Bette blinked into the darkness. There was no light for her to focus on, no shapes she could make out and hold on to. She felt like she was on the edge of being pulled into an abyss of some kind. When she closed her eyes, Jenny's pale, bloodless face filled her mind and consciousness. So she lay there, staring into the black. She thought she would go mad, but she didn't want to wake Tina by putting a light on. She wondered how many people had suffered breakdowns for the sake of being polite.

Tina snored lightly and Bette could practically feel her ears straining in the silence for another sound. Tina snored again. Bette took a deep breath and eased it out slowly, her misery receding a little more each time the comforting assurance of Tina's nearness broke the silence. She wasn't alone. It was alright. The vision of Jenny's face, cold and immobile in death, faded more and more until it was gone.

She fell asleep.

Sometime later, she was awakened by Tina jostling the bed as she got up. Bette rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, but where she was and why she was there clanged in her mind like an alarm. She felt that she should get up and do something, but she didn't know what. The bathroom light illuminated the room briefly, and she listened as Tina checked on Angelica in the adjourning room. Then all was dark again as Tina turned off the bathroom light and shut the door. Bette fluffed her pillow and closed her eyes again, stubbornly pushing the world away. Not now. She couldn't deal with it right now. A few more minutes was all she needed. She felt Tina return to bed and Bette closed her eyes and breathed slowly, not wanting Tina to know she was awake. She must have drifted off, for when she awakened again the room was brighter and Angelica was afoot. She was standing near the bed, watching Bette.

Bette pulled herself up and yawned. “Hello there.” She didn't see Tina, but she could hear the shower going. Angelica was standing there, looking slightly perturbed. Bette realized that the little girl had slept through the whole drive to the hotel last night and had probably been very confused when she awoke in a place so different from her room at home.

“Come here, sweetie,” Bette said.

Angelica stayed where she was and shook her head.

Bette furrowed her brows. “Angelica, come to me when I call you.”

The little girl kept watching her without moving and a coil of dread snaked around Bette's heart. What was wrong with her daughter?

The stand-off between them was interrupted by Tina emerging from the bathroom with a cloud of steam, squeezing the ends of her hair with a towel.

“There's my girl!” she said, addressing Angelica. She crossed the room and kissed the top of Angie's head.

“Hey,” Tina said, addressing Bette. Her face looked rosy, calm. Her whole look seemed fresh and new to Bette. Unspoiled, untouched of the events of the night before. The white, fluffy hotel robe she was wearing added to the illusion.

“Morning,” Bette murmured.

“Could you get Angie ready for the day? Her clothes are in the other room. I want to get dressed. Then you can take a shower, okay?”

“No,” Angie piped up, stubbornly.

Tina raised her eyebrows. “Angelica, go wait in the other room for a minute and play with Hamlyn, okay? Don't mess with anything.”

Angelica eyed Bette almost defiantly as she exited the room.

“What's got into her?” Tina muttered. She put the towel around her neck and began to rummage through the bags she'd hastily packed the night before.

Bette swallowed with some difficulty. Her mouth had gone very dry. “T,” she croaked before clearing her throat and trying again. “T?”

“I could have sworn I put the hair dryer in one of these bags. I know I did.” Tina straightened up and looked at the bag, considering, before she reached for another one. She glanced over her shoulder. “What is it, babe?”

Bette tried to tamp down the feeling of surreal incredulity rising in her chest. Why was Tina acting this way? “Why are you acting like this?”

“Hm? Like what?” Tina asked distractedly, dropping the bag on a chair and rummaging through its contents.

“Like you don't have a care in the world. Like everything is fine. Like last night didn't happen. Like we weren't forced out of our home by the police, which is still a crime scene, because one of our friends died there.” Bette stage-whispered the last part, not wanting Angelica to overhear them.