Caribbean resort myrtle beach bed bugs

We are staying at Caribbean beach resort with our 4.5 year old and 1.5 year old for 3 nights. It looks like there is a toddler bed in the room that pulls down but is still higher off the ground. At home, Our one year old sleeps in a crib and the 4 year old sleeps on the floor in one of those beds that look like a house. I’m worried about both of them falling off the bed. The four year old has fallen out of beds before, so definitely a valid fear lol. Should we bring a pack n play for the 1 year old? What about a bed rail? Or an inflatable bed? Amazon has one that is kind of like a pool for $50. I just want to be prepared. Does the resort offer anything like a pack n play or a bed rail? Thanks!

My fiancee and I are getting married at the end of April next year and are looking to decompress at an AI resort somewhere in the Caribbean or Mexico. Staying Sunday-thursday or monday-friday, hopefully looking for a resort with good (enough) food and drinks, nice beaches, and maybe something more on the romantic side (adults only) or maybe a room w some privacy like a balcony or swim up.
We are looking on the lower end of our budget and are seriously considering Bahia Principe family of resorts in Mexico. Does anyone have any experiences to share they think would be helpful? We would also consider some of their resorts outside of Mexico.
Thanks in advance.

Hi all,
I'm planning a trip to the Caribbean this summer, most probably end of June - mid of July. However, I am undecided between Punta Cana or Martinique; this would be my first trip to the islands. My main points of interest would be the beach and how touristy / busy the destination is. While I'd likely enjoy Martinique far more than Punta Cana (as I understand it's "less touristy" than Punta Cana), the main concern is that flights to Martinique are far more expensive for this period. How similar are the two ? I'm looking to book an AirBnb, so I'm not at all interested in the all-inclusive resorts. Would it be worth paying more for a flight to Martinique ?

List has been updated with additional SNES, N64, and Gamecube games. Paring down some parts of my collection. Happy to post pics of anything that you might be interested in. Shipping is $5 for the first game or 2, and then goes up from there as needed. Shipping for consoles will be around $15, depending on where you live.
Check out my Playstation games post here (with new PS3 games added):
https://www.reddit.com/GameSale/comments/13uw65n/usaco_h_playstation_games_ps1_ps2_ps3_ps4_psp_w/
Check out my Sega and Xbox games here:
https://www.reddit.com/GameSale/comments/12r9dbv/usaco_h_sega_and_xbox_games_genesis_dreamcast_og/
NES (Cartridge Only)
NES console, power cable, AV cable, controller $80 (I have 2 bundles available)
Racket Attack $5
SNES (Cartridge Only)
Acme Animation Factory $15
Championship Pool $5
Claymates $15
Final Fantasy II $60
King of the Monsters $15
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past $40
Lion King $15
Mario Paint $5
MLBPA. Baseball $5
Monopoly $5
NHL Stanley Cup $5
NHLPA Hockey $5
P.T.O II $25
Pinball Dreams $10
Populous $5
Roger Clemens MVP Baseballe $5
StarFox $20
Super Mario World $25
Super Metroid $80
Tecmo Super Bowl $20
Tom and Jerry $15
Top Gear $10
Utopia $20
WWF Super Wrestlemania $10
Nintendo 64 (Cartridge Only)
N64 Console, power cable, AV cable, controller $100
N64 Console w/expansion pak, power cable, AV cable, controller $150
Memory Card (x5) $10/each
Rumble pak $20
Doom $35
Jet Force Gemini (No label) $5
NFL Blitz 2001 $30
Perfect Dark $20
Pokemon Snap $20
Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA (Label Issues) $15
Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer $10
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire $15
Super Mario 64 (Faded label) $40
Superman 64 $15
Gamecube (CIB unless noted)
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 $10
Donkey Konga (Case and Disc) $20
Dragonball Z: Budokai (Case and Disc) $20
Dragonball Z: Budokai 2 $50
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles $20
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Case and Disc) $260
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (Case and Disc) $30
Lego: Star Wars: The Video Game (Case and Disc) $10
Mario Superstar Baseball (Case and Disc) $60
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System $35
Metroid Prime (Case and Disc) $30
Namco Museum (Case and Disc) $10
Nascar Thunder 2003 $10
NBA Street Vol 2 $35
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door $100
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness (Case and Disc) $180
Pokemon: Colosseum (Case and Disc) $160
Power Rangers: Dino Thunder $10
Sonic Mega Collection $15
SSX 3 $25
Super Bubble Pop $10
Yu-gi-oh! The Falsebound Kingdom (Case and Disc) $20
Wii (CIB unless noted)
Wii Console, power, A/V, and sensor bar cables, Wiimote and Nunchuk $70
Ben 10: Galactic Racing $5
Ben 10: Protector of Earth $5
Build 'n Race $5
Call of Duty: Black Ops $5
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (Case and Disc) $5
Carnival Games $10
Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 $15
Disney Sing It: Family Hits (Case and Disc) $10
EA Active: Personal Trainer $5
Family Fest presents Movie Games $3
Game Party $5
Ghostbusters: The Video Game $10
Guinness World Records: The Videogame $3
Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock $25
Guitar Hero: World Tour $20
Just Dance $10
Just Dance 2 $10
Just Dance 3 $10
Just Dance 4 $10
Just Dance 2014 $10
Just Dance Kids (Disc only) $5
Just Dance: Summer Party $10
Kirby's Epic Yarn $20
The Last Airbender $10
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword $25
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess $15
Lego: Batman: The Videogame $5
Lego: Batman 2: DC Super Heroes $5
Lego: Pirates of the Caribbean $10
Lego: Star Wars: The Complete Saga $5
Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal (Case and Disc) $5
Madden 11 $3
Major Leage Baseball 2K12 $5
Mario Strikers Charged $15
Mario Super Sluggers $35
Minute To Win It $5
Monkey Mischief! (Disc only) $3
My Fitness Coach (Case and Disc) $5
My Sims: Agents (Disc only) $3
My Sims: Kingdom $5
My Word Coach $5
Neo Pets: Puzzle Adventure (Disc only) $3
Nerf: N-Strike $5
Ni Hao Kai-lan: Super Game Day (Disc only) $3
Petz: Crazy Monkey (Case and Disc) $5
Puzzle Kingdoms $5
Rapala: We Fish $5
Rayman: Raving Rabbids $5
Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2 (Case and Disc) $5
Rockband $20
Skate It $5
Skylanders: Giants $5
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure $5
Smarty Pants (Case and Disc) $3
Speed Racer: The Video Game $5
Squeeballs Party $5
Star Wars: Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels (Disc only) $3
Super Paper Mario (Case and Disc) $15
The Price is Right: Decades (Case and Disc) $5
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Case and Disc) $5
Thrillville: Off the Rails (Case and Disc) $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (Case and Disc) $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 $5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09: All play $5
Ultimate Band $5
Wacky Races: Crash & Dash $15
Wii Fit $5
Wii Music $3
Wii Play $10
Wii Sports (Disc only) $20
Wii Sports (Cardboard Sleeve and Disc) $25
Wii Sports Resort $30
Wonder World: Amusement Park $5
Zoo Hospital (Case and Disc) $5
Zumba Fitness 2 $3
Wii U (CIB unless noted)
Disney Infinity (No manual) $5
Disney Infinity 2.0 $5
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (No manual) $5
Family Party 30 Great Games: Obstacle Course (No manual) $5
Just Dance 2015 $5
Just Dance 2015 (Disc only) $3
Just Dance 2016 $5
Just Dance 2016 (No manual) $5
Just Dance 2017 (No manual) $5
Lego: The Movie Videogame $5
Madden 13 $10
Minecraft: Wii U Edition $15
Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventure (Disc and manual) $10
Skylanders: Super Chargers (No manual) $5
Skylanders: Trap Team (No manual) $5
Smurfs 2 $20
Splatoon $15
Super Mario 3D World (No manual) $15
Nintendo Switch (CIB unless noted)
Gundam G: Generations Crossrays (JPN) (Cartridge only) $40
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild $45
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Cartridge only) $35
Minecraft Dungeons: Hero Edition (JPN) (Cartridge only) $20
Paper Mario: The Origami King $35
Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond (JPN) (Cartridge only) $25
Pokemon: Shining Pearl (JPN) (Cartridge only) $25
Super Mario Party (JPN) (Cartridge only) $20
Gameboy (Cartridge only)
Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle $5
Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2 $5
Donkey Kong (1994) $20
Game & Watch Gallery $10
In Your Face $5
Monopoly $5
Xenon 2 $30
Gameboy Color (Cartridge only)
A Bug's Life $5
Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 4 $20
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX $45
Mario Tennis $15
Rampage: World Tour $5
Gameboy Advance (Cartridge only unless noted)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory $5
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe $4
Disney Princess $5
Finding Nemo: The Continuing Adventures $5
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events $5
Mega Man Zero 2 $35
Midnight Club Street Racing $5
Monster Jam: Maximum Destruction (Box and manual, no game) $10
Nicktoons Unite (Box and manual, no game) $7
Pac-Man Collection $5
Spider-Man (Box and manual, no game) $15
Spyro: Season of Ice $7
Star Wars: The New Droid Army $5
Street Fighter Alpha 3 $45
The Sims: Bustin' Out $15
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 $10
Nintendo DS (Cartridge only unless noted)
50 Classic Games (CIB) $5
Avatar: The Last Airbender $15
Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush $3
Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp $5
Brain Age $3
Cars: MaterNational Championships $5
Deer Drive $5
Diner Dash: Flo on the Go (CIB) $15
Final Fantasy III (CIB) $25
Finding Nemo: Escape to the Big Blue $5
Insecticide $5
Madden 08 $5
Madden 09 $10
Major League Baseball 2K11 $5
Mario Party DS $10
My French Coach (CIB) $5
Nintendogs: Dachshund & Friends $5
Nintendogs (PAL) $5
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (CIB) $5
Puss in Boots (CIB) $5
Quest Trio (CIB) $5
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing $8
Spore: Creatures (CIB) $10
Zubo $5
Nintendo 3DS (Cartridge only unless noted)
Code Name: STEAM $5
Miitopia $20
The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins $5
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (Cartridge only) $15
Tomodachi Life (Case and Cartridge) $40
Wario Ware Gold $35
Wipeout 2 (CIB) $5

Female 22, 4’11. conditions: - Mixed anxiety-depressive disorder - GERD & Gastritis
medications: - amitripityline 25mg - lamictal 50mg - inderal 10mg (for essential tremor that was worsened by anxiety) - effexor 100mg ( i was prescribed more than those but she started limiting them over the years)
Hi, i’ve been wondering a lot lately about the diagnosis of my mental health. I was brought to a psychiatrist office in 2018 by my dad and uncle to get a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder but to their surprise i was displaying signs of depression & anxiety, she asked me bunch of questions like if i had some sleep problems or if i had suicidal & self harming thoughts and i answered yes to almost all of her questions.
she clearly said “you have a mix between anxiety and depression” my uncle was surprised by that because he thought it was a simple case of social anxiety and the psychiatrist had to correct him. ever since then, my mom has been saying that i should stop taking the medications she prescribed me and that i’m fine. i tried brushing it off but it kept going until this day.
all those years my mom tried pursuing me to stop taking them, my dad never said anything and had to make sure that i take them daily before bed, this was until in 2019 where i had a suicide attempt and was sent to therapy. i don’t remember if my psychiatrist added more prescriptions but i went on and off with medications and different doctors to treat depression, i reached a point where i had to take 6 different medications in a day just to treat it. my parents both of them, slowly started encouraging to drop them off (gradually) i did it the safest way possible, sadly without the consult of my psychiatrist nor therapist. my mom found out that i had been planning on ending my life around 2020-2019 and finally said it “your doctor said there was nothing wrong with you and that you’re completely fine. she said to me you just wanted attention” this devastated me, i thought my psychiatrist was feeding me lies and so i asked if i could report her but my mom changed narrative and said “you were depressed, slightly, but then you got cured. that’s it.” i took her claims with a grain of salt.
i resorted to my dad about it and he said “your doctor told you about depression and anxiety but i think even doctors can make mistakes.” my dad was present during the diagnosis but both of them are in denial. it has been bugging me lately, what if they were right? can a psychiatrist prescribe you antidepressants even if you don’t have depression?
list of depression symptoms: - depressed mood & feeling numb all the time - loss of appetite - oversleeping (there were some days where i had insomnia and some days where i overslept for few weeks) - self harm & suicidal ideation - loss of motivation - low self esteem - no longer enjoying life & usual activities
symptoms of anxiety: - tremors - Insomnia - loss of appetite when i’m feeling anxious - excessive worrying, obsessing over triggers and avoiding them. - acid reflux & weakness in legs and needing the bathroom - feeling like passing out - fast heartbeat - inability to think clearly, stuck in my mind.

