As the wee hours of the morning loomed on the horizon as subtle, saturating sunrays dispersed through the closed crimson blinds of the former devotional members of the cloth's room, bathing their bedroom in scintillating light even if their eyelids were shut, protecting them from its bright sun light. Light as almost as silent as the death snores levitated in the bedroom.

The injured singer who experienced an unintentional accident during her show the night before was having a rough headache now as she laid all alone in her king-sized bed as its scarlet velveteen blanket still covered her senseless body. The alcohol, she drank the night before in the bar with the fellow former Monsignor left her body and blood at last as if it acquired parallelism of ghost of past. At last but not least, her knees didn't hurt her anymore as much as shortly after the incident, taking its place on the stairway to the cabaret. Her mane of glossy, wild old Hollywood golden curls ruffled on the scarlet pillow as she felt slight autumn breeze blowing in her almost motionless waterfall of honey curls.

In the interval, Timothy got up slightly earlier than her as the night hours already died in the ebon vacuum as he took a lukewarm, quick shower by changing himself in more casual clothing such as plain, white, neat shirt as he left a handful of buttons undone, followed by dark grayish slacks, layering his yet muscular, extraordinarily appealing legs for almost middle-aged man and black leather oxford shoes. Afterwards he zinged momentarily in the kitchen by brewing some coffee and preparing breakfast such as scrambled eggs and bacon. All he wanted was to redeem himself and earn forgiveness from the most prominent person in this world for him. It wasn't actually a piece of cake for him at all.

Once the blonde came to her senses as its acute aroma of scrambled eggs, bacon and brewed coffee emanated from the kitchen, drawing her attention in no time as she rubbed with her creamy, elvish fists her drowsy hazelish-brown eyes by gasping in pain, due to the rough headache that hit her right away. Thereafter she released an instinctive, unwilling yawn, escaping her dry, ravishing red lips.

"Oh God! This headache is killing me," The middle-aged lady complained by abiding stoic as she abstained instantly of crying out loud in soreful, agonizing pain which invaded her mind and body. It resembled a hell for her the headache and the accident which befell her the last night. The explicit memories of the last night during and after the occurred incident haunted her like shadows, chasing her in the darkest corners of the room and her corrupted mind with its resurfaced somber, grim thoughts which sailed and sailed.

After the former nun got from the bed by unwrapping the velveteen blanket out of her frail skeleton, she hopped up in comfy slippers by strolling up to the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash some water on her palish, dry face.

"Judy? The breakfast is served!" Timothy held a platter with two mere black mugs of caffeine beverages, followed by plates with scrambled eggs and bacon and silverware eating tools by setting them on the wide table as soon as he stepped up in the bedroom by shouting the blonde's name. It flabbergasted him she wasn't there as the sole piece of track of the former sister of the Roman Catholic church was the unwrapped blanket, giving him evidence she was already awake. Nothing else he knew behind her disappearance! Even the en-suite bathroom door seemed untouched.

Suddenly, Jude left the bathroom by being mesmerized by the sight she recently witnessed. Timothy awaited her for sharing a piece of remarkable moment by having a breakfast altogether as its tray with their plates and mugs of morning coffee sat on the large table. A coy, boyish smile flourished on his berry-coloured lips as their eyes met, locking up her hone brown orbs, fulfilled with bewilderment and tinges of disgust. Bewilderment, factly, she eventually recalled who was the recent guest in the purgatory, part of the gothic castle's residence and he treated her affably since the beginning without being a toady. Disgust, due to the circumstance, the singer recalled with whom she shared a few rooms along and it was actually the love of her life, who forsaken her for his blinding, lunatic, divine Rome miracle and naively, cheekily believing her foes without listening to her story as well. What the middle-aged lady hankered for was suffocating him by wrapping tightly her petite, nonetheless, delicate and potent hands around his neck by choking him by tormenting him and pouring her entire, fiendish anger on him for his wrongdoings and detrimental deeds which affected her life even messing it up to edges, destroying sandcastles, embodying their mutual trust, celestial respect and love they've had built for years of hardwork and indisputably strong chemistry they had.

