Shades of Cool, Tyler Galpin

ELEVEN.   held close all the time,
knowin' I'm half of you

"What the heck do you mean you got kidnapped in the middle of the night?"

Andy was used to Wednesday keeping things from her. She was the younger sister. Wednesday always proffered to figure things out alone. But this was different. Whatever she was seeing, Andy was seeing as well. She wasn't sure where feeling it. She should've be kept in the dark about whatever the hell was going on.

Wednesday rolled her eyes. "Exactly what I just told you, Andromeda."

It was Outreach Day at Nevermore. Andy had no idea what it was until Kennedy explained, and afterwards she felt a spike in her heart rate when she mentioned they would be spending the day in Jericho. They were all gathered in the quad. Andy grabbed Wednesday's arm and stood in front of her. "Hey, I know you don't like to tell me things and that you want to do everything on your own, but whatever you've been seeing, I can see it too, Wednesday. I'm your sister. Don't leave me in the dark."

Wednesday knew she was right. Though Andromeda was younger and different than her, they were still sisters. They were all each other had in this school. Her hardened expression softened ever so slightly. Wednesday reached into her uniform jacket and pulled out Rowan's drawing. "Do you remember the symbol?"

Andy took the picture and eyed the corner of the paper. She nodded with a hum.

"And what Thornhill said about the Nightshades?"

"Yes."

"I found the symbol on the Edgar Allen Poe statue yesterday. Behind it's a door that leads to the room where the Nightshades meet. Turns out a few of our fellow elite classmates members."

Andy blinked. "Okay. What does that have to do with the girl in our vision. Who looks exactly like you, if you didn't notice."

Wednesday ignored the sarcasm. "That's what we're going to figure out today." She stated blankly.

Ms. Thornhill approached the sisters with two envelopes in hand. "Miss Addams," she spoke to Wednesday first and handed her an envelope. Then, she turned Andy. "And Miss Addams. I trust you ladies will have an amazing experience today."

"Not likely." Wednesday responded bluntly.

Andy refrained from rolling her eyes. Thornhill walked away to continue passing out envelopes. "What did you get?"

Her sister read what was inside her envelope. "Uriah's Heap. I don't know what that is." Her eyes shot up. "What did you get?"

Hesitant, Andy opened her envelope and pulled out the card. "The Weathervane." She read, shock crossing over her pale face.

"Oh, great. You get to spend the day with coffee boy." Wednesday stated with blunt sarcasm. She waited for a remark, but rolled her eyes when her sister continued to stare at the card.

Enid bounced over to them, Kennedy trailing behind. "I got Pilgrim World!" She announced bubbly.

"Oh. That's fun," Andy recited sarcastically, remembering her encounter with those boys in the Weathervane.

"I do have natural people skills and a love of performing so it's kinda the obvi choice."

"Yeah, obvi," Kennedy muttered.

Wednesday looked up at her. "What did you get?"

"Pilgrim World." She answered with a nod. "I do not have natural people skills or a love of performing, but, I can fake a smile like nobody's business."

She almost showed a smile.

"What did you two get?" Enid inquired, still smiling.

"The Weathervane," answered Andy.

Kennedy grew a smirk. "Ooh, you get to see your boyfriend," she teased and poked her arm.

Her eyes widened. "Shut up." Andy hissed.

She laughed. "What about you, Goth Girl?" She directed to Wednesday.

"Uriah's Heap. Whatever that is."

"Now that's obvi," Kennedy poked fun again.

Enid pulled a face. "Ew. It's this weird, creepy antique store. You'll love it though. I'm crossing my fingers Ajax and I will be outreaching together."

They followed her glimmering eyes across the quad, seeing Ajax smiling at her. "You still haven't told him that you like him?" Kennedy asked.

"It's not that easy, Kenny! Not all of us are lucky to have somebody fall in love with them."

It came out quick, most likely from nerves. Kennedy knew that Enid would never do or say anything to hurt her feelings, but she couldn't help but think about how much her stomach dropped.

Wednesday stared at the side of her face with dark, observant eyes.

