The following was recovered from the Eden Renewed Email Server, sent on [DATE REDACTED]. It was found to be carbon copied to both [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], though their culpability/involvement in the Eden Renewed incident is still under investigation:

Good morning, all,

First, let me extend a huge thank you to Dr. Perkins and the Clinical Team for quickly apprehending the youth last night. It’s no secret that our campus is less than a mile from an unsavory part of the city. This has shown, yet again, that our fencing is not to imprison, but to protect our youths from outside threats.

That being said, last night’s runaway, along with various reports from staff in multiple departments, illustrates a need for greater security measures campus-wide. Our maintenance team is putting permanent seals on every window and our IT department is well on its way to having badge scanners on every door across campus. Keep your badge on your person at all times. It is the only way in or out. Any employee found without their badge will receive an immediate write-up.

Pastor Benny has also graciously agreed to spend more time on campus! This aligns with our core mission of integrating Christ into the healing we provide. Should you or a youth need spiritual intervention, you can reach him at [Phone Number Redacted]!

As a final reminder, the Caesarian's presence on this campus is strictly confidential! For their safety, and our own, please refrain from speaking about them outside of campus. This includes private discussions with family and friends. If the press comes to campus, expect terminations.

Now, with all of that out of the way, be sure to come to the Cafeteria this Friday to receive your first Bonus Check! We will have Thank-You cards to the various Government Stakeholders ready for your signatures! They chose us to take on the complex needs of the Caesarian youth because they know complexity is our forte!

Warmest Wishes,

Vickie Clybourn, CEO

Fluphenazine

Beep! With a click, the door to the nurse’s station unlocked. I walked in to see Maggie, a 15-year-old girl with frequent auditory and visual hallucinations, lying on the examination table with a makeshift splint on her arm. She had jumped off the roof. The nurse on duty, Evelyn, smiled exhaustedly when she saw me come in. “Dr. Sims told me to give her an extra dose of her sedative to calm her down. We’re about to take her to the ER.”

I nodded, “Sounds good, just wanted to check in.” I turned to Maggie, with a sympathetic smile, “Mags, you holding up okay?”

“I was scared, Mr. Ty.” She replied, more monotone and zombified than normal, her extra sedative kicking in quickly. Though her eyelids seemed heavy, and her face remained emotionless, her eyes darted back and forth.

Tracking her gaze, I asked, “Was it one of your friends pulling a prank?” referring to her hallucinatory compatriots. Usually, she would “play” with them, which consisted of hide and seek, hopscotch, or sometimes just running in circles.

“No, sir. They wasn’t there. They ran away.”

“Have they come back yet?” Typically, she was only aware of her friends when her anti-psychotics were wearing off, but they normally stuck with her.

“One of them things chased them into the woods,” She said with the dullness of describing a cornflake breakfast. “They still ain’t came back yet.”

Evelyn, who was typing her service note out of Maggie’s view, shook her head giving me a knowing smile. I returned it politely, and turned back to Maggie. “What are the things?”

Maggie paused, smacking her lips inaudibly, her eyes still darting around. “What?”

“The things that were scaring you.”

“Oh, they was…like…people without skin. But their arms was longer than their legs. They had shark teeth and eyes like cats.”

I paused, “Yeah, those sound…funny.”

“Yeah, so I jumped off the roof to get away.”

“Why didn’t you just climb back down the ladder?”

“Huh?” She said after another long pause.

“The ladder, why didn’t you climb it back down?”

“I didn’t climb up no ladder, I blinked and I was up there.”

I paused, cocking an eyebrow, “Floated?”

Maggie stared at me, “Yeah.”

“Are they only outside?”

“Yeah, they don’t come in here. They like to sit outside the windows and watch. They can talk without moving their mouths. They ain’t there all the time, though.”

“They talk with-?”

Evelyn stood up, her keys jingling loudly, helping Maggie off the exam table, “C’mon, Mags, it’s time to get a real cast on that arm.”

I followed them back out of the nurse’s station and into the large living room. The other girls in the home were eating dinner. Most of them gave well-wishes to Maggie, but the Caesarian girls just stared silently. Evelyn said a few words to one of the house mothers on duty before scanning her badge and walking out. I smiled and nodded.

As we exited the building, the fall air was finally settling in. I strode ahead to the blue company van and opened the door to let Maggie in, closing it once she was buckled. She finally cracked a smile and waved awkwardly with the splinted arm. Evelyn turned to me, “We need to talk to Dr. Sims about upping her anti-psychotic. I know all the girls have been scared in their own way since…you know, but with Maggie’s condition, I don’t think we need to take chances.”

“I agree. But she seems like she’s handling it okay, other than-“

“Yeah, you should have seen her before you got here. Rambling, talking faster than I’ve ever seen her talk. A lot of words I didn’t understand, god bless her,” she said, shaking her head. “ Almost called Pastor Benny to get up there and-oh, speaking of- will you go around back and lock up the access ladder in case one of the other girls feels like jumping?” I ignored her casual morbidity as she held out a rusted key.

