The next morning

16th of July, 1969

When Howards woke up in the early hours of the morning as usually, the twins played in the yard around the lakefront house as Agnes Jude was playing with her yoyo in the yard as they were under their mother's supervision, in case not only if either of the infants gets hurts, but also she relished the moments when their screams and laughters floated in the background and jingled in her ears like sweet tunes. Jude reclined on the outdoor lounge red tartan patterned chair as she took a drag off her cigarette as the cigarette pack sat on the round outdoor table. In the itnerim, Timothy was disassembling the new television they bought no longer than a week ago as it was the last time they visited the cottage and renewed anything of it.

Furthermore, Jude's hair was tied in a lazy bun as a handful of untamed strands of hair were tucked behind her ear, wearing a straw summer brim hat that protected her from the searing sun as her hazel eyes were darted to the twins and Agnes Jude. She wore jean overalls with a white tank top as her beauteous arms were exposed on sun, endangered to sunburn. She adored the lakefront vibes and the concept of spending a few days in her first home- her cottage.

Whilst Ellie and Tristan were running after one another in the yard, unfortunately, Agnes's yoyo hit unintentionally Ellie's face as she kneeled on the grass, clamping her face in her both hands as she commenced to cry as Jude was aware the things were out of the depth, leaving the cigarette in the ashtray as she got from the outdoor summer chair, sped up upto the howling eldest twin as Agnes and Tristan walked up to her as the younger siblings wanted to make sure if the brunette was alright.

"Sissy, are you alright?" Agnes went to check her older sister as her wee heart pounded solidly in her chest as she felt guilty for overlooking who was nigh her earlier.

"Yes." Ellie said as her howl and blubber were almost uncontrollable, floating like a thick radio wave through the transparent nature walls.

"I am so sorry for this, Ellie. I didn't want to."

"It's okay." Ellie forgave her youngest sibling.

In the meantime, Jude crouched down to Ellie as she questioned her condition and threw her arms around her petite body, pulling to her as their bodies absorbed warmness.

"Are you alright, my love?"

"Yes, Mommy. I am fine. But it hurts."

Timothy heard Ellie's howling which rang cautionary tunes in his ears as he abandoned the television for a while as he hasted through the front door, running to his daughter.

"Shu, shu, Ellie! It's alright. Your young sister wasn't careful enough." The little girl's head rested on her mother's boson as her sobs diminished. Her elegant hand rubbed her back as it moved up to her head, kneading it gently.

"Is everything alright, sweetie?" Timothy crouched down as he surveyed the oldest child's face as he cupped her face in his mammoth hands, noting her lovely hazel eyes puffy and almost dry. His heart raced as his heart was in his mouth for his daughter if she was seriously hurted. He wiped with a thumb the last tears that gushed down her smooth, slightly tanned cheeks.

"Yes, Daddy." Ellie responded as she got better though it still itched the spot where the yoyo hit accidentally.

Timothy inhaled sharply as he was beyond perplexed what has happened and instead of abstinence, he just posed the question right away. Without hesitancy. Cold-bloodedly.

"Sorry for not knowing the reason why Ellie is upset but what an accident befell her?" The former priest inquired tremendously concerned as he pecked affectionate kisses on Ellie's warm temple and cheeks. He didn't shift his chocolate eyes away from her.

"I hit her accidentally with my yoyo." Agnes Jude explained as she confessed blatantly though she was ashamed of doing it to her sister. "For which I am so sorry. I am a bad girl." She furthered with full of regret that dwelled in her conscience, pooling her heart in sombre, profound and mist waters. Waters where the escape is possible, on the condition if the handdog person is far from determined to face the consequences and exigent tasks that the life grants.

"It's okay, Agnes. Come here!" Jude maneuvered the much younger blond doppelganger to come over to take her into her arms. As Agnes waddled up to her mother, she was already welcomed in her firm and warm embrace, dangling her tiny arms around her shoulders. "I am so so sowwy, Mommy. I didn't mean to hurt my Sissy. I didn't want." She murmured after she puffed inwardly. It was deliriously visible she wasn't proud with her action.

"I know, sweetheart. I don't blame either of you!" Meanwhile she tapped lightly Agnes's back, holding her close aa they nuzzled, rubbing her nose against hers. She reassured calmly the blonde protège. "I know you didn't want to hurt your sister."

***

Frank determined to visit Valerie as their friendship developed since the beginning thought they like each othet as friends only.

