Chapter Text
Enid found herself walking along the shoreline of a white-sand beach. The sun was setting, painting the horizon in warm shades of gold and pink that matched the beach’s serene beauty.
She walked without really thinking, letting her feet carry her wherever they wanted. She didn’t know why, but she felt like this was exactly where she was meant to be—on this beach, under the fading glow of the sun.
A few steps later, she noticed a woman standing near the waves. She wore an all-blue outfit, the uniform of the resort staff. Enid couldn’t explain why, but she just knew the woman worked here. The woman smiled as soon as she saw Enid approaching and gave her a small nod.
“We’ve been expecting you, Ms. Sinclair. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the way,” the woman said, turning and beckoning Enid to follow.
Reluctantly, Enid followed, still wondering how the woman knew her name. She didn’t have a choice—something told her she had to trust this stranger.
By the time they reached their destination, the sun had set completely. The woman motioned for Enid to step forward.
Enid froze for a moment. A gazebo stood in the middle of the beach, lit with candles that flickered softly in the night. A single table with two chairs was set in the center. In one chair, a figure sat with his back to her.
Her heart skipped a beat. She knew instantly who it was.
The man turned just as if on cue. He spotted her, stood slowly, and walked toward her with a warm smile. It was Bruno Yuson.
Bruno gave the staff member a small nod in thanks before reaching for Enid’s hand and leading her to the gazebo. He pulled out her chair, and she sat, her hands fidgeting with the flowers on the table. Bruno slid into the other chair, and for a few moments, they just looked at each other, smiling softly.
Finally, Bruno spoke. “You look amazing tonight.”
Enid’s cheeks heated as she looked down at the flowers again. “T-thanks,” she mumbled, barely audible.
Bruno chuckled at her shyness. “Now that we’re here, can I ask you to do one thing for me?”
Enid tilted her head. “Sure…what is it?”
“I want you to snap out of it,” Bruno said, still smiling.
Enid blinked, confused. “I’m sorry...what?”
“I said, snap out of it,” he repeated, his eyes locking on hers with an intensity that made her stomach flutter.
Suddenly, her vision started to spin. A hand waved in front of her face. She realized it belonged to her best friend—Yoko, who was sitting beside her.
"Enid! Snap out of it!” Yoko’s voice pulled her back to reality.
Enid shook her head, blinking, and focused on the person beside her. Yoko’s voice was just loud enough to break her daydream.
She pouted. As soon as she remembered it was all just her imagination, a small pang of disappointment passed through her.
“What are you pouting about? I’ve been calling your name like ten times. You weren’t responding. Did something happen? Are you okay?” Yoko asked, worry lacing her tone.
“Oh, no. Nothing happened. I was just thinking about a drama I watched yesterday...and I didn’t get to see the ending before bed,” Enid said quickly, forcing a small smile.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell Yoko about the…very embarrassing daydream she’d just had. A little white lie would do just fine.
Yoko nodded. “I see. Well, you better start eating your sandwich now, or it’s going straight into my mouth.” She opened her mouth wide in mock threat, making Enid giggle.
“Alright, alright. I’m eating it,” Enid said, taking a careful bite as Yoko happily continued munching on her chips.
As Enid chewed, she let her eyes wander across the quad. She couldn’t believe she had completely zoned out with so many people around. Looking around, she remembered coming here with her friends during break. They always sat near their favorite spot—the small truck-turned-drinks station.
Yoko was next to Divina. In front of them, Bianca was seated with Ajax next to her, and…Bruno.
Her heart skipped a beat. She had been daydreaming about him, and he was literally just a few seats away. What would he think if he noticed her staring?
Luckily, Bruno was engrossed in Ajax’s story, chuckling occasionally at the funny parts, and didn’t notice her.
Enid quietly exhaled, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, and returned to her sandwich.
Her peaceful moment shattered with the sound of sharp boots clicking against the stone tiles—the kind that could only belong to none other than Wednesday Addams.
A group of students followed in her wake.
At the front was the girl in all-black, Nevermore uniform—her signature style. Behind her trailed a ginger-haired girl, watching with obvious excitement, and after them were Eugene and Pugsley, classmates Enid rarely interacted with.