My farm is in shambles, my animals hate me, my mailbox is overflowing, and my husband Harvey is now a stranger, all because I have spent 3 straight years in bed. Only getting out of bed every Monday to check the board in town.
I am trying to get Willy's "Juicy Bugs Wanted!" quest to spawn on the special order board and it won't come up. It's the last thing I need to do in order to perfect the game! The only craftable recipe I don't have is the quality bobber.
I am at a loss. Is it really random? I know it says once I complete this quest I won't encounter it again but I'm pretty sure I've never done it as I don't remember the cut scene and I also don't have the recipe.
Is there anything I can do or do I have to just keep sleeping?
Note: I'm playing on Xbox
UPDATE: Make sure the people you are playing with claim the quest rewards. Apparently one of my farmhands completed this quest without telling me and never went to the beach to claim the reward. I went to the beach on a whim and the reward cutscene started. 3 years wasted.

Please, feel free to add any events below! Check out the Visitor's Guide for more things to do around town!
Looking to meet up with people? Check out Meetup St. Louis.
​
Be sure to continue scrolling past the Weekly Events for Trivia Nights, Live Music, Sporting Events, Local Comedy, and more!
​

• Blues on the Block at National Blues Museum
  • Every Saturday until August 5th
  • Come on down to the corner of Washington Ave. and 6th Street from 4 to 7 PM. Bring your lawn chair!
• Brentwood Summer Beats
  • June 9, 2023
  • Join others for an evening of music in Brentwood Park!
• Cardinals HOF Presents Flashback Fridays
  • June 9, 2023
  • Visit the Cardinals Museum for a candid interview in Sportsman’s Park Theater with 2006 Cardinals World Champion Gary Bennett on Friday, June 9th at 4:00pm.
• Cardinals HOF Presents Saturday Signings
  • June 10, 2023
  • Saturday, June 10th is Saturday Signings with 2006 Cardinals World Champion Gary Bennett from 10am-12pm in the Cardinals Museum!
• Central West End Cocktail Party
  • June 10, 2023
  • Mark your calendars for the 7th Annual Central West End Cocktail Party on Saturday June 10, 2023, from 5-10 PM! Enjoy live entertainment, a cocktail competition, and food and drinks available for purchase from CWE bars and restaurants. Grab your friends and family for a fun-filled evening, featuring live music, street performers, fire dancers, roller skaters and more!
• Cherokee Pop Shop
  • June 10, 2023
  • Join others at the Rita Ford Community Center, where talented artisans will gather to showcase their handmade goods, art, fashion, jewelry and more. This is a perfect opportunity to discover new artists, support local businesses, and connect with the vibrant community of St. Louis. With live music, food & drink trucks, the Cherokee Pop Shop is a must-visit event for anyone who loves creativity, community, and shopping.
• Chess at the Brewery
  • Every Wednesday
  • Local meetup group of chess players that meet at breweries on Wednesday nights. They rotate locations each week.
  • See their Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chessatthebrewery/) for the location this week.
• Chihuly in the Missouri Botanical Garden
  • Running until October 15, 2023
  • The work of world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly is coming to the Missouri Botanical Garden in a stunning exhibition uniting art and nature. With thousands of pieces of blown glass forms in 20 dramatic installations throughout the Garden’s grounds, Chihuly in the Garden 2023 presents these artworks on a grand scale
• Circus Flora presents "Undercover"
  • June 1 - 25, 2023
  • This summer, Circus Flora enters the daring world of espionage! With nods to beloved spy stories throughout the years, Undercover introduces the world’s top double agent who faces an archvillain obsessed with world domination. Our spy has plenty of helpful allies – but the villain has a team, too. Will good overcome bad . . . and how? Aerialists, acrobats, contortionists, and comedians will craft this thrilling story, which will captivate your whole family!
• City Social on Washington Avenue
  • June 9, 2023
  • City Social, downtown St. Louis’ ultimate summer block party, returns on June 9 from 4 to 9 p.m.
  • Free and open to all, the event will take place on Washington Avenue between Tucker Boulevard and 14th Street. This is your chance to kick back, relax and enjoy live music with family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.
• Family Night with Fredbird
  • Wednesdays
  • Join others at Cardinals Nation Restaurant & Bar for Family Night with Fredbird on select Wednesday evenings this off-season! Bring your family down for games, prizes, and meet Fredbird from 6:30-7:30pm.
• Ferguson Farmers’ Market
  • Every Saturday
  • Enjoy live music and special events in a festive family atmosphere, and discover a wide variety of edible delights, including homemade jelly, farm fresh eggs, honey, spices, and meats. You’ll also find an ever-changing array of gift and specialty vendors, selling everything from cut flowers and bedding plants to hand-painted artwork and small-batch soaps.
  • If it’s homemade, handmade or fresh and tasty, you can buy it at the Ferguson Farmers’ Market.
• Golf the Galleries at The Sheldon
  • June 9, 2023
  • Join others for the 6th season of this playable, artist-designed, nine-hole mini golf installation, designed to be inclusive, family friendly and accessible. All proceeds from Golf the Galleries support The Sheldon’s visual arts programming, offering opportunities for local and national artists to share their work with the St. Louis community through free gallery exhibitions and educational programs.
• Juneteeth Celebration in the Delmar Loop
  • June 10, 2023
  • Expect live art demonstrations, including a community mural painting; animated performances from the Red and Black Brass Band, DJ KP and more; bounce houses, face painting and other activities for the whole family.
• Karaoke Wednesdays at HandleBar
  • Every Wednesday
  • Browse the catalog and find your favorite songs to sing! Songbookslive.com/stlredcarpet
• Karaoke Wednesdays at Mack's Bar & Grill
  • Every Wednesday
• Lafayette Square Summer Concert Series
  • June 3, 2023
  • As part of Lafayette Square’s free summer concert series, Power Play Band will perform in Lafayette Park on June 3. Spanning genres such as jazz, classic rock, R&B, swing, Latin and pop, Power Play does it all! Gather friends and family, pack food and beverages, and don’t miss this lively event.
• Landmarks Downtown Walking Tours
  • Every Saturday
  • Landmarks Downtown St. Louis Walking Tours: History, Culture, Architecture, and Exercise: What could be better on a Saturday morning?
• Open Mic Night at Schlafly Bottleworks (Maplewood)
  • Every Wednesday
  • Join others every Wednesday evening and showcase your talents with our Open Mic Night! Open sign up begins at 6:30PM with music starting at 7:00PM. They welcome original material, covers and spoken word! Grab a beer, then play and listen every Wednesday! There are no cover charges and no drink minimums to attend.
• Picnic in your Park at the Arch
  • June 11, 2023
  • Join others at the third annual Picnic in Your Park. Picnic in Your Park raises awareness and critical funds for their mission of park conservation, preservation, education and community programs.
• Rockin' the Riverfront at the Arch
  • Every Friday & Saturday
  • Gateway Arch Park Foundation presents a new series, Rockin' the Riverfront, to bring fun, summer-long, family-friendly entertainment along the St. Louis’ Riverfront to enhance your trip down to the Arch, riverboats and surrounding parks!
• Sensory-Friendly Family Night at the Missouri Botanical Garden
  • June 5, 2023
  • Explore, discover and experience the beauty of the Missouri Botanical Garden at this family-friendly event, which allows children and adults with sensory-processing needs to experience the attraction in a secure environment.
  • Attendees will be able to participate in hands-on activities, play in the Children’s Garden and explore the indoor Brookings Exploration Center, which features a calming corner.
  • Musical guest Low Rent District will perform during the event, and Different Dynamics will join for interactive music activities.
• Shakespeare in the Park: Twelfth Night
  • May 31 - June 25, 2023
  • Often regarded as William Shakespeare’s greatest comedy, Twelfth Night is bursting with romance, music and high times.
  • Shakespeare in the Park is free to attend; no reservations are required. Just show up with your blankets, chairs and picnics and find a spot on the lawn. Shakespeare Glen opens at 6:30. Food by Steve’s Hot Dogs is available for purchase, and drinks by STL Barkeep.
• Soccer Pre-Match Street Party at Schlafly Tap Room
  • June 10, 2023
  • Join others before every City SC home match for a Street Party with the St. Louligans Soccer Supporters Group. They will block off the street next to the Tap Room (now known as Louligan Street) so fans can enjoy good beer, great food, music and fun before they march over to the stadium together.
• Soulard Farmer's Market
  • Wednesdays - Saturdays
  • Soulard Farmers Market is located at 730 Carroll Street in St. Louis, Missouri, a half mile north of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. The market is open Wednesday through Saturday, year round. They feature locally grown and shipped in goods, including: produce, meats, cheeses, spices, gourmet kettle corn, flowers, baked goods, and general merchandise. There are also several different eateries that have many food options, which allows customers the convenience to grab a quick bite to eat and a drink while shopping.
• St. Louis Soap Box Derby
  • June 11, 2023
  • The All-American Soap Box Derby is a youth racing program, which has run nationally since 1934. Hosted by the St. Louis Jaycees, the regional St. Louis race has been held each June on The Hill for more than 15 years.
• Summer Beer & Food Pairing at the Biergarten
  • June 9, 2023
  • This beer and food pairing at the Anheuser-Busch Biergarten will get you ready for summer.
  • The meal begins with pineapple-chicken kebabs paired with Beach Bum, a combination of Kona Big Wave Golden Ale and Mango Cart, and a summer solstice salad accompanied by Stella Artois Solstice Lager. The entrée will be Spanish paella paired with Cutwater Lime Margarita, followed by a dreamsicle float for dessert and a NÜTRL Orange Hard Seltzer to wash it down.
• Sunrise Yoga at Kiener Plaza
  • Every Tuesday
  • Awaken your body and bask in the morning sunlight! This gentle yoga practice is designed to energize and align your body and mind through movement and breath. Bring your own mat/towel and water bottle.
• Thursday Nights at the Museum
  • Every Thursday
  • Kick off your weekend at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park! Each Thursday Night at the Museum will be the most fun, engaging, uplifting, thought-provoking, perspective-shaping night of your week. And there are drinks.
  • Join others starting at 5:30pm for happy hour and pop-up activities, such as brief tours, games, and performances. The main stage comes to life at 6:30pm, light appetizers and drinks are available for purchase until 7:00pm, and the Museum’s exhibits are open until 8:00pm for you to explore!
• Tower Grove Farmer's Market
  • Every Tuesday & Saturday
  • Join others every Saturday of the 2023 Tower Grove Farmers Market Season. They'll have over 100 vendors with local produce, meat, flowers, eggs, honey, prepared foods, art, jewelry, live music, and so much more.
• Twangfest at Off Broadway
  • June 7 - 10, 2023
  • Twangfest, a nonprofit grassroots music festival presented by Urban Chestnut Brewing Co., returns to St. Louis from June 7 to 10.
  • Held at Off Broadway, Twangfest will feature the best in live Americana, country, folk, pop, rock and soul. This year’s lineup includes Black Joe Lewis, James McMurtry, Nadine, The Waco Brothers and more.
• Whitaker Music Festival
  • Every Wednesday until August 2nd
  • The Missouri Botanical Garden is an idyllic place to listen to live music. On Wednesday evenings throughout the summer, the garden hosts free, open-air concerts as part of the annual Whitaker Music Festival.

