--- The next morning ---
24th of March, 1962

The wee hours of the morning were embraced by not only the scintillating, warm sun rays which assaulted the small city of Massachusetts, further, the silver-tongued songs of the chirping birds jingled elating, calm tunes in the ears as if they resembled a vintage song, playing on a recorder.

Odette's therapy was in a matter of days. Furthermore, her birthday was tomorrow and she wasn't able to accept birthday presents whether from her biological parents or otherwise her secondary ones, in fact the risks will aggravate everything else as its sandstorm demolishes any building, any object even any living soul.

What it was readily certain was she will receive daily visits whether from Jude and Timothy or Elsa, Massimo and Evelyn.

After the young lady had the usual breakfast before paying a visit to the doctor's office even when she was the least occupied with patients like her, she seated on the tattered, old common room's sofa by sharing a couple of minutes as a piece of moment with Kit, smoking along.

He offered her a cigarette by lighting it up with matches which he had since the young man liked her and genuinely relished each spent moment with her. The both young adults were as usually encompassed by sea of patients, who were rather banging their heads bluntly, forcefully in the brick walls of the room, besides being involved in physical fights or their high-pitched in hysterical pain bewails collide in the walls and ring fiendish tunes in the surrounders' ears.

"I still can't believe my therapy is in a matter of few days and afterwards I'm getting out of this hellhole once and forever." The brunette evoked by taking a second drag of her cigar length, thereafter expelling dim from her mouth in a blow which diffused in the thin, nevertheless reeking of urine, medicaments and poor hygiene common room's air.

"Good for ya, Odette! You deserve this freedom." In spite of Kit's sheer satisfaction which was vomited in his masculine voice, he kept its igniting vicious cycle, cooking inside him by blaming the authorities for pointlessly locking him up in a mental hospital for criminally insane as if he was considered midst them. "I'm wishing you good luck in yar life as well." He kept on by taking a puff of its cigar length by emitting mild dim.

"Thank you! I believe you will be released sooner or later and they will come to the conclusion you're innocent." The young man chewed his bottom lip as he transfixed his chocolate brown eyes on the young woman, supervising her body language as she seemed a tad disquiet when she was nigh men. Little did he know about her paat with exception a small quantity behind the darkness which was inescapable visible by the way the brunette looked at the others as if they alook like her foes. Her hazelish-brown orbs glimmered unconditional abhorrent, inevitable acumen and glassiness. Namely almost everybody is considered as a hazard even worse in Odette's case. A foe since she's been hurt a several times in her life. A vague, sympathetic smile honed up in the corner of Kit's lips at the thought of unachievable freedom unless one of the orderlies forces him to sign a contract for his release. "They're just dumbasses who're blinded by the law instead of listening to ordinary people like us what we shall say." She sighed.

"You're goddamn right, Odette! They will never understand misunderstood people especially like us."

"Unfortunately, you've got the right to say it out. They're down with the pretty lies." The juvenile singer took another drag of her cigarette, emphasizing the last words in the second sentence. "The pretty lies which they're living in."

"So yeah, it makes sense why they're so delusional!"

"What are you talking about again?" All of a sudden, another similar feminine voice echoed behind them as the journalist's tongue clicked bt gluing her inquisitive, sly as snake chocolate brown orbs on the both younger adults.

"Fuck off!" Odette retorted as her jawline contracted by clenching her ivory teeth without turning to the older brunette. "Did you hear me, miss Lana Banana?"

"Odette, ignore her!" Otherwise Kit advised the younger lady as he snaked a strong arm around her shoulder as his hand kneaded her shoulder, his fingers tipping her gown's rigid fabric.

"It looks like you're in love. A women' murderer and a drug addict! What a great combination! What kind of babies are you going to have together?" The homosexual reporter didn't stop with her daredevil game by scoffing Kit and Odette as an overweening grin distorted across her lips.

In the interval, the both adults kept on with ignoring Lana even not daring to pay any attention to her.

"Probably miss Sociopath and Mister Psychopath will be your kids!" The older brunette jeered by chewing her bottom plumpish lip as the younger one rolled her eyes without shifting them to her foe by taking another drag of her nicotine length, blowing smoke.