Andy didn't expect to have to share her outreach day with Xavier. It wasn't that she didn't like him, they just never really spoke until she joined archery. But apparently, they knew each other when they were kids, so he couldn't have been all that bad.

Then again, he was Kennedy's ex boyfriend, so Andy wasn't completely sure how to feel about him.

The pair entered the cafe through the back door. Upon hearing the bell, Tyler, who just finished giving a person their coffee order, turned around. "Andy," he spoke with a stunned expression. When he saw Xavier, it dimmed. "And Xavier."

"Tyler," Xavier said back unemotionally.

"I'm guessing you two got assigned with me?"

"You'd be guessing right," Andy answered awkwardly while rubbing her hands together, feeling them become clammy.

The corner of Tyler's mouth quirked up. "Great. Um, well, we usually get busy around this time of day, so, just grab an apron from the back." He explained and pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

She walked to the back room and grabbed a red apron from the hook. Tyler leaned against the wall and watched her put it over her head. "I wasn't, uh, expecting them to assign you here. Thought maybe they'd stick you in Pilgrim World."

Her nose scrunched with disgust. "They know better than that."

He chuckled under his breath.

"I will warn you, me and the public don't really see eye-to-eye."

"Don't worry. I'll have your back," Tyler replied, still half smiling. "All you gotta do is smile."

She stared at him blankly.

His smile grew. "We'll get there." Tyler examined her long black hair. "But, uh, you'll have to put your hair up for today."

"Oh," Andy spoke and looked at her wrists. "I don't have anything—"

"Here, Andy," said Xavier and he took a band off of his wrist. "I keep extras."

She looked at him and the band, then nodded. "Thanks," she said quietly and pulled her hair back out of her face.

Tyler eyed Xavier with a tight jaw as he walked by him and out of the back room. Looking back at Andy, his eyes softened when he saw her hair pulled back into a low ponytail.

Andy titled her head. "What?"

"Nothing. Just. . ." He paused, unable to say anything. "You should, uh, wear your hair back more often. It looks nice."

She was unable to form a reaction but she felt shock. Tyler's words caused a sudden dizziness. Andy messed with her hands, feeling them tingle. She nodded her head towards the door. "We should get out there." She insisted.

Tyler blinked out of his trance. "Yeah! Yeah, yeah, good idea. Uhhh. . ." He motioned his arm to the door. "After you."

Andy walked past him, avoiding eye contact. She forced a deadpan expression to hide her inner feelings, but all she could think about was her late night conversation with Kennedy.

Girls like me aren't meant to be with boys like him.

Wednesday walked lonesomely through the entrance to Pilgrim World. The crowd of excited tourists around her made her teeth ache. The Pilgrim workers made her want to cut their heads off. But she paid no attention to those violent tendencies. She was on a mission. She needed to keep her eye on the prize.

She spotted Kennedy standing by herself with her arms crossed, looking bored out of her mind. Then she saw Wednesday and she dropped her arms from her chest. "Wednesday? What are you doing here?" She questioned. "What happened to the creepy antique shop?"

"Change of plans," Wednesday answered emotionlessly. She looked around the busy tourist sight. "This is something from a dream."

"Don't you mean a nightmare?"

Wednesday quickly looked up at her. "I like nightmares. They soothe me."

Kennedy blinked. "Right. . ." She said slowly. "Well, I'm glad you're here. Maybe you can distract me from wanting to strangle these pilgrims."

She didn't respond but her dark eyes flickered to her shoes.

"Good morrow, my young Nevermore kin," their guide, a woman dressed as a pilgrim, greeted, and they went silent. "I am Mistress Arlene. A real OC. . .an original colonist."

Kennedy narrowed her eyes. "Oh, that's. . .not right at all."

"Now prithee, put your cellphones on vibrate and make haste, for you are about to travel back in time to the year of our Lord 1625, to Jericho's first pilgrim settlement."

The group of Nevermore students followed her with excitement. Wednesday almost rolled her eyes.

Arlene motioned behind her to some houses. "Behold, the meeting house. Inside is a collection of artifacts related to Jericho's most beloved and pious founder, Joseph Crackstone."

