"Serena, do you know me?" The brunette enquired by lowering gradually her voice, timidly extending her hands to cup her pallid, slim face by cupping her cheeks as her long, elegant fingers trembled reluctantly. "Do you even remember me?" The strawberry-haired young lady recognized her old friend's voice, although she didn't peel a single word after her arrival with the former cop in the common room, whilst their surroundings which encircled them were in the lurking oblivion. 

The dispersing scintillating sunrays crept through the big common room's windows, illuminating their faces by bathing the room in saturating light.

Serena was actually slightly older than her childhood friend with 2 months, besides she used to have a ringlet of strawberry tresses, cascading down her mid-back until her foster parents did atrocious, unbelievable things to her shortly before Serena's destiny was no longer lit up in the face of the light and God, hence, her footsteps were tugged by the hand of the darkness as she was already lost, horrified even fated to be jailed with lunatics, sharing similar fate as hers for the rest of their days to rot in a place. Place, where the authorities have determined their fate to be depending of their morals and decisions which are considered unsacred at all. Furthermore, the other young woman possessed chocolate brown eyes as one of her eyelids was sewed, in fact, her adoptive father had spilled sulfuric acid when she was at age 17, factly, she attempted to evade his vicious claws to being sexually abused though the sulfuric acid was her retribution. Even more, her body was covered in light tinted bruises from her calves up to her frail arms, because of her abusive foster parents who threw her away in the hellhole to being agonized in mortification, besides she's in Briarcliff because she killed her abusive foster father in self-defense for the attempted rape. 

"Odette, is that ya?" Serena posed the question in tearful voice as she pawed her childhood friend's feminine shoulders, meeting her hazelish-brown eyes as the both women couldn't help but sobbing altogether as tears incessantly were rolling down their porcelain, milky cheeks as their sobs escalated up to blubbers, earning some of the inqusitive patients' attention by gawking emotionlessly, idly the both females, who were expressing their own sorrow. In the interval, Frank was watching the both women comforting one another and their reunion ages later as he couldn't repress a couple of crystal tears, gushing down as he sniveled inwardly by wiping them with a thumb as his heart molted and ached in the same time. It molted because he was content the old friend united together all over again, whilst on other hand his heart ached, due to the fact Serena didn't seem the same girl Odette knew when they used to be orphans. "What they did to you too?" The strawberry-haired orphan resumed her utterance by significantly lowering her voice as it was solely audible for them unlike the other inmates as the gramophone music which played the French song Dominique, sailed in the background and rang in their ears. 

The image which Serena beheld of her childhood friend dismayed her for seeing her years later especially in such despaired condition. The ringlet of unkempt, lost its glossiness chestnut strands, descending her mid-back. The ordinary, hideous stone blue gown with short sleeves and round neckline as its hem dropped down to her round, perfectly shaped knees. The naturally tone of her palish skin even lack of splendor engrossed its apprehension, emanating in her heart, mind and body. Stench of tobaccos taunted her sensitive, powerless nostrils as they weren't left behind in the limbo. 

"They falsely accused me in something which I've never done. One of the security guards who I ordered a martini after Elsa's evening show, I drank from the alcoholic beverage as I was senseless, losing control over my body and another security guard of the bar tried to rape me by dragging me to his room until Elsa rescued me and I was actually doped, barely realizing what was inside my poison." The brunette took a deep breath by clearing her throat seconds before commencing with her monologue about the night before her formal arrest and being transported in Boston, whilst the security guard and Serena listened attentively, assimilating each word she has mentioned up to this moment. "Therefore Elsa took me at my apartment and on the next morning, I woke up as the cops were on the front door and they were like I'm arrested for violent clash with one of the fans under drug's influence. And hence, look at me! I'm here since my goose was cooked. I mean, these days." She kept on by caressing her childhood friend's cheeks as her thumbs kneaded its subtle flesh by wiping the tears of her tear-stained, juvenile complexion. When Odette finished her monologue, she swallowed a solid gulp in her throat by pursing her rosy-coloured, plump lips. 

"Oh God! That's unfair but it's not as worse as the reason why I'm here. I'm really to hear all this shit, Odette! You deserved much better than this."

