2 days later
29th of October, 1969

"Valerie, it's unbelievable this masterpiece." Her father Maksim squealed joyfully as he, his daughter and Shona seated somewhere in the dining room, eating a slice fo vanilla cake with peanut butter cream. Thereafter he jabbed with the silverware fork the sliced part, putting it in his mouth, relishing the sweetness's taste. His light eyes fixed down on his plate.

"I should make this cake one day when we get back at home." She said plainly, hence, munching, humming velvety. "Mmmm!" Her heart was molting as a chocolate bar in savoring something sweet as she loved sweets though she rarely afforded, due to the fact they were peculiarly addictive, gaining weight and acne emerged on her face. "You are absolutely right, father."

"I love this so much." Shona praised afterwards leaving the fork in her plate as she clapped jubilantly with her hands, gesturing she is finished as she has emptied it just moments ago. "Probably there will be more tonight."

"Shona, you can have even now with the entire paradise. It's only up to you." Maksim responded in return with a shining, affectionate smile, blooming on his face.

"Father?" The maid snapped.

"What is it, honey?" He inquired. "Did I do anything wrong?" He shrugged bashfully.

"Don't be ridiculous! She will wait up to tonight for one mroe piece of cake. I don't want her to be spoiled way too much and be obese at age 10." She retorted, arching an eyebrow, whereas the young girl played with her fork, annoyingly ticking the plate.

"She's just a child, Val. Embrace the fact the children adore sweets." He shifted his stare up at the young woman's hazel green eyes, radiating her slight exasperation and adrenaline, flowing out of her. An infectious smile distorted across her lips. "You used to be like that even your gluttony couldn't rescue you from craving sweets."

"I know, I know!" Her answer was as sharp as a razor, unraveling each bone and flesh as the thick, somber blood fluid baptized the razor's silver edge. "I care about her health and she ate not only a slice of cake, moreover ice-cream and a Salem waffle weren't exceptional."

"Oh, yeah. I remember. I am so sorry. I am not that young man who I used to be anymore, my daughter!" He apologized, tilting his head, sticking out with a fork the piece as he put it directly in his mouth, cheaing it.

"It is alright since you are adequately thinking!" In the meantime, Valerie's hand reached for Maksim's, cupping his knuckles as she offered him an amiable, loving smile. "At least!" She emphasized additionally,patting lightly his surprisingly creamy knuckles.

"Yeah especially for a man in his late 50s." He couldn't oppress the punchline that rendered him to laugh as his raspy, guttural chuckle escaped his lips. "However, let's be straight. On Halloween, Shona will eat tons of sweets which you are going to collect from trick or treat together." Meanwhile, the housekeeper sighed as she shifted her stare to the young girl, offering her a smile as their hazel orbs linked together in a long-lasting eyeing.

"What's it, mom?" The infant asked, leaving the fork in her plate, rubbing her sweaty palms on her skirt.

"Do you remember when we are going to trick or treat along?"

"Of course, I do." Shimmering smiles loomed on their fresh-faced complexions. "After 2 days!"

"That's my girl." Valerie rapped faintly her shoulder, raspy chuckle vamoosed her lips. "Under one condition only." She maneuvered with an index finger, looking straight up at her glimmering hazel eyes. "Don't eat all candies on Halloween night, okay?"

"Mhm." Shona nodded, buzzing agreeably, consequently pursing her lips. 

***

The serene afternoon hours dawned in Boston as Timothy was beyond busy with raking the leaves in the Howards mansion yard, inhaling the fresh, clean countryside's air as the fresh air bathed his nostrils with its cleanness. The mailman was overlooked by Timothy as it was oblivious to him, whilst Jude noted the trivial detail as the postman passed approximately their mansion a couple of minutes ago. She supervised this from the kitchen's window after watering some flower pots, motionlessly sitting on the countertop. 

Whereas Ellie and Tristan weren't at home as they were at the kindergarten unlike Agnes Jude, who was drowning in an afternoon, leisure catnap in her bassinett from a quarter an hour. 

The former priest was thrumming himself, whistling as the autumn breeze blowed his elegant chestnut hair, utterly focused on raking the leaves. 

"Timothy, did you just check the mailbox?" Jude held a message that she took it out from the mailbox as the mailman passed in their neighbourhood a handful of minutes ago, aiming up to him as he was cleaning the crispy, chromatic leaves by raking them in the yard.

"Oh no!" He cried, wiping with his forearm his damp, clammy temple. "I am sorry, darling. I have been busy with these little friends named crispy-chips leaves for a half an hour." He hyperbolized when he portrayed the leaves as the couple couldn't contain for a single second as they snickered altogether, accidentally dropping the rake on the grassy ground.

"Timothy! God sake!" Tears of genuine, dewing happiness in her slightly soggy hazel irises, tumbling down her cheeks. Guffawed out loud along as she grasped the message, standing a couple of centimetres away from him. Her stomach sufficiently hurted of a good laughter. "Stop making me laugh even for the pettiest thing." She cautioned during the laughter, unable to control herself as she caressed her wee stomach, her fingers tipping her floral blouse's fabric, bowing her head.

