There was a light tapping on the caravan door the next morning. Everyone had learnt not to simply walk in anymore, since Greta had given Jimmy an earful about barging in on other people's privacy. In the gap between the knock on the door and Eve opening it, both women were able to pull on clothes and make themselves decent.
"What is it?" Eve asked, frowning at Paul who was standing awkwardly outside.
"Salty… he's dead."
"Oh…"
Inside the caravan, Greta sank heavily onto the bed, unable to process what she had just heard. A wave of sadness welled up inside her, spilling out with the tears that cascaded down her cheeks. Another of their family was gone. With Eve's words about them living on cursed ground ringing in her ears, Greta followed the others across the camp to the tent the pinheads had shared.
When they entered the tent, they found Pepper lying across her husband's body, crying and clinging on tightly. Greta went to her straight away, trying to pull her into a hug, but Pepper struggled, shaking her head and refusing to move.
They tried everything to move her, but she wouldn't leave his side. The rest of the troupe assumed that he had died of a stroke in his sleep. It was a thought that they were clinging to, anyway, wanting to believe that the end of Salty's life had been quick and painless. It made it a lot easier for his friends to come to terms with their loss.
After some cajoling, during which Greta was thoroughly pummelled as she held Pepper back, they managed to move Salty's body into Elsa's tent. They laid him out carefully and prepared him for burial, washing him gently and dressing him in his best clothes. Greta held Pepper's hand through the whole thing, smiling sympathetically at her as she leant down to press a kiss to his forehead.
"Here…" Elsa set a sandwich down on a tray and held out her hand to Pepper. "Come on, liebling. You must eat, my darling."
After consuming half of her lunch, Pepper pushed the tray away and refused to eat anything more. Unwilling to let her go back to mourning over Salty's body, Greta took her gently by the hand and led her away, offering that they could do anything she wanted.
They spent several hours wandering in the woods and swamps around the camp, picking flowers and then they returned and arranged them into bunches. Every time it seemed as though Pepper was drifting back into her misery, Greta would do her best to distract her. While she was well aware that Pepper had loved Salty and would miss him dreadfully, she did not want her friend to dwell on the fact that he was gone and she was alone.
"I'll read to her for a bit, if you want a break." Desiree offered kindly, seeing the blonde rubbing the back of her neck tiredly.
"Thank you." Greta accepted, pressing a kiss to the side of Pepper's head and standing up.
"Stay!" Pepper demanded, grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her back down.
Cupping her cheek gently, Greta smiled. "I will come back soon, OK? Desiree is going to stay with you for a while and then I will come back."
Pepper clearly wasn't happy about the situation, but she let Greta leave. The blonde glanced over her shoulder as she reached the entrance to the tent and saw her staring sadly after her, but Greta didn't change her mind. She went straight to the dining tent and ladled out a bowl of soup for herself, sitting heavily at the closest table and propping her head on her hand.
She drank the soup slowly, making the most of her break. Leaning across the table, she ripped off a chunk of bread and used it to mop up the last of the liquid in her bowl.
With everyone else in the big tent taking part in that evening's performance, Greta made her way slowly back to where she had left Pepper. Poking her head into the tent, she expected to see Desiree, but there was only one figure inside, sitting on her bed and clutching her knees.
"Hey…" Greta moved quickly, sitting beside her and wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Hey, sweetheart. It is OK."
Pepper started to cry again, the sound breaking Greta's heart. She closed her eyes, pulling the girl more tightly into her side and rocking her gently. She alternated between shushing her softly and pressing kisses to the side of her head, soothing her as best she could.
Hearing the sobs dying down slightly, the blonde repositioned them so that they were lying side-by-side on top of the bunk. Pepper's breathing hitched as she snuggled closer to her friend, closing her eyes and letting sleep wash over her. It didn't take long before Pepper was fast asleep, trapping Greta's left arm underneath her.
"What are you still doing in here?" Eve asked, slightly amused at the sight that greeted her when she popped into Pepper's tent to check on her after the show.
"She is asleep on my arm." Greta replied with a sigh. "I cannot move."
