Shades of Cool, Tyler Galpin

SEVEN. volcanic heart

The news of what happened to Rowan quickly spread around. Andy was still shaken up about what she saw and having eyes on her didn't make it any better. The sisters followed Sheriff Galpin into the school. "How could you miss a dead body?" Wednesday scrutinized.

"Cause it wasn't there. No footprints, no blood, no sign of struggle. Nothing, nada." Galpin confirmed. "My search party looked all night."

"Well we didn't just dream it." Andy stated, the memory of what happened still fresh on her mind.

"Your search party must have left their seeing eye dogs at home. Andy and I saw that monster kill Rowan right in front of our eyes."

"Yeah, I see it every time I close my eyes."

They followed Principle Weems up the stairs. "Did you get a good look at this monster thing?" Asked the sheriff.

"It didn't stick around for a chat," said Wednesday sarcastically.

"Maybe it was one of your classmates."

"Sheriff,  I find that question offensive," Weems stepped in

"Well I don't care, cause so far three other bodies in the morgue. Hikers just ripped apart in the woods." The man dismissed.

"The mayor said those were bear attacks."

"Yeah,  well,  the mayor and I disagree on that."

"So you automatically assume a Nevermore student is the murderer,  even though there's no evidence crime was even committed."

The sisters looked at each other.

"I'm sorry. I forgot you only teach the good outcasts here,  right?" Galpin stated with intense sarcasm.

Weems sighed and led them to her office. "My guess is Rowan ran away. State troopers have put out an alert and I've contacted his family but they haven't heard from him either."

"Dead people are notoriously bad at returning phone calls." Wednesday butted in.

Andy scoffed. "Wednesday."

"What we're you two doing out in the woods with him?"  Sheriff Galpin asked and sat down in one of the chairs.

"I heard a noise in the forest and went to investigate. Andy followed me. That's when we stumbled upon the attack,"

He turned to the other sister. "Is that true, Ms. Addams?"

"Yes," Andy answered a little too quickly. She cleared her throat. "You can, uh, ask Tyler."

Wednesday closed her eyes. The sheriff titled his head forward. "Tyler?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We were, uh, hanging out."

There was an awkward pause. "Uh huh, then what happened?" Galpin moved on.

"Then we ran into Bianca Barclay and I told her to go for help," Wednesday continued. "Next thing I remember, I was awaking in my dorm and Andy came and found me."

"And just to be clear, this monster wasn't a bear or some other wild animal?"

"Definitely not."  Andy answered that time and shivered when she remembered what the monster looked like.

"Thank you, Sheriff,"  Weems announced and stood up from her desk. "I think Wednesday and Andromeda are done now."

"Actually, my sister and I would like to speak to Sheriff Galpin alone," Wednesday added.

Andy looked at her with wide, questioning eyes.

"I'm not sure I can allow that."

"I'm sure I could take them down to the station and get a formal statement," said the sheriff, giving her a knowing look.

The adults looked at each other and he gave Weems a quick sarcastic smile. "Yeah, let's go—"

"Fine." Weems interrupted, eyeing him suspiciously. "You have five minutes and everything is off the record. Play nice. . . or I will call the mayor."

Once she left the office, Wednesday spilled. "Someone is trying to cover up Rowan's murder. That's the only reason to scrub the crime scene,"

"Is that your profession opinion as the daughter of a murderer?" Galpin asked bitterly.

Andy glared. "No, it's called common knowledge,"

"Our father is twice the man you are, and the only thing he murders is the occasional opera in the shower,"

She shrugged. "It's actually pretty good sometimes."

Galpin looked annoyed. "Addams, it's been a long time. I'm tired of your games."

"I'm not playing games. I'm telling the truth." Wednesday stepped closer to him. "You want to reject our claims but you can't."

"Why is that?"

"Because you know as well as we do that there's a monster out there," Andy took the floor. "Bear attacks? No way. And Rowan was his latest victim."

The man gave them a hard stare and one of the deputies came into the office. "Sherrif, you're gonna want to see this." She announced.

Imagine the look of horror on Andy's face when Rowan appeared on the other side of the door. What made it worse was he smiled at the sisters and gave them a little wave like what happened in the woods never existed. Andy glanced at Wednesday and saw the same expression of horror on her face.

"Have you and your family always been close?"

It was thirty minutes into therapy and Andy couldn't concentrate on anything but Rowan. She was confused because she saw him die. That monster ripped him apart. She witnessed it with her own eyes. She was from a crazy family but she wasn't crazy.

"Andy."

Andy blinked. "Sorry. What was the question?"

Dr. Kinbott smiled. "That's okay. I asked you if you and your family have always been close?"