"I cannot. It's probably your fault for laughing for such petty...petty stuff."

"Do not put the blame on me!" Subsequently they halted to laugh as she tilted her head, reading the message as her eyes scanned in leery manner the message's text, silence arching them. "Sometimes even a faint mock can cause such a wildfire of laughs. A total disaster!" She justified persistently, without taking her gaze off the message, shifting it somewhere else when her smile faded, being replaced with a grotesque, mortified frown as she kept on reading the letter. The silence wasn't oblivious for the couple at all. What was bothering Timothy was the hushing ambience that encompassed them.

"Judy? Sweetheart?" He rocked her shoulders though she abided paralyzed by resuming the message's blank that caught her attention promptly, unable to resist its urge to look at Timothy's reassuring, warm chocolate eyes. "Are you alrigh-" He stammered as he pried, glancing below, surveying the text in secinds, assimilating it as the former priest came to the conclusion why she seemed bitter. Their hearts froze in their pulsating, brisky chests as the nemesis dawned. The blood in their veins boiling constantly with searing frequency and strength.

"Do you think it is, judging by this message?" She snapped slightly vexed, incapable to believe about that even the postman will deliver the Howards such a message from the young, pigheaded priest who's currently residing Salem.

"Oh! This imbecile will sue us."

"For sadly, yes." Jude cried, sighing resentfully as she peeped down at the sheet of paper. In the meantime, she swallowed a lump in her throat. "However, we have a better solution to this problem, darling."

"You mean who will testify against him?" Timothy questioned.

"Of course! You already know who will join our combat against him and Father Malachi."

"Lana and Frank!"

"Definitely! We won't be all alone against this priest with his puppet." Smirk crawled on Jude and Timothy's faces like snakes, saturating their bliss as she shifted her gaze up to Timothy's warm, benevolent chocolate orbs, locking up his eyes. "We will be a tough team against them." 

"Exactly! Further, he hasn't got enough evidence to prove us as guilty, if we need to be more objective." Timothy cautioned seriously as he grabbed Jude's chin, tilting her head as they have more accurate eye contact. "Let's not forget once this mouse named Father McKenzie loses the case against all of us, the jail bars are going to be his new home...paying for his deeds." The couple couldn't help but chuckle in guttural manner. 

"Indeed, he has no idea what we are capable of...not only both of us as a couple, but our allies who have some piece of evidence to prove him guilty." In the meantime, the former nun rapped faintly, kindly Timothy's broad shoulder as her other arm cupped his creamy cheek as her thumb kneaded on circles in sluggish manner his cheekbone, her smirk glistening as the daylight illuminated their palish complexions and hairs.

"We will always win against the patriachal sadism."

***

Later tonight

As Valerie wanted to catch some fresh air and hike around Salem as she already kept her wits about the small city, she passed grandioze partly stark oak trees, her heels clicking against the cemented path, inwardly whistling to herself, imagining one of her favorite the Beatles' songs and humming in the same time. 

Her father Maksim and sole daughter Shona were in the booked hotel room as the middle aged man was on the balcony, watching the aesthetic nocturnal scenery from high. Whilst the young girl was coloring one of her drawings with multicoloured pastels, seated on the hardwood desk. 

The young woman relished the nocturnal's serenity that predominated the small city, known as the house of the witches. She inhaled the fresh, clean air as her long glossy scarlet hair was bouncing up and down with each step, each click of her heels, producing a sound. Her obsidian capelet coat was hugging her slim torso, shielding it against the evening cold climate. 

All of a sudden, she was neatly dressed, surprsingly scarcely dressed up in clerical attires. Father McKenzie. He was walking down the somber neighbourhood of Salem as he was about to visit his family house where he was born and being raised. The juvenile, aspiring, hypocritical priest was a few feet away from the housekeeper.

Once her hazel irises noted his presence, she couldn't be more livid for contemplating one of her friends' rivals as her blood briskly, turbulently boiled in his veins and body, oozing the impending woe that will hit Alexander, who was strolling beyond peacefully. All she wanted was to have a revenge on the fool who not only is far from inconclusive to sue the Howards, but also for his vicious crimes and remorseless deeds which he has never regretted for yielding them at all. 

The red-haired lady snuck up as she tiptoed with her heels as the priest was walking peacefully, far from cautiously what will stand on his way as a hazard until she grabbed him astonishingly powerful by his throat, barely able to heft him up as he chocked, unable to breath, panting as he attempted to release himself from her grasp, in spite of his doubtless failure. Meanwhile, she exploited this moment to rapidly push him against one of the trees, hiding somewhere where isn't crowded at all. 

"Chris-" He swore as she clamped with a hand his mouth, barely benefiting his ability to speak as she cut him off, sensing his soft, dry lips mumbling as his spine mildly hurt once his back met one of the oak severe trees barks, yelping as the maid's body roughly pressed her slender body against his, trapping him desolated and incapable of escaping her claws.