After a handful of minutes of taunting, eventually Lana gave up by leaving Kit and Odette alone without violating their personal space for this moment since she was tiresome of scoffing them without earning their impulsive, livid reactions and responses.

***

"Good morming, my rare bird!" The former man of the cloth was brushing his teeth in the en-suite bathroom when he suddenly heard his wife stirring under the warm velvet blanket by wearing nothing than her ravishing red nightie which hugged her slender, still appealing body for such age. Her shaggy lion mane of silken old Hollywood curls, ruffled on the pillow as she inwardly, softly inhaled. Meanwhile Timothy wore nothing than his underpants as his smile beamed while Jude was asleep until she came to her senses.

"Morning, sweetie!" The blonde replied joyously by rubbing sluggishly, absentmindedly her drowsy eyes with her frail fists by lightly yawning until her hazelish-brown orbs glinted passion, love and desire when she beheld him wearing nothing than his boxers clothed his crotch as its bulge was inevitably visible for her, without averting her gape. "It looks like somebody is slightly earlier awake from hibernating!" He furthered by teasing as he held his pale blue toothbrush as he winked gamely at Jude. She couldn't suppress a momentarily girlish giggle.

"Not exactly! I wasn't sleepy anymore and let's not forget I ordered some breakfast to be served for us." After the brush of his toothbrush brushed each part of his ivory, yet firm teeth by glimpsing into the medium sized oval mirror which hung above the sink, some toothpaste was dripping and staining his lips even mildly his jawline.

" What a breakfast? Something with cinnamon?" The middle-aged lady licked greedily, gamely her lips at the thought of her favorite favor. She was a keen fan of cinnamon as well by pushing some strands of her fresh, youthful face with the palm of her petite hand.

"Your favorite morning coffee with some cinnamon and milk. And the croissants are going to be with cinnamon. Just only for you!"

"Delicious not as much as this bulge which your boxers shield it!" The former holy woman fessed by biting her bottom lip in seductive manner by getting from the bed though her reluctant laziness which commanded her body, organs and mind. She strolled up to Timothy by staring into him for eternity by the way his long, dexterous fingers worked on the toothbrush by brushing every inch of his ivory teeth as he arched an eyebrow.  Her fingers reached for her plain red toothbrush by starting to brush her teeth as they looked at one another faces.

Silence arched between the couple until Timothy finished with brushing his teeth by spitting the toothpaste and watering his mouth with some cool water.

"It's going to be simple. Just a black coffee with some apple strudel."

"That's wonderful!" She uttered shortly after finishing with brushing her teeth as their faces were scarcely inches from one another by closing its gap. Her honey brown irises were fueled with murderous lust, desire, love and warmness by clasping her arms around his neck. "When you ordered our breakfast?"

"Just a few minutes ago. Before brushing my teeth."

"Aww! I see," Afterwards the older lady pressed her soft, naturally rosy-coloured lips against his by closing her eyelids for a while, occupying his lips with a light, scrumptious kiss as one of her hands drifted up to his dark chestnut hair, subsequently running her fingers through them. "Let's have a morning sex just before our breakfast arrives."

"If we get in trouble, what we shall we do, honey? Huh?"

"Screw the hotel staff! We will be always in charge!" The former sister of the Roman Catholic church answered aloofly as she lightly giggled in demure way as his colossal, secure hands were on her waist by squeezing her slim waist. "The door knocks are more obvious than our moans."

"It depends of our moans, rare bird!" The British couldn't repress belly hurting laughter by heaving it. "If they're louder and they're audible, therefore it's going to be kinda embarrassing."

"Never say embarrassing," She silenced him by deepening the kiss in a French, besides more ferocious one as their eyelids were shut. Furthermore, the former man of the cloth wasn't capable of bickering with the love of his life since Judy was exceeding argumentative and stubborn. "Do you hear me, sweetheart?" She carried on by lowering her voice in tempting manner as their wet tongues danced together, running her slim fingers through his dark hair.

"Of course, Jude!" Timothy replied as she pushed him against the tiled wall by trapping him with her weightless body as she plugged her tongue inside his mouth as she lowered her hand down to his stark torso, delicately running all over it by admiring his muscular chest and abs. Muffled inhales emitted from the top of their lungs. "I love it when you play the stubborn one."