Eve chuckled and folded her arms, leaning against the tent pole. "Well, goodnight, then."
"You are just going to leave me here?"
"You look pretty settled and Pepper seems to be enjoying your excellent snuggling skills."
The blonde narrowed her eyes and scowled at her. "Just come and help me."
"What's the magic word?" Eve teased her, not moving from her spot.
"I owe you." Greta replied, shooting her a mischievous smirk. The older woman's eyes darkened and she moved quickly. "I knew that would work."
"Shut up." Eve mumbled, gently lifting Pepper enough so that her lover could slide her arm free and roll sideways.
They placed Pepper's teddy bear in the space that Greta had previously occupied and pulled the blanket up over the sleeping girl. Sighing in unison, they looked down at her; so innocent and undeserving of all the bad that had happened to her in her life.
"Come on…" Eve nudged Greta gently and nodded towards the entrance of the tent. "Let's let her sleep."
Eve was still asleep when Greta woke late a couple of mornings later. She watched her for a moment, a soft smile on her face as she traced her features gently with the tip of her index finger. Eve screwed up her nose and moved her head at the sensation, but didn't wake. Pressing a light kiss to her forehead, Greta slipped out of bed and dressed quickly before leaving the caravan.
She went straight to Pepper's tent, alarmed to find it completely deserted. Looking around anxiously, she realised that not only was her friend absent, but her clothes seemed to be missing too, along with her teddy bear and other items that the girl valued.
"Suzi? Suzi!" Greta called, spotting the woman across the camp and jogging over to her. "Pepper is missing!"
"No, love," Suzi shook her head, "Elsa took her to visit her sister."
"What? Elsa does not have a sister?"
"No, stupid… Pepper's sister."
"What? Why?" Greta demanded.
Suzi shrugged. "I don't know. Where's Eve?"
"She is still sleeping I think." The blonde replied distractedly. "I am not sure."
"Really?" The leg-less woman raised an eyebrow at her.
Not really concentrating on the conversation, Greta frowned lightly at her. "Suzi, I do not understand what you mean? The last time I saw Eve she was still asleep in her bed."
"Her bed?"
"Yes, her bed. Where else would she be?"
"You tell me." Suzi replied with a grin.
Greta frowned again. "I am not in the mood for riddles, Suzi. Where is Desi?"
"She and Maggie took off somewhere a little while ago."
"What is this?" The younger woman demanded, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "This place will be a ghost town before too long."
Turning, she stamped away in the direction of the dining tent. Penny smiled at her, receiving a bad-tempered grunt from the blonde in return as she grabbed a bread roll from the basket on the side and strode away. Angrily ripping the roll apart with her teeth, Greta had consumed it by the time she reached her tent.
Scraping her hair up out of the way, she secured it in a messy bun on the top of her head and settled herself cross-legged on the ground. Pulling a children's book that Bette had given her to practice a week or so before into her lap, she scrunched up her face and tried to concentrate on deciphering the squiggles that were written on the page.
"Ch– Chapter one, exp– exp– expecting a… f– fairy. It was a Sat– Saturday morning in summer and a little girl named Twig st– st– stood on the back porch which belonged to the f– fourth floor of a h– hig– hi– high sort of house in the city." Greta read aloud in a hesitant, stilted voice. She screwed up her face in concentration, following her progress with her index finger. "That was where she lived with her Mama and her Papa. Her Papa dr– drove a yellow t– taxi."
"Wow."
Glancing up, Greta hurriedly closed the book and pushed it under the blanket beside her. "What?"
"No, seriously, Greta." Paul said, moving further into the tent and smiling encouragingly at her. "I'm impressed. You've only been learning for, what, four months?"
"Thanks…"
"Are you alright?" He asked gently, looking a little embarrassed. "Penny said you seemed upset."
"Elsa has taken Pepper back to her sister." Greta explained shaking her head. "Her sister left her in an orphanage… dumped her there because she did not want her anymore… just like Elsa did to me."
"You think Elsa will send you away next?" Paul asked, trying to understand what she was getting at.
