The students huddled around an unlit bonfire as the headmaster delivered a grand speech on the stage, welcoming them back to Nevermore. The Nevermore anthem had already echoed through the night, sung by the choir in eerie harmony. The old man was saying something about Jericho now being off-limits, which Enid absolutely hated. Neither she nor Wednesday care when he said that the Nightshades secret society has been disbanded, or when he explains in a shout that "we are all Nightshades!”. Enid doesn't know what that feels like. Being a Nightshade. She had only found out about this exclusive club a semester ago, that night when everything was falling apart and they needed to get everyone to safety. All of her friends were part of that secret club. Even Wednesday knew about it. And because of that, Enid felt left out. But now Yoko wasn't even in the academy anymore.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, yet unease prickled at Enid. She knew Wednesday despised the new headmaster— a sentiment they both shared— and she was absolutely certain that, true to form, Wednesday would pull something reckless. She always did, and always at the worst possible moment. Enid was already stressing over something that hadn’t even happened yet—but when it came to Wednesday, preparation was a necessity. Not that she had any idea how to stop the unstoppable.

Enid cast a sideways glance. Wednesday stood with her arms crossed, a deep scowl etched on her face as she grumbled under her breath. It was only a matter of time before the cat unleashed a series of rapid-fire slaps, no warning needed.

When the principal finished his speech, he shot a flame into the bonfire, lighting it; a phoenix springs to life on top of the bonfire and flies over the students' heads. Just then, Enid paused mid-applause and blinked as she noticed a dark shadow flying past her. Before she knew it, Wednesday was already crawling under the thing of the phoenix, Wednesdays novel was inside.

“WEDNESDAY, WAIT!” Enid shouted as she chased after her.