Her ears perked.

"And beyond is our privy, America's first gender neutral restroom."

"Oh, so they have gender neutral bathrooms in the 1600s but only legalized gay marriage in the 2010s?" Kennedy outspoke with crossed arms.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Nobody wants to hear your comments, Eden."

"Go fall in a ditch, Barclay."

"I haveth a query," said Wednesday, taking everyone's attention away from the bickering girls.

"Pray, be quick, child."

"In the meeting house, which of Joseph Crackstone's artifacts are on display?"

"It is truly a treasure trove," Arlene replied while grinning. "Including originally farm tools, tableware, even the Crackstone family chamber pot."

Kennedy furrowed her brows. "People want to see that stuff?"

"Sounds fascinating. I volunteer to work in there—"

"Pray, no. That exhibit is being renovated. Today, thou will all be working at the beating heart of Pilgrim World." Arelene informed, still smiling.

Kennedy exhaled a loud sigh. "Kill me now. Please."

People skills was something Morticia and Gomez Addams did not teach their three children. Nobody looked at them like normal people and the family was often avoided by everyone. It was difficult for Andy to deal with, considering she didn't want people to look at her differently, especially now because she had to work in a public setting.

Only an hour had passed since working in the Weathervane and Andy already felt like peeling her skin off. The people were odd. They ordered weird coffees. They looked strange. They stared at her like she was an alien. She tried her hardest to act normal but it was hard. "Here you go," she handed a large coffee to a woman sitting alone at one of the booths.

She was observing her with narrow eyes. "You're so pale. Do you ever get in the sun?"

It was the third person who commented on her skin.

Xavier, wiping down the tables, laughed at her annoyed expression. "You look like your sister when you wear that face."

"No need to remind me." She circled around the counter and wiped off the counter top. "If somebody says something about my skin one more time, I might spit in their coffee."

"As much as I'm sure they deserve it, please don't do that," said Tyler as he came out of the back room.

Andy blinked multiple times. "Right." She muttered and continued cleaning.

He leaned one arm against the counter. "You look like you need a coffee," he stated.

"I hate coffee."

The corners of his mouth turned up. "Oh yeah. Hot chocolate then?"

She straightened her posture. "Yeah, that sounds nice." She spoke in a calm tone.

Tyler nodded. "You got it."

Andy watched him make his way to the machine. She squeezed the rag in her hands.

"Is this your first time working?" He asked her while making the drink.

"Yes," she nodded. "I tried volunteering at the school fair one year but the teachers said no because they thought I would scare everyone away."

Tyler looked at her and frowned. "Why would they do that?"

"It was the petting zoo. I cut the head off of a pig I was dissecting in science class." Andy told him nonchalantly.

He froze. "Uhhh, why?" He insured oddly.

"That's how my siblings and I would dissect animals when we were kids."

Tyler blinked. "Right," he said slowly. He walked back over to her with a cup of hot chocolate in hand. "For you."

Andy eyed the steaming hot liquid in the cup. She spelt took it from his hands. "Thanks," she uttered, looking up at him through her lashes.

Tyler thought to himself that the hot chocolate was the same color as her eyes. He smiled at her.

Nobody ever looked at her like that. It was a look that made everything around her feel like slow motion.

A loud tap on the counter made the pair jump out of their skin. Miss Thornhill and Principal Weems stood there smiling at them. "Tyler, how's our dear Andromeda outreaching?" Weem's calm voice inquired.

"Uhhh. She's, uh," Tyler stammered, glancing down at the shorter girl. "Yeah, she's, uh, she's going great. She's a natural." He poked fun at the end, making her quickly glare at him.

"Wonderful," Weems praised.

Andy took their order and their money while Tyler made their drinks. She grabbed a pink cupcake from the display case and slid it in Thornhill's direction. "Here you go."

"Thank you very much." Thornhill smiled her usually bright and cheery grin. Her eyes flickered over her shoulder. "I sure hope Mr. Galpin's not working you too hard."

