Tyler in the series had killed and mutilated a total of six people in his Hyde form.
During these two weeks, Luke made a decision. He would stop Crackstone's resurrection ritual. Therefore, he would have to stop Marilyn and the Hyde.
Why did he decide this? For several reasons.
The main reason was Wednesday. In these two weeks, he realized that his feelings for the gothic girl were not fleeting. They didn't disappear as he thought they would; in fact, they grew stronger.
It wasn't something he could control. Moreover, to his surprise, Wednesday continued to spend time with him—even more closely than before. Although it wasn't the typical closeness of a normal girl, Luke, who had known her for a while, noticed the differences.
For example, when they sat reading in the courtyard on a cold day, and Luke felt his entire body shivering from the cold, Wednesday would move closer to him. So close that they would share warmth between them.
Another example was when they talked; Wednesday was no longer as harsh when criticizing him for his tastes or other things. Her new kindness was noticeable, though only Luke could see it. To others, Wednesday would still appear as rude and sarcastic as ever.
Luke noticed these small changes and the opposite of what he thought happened. His feelings for Wednesday were not fleeting. On the contrary, they grew stronger, and Wednesday got closer to him in her way.
For this reason, he decided to kill Marilyn and the Hyde. He would not allow them to seek Wednesday's blood for the ritual, risking her life in the process. In the series, if it hadn't been for Goody Addams' necklace, Wednesday would have died from Marilyn's stabbing.
The other reason he decided to intervene in Crackstone's return was for Nevermore.
If Crackstone were resurrected, he would attack Nevermore. In the process, he would destroy several parts of the school, and it was very likely there would be casualties. Luke wanted to take advantage of this to place more blame on the Spellmans, so when he presented proof that they were involved in Crackstone's resurrection, their punishment would be much harsher.
But he was being very insensitive. Many people in Nevermore mattered to him, though it took him a while to realize this: Enid, Wednesday, Xavier, Ajax, Enid's siblings, Principal Larissa, and so on.
His peers respected him, and he had come to realize this. He had never been as comfortable anywhere as he was at Nevermore—neither in his past life nor in this one. He couldn't let a demonic normie madman destroy his home.
So, he changed his plans. He would gather evidence showing the Spellmans helping in Crackstone's resurrection, but he would stop them before it could happen. It wouldn't have the same effect of guilt on the Spellmans, but that was his decision.
He now also needed to collect evidence about Marilyn—her past, her knowledge about Crackstone, and more. That way, when he presented all the evidence, they could verify that Crackstone could have truly been resurrected and that it wasn't just some questionable prophecy.
'Today I have to take the photos; tomorrow I'll extract the Faceless One's memory...' Luke thought as he traveled on a bus with everyone else heading to Jericho for their volunteer work.
'I'll also tell Wednesday the truth,' Luke thought, more worried about this.
He decided to tell her that he already knew who was controlling the Hyde. How did he know this? Thanks to his enemies, whom he managed to find without them realizing, and by reading the memory of the Faceless One.
Why was he doing this? Because he felt guilty. He had used Wednesday, even though he already knew who was pulling the strings behind the Hyde and who wanted to revive Crackstone. He knew how worried Wednesday was about the prophecy.
'The most likely outcome is that our relationship will end when she finds out I used her. It's for the best,' Luke thought, sighing internally. This way, he would fulfill his promise to Enid.
"Why so quiet?" Wednesday asked, sitting next to Luke on the bus.
"I thought you liked silence," Luke said with a slight smile.
"I do, but it's strange not to hear your annoying comments first thing in the morning," Wednesday said. Luke looked around and noticed they were the only ones at the back of the bus.
"I'm cold, that's why I'm not talking. It'd be nice to get a little human warmth," Luke said, rubbing his palms together.
Wednesday looked around, and upon noticing that no one was in sight, she moved closer to Luke until their bodies touched.
"Five minutes," Wednesday said.
"Thanks, you're such a kind person," Luke said with a smile, emphasizing the word kind.
Since he only had five minutes, and it was likely the last time he would be this close to Wednesday, Luke rested his head on the girl's delicate shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Wednesday asked, watching as Luke leaned on her shoulder.
"My face is cold. I have to make the most of the time you gave me," Luke said with a slight smile. He closed his eyes and relaxed. Wednesday smelled nice.
Fifteen minutes passed, and they arrived in the town of Jericho. No one noticed the unusual scene of Luke sleeping on Wednesday's shoulder. She maintained a stoic expression, occasionally glancing at the sleeping Luke.
"We've arrived. Wake up before I kill you," Wednesday said, abruptly waking Luke.
"Hey... Why so aggressive?" Luke said, stretching.
"I thought you said only five minutes. You're kinder than I thought," Luke added with a slight smile. Wednesday said nothing, stood up and walked toward the bus door. Luke followed her.
They both ended up volunteering at Uriah's Heap, an antique shop. They were supposed to help the owner, and it was just the two of them.
Tasks were assigned randomly. Wednesday was supposed to work at Uriah's Heap, but Luke wasn't. He was originally assigned to the café where Tyler worked. Fortunately, they could swap jobs with other students, and Ajax had been assigned to Uriah's Heap, so Luke traded with him. Ajax was grateful to avoid working in such a boring and strange place.
The owner of the shop was named Connie Jorgensen. She was an older woman with gray, curly hair, dark skin, and a peculiar sense of fashion.
The good thing was that the shop was empty. It was easy for Luke to control Connie's mind. All he needed was to ensure she didn't report to the Nevermore teachers that they had abandoned their assigned posts.