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Sporting Events This Week	Attractions Around the Area	Comedy This Week
St. Louis Cardinals schedule	Anheuser-Busch Brewery	Funny Bone Comedy Club
St. Louis Blues schedule	City Museum	Helium Comedy Club
St. Louis City SC schedule	Gateway Arch	The Improv Shop
St. Louis Battlehawks schedule	Missouri History Museum
St. Louis Billikens schedule	National Blues Museum
Gateway Grizzlies schedule	St. Louis Aquarium
Gateway Motorsports Park	St. Louis Art Museum
St. Louis Ambush schedule	St. Louis Science Center
	St. Louis Zoo

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Trivia Nights
Location	Date/Time	More Information
Anheuser-Busch Biergarten	Tuesdays 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Trivia Details
Bar K	Tuesdays at 7:00 pm
City Foundry	Thursdays 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Joey B's on the Hill	Mondays 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm	Trivia Details
Nick's Pub	Mondays
Felix's Pizza Pub	Tuesdays at 8:00 pm	Trivia Details
Schlafly Brewpubs (Any Location)	Tuesdays 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Trivia Details
Rockwell Beer Co	Tuesdays	Trivia Details (Reservations required)
The Mack	Tuesdays at 8:00 pm	Trivia Details
The Pat Connolly Tavern	Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
The Post	Wednesdays 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm	Trivia Details
Pieces Board Game Bar & Cafe	Wednesdays	Trivia Details
HandleBar	Thursdays at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Trivia Details
Steve's Hot Dogs	Tuesdays 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Trivia Details

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Live Music This Week
Music Venues	Live Music Around Town
Blueberry Hill Duck Room	1860 Saloon
Chesterfield Amphitheater	BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups
Delmar Hall	Broadway Oyster Bar
Enterprise Center	City Foundry
The Fabulous Fox Theatre	Gallery Pub
The Factory	Game 6 Honky Tonk
Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre	Gaslight Lounge
Off Broadway	The Heavy Anchor
Old Rock House	Jazz St. Louis
The Pageant	Joe's Cafe
Red Flag	The Lot on the Landing
The Sheldon	McGurk's
St. Louis Music Park	SoFar St. Louis Secret performances around town
St. Louis Symphony Concert Calendar	Venice Cafe
Stifel Theatre	Yaquis on Cherokee

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Recurring Outdoor Activities
Big Muddy Adventures – STL Riverfront Adventure	Big Muddy Adventures was established in 2002. They are the first professional outfitteguiding company providing access to the wild wonders of the Middle Mississippi and Lower Missouri Rivers.
Gateway Arch Events	There are a variety of things to do along the Mississippi River.
Hidden Valley Ski Resort	Ziplining, scenic chairlift rides, and hiking trails opened during the summer. Skiing, snowboarding during the winter.

Have some time to finally write a trip review for Maui and the Big Island of Hawaii for my honeymoon in December 2022 for two weeks. Mid December and left for home on Christmas Day. This was our first time redeeming cc points for anything, so lots of trial and error and lessons learned.
My wife and I had gotten married in October and were actually not planning going on honeymoon until Spring 2023 until we researched further and managed to make December 2022 work in our favor. We started planning and booking reservations TWO months before our trip. We are very fortunate to have done it in that time span and managed to make almost everything work out.
IAD - DTW - SEA - OGG on Delta, First Class One way.

• First time using a lounge ever was at DTW. We had access to the Sky Club there. Pretty good food here, very roomy. No time to lounge in Seattle
  
• only I used points for this one way flight. Transferred 95,000 Amex points to Delta. Wife paid $958 before tax for hers through the Amex travel portal. I think she got a steal as I had written on a note somewhere that the cash cost was $1533 through Delta directly but cannot remember if that was the increased price after purchasing the tickets or at time of purchase, otherwise it would have been 1.61 CPP.
  
• Very nice service in first class. Abundant alcohol and food was very nice as well.
  

Maui
Day 1
Got to Maui late in the night and picked up our rental car, a Chevy Equinox, with Enterprise. Used my Hilton Aspire to get 7x points.
One night at Courtyard Marriott by the airport and paid $500.
It was the best we could do with our timing.
Day 2 - 6
Breakfast and lunch was by the food trucks near Costco. Shopping nearby for supplies for our vacation.
Meals (Costco food trucks):

• Mo 'Ono Hawaii acai bowls
• Da Nani Pirates fish tacos
• fresh coconut water

5 nights at the Grand Wailea - 440,000 HH points
Left to check into our resort the Grand Wailea in Wailea. Both the wife and I are Hilton Diamond members. Mine through the Hilton Aspire and she has status through actual stays. We booked these nights through her account and using all Hilton points. Each reward night was 110,000 points and we got the 5th night free. So 440,000 points total.
This resort was huge and immaculate. Words can describe how nice this place is and the customer service is SUPERB. Literally, the best we have ever experienced. You only have to see and experience it for yourself. My wife and I still talk weekly about the Grand Wailea.
We booked the Terrace View - 1 King Bed as the Standard Night Reward and upon arrival we were upgraded to the Deluxe Ocean View - 1 King Bed in the Molokini wing. Breathtaking views! Avg cash price so this room type is around ~$988 before taxes, fees so it comes to 0.89 CPP (if not including taxes, fees in the total). All meals, incidentals, shopping, and experiences were put onto my Hilton Aspire. Daily food and beverage credit was $25 each for the two of us and used usually at their divine but pricey breakfast buffet. No resort fees charged for booking with points which saved us hundreds of dollars. We immensely enjoyed ourselves at this resort and the lush, manicured surrounding area.
Meals:

• Lineage Maui. A favorite in the Wailea area
  
• Morimoto - Maui. Getting the sticky ribs is a must. As well as the ishi yaki buri bop. The guy won Iron Chef because of that, apparently
  
• Wolfgang Puck's Spago at the Four Seasons. Got the best seat in the house here. Get the "Poke" cones and Hawaiian snapper
  
• Mama's Fish House. Literally the hardest restaurant to get on Maui. Must reserve 4-6 months in advance. I called two months before our trip and managed to get a table for the two of us for late lunch. We arrived and we got the best seat in the house overlooking the water! Shout out to Mike for his superb service.
  
• Lahaina Grill. Another favorite for tourists and locals
  

Experiences: renting a cabana at the Grand Wailea pool, spa day at the Four Seasons with outdoor hale beachside, Wailea Beach, hiking Twin Falls, Baby Beach, Haleakala National Park
Day 7 - 8
Two nights at the Hotel Wailea, Relais & Chateaux using Amex FHR.
Paid total ~$3400 for the One bedroom, Luxury Suite, Ocean View. Unfortunately, no upgrade upon checking in. Hotel was sold out. Daily breakfast in the form of $30 credit per person and $100 food/bev credit given through the FHR. This stay triggered the $200 FHR credit for my wife's Amex Plat
Quiet, small resort, adults only. We enjoyed our stay here and loved our room. Bed was harder than what we were use to and it was far from the beach. Otherwise we loved the restaurant and the ability to "get away". One of the top hotels in Maui and all of Hawaii. Price tag to boot.
Meals:

• The Restaurant at Hotel Wailea. Another great dinner watching the sunset
  
• Leoda's Pie Shop. Any pie is great, get the banana cream though. Lines out the door
  
• Merriman's Maui. Another top-notch restaurant with hard to get reservations. One of my personal favorites the whole trip. Another sunset dinner favorite
  

Experiences: cabana and pool day at Hotel Wailea, spa day at Montage Kapalua Bay. Outdoor hale with hot tub.
Big Island of Hawaii
Day 9 OGG - KOA (Big Island) round trip booked with Hawaiian Airlines. $106 for each of us before baggage fees. Booked direct using wife's Amex Plat.
Arrived to the Big Island and rented a Toyota Prius though Budget. Paid using Hilton Aspire.
Day 9 - 15
We booked the Hilton Waikoloa Village using all Hilton points, 6 nights in total with one night free. 350,000 pts in total used, 70,000 each night. Initially the standard room redemption was for the Palace Tower Resort View - 1 King Bed and was going for ~$540 a night before taxes/fees so CPP was 0.77. We realized even before our trip that the Palace Tower and old, needed a refresh, and was terribly far from the beach and the parking lot. We asked for an upgrade when we checked in and was given the option to move to the Makai Tower - Ocean View 1 King Bed for an additional $75 per night. We promptly took this offer. This room runs ~$694 per night before taxes/fees and if I subtract the $75 per night, I calculate this to be 0.88 CPP. The Makai tower was much better, our room overlooked the ocean and part of the resort. Frankly, Palace looked like dogshit. Daily F&B credit was $18 for each person. Incidentals again went onto my Hilton Aspire.
Towards the end of our stay, we stayed at the DoubleTree Hilo using 50,000 pts. Room rate was $308 before taxes/fess. CPP was 0.61. This was on the other side of the island and very far from Hilton Waikoloa so we decided to stay overnight there after hiking Volcanoes NP instead of driving to the west side in the middle of the night.
Meals:

• Brown's Beach House - at the Fairmont Orchid
  
• Kilauea Lodge
  
• Merriman's - Big Island
  

Experiences: Kauna'oa Beach, Mauna Kea sunset and stargazing (this is a must!!), Captain Cook monument snorkeling, Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National historical park, Punalu-u Black Sand Beach, Volcanoes National Park, Akaka Falls.
Trip home: OGG - LAX - IAD. United, First Class One way.

• Used 220,000 Chase UR rewards to redeem this flight for the both of us. Cash price of each ticket was ~$1485 before taxes/fess. CPP was 1.35
• Service was fine, food in 1st class was not very memorable.
• Did not have time to get into the Centurion lounge at LAX

Overall, an EXCELLENT trip. We were amazed and thrilled to do so much in two weeks and in such short notice. Again, only two months to plan once our dates were finalized. Between my wife and I, we have the Amex Plat and Gold, Hilton Honors and Aspire, and CFU, CSP. Each card strategically used during our trip. The FHR credit triggered for my wife, and my Aspire triggered the $250 resort credit. If I had to guess, we saved ~$15,000 or more by redeeming CC points. Hope this data point helps some of you trip planning, happy to answer any questions.

Hi guys, I’m glad I found this group. We are planning to spend a week in Hawaii Oct or early Nov this year. We are a group of 3 adults, wife, my elder parent and I, plus a one year old baby. This is the first time for us to visit Hawaii. We literally knows nothing at this moment.
I would love to hear some recommendations from people who has been there with a young kid before. specifically, hotels/resorts, restaurants and kids friendly places to visit.
Things we are having in mind but open to hear more suggestions:

• we are planning to stay at a hotel instead of Airbnb.
• we want a place close to a beach or restaurant area
• we probably will stay at the hotel/resort a lot because our daughter, but we do not need a lot of amenities for the same reasons. I do not even think the pool is safe at her age now
• we are leaning toward to Oahu but also considering Maui
• we probably need to rent a car

Thank you for your help!
Edit: budget is $5000-$10000 max preferably single room with 2 queen beds, time is flexible from end of Sept to early Nov

I was feeling crazy and decided to upgrade to the Riveria.. Anyone done this before? Is it worth it? Is the tower room too tiny?