"Good morning, Judy!" He greeted her warmly as they took their seats against one another as the former man of the cloth gripped his mug of hot caffeine beverage by sipping it, feeling its liquor resurrecting his body and dry throat.

"Morning, Timothy! What's all this for?" She questioned in leery manner by taking her silverware fork by pronging the bacon as she sliced it with the silver knife which occupied her other hand, casting a ferocious glare on the younger man without averting her honey brown irises.

"I just wanted to share some moments with you and," He took a deep breath as his nervousness escalated to borderless, remorseful sensation of his heart falling his stomach, attempting to sort wisely his train of thoughts with his conflicting thoughts which swam in his frozen mind so that to not disappoint his love interest, resulting to not looking into one another's faces and exchanging any words ever again. It was as tough as confessing his most relentless, sinister confessions behind his guilt and immense shame behind his heinous deeds and wrongdoings as well. It was a burden, built its dull, solid barrier inside his somber, entirely enveloped in lurking, pitch-black shadows and tinges, which is almost impossible of being whacked and shattered with exception of admitting the ugliest truth and the atonement being accomplished. "Being forgiven for everything I genuinely regret, although I doubt it you will forgive me after all this shit." The juvenile man tried to not admire her ethereal grace she possessed especially her ringlet of silky, shaggy golden tresses, cascading down her upper back unless she vanishes at last.

"Of course, I won't forgive you! After everything you did to me. This bastard ambition of being a Pope and leaving the rare bird to rot in a mental hospital as you took everything from her should bring you an enormous shame, Timothy Howard! I think ya want to manipulate me and use me as a rag doll temporarily until ya get sick and tired of me by throwing me away somewhere where you won't set a foot ever again." Her delirious, humongous rage emanated from his honeyed words which she loathed to hear from the man she used to love, worship and have indecent even impure thoughts of until he pursued his dream and achieved it by himself as it was his second nature to pursue his dreams rather than to be concerned and show compassion to his most remarkable person, who's the essential reason for his remorses he felt now. "How I'm supposed to forgive somebody who I used to love, worship even have impure thoughts of?" Wry, sarcastic giggle escaped her damp, bright red-coloured lips as luminous, marvelous gore.

"Judy, at least understand the forgiveness is a key to the next step which is part of our afterlife. It doesn't costs a handful of seconds to say these little words," The former holy man curtly replied, as a result of his prompt, plucked up courage lastly until the former woman of the cloth snapped at him in livid, undiplomatic manner. What she least might forgive was the person who not only criminally betrayed her, moreover stripped her off her ecclesiastical title she gloriously wore to conceal the darkness of her birth name and iniquitous, questionable past, besides her memorable, significant paraphernalia and their mutual, unconditional trust. The false hopes of being rescued were delivered like requiem, chanted to her as his absence didn't endure for days. Days transformed into months. Months into eternal years as if they bear a resemblance gloomy, timeless centuries.

"That's it ya, hypocritical bootlicker!" The singer got from the table as she went to the grandiose, lacquered in cherry wood wardrobe by preparing a pair of casual garments such as a knee length, cotton black skirt, thin black pantyhose, wine red top with V neckline and satin long sleeves, pair of clean, unused pair of wine red lingerie. Timothy gawked her in vast astonishment, feeling impotent to stop her as she grabbed a mere white towel as she opted to ignore him as much as possible. In the meanwhile, he got from his seat by ambling up to her in order to halt her as the singer planned to take a morning shower.