She followed her gaze and watched Tyler finish up cleaning the machines. "No, he's not," Andy responded. She looked at the teacher again. "He's been helpful."

"I'm sure," said Thornhill, the smile never faltering.

It made her feel slightly uneasy. Andy watched her walk away to speak to Weems and Mayor Walker.

"She's an odd one," said Tyler, coming to stand next to her with his rag thrown over his shoulder.

"Sure," she stated. "But so am I."

He looked down at her. Tyler became aware of how close they stood next to each other, and he observed her eyelashes and how they were so dark and long that they rested on her cheeks. Her lips, pale pink, were naturally pouted. She had a freckle on her left temple. She had a face that he quite literally couldn't look away from.

A feeling like this one could be disastrous.

Kennedy wore a smile so fake, she would be perfect for a tending commercial. "Enjoy," she told a family after they grabbed what was left of the fudge from her tray. When they walked away, her smile dropped. "I literally can't think of anything worse than this," she mumbled to herself.

Across the park, Kennedy saw Wednesday headed towards the exit with her backpack. She furrowed her brows. Kennedy tossed her empty tray in the trash and went to follow her.

"Where are thou going, Nevermore child?" Arlene stopped her.

Kennedy rolled her eyes and turned around, facing her. "Yeah, this isn't really for me," she admitted bluntly.

"Doth thou know they must stay here till the time allotted?"

Annoyed, she exhaled loudly. "I'm part black and part Korean and you have me dressed up as people who colonized, killed, and contributed to the slavery of a land full of Natives. I could sue you if I wanted to."

She watched Mistress Arlene's facade diminish. "It's not even worth it," she claimed in her normal voice. She waved her hand towards the exit. "Just go."

Kennedy smiled with victory and quickly ran to catch up with Wednesday. "Hey, Addams!" She yelled.

Wednesday slowed down and faced her. "You're abandoning your post?" She inquired blankly, not really caring.

"They're lucky I'm not burning it down," she stated. Kennedy rugged the hat off her head. "Why are you leaving?"

"I have things to do."

She blinked. "Okay, Miss Secrets," said Kennedy, crossing her arms. "Anything I should know?"

"You made it clear to me that you don't want any part of my investigation, remember?" Wednesday recalled the night they snuck into Xavier's room.

She slowly frowned. "What? That's–That's not what I meant—"

"It's better if I go about this on my own."

Kennedy watched her turn back around and walk off again. She frowned deeply, feeling hurt by what she said. She felt her body worn against her and she ran forward again. "Wait, Wednesday. Hold on." She said quickly.

Again, Wednesday turned around and titled her head back.

"I didn't mean I wanted out of the investigation. You just. . ." Kennedy started to say. She sighed and brushed her hair out her hair. "You don't understand what it was like for me to be in that room again and have to hear my ex best friend berate me to my ex boyfriend. It hurt." Her voice cracked and she quickly cleared her throat. "But I still want to help."

Wednesday stared at her absently. She was confused as to why she felt so the tiniest bit of regret when the tall girl in front of her stared at her with sadness in her eyes. Subtly, her pinched eyebrows lifted. "Why? Why do you care so much?"

Kennedy shifted her weight. "Cause other than Enid and Andy, you're the only person at Nevermore I actually like." She confessed. "You don't care what anybody thinks and I like that, cause that's how I am, too."

Wednesday still looked conflicted.

"C'mon, I'm like eight feet tall. If I have to fight some monster or some shit, I can do it."

Exhaling through her nose, Wednesday turned around and walked away.

Kennedy started to frown again until she saw her look over her shoulder. "Well, are you coming for not?"

A smile stretched across her face.

Andy was busy restocking the deserts when she heard the bell on the door go off. Wednesday and Kennedy walked in, dressed back in their school uniforms. "What are you two doing here?"

"I thought you two were supposed to be at Pilgrim World?" Xavier inquired while wiping off a table.

"We deserted it while our insanity is still intact," said Wednesday.

"You guys want coffee?" Andy asked.

"Hot chocolate for me," said Kennedy as she held up her hand.