"Shu, shu, Father McKenzie! That's our secret place, okay?" She opted to cause awkwardness to him and test his patience and his sexual arousment though he instinctively even promptly recognized she wasn't actually heterosexual. He nodded, affirming agreement. 

Little did the housekeeper herself know how potent she was physically, although she was a fragile woman whose adrenaline verged once she beheld the loathsome man of the cloth in the middle of the Salem's streets. 

She detested almost every man in this world as Frank, Kit and Timothy were exceptional, nonetheless, the rest of them were particularly disappointing, in her opinion. Whilst the priest was struggling, the bizarre oracle Sally was wandering around the Salem streets until she witnessed perhaps one of the best things she has ever seen- her sexual predator's torment especially a woman combatting him. A smug, malicious smirk curled up in the corner of Sally's plump, naturally rosy-coloured lips as she approached the protesting holy man and the maid she has encountered once in her life.

"You won't escape from there, you stupid idiot." Valerie whispered menacingly in his ear as she omitted a wicked, quiet cackle from her throat. "It's unbelievable what have you planned to do with my friends. To sue them for something which is nothing compared to the crimes you have committed as an irresponsible adult with no moral."

"Val!" Suddenly the younger woman reluctantly evoked as she was centimetres away from the struggling priest, surveying swiftly as she was able to put a finger on the recent situation. 

In the interim, the brunette earned the red-haired woman's quizzical glimpse whilst Father McKenzie casted a glaring, uninterrupted eyeing on her rape victim. 

"You slut!" Alexander addressed lividly the brunette as she swallowed a lump in her throat as her face all flushed, vapoured in ruddy tint as her adrenaline striked her.

"Contron your foul language, Father!" Valerie clarified him as she narrowed viciously her eyebrows as she had more strength over him. The more fear he demonstrated, the more the Russian-American lady acquired more might.

"Father, you should apologize me for calling me a slut because I am not the slut who offered you this. You were actually this one who violated me and used my body for your benefits."

"Lies!" He shrieked, wriggling though the older woman's grasp was far from flimsy, feeble. In the meantime, the both women smacked his face with two searing slaps as welts and tingles of pinkish marks abided on his face as he growled in pain, clenching his teeth in wrath.

"What are the lies, Father? For addressing a rape victim a slut?" The maid paused as she cleared her throat in frustration as Sally coughed coldly, dryly. "You were the rapist and the manwhore."

"Do not approach this filthy face at me!" He muttered as he earned one more smacking, sufficiently igniting slap as he caressed with his long, subtle fingers the trace of the powerful slap. "Fucking Christ, lesbian! I didn't know the lesbians were such daredevils."

"I am not a lesbian but I am part of her team." The single mother of rape case daughter hissed through her clutched teeth, showing her snaking tongue to embarrass the man of the clergy in degrading, unseen way like before as a nemesis.

"Somebody help me, please!" He attempted to catch his breath though Sally's elegant fingers dragged him roughly his light chestnut's hairs, pulling his rotated face to hers as her mint breath pinched in disgust his face.

"Nobody will help a rapist and criminal!"

"If you dare to harm somebody from our inner circle, I promise you a hell for you for eternity, Father. Even the purgatory won't rescue your lunatic, stomach-chruning and peccant soul." Ms. Whigham threatened through a huff as if she was playing the role of the adult and he was the infant." Am I clear, Father Asshole?" He swallowed hard after hearing the venomous impendences, coming from his prey's mouth. He nodded his head, without blandly debating the both women.

"And let's be clear, Father Alexander Stanley McKenzie!" The red-haired lady commenced with her grave monologue, her fingers firmly wrapped around his throat as her hazel green eyes were darted like honed arrows in his azure blue eyes, gouging them in a cunning peep. "You are more than determined to sue Judy and Timothy as he hasn't left his signature on Jude's document for her release. And let's not forget by the way you called them. You...cannot call them like that ever since you are a priest for goddamn sake."

"You will pay for your crimes sooner or later. I am completely sure about it." Sally exclaimed.

Subsequently, the both ladies released Alexander as he rushed up to flee as fast as possible. As far as he could from the both women's infernal game, meanwhile they couldn't oppress a mischievous snickering altogether, watching him hastily running away like a wounded, shot hare.

"From where do you know I am here?" Valerie enquired the younger woman with a smug, content grin spreading across her plump, naturally rosy-coloured lips as their hazel orbs met, locking up their gapes.

"I know everything. I am an oracle." The brunette winked self-consciously. Meantime, the scarlet-haired couldn't contain the snigger that escaped her lips as the another woman joined her,swatting her shoulder. "But you did a great job in threating him. To realize the women are in charge everywhere!"

"Mhm! Exactly, Sally! I hope he figures out his pathetic manners sooner or later."

"He will! It's up to the time when he is being taught what disasters await him with ginormous impatience." In the meantime, she placed her both hands on her shoulders, pulling her in a short-lasting embrace.

To be continued