The hearse drove smoothly along the road to Nevermore, its interior far more spacious than its exterior suggested.
Pugsley sat excitedly across from Victor, his small hand tracing a faint arc of electricity in the air.
"Watch this, brother-in-law!"
Pugsley concentrated, and crackling blue sparks erupted from his fingertips, illuminating his triumphant grin.
"This is my new trick!"
Victor immediately straightened up, his eyes gleaming with amazement and envy:
"Cool! How'd you do that?"
He leaned in closer, almost touching the dancing arcs.
"That looks way too awesome."
Pugsley lowered his hand, and the electricity vanished.
He shrugged, wearing a proud smile:
"Stick your fingers in the socket enough times, and you're bound to learn something."
"Really?"
Victor actually adopted a thoughtful expression, his eyes glazing over as he clearly began planning how to "practice" this back in the dorm—
Like finding an unnoticed socket, or convincing Venom to help "make a connection"?
Just then, a cold voice pierced his dangerous fantasy like an icicle.
"Victor."
Wednesday didn't even look up, yet her voice reached Victor's ears with unshakable authority.
"A new dorm rule: It is forbidden to insert fingers or any conductive objects into power sockets in any form, and forbidden to imitate Pugsley's 'charging' behavior."
"Huh?! How can you do that—"
Victor's face instantly fell, his voice drawn out in a whine as he turned to Wednesday, batting his peach blossom eyes in an attempt to project "pathetic" waves.
"Wednesday... dear... I just want to try it, just a little bit? I promise I'll be careful!"
Wednesday finally looked up, her dark eyes calmly meeting Victor's, her pale face expressionless, yet her words were as precise as a scalpel:
"Believe me, Victor. The primary takeaway from personally experimenting with 'touching live wires' is usually not the electrical discharge ability you hope for, but a simple and painful lesson in physics—"
"220 volts of alternating current, while unlikely to electrocute a 'numbskull' like you to death, is more than sufficient to provide an unprecedented sensation of paralysis and the faint, charred aroma of roasted meat. Beyond that, it offers no benefit whatsoever."
Her phrasing was as sharp as ever, and the label "numbskull" drew an almost imperceptible curve to Mrs. Morticia's lips.
Even the chauffeur, Lurch, gave a nearly undetectable shrug of his shoulders.
"Alright..."
Victor agreed verbally, seeming convinced, but his darting eyes and slightly pouted lips clearly spelled "not convinced" and "still want to try."
Pugsley giggled at Victor's deflated look, then deliberately gathered a slightly larger ball of electricity in his palm, producing a louder crackle.
It seemed like a provocation, or a continued temptation for his brother-in-law, who had zero resistance to "cool" abilities.
Enid, watching from the side, couldn't help but facepalm, whispering to Wednesday:
"I think... rules alone might not stop him."
Wednesday turned her gaze back to the book in her hands, her tone calm yet carrying a hint of certainty.
"Hence, I need to prepare a backup cardiac defibrillator and a detailed post-electrocution first-aid protocol."
Wednesday's eyes swept between Victor and Pugsley, their familiar, almost "buddy-buddy" rapport clearly not escaping her notice.
Her pale face remained impassive, but her cool voice cut in precisely:
"You two seem far more acquainted than I had imagined."
"Of course!"
Victor immediately chimed in, a touch of pride on his face.
"We wrote to each other all summer! Pugsley is one of my most loyal pen pals!"
He reached out and ruffled Pugsley's soft black hair. The younger boy obligingly lifted his face, revealing a bright, slightly mischievous smile.
"Yeah!" Pugsley nodded vigorously, his voice chirpy,
"Brother-in-law sent me loads and loads of cool stuff! A skeleton model that dances by itself, glowing deep-sea monster fish eyeballs in a jar..."
He listed them off, his eyes sparkling, clearly utterly delighted with his "brother-in-law's" taste.
At this moment, Mrs. Morticia, who had been sitting elegantly as if admiring the passing, slightly gothic scenery outside the window, also turned her head slightly. Her red lips curved into a captivating smile, her voice languid yet carrying sincere praise:
"Speaking of gifts, Victor, I must thank you again for that bouquet of Atlantis roses.
The faint blue glow shimmering along the edges of their petals as they bloom, and that unique cold fragrance blending deep sea and moonlight, truly is enchanting.
I placed them in the coolest, dampest corner of the greenhouse, alongside my Venus flytraps. They are getting along... exceptionally harmoniously."
"I'm so glad you like them!"
A brilliantly bright smile instantly bloomed on Victor's face. He instinctively turned to Wednesday, quickly and with a hint of showing off, raised an eyebrow.
His look clearly said: See, winning over the mother-in-law, so easy!
Clearly not satisfied, he immediately expanded his "achievements," turning to Enid on the other side, his tone light:
"Oh, right, I sent something to your place too, Enid! Your Little Karl seemed to really love the glowing firefly amber and perpetual motion tops from the Hotel Transylvania that I had delivered!"
"Huh? Me too?"
Enid seemed surprised, but then a warm smile spread across her face, clearly pleased by Victor's thoughtfulness.
However, Victor's next sentence instantly froze that smile and transformed it into intangible murderous intent.
As if suddenly remembering something, he added with slight confusion:
"It's just, I don't know why, Little Karl has been sending back quite a few... well, various photos of girls? All kinds, and he seems pretty enthusiastic about it."
?!
Enid's smile instantly stiffened. Though the corners of her mouth remained upturned, a blazing fire ignited in her beautiful eyes.
Just you wait, you Little Karl! This ungrateful little wretch! After I've fed and housed you so well, you dare to secretly collect pictures of pretty girls and try to dig at your own sister's corner to introduce them to your good-for-nothing friends?!
She gritted her teeth inwardly, while maintaining a spring-breeze-like "pleasant" smile on her face.
"Hehe, is that so... Probably, he just wants to introduce you to his 'friends.'"
In her mind, she was already rapidly compiling a list of "gifts" to bring home next time—
"Five Years of Magic, Three Years of Mock Exams (Junior Werewolf Edition)" — ten sets! No, twenty sets! That'll leave him no time for idle thoughts!
Victor, completely unaware of the storm beneath Enid's smile, nodded cheerfully:
"Could be! Little Karl is such a good friend!"
Gomez addams, who had been silently observing the "battle situation," finally couldn't hold back a booming laugh:
"Hahaha! Well done, Victor! Such charisma, no wonder you caught my little scorpion. How about it, for the next family gathering, we could host a small 'matchmaking' tea party? Right next to the cemetery, the atmosphere would be absolutely perfect!"
Mrs. Morticia also covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes full of amusement at the scene.
The smile on Victor's face instantly grew somewhat stiff. He could feel the atmospheric pressure around Wednesday visibly dropping.
He gave a dry chuckle, hastily waving his hands:
"Uh, hehe... a tea party won't be necessary, really not... Wednesday and Enid are more than enough for me, truly, more than enough!"
Wednesday finally slowly closed the book on her lap. Her dark eyes swept calmly over Victor, her tone betraying no emotion:
"It seems your summer 'diplomatic' activities were indeed varied and colorful."
Just then, the hearse gave a gentle Lurch and came to a smooth stop. Outside the window, the familiar gates of Nevermore were now in sight.
School, had arrived.
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