"She can try and see how far she gets." The young woman told him darkly. "No, I just… what if Pepper did not want to go? What if she wanted to stay here, with us? Did she have a choice, or did Elsa make her?"
"I can't answer that, love. Only Elsa can give you that information."
"And she is not here."
"She'll be back soon."
"Mmm…" Greta looked at him carefully. "You do not trust her, do you? You think she is… capable of harming us?"
He shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know… maybe… I…"
"Do not worry, I will not tell her anything you say. When she injured you… do you believe it was an accident?"
Paul looked at her and shook his head. "No. I believe it was intentional."
Greta nodded slowly. "So do I." She admitted. "But I think she felt trapped. You had hurt her in some way and she reacted in the only way she knows how; by attacking you."
"Perhaps…" He agreed thoughtfully. Then he smiled and patted her leg. "I never thanked you, did I? You saved my life."
"I barely did anything."
"Well it was something as far as I'm concerned, so thank you."
"You are welcome."
Smiling at her again, he stood up and left the tent. Greta watched him go thoughtfully, mulling over the conversation in her head. Pulling out the book from under the blanket, she struggled through another couple of pages, before sighing and dropping it beside her.
Stretching, she wandered across to the doorway of the tent and looked out, watching the familiar scene outside. Everyone going about their normal daytime activities, tinkering with the engine of the truck, baking, washing, playing cards, chatting. A smile found its way to her lips as her eyes fell on Eve, a cigarette dangling from her fingers as she laughed at something someone had said.
Crossing the scrubby ground, Greta dropped down onto a bench beside Dot and Bette. She didn't say anything to them and neither did they say anything to her, simply sitting side-by-side in the sun observing everything going on around them in companionable silence.
"How is your reading coming on?" Dot asked suddenly, breaking the quiet.
"OK."
"Would you like a lesson?"
Greta looked at her hopefully. "Really?"
"Of course." Bette smiled sweetly. "We promised we would teach you. Come on."
Grinning, the blonde followed the twins to their tent. They opened a book on the table in front of them and helped her read through a passage, sounding out the trickier words with her. Time passed quickly and, like Paul, they praised her for the progress she had made.
"It is truly an achievement." Dot said, patting her hand. "You should be proud of yourself."
"Thank you."
"Come on… that's enough learning for one day." Bette said with a grin. "Let's go and see what everyone else is up to."
"Isn't it time for rehearsals?" Dot asked, glancing at the clock and realising that they were running late.
"It is a good job Elsa is not here, or we would all be in her bad books!" Greta chuckled.
They walked slowly, chatting about everyday things as they headed towards the big tent. Greta held the flap back and ushered the twins inside in front of her. Identical frowns appeared on all three faces as they realised that there was a stranger in the midst of the crowd. To Greta's irritation, the man's hand seemed to be hovering in the region of Eve's chest.
"What's happening over here? I thought we had rehearsal scheduled."
Eve caught Greta's eye and shrugged, returning her attention to the lizard that the man had removed from her shirt and was now holding gently in his hand.
"Hello, girls. This is Chester. He's just been showing us some of his wares. Just he's a salesman." Paul explained with a smile.
"A traveling salesman?"
"Well, I travelled here, anyway. From down Georgia way. That's where I raise these beauties."
"You have a lizard farm?" Bette asked, smiling with amusement at the thought.
"Chameleons. Have a hothouse back home. They do love the heat and a fresh cricket every now and again. Otherwise, they don't ask for much."
"Oh... they're beautiful."
"I think they just want to be loved… to belong… maybe that's why they blend in."
The blonde arched an eyebrow and folding her arms across her chest. "They are lizards… I do not think they are quite that complex."
"Greta!" Eve chided her with a sigh. "Why don't you hold one?"
"No, thank you." She declined immediately, moving to sit on one of the chairs and watch the scene, which seemed to have turned into the salesman flirting with Bette, from afar.
"That is a very interesting hobby."
"The doctors said I needed to do something to calm my nerves after the war. They seem to do the trick."