With his mental control over normies, Luke could give them more complex orders with longer durations. He and Wednesday left the shop through the back and started heading toward the original cult house.
The distance between Jericho and the original cult house was greater than that to Nevermore, about 24 kilometers. If they were normies, it would have taken them much longer to get there, but they were outcasts.
A normie runner might take over two hours, depending on their skill level. However, it only took them around thirty minutes. Once they reached the forest, it was easier to run, as there were no normie eyes or streets to cross.
They stopped about a hundred meters away. The cult house was already visible. Its dilapidated state was clear, but what caught Wednesday's attention most was seeing people inside the house.
The wooden fences surrounding the house were in terrible condition, yet despite the distance, they could see movement behind the fences. The outcasts' vision was sharper than that of normies.
"Could they be drug addicts?" Wednesday asked, hiding behind a tree and taking a closer look at the cabin, whose wood was nearly black. It was a miracle it was still standing.
"No. Look closer. What kind of vagabonds wear hoods and black cloaks?" Luke said, pulling out his five-thousand-dollar camera.
Wednesday noticed four hooded figures, looking very suspicious. Two were outside the house, while the other two could be seen inside through a hole in the wall that seemed to have once been a window.
"Since when are you a photographer?" Wednesday asked, watching Luke take several pictures. She didn't understand why he was taking photos. Did he want evidence? For what? Up until now, they hadn't gathered any, as they had no plans to show it to anyone.
"A newly discovered hidden talent. Let's get closer... I need better shots," Luke said, and Wednesday nodded. She activated her stealth ability, covering them both.
They moved closer, until they were about 35 meters away, using the shadows of the trees and bushes for cover. Luke took several photos. His camera had excellent quality, and in the pictures, the features of the hooded figures could be discerned despite their cloaks.
"Why are you taking so many pictures?" Wednesday asked, her expression puzzled.
She had expected that they would discuss who these hooded figures were. For Wednesday, the most likely theory was that they were the ones controlling the Hyde. She hadn't expected there to be so many of them. In a fight, they would be outnumbered.
"Let's move back to a safer distance," Luke said, stopping his photo-taking. He had enough now.
Amaranth, who was among the hooded figures, sniffed the air several times. She sensed a familiar scent—or more precisely, blood. As a half-vampire, one of her abilities allowed her to detect a former victim if they were nearby, within about a hundred meters or less.
Usually, the people she drained of blood were left completely dry, so she rarely needed to use this ability. That's why its range was so limited.
However, this time, the scent of blood was barely noticeable, as if it were both there and not there at the same time. She stepped outside the house and scanned the surroundings, but saw nothing.
'Has it been so long since I used my sense of smell that it's failing?' Amaranth thought, dismissing her concern and returning to the house.
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Show lessLuke didn't know that he had just escaped detection by Amaranth's blood sense. His idea of coming with Wednesday and her stealth ability had been the right decision.
As for why Amaranth never detected him in Jericho when Luke was watching her and Deacon (the faceless one), it was because Luke had been observing them from kilometers away with his abilities. Amaranth's range couldn't detect him from such a distance.
From a distance of over 100 meters, Luke and Wednesday hid behind a large tree.
"I have something to confess," Luke said, turning off the camera.
"What is it?" Wednesday asked, raising an eyebrow. Luke's behavior had been strange ever since he started taking pictures.
"I know those hooded figures. They aren't the ones controlling the Hyde, although they are involved," Luke said, beginning to explain the whole story.
He told her that months ago, he had discovered the presence of the hooded figures in Jericho. With this, he managed to attack one of them and read their memories, learning about the true person controlling the Hyde, as the hooded figures had contacted the person and wanted to help them.
Throughout the story, Luke told her, Wednesday had a stoic expression and listened intently.
"So… those hooded figures are from the Spellman family. The same ones who attacked at last year's Poe Cup and now want to use the person controlling the Hyde to kill you," Wednesday said.
"Yes. I fought three of them and managed to recognize one. It's a faceless one. He's not strong; I was able to read his memories while he was watching over the Hyde," Luke nodded.
"The Hyde is that normie named Tyler, and the person controlling him is the normie botany teacher?" Wednesday asked, hiding her surprise.
She knew both people. Sometimes, after leaving therapy, she would have breakfast at the café where Tyler worked, and she had met him. The boy was very talkative with her and seemed like the typical friendly normie. He didn't seem like a hidden Hyde or a serial killer.
As for the normie teacher named Marilyn, she knew her better than Tyler. She was the head of her dorm and had had a few conversations with her. She also seemed like the typical friendly normie. Not a normie who would want to revive Crackstone to kill outcasts.
"Yes. The hooded figures gave Marilyn a power-enhancing drug to use on the Hyde after his defeat by the two of us at the harvest festival. I don't know if she's used it yet," Luke said.
"If you knew the real identity of the culprits, why did you act like you were solving the mystery with me? You could have killed the Hyde and the normie, and the prophecy would have been over," Wednesday said. Her tone was icy, and this time, her anger was noticeable.
"It didn't suit me. My goal is to gather evidence that the Spellmans are helping the Hyde kill normies and aiding in Crackstone's resurrection. You know there's an old grudge between my family and the Spellmans, right?" Luke said, and Wednesday nodded.
The families of important psychics knew that the Poes and the Spellmans had been at war for hundreds of years, and the Spellmans were winning that war for obvious reasons.
It cannot go unnoticed that the Poe and the Spellman die. And that now the Poe is almost extinct.
