Dinner with the Addams

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After Wednesday dropped that bombshell of information, it took me a second to process it. Her parents want to meet me? Gómez and Morticia Addams? Oh, this was definitely getting interesting.

"Meet your parents?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow while Wednesday looked at me with her typical, expressionless face.

"Is that a problem?" she said, tilting her head slightly.

"No, of course not. Just... why?" I asked.

"My mom is a bit curious about you," Wednesday replied. "She says there's something about your energy that doesn't fit with this world. That you're... different."

Wait until I talk to her mom; oh, she's psychic, of course she knows, different energy, sure, I'm different, I thought. I was literally thrown here from hell with Harry Potter spells as a special skill. But if Morticia noticed that so quickly, I'd have to be careful.

"When and where?" I said casually, trying to sound calm.

"Tonight. At the Addams mansion." Wednesday paused, and a faint smile, barely perceptible, appeared on her face. "Don't worry, they'll only devour you if they don't like you."

"Great," I said, unable to stop myself from smiling a little. "Sounds like a typical family dinner."

Wednesday didn't respond, but her cold expression made it clear that, indeed, she wasn't joking.

That night, I found myself standing in front of the Addams mansion door. The massive dark wooden door was decorated with intricate gothic designs. I knocked twice on the skull-shaped knocker, and instantly, the door opened by itself, creaking dramatically.

Lurch appeared in the doorway.

"Entreeee," he said in his deep, monotonous tone.

I entered and looked around. The mansion was exactly as I had imagined: chandeliers covered in cobwebs, portraits with eyes that followed you, and an atmosphere that screamed, "Here, you'll probably be killed and then used as decoration."

"Max." Morticia's voice echoed in the room, soft and cold.

I turned around and saw her standing at the bottom of the stairs in her elegant black dress, flowing as if it had a life of its own. Her dark eyes studied me, evaluating me. Beside her was Gómez, with his immaculate mustache and a charming yet unsettling smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Max," Gómez said, coming down the stairs and offering his hand. I shook it, and his grip was strong and firm.

"Likewise, Mr. Addams." I tried to sound polite.

"Don't call me 'Mr.' It makes me feel old. Call me Gómez." He smiled.

Morticia approached and looked at me with her eyes sharp as knives.

"Wednesday has told us about you. It's rare for her to take an interest in anyone. What do you have that the others don't?"

Part of me wanted to respond sarcastically, but I held back.

"Maybe we just have a connection," I said calmly.

Morticia raised an eyebrow.

"Connection?" She stepped a little closer, and I could feel the weight of her presence. "Is it magic?"

"Let's just say I'm... adaptable," I replied.

Morticia squinted, but before she could respond, Wednesday entered the room.

"Don't kill him yet," she said dryly. "We're just getting started."

Gómez burst out laughing and slapped me on the back so hard it nearly knocked the wind out of me.

"I like this kid!" he exclaimed. "Come on, come on! Dinner's ready."

I headed to the dining room and found myself facing a scene straight out of a horror movie: plates with food that definitely wasn't normal food (was that a tentacle?), sharp knives arranged with deadly precision, and pugsly (Wednesday's brother) sitting across the table, staring at me with sadistic curiosity.

Wednesday sat next to me and looked at me.

"If you survive this dinner, maybe there's hope for you."

"Hope for what?" I asked.

"That you don't end up as decoration in the basement," she replied with her usual cold expression.

I swallowed.

"Well, then... bon appétit."

Surprisingly, they didn't act that crazy about the fact that their daughter skipped school with a guy.

After dinner (which I miraculously survived without eating anything suspicious), Gómez took me aside.

"Max, come here for a second," he said.

I approached with some doubt.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you something. Wednesday doesn't usually care about people. If you've caught her attention, it means you have something special." His tone turned a little more serious. "But if you make her suffer..."

"I won't," I said quickly.

Gómez smiled again, but this time his smile had a dangerous edge.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

Morticia appeared behind him and slid her hand down his arm.

"For now, you're welcome here, Max. But remember... this family protects its own."

"I understand," I replied with a nervous smile.

Wednesday appeared behind me.

"We're done here," she said. "Let's go."

We left the mansion, and she walked beside me in the darkness of the night.

"Well, I survived," I said. "That counts as an achievement, right?"

Wednesday glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

"For now."

I laughed.

"Well, I guess that's better than nothing."

She didn't respond, but her expression seemed... less cold than before.

And for some reason, that made me feel like things were about to get a lot more complicated.

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