"Tell me you're lying," Elsa panted, staring at Penelope in either shock or disgust, it was unclear which. Penelope felt the tears now stream down her face as she shook her head slowly. "TELL ME!"

"Oh my god," Jimmy's voice was dry, as he had just finished emptying the contents of his stomach. "Oh my god you eat people, you eat-" He threw up again, as if there were anything left. Penelope had nothing more to say, but the Freaks were losing their damn mind, screaming and running around all over the place.

"In here, now," Elsa hissed, pulling Penelope away from the scene and taking her back into the tent. She practically threw her in there and slammed the tent curtains shut so quickly that it nearly stung her hands. She spun around and faced Penelope, who was standing there, her long black hair over her face and the tears streaming down. "The meatballs…" Elsa whispered.

"Elsa, stop," Penelope begged, gasping for air at the same time. "Please stop."

"I need to know," Elsa snapped. "You at least have to tell me what I was eating."

"I told you not to eat it," Penelope sobbed, covering her pale face with her hands. "I told you. I swear I told you. Elsa I-" Elsa walked up to Penelope and slapped her.

"HOW COULD YOU?" she screamed.

"I SAID I TOLD YOU!" Penelope screeched back, her voice piercing through the air like a blade slicing through cold wind. "BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME! SO SHUT UP ABOUT IT!"

"CANNIBALISM IS NOT SOMETHING I CAN SHUT UP ABOUT!" Elsa shouted. "You're eating people." Penelope shook her head and turned away.

"Stop talking to me, right now, before I end up cutting your throat," she spat. "I'm warning you Elsa."

"Do you really think they're gonna let a cannibal run this place, Pen?" Elsa hissed.

"Who said I wanted this place?" Penelope whispered. "WHO?"

"You and Jimmy wanted to run it! I know you did!" Elsa gasped.

"Yes that's when there was a 'me and Jimmy'. But he doesn't l-love me anymore," Penelope broke down again, collapsing onto the floor. "He doesn't love me and I don't blame h-h-him." There was the sound of sirens in the distance and Penelope closed her eyes, almost peacefully. "I take it that was your call?" Elsa stared at her.

"Of course not, why would I do that?" Elsa muttered. "More to the point when would I do that?" Penelope's eyes snapped open.

"You didn't call the cops? But then-"

"FREEZE, POLICE!" came a torrent of loud, angry voices as the tent doors got ripped open. They ran over to where Penelope sat and grabbed her, sticking handcuffs on her and pinning her to the ground.

"Miss Penelope we are arresting you on suspicion of cannibalism. You do not have to say or do anything you do say may be used later on in court."

"No! Nobody called the police for anything!" Elsa yelped, following them out of the large tent where the Freaks were watching again, mouths wide open. "Please, oh god please don't take her!"

"We're sorry, Miss Elsa," the officer nodded, before jumping into the van, the other officers throwing her in the back and slamming the doors. "We will let you know anything you need to." Elsa could do nothing but cry as she saw her niece been driven away into the night.

…

Nine months.

That's how long Elsa had been looking after the Freakshow completely on her own. Nothing much had changed, but Maggie was still with Jimmy. Elsa's chance to become a star completely disappeared straight through her fingers.

Oh, and she had a baby.

No, it wasn't her child. It was Penelope's. One summer's morning, the police had knocked on the tent post with a basket. Once Elsa opened it, her heart began to slam against her chest. She didn't see the police, she just saw the basket – and she nearly cried again. The police had explained that actually, there was a child and Penelope gave birth whilst in an institution. The baby was born too early, but they still gave her to Elsa. Completely out of the blue. Yes, it was Jimmy's baby too, but he didn't need to know that. In fact he didn't know that, he just thought that Elsa had adopted in replacement of Ma Petite.

He didn't really care anyway.

This particular morning was the day that it was rumoured Penelope would be returning. The Freakshow needed her leadership – as much as Elsa tried, she just wasn't Penelope. She didn't have what Penelope had.

Elsa had woken up extra early due to Selina's constant cries. She wasn't very well this morning, she had a slight fever because she was crying. "Oh…oh oh Selina, don't cry sweetie," Elsa hummed, picking her up from her swinging cot. Selina's tiny hands were balled up in angry fists and her smooth, straight black hair was sticking to her forehead with sweat. Her deep green eyes were shut with frustration and her delicate pink lips were in a large 'o' shape. But when she was against Elsa's bosom, she calmed down. She felt at peace whenever she was in Elsa's arms. "That's better princess. Hey, your mother is coming home today. Do you want to see your mother?" Selina gave a soft gurgle and Elsa chuckled at this. "Of course you do." Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Elsa reached the window and glanced outside, seeing the police van outside there. "There she is," she whispered, rushing out of the tent even though she was only in her dark red silk sleeping gown. She knocked on the door of Desiree rapidly.

"Elsa?" Desiree blinked when she opened it. "What's all the noise about now?"

"I need you to take Selina," Elsa whispered. "Penelope's back." Desiree gasped and took the sleeping baby.

"Of course, of course…oh I am so glad," she mumbled. Elsa turned around and ran to the van as they opened the door and took out…a cage.

"Oh my goodness," Elsa whispered, watching them in horror. Inside the cage, curled in a ball, was Penelope. She was dressed in a white dress and over her face she had some form of contraption that clamped her mouth shut with metal barbed wires. She was bleeding everywhere, her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, her hands…her eyes were droopy and heavy and she had lost so much weight she could've snapped in half at any second. She looked awful. Her eyes joined to Elsa's and went wide, like she recognised her but still didn't know who she was. "What happened to her?"

"Miss Elsa please, if you could put her in a secluded area?" the officer asked her seriously, with a grave look on his face.

"Y-yes, there's the unused tent near the back, leave her there," Elsa snapped out of her daze, nodding briskly.

"Will do, ma'am." Penelope tried to scream but only blood came out in a painful and messy gurgle, as she wasn't able to open her mouth at all. Elsa recoiled in disgust at the inhumane ways that they used to keep Penelope 'stable'. But she still watched the officers march the cage into the abandoned tent, waiting for them to get out of the grounds before she walked in herself.

A/N: SO MUCH HAPPENING. I WILL UPDATE NEXT WEEK FRIDAY. What did you all think about the season finale? I was kinda torn about it, half liked it, half thought it was a bit of a weak ending, I don't know…

(twitter: langdondarling)

- J x