Rowan Madness

Luke was once again at the harvest festival. Twinkling lights and vibrant colors filled every part of the festival. The same Ferris wheel as last year stood majestically. There were some new food and game booths.

This time, Luke came with a different bride, as unbelievable as it sounds. Although it's not quite right to call Gia a girlfriend.

"There are more stalls than last year!" said Gia excitedly, looking around. She didn't know which stall to visit first. Just smelling the delicious food already made her hungry.

"Yeah," said Luke, who was turning his head in search of something else, not food. He was looking for Wednesday. The festival was mandatory. She had to be somewhere.

The difference with the series is that she has freedom of movement, as Principal Weems doesn't guard her as a troubled student, although she does, but she doesn't go so far as to try to murder normies like in the series, or maybe she did.

'Will Wednesday try to escape Jericho?' thought Luke doubtfully. He didn't know what the goth girl, who always had the same expression on her face, was thinking.

Since she doesn't have to go to therapy with the normie and is not watched by Weems, she could have escaped long ago, but that doesn't seem to be her goal.

He was also trying to look for Rowan and Tyler, but among so many people, it was impossible to find them. If he extends his domain, he could find Rowan, as he knows of his presence, but for the moment, he must spend the night with his friends and Gia.

"Where are the others?" Erika asked Luke.

"Xavier went to find his girlfriend. I have already sent them our location. They won't be long," Luke replied, sitting down on a bench.

"You seem distracted. What's on your mind?" asked Gia, sitting down next to Luke.

'Avoiding a murder...' thought Luke. He couldn't answer that.

"On how pretty you look today," replied Luke, taking Gia by the waist and bringing his face close to hers.

"Hehe, thanks. I got all dressed up for you," said Gia, blushing and bringing her lips close to Luke's.

'Damn clingy couple,' thought Erika. Luckily, at that moment, Xavier and the others arrived.

"Sorry, I'm late, Luke!" said Xavier, walking towards his friend, who was always ranting if he had to wait. His friend was not identified as someone who was patient.

Besides Xavier, there were: Bianca, Ajax, Divina, Yoko, Kent (Divina's twin brother), and a girl whose name Luke didn't know; he only knew she was from the group of sirens following Bianca and Enid.

Luke, upon seeing Enid, instantly pulled away from Gia and stood up. "Hey, everyone," Luke said, greeting the group with a strange look on his face. It had been a long time since he had hung out with Bianca, Divina, Yoko, and Enid.

His gaze met Enid's, "I hope you didn't mind the tardiness. If Xavier knew how to read the cell phone location properly, we would have been here five minutes ago," Bianca said with annoyance.

"It's not my fault. The internet here stinks," Xavier said with a scowl, and the two started arguing as usual. The others seemed to be used to it and left them.

"They are?" asked Kent, looking at Erika and Gia behind Luke.

"Oh yes, this is Erika and Gia. My friends," said Luke, starting to introduce everyone in the group.

'Friend?' thought Gia.

"Let's get going. I'm starving," said Kent, starting to push Xavier and Bianca, who, despite that, were still fighting.

The group started moving around, visiting different fast-food stands and games while chatting and laughing.

"Be careful with the blonde girl dressed in pink. She's Luke's ex-girlfriend," commented Erika in a low tone, approaching Gia. Luke was talking about video games with Ajax, and every so often he would slyly glance at Enid. Enid did the same.

"Yeah, I know," said Gia with an unsure expression. She had noticed how Luke was looking at his ex-girlfriend.

"Don't be insecure. Just stick to him and show dominance," said Erika, pulling Gia towards Luke.

"What's wrong?" asked Luke, seeing Gia hugging his arm. He felt something spongy on his arm.

"I want to try that!" said Gia, pointing her finger at a game stand. It was the first thing that came to her mind.

"Okay, let's go," said Luke, walking toward the stand. It was a balloon-popping booth.

Then it was different games until they came to one where the targets were moving ducklings. Each with a different score. There were smaller, faster ducks that scored more points than the larger, slower ducks. With a toy rifle, you had to shoot them.

"Look at the best prizes!" said Gia, seeing three huge stuffed animals. They were a unicorn, a cute, giant-sized kitten, and a cute elephant. These were much better than the prizes in the other booths.

"Can you win it for me? I suck at shooting. You go to the archery club," asked Gia, clasping her hands together and making a puppy dog face.

"Yeah, leave it to me," nodded Luke.

"Although the last time I gave one of those stuffed animals as a gift, the person died," he added in a low tone, remembering Sabrina. Although she hadn't died in a real way, she only faked her death, but a doppelganger of her did die in a real way.

"Following that logic, I would have to make several gifts out of these stuffed animals," said a cold, monotone voice.

Luke turned his head and noticed a girl with two black braids, pale skin, and a blank expression. She held a rifle in one hand and was firing with impeccable accuracy.

Her clothing was a black jacket that she wore unzipped underneath a T-shirt with black and white lines.

'Wednesday?' thought Luke in surprise. He hadn't even noticed her. With so many people, Wednesday's presence was harder to notice with his domain. The girl did look like a ghost.

"The chances of them dying will be low. You could experiment or eliminate them on your own," Luke commented, paying to try to win the prize.

"If I could do it, I would have done it already. After I assassinate them, I have a lot of annoying things to take care of," said Wednesday with a grimace. She shot, and the bullet hit right in the duckling's head.

'That's the first time I've seen her make a disapproving expression,' thought Luke. Most likely, Wednesday wants to murder normies. The bullying normies that were annoying her and her brother.

