Eve had already left the caravan when Greta woke the next morning. Pulling on shorts and a shirt quickly, the young woman made her way towards Paul's caravan to see how he was. She found Penny asleep on the bed, stretched out alongside her lover and Jimmy leaning against the cupboards opposite.
"How is he?" She asked quietly, noting the pale face of the young woman who clearly hadn't got much sleep. "Has the doctor been?"
"No." Jimmy snapped, shaking his head. "He never came."
"But, Elsa said…"
"She says a lot of things."
Greta didn't reply. She just nodded, keeping eye contact with Jimmy to reassure him that she understood what he was saying. Nodding back, he turned and left the caravan, careful not to let the door slam shut behind him. Perching cautiously on the edge of the bed, she began to remove the dressing on Paul's abdomen gently. He winced; his eyelids fluttering as he slowly regained consciousness.
"Hey…" She murmured, smiling reassuringly. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I was attached to a wheel and stabbed with a knife. Oh, wait…" Paul joked weakly.
Greta grinned at him. "At least you have not lost your sense of humour. I am going to re-dress your wound, OK?"
He nodded and closed his eyes once more as she set to work. By the time she had finished, Penny had woken up and was watching her carefully, learning what to do so that she would be able to change the dressings next time. Greta patiently explained what she was doing, repeating parts when requested without complaint.
Finally satisfied that the dressing was as good as it was going to get, Greta left the couple alone. She crossed the camp in search of a cup of coffee, which she desperately needed, when she bumped into Eve who looked frantic with worry. Grabbing the older woman's hands, Greta tried to calm her down enough to understand what had happened.
"Ma Petite!" Eve told her for the third time, finally managing to get out her words in a coherent order. "She's not in her trailer. She's gone!"
"How do you know she is gone, love." Greta tried to be the voice of reason, seeing how much Eve was panicking. "Perhaps she is–"
"She missed breakfast!"
The blonde's eyes widened. "Ma Petite never misses breakfast…"
"Exactly!" Eve agreed urgently. "Something's happened to her. I know it."
"We will look for her." Greta said, panic starting to rise inside her as well. She held it off as best she could. "Go and find Jimmy. I will check the other trailers."
"I already did!"
"I will have another look. I am sure she's just playing a trick or something."
Leaving the older woman to find Jimmy, Greta started searching the camp, hoping beyond hope that her optimistic thought would prove to be true. She had been through most of the trailers, asking anyone she came across if they had seen the tiny girl, when she heard someone calling her name.
Turning, shielding her eyes from the sun, she saw Eve walking briskly towards her with Ma Petite safely in her arms. Letting out a long sigh of relief, the blonde hurried to close the gap. She held out her arms and Eve passed Ma Petite to her. Greta hugged her tightly.
"Where the hell have you been, little one!" She demanded.
"She went looking for fireflies with Maggie." Eve informed her, rolling her eyes.
"You almost gave us a heart attack, do you realise that?" Greta said, shaking her head.
"I am sorry, Miss Greta." Ma Petite apologised, the corners of her mouth turned down and her eyes averted to signal how sad she was to have worried them.
"Just… do not do it again, OK?"
"OK. I will not." She agreed easily, smiling brightly. "Can we have the hot cakes now?"
Raising her eyebrows at Greta, Eve took the tiny girl from her arms and led the way into the dining tent, explaining that Suzi had been baking. They settled themselves at one of the tables and Suzi joined them. They tucked into the freshly baked hot cakes eagerly and Ma Petite told them all about her adventure.
"Greta?" They all looked up at the sound of Jimmy's voice. "I need your help."
Frowning, she nodded and stood up, following him to the edge of the tent curiously, feeling three sets of eyes following them closely. "What's wrong?"
"I think I know where the twins are." He explained in a low voice. "Paul saw that rich kid that was interested in Dot and Bette at the drug store. He was buying girly stuff; two of everything. I think he has them."
"What?" Greta shook her head. "How? Why?"
"I don't know… maybe Elsa sold them? Maybe they went there on their own. I don't know. But we have to go and see them… try and get them to come home. I want you to come with me."
"OK." She agreed instantly. "Let's go."
He nodded and started walking over to where the truck was parked. Greta shot a look over her shoulder, seeing Eve, Suzi and Ma Petite still watching curiously, before hurrying after him. She slipped her hand into his as they walked, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
They headed quickly away from the camp, Jimmy apparently knowing where he was going. Greta stared in awe at the house as they approached, her mouth dropping open at the sight of the mansion they pulled up outside. Catching her expression, Jimmy sent her a crooked smile.