"Last year, they attacked the Poe Cup, but there's no evidence to prove that. So I wanted to gather the best possible evidence to present it and ensure they receive the punishment they deserve," Luke said.
This way, the Spellmans would be in a difficult position. Most likely, they would leave Luke alone for at least the remaining years he had at Nevermore. He would then plan how to continue his fight to prove to the world that they had made deals with demons.
"I understand your point. If you gathered evidence that they helped with Crackstone's resurrection and presented it to the outcast police, they would face severe punishment," Wednesday nodded. Reviving a xenophobic normie who had made deals with demons was a serious crime.
"However, now I can stop Marilyn and Tyler. That way, Crackstone won't be resurrected, and the punishment for the Spellmans won't be as severe," said Wednesday.
It wasn't the same if the Spellmans had helped with Crackstone's resurrection and he had been revived, compared to him not being resurrected at all. The punishment would be lighter since nothing had happened.
It's like someone planning to murder another person but being stopped before they can. Their sentence would be less severe compared to if they had successfully committed the murder and were caught afterward.
"Why are you telling me this? Your plan won't work anymore. Although you can present evidence that they helped the Hyde kill innocent normies, it won't be the same, since Crackstone won't be resurrected," Wednesday said, looking at Luke with curiosity.
"Because for Crackstone to be resurrected, your blood is needed," Luke responded, and for the first time, Wednesday showed a hint of surprise, though not much.
"Explain further," Wednesday said, and Luke told her that he had read Marilyn's memories, learning about the full ritual for Crackstone's resurrection. It was a lie that he had read Marilyn's memories; he knew because he had seen the show.
'That explains the visions I've had. It's a grudge between my family, Crackstone, and the Gates...' Wednesday thought, connecting many dots.
"Marilyn, or rather Laurel Gates, stole the Book of Shadows from Pilgrim World. In that book, there's a dark necromancy ritual. Once she has the body parts she needs, she will come after you," Luke said.
"Now I understand why Rowan said I would destroy Nevermore. My blood is the key to Crackstone being revived and released from the blood coffin," said Wednesday.
"Yes," Luke said.
Then the place fell silent. Only the sound of the wind and the nature of the forest could be heard. Wednesday stopped looking at the ground and looked back at Luke.
"At first, you used me, but now you recanted and confessed everything to me. Why?" asked Wednesday.
"My original goal is to have Crackstone revived so that the Spellman's punishment will be greater, but that takes your blood," said Luke.
"So?" asked Wednesday with a raised eyebrow.
"So... I don't want some crazy normie taking your blood and hurting you," Luke said, scratching his cheek, a little embarrassed.
'Manipulative and protective at the same time... Fascinating,' Wednesday thought, pulling Luke close and kissing him.
Luke at the feel of Wednesday's lips opened his eyes in surprise. He didn't understand what was going on. He just confessed to her that he used her, and now he was getting a kiss from her?
Maybe since she is also manipulative, she is attracted to that kind of thing? Strange.
"You're not mad?" asked Luke after the kiss was over.
"Your plan is logical. Your family is at war with the Spellmans. I would have done the same thing myself. Although I don't know if I would have told you everything before completing the plan," Wednesday said with a thoughtful look.
'Hey...' Luke thought, rolling his eyes.
Wednesday imagined the scene of Luke being captured for a dark ritual and his life being in danger.
'I'll most likely step in to save him too regardless of the plan,' thought Wednesday, being honest with her feelings. She would look for ways to find proof without endangering the people she cared about which were few. One of them and the last one she added to the list is Luke.
"Now, what will you do? I'll get Marilyn. I never thought that smiling normie was to blame for everything," Wednesday said.
"I'll help you. To catch her and have them believe you that she's the culprit, you need proof. I have a way to show everyone she's the culprit," said Luke with a faint smile.
"Oh, how?" asked Wednesday. She couldn't just go attack and kill Marilyn. She needed proof or to kill her without anyone noticing. She preferred the former, since if caught she would be considered a criminal and wanted by the outcast police.
Luke told her about the memory extraction technique. He had already mastered it at a basic level. In addition to wanting to extract the faceless man's memory, he would do it with Marilyn. Then, he would present the evidence to the outcast police.
In addition to getting rid of Marilyn easily and quickly, he would also contribute the evidence of the Spellmans. He would prove that there is a possible ritual to revive Crackstone through Marilyn's memories.
Luke and Wednesday returned to Jericho to continue the day's volunteer work. They couldn't be out for long.
Again Luke ended up confused. He thought Wednesday would get mad at him, but that didn't happen. They even already planned their next moves to get Marilyn.
He even managed to kiss her again, a very good feeling. The third time he kisses her and it is after confessing to her that he used her, strange.
The problem is that their relationship seems to have improved. Luke had not expected this to develop. This posed a problem for him. He was already expecting Enid, but now he was with Wednesday.
What was he to do?
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Show lessThe day after Outreach Day, Luke convinced Principal Larissa to let him and Wednesday visit Jericho. He told her he would explain everything and that it was a fundamental matter related to the Spellmans and the murderous Hyde in Jericho.
Larissa agreed. Ever since she read Luke's mother's letter last year, she had been willing to help him with anything he asked for.
"If you could convince the principal to let us go, you would have done it before," Wednesday remarked as they traveled to Jericho in a taxi.
"You know why I didn't. If you kept solving the mystery at that speed, I wouldn't have been able to gather evidence calmly," Luke justified himself. Wednesday displayed a self-satisfied expression in response to Luke's compliment.