"It's okay! I hate to be pitied, Serena!" Meanwhile the both women captured themselves in a tight, warm hug without breaking it off as their brittle hearts hammered briskly, reccuringly against one another's chests. "One day, this shithole is going to be no longer our home. We will be fine!" The love child rubbed with her mildly clumsy fingers the other inmate's shoulders as its fingertips caressed lightly the fabric of her cotton amber cardigan, whispering between their embrace. Her fingers once grasped microphones, glasses of severe alcoholic beverages as they burned the corners of her caverns, commanded her body and tranquilized it after boozing excessive quantity, yielding to lick her lips gamely, greedily as if she has savored its forbidden fruit from the Edem's garden. Even more, causing her cheeks heating and face vapoured in ruby tinge due to the alcohol's strength and vitality. 

"We will be for sure! Do not lose faith, Odette!" Serena replied in stoic manner. "We got each other's backs. We need to stay strong to the end." She proceed with her exclamation by opting to embolden her friend in soft voice.

"Tell me your own story! Why are you there as I doubt you belong?"

"Well, ya remember when I was adopted and left St. Ursula when we were scarcely 6," The other young lady inhaled in unsettled manner as the love child's lips popped up abruptly. "The first years when I was adopted by my adoptive family, they treated me well and loved me for what I were. They used to be such doting and wonderful parents until I peaked at my late teens when they struggled financially and barely coped the both ends as my foster father, Harrison became dependant of the alcohol though he fought with the alcohol which was his Achilles' Heel, besides my foster mother Collette wasn't exceptional. She screamed and tugged my hair constantly by judging me for being independent and telling me until I'm their child under their roof, I'll follow their rules. They thought I was still a fucking kid and I should be always kid even when I'm just 17 for their goddamn sake. They never took me seriously even when I'm a young adult. Harrison tried to rape me whilst Colette put the blame on me for trying to seduce him though I swear for hundredth time, I never tempted him." Whereas Serena's monologue advanced, the more astounded were the both adults who listened attentively her without peeling a single word by demonstrating disrespect, disregarding her as a normal woman with her own self-respect, authentic individualism self-love.

"I'm shocked. Tremendously shocked!" Odette and Frank expressed their exceeding, scorching frustration of Serena's former foster family which tormented their minds, occupied with bewildering thoughts of the other orphan's story behind Collette and Harrison as her own family. The both adults couldn't oppress gasps as their hearts severely ached. "How do they dare to mess with an innocent girl like you, Serena?"

"It's not only those bad news I can deliver you as a piece of horrendous memories behind these bastards. Further, do ya see my sewed eye?" She gestured by pointing faintly with her index finger directly into her sewed eyelid which caused them to nauseate as Odette has never seen such barbarous consequences after being part of an adoptive family. Meantime the strawberry-haired lady earned inquiring, dumbfounded looks as they acquired eternal palish tints on their faces. They nodded their heads, agreeing for seeing such atrocity. "That's what my foster father did it. Whilst Collette shaved partly my head, as a result of siding with a rapist and abuser." Then Serena chuckled in wry way by chewing her dry, plumpish bottom lip. "I can't even call them friends with exception of shitty freaks. They're no humans."

"All monsters are human! They're monsters." The former police officer confessed reluctantly as he removed his hat by grasping it in one of his clammy hands, whereas his other one managed up to rub his head, running his adroit, versatile fingers through his gray hair.

"It's abomination what they did to you. And,"

"The last time when my foster father opted to rape me again, I killed him in self-defense, throughout Collette considered me an insane and threw me here in this hellhole."

"W-What kind of parents are these people who have never deserved to have somebody else as angelic as ya?"

***

"Elsa, I think I see somebody who oddly resembles Odette!" Massimo gestured as Evelyn and Elsa encompassed him as they stepped on the stone threshold of the asylum after getting out of the cab, observing the other married couple, holding one another's hands in an uptight grip.

"Oh Mein Gott! Aren't they," The German emigrant evoked rhetorically as she stammered, struggling to resume her utterance as soon as Jude and Timothy imposed gradually each step of Briarcliff as their hearts and minds froze in no time by scrutinizing the former pious members of the church as their mouths were agape, widened gapes at them as if statues motionlessly sat on the ground. They didn't even dare to move a single muscle and take a step forward by arriving inside the madhouse's lobby.