"Jude, please! The breakfast is our first step to,"

"Do not touch me, asshole! I didn't know ya how one man as a sheer innocence and benevolence oozed from him can drastically change and transform into nothing more than a puppet of the his dreams and the fucking church rather than to realize what kind of hopes do ya eventually delivered me." The blonde resumed as she insanely bewailed at him as she yanked herself by evading his touch of his mammoth, smooth hand, growling aggressively by clutching her firm, ivory teeth as her face grotesquely grimaced. Grotesquely grimaced the face she used to be veiled in, due to the fact, Timothy was the recent victim of being a prisoner nowhere else than a melancholic, gothic castle as a spectral, incarnating the purgatory itself. "False hopes, Timothy Howard! It was ya who deserved to be locked in the shithole for doing this. Don't you realize how immensely you broke my heart? Huh?" She casted on him a fatal, lethal glare, seconds before storming off in the en-suite bathroom and lock herself.

"Jude," In this moment, the former holy man lowered his head as his heartache encumbered him even more momentarily after she slammed harshly, unrelievedly the door. Encumbered his conscience and flimsy heart as it hammered heavily in his chest, bleeding a waterfall of thick, unholy, sanguine, magnificent blood as it pooled his feet. Furthermore, he wasn't able to proceed with his utterance as the neglection he earned from the ex-woman of the cloth. It alook like the remorseless, brutal betrayal towards her which he did to her especially when they mortals.

All of a sudden, a couple of door raps caught promptly his attention as his heart leaped in anticipation who was the uninvited guest, who disturbs him as he was all alone with his train of thoughts and prejudices.

"Who it would be now?" An inner, mellow voice echoed in his hectic mind, sealed with train of thoughts, lingering his fresh brain cells.

Timothy marched up to the door as his hand lowered down to the iron doorknob, pressing it until he was met with the former young nun, Mary Eunice and Jude and Timothy's love child, Elsie.

The young blond nun's porcelain, as pale as vanilla skin tone highlighting her soft, youthful facial features and her plumpish, soft as satin rosy-coloured lips and ocean blue eyes, fueled with pure, childish innocence and benevolence. Her ringlet of golden tresses descended down to her mid-back, framing ideally her angelic complexion. She wore a wide white-shirt with ruffled cuffs, long sleeves, sleeving her slim arms as a handful of floral buttons were left unbuttoned. Satin emerald green knee length skirt flared her round knees once her hem danced with each moved muscle of her legs. Silver, floral stud earrings buttoned her earlobes. The fragrance of apples emanated of her ringlet of golden tresses as if a real angel visited him, metaphorically contrasting the gothic, morbid atmosphere which flooded the grand, old chateau.

Whilst the six-year-old, Elsie was alook like her father as if she was mini Timothy. The young girl possessed a waterfall of chestnut curls, as big as full moon chocolate brown pools, glinted with sheer, lucid innocence, felicity and scorching love. Her plumpish, baby pinkish lips highlighted her fair skin tone of her complexion as she had her mother's button, elegant nose, well-shaped eyebrows and elvish ears, haloing it. The love child was dressed up in a plum purple gothic dress knee length with black strips, cotton long sleeves and boat neckline, exposing partly her creamy as baby skin of her chest.Mary Jane black as onyx shoes shoed her tiny feet as a black thin pantyhose layered her wee legs.

Elsie was actually Judy and Timothy's creation, made of their flesh and blood. When the middle-aged woman was committed to Briarcliff as a patient after she lost everything, she gave a birth to Elsie behind the cold, barren walls of the mental institution as Timothy took their daughter and the last time when the singer has seen her love child was actually moments after the infant took her initial breath, besides her high-pitched cry sailed in her ward.

Even when the former Cardinal was no longer in Boston as he took with himself his bastard daughter, he hided his own daughter from the other clerical members of the clergy even the Roman Catholic mass. Even more he hired a babysitter to look after the little girl when he was with the mass until he gets back at home and spend and look after his little ray of sunshine.

"Mary Eunice and Elsie! You are back!" Timothy embraced them tightly as if the blonde former young nun was actually her daughter, due to the fact Jude has always considered her protégé as her own daughter role model and the former elder nun was unconditionally doted on her.