"Now that I think about it," Wednesday said, leaning closer to Luke.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked.
"Why did you help me in the first place to solve the mystery? If you had refused, I wouldn't have had your help, though I would have solved it sooner or later," Wednesday said.
What Wednesday was saying made sense. If he had refused to help her, telling her that the prophecy was nonsense, Wednesday might have taken longer to solve the mystery, as she wouldn't have Luke's help.
When Luke decided to help her, he didn't know about the Spellmans' plan to use the Hyde or Crackstone to kill him. So, he planned to interfere with the prophecy and wouldn't allow Crackstone to be resurrected. He already had enough to deal with, with the Spellmans after him, without having to handle a demonic normie. He changed his mind when he found out about the Spellmans' plans a few days later.
"I still didn't know about the Spellmans' plans at that time, nor that the prophecy was real. So, I thought it was right to investigate a little. A few days later, I found a hooded figure and learned everything," replied Luke, and Wednesday nodded slightly.
After that conversation, the trip continued in silence.
[What are the chances of success?] Luke asked mentally. He wore the black collar around his neck, where Edgar was resting.
Even though Edgar was resting inside the collar, his telepathy reached him, and they could talk. That way, they were no longer restricted to the four hours that Edgar could be out of the collar.
[You've studied intensively for more than a month… This technique, compared to the yellow aura flight, is a lower level, but it's still an advanced technique… Considering this is your first subject, I'd say there's a 40% chance of success] Edgar replied without leaving the collar.
[Damn... That's not good] Luke said with a grimace.
Luke had already told Edgar about his decision days ago. He was the first to know that Crackstone wouldn't be resurrected, and that Luke had changed his plans.
Edgar was very proud of Luke. As a former student of Nevermore, he had great affection for the academy. He didn't want it to be attacked and for innocent, outcast students to die, but when Luke mentioned reviving Crackstone to have better evidence, he didn't say anything.
[If you keep extending the date, the memories will be harder to extract since they'll be older. Besides, you have me. I'll be your guide. With my help, your chances increase to 65%], Edgar said with his usual self-satisfied tone.
They arrived in Jericho, and Luke extended his domain. He quickly found Deacon and Amaranth, as usual, keeping an eye on Tyler. There were only a few minutes left before Tyler's shift ended, and he'd go back home. After that, Amaranth would return to the original cult house, leaving only Deacon to keep watch.
Luke already knew why the two of them were watching Tyler. During the murders, they had helped the Hyde. He found out by reading Deacon's memories, which he did weekly, and from the recordings he had collected.
They helped to ensure there were no witnesses at the scene or to distract the outcast police officers. This was perfect for Luke, as when he presented the evidence, the Spellmans would be even more at fault.
What he didn't know was what Atlas (the Gorgon), Sabrina, and Sebastian (Sabrina's older brother) were up to.
As usual, Luke went to a deserted alley about 1km away from Tyler's house. He kept his distance as a precaution.
"Nice place. Why are we so far from the café or the house?" asked Wednesday, observing the dark alley where Luke had taken her.
"We have to wait for Tyler to finish work and go back home. Then the hooded figures will separate, and only one will be left keeping watch," Luke explained.
"I know. I understood that part, but if we're so far from the café, how will we know when he finishes work and heads home?" Wednesday asked.
"I'll know. I can keep an eye on them from this distance," Luke said, giving a slight mysterious smile.
"You can…?" Wednesday said, her mind working through Luke's statement.
"Clairvoyance?" she asked after a few seconds.
'Oh, she's much smarter than that faceless one. It was to be expected,' Luke thought.
"Yes. Extrasensory perception. That's how I managed to find out they were in Jericho without them noticing," Luke said.
Wednesday felt that now the whole story fit together and made sense. The hooded figures were supposed to have come incognito, spying on the Hyde from the shadows. How did Luke manage to discover them without them noticing?
"Three auras..." Wednesday murmured in astonishment, looking at Luke. She knew firsthand how rare it was to have two auras. She was a two-aura user. However, she had never heard of anyone possessing three auras naturally.
For Luke, it was the first time he had seen such a notable expression of surprise on Wednesday's face.
'That's why he can control objects with his telekinesis even when they're out of his line of sight. He can even fly thanks to that ability,' Wednesday thought.
At first, she had believed Luke's second aura was clairvoyance. When Luke told her he had a blue aura, she stopped thinking about it and accepted the theory of Luke's genius being the reason he could fly or control objects out of his sight as some sort of innate instinct.
"How many more secrets are you hiding from me?" Wednesday asked, stepping closer to Luke and staring at him with her dark, deep eyes.
Luke gazed into Wednesday's deep eyes, which seemed like an abyss. They were very captivating. To an ordinary person, they might be unsettling, but he liked them.
"Maybe one or two more. What about you?" Luke asked, placing his hand on Wednesday's cold cheek.
Wednesday didn't seem bothered by Luke's hand touching her cheek. She continued to stare at him intently, without blinking.
"Mm, I already told you about my second aura… Maybe I have two or three more secrets," Wednesday responded.
"Well, then we're even," Luke said as he slowly leaned in toward Wednesday's lips and started to kiss her.
Wednesday closed her eyes and accepted the kiss. She never thought that in recent days she would be kissing a boy. It was very different from everything she had imagined about school, relationships, and love. However, she felt that Luke had many similarities with her, making him the only one worthy of kissing her and being by her side.
