Elsa crossed her arms slowly over her chest as Pepper and Dot and Bette continued to hang the wet clothes up on the lines. Jimmy stopped his motorbike near the entrance of the great tent, and Elsa approached him as they got off.
"Where were you at breakfast? It's going on 10:00," she asked.
"Just grabbed some grub," he replied casually, kicking down the kickstand. As Britta stood put with her hands clasped in front, Elsa approached her and looked as she wore the same clothing as yesterday, and the day before, and the day before.
"Mein leibchen," she said emphatically, placing her hands on the girl's delicate face. "You're wearing the same clothes as yesterday." Britta stayed silent as the woman sighed, shaking her head. "You need new clothes. You cannot go on stage tomorrow night dressed like that. It isn't…professional."
The girl responded to her tone by cocking her eyebrows upward, keeping her lips from moving as she listened to Elsa.
"Today, that will change. You are coming with me to get you some," she whispered. "First, let us do chores, ja?"
"Elsa, she can't understand you," Jimmy said wearily. "She can't speak English."
"All the better then," the German responded with a smile. "She will learn soon enough."
Jimmy watched as Elsa placed her arm around Britta's shoulder; it was at though she was the mother the girl had lost so long ago. He watched a little bit more as Elsa turned Britta to face her, placing her hands on her delicate shoulders and speaking to her with a smile on her face. She directed the girl to pick up some clothing from the basket, and she did so, hanging every shirt, pair of pants, and sock to precision on the line. Within the next hour, the laundry had been all hung up to dry, and Elsa called her chauffeur to pick up not only she and Britta, but Dot and Bette, Eve, and Ethel—they were off to town for a day of shopping.
There was a small shopping district in Jupiter composed of five different stores, three of them being more high-end. Dotte and Bette, Eve, and Ethel had all brought some of their own money with them, but Elsa was kind enough to pay for Britta's selections and her own choices for the girl. Their first stop was a boutique called Le Fleur, and inside was a wall displaying an array of fancy, brand new shoes in their boxes, racks of clothing in the main part of the store, and accessories on the wall across from the shoes. Purses, jewelry sets with earrings and necklaces, scarves, hats, and other items were included and set on display in a meticulous fashion.
"Oh, great," Ethel said sarcastically. "There's probably nothin' that fits me."
"We're with you on that," Dot sneered.
"We just need to find bigger dresses, that's all," Bette smiled, keeping her cool composure. Elsa had already walked away from the rest of them to begin looking at what was in stock for the day. A shop assistant, who looked rather fashionable, also looked quite nervous upon seeing the freaks of nature walking into the shop. She approached Elsa shyly and smiled.
"Is…is there anything you need help with?" she asked, holding her hands together in front of her.
"Oh, no," Elsa said. "I am fine, danke."
"We need some help over here," Bette said, looking at the shop assistant as she raised the hand on her side of their body. Dot rolled her eyes at her conjoined twin.
"Oh," the shop assistant muttered, horrified at their conjoined body as she approached them. "I'm sorry, but we don't have dresses for your kind."
"All we need is a larger size," Bette said sweetly. "We could both fit in a larger dress."
"We don't have larger sizes," the shop assistant said with reluctance.
Britta, who was looking at blouses, looked back at Bette and Dot being ridiculed by the shop assistant. They really aren't treated well in this town, she thought to herself, I hope I am not seen in the same way.
"Ma'am, we wanna see some dresses," Dot said firmly.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you," the saleswoman answered.
"Please?" Bette asked.
"Ugh, you're a waste of time," Dot sneered at the sales woman. Britta walked toward the twins and made eye contact with Bette, her dark eyes full of sad emotions.
"Ursäkta mig?" she asked. She turned red suddenly—she said the wrong word.
"What did you say?" The saleswoman went right over toward Britta, who gazed at her blankly with red cheeks.
"Oh," Elsa said, walking toward Britta calmly and putting her hands on her shoulders from behind with her focus on the sales woman. "She is our newest headliner. She doesn't know English yet."
"Do you need help?" the saleswoman asked, sweetening her tone. Dot looked at Britta with resentment.
"Ja," Elsa said, taking a breath. "I'm sure she would like to see some dresses."
"Hm," the shop assistant grunted.
"There is no need for help," Elsa said, holding up six hangers in both hands with dresses, blouses, and skirts. "Britta, try these on, liebling."
"The fitting room is back here," another saleswoman said, who was older by comparison.
"I have some picks of my own," Eve said, her tall self holding up two pairs of bottoms and three tops on hangers. The saleswoman looked up at her strangely and giggled teasingly.