"Monsignor?" Mary Eunice whispered bashfully between the hug as she dangled her arms around his shoulders. The young woman closed her sapphire blue eyes for a while, relishing its warmness of the hug.

"It's no longer, Monsignor, Mary Eunice!" Afterwards the both young adults broke off the hug as Timothy crouched down to his daughter by clasping his arms around her upper back.

"Dad! I missed you so much!" Elsie evoked out by throwing her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder as the unwed father of hers his heart severely ached in his ribs for killing with his own silver blade his precious, most unique treasure he had ever had along with Jude, seconds before ending his life so that to not find double evidence against him and confront the sinister consequences of his criminal deeds and wrongdoings, as a result of Briarcliff's corruption and hiring a warcriminal as a doctor of science as his patients cryptically vanished.

"My Elsie! Dad missed you a lot too! I'm so happy for seeing my little girl there." Shortly after they broke off the embrace as he rose up. His chocolate brown eyes were fixed on his adorable daughter who was mini Timothy as his orbs glistened scintillas of unalloyed glee. How long it has been since he has seen the spectral of his daughter, lurking in the purgatory? He admired every facial feature of hers even her beaming, childish, merry smile, cracked on her face as the former holy man couldn't suppress a growing radiant, joyous smile, honed up in the corner of his lips.

"T-Timothy," The young lady caught his former victim of her possessed, diabolic version whose azure blue eyes glanced at the table with a tray of breakfast for 2 people as it abided unfinished as well.

"Mmm?"

"Why they seem unfinished? I mean," The former young sister of the church timidly approached the table with the tray as her knee length skirt flared across her knees as a summer breeze. In the interval, she stammered by taking a deep breath, seconds before proceeding with her exclaimation, whilst the single father and his sole daughter fixed their gawks on the young blonde, observing her coyish body language and manners without peeling a single word unless she's finished with her speech. "The morning coffee is undrank and the plates aren't even emptied. With whom did you share a breakfast?"

"It was with Jude." The suddenness of Mary Eunice inconvenienced the young man as he ushered her to come with her in the kitchen as Elsie docilely, obediently followed her father as they rambled up to the kitchen, awaiting Mary Eunice. "Let's discuss it in the kitchen!" He opened the door for the both females by stepping aside, holding the door with a flourishing smile on his berry-coloured, damp lips. "Ladies first!" In the meantime, Mary Eunice and Elsie stepped up inside the sufficiently spacious kitchen as they took seats on the kitchen table.

"Thank you!" The both females expressed their gratitude in unison as the former priest shut the kitchen door gingerly.

The kitchen was sufficiently expansive. The walls were painted in Prussian blue as its tiled flooring was black and Prussian blue again, matching ideally with its furnitures and walls as well. There were 5 dark, polished in black as midnight chairs as its kitchen table was wide and oval shaped, adorned with charcoal plaid blanket, blanketing it. In the middle of the kitchen table was seating a marble obsidian vase with navy blue and black roses as a deep blue ribbon enveloped the vase itself. The kitchen and bathroom were the sole linked rooms to the chateau's bedroom which didn't have any windows. In addition to the kitchen's decoration, there was an ordinary microwave, onyx refrigerator and a handful of watercolor paintings, hanging on the Prussian blue walls, embellishing it.

"Would you like something to eat or drink? What kind of treat might I offer you?"

"I don't want anything, Timothy! That's so kind of you!" The juvenile blonde giggled vaguely, unsettledly.

"I want some cherry juice and a cupcake." The young girl replied with monstrous enthusiasm, vomited in her childish, joyful voice by clapping her hands rejoiced as she was beyond ecstatic for seeing her father and uniting together even when they are in purgatory yet.