"Come on…"
He rang the bell several times and they waited nervously for someone to answer. Finally an older woman appeared, looking between them nervously.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm here to see your son. I'm a friend of his."
"My son has no friends." She told them as a young man appeared in the hallway behind her. Jimmy raised his hand in greeting as soon as he saw him.
"Hey, it's Jimmy, from the freak show… remember me? This is Greta; she's from the show, too."
"Let them in mother. They're here for the girls."
His mother stood aside as he had instructed and the pair walked into the house. Greta was doing her best not to show just how awestruck she was by the size and tasteful furnishings and decoration of the house. They followed the man in silence as he led them through the house.
Sensing the tension radiating off her, Jimmy reached back and held her hand tightly. They walked down a long corridor before stopping outside a pair of double doors. The man knocked delicately, before calling out to the twins, informing them that they had visitors.
Still clinging onto each others hands, Jimmy and Greta stared through the door at the sight laid out in front of them; Dot and Bette, dressed in an expensive looking blue silk dress and white apron and sitting on a couch, eating ice cream. Their outfit reminded Greta of an illustration of Alice in Wonderland she'd seen in a book at the orphanage in Berlin. Moving further into the room, she and Jimmy pulled identical faces of confused disgust at the scene.
"These young people were concerned about your welfare." The woman announced, following them into the room. "As you can see, Bette and Dot aren't prisoners, they're our guests. They can leave anytime they want."
"Is that true?" Jimmy asked, frowning.
"If it is, why have you not come back?" Greta demanded, looking between the twins quickly.
"We're being treated very well." Bette informed them, smiling warmly at her captors. Dot's face, however, told a different story.
"When the girls first stepped foot in our house they were malnourished; both body and soul. A daily regimen of vitamins and foie gras brought the pink back to their pallor."
Jimmy shook his head and dropped Greta's hand. He crouched down beside the twins, looking imploringly into their faces. "Bette, Dot, I know this seems like the life of Riley now, but trust me, this is no place for you… because to them, you're nothing more than a curiosity; a freak to gawk at."
"So what do you want us to do? Go back to the show?" Bette asked looking down at her ice cream to avoid their eyes. "How is that any different?"
"Because you'd have a whole community of people to protect you."
"We miss you." Greta added. "We want you to come home."
"Why would we harm a hair on their heads? We paid good money for these girls."
The young man nodded firmly, waving his hands around in a dramatic manner that made Greta send him a disdainful scowl. "Mother's right. Don't listen to a word. Everything he says is a lie."
"Jimmy, you told us you saved those kids from the killer clown. It was Dandy. He was there when you were unconscious. He's the real hero."
Greta looked between the two men, taking in the confusion on Jimmy's face and the smug smirk on Dandy's. "How can you believe that, Bette? Dot, you do not believe it, do you? Jimmy is not a liar!"
Putting his hand on her arm, suddenly tense, Jimmy spoke seriously to the twins. "Bette… Dot… you have to come with us… now."
"You don't give the orders in this house. Dot, I know you have mixed feelings. You're thinking of getting the surgery, which I'll never allow."
"'Cause you'd never cut a girl in half, would you, Dandy?"
"Shut up!" He shouted, in an incredibly childish way. Greta spared him a quick glance before returning her gaze to Jimmy, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words. "Stop trying to ruin everything!"
Dot tilted her head questioningly. "How do you know, Dandy? About the surgery?"
"I told you there will be no secrets between us."
"You read my diary." Dot gasped. "I want to leave."
"She can't leave without Bette. We're in love and love trumps everything." Dandy announced, teary-eyed, exchanging a soppy look with Bette.
"Well, your mother said the girls could go any time they want. Let's let them decide."
"Bette, I know you love me. Tell them you want to stay and live forever in luxury with me."
There was a long pause and, not for the first time, Greta was sure that Dot and Bette were having a silent, private conversation. "I'm sorry." Bette said finally. "But I choose my sister, always. We have to go."
Not waiting around to be stopped, Jimmy helped the twins to stand and led them from the room, holding Dot's hand tightly. Greta followed behind, shooting a look over her shoulder and seeing the rage twisting Dandy's features grotesquely. Shivering, Greta was only too happy to close the doors behind them and block him from view.
They hurried from the house and Jimmy helped the twins into the front of the truck. "You're gonna have to ride in the back, sorry kid."
Greta shrugged. "It is not the first time. I will be fine."