Enid scoffed, gripping her sandwich a little tighter. She glared at the girl leading the group, ignoring the whispers around her.
She still didn’t like how people seemed to admire Wednesday. Sure, Wednesday had “helped save the school” once, but it had been a group effort—and Enid knew she had done her part too. In fact, she had helped fix more than a few of the messes that almost got the school burned down, all because of Wednesday’s reckless plan. Not exactly heroic.
She also remembered how, back then, Wednesday Addams was supposed to be her roommate. Someone she had hoped to spend her first year with, someone she thought she could actually get along with. Enid had believed that, despite their differences, they could make it work. But it hadn’t. Wednesday had insisted on her “solitary time,” keeping Enid at arm’s length, and over time, Enid concluded that their friendship had always felt one-sided.
Years later, here they were.
Enid’s scowl never wavered. She shot daggers at Wednesday with her eyes.
Yoko noticed. She followed Enid’s gaze, then froze. “What are you looking at?”
Enid kept the same expression, which made Yoko jump in her seat.
“Hey! What’s with that look? You look like you're ready to murder someone,” Yoko said, clutching her chest as Enid’s scowl finally softened back to normal.
"Sorry,” Enid said, her voice apologetic. “It’s just… something ruined my mood.” She brushed her hands on her skirt, having just finished her sandwich, and kept glancing at the group that had just entered.
Yoko followed her gaze and saw who she was looking at.
“Who? Little psycho girl?” Yoko raised an eyebrow. “She’s the one ruining your mood?” She looked back at Enid, frowning slightly. “I don’t get why you hate her so much. I mean, she’s not that bad. And honestly, what happened between you two should be water under the bridge. We’re graduating soon. Better not to let it eat you up.”
Enid’s eyebrows furrowed, hurt flashing across her features. She looked down, memories from years ago flooding her mind.
“I really thought we had something, you know?” she said quietly. “I remember it so clearly—me preparing her surprise party, then everything that happened after. Her wanting to redo her birthday… only to end up using me.” Her voice wavered at the last part. “And you know the rest. Maybe she never really thought of me as her friend at all. She didn’t even want me back in her space.”
Yoko listened without interrupting, letting Enid get it all out. Maybe Enid had every right to still be angry after all this time.
She placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder and gave it a gentle pat. “Hey. You won’t have to deal with her for much longer. Graduation’s just around the corner, and then, BOOM, Wednesday Addams is out of your life.”
Enid sighed, lifting her head. She forced herself to glare in Wednesday’s direction, as if that could erase the past between them.
“Yeah,” she muttered. “And I have no plans of ever being friends with her again.”
Yoko followed her gaze to where Wednesday sat, listening to something Agnes was saying.
As if she felt eyes on her, Wednesday looked up. Enid sucked in a small breath when their eyes met, startled that she’d been caught staring.
For just a second, there was the faintest twitch at Wednesday’s lips. It was so subtle you’d miss it if you weren’t paying attention. And despite the way Enid was glaring, Wednesday wasn’t returning it. If anything, her expression looked… distant. Almost like longing.
“Oh my gosh, the little devil is looking at us!” Yoko whispered loudly, grabbing Enid’s shoulder. “She’s literally glaring at you. Do something! Flip her off or something!”
Enid immediately broke eye contact and pretended to inspect her nails.
She must have imagined it.
It had been a long time since they’d looked at each other like that. Enid had made a habit of avoiding Wednesday like the plague. Maybe that was why—maybe she just wasn’t able to read her the way she used to.
She didn’t reply to Yoko, nor did she risk another glance in Wednesday’s direction. Instead, she forced her attention back to her friends, half-listening to whatever story Ajax was telling, anything to keep herself from thinking about her ex–best friend turned enemy.
--
A couple of minutes passed, and break time was nearly over when Kent came running across the quad, hair billowing magnificently behind him.
“Guys, guys!” He slammed both hands onto Enid’s table, startling everyone.
“What the hell, Kent?” Bianca said, raising an eyebrow at him.
