Deep night enveloped Nevermore Academy.
The dorm room was silent, save for Victor's steady, long breathing rising and falling in the darkness.
Enid tucked him in softly, her fingertips brushing the dried blood by his ear, causing her heart to clench slightly.
She turned, ready to return to her own bed, but met Wednesday Addams' unblinking eyes in the dim light.
That gaze held none of its usual cold sharpness; instead, it carried a rare, almost confused focus.
"Enid." Wednesday's voice was lower than usual.
"Hm?" Enid responded subconsciously, her heart beating a little faster.
"Loving someone..."
Wednesday began, speaking slower than usual, as if considering from which angle the scalpel should drop to precisely dissect the essence of emotion, "what does it feel like?"
This question was too abrupt, completely out of character for Wednesday.
Enid froze, blinking. Then, a bright radiance quickly replaced her previous worry and exhaustion.
She sat back on the edge of her bed almost jubilantly, curling her legs up and clasping her hands unconsciously in front of her chest.
"Oh! Loving someone?"
Her voice softened, as if discussing the world's most precious secret.
"It's like... like a hundred butterflies suddenly moved into your heart, and the moment he gets close, they start fluttering their wings!"
She tilted her head slightly, a blush rising on her cheeks, completely immersed in her memories:
"You can't help wanting to see him all the time. When he smiles, you feel the sun of the whole world lights up; when he's sad, your sky turns gloomy too."
"Wanting to get close to him, yet afraid to get too close, scared he'll hear your heartbeat thumping like thunder... Even if he just accidentally brushes your fingertip, it tingles for ages, feeling sweet and panicked..."
She chattered on endlessly, from the first time Victor gave her that exaggerated pink Desert Eagle, to his silly but brilliant smile, and to the thoughtfulness and gentleness he occasionally revealed beneath his manic exterior.
She remembered every detail clearly.
Enid's voice gradually lowered, the sweet blush on her face covered by a faint shadow.
She fell silent for a few seconds. When she looked up again, a trace of imperceptible tears and deeper vulnerability flickered in her eyes.
"Wednesday, do you know?"
Her voice was light as a whisper, carrying a tremor of self-mockery.
"A werewolf who hasn't successfully wolfed-out on a full moon until now... there are only two possibilities."
"Either the werewolf bloodline is too weak, a defective product that can never transform, rejected by the pack."
"Or... it's a rarer Alpha werewolf, a more violent, uncontrollable existence. Once awakened, the pack will be wary or even... hunt it down."
She smiled bitterly, hugging her knees tight.
"Neither outcome is any good. Do you know why I was the only one in this dorm before you guys came?"
"Because I applied for a single room. I wanted to... get used to that utter loneliness in advance, so when it really comes, I won't be unable to bear it."
Her gaze turned to the sleeping Victor, her eyes becoming incredibly soft, as if he were the only light source in a cold winter night.
"Until that day... you and Victor arrived. He barged in noisily, like an out-of-control tornado."
Recalling that scene, Enid couldn't help but smile slightly.
"He didn't care about werewolf rules or bloodline status at all. He told me not to care about the opinions of those idiots... he even gave me that silly, bright pink unicorn pillow."
Her voice was filled with sincere gratitude and deep affection:
"He told me not to fear loneliness... he would always be with me. Maybe... from that moment on, I hopelessly fell in love with this lunatic."
She finished, burying her face in her knees, shoulders shaking slightly, as if unloading a long-held burden and exposing her deepest secret and vulnerability.
Wednesday listened quietly, expressionless. Her dark pupils were like two ancient wells, reflecting every tint of sweetness on Enid's face but showing no ripples.
Only when Enid paused slightly due to shyness and emotion, panting a little, did she speak again.
Her voice remained steady, calm as if reading an autopsy report.
"Based on your description—"
She said, her gaze landing on a point in the void, as if retrieving data from her brain for analysis and comparison.
"And considering my recent clinical symptoms of abnormal body temperature elevation, irregular heart rate acceleration, inability to focus, accompanied by persistent meaningless staring behavior..."
She paused for a second, then moved her gaze back to Enid's face. Her tone held no inflection, yet dropped a bombshell:
"I am highly likely diagnosed. I seem to have fallen in love with Victor Black."
The air froze instantly.
The sweet smile on Enid's face stiffened, as if flash-frozen.
She stood up abruptly from the bed, eyes widening in disbelief, quickly clouding with mist.
"What?!"
Her voice rose sharply, cracking shrilly, piercingly loud in the silent night.
"You... what did you say?! How can you... how can you be like this?!"
Tears surged out without warning, rolling down in big drops:
"You clearly... you've always been so mean to him! Scolded him! Hit him! Never gave him a nice look! And now you casually say... fell in love?! On what grounds?! On what grounds!"
Grievance and anger drowned her like a tide, her voice choking so much she could barely continue:
"I was the one who showed him all my secrets and weaknesses first! I fell in love with him first! On what grounds... do you just... just so easily..."
She sobbed uncontrollably, the rest of her words breaking in her tears.
Wednesday just watched her silently, watching her trembling shoulders, red-rimmed eyes, and that undisguised, naked sadness.
She didn't refute, nor did she explain.
Her pale face still held little expression, but in those eyes that were always cold, a trace of extremely faint complex emotion, incomprehensible even to herself, seemed to pass through.
There might be confusion, and also... an imperceptible trace of... something akin to pain?
Enid gasped, wiping the tears from her face forcefully, her gaze landing on Wednesday's waveless face.
Suddenly, some intense emotion deflated quickly like a popped balloon.
Looking at this goth girl who was similarly trapped by love yet wrapped herself tightly in a cold shell, an absurd, sour sense of understanding quietly grew.
She sniffled, her voice lowering, carrying heavy nasal tones and a trace of helpless release:
"True. That lunatic... smiles heartlessly, acts lawlessly, yet somehow... can always walk easily into people's hearts, right? Can't even stop him."
Silence fell in the dorm again, leaving only the sound of Victor's sleeping breath.
A few seconds later, Enid took a deep breath and looked up at Wednesday again.
In those eyes still tinged with red, grievance and anger were gradually replaced by a determined stubborness unique to wolves.
"Fine."
She spoke, voice still a bit hoarse, but unusually clear.
"Wednesday Addams, I officially declare war on you."
She even tried to force a teary but exceptionally firm smile:
"I like Victor. Very, very much. So... I will absolutely not give up on him."
She took a step forward, emphasizing her tone with a hint of unquestionable warning:
"But! You are not allowed to use those little Gothic tricks! No poisoning! No hypnosis! No letting Thing switch love letters or sabotage! We compete fairly! Do you hear me!"
Wednesday listened quietly to her declaration. Her pale face remained expressionless, but the corner of her mouth seemed to move extremely slightly, like an unfinished smile.
"Acceptable." She responded flatly. "I accept your challenge."
She paused, her dark eyes sweeping over Enid, adding a typical Wednesday-style comment:
"Although based on current data analysis, your odds of winning approach infinitely zero. Furthermore, the definition of 'fair' is debatable—you are clearly more adept at utilizing conventional tactics... such as smiling and baking cookies."
This was probably the closest thing to recognition and respect she could give.
The two looked at each other. A strange tension permeated the air. The smell of competitive gunpowder spread quietly, yet strangely mixed with an indescribable, subtle understanding born from sharing the same heavy emotion.
A brand new, destined-to-be-extraordinary competition quietly kicked off this night.
And the culprit who caused all this, Victor Black, was deep in dreamland, smacking his lips unconsciously, mumbling incoherently:
"Chocolate... hehe..."