"Oh. Um," she muttered and sat up straight. "Close isn't the word I would use."

"What word would you use?"

". . .Trauma bonded?" There was a silence. Andy blinked again. "I just mean since we were all kids, my siblings and I have tried to kill each other."

The therapist shifted in her chair.

"Wednesday tried throwing Puglsey off the roof of our houses, I set off a firecracker under Wednesday's bed, she filled my room with her tarantulas, and Pugsley tied me to my bed and tried to set me on fire. . .so no, close isn't the right word."

Dr. Kinbott remained silent. After a minute, she cleared her throat. "But you almost killed a pool full of boys because they were bullying your brother. That has to count for something, right?"

Andy's jaw shifted. "Yeah, maybe."

The therapist smiled. "You love your family, Andy. Anyone can see that."

"It doesn't matter if we love each other or not. We're not violent because we want to be, at least not me. . .you don't mess with a member of the Addams family."

"Yes. . ." Kinbott trailed. "But that's not healthy, Andy, is it?"

"Of course it's not. If it was, I wouldn't be forced to sit here and spill my feelings," Andy snapped, her gaze darkening. "How is this supposed to help me?"

"From what I've observed between you and Wednesday, you two are very different, but you're also so much alike," Dr. Kinbott explained. "Your sister, she's not afraid to speak her mind. She's head strong. You're more reserved. You let her take the lead because that's what comes natural to you. But at the same time, you would kill for each other because you're sisters. You're a family. You don't have to say I love you to express how much you care about a person."

Andy was silenced.

After her session was over, Wednesday started hers and Andy waited outside the building.

"Guess you decided to stick around Jericho."

At the familiar voice, she spun around. "Tyler, hi," she squeaked out, quickly clearing her throat.

Tyler was smiling. "I figured you'd be long gone by now."

Andy adjusted the collar of her uniform. "Well, you know. . . where Wednesday goes, I go."

"You're the younger sister?"

She frowned. "That obvious?"

"Just, uh, the way you let her take the lead on everything. You can tell she's the oldest." Tyler explained.

'You let her take the lead because that's what comes natural to you', she hears Kinbott say and Andy frowned. Is that really what people think about her? That she was just a follower?

When he noticed her fallen expression, Tyler quickly changed subjects. "You see Dr. Kinbott too?"

Andy glanced behind her at the building. "Y-Yeah, Wednesday and I both. It's uh. . . a legal requirement."

Tyler nodded. "Yeah, same. Court ordered."

Her eyes softened. "Oh?"

"Long 온라인카지노게임."

As curious as she was, Andy didn't push it. "It's not so bad. I think I'm taking it better than Wednesday is. She hates talking about her feelings." She told him, laughing slightly.

Tyler grinned. "And you don't?"

She shrugged. "Depends on the feeling, I guess. I don't know.  I'm getting better at it." When it went quiet, Andy's eyes widened. "I apologize about what about at the festival. I didn't mean to just leave you there."

"No worries. I was just—I was just kinda worried when you. . . y'know, collapsed." He stammered.

She felt her pale face go red. "Right, yeah. Uh. . . that's kind of a long 온라인카지노게임 too."

Tyler hinted another smiled. "We'll get there."

Andy's stomach started to hurt. She popped her fingers and twisted her ring, feeling jittery all of a sudden. Part of her was screaming at Wednesday to hurry up, the other part of her was sad when she actually did.

"Oh, it's you again," Wednesday sneered upon seeing him.

Tyler gave a small chuckle. Andy cleared her throat again.  "Uh, Tyler sees Dr. Kinbott too, Wednesday."

"Oh, look at us. Three teenage tearaways," the eldest Addams said sarcastically and walked off.

Andy rolled her eyes and followed her. Tyler quickly walking after them, trailing behind Andy. "Um, about the Harvest Festival. I wasn't sure what was going on and then I heard. . . Kinda crazy."

"Everyone, including your father, believes we made it all up,"

"Kinda is an understatement." Andy exhaled.

Wednesday noticed them looking at each other, then she narrowed her eyes. "I'll be over there," she said and walked off.

She glared at the back of her sister's head.

"You know, I. . ."  Tyler stated to say and then his phone dinged. He took it out of his jacket pocket and looked at it, his face falling. "Time to get in touch with my inner rebel."

Andy chuckled.

"Um. . ." He started to say before leaving for his session. "I just want you to that. . .that I believe you."

She stared at him in shock. "I think you're the only person who does," she said quietly.

"That's enough, right?"

There it was again, the pain in her stomach. "Have a good session, Tyler."

Tyler smiled again and turned around, walking towards the building. Andy exhaled the breath she was holding, feeling herself go numb.