"You were in the war?"
"Yes, ma'am, Normandy Beach. Wounded, so they tell me, but better off than most of the other fellas, 'cause, well… here I am."
"Yes." Bette breathed, her eyes locked on Chester.
Greta rolled her eyes. "Mein Gott im Himmel… Ich fühle mich krank." Not understanding what her lover had muttered, but getting the gist, Eve nudged her in the ribs. Greta blinked at her innocently. "What?"
"Behave."
"Got a metal plate in my head, so... I never go out in a thunderstorm."
"And what brings you to Florida, Chester?" Paul asked, dragging his attention away from the twins for a brief moment.
"You do. Well, your troupe, I mean. When I heard tell of it, I had to come see for myself."
"You've heard of us?" Eve asked, impressed. Even Greta sat up at that comment, wondering whether their fame truly had spread further than Jupiter.
"Of course… a bona fide freak show? Heck, I… I didn't think there were any left! I mean I'd seen some of the sideshows that travel with the larger outfits. But they're mostly hokum. I did bird-dog a couple of them… I even auditioned for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey once, but I guess I didn't have what it takes."
"You have an act?" Bette asked, clearly intrigued.
"Well… not much. I…" He pulled a magic wand out of his jacket and twirled it around in his fingers. "I like to think I do a little magic." He pulled the wand apart to reveal a red flower. While the others gasped and Eve clapped, Greta rolled her eyes again, unimpressed. "Thought I'd be good for the stage, but then they told me to disappear." He made the flower vanish.
"Eurgh…" The blonde muttered to herself, not sharing the others' delight at the cheap tricks.
"So?" Chester asked, picking up the tiny train carriage that held one of his chameleons. " Who's interested?"
"They are." Greta said innocently, pointing at the twins. "I bet they would love a lizard."
"What's wrong with you?" Eve demanded, pulling the blonde away from the others.
Folding her arms, the younger woman nodded towards Chester. "He is strange. I do not like him."
The brunette threw her hands up in the air. "You don't like anybody new. Why have you got to be so difficult all the time?"
"I liked you when I first met you." Greta pointed out. "I liked Paul and Jimmy and the twins. I liked Ethel and Pepper and Salty and Desi and Ma Petite and–"
"Stop!" Eve snapped. Everyone turned to look at them, so the taller woman grabbed her lover by the arm and pulled her outside. "You said that you didn't trust that Spencer guy… he's done nothing bad… unless you consider telling Elsa she can have a career in Hollywood. You don't like Maggie and she's a sweetheart."
"I am telling you, Evie, there is something not right with this man. And we don't know that Spencer hasn't done anything bad… or Maggie."
"What is all this about?"
"I am worried, OK?" Greta admitted. "Meep, Ma Petite, Ethel, Salty… all gone. Jimmy is in prison, charged with murder. Pepper has gone to live with her sister. Elsa is off to Hollywood. Who is going to be next? There will not be anyone left here soon." She shook her head, looking up at the taller woman with tear-filled eyes. "What if something happens to you?"
"Nothing is going to happen to me." Eve promised. Then she smirked. "Dell found out what happens if you try to mess with me."
"I am being serious, Evie. I cannot lose you."
Eve pulled her into a tight hug, not caring if anyone spotted them. "You won't, baby, I promise you." She looked around and realised that there was no one around. Smiling, she winked and linked their fingers together, biting her lip. "Come on."
She spent the next hour or so thoroughly taking Greta's mind off her worries. Taking a drag of her cigarette, she passed it to the blonde who was snuggled comfortably into her side. Greta took it and held it between her lips, inhaling deeply. She stared at the glowing end for a moment, before taking another drag and handing it back.
"I think we should leave." The younger woman announced suddenly.
"What?" Eve blinked at her.
Propping herself up on her elbows, keeping the blanket wrapped around her, Greta looked down at her lover seriously. "I think we should leave, Evie, get away from here while we still can."
"Where would we go, Greta?"
"Anywhere we want!"