'That's it... Fall in love and get married in the future. You will become the pillars of the Poe family. Your children will be dual aura users,' thought Edgar, who had emerged from the collar and was watching Luke and Wednesday kiss.
Luke placed his hands on Wednesday's delicate waist as he kissed her. Remembering that she had let him touch her cheek, he got a bit bolder and began to lower his hand slowly.
"Don't even think about it," Wednesday said, pulling away slightly from Luke as she noticed what he was trying to do with his hand.
"Sorry..." Luke murmured, lifting his hand and placing it back on Wednesday's waist. Luckily, the kiss continued for a few more seconds until they pulled apart.
'Two days, two kisses. This is a record,' Luke thought, remembering that they had kissed yesterday as well. As for the feeling of guilt, he buried it as deep as he could. It was hard to make a decision, and the best thing was to ignore his confusing emotions.
After that, they waited patiently for the right moment to act. Twenty minutes later, the faceless man was in the two-story building, keeping watch on Tyler's house.
To get to the roof, Luke took Wednesday by the waist and embraced her. Fortunately, they had enough trust for this sort of thing by now, though Luke realized there were limits.
When they reached the rooftop, Wednesday was able to see the faceless man with his back to them. This made her realize that what Luke had said about his extrasensory ability was true.
This time, Luke landed on the ground of the rooftop because Wednesday wouldn't have tolerated being in his arms for too long. When they touched the ground, the faceless man heard them and was about to turn around, but an invisible force stopped him.
Luke immobilized him. He approached and delivered a hard blow to the back of the man's neck, knocking him unconscious. There was no time to waste.
He didn't know exactly when Amaranth would return, and extracting memories took more time than what he had just done.
"Let's get started with this," Edgar said, ready to help Luke.
Luke sat on the ground, gently placing his hands on the faceless man's temples and closing his eyes to concentrate. Wednesday watched with curiosity while also paying attention to her surroundings. She would protect Luke throughout the process in case an unwanted variant appeared.
Edgar began to guide Luke, reminding him of the key points. First, he synchronized his brainwaves with those of the faceless man, establishing a deep mental connection. This took ten minutes.
Then, he dove into Deacon's mind, starting to navigate a mental landscape composed of fragmented memories, emotions, and thoughts. It was the first time he had experienced anything like this.
"Don't get lost in the faceless man's mind. Locate the memory," Edgar said. Luckily, his suggestion reached Luke, who had been absorbed in looking at unimportant memories. It's easy to get lost in people's memories, but he managed to start searching for the memory he needed.
After a few minutes, he identified the memory that appeared as a luminous sphere among a tangle of other memories. As Luke began to untangle the threads of the memory, an ephemeral projection of the memory manifested outside the subject's head, visible as a series of floating images and sounds in the air.
Wednesday was able to observe the scene of the hooded figures talking to Marilyn; only one of them spoke. The vision was in the first person. She could see Tyler sleeping in the cave. They discussed murdering Luke and gave Marilyn a strange liquid.
Then, when they left the place, they talked about how if Marilyn didn't use the Hyde to kill Luke, Crackstone, once revived, could kill Luke when he attacked Nevermore.
'So it was all true,' Wednesday thought, watching the memories from the front row.
As a manipulative person and recalling how Luke had tried to manipulate her once, she had her doubts about his story. She believed a lot of it, but she wouldn't blindly trust him. But now she could see that what he said was true.
Time passed, and finally, Luke condensed the memory, transforming it into a tangible substance. Slowly, the memory began to emerge as a gray liquid, flowing from the subject's head. The liquid flowed smoothly, like a stream of mercury, suspended in the air.
Luke took out a small glass vial he had prepared earlier. He guided the liquid with his telekinesis into the vial. However, he didn't stop there. He continued searching for specific memories.
This time, he sought the conversations where Deacon and the others spoke about Crackstone, Marilyn, the plan to kill Luke, mentioned the Spellman family, and how they helped the Hyde to kill normies without being caught by the outcast police.
In total, he managed to obtain three vials filled with Deacon's memories. Luke's forehead was slick with sweat, and a vein throbbed on his temple.
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Show less"Well done," Edgar praised, looking at Luke, breathing erratically and sweating as drops fell from his forehead. He felt a strong migraine pounding in his head.
'His talent in all three auras is monstrous,' Edgar thought. Luke had managed to extract three memories on his first attempt, a challenging feat. Although it was true that Edgar had helped him.
'I feel like my head's going to explode,' Luke thought, bringing a hand to his temple. With his telekinesis, he controlled the vials and brought them toward his free hand.
He could barely maintain this weak telekinesis, not wanting to lose control and drop the three vials.
"Your face doesn't look too good. Although, I like how that paleness looks on you," Wednesday said, approaching and crouching down to observe Luke more closely.
"Thanks. I'd appreciate the compliment more when I'm in better shape," Luke said with difficulty while storing the vials and lying down on the cold terrace floor.
"How much time has passed?" Luke asked.
"One hour, nine minutes, and thirty-two seconds," Wednesday replied, glancing at a small watch on her wrist.
'That sure took a while,' Luke thought. After ten minutes, he stood up and looked at Deacon, who was still lying unconscious on the ground.
"Should we kill him?" Wednesday asked. This faceless man was no longer useful. They could get rid of him, though it would alert the other hooded figures.
"I'd like to, but it's better if they keep thinking everything is going according to plan. We need to extract Marilyn's memories before we can strike," Luke replied.
"Are we kidnapping Marilyn tomorrow?" Wednesday asked.