Welcome to Camp Redwood! The feel-good camp for ALL AGES.
We toast marshmallows around the fire, tell spooky ghost stories, and hide in random secret military bunkers under the campgrounds! Because SOMETHING IS HERE WITH US.
Camp Redwood is the PERFECT PLACE for a summer getaway where we start EVERY DAY with a CAMP REDWOOD SMILE. Where our counselors disappear every five minutes, and our campers disembowel us for funsies! Did I forget to mention our littles aren’t actually eight years old, but fully grown adults?
We hope you enjoy your fucking stay!
We are also not responsible for any counselors revealing they are not who they said they are—and not who they appear to be.
...
So. There’s a LOT to tell you and not a lot of time to tell it.
Right now, I suppose you could say we are under lockdown—if that is the word. I want to go over the last several days to get you up to date. That’s all I can do right now. I can hope and pray the thing with Teddy’s voice does not get in here, and once again cry out for help—that I know is not coming. Not from the authorities, at least. But hey, if any of you fancy coming to rescue us, we’re in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. The closest rest-stop is maybe three fucking hours away. So have fun. Has it really almost been a week since I posted? Well, we’re still here!
And surprise, surprise, help is not coming. So, please excuse the salt. I am seventeen years old and I have been abandoned by the adults who were supposed to be looking after us.
Who were supposed to act under protocol if something like this happened. I know they were waiting for it—there are specific fucking guidelines on an emergency evacuation for counselors if this ever happened. But then the little shits took over before we could do anything. I guess I’ll start by letting you know that there are two of us left. (three, if we count Rowan, but I’m not). What I thought was going to be a quiet summer getaway with kids my age has turned into a nightmare.
For one, we have been cornered inside the head counselor’s underground secret bunker. If you want to know why she has a secret military bunker, I guess you should keep reading.
Because shit gets weirder than animal crackers having the power to turn adults into kids, and vice versa. When I made my first post, I thought that was it for us. I thought for sure there must have been a self-destruct somewhere—which meant whoever was running this camp was waiting for something like this. I was sure we were going to die, so after making the post, I have to admit with ya’ll—I just slept. I curled up, tried to ignore Harry and Carmel calling our names through childish laugher, and went to sleep with the thought in my head that I was completely at peace with what I had done with my life.
Sure, I was young. Seventeen years old is too young to be ripped apart by littles who are in fact grown adults. But as I was falling into slumber and allowing myself to fall, with my head resting in my lap, my head turned towards a separate pile of files on the other side of the room—I realized I really wanted to know how this was possible. There was so much I needed to know. Why did eight-year-old Eleanor Summers have a file where here birthday dated back to 1979? Why had supposedly innocent sugary snacks turned our adorable littles into mini psychopaths?
These kids were not kids, somehow. But how? How was that even possible? Could it be that the files were wrong?
1979 was definitely 45.
But Eleanor Summers couldn’t be 45 years old. I knew what 45 looked like. I knew that they thought like. They spent half of their time on Facebook laughing at outdated memes, and the other half… I don’t know, working? They have job’s! They’re happily married with kids, maybe soon grandkids! That was not Eleanor Summers. Because Eleanor Summers was most definitely eight years old. I had played several rounds of teddy-bears picnic, and spent hours reassuring her that Harry's ghost stories were in fact not real, enough times for me to know that this little kid was little—and a kid.
But something was bothering me. More than the secret military bunker, and magic age-regressing animal crackers. When I first signed up to Camp Redwood, one of the tag-lines to gain attraction had been, “Solve mysteries in the woods in the dead of night, with nothing but a flashlight and your fellow campers!” I had no idea I would be solving this thing on my own, trapped inside a bunker.
“What are you doing?” Rowan, who was still looking through Allison’s dinosaur laptop, turned to me with half lidded eyes, when I slowly got to my feet, careful not to make too much noise, and crept over to the pile of separate files which seemed to be crumbling apart from age. He kept his voice low, but it sounded almost like a whine. He could have been scared, but from the way he was sitting, cross-legged with a frowny face, I figured something must have been going on with him. The guy looked tired. More tired than normal.
The bags under his eyes were practically shadowing his face, and were an odd contrast to unusually ashy colored cheeks and slightly dilated eyes. Still though, Rowan refused to look vulnerable. I caught glimpse of Harry’s raybans sitting on his head, pinning back thick dark brown curls from falling in front of sleepy eyes. Maybe he was finally losing his cool and breaking out of the well-constructed façade he had been hiding behind since Teddy disappeared.
We had just narrowly escaped a crowd of psycho littles high on age-regressing sugary snacks who were doing who-the-fuck knows to the other counselors who had been captured, so I didn’t blame him looking like that. I guess he couldn’t look me in the eye, because in Rowan’s mind, he was the reason why this happened. He was the leader, and the camp had fallen to psychopathic little eight year olds who had taken half of the counselors hostage, and the other half—most likely taken apart in the physical sense, after what we had witnessed in Cassie’s cabin. Still though, it wasn’t Rowan’s fault. He could sit there and pull a face all he wanted, it’s not like I was going to blow up at him for getting us stuck down here. He actually saved us.
And trapped us, judging from the footsteps upstairs, Carmel and Harry still bouncing around looking for us.
It was a game in their heads. The little’s thought it was cat and mouse. Harry and Carmel were the oblivious cats prowling, while we were the mice, hoping to fucking GOD we weren’t caught and eaten. Ignoring Rowan, I glimpsed what looked like a box full of DVD’S—all of which were labelled with dates and names. I saw familiar ones, my heart racing into my throat. Phoebe. Eli. Cassandra.
Each DVD had one of the kid’s names scribbled on the front, as well as a date.
I found Eleanor’s right at the back of the box.
Eleanor Summers.
08/05/2021. (PM)
Before I could hesitate and think what I was doing, I slid the DVD into the portable player attached to the MacBook. Rowan, to my surprise, didn’t move. But he did make an acknowledging noise when the screen flickered to what looked like video footage. Peering at the screen, I found myself staring at a small white room. There was no door. Only a wooden desk and a chair, and sitting on it was a middle aged woman with dark blonde curls tied into a strict ponytail. She was wearing what looked like a prison jumpsuit.
Her eyes were eerily glued to the camera, unblinking. Her wrists were cuffed in front of her. Though from the look on her face, she saw the restraints as a game. Her eyes lit up with intrigue and I could practically see the cogs in her mind starting to turn as she struggled with them.
As soon as I saw this woman, I felt all of my nerve endings set alight. I wanted to turn the screen off, or look away. But once I was looking at the screen, I couldn’t bring myself to tear my eyes away. “Let’s try this again.” There was a woman offscreen. She sounded young. Too young to be in that kind of authority. I figured there was no way teenagers were being hired as special ops agents, but I guessed I was wrong. She cleared her throat. “It is 4:35 exactly. August 5th 2021. My name is Agent Lemrac,” she stated. “I am asking once again for you to comply with us. As I have said several times, the court are willing to lessen your sentence if you plead guilty with insanity.”
The woman surprised me with a snorting laugh. She seemed to come alive, leaning forward with animated features, her brow reaching her hairline. She was acting like a child, bouncing up and down in the seat, her lips stretching into a wider grin. “What did you just say?”
There was a pause. I could tell the woman was intentionally antagonising the interviewer.
“It means you have been legally declared insane,” the interviewer stumbled over her words slightly. “Mrs Summers, it would be in your best interest to work with us to lessen your current sentence which at the moment is standing at,” the sounds of shuffling paper crackled through the speakers. The interviewer cleared her throat again rustling paper. “Thirty six years. Without parole.”
The woman didn’t speak, only continued to smile—and the interviewer delved further into the sentence. “If you do in fact plead guilty with declared insanity, you will be sentenced to a program which is in the process of supporting and rehabilitating people with your…” she caught herself for a moment. I could tell this interviewer had a biased opinion and it was definitely showing through her interviewing style. I could hear the rapid intakes of her breath as she hurried through what seemed to be a script she was reading from. “Conditions.” She finished. “The Redwood program aims to help people exactly like you.”
Redwood? I thought.
Like… Camp Redwood?
Rowan whistled behind me. I guess I could call that a reaction. The guy was probably still in shock after seeing Café de Teddy splattered all over little Cassie’s cabin floor. I should have known those little bitches weren’t playing Operation for eight hours straight. Turning my attention from Rowan and back to the screen, the woman in the jumpsuit appeared to have changed tactics. Her expression twisted into nonchalance. She leaned back in her chair. “I am not pleading insane because I am not insane.”
“Mrs Summers—”
The woman cut her off. “I am not crazy.” She raised her hands “I am doing what needs to be done.” She leaned forward. “Humanity suffers in the skin. We age and die— and how is that fair? What if we want to see the next millennium? And the next two millennia after that? Why should our bodies dictate our lifespan? Why should we sit here and wait to rot and wither and die when we have the intelligence and mindset to do it? If nobody else is willing to throw ethics aside to take a step forwards in human evolution, I should do it myself.” She folded her arms across her chest, again, like a child. “I did what was to be done.”
“Dr. Summers.” The interviewer’s tone grew stiff. “You and your colleagues conducted illegal and unethical procedures on your family and friends—as well as four other victims.”
The woman inclined her head. “You have a daughter, am I correct? I have a son.”
“A child you killed, Dr Summers.” The interviewer retorted in a hiss which was definitely expressing emotion. She ignored the mention of her daughter, but I could tell it had rattled her to her core. Her voice had cracked. This case was close to her.
That was obvious. Without seeing the interviewer herself, I could sense how uncomfortable she was, shuffling in the chair. Every so often I would hear the sound of her rubbing her hands on her knees and tapping her shoe against the chair leg. She oozed anxiety, not just from her tone of voice, but the way the frame seemed to move with her. “Dr. Summers, you used your son in your research, along with several of his friends. This was not science.” Her voice shook. I heard her sharp inhale. Unprofessional, but very human. Instead of staying stoic and keeping to script, this agent was cracking apart. “It was murder.”
“Agent Lemrac, concentrate on the interview only.” An official voice crackled through what sounded like an intercom on screen.
“Got it.” She spoke through her teeth.
The woman was finding wounds and pressing on them. She was scanning the interviewer for vulnerabilities and preying on every insecurity. She leaned back speaking through a sigh. “Without my son’s sacrifice we wouldn’t have created an answer to death. To growing old and dying, and leaving loved ones behind.” Her voice softened into a murmur, but I didn’t trust it.
After identifying the shattering pieces of this interviewer which were very clear visible in her view, the woman was taking advantage.
“Agent Lemrac, you have a daughter. Am I correct in saying her name is Mari?
“That… that is not relevant.”
“Glioblastoma.” Dr. Summers lips curved into a sickening smile hidden behind mocking sympathy. “A sickness of the brain--which, unfortunately, I cannot fix. If your daughter’s brain was in my hands, I would try. However, not even a brand new body would help her. One which would never age or grow sick. And for that, I am deeply, deeply sorry.” She reached her cuffed hands forwards. “My condolences, Agent Lemrac. Honestly. I have to hand it to you. You are incredibly brave for coming here today and talking to me while abandoning your sick child.” She shook her head.
“Your daughter is dying of an incurable illness, suffering inside fragile skin which will break and fall apart and be unable to keep her standing for much longer. While my son will live on forever. He will see every millennia, a planet which will crumble and build itself back together. And maybe the end of the universe itself.” There was a twitch in her expression and a glitter in her eye I did not recognise. Insanity.
She was fucking insane. I was seeing the pure of it, the depraved and disgusting gleam in eyes empty of remorse and regret. This woman did not care what she had done. I could tell from the look on her face. If she had the chance, she would do this again.
But there was no way they were trying to say her cruelty and complete disregard for her son’s life was due to insanity.
“You are sick, Dr. Summers.” The interviewer said after a moment of gathering herself.
The woman shook her head with a chuckle. “I told you. I am not sick--”
“Sick in the head!” The interviewer’s voice exploded through the speakers in a shriek—a terrified cry she had been trying to hold in. I finally saw her—or at least the back of her. She was a young woman with light blonde hair falling loose on her shoulders. She was trembling. Slamming her hands down on the table, she screamed at the orange jumpsuit woman.
“You are psychologically fucked in the head! You psycho bitch! That is my sister!” She spoke through strangled sobs rattling her whole body. “Mari is my little sister. She is not my child.”
Her breaths were strangled and harboured. I noticed figures looming in the background, but she was continuing. “You killed your own fucking son,” she spat. “You are not legally insane, you are sick!” she shrieked. “You planned and put this together! You sit there and you talk about your son like he’s a… like he’s a tool! You deserve to rot. Do you hear me?” I noticed the orange jumpsuit woman was still smiling, satisfied with the interview’s reaction. Her words were spoken in a vicious poison as she leaned forward and spat directly in orange jumpsuit’s face.
“Agent Lemrac!” Whoever her superiors were—were panicking. “I told you not to turn it off. I knew this was going to happen. Can we stop the demonstration, please? Human emotions present inside an Aceville soldier are too powerful—"
Voices were murmuring in the background, and Agent Lemrac raised her hands. “I want to stop.” She choked out, her hands trembling. She spoke like she still had control over the situation and wasn’t being apprehended. “I want to stop. Do you hear me?” The interviewer was crying, I realized. “Stop the recording! I can’t do this. Oh god, I think I’m going to be sick—”
When the footage ended in a burst of static, I found myself backing away, something slimy creeping its way up my throat.
The woman in the orange jumpsuit who had murdered her son and countless others in what sounded like an attempt at playing god, was Eleanor Summers. I thought back to Teddy’s corpse, and the surgical precision of every organ’s removal. The young interviewer had mentioned colleagues of Eleanor.
Was it possible that Camp Redwood was in fact nothing more than a rehabilitation camp for murderous criminals? There was a loud bang from above, and I was torn from my thoughts.
I turned to Rowan, who had been unusually quiet. And I realized why, when I twisted around to find him three inches from my face, his laboured breath tickling my cheek.
The boy jumped back with a chuckle—like me noticing him was some kind of game, before diving back into the chair. I did notice something odd, as my thoughts spiralled. Rowan couldn’t sit still. Slumped in the leather spinning chair, he fingers tapped a rhythm on the armrests while his feet jumped up and down. In the dim light of the bunker, I glimpsed a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead and the flesh of his neck. He looked to be… feverish—and now that I was looking at him properly, all of my attention on the boy, I noticed small things which seemed… off about him.
For one, he wasn’t coming up with a plan. Rowan always had a plan. Even if he wasn’t completely sure of it, or was completely winging it. This time though, he was strangely quiet. I found my voice when he stuck out his tongue at me. “What are you looking at?”
“Rowan.” I spoke softly, careful not to garner attention from above us where Harry and Carmel were still clamouring around, playing games. “Are you… feeling okay?” I asked, when he turned back to the laptop, manically biting his fingernails.
“I dunnnooooo, Josie! Am I feeeeeeling okaaaaaayyyyy?” He surprised me with an uncharacteristic laugh.
But I did know it.
I knew it from earlier when he reacted to Allison’s bunker and I had been too freaked out to realize that I was dragging along the enemy with me.
Because the fucking idiot had consumed animal crackers. I had seen him for myself earlier, pouring a pack into his mouth for a snack. Which meant either the ‘kids’ had intentionally dosed him with mind altering sugary snacks, or the more likely, he could not resist those preservatives which was the equivalent of caffeine. It’s not like I could blame him when he harboured the weight of an entire camp, but come on, did he really have to sacrifice his own fucking mind to keep himself awake?
Rowan wasn’t just biting. His nails. He was gnawing. Which he previously thought was a filthy habit. He had yelled at a camper for chewing on her nails a few days earlier.
Now that I was noticing it, I couldn’t… stop noticing it. The boy’s whole demeanour had changed; the way he was sinking into the chair, instead of sitting up straight like usual—- I used to call it having a stick up his ass. The boy started typing on the laptop, ignoring me. But when I watched the pattern of his fingers, he was just typing gibberish. Footsteps pounded above us, Harry and Carmel acting as the kid’s’ brainwashed foot-soldiers. Or, more likely somehow, if the animal crackers had caused the littles, or I guess, the fully grown forty year old criminals, to relapse in age-- then maybe it was possible for the same thing to happen to us. To Rowan.
I could feel myself starting to back away, but there was nowhere to run. I just slammed into a cupboard. My gaze flicked to Rowan again, who was tapping a beat on the laptop tracking pad, swaying back and forth, his eyes elsewhere before his gaze found mine. “Marcoooooo!” Harry shouted from above, giggling with Carmel.