“Not a problem.” I grabbed the key and put it on my keyring.

“Thanks, just bring it back when you come in tomorrow morning.”

“Will do.”

"And hey, those 'things' outside the window. Those are just some monsters from some Tubi Movie the girls watched last night. Just thought you might wanna keep that in mind when you file your crisis report." Maggie made a pained groan and Evelyn quickly climbed into the driver’s seat. I waved as the van pulled away into the setting sun.

After a moment, I walked around the back of the house. There wasn’t much room between the house and the heavy metal fence, but I didn’t even have to squeeze in; I could see the rusty cage housing the access ladder from the corner of the house. Thick clustered vines grew up around the metal latticework, sealing the door. It hadn't been touched in quite some time. Even in the waning light, I could see that it was locked.

Psalm 139:14

Esther sat alone outside the conference room. All around her were distressed brick walls painted a light khaki color. On these walls were dozens of framed photographs of varying sizes; the smiling figures occupying them sent a wave of envy through her. "They make happiness look so easy," she thought to herself. But a twinge of guilt settled as she remembered that they were taken away from their families, too. Mama had always said she was the "strong child," but in moments like these, she had no idea how she would ever feel happy, or normal for that matter, ever again.

A door creaked open and she glanced to her left. The conference room door remained closed. On the other side of the hall though, a girl walked out carrying papers. Their gazes met, but Esther quickly looked down. Even with her shaggy mane obscuring her eyes, she could still hear the girl walking towards her. The footsteps stopped. "Hey."

She fought the voice in her head screaming to stay silent."Hey." Esther could recognize the girl better now. Her name was Deena, a heavy-set, dark-complected girl who appeared around her own age. She lived in Sloan, the house on campus where Esther was placed.

Deena smiled, adjusting her thick glasses, "Still getting used to it?"

Esther nodded her head.

"It can be a lot at first. All the new people, the schedule, the creepy campus. Have you heard about Colonel Lawson?" She asked narrowing her gaze with a smirk.

"No, who is that?"

The smirk widened to a toothy smile, "He's buried at the back of campus, on the other side of the pond, but we can't get back there."

"Okay?"

Deena looked momentarily disappointed, but continued, "This land used to be his plantation. Him and his wife had slaves and everything. They're buried here too."

Esther raised her eyebrows, providing Deena the reaction she was working for, "And at night they come out. If you look out the windows, sometimes you see them. But if you listen hard enough at night, you can hear them humming. Colonel Lawson likes to mess with people. Like, I was sitting in my room last night and all of a sudden, all the books on my shelves just fell on the floor and-!"

But before Deena could finish her story, the conference room door opened. Deena scurried away as a bearded man stuck his head out the door. "Esther?"

She nodded quickly.

"You can come in!" He said cheerfully.

She was led into the conference room. Huge windows let in the warm natural light that made everything in the room seem to glow. The bearded man joined a host of different adults at the table, including an older man in his 50s, a young woman in a nice suit, and a young balding man. At the head of the table sat the woman from the bus. It was difficult for Esther to determine her age, as the woman's sagging neck and posture contrasted with her shiny face, which looked stretched over her bones. In the same tone she used to greet the children, she broke the brief silence, "Esther, so glad to have you here."

Esther smiled nervously, and quietly replied, "Thank you, ma'am."

The face stretched into a smile, "You can call me Miss Vickie." She pointed to the older man, "This is Doctor Sims, our psychiatric provider," then to the young woman, "Miss Nell, director of Housing," then to the young balding man, "Doctor Perkins, the clinical director," he smiled, flashing fake white teeth, "and finally, Mister Tyler, who will be your therapist." Her wrinkled hand landed on the young bearded man's shoulder.

Maintaining her nervous smile, Esther replied, "Nice to meet you all."

There was an uneasy silence in the room, until Dr. Sims spoke up, his voice so gravelly and low it hurt Esther’s throat just hearing it, “You have a sister?"

Esther squirmed. She felt like a test subject, a number on a spreadsheet. Dr. Perkins spoke up, "We just want to ensure we plan around your family. No reason you two should be separated."

"Oh, well, yes sir, I have a sister."

"Just one?" Vickie asked.

"Well...back home we call every girl...well, every girl who isn't grown is our sister. But yes ma'am, I have a little sister. Mary."

Vickie nodded, stroking her chin and glancing at Nell. "Can we have them put in the same room?"

Esther brightened a bit. She had grown accustomed to sharing a room with her sister. Nell smiled but gave Vickie a questioning look, "Well, Vickie, I can talk to CPS and see if they would make an exception this time." Vicke nodded and Nell turned back to the young girl, "How was your first night, Esther?"

"It was good."

"Did you get any rest?"

"No, but I slept on the bus ride over."

Nell nodded and Vickie glanced around at the adults again."Well, do we have anything else for her?"