"And I pressume one of the exotic islands might suit ideally as her birthday present," The former holy man prattled as he felt somewhat disquiet, in fact, they weren't alone anymore, uncertainly recognizing Odette's best friend who was encircled by her own small, nonetheless ardent and marvelous family they formed altogether. Suddenly his chocolate brown eyes were laid on the elder singer with her husband and sole child as he offered them a benevolent, sheepish smile, flashing upon his fresh, young-looking complexion.

Silence fell between them as the light spring breeze blew their a tad ruffled hairs as its wind waves played with them.

"I think you're Mrs. Mars, if I'm not mistaking!" The native Bostonian stuttered as she timidly motioned her lips as she and Timothy halted walking, offering her a benevolent, modest smile, distorted across her lips.

"Ja, das ist richtig, Frau!" The German emigrant spoke with het firm, silver-tongued German accent, accentuating  her exclamation in general by nodding  humbly without showing any signs of unarguable aloofness at first sight. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you since I think you're Odette's parents."

"Isn't it too obvious, Mrs.Mars?" Despite the fact the Howards didn't know any German word, at least they comprehended the German emigrant's words without the need of a translator even translation itself. The Bostonian couldn't suppress a guturral, merry chuckle, escaping her lips as Elsa joined Jude, whilst Timothy shook his hand with Massimo, introducing to one another. "Well, I'm Judy Martin Howard, Mrs.Mars!"

"Don't call me Mrs.Mars, Judy! Just Elsa, okay?" In the interval, Judy nodded  excitedly by shaking the creamy hand of the elder singer, smiling brightly. 

"Of course, Elsa!" 

"So Judy and Mr.Howard, these are my husband Massimo and Evelyn, our daughter." Elsa introduced her small family to the married couple as Timothy and Massimo looked at each other with gleeful grins, cracked on their faces as they wickedly, absentmindedly cackled, earning their wives' attention as well. "W-what's going on gentlemen?" Evelyn just bashfully gawked the both men by biting her bottom plumpish lip absently, wearing a girlish, demure smile, curled up in the corner of her lips. 

"Ah, nothing! We have already introduced ourselves and shook our hands." The Italian commented as his face flushed, sunk in sanguine tinge. 

"Oh! Well, Judy, that's Massimo," The German woman turned to Jude by introducing her husband, ushering them to handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet ya! Elsa!"

"Timothy Howard!" The former man of the cloth shook Elsa's elvish, creamy hand by fitting ideally in his larger, smooth one. 

"Tim, that's Evelyn, my daughter!" At last but not least, Elsa introduced her daughter to the former member of the clergy, seconds before Jude's turn at last. 

***

"This place is a holy shit for heaven sake!" Elsa exclaimed by clicking her tongue whilst holding Massimo's hand, whereas the other couple and Evelyn paced up altogether in the hallway of the nuthouse as they followed the married couple since they flawlessly knew each corner of Briarcliff without hesitation. The poignant stench of solid, hardcore medicaments, urine and low quality hygiene were inevitable for the both married couples as they advanced up to their imminent destination. The common room. "In what kind of a privy you used to work together, Tim and Judy?" The question was arrowed accurately into the Howards as their hearts raced. 

"Well, we used to work in better conditions unlike these miserable ones."The former holy man commenced explaining as he opted to assure the other couple the difference between Briarcliff nowadays and then were terrifically ginormous as if Briarcliff under Father McKenzie's iron fist was nothing unlike the old days when Jude and Timothy were in their 20s. 

"Oh! It looks like a shithole as if it's a loo, housing criminally insane and doping them to mute their mind's inner voices and resurfaced thoughts." The slightly dark-haired blonde evoked plainly, incapable of realizing what kind of a language she used in front of her adolescent daughter and her new buddies as the ladies' heels clicked frequently, constantly in the dull hallway, interweaving with the bewails of the desperate, mentally ill patients. 

"It's! It's the administrator of this institution's fault." Jude couldn't agree more with her husband and the German emigrant's words by humming monotonously to herself inwardly as if it was solely audible for her. 

To be continued...