"The plan was yes, but my headache is worse than, I expected. I'll need a few days to recover. Plus, I still need to manipulate the faceless guy's memories, so he thinks nothing happened," Luke said with a grimace. His work here wasn't done yet.
He manipulated Deacon's memory again, and they left the terrace. As always, Luke made sure Deacon woke up and continued watching Tyler's house, ensuring everything went smoothly.
"I need to organize the evidence, and there's a lot of it. Want to help?" Luke asked, looking at Wednesday.
"Gathering facts and evidence of crimes is one of my favorite pastimes," Wednesday replied, and Luke took that as a yes.
When they arrived at Nevermore, they went to Luke's room to organize the evidence he had gathered over the past few months. Xavier and Ajax weren't around, so it was just the two of them.
Luke transferred many of the recordings he had collected to a voice recorder, which he would later present to the outcast police. He had to explain to Wednesday how to play audio on a MacBook. It was amusing to see how clumsy she was with technology. Strangely, she's bad at something.
"What good will it do to punish the Spellmans for these crimes? Will they stop trying to kill you? Once you leave Nevermore, they'll come after you again," Wednesday said, as she organized photos into polyethylene bags.
She then labeled each bag with information like the date, place of origin, etc. Luke hadn't only gotten photos of the original cult house. He had taken several pictures of Deacon and Amaranth while they watched Tyler at work or his home.
"They already tried to kill me last year. I hope with this, they'll wait until I graduate. I might be able to spend my last years in peace. Besides, the blow they'll take for these crimes won't be light," Luke replied.
That was one of the reasons why he was doing this, but the main reason was something else. If it became known that the Spellmans had tried to resurrect a normie who made deals with demons to kill Luke, in the future, when he presented evidence proving they had made deals with demons, it would be more easily accepted.
Plus, it was satisfying to damage the reputation of those bastards who thought they had already won the war. This could affect their position on the council, which would make things easier for Luke in the future.
"Mm," Wednesday nodded.
"After all this is over, it's best if we stop seeing each other," Luke said.
Wednesday stopped moving her hands and looked at Luke. "Why?"
"As you probably know, the Spellmans will attack anyone by my side. They killed my mother, who wasn't from the Poe family because she got involved in the war due to my father," Luke responded.
"My mother's family disowned her because if they got involved, they'd have to join the war. The same will happen with your family," Luke added.
He said this because his feelings had been a mess lately. He was in love with Enid, and they had made a promise to see each other again. Enid had hinted that she didn't care about facing Luke's enemies.
At first, Luke was hesitant to accept this, as he cared deeply about Enid's safety and didn't want to put her in danger, just like his father had done with his mother. But why was that wrong? It was Enid's choice to be with him. Enid was a thoughtful person, and if she understood the risks and accepted them, it wasn't Luke's decision to push her away. He'd rather have her by his side since he had fallen in love with her.
He wouldn't be like the typical fools who push their loved ones away when they want to stay. If they die in the attempt, then it's just bad luck. Luke would do everything he could to protect Enid as long as she was by his side.
As for Wednesday, he had strong feelings for her, but Enid had come first. He wouldn't betray Enid. He knew the harm he could cause if he did would be severe. If he hurt her, the guilt would eat him alive. Luke was someone who rarely felt guilt, but when he did, the effects were profound.
Wednesday was emotionally strong, though. Even though he'd noticed her getting closer to him, pushing her away now wouldn't cause her much emotional damage. Luke believed it was more likely that her ego would be bruised, and she'd want to kill him rather than suffer emotional pain or trauma.
As for polygamy? Luke had never even considered that option.
"I thought by now you'd realized that I couldn't care less about my family's opinion. Besides, my parents won't give a damn about getting involved in someone else's family feud," Wednesday said.
"But it's a war... It could endanger the very foundations of your family..." Luke said, trying to convince her.
"Even better. Who doesn't love wars? My uncle Fletcher will be thrilled," Wednesday replied, and Luke cursed himself for getting involved with this girl and her strange family.
The Addams family would be the only ones capable of accepting an outside war and being happy about it.
"I take responsibility for my actions, Luke. I don't need your macho protection. I'll personally rip the heads off your enemies if they dare attack me. It's been a long time since I've had guinea pigs. I need to test my new torture methods, and a couple of people will do just fine," Wednesday said with a slight macabre smile that would terrify most children.
However, Luke found what she said—and her smile—unbelievably attractive. He couldn't resist kissing her.
"Why so sudden?" Wednesday asked, accepting Luke's kiss. Slowly, she was getting used to his lips, and it was a pleasant sensation. Like placing clamp electrodes on the skin of someone firmly strapped to a chair with leather straps.
"Sorry. I liked your smile when you were talking about torturing the Spellmans," Luke said.
When he first saw Wednesday walk into his class, he never thought he would fall in love with this strange girl—though he was strange too.
"Oh, torture brings so much delight. I should teach you the art one of these days... Maybe we can use that faceless one," Wednesday suggested. Luke nodded, and they continued organizing the evidence.
It would be pointless to keep trying to push Wednesday away like that.
The next day, Luke arranged a meeting with Principal Weems. She would be the first person to whom he'd show the evidence. This was to catch Marilyn with her help and extract the normie teacher's memory with her approval.
Larissa couldn't believe everything Luke was telling her, but the evidence was convincing—especially the recordings of the hooded figures talking about the Hyde and Marilyn.
She couldn't view the memory extracts Luke had collected since she didn't have the device to project thoughts.
