Wednesday's Vlad

'This is nice.' The child thought to herself as she watched the funeral of her grandmother's friend wrap up.

What the girl did not find "nice" was the annoying boy that continued to pester her to play with him. She was not interested, but the boy was persistent. Therefore, in order to get the boy to be on his way, she suggested they play hide-n-seek.

It had been a while since last she saw the boy and she had to admit that she was curious as to whether or not she should begin looking for him. Tracking prey is a valuable skill, after all.

She had never been one to be indecisive, therefore she set off in hunt.

She searched for a while, catching no trail that the boy might have left behind, eliminating the places that he could have gone, eventually making her way to where the bodies were buried or stored, as if she was not going to make her way there anyway.

She walked amongst the tombs and crypts for a while, enjoying the ambiance. Looking for the coffin of the boy's grandmother that was soon to be lowered into the ground, believing the boy likely chose to hide around there, after she eliminated many of the obvious choices.

She searched around the coffin, not finding him, when she saw the coffin about to be lowered.

It was one of her favorite parts, so she chose to stick around and watch.

However, as the coffin was being lowered, she was certain she could hear banging from the inside.

Excitement was felt from her cold dead heart, however non was shown.

She ran to the coffin, listening closely, past the whirring of the machine lowering the vessel, which allowed her to confirm that there was definitely something more than the dead in that coffin.

She ran to get help, knowing she could not remove the lid from the coffin on her own.

She returned, looking forward to seeing the undead rising from within, only to be greatly disappointed.

There were no undead. Just the boy that clearly took a game of hide-n-seek way too seriously. Though, she could respect the effort, it held very little when weighed against the stupidity. If she knew it were him in there, she might have run slower. Only her brother Pugsley could have topped such an action in incompetence.

"Wednesday, thank you, thank you." The boy thanked her, his hands on his knees as he practically hyperventilated out his tear-filled thanks for her saving his life.

"You're welcome." She gave a curt nob. Her face betraying no emotion.

She turned to leave, following the path out of the burial area when, from the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a crypt that she somehow missed, shrouded in shadow, unable to be seen when she turned her head to look directly at it.

When she moved her sight forward, once again, so she could better glimpse it from the corner of her eye, she felt a tremendous headache assault her mind.

It felt as if a thousand ants were crawling through her mind, reaching the furthest reaches and burrowing where she would allow none to go.

{Wednesday Addams.} She heard the voice inside her head.

A rare expression of shock graced her features and she turned every which way trying to find the source, only to come to a stop once again as she caught sight of the barely discernable crypt once again, just in the corner of her eye.

"Wednesday, are you all right?" She heard the boy ask from behind her, however she did not have any interest in responding.

Something interesting was happening and she was far too curious to let it go.

{Wednesday Addams, you have my apologies. I did not mean to invade your mind. I sensed a connection and reached out reflexively. I am Vlad.} Wednesday had heard of spirits and ghosts. The Addams family was not shy about reaching out to the spirits and their ancestors beyond the vail, however she had never been contacted by one.

The shocked expression had long left her face.

Her mask of dead-panned neutrality back in place.

She considered speaking out loud, but before she did, she could feel the presence in her mind, as if telling her how to communicate.

{It is fine.} The young Wednesday spoke the lie through her mind. She would never admit to how exposed she felt mere moments before. How vulnerable. {Are you a spirit?}

{No, I am not what you would call a spirit...I believe the boy behind you is beginning to grow anxious due to your inactivity. Go join your family, Wednesday Addams. We can talk later. Distance is not an issue.}

Wednesday hesitated for a moment. Weighing her options. She was very curious about the shadow crypt and the voice that so easily accessed her mind.

Part of her felt it a violation that must be rectified, while another part of her felt something more when it made its presence known. Something that did not belong to her. Something lonely, angry, and incredibly tired. All in all, as far as Wednesday was concerned, it all added up to a mystery. A string to be unraveled that just delivered itself right into her hands and she would squeeze it dry until nothing was left.

She began to walk again, making her way back to her family while keeping one eye on the crypt.

No matter how far she walked, the distance between her and the crypt did not seem to increase. It stayed exactly where it was relative to her.

{Are you inside of that crypt?} Wednesday asked Vlad.

{That is correct.} Wednesday stopped, tempted to walk towards the crypt.

{Do not attempt to approach.} Vlad warned sternly. Dousing the idea in fire before it could spread.

{Why not?} The young Wednesday questioned, still considering her choices.

{I am not sure what would happen if you got too close. The area around my crypt is heavily protected. Do not approach, at least not yet.} Vlad again warned.

The young Wednesday only stayed standing for a short moment more before continuing on her way.

Walking forward, increasing the distance, however never losing sight of the crypt in the corner of her eye. A smirk filled with the urge to challenge barely discernable upon her features.

'I will have my answers.'

And with that thought to herself, she went forward, completely forgetting the sniveling boy who followed.

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(A/N: Additional chapters are on patreon.com/TheGreatestHunter . Check it out.)