Outside the Weathervane, Lucas Walker strolls with his usual group—Carter, Jonah, James, and Ricky. Their eyes lock onto Wednesday.
Jonah smirks, stepping forward first."What's a Nevermore freak doing out in the wild?"
Carter spoke up. "This is our booth."
Aleksander challenges quietly."Your names aren't written on it."
The boys bristle, especially Lucas, but no words come.
Aleksander knew Lucas Walker is the son of Mayor Noble Walker and Lou-Anne Walker. He works at Pilgrim World.
Wednesday's sharp gaze flicks to their attire. "Why are you dressed like religious fanatics?"
Jonah shrugs. "We're pilgrims."
"Potato, po-tah-to," Wednesday replies flatly.
Aleksander knows this is a reenactment of the original pilgrim settlement in Jericho, Vermont, 1625, but he says nothing.
Lucas pulls out a flyer, slamming it onto the table."We work at Pilgrim World."
Wednesday scans it, unimpressed."Takes a special kind of stupid to make a theme park celebrating zealots responsible for mass genocide."
Lucas's jaw tightens."My dad owns Pilgrim World. Who're you calling stupid?"
"If the buckled shoe fits," Wednesday snaps back, eyes unflinching.
From nearby, Tyler Galpin steps forward quickly."Guys, back off."
Lucas shoots him a sharp look. "Stay out of this, Galpin."
Aleksander sips his coffee calmly, ready but knowing Wednesday can handle herself.
Wednesday stands, voice coldly firm."Yeah. Stay out of this."
Lucas closes the distance between them, eyes burning."So tell me, freak... ever been with a normie?"
Wednesday tilts her head, voice steady."I've never found one who could handle me."
Without warning, she steps closer, voice dropping low."Boo!"
Lucas jumps back, caught off guard.
Carter grabs Wednesday's shoulder from behind, fingers digging in to spin her around. Wednesday reacts instantly, whipping around to face him, seizing his grabbing arm with both hands in a tight grip, then snapping her knee upward directly into his groin. Carter doubles over, eyes bulging, releasing her as he collapses to his knees, gasping in pain.
Lucas's Intervention and Mishap
Lucas sees his friend go down from the cheap shot and charges in angrily from the side, fist cocked back for a punch at Wednesday. She senses his approach without looking, shifting her stance fluidly.
As Carter recovers enough to swing a desperate punch at her face from his hunched position, Wednesday dodges left—Carter's wild haymaker sails past her and connects squarely with Lucas's incoming face.
Lucas staggers back, nose bloodied, stunned by the friendly fire.
Aleksander spots Lucas's three other friends—Jonah, James, and Ricky—closing in to jump Wednesday while she's occupied. He leaps from his seat at the Weathervane table, coffee mug abandoned, positioning himself between the group and Wednesday to draw their attention and even the odd.
Frozen in shock from hitting Lucas, Carter's arm and fist remain suspended in the air.
Wednesday seizes the moment to grab Carter's outstretched arm, twisting and pulling him forward, throwing him onto Lucas. Both crash hard onto the ground.
Aleksander springs into action, stepping in front of Jonah, James, and Ricky, who have just arrived to intervene. Instead of using heavy Muay Thai strikes, he chooses a more controlled Wing Chun approach, aiming to neutralize them quickly without serious harm.
Aleksander adopts a compact Wing Chun stance in the dimly lit courtyard, feet shoulder-width apart with knees slightly bent for stability, hands held up near his centerline to protect his core and face against the circling teens.
Johnah lunges first with a clumsy overhand right punch, his arm fully extended and body leaning too far forward. Aleksander shifts his weight forward a half-step into Johnah's path, extending his right hand palm-down in a sharp slapping motion across the incoming forearm—deflecting it outward and across the teen's chest to open his guard—while keeping his own body angled away from retaliation.
He immediately follows with his left palm driving upward in a short, hip-powered push under the chin, using just enough controlled force to snap the head back and briefly stun the nerves without risking a jaw fracture, then with relaxed timing, he steps in close, hooks his left arm under Johnah's extended right armpit while grabbing the far shoulder, then pivots his hips to flip the teen over his outstretched leg in a smooth shoulder throw—landing Jonah flat on his back on the floor with a thud, winded ans groaning but not seriously uninjured from the controlled arc.
Ricky and James attack from the sides with wide, looping punches that telegraph their moves. Aleksander sweeps both forearms outward in a simultaneous spreading block using the backs of his wrists to check and redirect the arms away from his centerline, maintaining balance without stepping back.
He chains into relaxed palm presses with loose wrists vibrating from the hips to flatten against their solar plexus, compressing the nerves enough to knock the wind out and double them over briefly without deep bruising .
As Ricky folds forward, Aleksander hooks two fingers into the sleeve of his extended arm for a quick pulling tug that yanks him off-balance sideways into James; the teens shoulder-check awkwardly and drop together onto the ground, winded but landing on packed earth.
Ricky charges head-on with wild swinging haymakers, his momentum making him predictable. Aleksander slides his weight laterally while hooking the fingers of his right hand over Ricky's leading elbow in a downward pull to snag and drag the arm across, redirecting the rush past his side as he steps in close. He plants his left palm flat in a shallow forward thrust against the mid-stomach to hit the diaphragm muscle and trigger a sharp gasp that staggers Ricky without abdominal trauma.
Aleksander then pivots half a step behind, framing his elbow outward against Ricky's ribs to apply sideways pressure that unweights the teen's legs and steers him controlled onto his knees until he yields.
The four teens sprawl or kneel catching their breath, sore and humbled but with only temporary aches.
Wednesday watches Aleksander handle Jonah, James, and Ricky with precise Wing Chun blocks and strikes. Seeing the scattered pilgrims. She straightens, voice cutting through the groans. "I didn't need your help. I could easily take care of them."
Aleksander steps back from the dazed trio, resetting his stance casually. He smirks faintly, wiping a hand on his sleeve." I knew that. But still, you're welcome."