Luke suggested that Larissa investigate Tyler's past, particularly who his normie father had married, as he must have wed an outcast. With access to all of Nevermore's records, it didn't take Larissa long to find information about Tyler's mother.
Tyler's mother was named Françoise Sylvanne, her maiden name. She married a normie who is currently the Sheriff of Jericho. The most surprising thing was that Larissa knew Françoise. She had been her classmate at Nevermore, along with Morticia and Luke's parents.
She didn't know that Françoise was a Hyde, but after a few days of investigation, Larissa managed to find evidence proving that Françoise was indeed a Hyde. When she attended Nevermore during Larissa's time, everyone thought she was a violet-aura psychic.
However, all of this was a fraud created by the headmaster at the time, who agreed to fabricate a false profile for her so she could live at Nevermore without being stigmatized for being a Hyde. In the early 1990s, Hydes was officially banned from attending Nevermore due to all the prejudice and the dangers that came with having such a creature in a school full of teenagers.
Larissa gathered all this information at Luke's request. It would help provide complete evidence to the marginal police.
Finally, Larissa could rid herself of the murderer who had terrorized Jericho and placed Nevermore in a difficult situation. She never imagined it was a normie teacher she had hired herself. She needed to take care of this as soon as possible.
After about six days, Luke finally felt ready to extract Marilyn's memories. This time, they had Larissa's help, who arranged a 'friendly' meeting with the normie professor in her office late at night.
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Show lessMarilyn Thornhill walked through the hallways of Nevermore. She wore a colorful sweater, and black glasses, and had a kind smile on her face, even though no one saw her.
The students were already in their dormitories. Principal Weems had asked her to come to the office for a meeting about an important upcoming club competition that would be held at Nevermore in the next few days.
Marilyn used a friendly façade with her false identity, which she hated, as she despised outcasts to the core. It was because of them that her family had fallen apart. However, in recent days, she has been in a good mood.
She only needed two more mutilated pieces to have almost everything ready for the ritual to resurrect her ancestor. Once she sent her Hyde to kill two more people and obtained the remaining two pieces, her next target would be the goth girl.
She needed her blood to open the sarcophagus where Crackstone lay. Luckily for her, everything would be ready by the night of the lunar eclipse, which was just a month and a half away.
The funny thing was that she received help from outcasts. They had helped the Hyde in his killings, mostly by distracting the police officers. They were quite bothersome. Because of them, she had to plan the murders more carefully compared to the earlier ones.
Marilyn reached the door and knocked twice. "Come in," a voice on the other side called out. She opened the door and entered Principal Weems' cozy office, where she sat at her desk, drinking tea while reading several papers laid out before her.
The lighting in the room was dim. A large fireplace stood majestically, its fire crackling softly, providing a warm and relaxing glow. A wooden lamp sat atop the desk.
"Please, have a seat," Larissa said, gesturing with her hand.
"What brings you to call me, Principal? Is it about the upcoming club dates?" Marilyn asked, sitting down on a comfortable leather chair.
"It's not about that. I want to talk about something else," Weems said, setting aside the report she had been reading and looking at Marilyn.
Out of the corner of her eye, Marilyn glanced at the papers on the desk and noticed her photo. It seemed to be information about her.
"About what exactly?" Marilyn asked, feeling a sense of unease.
"As you may be aware, there is a serial killer in Jericho. There are already four victims and one missing person who is most likely dead," Larissa began in a serious tone.
'Tyler's friend. His body was never found. It must have been the work of those two annoying psychics,' Marilyn thought.
When she found out that Luke was leaving Nevermore, she wanted to use that day to kill him with the new strength of the Hyde. However, she hadn't anticipated that Wednesday would go with him. So, she canceled the mission. She didn't want to kill her by mistake. Her blood needed to be fresh for the ritual.
So, she decided to carry out another murder. Thanks to Tyler, she knew Jonah and his friends' schedules. She knew they stayed late at Pilgrim World, the perfect targets if they missed the bus and had to walk back along the dark road.
What she hadn't expected was for Luke and Wednesday to attack the Hyde at the last moment, preventing him from taking Jonah's arm. She didn't understand why those two had stayed so long at Pilgrim World. It seemed like they knew what was going to happen.
"Everyone is aware. It's a tragic situation. There's a lot of fear in Jericho," said Marilyn, her expression full of fear. Her acting was quite good.
"Mm… Because of this serious situation, I decided to investigate the staff at Nevermore thoroughly. It would be disastrous if any of the teachers were killing normies. It wouldn't help our community," Larissa commented.
"I understand. Background checks should be done on new teachers. Do you want my help?" Marilyn asked. This year there had been a couple of new hires. As for Marilyn, she didn't think Larissa was referring to her. She was a normie with no powers and had been teaching at Nevermore for several years. Her background was flawless.
"I don't need your help. You're here to answer my questions. I've investigated your history thoroughly and found several inconsistencies. Answer honestly," Larissa said gravely, picking up several papers and beginning an interrogation.
Luke had told her that Marilyn's identity was false. Her real name was Laurel Gates. He said he knew this because he had seen it in the memories he extracted from the faceless one during Marilyn's first meeting with the hooded figures. Wednesday had also observed it when Luke extracted the memories the other day.
Larissa had the means to investigate people's histories thoroughly. She had connections, and money, and was the principal of the most important academy for outcasts.
The story Marilyn had created was good, but if you looked closely, you could see the gaps and inconsistencies within it.
Marilyn couldn't answer Larissa's tricky questions. Within ten minutes, her background had been exposed as false. As for her real identity, Larissa hadn't yet found solid evidence proving that she was Laurel Gates, the youngest Gates daughter who was supposedly dead.