"Yes, sure. Over there," she said, pointing in the direction Britta, Elsa and everyone else was walking in. Elsa handed Britta the clothing she had found for her, and in the fitting room she went with Eve going in the one right next to it. The shop assistants stayed further behind, the younger one whispering to the older.
"It's like a freak show in our own store," she snickered.
"Hush," said the older.
In the fitting room, Britta looked at what was selected for her by Elsa—each clothing article was beautiful, but some had short sleeves. She hated short sleeves. One such article was a sugar pink dress with a squared neckline and skirt that reached the knees. Getting out of the clothes she was wearing, she changed into the dress just get it over with. Opening the door, she looked and saw Eve displaying an outfit consisting of a white, capped-sleeved blouse and a short black skirt that accentuated her abnormally long, slender legs.
"It looks lovely," Bette said with a smile.
"Schön," Elsa said with a smile as she clapped. She turned her eyes to Britta, who hid her hands behind her back, and approached her with a smile. Ethel and Dot looked at her in awe, and Elsa placed her hands on her shoulders.
"It is beautiful," she said, looking down at the girl's slender frame. "But we can see it especially well when your arms aren't behind your back."
Britta's eyes widened in shock, and she turned red with embarrassment as she let Elsa gently place her arms from behind her back to her sides. Hiding her forearms carefully under the folds of the skirt, Elsa moved back and admired the sight. Bette loved it, as did everyone else.
"Wow! It's just perfect, Britta!" she exclaimed—Dot rolled her eyes.
Elsa, Ethel, Britta, Dot and Bette, and Eve continued to shop—as they moved from store to store in the little shopping district, people stared at them strangely. From Elsa's flamboyant dress to Ethel's full beard, to Dot and Bette's conjoined nature and Eve's abnormal, great height, people found something to snicker and be rude about. Britta did not feel comfortable, as she was now wearing the sugar pink dress and a brand new, comfortable pair of shoes she had picked herself. She was carrying a bag full of blouses and skirts Elsa had purchased for her and another bag with fancier, casual shoes and a pair only for stage, which would make their debut the next night. She looked to be staring at the ground, but really, she was looking at the deep, intense scarring on her wrists which had come from a much darker time in her life. They were exposed for all to see; she hated looking at them. She hated them. Period.
After being in three of the shops, everyone had purchased something by the time they reached their final stop—the salon. Upon entering, several potential customers left their seats in the waiting area and simply fled the salon. The stylists looked at Elsa, one gulping, and she began to speak.
"I expect to be taken good care of. I am a star after all, as are my…friends here," the woman said. "Chop-chop."
Ethel got a trim and her beard groomed, much to the dismay of the stylist performing the task. Eve got her bangs curled and her hair was given a thorough perm, as well as having her eyebrows plucked. Bette and Dot both took a while for their hair to be done, as the same stylist did both heads on their shared body. They stuck with their normal hairstyles, which were simple black bobs held back by distinctive headbands. Elsa and Britta, on the other hand, were getting manicures and pedicures before having their hair done. Elsa got her hair trimmed and redone into the usual tight curls. Britta, however, was the last to get her hair done—the stylist ran her fingers through her long, golden locks in awe after unbraiding it. Elsa looked at the stylist, smiling at her and handing her a $5 bill for a tip.
"She is our newest headliner," she whispered slyly. "Make her look like a star."
The stylist got to work and did as Elsa asked, cutting Britta's waist-long hair to the shoulders. The girl tried to maintain calm, although she didn't want for her hair to be cut. Luckily, it was still long enough to set large pin curls on the Swede's head. Elsa and the others watched as Britta's golden hair was styled to perfection in the style of bombshell Jayne Mansfield and her eyebrows were plucked. They were not particularly thick to begin with, but it added definition to her arches. The end result was better than just any casual braid she had worn in her lifetime—it was perfection.
"Better," Elsa said, coming forward. "Much better."
"Ooh!" Britta cooed, looking at her reflection in the mirror—she looked and felt more womanly and even modern, as she knew that in Sweden, a crown braid was more traditional for ladies of her age. She lightly touched her hair, gazing in wonder at how her golden locks looked in this hairdo.
"You did the girl up. It's a hella fine job," Ethel said with a smirk.
"I wish I could touch it, Britta," Bette said dreamily. "You look like Jayne Mansfield!"
"Don't ruin it," Dot said firmly. "Jayne is platinum."
"But it looks so pretty on Britta," Bette answered, looking to her sister on their shared body.
"Vacker," the Swede whispered softly in admiration of her new, fashionable style. "Tack så mycket."
Elsa leaned down toward Britta, getting a closer look at her new look. She was a beautiful young woman, and now she was new and improved. The girl looked back at Elsa who smiled and giggled.
"You are a star," she whispered.