Another bout of silence in which Esther prayed they wouldn't change their minds. Doctor Sims glanced over at her once again. "If I give you medication, will you take it?" His tone was somewhat cutting.

"Yes sir," Esther replied, confused.

"Good, and tell your 'sisters' to do the same," he pulled a white box from his lab coat and stood. Esther felt like he was the tallest man she had ever seen. He grabbed a cane from behind his chair and limped towards her, holding out the box, "Take one of these every day at breakfast. Once the box is empty, let me know."

She took it from his hand and flipped it around. There were no labels, no instructions, nothing. "What do these do?"

He smiled, his wrinkled lips revealing brown teeth, "These are to help you feel a lot happier."

She returned the smile, putting the box into her pocket. Vickie spoke again, "Do you have any other questions for us?"

Esther pursed her lips, thinking hard. She had so many questions, but she didn't know which ones could actually be answered. More than that, after all she'd been through, she wasn't sure which of the adults would tell her the truth.

Fall Equinox

10:00 PM. Lights out. Jeremiah heard the rain tapping on his window. He was lying in bed with his eyes closed, hoping tonight he could sleep like he used to. But sleeping was difficult these days. He sighed, pulling the covers up to his chin, and just like every night, he began to pray silently.

"Dear father, hear my prayer. Please be with Mama and Papa wherever they are. I miss them. Be with my brothers and sisters and me while we're stuck in the Base World. Please please please keep me on your path to the spring of life. Thank you for all the people here who want to help me. Shine your all-consuming light on them. Let them see the truth... and may you…choose me…when you return..In your name…I pray-" Jeremiah ran out of steam earlier than usual, the pattering rain helping him turn his brain off.

The rain’s tapping became more disparate and intense. He rolled over, facing the window, his eyes still closed. Tonight would be the night. He felt sure the Verdant One would answer his prayers. This thought gained traction as he felt an intense sense of comfort. One he hadn’t felt in a long time. Through the mixed tempo tapping, he heard a faint, steady percussion.

Tap.Tap.Tap. Pause.

Tap.Tap.Tap. Pause.

On the edge of sleep, he heard a voice, barely audible, like a low whisper. "Jeremiah."

He ignored it, sinking further into slumber.

"Jeremiah." The boy opened his eyes ever so slightly, turning his head quickly to face the door. Outside, the hallway was empty, with only the intense fluorescents reflecting off the stark white walls.

“Son.” He turned his head facing the window. Outside, his mother stood in her favorite dress, with her palms against the window. He rubbed his eyes, not believing what he was seeing. But she was still there, like an angel untouched by the rain, smiling warmly. Though her eyes were obscured by shadow, he could feel her gaze.

He sat up quickly, in wild disbelief, turning to face the door, making sure he wouldn’t be disturbed. Sitting up on his knees and placed his hands against the glass, his palms bigger than her own. His warmth causing the drenched window to fog ever so slightly around each finger. “Mama?”

Her smile widened. “Sweet boy.”

“Are you here to take me back?!” He whispered.

Silence.

“Come outside.” She said gently.

Quickly, he rolled out of bed, the wooden floor betraying him with an obnoxious creak. He silently slid back, listening intently for footsteps. He heard nothing but the distant thunder and pounding rain. He glanced back to his mother, but she was no longer there.

His heart raced as he pressed his face closer to the window, the dark world beyond further obscured by the hazy downpour. A flash of lightning. There she was. Standing at the tree line, beckoning to him. Blackness. With his sweaty hands he quickly began to unlatch the window. It slid up with a small hiss.

He felt the cool, wet air wash over his hands. Another flash of lightning, his mother still beckoned. As he threw his leg over the sill, a shrill noise droned through the house. He pulled his other leg over and fell, rolling off the bushes below, their jagged little branches catching on his pajamas. He pushed through as the blaring alarm seemed to engulf the very air around him. Stumbling to his feet, he ran as fast as he could to the woods, to his mother, to freedom.

Lightning cracked, and she was already another ten yards deeper into the trees. He crashed through thorny vines he couldn’t see, almost on the verge of tears as he heard her voice again, “Over here.” He steered towards the sound, feeling driven by a motor. He ran, and he ran, and he ran until he tripped and fell into a small clearing.

A crumbling headstone rested just in front of a gargantuan cedar tree. Beyond he could barely make out the edge of the forest and a big pond beyond. House lights coming on one by one like twinkling stars as the campus awoke. His mother stood in front of it all, arms extended in an embrace.

He limped towards her eagerly, hot tears intermingled with cold rain streaming down his face.“Mama!” He cried, wrapping his arms around her. She remained silent. Her dress still dry as ever, even as embattled as it was by the elements. He felt her arms wrap around him. But not like the warm healing hugs she normally gave. It was as though she didn’t want to let him go. He looked up to see his mother’s smiling face. But her eyes weren’t right. They were big yellow cat’s eyes with razor-thin slits.

Roaring thunder muffled a blood-curdling scream through the night air.