"How about this one?" After running her fingers softly all over his toned torso, thereafter they slithered down to his waistband just before teasing his bulge through its fabric.

"Urgh! Jesus! Oh!" His groans and moans levitated in the en-suite bathroom as he opted to control his megawatt decibels. "That's so good." By the way she teased him was insatiable even inebriating for him and her as well.

"Just before the breakfast arrives, the fun begins."

All of a sudden a couple of door taps interrupted the promptly lustful couple as it was audible for them.

"Hold on for a second!" The blonde zinged to their reserved room back by wrapoing sround her frail skeleton a peignoir which was located on the ottoman by tying a knot of the belt as Timothy shut immediately the bathroom door to clean himself.

As soon as the former nun walked up to the door by unlocking it, consequently the hotelier stood on the door with a wheel silver tray of the married couple's ordered breakfast by offering a cheerful, composed smile, curled up in the corner of his lips by highlighting his parchment, mildly wrinkled complexion.

"Good morning, Mrs. Howard! Your husband ordered the breakfast for both of you."

"Yes, that's indeed right! He ordered what exactly we want. There isn't any mistake, sir." The blonde assured him as the slightly younger man drove the wheel silver tray by handing it to her in no time.

"Good, ma'am! Bon appeti!" 

"Thank you!" The other man just walked away as she drifted the wheel tray up to the table by shutting the door behind her, sighing calmly. "Tim! The breakfast!" The former holy woman cried out loud as he got from the en-suite bathroom.

***

"Did you hallucinate or something the last night?" The brunette doctor took a puff of her cigarette as she inquired her recent young patient by reclining on her chair as her piercing chocolate brown eyes were pierced into Odette's hazel orbs. 

"Not exactly! I just had something like a dream, if I'm not mistaking." The young singer stuttered by taking a drag of the cigarette which the affable doctor offered her since her arrival in her office. Velika listened attentively her patient by nodding sternly, cold-bloodedly her head, affirming her exclaimation. "A dream like a memory from my childhood when I was just eight-year-old girl."

"What it has to do with? Was it something spooky or even worse? Morbid?" The elder brunette posed the question by exhaling sharply as she opted to find an alternative to aid the inmate. 

"When I was 8 years old child as I remember well my old life in the orphanage in Florida, one night even a few nights I was hearing the same young woman's voice though she was just another seventeen-year-old adolescent, who used to be housed in this orphanage though one of the nuns viciously murdered her and threw her corpse in the basement where I met the ghost of this girl. And in the middle of the night, I just got up from my bed and I left the room by following the voice until I came to the conclusion I should enter in the cellar. It was dark as the death, itself. Once I was inside the basement, the door shut by itself and the lights were flickering which was even weirder." In the meantime, the middle-aged doctor was utterly paying attention to the love child by taking another drag of its cigar length by blowing dim which diffused in her sufficiently spacious office. "I went downstairs and inspected the cellar until this girl mingled with the walls and horrified me as I was paralyzed. I didn't know how to react. I was literally nonplussed as well."

"Did she hurt ya or something else?" Velika proceed with her impending question as her temple creased by arching an eyebrow as Odette's monologue behind her childhood memory and her dream the night before were criminally flabbergasting the older woman as if she's midst the fewest patients even people who have confessed they've seen ghosts and confirm their existence. 

"No! She was indeed innocent. She was amicable, tho! Her name was Daphne McCloudy. She lost her parents when she was 12, as a result of car crash. However, Daphne warned me about the place where I was institutionalized as an orphan."

"That's interesting! I feel bad for this girl who deceased, due to a nun who committed the homicide."

"Perhaps she was the only like imaginary friend I had in Florida's orphanage for sadly!" Afterwards the orphan took a pull of her cigarette by expelling severe dim, escaping her lips. "Are the ghosts real? Are they existing eventually?"

"Oh, dear!" The doctor exhaled abruptly by wiping her clammy forehead as its perspiratory dew greased her forehead's pale skin as she cleared her throat. "You don't have any idea how many patients have sat against me and some of them were telling me they saw ghosts and proved me they were real. But in my case, I saw only once a ghost and it was a long time ago when I was a teenager."