I had to guess their mental age had to be at least 8-10 years old. Which meant I wasn’t just dealing with a camp full of forty-year-old psycho’s, I was also dealing with mentally relapsed counselors acting like toddlers.
Rowan seemed to jolt in the chair, twisting his head around, his eyes suddenly incredibly childlike and playful, and very Un-Rowan, were finding the ceiling, his mouth stretching into a smile, like he was seeing butterflies. His eyes flashed to me, and I caught a twitch in his lip. I knew that look. It was the look on my seven year old sister, who knew mom was mad at me, and wanted to make it even worse.
His cheeks were starting to blossom scarlet from what must have been the overwhelming urge to laugh. Rowan pressed his lips together and held in a breath like a hamster, and the asshole was fucking with me. Waiting for me to beat him to it by accident. Kids were fucking ruthless, but there was something terrifying about an 18 year old with a little kid’s mind.
I lifted my index to my lips, miming for him not to even try, but the boy just mimicked me, bugging out his eyes and pressing his finger to his grinning mouth. “Don’t you fucking dare.” I managed to whisper. The boy was definitely playing his own game, moving in twitching movements, baiting me. When he cupped his mouth, I almost let out a cry, but then he dropped his arms with a giggle, as if to say, “I’m just kidding!”
Slowly, I turned around, grabbed the salt I’d found in Allison’s cupboard, and a flat can of soda. Without making too much movement, I poured a handful of salt into the can. But Rowan seemed to know exactly what I was doing. Because in the time it was taking me to advance towards him with the can of salty soda, one arm shakily ready to grab hold of him, and put him into a headlock, he was cupping his mouth, all logic and everything adult, everything he had been as our leader, igniting in playful eyes, leaving me the last one standing.
“Pollloooooo!”
By the time Rowan had managed to reveal our hiding place in a spluttered laugh, I had hold of the squirming boy, one arm wrapped around his neck, my other forcing the can of soda into his mouth. I had definitely miscalculated his strength. During camp Redwood activities, he was always the last one to come back from the trail, holding his knees and panting. I figured he was unfit. However, I was wrong. Underneath his shirt, the guy had some serious muscles.
It was like attacking a brick wall. However, Rowan was mentally a kid. So, I had my intelligence and logic on my side. When it became obvious I wasn’t going to get anywhere with brute strength, I resorted to tickling him, which made him squirm, squeaking out a laugh. When he opened his mouth to yell at me to stop, I took my chance, thrusting the can into his lips and holding his nose so he swallowed it down.
“No!” His laughter turned into muffled yelling, as he batted his fists at my chest. “No, no, no! Get off, get off!”
His body convulsed as the salt did its job, causing the boy to lurch to his knees and choke up forbidden animal crackers in a gooish sludge which turned my stomach. By the time Rowan seemed half himself and half not, still kneeling, his head pressed against the floor, Harry was poking his head through the door with a goonish grin. “Found you!” He giggled, before forcing the door open, allowing Carmel and Callen, freshly caught and mentally turned into littles, to advance down the stairs with equally terrifying grins. There was something wrong with Harry’s face, and I only realized it when the guy himself was hauling me from the bunker, Carmel dragging a barely responsive Rowan. There was nothing in Harry’s expression, only blind childish excitement at winning the game. When he dragged me out of Allison’s cabin and threw me to the ground, I realized he too had insane strength I had not been expecting. But that thought quickly retracted when I was seeing his face in the light of a crescent moon lighting up the sky an eerie glow. Harry’s cheeks were puffy and swollen, his right eye way bigger than it should have been.
When he spoke, his voice was more of a lisp. This was something far more realistic than magical animal crackers fucking with his brain.
“He needs help!” I managed to choke out when Carmel wrapped jump-rope around my wrists. Next to me, Rowan was refusing to get up, still choking up salty soda, groaning into his hands. Every time Callen tried to restrain him, he hissed out like an animal.
“Do you hear me?!” I struggled violently. “Harry needs—”
BANG.
Is what it felt like. The feeling of something—what felt and sounded like a toy car—colliding with my temples, sent me onto the ground, my head spinning itself off of its axis. I remember lying on my back and frowning at the moon which almost looked like it was getting closer to me, blurring into a white ball of light—before reality sunk in, and it was in fact Carmel’s converse coming down to finish me off. I didn’t stay knocked out for long. But I did dream.
I think you can call it a dream? I was lying in bed at home; my room drowned in the dark. I was cosy, curled up in my blankets, when a clammy hand slammed over my mouth, rousing me from slumber. There were two figures in my room. They didn’t have faces. They just existed as shadows, silhouettes. Before one of them raised something above their head, and… impact.
It was the same impact as the toy car hitting me, snapping me back to that night. It wasn’t a dream. Because I remembered his clammy fingers over my mouth, and his hisses for me to shut up as he dragged me from my room.
My parents stood in front of me with expressions of sympathy. Basked in warm light, my mom and dad looked almost otherworldly. “For the best.” Was what they mouthed when my own phantom screams slammed into me. I asked them why, and they didn’t reply, allowing him to pull me further and further from what I knew, from my life as I knew it. But.. that couldn’t be real. I had memories of getting on the bus to camp Redwood. I could recall the whole journey. So, why… why was my tangled mind saying otherwise?
When I gathered myself, the first thing I realized was I was sitting down. I was outside, cool night air grazing my bare arms. There was something attached to me, jerking violently, And it took me several disorienting blinks to understand that I was tied back to back with Rowan. My head pounded, and something wet and warm dripped down my temple. Great. I could add head injury to the long list of things to worry about.
“Let me go you little fucking witch.”
Rowan was back to himself, though from the muffled hissing and the sound of choking—I had to guess he was being force-fed animal crackers.
“Let me—mpphmmm. little…. fucking… mphmmphhmhppmm!”
“Rowan.” I managed to get out in a croak. Through flickering eyes, I caught glimpse of a familiar figure dancing around us. Shivers rocketed down my spine, and I wrenched at the jump-rope restraints, but they did a surprisingly job of restraining my arms behind my back.
Eleanor was with Rowan, while Eli was knelt in front of me. Looking at him, the boy had definitely aged in the face—and I couldn’t help wondering what exactly he had done as a forty something year old to be sent to this place.
“Josie!” Rowan responded in a wail. “Josie. Wake the FUCK up.”
“Stop swearing.”
Eleanor spoke with the cold tone of her actual age.
“Oh, yeah?” Rowan spluttered. “Fuck you.” The boy’s laugh was still rough from almost vomiting his insides out from too much salt intake. “I’m sorry, you were a fucking boomer all along?!” He wriggled in the restraints, lunging forwards, which sent me backwards.
“Stop swearing, Rowan.” Was all the girl responded with calmly.
“Like I’m going to listen to you!” He sneered. “Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fucking fuck!” What are you going to do, huh? Bite me with your false teeth?” The sound of saliva hitting skin made me wince. He was pissed. I had no doubt his completely rational anger was going to get us killed. Rowan was also somehow getting mixed up between forty and eighty. Though he was unwillingly snacking on mind bending sugary goodness.
“Fudge, Rowan.” Eleanor spoke in a giggle.
“What?!”
“Say fudge. Not fuck.”
“No.”
His hiss of pain caught me off guard. I don’t know what she was doing to him, but it was hurting him.
“You fudging fudge! I’m going to fudging kill you when I get out of these fudging ropes—“ his manic cursing became a muffled yell.
“Say fudge,” Eleanor hummed, followed by his hiss when the palm of her hand skinned his cheek. “Fuck is a bad word. You even said so yourself and you’re my favourite counselor.”
He heaved out a breath.
“You fudge,” Rowan spat. “When I get out of this, I am going to fudging kill you, you fudging—” His manic ranting morphed, once again, into muffled yelling, after another fistful of animal crackers were forced into his mouth. When I risked twisting around, I could see his rebellion slowly starting to simmer out as he relaxed slightly. I wanted to yell at him to keep a clear head before cold fingers were dipping under my chin and forcing my head around where I found myself face to face with Eli.
“I like you, Josie,” he said, before untying me and pulling me to my feet. Now at the age of nine or ten, he was a lot stronger. When I tried to pull away, the cruel blade of a knife grazed my gut. I caught his grin. “But we don’t need you.” Eli pointed to Rowan.
“We just want them.”
I followed his pointer finger which went from Rowan to Harry and Carmel, who were just standing there like fucking idiots, probably awaiting the next game. Harry’s face was getting redder. It looked like he was suffocating, and yet his grin was growing wider and wider, splitting his lips apart. “Rowan Atlas.” Eleanor said, dragging him to his feet. Something was stapled to his forehead head, which caused him to howl in pain, hissing another strangled line of “Fudge”. but I couldn’t read what it was.
“Camp leader. Intelligent, and problem solving skills.”
“Harry Carlisle.” Eli nodded his head with a smile. “Quick thinker. Strong minded.”
“Carmel Locke.” Cassie spoke behind me. She had her arms folded, a wry smile on her lips. “Smarter than she makes out—- an independent learner, and can work well under pressure.”
Looking at these kids, I felt sick to my stomach. They were planning something—and had the intelligence of renowned scientists, which was what I gathered from the footage on the MacBook. “What?” was all I could hiss out, as Eli prodded the blade of the knife into my back, ushering me to walk. “What are you talking about?”
“Duh.” He spoke in a more tweeny giggle. “Like I said, Miss Josie. You’re my favorite counselor but we don’t need you, so I’m going to use you for parts.” He laughed when a shiver spiderwebbed down my spine. “See! I told you I was going to show you my collection!”
“But… what do you need them for?”
Eli pressed his index finger to his lips with a laugh before forcing me to face forwards. “That’s a secret!”
When I didn’t, or couldn’t move, he shoved me into a stumbling power-walk, and I managed to turn my head quickly, making feverish eye contact with Rowan.
“Rowan.” I said calmly through the gutter in my throat. “Get…. Get help.”
If I was going to die, I needed him to get a hold of himself and somehow alert the outside world what was going on.
“From whom, Josie?!” He wailed back—and as I was dragged away, I could once again sense the childish undertones in his voice.
I had no choice but to obey Eli’s orders. If I didn’t want a knife in my back. He took me to the main lunch cabin, which, when I set foot inside, almost sent me to my knees.
Something lurched inside me, and I was screaming with no voice, staggering backwards, only to be shoved onto my face. In front of me was what had been the lunch hall, fully converted into the beginning of a laboratory.
What had been cafeteria tables were fashioned into makeshift gurney’s and beds, and I was looking at all of the missing counselors. Yuri and Noah had been skinned completely, their faces laid out on a makeshift surgical table. Joey had been ripped open, his heart and brain removed, a glittering metallic substance creeping its way across his forehead. It was then when I remembered Eleanor Summers words.
She wanted to prevent death and preserve the human mind. Looking at what was in front of me, this was the start of it. There was equipment I had never seen before. Lily’s body was empty, carved out completely, tubes forced inside her. When I glimpsed her fingers move and begin to ball into a fist, I saw red. I saw fucking red. The exit was so close and yet Eli, fucking Eli, wielded his knife. I think that is when part of me gave up. My brain just stopped. It short circuited. Seeing my friends murdered and yet somehow being kept alive through playing god, my body slumped to the ground. I was numb. Completely numb.
I’m not sure what would have happened if those bloody saws and instruments which had been used on my friends were used on me too.
Luckily, that did not happen. Before Eli could get his slimy hands on me, he crumpled to the ground in an almost cartoon-like fashion, and standing over me was Harry. Who was looking better. When he grasped hold of me and helped me up, I only had one word. “Out.” And he was nodding, his eyes glistening as he drunk in our friends’ fate.
“How?” I managed to sputter out, when we made it out of the cabin, ducking behind a tree. Harry turned to me, motioning for me to shut up. There was a group of now ten to eleven year olds already running around, searching for what I guessed was him.
“I’m allergic to peanut butter,” Harry murmured, his grasp tightening on my wrist as he led me across the camp, the two of us stumbling.
“What, and you just magically healed?”
He didn’t respond to that, which bothered me.
“The bunker is our best shot,” I hissed out. “I think we can get in contact with someone down there.” I paused, unable to stop myself. “What makes you so important?”
“Dunno. Maybe I’m their favorite.”
When we found Allison’s cabin, which was more of a safehouse (an exposed safehouse) I found Rowan sitting on the wooden porch with his legs swinging over the side. “Rowan!” Harry groaned. I found it hard to believe their roles had been switched. Now he was the one yelling at the camp-leader. “I told you to stay inside!”
He ushered the boy inside, before barricading the door with some hefty looking equipment. I could tell from the grin on his face that our so-called leader was once again no longer himself.
I had to bite back a groan. “You’re kidding.” I said, pointing to Rowan, who buried his head in his knees and blew a raspberry. “Does he look and act like our leader right now?!”
“It’s Rowan, Josie.”
“He’s a liability.”
“He’s our friend! Wouldn’t Rowan do the same?”
Yes, he would. But. He would also realize we’re lost causes.
“Gag him with something.” I said. “If he makes any more noise, we’re dumping him.”
“He’s a kid!”
“Just the mind of one.”
I don’t know how animal crackers worked, but his age seemed to be progressively younger. This time he just sat with wide eyes watching us.
Harry almost tore apart the place looking for means of communication, before an old fashioned ringing sound made me jump.
“What was that?” Harry turned to me with his lip curled.
“How am I supposed to know?!” I hissed. “Keep looking!” But when I ducked under the table, my hands crawled under the desk, finding a wire—and attached to that, an ancient looking phone which looked straight out of a 1940’s movie, a bright green rotary phone.
Hesitantly, I answered it, lifting the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Did you awaken the subjects, Agent Salta?"
The voice on the other end was a woman, an oldish sounding woman with the tinge of a British accent.
“What?” I shot a look at Harry before shaking my head. “No. My name is Josie Greenfield. We’re at Camp Redwood, and we need help.”
The woman paused.
“Where is Agent Salta?” She cleared her throat. “This line is reserved for communication with agents only.”
“I don’t know who the fuck you’re talking about!" I squeaked out. “My name is Josie, and whatever is happening here, we need help!”
“Josie. Did you awaken the subjects?”
I paused after a moment, shooting Harry a look when he tried to take the phone off of me. “Yes.”
“And… are our agents unavailable?”
“I don’t understand.”
“When a health and safety breach is activated, our agents are awakened to deal with the Project Spearhead subjects if they were to ever go rogue, or become conscious enough to think. Josie, can you tell me what is in front of you? Describe it to me.”
I held my breath. Next to the hidden phone under the desk was what looked like mismatched wires, all of which had been severed. I lowered myself slowly, poking at mess. “Wires. I see… cut up wires.” I whispered. “Does this mean they know about you?”
She hummed. “Ah…That makes sense. The only way to activate our sleeper handlers would be to send out the signal. You appear to have been sabotaged. Unless activated manually, our agents cannot help you. I am sorry. They are your problem now.” The woman paused.
“If I were you, I would hope and pray they have not sabotaged the self-destruct. If you find that, then you may be able to save yourselves and find peace.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for your service, Josie Greenfield.”
“Wait.” I managed to get out. “Wait, no! You can’t just… you can’t leave us! We need help!”
I found myself yelling at nothing when the phone went dead. The dull tone of the dead ringtone was clanging in my ears before footsteps from up above. “Fuck this.” Harry picked up a lead pipe. “They’re still little kids, right? I mean, their head must still be partly kids—- so let’s fucking beat their heads in.”
He noticed something, then, starting forwards towards the mess of files I had left earlier. Harry knelt on the ground and picked up Eli’s file, his eyes wide. But he wasn’t staring at the dates confirming the little boy’s age.
Instead, Harry pointed at the bottom of the file. “I don’t want to freak you out, Josie,” he whispered. Initially, I didn’t know what he was trying to show before I glimpsed notes scrawled at the bottom of the file, followed by a signature. “But I’m pretty sure that is my fucking writing.”
Harry was right.
I pulled the paperwork off of him, flicking through each file before turning my eyes to him. “Who the fuck are you?”
A clanging sound from above broke the tension, and whatever Harry was about to reply with was strangled in his throat. He slammed a hand over his mouth.
“Guys?”
The voice twisted me up inside, threatening to release a shriek from my mouth I had managed to clamp shut.
Teddy.
“Are you down here?” His voice was strained, and had an odd tone to it. “I can’t… I can’t see you.”
…
Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?! It’s been a blur of a week. We’ve managed to stay down here, surviving off of Allison’s rations. Rowan isn’t getting any better. He seems to have stopped mentally de-ageing at the age of maybe six. Harry has spent the last few days trying to get in contact with anyone, but it’s like they are IGNORING US.
I’ve been looking through everything I can find on Project Spearhead, but nothing points to Harry being involved. So. How is his signature all over the files? How is it possible that two friends I thought I knew several days ago, are now complete strangers?
Teddy keeps coming back.
He’s crying out to us.
I think he’s… in pain.
My god, I can’t stand this anymore. Please. CAMP REDWOOD NEEDS HELP.