"Of course, my little princess! You will get it since you're a good girl and dad loves you!" He walked up to the refrigerator by collecting a bottle of cherry natural juice and a chocolate cupcake, thereafter closing it with an elbow by placing them on the counterplot by taking from the onyx upper kitchen cabinet an empty glass as he poured its juice liquid and serving the treats to his daughter.

"Thank you, dad! You've always done anything for me to be happy." Consequently the both juvenile adults couldn't help but chuckle at the infant's words as she giggled humbly by sipping her cherry natural juice, hence, munching a small bite of her chocolate cupcake. "You did this cupcake?"

"I didn't. It's supposed to be your mother." He swallowed hard at the thought of Jude baking the cupcakes as left them disquiet, due to the fact the former Monsignor was beyond heartbroken by his right hand's bellicose demeanor earlier today, besides their love child has never seen her mother shortly after her birth.

"My mom?" The little brunette questioned by vaguely bowing her head as she looked down at her brittle, petite hand that held the cupcake in idle manner. "Where's she?"

"She's taking a shower in the bathroom."

"What happened between you and Jude?" The abrupt inquiry of the young blonde drew immediately the former holy man as he felt more remorses sailing in his minds and soul, gnawing him progressively. Even when she posed the question with inquisiteveness, whereas he squeezed his knees, feeling daggers transpiercing his chest as thick, marvelous blood spruted, it hurt him more and more mentally.

"Urm," The young man took a deep breath by inhaling afterwards as he eyed emotionlessly as his smile faded on his complexion once he should confront the demons which haunted and tormented him. The demons, who didn't permit him to live peacefully without thinking of his murderous, calluous actions towards the person who he betrayed in the limbo and most of all delivering her false hopes, and depriving their love child as he looked after it and raised it on his own for 6 years until the time when Timothy was more than ready to commit suicide and end 2 lives. One bland life which was reckoned as his, whilst the golden, one of a kind and fledgling life, was considered as his only daughter and heiress he had if it's not Judy. "This morning I woke up a bit earlier than Jude and I made breakfast by putting efforts to be as scrumptious as she would love to since she has never tasted from my dishes. After she woke up and I served the breakfast, she thought I was trying to bootlick her so that to earn her trust as quickly as possible, despite the fact I weren't saint either. I wanted to be diplomatic with her and even have a normal, human treatment by her, although the forgiveness is another key to take the further step in our lives. Throughout she went in the bathroom as she was fed up and slammed the door."

"Oh!" Mary Eunice cried by playing absentmindedly, skittishly with her long, elegant fingers as flute's strings. "It's my fault for doing all this to both of you. For violating you and teaming with Arden against her. And that's why she was imprisoned. I couldn't believe what baloney I spoke so that to be as manipulative as I thought." Meantime the young brunette was masticating another bite of her chocolate dessert by sipping of her cherry juice, feeling its fruit liquid resuciating her body and organs, hearkening unintentionally the both adults' grave discussion as Mary Eunice was redeeming herself for causing the entire detrimental, aghast damage not only to Jude, but also Timothy, himself. At last but not least, the young woman lift ounce off her shoulders which were built in her afterlife after fessing the ugliest truth behind her dreadful actions.

"It's fine, Mary Eunice! You're being forgiven but never forget I was much worse and horrible person than you. I ruined her life." Timothy clamped with his both mammoth, secure hands his daughter's ears so that to not lend an ear to their serious conversation even affecting her worldview by overthinking the dilemma. "It was my fault for believing not only you, moreover Dr.Arden and Leigh as they accused her in something which she might never done since she's an amazing woman and person. It's impossible she would capable of doing such shit to endanger even more the Briarcliff's reputation than me. I threw her away in the hellhole to rot and took away everything she possessed." He commenced to list the motives that rendered him appalling person as he was gradually avouching until no patches were imprinted on his troublesome, penitent heart. "The job she loved. Her trust and ardent love she had towards me. Her ecclestiatical title and her remarkable, nevertheless hardly any belongings she truly valued and had always with herself. Even worse. Our daughter Elsie." In this moment, the blonde listened attentively without peeling a single word as she heaved an exhale after he uttered the thing that tormented him the most. "Let's not forget It was even my fault when I murdered you when I threw you from the third floor. I was powerless and could no longer let the demon reign Briarcliff with somebody who's part of the church. I'm a monster, I know." All of a sudden, Timothy couldn't feel any longer the sorrow boiling inside his body like cauldron, filled with toxic liquid as he began sobbing, uttering the final syllables in tearful, vulnerable voice.