"What about the ghost you saw, Doctor?" The juvenile brunette as she took a pull at her cigar, seconds before stubbing it out in the ashtray past her. 

"It was a little child's one where I found it in the backyard of the school I used to study. I didn't know why it was dead, howsoever, it told me it was brutally beaten by a horde of malicious, aggressive teenagers, who were known as sadists and beating innocent children."

"Oh! So you think the ghosts are existing in this world?"

"Only if they're inhabiting haunted places or areas. In your case, the basement was cursed."

***

As the both married couples were marching up to the old, austere, nonetheless off-putting building to pay a visit to Odette after having a breakfast, they entered inside the asylum at last. In this moment, Evelyn was snoozing in her parents' reserved hotel room since she had a lot of spare time. 

Whereas the horde of adults paced in the dim light via the daylight which dispersed through the battered windows of Briarcliff by bathing the abysmal, long halls in light, illuminating their directions as Frank guided them to the brunette's ward though he was completely sure she was catnapping in her cell.

As his rusty, antique keys clinked with each took step by escorting the both couples to Odette's ward, once he picked up the key for her ward by unlocking it within seconds, they realized it was empty.

"Oh shit! She ain't there!" The former cop cussed though his cuss caused faint chuckles for a while until they were muted by the suddenness of their raced hearts when they contemplated the empty cell of the inmate. 

"Where she might be?" The Italian wondered as his berry-coloured, damp lips motioned like piano keys.

"I dunno, Massimo! I doubt it she could escape like that. Like a riot!" Frank replied dryly as he shuddered, raising his shoulders. 

The truth was actually Frank has never doubted Odette's obediance and immense benevolent nature which she possessed even readily oozing of her. Howsoever, little did he know where she was. A couple of unanswered questions flooded in the middle-aged adults' minds like icebergs as their hearts sunk, despite their lack of knowledge for her now. What if she has escaped for better or worse? Even worse? Being attacked by one of the most dangerous even vilest patients who has ever been jailed in the mental institution for the rest of his days? What if Odette just vanished or was temporarily banished? Nobody knew. Their questions weren't answered yet. 

"Frank, she's a good girl! Since she was a baby, I knew right away she's a good person with golden heart and crystal intellect and she would never make you to surmise her for something Odette's never going to do for her sake at least."  The former Frank's boss vouched by defending her own daughter by heaving a jaded exhale. 

"Frank! Judy's right! Odette would never do any atrocious things just to lose her trust and consider her as an enemy just like Father McKenzie." Timothy intervened by affirming Jude's words as one of his strong arms was dangled around her back, his fingers hardly kneading her top's velveteen fabric. In this moment, the German emigrant and her husband abided quiet.

"I swear!" All of a sudden, the surprising beginning of Elsa's monologue earned the other 3 adults' inquisitive looks which they wore on their complexions without peeling a single word. "I can confirm Jude and Timothy's words too! Odette was always like my second daughter and she would never and ever make her friends and family lost any quantity of trust in her. She's a pure angel!"

"Frank!" The juvenile nun, who stormed off in the women's wing hallway by speeding up as her chunks clicked against the floor by earning inquiring, glassy faces by panting. "Oh! I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something." The young blonde apologized as she slightly bowed her head by noting Frank's current company which accompanied him by offering them a childish, distressed smile, flashing upon her porcelain, milky as vanilla complexion. Her ocean blue eyes glistened concern, urgent insecurity and disquietness like stars in the nocturnal sky. 

"No, no! Ya aren't interrupting anything, little sistah! It's alright. What are the news?" The former policeman patted lightly, kindly Mary Eunice's shoulder as she rose her head by meeting Frank's sapphire blue eyes. 

"Odette's in the infirmary! There must be an accident which befell her a few minutes ago." In the interval, thanks to the young sister of the church's horrid words, she earned promptly the horde of the adults' subjugated by the horror of the befall which fated the young singer especially the former members of the clergy as Jude clamped with a hand her mouth, expecting the worst. 

"Odette?" Jude and Elsa evoked in unison by being more than horrified why she's being conveyed urgently in the infirmary. Even more they didn't acknowledge her current condition. 

To be continued...