I'm trying to plan a trip for next summer for two couples (all 30y/o +/-) most likely somewhere in the Caribbean. My problem is that it's difficult to accurately predict what the "vibe" or experience will be based on descriptions/reviews/etc so I'm hoping this sub can point me to a couple options based on experience.
Needs: All-inclusive, adults only, swim-up bar in pool (I know that REALLY narrows it down /s)
Wants: Beachfront/access, Oceanview(partial ok) w/ king, <2.5 hours from destination airport, "small" resort would be better than a mega 500+ room spot.
Dates: 6 nights mid-May 2024
Budget: ~$4500 w/airfare per couple Pretty confident we can get to MOST places around the Caribbean for $1000-1500 (per couple) round trip that time of year. So, that puts the rooms at around $3000-3500.
The "vibe": All of us are basically looking for nothing but a week of turning off completely, in a beautiful location. Not looking for party scene, or seeing the local landmarks, or doing a bunch of activities. (It wouldn't be the worst thing if there were activities available, but it's not what we're looking for) Sit by/in the pool, drink/eat however much and whenever without worrying about running up a tab(ok tipping depending on how that is set up) and probably a couple days doing the same on the beach.
I have run through (almost) every online search tool and run myself in circles and have decided this was the last outlet to get some good advice based on first-hand experience and not rely on vague filters and unhelpful reviews, please help!
Thanks in advance!