Silence fell between them as Mary Eunice cleared her throat, whilst the hush intensified even more as it advanced and advanced without resulting an interruption as well. Timothy knew right away the former young sister of the church won't forgive him, but at least he seeked her forgiveness and wanted to achieve atonement even if it's the least deserved thing he should receive it right away. A

Further, it was the young blonde who broke the ice at first:

"It's okay, Timothy! You are being forgiven and I know how much do you regret for the razor-sharp damage you did to her when you were still alive. You have yet hope in redeeming yourself in the name of your love to her. I know you love her since the beginning though there were other factors which deprived you to confess your feelings for her." In the interval, Timothy couldn't repress a gulp, swallowed in his throat when he heard Jude's favorite protégé declaration as she included the undeniable, inevitable circumstance of his passionate, unarguable love he had for his rare bird. "However, you have chance to be together even in your afterlife. The first step which you should take is indeed achieve her forgiveness because if you don't, otherwise you will never be in peace with yourself. Let's not even forget she's amidst the souls which can save you with your daughter."

"You don't understand she might never forgive me for the damage I did to her. It's insanely difficult. She's a tough cookie which I completely comprehend."

"The forgiveness will be conclusive key whether if the sequel of your love story is going to be a fact. Just give her some time and space. Don't be too compulsive!"

A handful of hours later after the middle-aged blonde left the bathroom by dressing up herself in a wine red top with V neckline and satin longsleeves, sleeving her frail arms,followed by thin black pantyhose, layering as long as tower, drop-dead gorgeous legs, black cotton knee length skirt and wine red chunks, shielding her elvish feet. Glittering onyx studs buttoned her earlobes. Afterwards, she left her room where she's destined to share it with her roommate,rival and love interest in the same time by descending the stairway for the second floor by going in the library.

Once she stepped up in the grandiose library of the gothic castle, her inquisitiveness of inspecting the bookshelves with sorted by alphabet order and genres books. Her hazelish-brown eyes, fulfilled with serenity, childish curiosity of discovering the world that encircled her contemplated absentmindedly the wooden, swankily lacquered in specific paint as it resembled an aristrocratic library. Not just an usual one, in spite of its old age.

"Oh God! What a paradise of books!" The elder blonde exclaimed elated as she placed on top of her chest her palm, lightly pressing it as she felt the hammering, frequent heart beats, contemplating in awe Judy's surroundings.

Thereafter her heels slowly clicked against the marble flooring with each took step by surveying the library as time was on her hands. The dead silence as it sunk inside the library somewhat disturbed her as she felt all alone, being trapped by swarm of shadows and invisible, invincible demons of her past, stalking her until her days were reckoned.

"How may I help you, ma'am?" The librarian asked as she stood in front of the former devotional woman of the cloth by offering her a sympathetic, serene smile, formed on her lips.

"Oh! Pardon, I didn't expect this." Jude flinched as she turned to the affable librarian.

The librarian was actually in the beginning of her 50s with medium bob dark red haircut, peaking to her neck. Her skin tone was mildly olive tanned, highlighting her naturally graceful facial features on her vaguely wrinkled complexion. She wasn't wearing any make-up. Namely natural beauty. Her lips were naturally, heart-shaped rosy-coloured. Additionally, she usually wore crimson and black garments such as black shirt with a couple of undone buttons, followed by crimson trousers, outlining her slightly flabby legs, black and red stilettos, crimson tie, matching ideally with her daily outfit. Ruby studs pierced into her earlobes by framing her beautiful complexion. Her nails were polished in scarlet and black as usually. Furthermore, she was being a librarian for a long time and the cause of her death was one of clients in the library was involved in massacre as she was midst the victims.