As a gentleman, the former security guard grasped a bouquet of yellow daffodils with violet violas behind his back. Likewise, it wasn't his first time to give Valerie a bouquet with alluring flowers. Further, he found a new job as a guard somewhere where they somewhat conformed him.

Once he rang on the door as he tapped, it didn't leave unnoticed by the single mother as he could heard her voice yelling she will be here in a minute. The last time when he gave her a bouquet of dazzling flowers, she was beatific and overwhelmed. Almost no man has treated her ideally as Frank, Timothy and Kit were the sole men who treated her normally.

"Hang on for a moment!" Valerie's yelling was audible for Frank's ears.

He sighed and inhaled the summer afternoon's fresh, searing air that toyed with his nostrils. 

Suddenly he heard footsteps that were approaching the front door, unlocking the door in one click as the door opened, greeting one another, thereafter demonstrating the prominent, beauteous bouquet for her as Valerie eyed in awe, stunned by his action again and grabbing the bouquet.

"Aww, Frank! It wasn't needed but thank you anyway." She expressed her gratitude as she let the former cop enter in her small property, closing behind the door as he realized Valerie was with her daughter at home. As soon as the young maid noted the bouquet, a broad, radiant smile flashed across her lips. She was beyond euphoric to accept it though it was way too nice surprise for her. 

"No need to thank me! It's a pleasure, Val." After the Russian-American placed the bouquet in a seperate vase with water, she followed Frank as they went in the living room, seating on the ottomans. 

"Would you like something to drink especially in this heating afternoon?" She questioned him as she strolled over the window, opening pulling its wing wider to come more fresh air, as a result of her smoking. "Excuse my bad habits but would you like some lemonade for example?" She turned to Frank, facing him as she wickedly chuckled.

"It's okay. Yes, please." He forgave her for the stench of tobaccos as she was about to flee away from the living room for a while.

"I will be right back in a second, gentleman." She promised as she hasted up to the kitchen, pouring in an empty glass some fresh, cool lemonade, thereafter exiting the kitchen as she reentered the living room, handing the glass to the guest. "Here you go, Frank!" A smug smile shone on her face as she sat on the ottoman again.

"Thanks! You are so nice and hospitable to the guests."

"I know but I have been always like that." 

"How's your life? I mean generally and Lana." Frank turned to her as his azure blue eyes met her hazel ones, locked up in one another's gapes.

"Ah, my life isn't that interesting at all, however, it's fine. Lana is alright too. We have been dating for months and we really like each other." She responded with mildly scoffing voice as the both adults couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's okay. Nevertheless it's amazing you are dating Lana and I am wishing you good luck with her." The former security guard said as he sipped his lukewarm, fresh lemonade as his colossal hand was cooled once it met its chilling glass with the summer sweet beverage. Afterward he licked his lips after savouring the lemonade that dwindled the heat in his body. 

"Thank you! How is your life going too, Frank?"

"My life? It's still processing and processing." Then he emitted a light chortle from the top of his lungs. "But it's not easy to be a security guard of school." Meanwhile Valerie nod her head as she affirmed his words, listening attentively the middle aged man. "Guess in which school for the next school year I am going to be part of the security!" He posed a rhetorical question as a smirk loomed on his face.

"In my daughter's school?" She tried to guess as she heard the bedroom's door slammed, hearing sprinting footsteps approaching the living room.

Shona stepped in the living room as she caught the both adults' eyes, holding a drawing as she drew with crayons herself with her mother, her deceased aunt, Frank and the Howards altogether in one drawing. 

"Oh hi, little princess!" Frank and Valerie said in unison as their smiles saturated through the light room, bathed in sizzling sun light as it illuminated their faces and hairs. 

"Hi." Shona replied simply as she headed up to her mother's left side, showing her directly the drawing as the older red-haired female's hazel eyes shifted to the nine-year-old girl. "Mommy, what do you think about my drawing with everyone of us?" She asked for her mother's opinion as she was mesmerized by the drawing for not only including the Howards, Frank and Velika, but also her dearest person- her mother with her daughter. 

"Aww, sweetheart!" In the interim, the former cop scrutinized the hostess's reaction to the drawing as he peeped from far distance the child's masterpiece, a spontaneous smile grew on his face. "It's lovely. Great job! I love how we are altogether in one drawing." The single mother commented beyond blissfully, rapping lightly the preteen's shoulder, planting feather kisses on her cheeks. "I am so proud of you, my little artist." 