No eatingslimekinetic sandmagnetic ballsstop motion cookingnoisy reaction/comedymarbles<2 minuteanimatedchiropractic

Views	Channel	Video
587459	Latte ASMR	Sleep Well Tonight🌙 ASMR
568711	ASMR Twix	ASMR 200 PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR 3 MONTHS TO ENTER THIS HEAD SPA IN TOKYO (KICHIJOJI) JP(SOFT SPOKEN)
500558	Gibi ASMR	ASMR | XXL Ultra Long Nail Tapping
446499	beebee asmr	ASMR | Mic Gripping, Rubbing, Fast Aggressive Mouth Sounds w/ Mix of Soft Spoken & Upclose Whispers
428432	benio店長 / ASMR屋さん	【ASMR】韓国旅行の購入品で音フェチ😴🇰🇷(囁き雑談/タッピング)
415285	Noel Ch. 白銀ノエル	【ASMKU100】5月病を吹っ飛ばせ♡お耳から元気注入！極上ASMR！【白銀ノエル/ホロライブ】
411370	ASMR Glow	ASMR Goth Girl in the back of the class falls in LOVE with you
403490	Jojo's ASMR	ASMR 100 TRIGGERS IN 7:20 - WORLD RECORD
370835	뷰티포인트 Beauty Point	🧙 죽은 화장품도 살리는 마법사가 나타났다! ✨ | 힐링타임즈 EP.30 [ASMR] Satisfying Cosmetic Repair
330694	♡Necoma Ch.♡猫羽かりん 【けもりふ】	【KU100/耳舐め】この舌技には抗えない♡絶対的にキモチイイ耳舐めASMR♡【音圧、密閉感、高音質】EarCleaning,Earlicking,Mouthsound,힐링,귀 핥기,舔耳
312259	Gentle Whispering ASMR	Mirrored Touch • Soft Spoken • ASMR
310720	Brazilian Adventure	ASMR Beach - Brazilian girl fishing and having barbecue on the beach
309580	Patra Channel / 周防パトラ	【ASMR】※寝落ち注意！脳から癒されものすご～く眠くなる。不眠解消・炭酸・マッサージ・耳かきBrain Melting Triggers To Put You To Sleep【周防パトラ】
309159	Cleo Abrahams	ASMR: I Tried a SMARTPHONE ADDICT Hand and Neck Massage!
307727	Luna Bloom ASMR	ASMR Talking to You Until You Fall Asleep 😴💕 (long video!) ~almost~ 1 HOUR!
305436	DRIFT KING TELEVISION	【公式】土屋圭市、碓氷峠 ASMR 'USUI TOUGE initial d’
297742	[ASMR]nara_나라	ASMR(Sub✔)잠들 때까지 노곤한 이어테라피 샵 Comfortable Ear Therapy Shop Until you fall asleep Tonight
288560	RaffyTaphyASMR	ASMR A Perfect Night for Good Sounds (Rain, Thunder)
276592	Ecuador Live	Esperanza's soft spoken relaxation massage & energy cleansing for ASMR tingles, stress & anxiety
274307	Jojo's ASMR	ASMR for people who DESPERATELY NEED sleep RIGHT NOW
273026	Tingting ASMR	[ASMR] Sleep Inducing Luxury Flight Attendant
268625	beebee asmr	Visualization ASMR ( Hand Movements, Mouth Sounds, Personal Attention, Focus Triggers )
261723	ASMR Glow	ASMR All Up in Your Ears
259703	ASMR PPOMO	ASMR Make Your Eyes Heavy😴💤(For Sleeping, Brushing, Hand Movement, Inaudible whispers)
256553	asmr zeitgeist	ASMR DREAMY TRIGGERS 💤 You Will Sleep to these Soothing Sounds and Gentle Whispers [Ear to Ear]
254851	uise iu.憂世いう	❤︎ ASMR / KU100┊ちゅぷん♡濃厚たまんない♡♡ご奉仕耳舐め♥ [ はむ/マッサージ/ear cleaning/ear licking/Mouthsound ]
247121	Luna Bloom ASMR	ASMR Beard Trim + Barber Shop 💈♥️(roleplay)
244856	TomASMR	TomASMR X PierDanASMR (ASMR COLLAB)
243561	MaimyNyan ASMR	ASMR Tingles down your spine
237055	FredsVoice ASMR	Bob Ross Barbershop ✂️(Haircut & Shave)🪒💈ASMR💈
229979	FLO ASMR	asmr puedes llegar al nivel 10 sin dormirte?
223113	Mol ASMR.	ASMR diseño una casa en ASMR español
215887	edafoxx ASMR	ASMR Mexico Hotel Room Tour 🇲🇽 Whispering, Lens Tapping, Scratching
215220	Coromo Sara. ASMR	ASMR Sleep Like a Baby in 40 Minutes 😴🧡 (No Talking)
208985	ASMR Anil Çakmak	❄️FROST Asmr Massage In Real Barber Shop | Asmr Barber Massage
208704	TOKYO ASMR MASSAGE	ASMR 眠れるヘッドマッサージ・ヘアカット・肩マッサージでストレス解消
207055	Amy Kay ASMR	ASMR Twin Scientists Examine Your Alien Ears 👽 Unintelligible Whispers, CLOSE Ear Attention
206266	Ceres Fauna Ch. hololive-EN	【KU100 ASMR】 Onomatopoeia & fluffy ASMR triggers ♡ Whispers, ear cleaning, brushing
206218	ASMR Münür Önkan	WHAT ABOUT SLEEPING WITH A VIDEO? THE ASMR MASSAGE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THIS VIDEO
204279	Goodnight Moon	ASMR Invisible Triggers (odd personal attention edition)
202567	ASMR KALI	Tu es tombé, l'infirmière fait un check up pour vérifier que tout va bien | ASMR chuchoté
200581	LunaRexx ASMR	ASMR click this if u don't know which asmr video to watch ✨ fast tingles for SLEEP in 10 minutes
199222	FrivolousFox ASMR	THE *BEST* TYPES OF KISSES 💝(ASMR) (How did I forget these?!)
198879	RaffyTaphyASMR	ASMR Can't Sleep? Good sounds will help.
198674	Moona	ASMR 😳 150 TRIGGERS IN 10 MINUTES / АСМР 150 ТРИГГЕРОВ ЗА 10 МИНУТ 💤 Triggers For Sleep
196639	Mol ASMR.	ASMR para dormir en minutos con ASMR español
193731	valoulette	asmr. skincare but every trigger is mouth sounds💆‍♀️ [Custom Video for Adam]
190283	Chiara ASMR	MICROFONO DA 1€ contro MICROFONO DA 2000€ | ASMR
189408	Nanou ASMR	ASMR - Searching For Bugs!
189166	Tiptoe Tingles ASMR	ASMR Wet Mouth Sounds and Lipgloss Application
187471	edafoxx ASMR	Weird Girl Clips Your Hair Back & Scratches Your Itchy Scalp ~ asmr personal attention 💚
183542	ASMR Anil Çakmak	ZERO Stress Asmr Massage In Real Barber Shop
179949	HeyHelen ASMR	АСМР МАССАЖ От КОТОРОГО СРАЗУ ЗАСЫПАЕШЬ 😴 ЗВУКИ Для РЕЛАКСА 🤗 ASMR EAR MASSAGE For SLEEP
179711	Mare Ch. なぃとめあ-耳舐めおばけ-	【ASMKU100】キチンとヒトリダチできるようにむっちりお手伝い♡ 【はみっ/耳かき/安眠/Vtube수면유도/掏耳朵】
175342	Coromo Sara. ASMR	ASMR Ultimate Brain Melting Triggers 🤤 "3Dio" VS Dummy Head Mic "SAMREC 2700Pro"
174356	Celaine's ASMR	ASMR FAST Eye Exam, Lens 1 or 2 Test 👓 Glasses Try-on, Light, Orbital, Eyes Closed Cranial Nerve
173629	Gibi ASMR	Study & Work with Me (Thunderstorm, Dog Buddy, Timer Included!) Pomodoro
173547	Macoto ASMR まこと。	🔴[ASMR] 脳から癒す最強睡眠。疲れが取れる囁き/癒し/耳かき/マッサージ Triggers for Deep Sleep【睡眠導入/1300万円機材KU100】
172931	Nanou ASMR	ASMR - Inaudible Whispering But With ECHO!
172213	Whispering Willow ASMR	ASMR Getting Your Ready For Bed | Tucking You In ✨ (hairbrushing, skincare, layered sounds)

So a couple of weeks ago I posted my ideas for hypothetical starters for the next generation of Pokemon based in an Australian region, and since then I've been thinking about what the story for such a region could entail. I really liked the concept of having three separate story paths that eventually converge at the end that Scarlet and Violet introduced, but I feel that each of the three paths had their own shortcomings that could be improved on in a future entry like generation 10, assuming it still keeps the open-world style.
I've decided to explain these three story paths in three different sections of this post, as well as having two additional sections at the beginning explaining both the plot synopsis of the game as well as the central gameplay mechanic of the region. I've also decided to mix up what types ended up in each equivalent story path so that there were no repeats from Gen 9. So without further ado, here are my ideas of what the three story path structure from Scarlet and Violet could look like in an Australian based region.
​
Part 1: Starters https://www.reddit.com/TruePokemon/comments/13p5z88/ideas_for_gen_10_starters_for_an_australianbased/
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Plot Synopsis:
Unlike most other Pokemon games, the main protagonist is not a child embarking on their first journey to become the Pokemon Champion. Instead, the player takes control of a 16 year old teenager who is moving to Auborn (Aussie based region's name) from Galar along with their mother, having already participated in the Champion Cup and coming close to beating the champion in that region. Because of Auborn's strict laws on importing foreign Pokemon due to a rise of unexpected new evolutions that first occurred when various foreign Pokemon first set foot in the region due to Auborn having an innate connection with the Dream World, the player was unable to bring their previous team along with them to the region, forcing them to essentially start their journey over from scratch.
Upon arriving in the region, the player, along with their mother, head to the Auborn Association of Rangers' Headquarters, an organization that specializes in studying and catching the various wild Pokemon of the Auborn region. They meet up with the leader of the organization, who is based off the crocodile hunter, but essentially plays the role of the professor of the region. He gives the player the option of picking either Crocodino, Lamblast, or Splatypus as their starter, and the player's mother picks the starter that is strong against them, leaving the final starter in the professor's care.
The Auborn Association of Rangers' Headquarters will be the central base of operations for the region, functioning similar to the Academy in generation 9. Here, the player can take training courses to learn more about catching Pokemon, the lore of the region, and the history of Pokemon battling in the Auborn region.
After the player is finished with the introductions, they are encouraged to explore every corner of the Auborn region in whatever order they wish, but they will be tasked with three main objectives: take the eight endurance trials to raise the max level of Pokemon that can be used in battle on their trainers' license, go on ranger expeditions in the five National Parks of Auborn to study the local wildlife, and investigate the five traditional shrines of the Dream Guardians to deal with the reports of an evil team attempting to vandalize the sacred homes of these creatures.
Auborn-The name of this region is a combination of Australia and Melbourne, one of the most populated cities in the country. When said out loud, it also sounds like "awe-born" which refers to the fact that this is the region that is most closely related to the dream world first established back in Gen 5.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Central Gameplay Mechanic: Astral Ascension
In the Auborn region, Pokemon have the ability to draw power from the dream world and temporarily realize their full innate potential in battle by achieving a state known as Astral Ascension. Gameplay-wise, this mechanic is similar to Terastalization, as it allows one Pokemon in the party per battle to enter their Astral form, which allows them to transform into whatever their Astral type is. However, unlike Terastalization, this state will only last for three turns before the Pokemon reverts back to normal. A Pokemon's Astral type can be changed at every Pokemon Center by using ten Astral shards of any given type to craft an Astral orb of that type that can be used on a certain Pokemon to give it the desired Astral type.
Additionally, the Pokemon's ability will swap over to its Astral ability, which is typically just whatever ability is going unused for Pokemon that can have 2 possible abilities. The terminology for abilities has changed slightly for Pokemon who can have 3 possible abilities. A Pokemon's ability when it isn't in its Astral form is called its Standard Ability, its Astral Ability can only be used temporarily for three turns in battle while it's in its Astral form, and its Hidden Ability is whatever ability is going unused. A Pokemon's abilities can be freely swapped around by using an Ability Capsule.
One last change from Terastalization is the STAB bonus that is achieved when a Pokemon is in its Astral form. In Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon who had terastalized would keep the STAB bonus from their original types in addition to whatever type they terastalized into. For Astral Ascension, I've decided to make it so that for the three turns that they are in their Astral form, the Pokemon will only gain the STAB boost from their Astral type to balance out the fact that they can now make use of multiple abilities in battle. In addition, Pokemon who ascend into an Astral type that matches one of their original types will now only get a 1.75 boost to moves of that type's base power rather than a 2x boost.
Unlike in Scarlet and Violet, Astral Ascension wouldn't be available from near the beginning of the game. Instead, players will gradually unlock the ability for their Pokemon to attain Astral Ascension by completing the three story paths and defeating all 18 type specialists to incentivize heading towards a certain challenge earlier based on the player's team composition and so that they can't make use of their entire party's other abilities from the get-go.
I think that these changes would help to make Pokemon battles more interesting without being too overpowered, and would help make the main campaign more exciting by gradually allowing the player to unlock the true potential of their Pokemon over the course of the game. It would also lead to interesting situations like with the Pokemon Krookodile. Since its abilities would swap around when using Astral Ascension, players would now have to think about whether they want to have Intimidate as their base ability while only potentially having Moxie for three turns or essentially forgoing Intimidate entirely in favour of Moxie, since Intimidate wouldn't activate upon entering its Astral Form. I think it would make players think more about what role each Pokemon could bring to the team and devising strategies based on that rather than just focusing on type effectiveness, which would have the potential of adding multiple layers of strategy that weren't initially there with Terastalization.
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Path 1: License to Victory
This path would mirror the gym challenge path from Scarlet and Violet, but with a twist. Since Pokemon battling is considered to be a dangerous activity in the Auborn region, trainers are required to obtain a license to battle with Pokemon in a graduated-licensing system through the endurance trials. This will introduce a level-scaling system to the game, where players will only be able to have Pokemon in their party that are below or equal to the level that the next gym leader's ace is at. Any Pokemon caught in the wild that are higher than the max level on the player's current license will be forced into the PC until they beat enough gym leaders to be able to use them in battle. If a Pokemon in the player's party reaches the level cap, the EXP that they gain will be turned into Bonus EXP, which won't be earned until the player obtains their next badge, kind of like how Shadow Pokemon worked in Colosseum and XD.
While the gym leaders could be fought in any order, since the first leader fought will always start at level 20, there would naturally be certain leaders that would be tougher to face, like a dragon trainer having single stage dragons at the start with a higher base stat total than the Flying-type leader's Pokemon. I would imagine the level curve would go something like this:
0 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 20. First gym leader has three Pokemon, with their ace at level 20. Recommended first gym leader is Flying type.
1 Badge-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 25. Second gym leader has three Pokemon with their ace at level 25. Recommended second gym leader is Poison type.
2 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 30. Third gym leader has four Pokemon with their ace at level 30. Recommended third gym leader is Fairy type.
3 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 35. Fourth gym leader has four Pokemon with their ace at level 35. Recommended fourth gym leader is Fire type.
4 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 40. Fifth gym leader has five Pokemon, with their ace at level 40. Recommended fifth gym leader is Dark type.
5 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 45. Sixth gym leader has five Pokemon, with their ace at level 45. Recommended sixth gym leader is Fighting type.
6 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 50. Seventh gym leader has six Pokemon, with their ace at Level 50. Recommended seventh gym leader is Steel type.
7 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to level 55. Eighth gym leader has six Pokemon, with their ace at Level 55. Recommended final gym leader is Dragon type.
8 Badges-Pokemon in party can be trained up to any level. Elite Four is in the postgame, and have six Pokemon each, with their aces at level 70. Their types are Normal, Electric, Fairy, and Psychic, filling out every remaining unused elite four type except for Grass. Upon defeating the elite four, it's revealed that the player's mom actually defeated them prior, and they have to face off against their mother in a final battle. Her ace is at level 75, and her team has diverse typing.
These changes, along with the introduction of Astral Ascension, would make endurance trials that much more challenging. Now, the fire-type leader could use Astral Ascension on a bulky Grass-type to turn into a Fire-type for three turns to take advantage of an ability like Chlorophyll or Solar Power before reverting back into a Grass-type to perfectly counter all of Fire's weaknesses, adding an element of tension to the fights where players would want to knock out the opponent's Pokemon as soon as possible before they could potentially hit back and counter their entire team with a different, unexpected type. It's situations like this that would add a ton of variety to the endurance trial system, which is what the gym challenge desperately needs after nine generations of feeling kind of samey.
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Path 2: Ranger Expeditions
Replacing the Team Star Route from Scarlet and Violet, this path focuses more on catching Pokemon and crafting certain things for the ranger scout of that particular area. Taking the 10 wonders of the region concept from Scarlet and Violet a step further, the five national parks that the player will visit over the course of this story route are five of the ten wonders of the Auborn region, with the other five being explored in the third story route. These national parks will be filled with Pokemon and tourists alike, making these areas just as bustling as the cities housing the endurance challenges.
This route would play out similarly to the missions in Legends Arceus, and I would imagine Pokemon catching would work basically the same as it did in that game as well. Players would be tasked with catching a variety of Pokemon within the biome to study features such as size differences, move variety, and gender differences between different species of Pokemon, as well as what their dropped materials can be crafted into. These parks would be based in a Grass-type outback area, Water-type beach resort area, Rock-type mountain area, Ground-type desert area, and Ice-type Snowfield area to maximize the type diversity of Pokemon being studied.
I won't go as in depth with this story path or the next one since this post has already gone on long enough, but I feel like having a campaign more in line with Legends Arceus focused on catching would be more interesting, at least gameplay wise compared to how Team Star Bases played out where if you had the type advantage it felt like it was basically just tap auto-battle to win until the real boss fight came out.
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Path 3: Dream Guardian Investigation
The final section will be the most brief one, since it will essentially be a mixture of the Titan Pokemon path from Scarlet and Violet and the Totem Pokemon challenges from Sun and Moon. I feel like the concept of having these super strong Pokemon that you can find in the wild like with Titan Pokemon is just so interesting that you could have a similar system in Gen 10 without too many changes and it would be fine.
There are five ancient shrines dedicated to the "Dream Guardians" scattered across the region, and each of them are considered to be five of the ten wonders of the Auborn region. These are legendary Pokemon that were said to roam the land in ancient times long before the first humans were born in the region, where the connection between the Dream World and the Pokemon World was even stronger than today. However, due to the nefarious actions of the Ghost-type Team Spectre, the five ancient shrines are being corrupted by the Successor Pokemon to the Dream Guardians (equivalent to Totem Pokemon), and the player must work together with the locals who worship the Dream Guardians to heal their successors before their ancestral homes are destroyed for good.
Unlike the other two paths, the missions in this route must be completed in a specific order to unravel the story of these legendary Pokemon in a linear fashion. The original Dream Guardians each share a primary type with their successors. The progression for this route would go as follows:
Bug Primary Type Successor-Level 20
Electric Primary Type Successor-Level 30
Normal Primary Type Successor-Level 40
Psychic Primary Type Successor-Level 50
Ghost Primary Type Successor + Team Spectre Leader-Level 60
I admittedly didn't go as in depth with this story path as I could've, but I think this general template would work to create an interesting story and an intimidating evil team.
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And there you have it. I didn't come up with a final story segment like Scarlet and Violet had, but I hope this gave a good enough idea on how I would imagine an Australian based region could play out for Gen 10. I also have ideas for 29 different evolutions for old Pokemon for the Auborn region if anyone would be interested in seeing posts about that in the future. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments below!