"We're here for you and Tyler," Wednesday told her sister. Then she rang the bell on the counter.

A few seconds after, Tyler came out of the back room, eyeing them suspiciously. "You rang?"

The three girls turned to Xavier. He took the hint and scoffed. He walked away to clean more tables.

The sisters looked confused by his reaction.

"Long 온라인카지노게임," Kennedy stated, glancing in Tyler's direction.

Andy came out from around the counter. "What do you need us for?" She asked.

Wednesday shrugged off her backpack and pulled out a map. "You remember that thing we saw the other day at the Poe Cup?" She asked secretly, raising her eyebrows.

Catching on, Andy nodded her head. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm likely sure this has something to do with it." She unraveled a map and placed it on a table. "Tyler, you know the original pilgrim meeting house, the one from the 1600s? You know if it's still around?"

Tyler thought about it. "What's left of it is out in Cobham Woods, but it's pretty much a ruin," he informed.

"Show us."

They watched him point to a spot on the map. "There." He retracted his finger. "But, look, it's kinda sketchy. Squatters and meth heads use that place as a crash pad. My dad had it cleared out every couple of weeks. What's this about anyway?"

"Nothing you need to know, dear Tyler," said Kennedy and she patted him hard on the back.

"Just a little sisterly investigation." Andy downplayed, casting Wednesday a quick look.

When the realization set in, he hinted a short smile. "You two are really becoming obsessed with this whole monster in the woods thing."

"Would you rather we develop an obsession with horses and boy bands?" Wednesday challenged.

Kennedy scoffed. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with boy bands. I did go through a mildly long N.S.Y.N.C phase."

The Addams sisters stared at her. Wednesday shook her head. "Let's go, Andromeda."

As she started to leave, Andy quickly opened her mouth. "I-I can't leave yet. I'm still working."

"It's fine. You can go," Tyler told her.

She quickly looked over her shoulder. Her eyes went wide slightly. "Really?"

Kennedy looked between them and smirked. She snuck past them and stood next to Wednesday.

"We're not that busy," Tyler said while looking around the cafe. He smiled at her. "Don't worry. I'll cover for you if Weens shows up."

As enticing as it sounded, Andy still shook her head. "No. That's not right. I can't leave y–Xavier to do the job alone."

"Andy, I promise, it's fine," he told her again. Tyler took a step forward, making her tilt her head back even more. "But look, the ruins are kind of tricky to find. I can take you this afternoon. My shift ends at 2:00." He offered.

Andy felt her hands go tingly again. "I don't think Weems would appreciate me missing the grand statue reveal. She'll likely hang me."

"Hanging's not really a thing anymore, Andy," said Kennedy. Andy looked at her over her shoulder. She quickly raised her hands. "Sorry."

She turned her head back forward. "Besides, I know my way around the great outdoors," she told him, hinting a smirk.

Tyler matched the gesture. "Don't tell me you were a Girl Scout."

"No. For Pugsley's birthday, we took him camping and he got lost for three days. We wondered around the woods trying to look for him."

His face dropped. "Oh."

Andy tried not to laugh. "But thank you for the help, coffee boy. I appreciate it."

Kennedy looked down at Wednesday. "Is that true?" She whispered.

"No. We don't go camping. And I can eat Girl Scouts for breakfast." Wednesday looked up and met her eyes. "Actually, we have an uncle that went to prison for that."

Her face twisted into disturbance. "Remind me not to come to one of your family dinners."

"You'd be dead before you could through the door. Andy, let's go!" Wednesday raised her voice.

Andy quickly followed her and Kennedy out of the coffee shop. "Oh, Tyler, I couldn't possibly leave you here. I love you too much to go!" Kennedy yelled to the sky and shook her arm.

"Shut up!" Andy snapped, her heart rate increasing.

"I'll be your Mrs. Andromeda Galpin!"

"I'll rip all of your teeth out of your mouth," she threatened, her voice going deep and her eyes darkening.

Kennedy stopped laughing. "Jesus, you two really are sisters." She stated, looking between them.

Andy and Wednesday looked at each other and smirked.