Clambering into the back, she settled herself on a broken crate and hung on to the side of the vehicle to stop herself sliding around as Jimmy kicked the engine into life. The journey back to camp seemed to take longer than the journey to the house, but Greta supposed that was because it was less comfortable. Every time they hit a bump in the road she was jerked sideways and banged into the various items thrown in the back with her.
They were almost back at camp when a particularly deep pothole almost threw her out of the truck completely, so she banged loudly on the roof of the cab, causing Jimmy to bring the vehicle to an abrupt halt at the side of the road. Jumping down, Greta made her way round to the passenger's door and opened it up, looking in at the twins.
"You are going to have to move up for this last little bit." She told them apologetically. "Sitting in the back of this thing is a health hazard."
"You settled, kiddo?" Jimmy asked, amused, moments later when she slammed the door.
"I am." She agreed with a grin. Then she turned to the twins. "I really did miss you, you know."
"We missed you all too." Dot told her seriously.
"It was lovely, though." Bette added quickly. "Dandy and his mother were so good to us."
Curiously, the blonde peered at them. "What happened?"
Bette chewed her finger nervously while Dot set her face in a grim expression. "We've already been through this with Jimmy… I don't really want to talk about it again."
"OK. Well I am just glad you are coming home." Greta told them firmly.
Elsa hesitated, gathering her nerves before stepping through the flaps and into the big tent. She was surprised to see that it was empty apart from Ethel, who was sitting at the table with a hunk of cake on a plate in front of her. The camp had been deserted too and the woman had expected to find everyone inside the tent.
"Bad luck for the birthday girl not to have a hunk of her own cake." Ethel said softly, hearing her boss entering the tent.
Elsa chuckled softly. "And the rest?"
"They're with Paul." The beaded lady told her. "I think they just don't feel like celebrating right now."
"Of course not. A family must come together when tragedy strikes… and we are the only family most of us have ever known." Elsa sighed and walked slowly around the table. "I had a sister once. She was born two years before me, but she died as an infant. I don't think my parents ever recovered. I think I was meant to heal their pain, but I just reminded them of what was lost. I had to create a family. Everyone here… they are all my babies… my special ones. I love them all." She shook her head slightly and laughed. "But you… you are the sister I never met, that's why I saved you from that hell you were in. Why don't they know my heart?"
"You got one in the belly." Ethel reminded her. "Between that and the twins disappearing, faith and loyalty only take people so far." Striking a match, she lit the candle that was stuck in the top of the slice of cake, pushing it towards the blonde."I'll tell you one thing. If I ever find out you were lying and did wrong by those girls, I'll kill you with my own two hands." She smiled, receiving a weak smile in return."Now make a wish."
Elsa sighed and wiped her eyes, before leaning forward and blowing out the candle. She didn't vocalise her wish and Ethel didn't ask, but the older woman could guess what it was. She pushed the cake even closer to Elsa and arched an eyebrow. With a weak smile, the blonde took a bite.
"You talk about needing to build yourself a family," Ethel started, taking advantage of her boss having her mouth full of cake, "that all your freaks are your babies… but what about your real child? What about Greta? If you were so desperate for a family, why did you dump that poor girl in an orphanage?"
"She was an accident… a mistake." Elsa said slowly. "My life was… I could not bring a child into my world; it would not have been fair. I thought I was doing the best for her." She shook her head. "I was right… a couple of months after she was born my world was ripped apart. I would not have been able to cope with a child."
"What happened?"
"Oh…" The blonde waved her hand dismissively, unwilling to share the whole truth about her past with anyone; even her best friend. "Life. Then I came to America and the war broke out… I did not know whether she survived and so I found it easier to forget she ever existed."
Ethel nodded slowly, trying to understand. As a mother herself, she couldn't imagine ever giving her child away. She didn't know what Elsa had been facing at the time, but it must have been something pretty big if she had willingly abandoned Greta. Whatever else the blonde was, Ethel knew that the idea of family played a huge part in her life.
"What about now? Do you regret giving Greta away? Are you glad she found us?"
"Of course I am glad." Elsa smiled softly, thinking about her daughter. "She is so talented… beautiful… tough. The way she stood up to those townies… I am so proud of her. But I do not regret giving her up. Whatever she went through to get here it cannot be worse than what could have happened if I had kept her."
"So what happens now?"
"What do you mean?"
Ethel arched an eyebrow. "Did you have anything to do with those girls disappearing?"
"I swear on my daughter's life that I did not." Elsa replied firmly.