Again, the norms of normie society saved those people. The same thing happened to Luke with the bullies at his Normie school. Many times, he thought about killing them, but he didn't do it because of all the trouble he would have to face. Plus, he didn't know what world he was in, and he didn't want to be captured for experiments like he was a mutant or something.

'Eliminated? Murdered? Are they talking about the ducklings?' thought Gia, looking at Luke and Wednesday, who were holding two toy rifles that looked very real.

"Perfect score," said the stall man in disbelief that this gothic girl hadn't missed a bullet and only aimed at the hardest targets.

"What prizes do you want, girl?" asked the stall owner, pointing to the three large stuffed animals.

"Don't you have something like a scorpion or a spider?" asked Wednesday, looking at the stuffed animals in disgust.

"What do you say? A stuffed animal of a scorpion?" said the man, looking strangely at the goth girl.

"You must be from that school for weirdos," he added, looking at her more cautiously.

"If you mean Nevermore, yes. I'm from there. Keep the stuffed animal. I'll give it to you," said Wednesday, leaving the rifle on the table and leaving the place. She already had the first subject of her experiment. If this man died, giving away giant stuffed animals could be a harbinger of death.

"Your turn, kid," said the man, shaking his head. Luke, who started shooting.

He had to finish quickly and follow Wednesday. His aim had improved, but it was not up to Wednesday's level. He could only reach her if he used his telekinesis to maneuver the bullets.

Minutes later, his turn was over. He scored enough for one of the three plushies Gia wanted.

"You choose. I have to go to the bathroom," Luke said, leaving Gia at the stall with a confused expression.

He widened his domain and began to look for Wednesday's presence. Among so many people, it was difficult, but he found her after a few minutes.

The girl was already away from the fair. She seemed to be heading into the forest, following another person Luke recognized. It was Rowan.

'Luckily, I'll make it in time,' Luke thought, starting to run in Wednesday's direction.

"Hey, Luke. Where are you going?" asked Xavier, stepping into Luke's path, who almost collided with him. Luckily, he managed to stop.

"No time to explain. Follow me," Luke said impatiently as he dodged him and started running again.

"What's the rush?" asked Xavier, following Luke. "Don't you want to ask me why I'm alone? I've had enough of Bianca's incessant complaining," he added angrily.

"You'll tell me later. Now follow me," Luke said. They walked deeper into the forest until Luke stopped and hid behind a large tree.

"What exactly are we doing?" asked Xavier.

"Shh. Look," said Luke, pointing in a specific direction. Xavier looked and noticed two familiar people. Rowan and Wednesday. They seemed to be having a conversation in the dark of the forest.

"Why did you guys come here?" asked Enid, who had followed them. Seeing two of your classmates running was a strange thing. Especially if it was Luke. Besides, she was bored. Bianca was in a very bad mood. Yoko and Divina seemed to be on a date. Kent was getting along very well with the girl named Erika. Lastly, Ajax was improving his relationship with Sara.

"Enid... Come closer and watch," Luke said, waving his hand. Enid curiously approached Luke and watched her roommate talking to a bespectacled boy she recognized but hadn't seen much of.

"What's wrong with Rowan? He looks deranged," Xavier commented. Rowan's appearance had badly deteriorated.

"I don't know. Let's try to listen," Luke said, sharpening his hearing.

"I don't have time to explain, but you're in danger," said Wednesday in a serious tone to Rowan. Usually, she wouldn't worry about a person's well-being, but she had just had a vision of Rowan dying horribly.

At this comment, Rowan only laughed, puzzling Wednesday.

"Why is he laughing...?" asked Enid in disgust. It gave a very bad feeling to Rowan's laugh, and his face seemed to have aged these last few days.

"You got it backward. You're in danger!" exclaimed Rowan, reaching out his hand and wanting to immobilize Wednesday with his telekinesis.

However, Wednesday vanished into the shadow before she could be immobilized and appeared elsewhere.

"What are you doing?" asked Wednesday, confused and, at the same time, in an icy tone.

"I save everyone from you. I must kill you," said Rowan with an increasingly unhinged expression. With both hands using them as a focus, he pointed at a tree, which, in a few breaths, pulled it from its roots and floated.

"He's gone crazy!?" asked Enid in exultation. The ears of the outcasts were superior to those of the normies. Despite the distance, the three could hear what Rowan said.

'Looks like he improved his strength,' thought Luke, not very impressed. A tree weighed about 300 to 400 kg, but looking at Rowan's exhausted face, it seemed that was his limit.

"So, it was you who tried to assassinate me with the gargoyle. A lazy assassination attempt. You should try harder," said Wednesday, not scared at all.

"Shut up!" shouted Rowan, throwing the tree at full speed to crush Wednesday.

If that tree hit Wednesday at that speed, it would make mincemeat out of her.

However, Wednesday didn't move. Dark energy began to swirl in her hand. Quickly, that dark energy took shape, solidifying into an all-black scythe that emitted a gloomy, icy aura.

Wednesday made a slashing motion, and the scythe cut through the tree as if it were tofu. Before Rowan could panic, the girl appeared very close to him, moving through the shadows.

'Holy shit!' thought Rowan, creating a barrier around his entire body.

Wednesday hit the barrier with her scythe. On the third hit, she destroyed it completely, and Rowan was exhausted. He wanted to give all his strength to that barrier, but it didn't hold five hits.

'This is bad!' thought Rowan with fear, seeing Wednesday's pale face that in the darkness stood out more. Her dark eyes, which looked like the abyss, looked at him without emotion.

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