"Sweetheart… you can easily go anywhere… it's not so simple for me. I don't just blend in…"
"You are tall… so what? Your height does not make you a freak… that is just what people have been telling you for your whole life. I do not think you are a freak, liebchen. As long as I get to be with you I would go anywhere."
Rolling over, Eve kissed her deeply, before pulling away and pressing their foreheads together. "Come on, we'd better get ready for rehearsals."
"I want to go and see if Elsa's back before rehearsal." Greta said, climbing out of bed and starting to get dressed. "I want to ask her about Pepper."
Nodding, the brunette didn't argue, simply getting ready and leaving the caravan before her lover. Greta chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking through what she was going to say to her mother about sending Pepper back to live with the sister who had abandoned her.
Leaving the caravan a couple of minutes after Eve, she headed straight for Elsa's tent, not bothering to alert her mother to her arrival. She walked in and then paused, seeing Chester speaking to Elsa, a ventriloquist's dummy sitting on his leg.
"Mein Gott…" She muttered, shaking her head at the sight.
Elsa smirked at her response, clearly echoing the sentiment. "One moment, liebling." She told her daughter, before turning back to the man and his dummy. Greta knew that was her polite way of telling her to sit down and shut up. "You and your little friend are very charming, but… uh… it's a shame we don't have any openings at the moment."
"Look, well, it… might it be possible for me to sell my chameleons before the shows? I insist on splitting the profit with you 50-50." He almost begged.
She shook her head. "No one wants to buy baby lizards."
"Well actually, that's not true, ma'am." Chester stuttered out. "In… uh... in Macon I made... I made 15 bucks in one night and… and 20 bucks the next…" He held out his pocket book in her direction. "Here…"
Elsa looked at it interestedly, her eyes narrowing as her mind whirred. "Hmm… so many numbers. So you are good with math?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Fascinating... You know… uh… perhaps if you were willing to help out with our bookkeeping… I could let you… warm up the crowd... Hmm?"
"I'm... I'm speechless. Did you hear that, Marjorie? Miss Elsa said we can stay!" Chester told his dummy. While his back was turned, Greta and her mother exchanged a concerned look. Turning back, the man took Elsa's hand in his and kissed it several times. "Miss Elsa... I am a simple man, but I have been to hell and back. You have given me and Marjorie a place… a purpose… a family."
"Right… well…" Elsa pulled her hand free of his grip. "You should go and get acquainted with the rest of the troupe… rehearsals for tonight's show should be starting any minute."
He beamed at both women before leaving the tent, thankfully taking his dummy with him. For a moment, Elsa and her daughter sat in slightly confused silence, before Greta cleared her throat and moved to sit on the couch opposite Elsa's.
"I do not like ventriloquists." She said shaking her head. "There is something unnatural about them."
"I quite agree." Elsa said with a nod.
"So why…?"
"It makes good business sense, my darling." Her mother told her. "He is clearly a man of means, judging by the numbers in that pocket book. If we can get some of that money invested in the show then it will be safe for a while longer."
"You are really going then?" Greta asked, biting her lip.
"Of course!" Elsa laughed. "This is a fantastic opportunity for me, mein liebling. My own television show! In time I will send for you all to come and join me… you will be the stars of The Elsa Mars Hour."
"Will you not miss us?"
There was a short pause and then Elsa smiled and reached across the gap to hold her daughter's hand. "It will not be for long, my love… just until I get everything sorted."
"What about Pepper?"
Elsa dropped Greta's hand at once. "What about Pepper? She is with her sister. She was happy to be reunited with her family."
"We are her family…"
"No. Not any more, Greta."
The younger woman took a deep breath. "When do you leave?"
"A couple of days… you will help me pack, won't you?"
"Of course, if you wish me to." Greta agreed with a weak smile.
Elsa looked at her thoughtfully for a long moment, before raising her hand to cup the younger blonde's cheek. "You are a good girl, Greta. Out of all my precious ones it is you who I trust the most."
"I…" Her daughter did not know how to react to that statement. She smiled weakly again and leant into the palm on her face.
"Now… you should be at rehearsals. Off you go, liebchen."