The two-meter-tall hooded figure had claimed that she was Laurel Gates. There wasn't concrete proof yet, but it wouldn't take long to find it.
"So... you conclude that I'm the murderer?" Marilyn asked indignantly. They couldn't accuse her of such charges based solely on having a false identity, though she wouldn't admit to that.
'Yes, you are,' Larissa thought. Luke had shown her an audio recording of the faceless one, Deacon, speaking with Marilyn after assisting the Hyde in a murder. The faceless one had a brief conversation with her, reminding her to kill Luke Poe. That was why they had helped her and given her the drug. She had responded that her next target would be the Poe boy.
'The only thing I don't know is your true identity,' Larissa thought. It was highly likely she was Laurel Gates. Luke had provided solid evidence, though he hadn't told Larissa that he had read Marilyn's mind. He had only mentioned it to Wednesday to discuss the blood ritual. It wouldn't be good for Larissa to know he had secretly read the professor's memory.
"It's a possibility. For now, you'll be under indefinite surveillance. I'll be in contact with the outcast police," Larissa said.
"What?" Marilyn said, confused. She hadn't thought she would be placed under house arrest in an instant.
"You can't do that—"
"Falsifying your identity is no minor crime. For now, you'll be under surveillance and won't be able to leave your personal quarters at Nevermore. You should already know that when you joined, the rules for outcasts are different, especially in such a delicate situation as the one we're living in," Larissa said.
Marilyn abruptly stood up from her seat. She couldn't be placed under surveillance. If they investigated her story any further, it would be the end of her. They would discover that she was Laurel Gates and that her family had a deep resentment against the outcasts in Jericho. She could fool the normies in Jericho, but not the outcast society.
Furthermore, she would miss the eclipse, and there would be no more murders. Her guilt would only increase with each passing day that the murderer wasn't found.
From one of her pockets, she took out a needle filled with poison. This poison was deadly. It only took seconds to kill a person once it entered the body. Even for outcasts, they might last a few more seconds before succumbing to the call of death.
With great speed, she lunged to stab Larissa in the neck, but just as she was about to make contact, her body was stopped by an invisible force. The needle remained just a few centimeters from Larissa.
From a dark corner of the office, a flash could be seen. Two people emerged, walking toward the desk. One of them was a tall boy with almost blonde brown hair, holding a camera, and he had been the one responsible for the flash.
Beside him was a short girl, pale, with an expressionless face.
'Luke, Wednesday?' Marilyn thought, glancing at the two students she knew very well.
"Another piece of evidence. This photo turned out great. Your murderous intentions are clear on your face, and that venomous needle looks quite threatening," Luke commented with a slight smile.
"When did they...?" said Marylin, beginning to panic. As a normie, it was impossible for her to detect Wednesday's stealth, even if they were in the same room.
"You should teach a class on deadly poisons," Wednesday remarked, looking at the venomous needle with interest.
"Now, are you 100% sure, Principal?" Luke asked, placing the camera on the desk. He took the needle from Marilyn's hand—it would serve as evidence or perhaps as a gift for Wednesday.
"Yes... there are no more doubts. You can extract her memories," Larissa said, sighing. On one hand, she was glad to have caught the person controlling the Hyde. On the other hand, she felt disappointed in Marilyn. She had considered her a normie friend and had never imagined she would try to kill her.
"That's good," Luke said, removing a silver ring from Marilyn's index finger. It was a mind-protecting artifact, and while it only made the process of entering her mind more difficult, it was better to get rid of it. Nevermore had given it to her.
"Luke, wait," Wednesday said.
"What's wrong?"
"Can you show me that mental torture technique?" Wednesday asked.
'I can't say no when you make that curious face,' Luke thought. He then looked at Larissa. He needed her authorization to torture someone in her office.
"Do what you want. She's a murderer," Larissa said mercilessly. Marilyn lost her last hope. Seeing Luke approach, she wanted to tremble, but she couldn't. Luke's telekinesis kept her frozen like a statue.
Luke extended his index finger and placed it on Marilyn's forehead. In an instant, the normie felt excruciating pain. Luke released his telekinesis.
In a matter of seconds, Marilyn was convulsing on the floor of Larissa's office. Wednesday crouched down and watched every reaction of the normie with curiosity and fascination.
"She passed out. You should use less power against normies. They should suffer more for the torture to be effective," Wednesday said.
"I'm still getting used to calibrating the power," Luke said, examining his finger as if it were some kind of gun.
'What a strange couple...' Larissa thought. She would consider Luke and Wednesday the most terrifying students at Nevermore. Additionally, she noticed that Luke's sadism had increased since he met this girl.
"Let's end this once and for all," Luke said, sitting on the floor. Edgar had already come out of the collar, ready to guide Luke. As for the torture, it didn't seem like a big deal to him; he knew better methods.
Luke extracted three memories again, which were projected and visible to Wednesday and Larissa. He could have brought the outcast police agents here, but he decided not to. It was almost certain they wouldn't let him act this way.
This case belongs to the outcast police. They wouldn't allow a teenager to interfere and experiment with the mind of the murderer. So, he decided to show them the memories to them later.
The memories he extracted were older, which complicated the process, although Marilyn's mind was simpler than Deacon's. In these memories, he had everything he needed: Marilyn's true identity and her history, how she controlled the Hyde, and information about the ritual to revive Crackstone through Goody Addams's Book of Shadows.
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