Her fragrance was always cinnamon and lilac, in fact, her perfumes were lilac and she drank her morning coffees with cinnamon.

"It's fine! Don't be too anxious!"

"Are you actually the librarian of this library?"

"Yes, definitely! May I know your name, ma'am?"

"Judy Martin!"

"Judy! What a wonderful name!" The librarian couldn't help but compliment graciously her recent client who entered through the gates of the library. "I'm Melinda Spencer! It's a pleasure to meet you, Judy!" They shook their hands as their handshake lasted for a split second, without breaking their awkward eye contact as Jude wore a sheepish, demure smile, hugging her rosy-coloured, dazzling lips.

"Thank you! It's my pleasure, Ms. Spencer! I'm just here to tour around the library and look for some interesting Literature if it's grabs my eye at first sight."

"Of course! I just like to introduce myself to the clients and most of all, help them if they're struggling with finding some books."

"I see. Aren't you kinda busy now?" The native Bostonian enquired with mild concern, vomited in her voice by walking up to the bookshelf with cooking books.

"Not at all! Lately the clients aren't regular. Also they don't visit too much these days. It's weird what bizarre things are happening there." Melinda muttered by escorting the Bostonian lady as she arched an eyebrow in perplexion, amusing her how it comes the clients aren't a lot, factly, the librarian is amiable and open-minded.

"Oh! Who knows them? Probably they have a slight interest in reading books or there's another reason why they come here."

"It depends of the people, themselves! Well, Judy, if you need me for something you're tremendously looking for as books, look for me around the library and tell me right away. Okay?"

"Okay!" Subsequently, the singer took the first cooking book by opening its first pages by scanning its text for a while, eyeing it. "An Italian gourmet Catering! Hmm?" She carried on as she was beyond pensive by perusing it's the dish's ingredients and proper instructions for cooking it. Then she flipped by skipping a couple of more pages. What she found more in the cookery book? Goth sushi. Almond pulp. Raspberry bread. Cinnamon French Toast Bites. Lastly she closed the cookery book by leaving it on the bookshelf's row from where she took it by heading towards the other bookshelf, full of psychological books.

"Judy? Judy?" The German emigrant exclaimed plainly with her firm German accent, accentuated by the way she spelled the Bostonian's name.

"Ah, Elsa? It's ya!" The former holy woman turned to Elsa who was on her left side by setting free a cheerful, self-conscious chuckle at her own embarrassment for not expecting to meet the other singer, who was part of her duet the night before. "I haven't been expecting ya so far there."

"It's alright, my darling! Are ya feeling better?" The former freak show owner questioned concerned by caressing faintly, gingerly with her fingers the other blonde's cheek as her fingertips tipped her cheekbone's flesh.

"Better than the last night. My knees no longer hurt after the incident, miraculously. But I had a rough headache this morning shortly after I woke up."

"Ah, I'm glad you're better than then. Is it your head hurting yet?"

"Not anymore."

"Splendid! I'm concerned for you, ya know, Mein Liebchen!" A reassuring, optimistic smile distorted across Elsa's bloody red lips. "Are you going to be part of the show tonight?"

"I'll be, of course! I don't like to be pitied at all, Elsa."

"It's okay. I'm not piting you. I was just," As the other middle-aged woman was about to resume her sentence, light footsteps of a little girl clicked against the marble library floor as they were oblivious for the both adults.

"Mama?" Elsie evoked by recognizing ideally who was actually her mother, noticing she was accompanied by other lady who eerily resembled her and shared something oddly in common.