“…Nine…ten…eleven…” Alice’s voice was clearer and sounded closer to her. Bette looked around, trying to see what was going on. The tranquility of the night was disturbed by sounds of running feet and heavy breathing. Right after Alice whispered “eleven…” someone jumped from behind Bette and pushed her to the ground. “…twelve.”

Bette watched in amazement at the sparks of light as they were shimmering around the ancient oaks and bouncing of their barks with a soft rustle, as if they were whispering some secret. It lasted much longer than usual, she thought, the sparks were shining brighter than stars in the sky.

The moon moved from behind the cloud, like it was a magic trick and the darkness became less frightening and menacing. Bette was still on the ground, pinned under someone’s body when she heard Tina coming out of her hiding place and whispering urgently, “Bette…Bette…where are you?”

Bette heard a soft chuckle behind her and saw Alice who rolled over on her back, laughing quietly. She raised her fist in the air and said, “It worked…it fucking worked.”

“Tee, we are here,” Bette began laughing as well. Soon, Tina joined on the ground, hugging Bette passionately, as they laughed and dared to hope.

Place: Orange County, Porter Mansion

Time: October 20, 1886, early morning

Candace grinned as she watched the brunette next to her trying to disentangle from the clutches of a corset hanging in the closet. She finally extricated herself from the contraption and removed the hoodie. “What the bloody hell?

Candace face registered shock and disbelief. If the look Helena gave her could kill, Candace would be reduced into a pile of ash right now. “What the bloody hell?” Helena repeated furiously. “You’re such a bloody idiot. You were supposed to grab Bette.”

“Hey, don’t snap at me,” Candace replied with equal anger. “You were supposed to stay close to Tina. You look so much like Bette, how was I supposed to know who’s who?”

The house was cold, deserted and eerie in its quietude. As Alice found out through her research, Bette’s mother moved in with Katie after her miraculous delivery. Maxine wanted to be close to her first grandchild. She wanted to stay in her daughter’s house for a while so she wouldn’t miss the baby growing up. Her occasional visits to her own mansion were rare and sporadic.