"Thank you, mom!" A modest, conceited smile formed on her tiny face. 

"Go show it to your uncle Frank! He will truly like it, I assure ya!" The red-haired maid encouraged her daughter as she rubbed her shoulder, seconds before zinging up to Frank. 

"Look, uncle Frank!" 

"That's so sweet, sweetie!" He complimented the drawing. "I like it very much! Even I am here." He kept on.

***

"Goddamn it! It's so hot there." Lana muttered to herself groused, unable to resist the July's heat in New York as she was in her office, writing a new article as her mind was occupied with her son and the article that is going to explode with its popularity and intriguing, piquant interest that would being aroused by the society in the imminent days. Luckily, there was no one in her office as she afforded to swear. 

When she even wore a ruffle lime green top with lime green skirt that suited perfectly with her black pumps as her silky chestnut hair was tied in a medium ponytail, it didn't aid her at all. The both medium sized windows in her office were opened for hours for sheer, fresh air even though they didn't rescue the reporter from its igniting climate. 

She typed on her retro writing machine the new article's plot including its text as she planned to pay a visit in the last months of 1969 to the demolishing, sinisterly dangerous not only with its conditions, but also with its mentally-ill, starving to demise, suffering occupants as there were some readily far insane inmates that would be more harmful than the most notorious criminal in the crime story. She plans with her crew to record a documentary abouit Briarcliff's exposion and its abominable atrocities behind its dull, lacking of life walls. 

Lana couldn't sleep almost a single summer night as the summer hotness trapped her in the corners of the hollow, where the hopes diminished as well. She was wondering how her son Johnny wasn't struggling with falling asleep especially in the hot days. When the young, aspiring journalist experienced tough nights without a regular, healthy sleep, she was re-reading some of her old articles that indicated her fame. 

Whilst Lana was being busy with her journalistic work, she hired a babysitter for her own son on whom she can rely on, although it was an ordinary stranger. The babysitter who she hired to look after the young boy was actually a teenager who was goody-two-shoes girl and she was tremendously radiant, positive and light-hearted adolescent. Not only she fend for the four-year-old boy, furthermore cleaned, dusted and tidied up the apartment.

The last time when she saw her friend Valerie was a week ago as she took her with her daughter in New York, touring apart of the city as she guided the younger woman. It was an enthralling experience for them as well. They got comfortable with one another's presences with almost every passing date as Lana commenced slowly and gradually falling in love with the maid and vice versa. She sensed something unique behind the single mother as they shared some things in common, regardless their slight age gap. 

***

Later tonight

"Mommy? Daddy?" Agnes yelled puzzled as she watched with her family together television, seated on her mother's lap, sensing her hand travelling up to her head, rubbing her glossy golden scalp as her fingers combed her curly locks. The little girl pointed at the dark blond woman, dressed in exquisite, glittering sky blue suit that hugged her still flexuous, magnificent body for a middle aged woman. 

Tristan and Ellie's eyes were glued on the television as they sat on their father's thighs, his strong, securing arms danged around them. Timothy found the singing artist resembled eerily Jude though the former nun noted something questionable behind the talented woman. Similar facial features as her face was layered in make-up, slender body, silver-tongued voice, hazel eyes darted to the audience. She scratched her head as her arm was wrapped around Agnes's body, holding her as she thought about the middle aged singer, actress and former freak show owner. It was supposed she was already dead as her soul conveyed to the paradise with every anodyne soul. 

"It's a famous singer and actress though she possessed a show with freaks." She responded as she looked up at the German-American woman on the TV as she arched an eyebrow, recognizing something that they shared in common, in fact Elsa had an ill-famed past which turned her stomach. It ideally embodied Jude's similar promiscuous, sinful past where she get laid with random strangers and sang in nightclubs, being encompassed by men who liked and used her, essentially because of her body and youthful grace. Nothing else. Howsoever, the difference between the both women was actually evident in that Jude sang in nightclubs, while Elsa's singing skills were staged in front of a grand audience. 

"A show with freaks?" Agnes asked with ginormous, childish curiosity, incapable to take her eyes off the Hollywood star.

"Yes. But she wasn't famous then...until she joined the Hollywood industry and became famous." She responded laconically as she didn't want to hop up in pettier and major details about Fraülein Elsa Mars.

"Oh, that's cool." Agnes replied as she sighed astonished to hear about the cryptical German lady.