"Ladies, come on! Let's work on those teeth. More scowl!" Enid was yelling at Yoko and Kennedy.

Andy and Wednesday walked through the courtyard where everyone was in groups paining row boats. "What are they doing?"

"Who knows."

"Enid, babe, you're not helping the ginormous headache I have right now, and neither is the smell of this paint," Kennedy complained.

"Chop, chop ladies! If Bianca Barclay wins again this year, I will literally scratch my own eyes out!"

"I would pay to see that," said Wednesday.

Enid bounced over to them and smiled widely. "Howdy, roomie! Andy! I'm so glad you decided to stay."

"I thought you wanted your single room back?"

"Full disclosure, I don't like living solo and Thing gives killer neck massages," Enid admitted. "And don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to room with Kenny, but, I can only handle so much heavy metal music at night."

Kennedy scoffed. "It's not my fault you whimper in your sleep."

"So. . .why the change of heart?"

The sisters glanced at each other. "I refuse to play the role of a pawn in someone else's game," Wednesday dramatized.

"You mean Rowan?" Enid asked, matter of fact.

"I witnessed his murder, Enid. Both of us did."

"It's just we all saw him this morning. Very much, like, not dead. . ."

"Yeah, he had that same stupid grin on his face that he's had for years," said Kennedy, standing to her feet and she joined their conversation.

"Which leads me to believe I've been losing my mind," said Wednesday dramatized, her face stilling. "It's not nearly as fun as I had anticipated."

"You should hear about my life then," said Kennedy.

"Ken!" Said Enid.

"Enid, you're the Nevermore gossip queen. What's up with Rowan?" Andy asked.

"Other than being a weird loner. . . Uh–No offense," Enid cringed.

"None taken."

Andy titled her head. "Slightly taken."

"He's Xavier's roommate. You can always ask him what happened. Though I doubt he'll give you any information cause they haven't been getting along lately." Kennedy explained, looking at Wednesday.

"Yoko, come on! Flare those whiskers! The Poe Cup droops for no one!" Enid demanded, standing over Yoko's shoulder.

"What is the Poe Cup anyway?" Wednesday inquired.

"My entire reason for living right now! Part canoe race, part foot chase, and there are no rules,"

"Each dorm has to pick an Edgar Allen Poe short 온라인카지노게임 for inspiration," Kennedy explained further.

Andy read the side of the boat. "The Black Cat. Creative."

"Thanks!" Enid beamed.

"Ms. Thornhill ordered us pizza. You two can grab a brush and help if you want," Kennedy offered. "Wanna take another stab at being social?" She teased.

Wednesday looked pleased. "I do like stabbing. The social part, not so much. Besides, it'll cut into my writing time,"

Enid looked disappointed. She turned to the other sister. "Andy?" She asked, giving her puppy eyes.

As much as she wanted to say no, Andy thought about what she and Kinbott had been discussing in her sessions. Maybe making friends would make her time at Nevermore more pleasant. "Um. . .sure."

Kennedy looked shocked. "Really?"

Wednesday gave her the same look. "Really?"

"I mean, yeah, sure. I don't have anything better to do."

Enid squealed. "Yay!" She took Andy's hand and dragged her towards the boat. "See ya, Wednesday! Okay, Andy, pick a brush."

Wednesday watched her sister awkwardly eye the paint brushes. She rolled her eyes and walked off.

Kennedy watched her leave. "I'll be right back guys," she told the other girls and quickly followed her. "Wednesday!"

Wednesday continued walking.

"Hey, goth girl!" Kennedy yelled again, and that time she stopped and turned around to face her, her face stoic. "Look, I know everyone's giving you and Andy shit about Rowan, but, I just wanna say that I believe you."

The short girl scowled. "Why? You weren't there. You don't know what happened."

"I know, but I've been going to school here long enough to know that weird shit happens," Kennedy explained, moving her hair out of her face. "Rowan getting mauled by a creature isn't exactly out of the ordinary for this place. I once saw a boy get his face almost eaten by a vampire moth. He was fine, but, it was still crazy." When Wednesday didn't respond, Kennedy shook her head. "Anyways, you don't have to worry about somebody not believing you. I'll be on your side."

Wednesday's cold eyes shifted to her shoes, not knowing what to say.

Kennedy half smirked. "Y'know, I know you think acting like a stone cold bitch will keep people away from you, but, you're not as bad as what people say."

"You don't know me."

"No, but I know Andy, and you two are a lot alike, more than you realize. You're different from anyone else here and that's not a bad thing. Hell, other than Enid and your sister, I actually kind of like you."

Wednesday felt uncomfortable and it showed all over her face, but she didn't response. Instead, she turned around and walked away.