“I… need to… tell you something…” Kent panted, still catching his breath. “There’s this rumor going around, something about the seniors and a contest. I overheard it in the—”
“Wait, something about us?” Enid cut in, her eyebrows knitting together. “They’re not about to dump another thing on us when our schedules are already packed, right?”
Kent turned to her, waving his hands excitedly. “No, no, you see—”
Before he could finish, the school announcement crackled to life over the speakers.
“Attention all students. All seniors must proceed to the auditorium after break time. Juniors may head to their next class as scheduled. Please follow the instructions given and proceed in an orderly manner. Thank you.”
“Well,” Bruno said with a small shrug and an easy smile, “guess that answers our question.”
The group exchanged looks, curiosity and unease mixing on their faces, all of them wondering where this so-called rumor—and the sudden announcement—was about to lead them.
--
The seniors filled the auditorium, just as the announcement had instructed.
Principal Dort stepped onto the stage, gripping the microphone with way too much excitement. He tapped it twice, sending a sharp burst of feedback echoing through the room.
“Is this thing on?” he asked loudly, as if the screeching noise hadn’t already answered that for him.
A few students laughed. Dort cleared his throat.
“Seniors, you’re probably wondering why you’re all here today. And before anyone starts pointing fingers—no, the school is not in danger, and there is no imminent threat.”
A wave of relieved sighs rippled through the crowd.
"Good to know there won’t be any fatalities this year, am I right?” Dort added. The students laughed, partly because it was ridiculous and partly because…well, it was their principal.
“Alright. Without further ado, I’ll tell you why you’ve been summoned. But first—does anyone know what TOF is? Does that ring any bells?”
He paced across the stage, scanning the crowd.
Murmurs spread through the students. Enid was sure she’d heard the term before, but she couldn’t quite place it.
“I’ll give you a hint,” Principal Dort continued. “It’s a contest our school holds every twenty years. Sound familiar now?”
The murmurs grew louder.
“Wait, I think I know what he’s talking about,” Yoko said, leaning toward Enid and Divina. “I remember reading about it in an old article.”
“Oh? What is it?” Ajax leaned in too, nearly elbowing Bruno in the process.
Bruno flinched and shifted away, giving Ajax a look.
Before Yoko could explain, Principal Dort raised the mic again.
“Alright, since some of you seem to recognize it, I suppose it’s time I explained.” He glanced at the teachers below the stage. One of them gave him a thumbs-up.
“As you all know, this year marks our school’s two-hundredth anniversary. And since it’s been twenty years since the last time we held this event, that means…”
The students leaned in.
“We will be holding TOF again this year!”
A burst of applause erupted from the crowd. Some students cheered, others still looked confused.
“For those who don’t know,” Dort continued, clearly enjoying the attention, “TOF stands for 'Twist of Fate'. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a contest held only at our school. Other normie schools have tried to replicate it—and failed miserably. Only we can do it right.”
There was a smug note in his voice.
“Oh! That’s it,” Yoko whispered. “I read about how other schools tried and couldn’t pull it off. Guess being a not-so-normal school has its perks.”
“Now, about the contest itself,” Dort went on. “It’s called 'Twist of Fate' because no one knows what fate will bring you when you join. You could end up finding a partner for life…or a best friend for eternity. No one truly knows how fate works.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“The rules are simple,” he said. “Each student who signs up will be randomly paired with another. The two of you will work together to complete various challenges the school has prepared.”
The students hummed with interest.
“But here’s the twist,” Dort added, his smile widening. “The paired individuals will have to live together until the contest ends.”
The room erupted into chatter.
“Live together?” Enid whispered to her friends. “Where would we even do that? And how? That sounds like a nightmare.”
“I don’t know, I think it sounds fun,” Yoko said, winking at Enid.
Divina nodded. “Yeah, I kind of agree. I might even sign up. I just want to know what the perks are if you win.”
Ajax hummed in agreement.
Enid stared at them like they’d all lost their minds. How could they already be convinced this was a good idea? They didn’t even know the full rules yet.
One thing was for sure—Enid wasn’t excited to find out what fate had planned for her.