Timothy somewhat liked Elsa, factly, she was indisputably talented artist, whilst, on other hand, he was beyond disgusted she was a lincentiously corrupt. Likewise he listened attentively the both females speaking to one another, scarcely peeling a word with the twins. 

Agnes and the twins liked immediately Elsa Mars as they debuted to watch her since the beginning of the summer, following almost every show of her. Not only they liked her, furthermore they reminded her of her mother and they got obsessed with Elsa's show after watching the first show.

Jude and Timothy knew from somewhere as Dr.Arden was the single person who knew about Elsa mostly especially during their collaboration in Briarcliff and they recalled flashbacks with the former Nazi warcriminal getting enraged over Elsa's speculated death as she was still alive. He declined to tell them about Elsa Mars but fortunately Jude learnt more about the notorious German lady, thanks to Pepper as she knew more about her. 

Flashback

October 1962

It was two years anniversary after the speculated death of Fraülein Elsa Mars, who was stabbed by one of her freaks on her Halloween special show. 

Briarcliff turned eventually in a mental hospital for criminally insane patients with incurable mental or physical diseases as the new aspiring, young priest, known as Monsignor Timothy Howard, bought the former tuberculosis hospital as Sister Jude was the chosen sister and right hand for him, cooperating along with saving wretched souls to find a path to the light and God.

Dr.Arden seated in his office as he took a drag off his cigarette with his eyeglasses on his nose tip, reading the daily newspaper like almost every morning. When his winter blue eyes scanned one of the newspapers' article titles, under the name "Former freak show owner still alive", then he casted a glaring eye on the title with Elsa Mars's photo on the top of the article, puffing off the cigarette as he commenced reading the article when his heart was about to spring up from his chest, his blood vigorously boiling in his veins and body. 

"How for goddamn sake this German harlot is still alive?" He thought himself, verging his wrath as he wanted to find her and kill her though her current residence was somewhere in California, barely realizing the long distance between Boston, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California. "I ampotised her legs and she still wanders around this big land. I knew it!" His judgmental, inward grumble echoed in his mind as his eyes chanted the article's text.

The former freak show, nowadays, known as the Hollywood fame harvesting artist Fraülein Elsa Mars, is fortunately still alive. Not only the German-American continues her career as an actress and singer, but also she lives in her luxurious palace, located in Los Angeles, California. 

The accident that eventuated two years ago on Halloween, one of her freaks stabbed her in her heart, as a result of passing away. Nevertheless, she survived the accident as during her Halloween special show was interrupted as she was transmitted immediately to the hospital, recovered with days from the painful and blood-shattering show. Days later, she was written from the hospital as she continued with her future film projects and singing. Nevertheless, the middle aged woman has two healthy and loving children from her deceased lover as they are growing in environment, where they are readily recognized, thanks to their mother.

"Miss Elsa Mars!" He growled lividly as he flinged the newspaper in the brick wall, meanwhile somebody knocked on the door as he dragged a last drag from his cigarette and stubbing out the cigarette in the glass ashtray that laid on his hard wood desk. "Yes?" He exclaimed, attempting to conceal his anger.

In the meantime, the door opened as Timothy and Jude arrived in Dr.Arden's office, closing behind themsleves the door as they ambled up to his desk.

"There's a patient who needs a crying need to be cured with its new medical techonology." Timothy stated professionally whilst Jude glimpsed below, noting thrown newspaper against the brick wall as she opted to not raise the topic about the elder man's condition.

"Alright, Monsignor." He narrowed his dark, thick eyebrow as he beheld seconds ago the sister of the church peepeing the flinged newspaper. "I will take care of this business."

"Dr.Arden, is there anything wrong?" She asked as she was concerned for her rival, noting his ruddy face and his passive wrath that prevailed him. 

"Oh, nothing special, Sister!" He answered sceptically.

"Indeed?" She asked as she withdraw from the young priest, walking up to the tossed newspaper, picking it up as she unfold it, scanning quickly the article about Elsa Mars. "Former freak show owner still alive."  She recited the article's title with the enormous black letters. "Is that all upsetting you, doctor?" Jude asked as she wandered up to the desk as Timothy casted a calm stare to his favorite sister. 

"Oh, sister! It's not part of your concern what disturbs me." Arthur sighed dissatisfied as he was exasperated by Jude's inquistiveness and shammering concern.

Instead of answering, she just nod mousily as she didn't want to being petty and disappoint more the doctor of science, getting back to work with the Monsignor as they left his office, tossed the rolled newspaper on the doctor's desk.

To be continued...