December, 1927

New York

The night had been long, leading into an endless day. Every fiber of her being ached for the sweet release of sleep, but Calliope dared not attempt until she was in the safety of her home. Not that she had much of a choice. One couldn't exactly sleepwalk on command, nor was that a viable option in her opinion.

Her heavy legs ascended the stairs one at a time, her eyes struggling to stay open under the weight of exhaustion. That would be the absolute last time she agreed to take two graveyard shifts in a row, and allow herself to be roped into covering the shift of a co-worker. But, money was tight in her life, so she always found herself agreeing to extra shifts, if she knew it was safe for her to do so, both patients and her own wellbeing alike.

She struggled with getting the key in the lock, muttering obscenities under her breath. The door swung open as if by magic, but naturally, Calliope's roommate had been the source of the moving door.

"Calliope, honey, I could hear your thoughts from a mile away," Queenie said sweetly, her voice verging on angelic.

Calliope could only groan in response, rubbing at her eyes with the heel of her hand. She snatched the cap off her curled hair in an effort to make being able to fall asleep easier.

"Awe, you poor thing. Rough case, huh? I'll make you some tea, then off to bed with you." Queenie nodded, not waiting for an answer.

Calliope shook her head. "No, I just want to sleep. Thank you though, Queenie," the girl said, a yawn ceasing her words.

Queenie could only nod in understanding, a sad smile on her face.

Calliope's job wasn't easy, not that any were, but sometimes the life of a Healer was undesirable. There were odd, long hours, never ending paperwork, and Calliope's heart often found itself breaking at some of the cases she saw. Some could be helped, others could not, but her strong desire to help people only fueled her want to do the job.

The brunette shuffled into the bathroom, washing her face with cool water, knowing she was much too tired to worry the water might wake her senses up. She looked at herself in the mirror a moment before pulling any remaining pins out of her hair and taking a moment to braid the long hair. It wasn't the style, but Calliope had always adored her hair long, ever since she was a child, so she simply ignored the social norms.

Once her task was complete she made her way into Queenie and Tina's bedroom, opening the closet doors and stepping inside the illegal expansion of their apartment. It had been a simple extension charm, and it was easily hidden by curtains or clothes if any unwanted eyes came poking about.

Queenie and Tina had insisted Calliope live with them, but without the extra room added on, there was simply no room. At first Calliope had tried to explain she could live elsewhere, but Tina relented into adding the room, surprising the other two girls greatly, knowing how much the eldest Goldstein was a stickler for rules.

Calliope barely managed to get on some appropriate pajamas, her bed looking so inviting the moment she stepped into her small room. It took every ounce of self-restraint to not do such a thing, knowing once she woke up she would heavily regret sleeping in the uniform.

Finally, she collapsed on her bed, snuggling into the pillow. It was only the three of them, and even when Tina got home, the girls had an unspoken agreement to be especially quiet after Calliope's graveyard shifts, knowing full well that her sleeping schedule always got completely thrown off.

Too soon, her eyes began struggling to stay closed, annoyance creeping into her mood. There were voices in the flat. Voices much too loud for her to continue her once uninterrupted slumber. She laid still, hoping that Queenie and Tina had just gotten loud for a moment, the latter having returned home raving about the Second Salemers, something she often did.

But the voices continued on, and while some energy had been returned to her body, Calliope took a moment to stand and regain her balance before walking out of her room, the utter frustration evident on her face.

She was a normally docile woman, kind and understanding, a peaceful aura about her. It was efficient in most cases, but most had not seen the brunette mad. Her steely glare had quite effectively made a grown man burst into tears. That had been a one time occurrence, but Queenie and Tina always did their best to not be on the receiving end of her angry gaze. She was counting on that to scare them into silence for the time being.

"What happened to being quiet after I had graveyard shifts? What happened to the silence I was enjoying!" Calliope nearly tripped over her own feet, her lack of coordination showing how barely energized she was. Her toe stubbed painfully against the ground and she let out a quiet squeak and her face scrunched in pain, only fanning the flames of her bad mood.

"I've barely been asleep not but three hours and you two have bloody gone and woken. . . me. . . up. . ." The girl trailed off, her eyes catching sight of the two men in their flat. "Queenie, what have you done?"

"Me? Why do you assume it was me?"

Calliope hardly heard her, her face flushing with embarrassment for many different reasons. Not only had the two men witnessed her ungraceful, and quite rude entrance, but she was dressed in nothing but a lilac colored nightgown, the length hitting mid-thigh, showing much more leg than she was comfortable with.

She crossed her arms self-consciously, especially when she noticed the taller of the two men eyeing her with some curiosity. She cleared her throat and shot Tina and Queenie a glare.

"Uh, hello, gentlemen. I apologize for my. . . behavior, but I wasn't exactly expecting guests." She said pointedly to her two roommates. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back."

The shorter, stouter man smiled lightly, as if he were in a drunken trance, not even bothering to watch her go, or having really understood the exchange between the others in general. She had hardly had an opportunity to look closely at the unwanted visitors. Had she paid any mind to the sweating man, her Healer instincts would have taken over immediately, but Calliope was so shocked by them that she hadn't noticed. She had long since turned around, but she could still feel the stare of the brown haired man on her as she left, even as she rounded the corner.

The man in question had initially been startled by her presence, not expecting a third woman to appear from the apartment. The girl's clumsy nature hardly phased him, but her accent had caused his head to lift. It was distinctly British, and one that reminded him of someone from his school days. The familiarity only grew once he caught sight of her face. It had been many years, but she was still recognizable, the only thing that changed being her beauty, even if her hair was a mess, and her clothes were rumpled, her face showing the exhaustion that matched the topic of her words.

She was the last person he expected to see, and she alone made him want to disappear completely, to walk out this door like he had previously tried. He wanted to run, as fast and as far as he could, because Calliope Patterson terrified him beyond reasons he could comprehend.