Hello Reddit I’m back again with another dream post. It’s still happening and quite honestly I think it’s getting worse. Everytime I sleep it feels like I spend longer and longer in this dream, which I initially thought was cool, but not after one of my more recent experiences. Anyway, I won’t make a long sidebar on this let’s get straight into the dreams.
Day seven:
Woke up in the room, went outside, continued back down the playground path to see if I could find something new. I walk up onto the pirate ship and the first thing I do is check out the orb. It sort of just floats there and doesn’t do much. I eventually touch it and it feels gross. The thing is slimy and sticky and eventually I realize that it’s a floating sucker without the stem. Worryingly, it was wet. Well it worried me in my dream because I don’t realize that I’m dreaming when I am everything just becomes my new reality, so to me this means that some creature came by and licked the orb. I wipe my hand off on my shirt (plain white) and then go to the tourist goggle thing. I bend down and try to look into it but it’s just dark so I surmise that I need to find a coin. I attempt to search the pirate ship for dabloons but wake up shortly after.
Day eight:
Woke up, went outside, went back into the park hallway and decided to just search the woods. I don’t find anything of interest, it seems that the park only contains woods and the playground. Wake up after what feels like 20 minutes.
Day nine:
Woke up, went outside, decide to go to a new hallway. I walk to the one on the right side of my “room” and enter. I find myself on a beach of black and red sand with an ocean that pours down into a massive hole. I walk on the beach and find mostly plastic bottles in the shapes of shells complete with labels that say things like “Oyster juice” and “Crabmatto solvent” and other weird things like that. All of them are cleanly emptied so I didn’t get to taste what any of this tastes like.
Day ten:
Woke up, outside, Went back to the beach and decided to try to dig in the sand. I end up making a large hole but when I get about 3 feet down I hit some kind of glass barrier and see nothing but sky below me. This took up the majority of my time here and I woke up not long after finishing my hole.
Day eleven:
Woke up, outside, beach time again. I noticed that my hole was still there which I thought was completely normal but now see as odd. I decide to finally get into the water. I had been putting this off because I have only two fears: ocean creatures and bugs. I’m not a particularly well-versed swimmer. This was an awful mistake. As I started to swim out toward the hole the tide suddenly became very aggressive, pulling me in as I waded through the water. Bear in mind the hole is pretty far out but it is also massive. This worries me because I cannot see the bottom of the hole and as far as I know it may well be bottomless or throw me out into the sky or something like that, so I try to swim against it. This delays me for a while but ultimately proves futile as It pulls me closer and closer to the edge. I swim furiously at this point trying anything I can to get away but I finally fall over the edge. What I see is still haunting me as I write this. It’s this awful contorted face made of red and black like the sand but it’s solid like resin and shiny. It has angular yellow eyes and a twisted smile that shows a mouth full of jagged black rocks that were threatening to crush me. I screamed as I fell and dreaded what awaited me, but thankfully I woke up before I had to experience whatever that would be. I was drenched in sweat and yet another miracle: I had not wet the bed.
Day twelve:
I didn’t sleep.
Day 13:
I tried my best to keep going but I ended up passing out halfway through the day (I’m not as spry as I used to be it would seem.) I wake up again in my room, my heart racing from what dream me had just experienced. Now I wanted to stay well clear of any of these rooms, especially if they contained things like that. I spent most of my time huddled in my room behind the door, paranoid that something, that that thing would come for me.
Day 14:
I woke up, tried to wait it out, but that just wasn’t an option. Every dream is getting longer and longer, this one feeling like It was dragging on for hours just sitting in my room. I relent and get up, slowly opening my door only to find what I always do: my tunnel. Nothing more, nothing less, just the hallway full of dark portals to who knows where. The rooms across the hall were much less terrifying in my experience so I decided I would explore one of those. I ended up going with the one to the left of the park and I got a glimpse of the redwood forest that awaited me.
Day 15:
I woke up, walked outside, went into the forest next to the park to see what was out there. I found myself in a redwood forest in mid afternoon. There was a campsite near where I emerged and it had some equipment next to a firepit and a tent. What I found was a hatchet, a jacket and a flip lighter but not much else. I decided to put on the jacket and take it with me. I explored and the landscape was beautiful, relaxing, it always seemed to be dusk. This place felt serene. However there were some parts that were unnerving. I found a large open cleaning and walked toward its centre. I didn’t find anything but every few steps I would hear another one behind me that I had not made, but when I turned around I found nothing. I left quickly after it happened a few times and went back to the camp before waking up.
Now for the post-cataloguing reflection. I walk away from this with mixed feelings. I am excited to explore what other worlds await me in my dreams, but the greater lengths of each one make me worry how long I’ll end up dreaming. When I go to sleep I forget about the real world, everything that’s happening is real and I’m really there. What if I end up spending years here and it’s all fake? Either way I’m conflicted going forward. I haven’t felt burnout at work lately and my life overall is pretty comfortable so I’m really scratching my head right now as to what’s causing it. I also haven’t shared much about this to real people because I think they might think I’m crazy. That’s all for now.

A year ago I decided to apply for the Amex Aspire card and try to stay at Hiltons throughout all my travels for 1 year to see what Diamond status would get me in terms of upgrades. From reading this sub going into it, I wasn't expecting much, but I've had an almost 100% success rate even in the US.
Here's a report of all my stays in case this helps anyone. I booked the cheapest base room for every reservation. I was extremely pleased with the level of status recognition I received. I'm happy to answer any questions about any of the hotels if anyone is interesting in staying there.
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Hotel	Room Booked (Room upgrade)	Other notes	My rating
Various Hamptons/HGIs	Base Room (every hotel followed my preference for high floor and away from the freeway/elevator)	Nothing exciting here, all were perfectly fine, service was good, no drama	9/10 (for the price)
Conrad Midtown NYC	City View Deluxe Room (upgraded to Park View 1 Bedroom Suite)	F&B credit didn't come close to covering breakfast for 2, but food and service was excellent	9/10
Hilton Lake Como	King Room (upgraded to Loft Suite)	This could be a Conrad, extremely luxurious for a "regular" Hilton. Breakfast was incredible. I went off season when rates were ~$200/night. I would not pay peak season rates of $800+.	10/10
Hilton Amsterdam Airport	King Room Atrium View (upgraded to King Deluxe Corner with Airport View)	Quick stay just to sleep for a long layover, can't comment about the hotel much.	8/10
Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach	Deluxe Garden View (upgraded to Fireside Terrace Garden View)	Used a FNC and $250 resort credit here. Absolutely not worth the insane cash rates of $1000+. Nice room, but very average service and poor food. Also annoyingly far from the beach and zero enforcement of pool areas.	5/10
Waldorf Astoria Chicago	Superior King (upgraded to Corner 1 Bed Terrace Suite)	Stayed using points, could use some refurbishment and service was average, but great location. Food was excellent and the F&B credit covered most of breakfast	7/10
Hilton Alpharetta	1 King (upgraded to executive floor)	Very nice for less than $200/night. Executive lounge had average food but nice views	9/10
Hilton Malta	King Deluxe with Marina View (no upgrade given)	Wouldn't stay here again. Diamond breakfast isn't allowed at the restaurant and the lounge food was disgusting. Apathetic staff all around. Nice views though	5/10
Conrad Bangkok	Premium King (no upgrade given)	I had high expectations for this one but this is the worst hotel experience I've ever had. Service was extremely poor and more than one staff member was wildly racist towards my wife, to the point that Hilton refunded my entire stay after contacting them.	-1/10
Conrad Singapore	Deluxe King (upgraded to Centennial King Suite)	Fantastic hotel, AMAZING food and service	10/10
Hilton Milan	King Room (upgraded to King Executive room)	Fantastic service, breakfast spread was incredible with a HUGE variety. The rooms (especially the bathrooms) are in desperate need of an update.	9/10
Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal	Pacific View King (upgraded to Ocean View Deluxe). They're honestly all the same room, it's just the view that slightly differs.	Used my second FNC here. Service was not all it was hyped up to be, but it was still above average. Food was very average for the price, but the property is amazing and the rooms are second to none.	9/10

First Previous
Ja’vail woke up with a yawn, her eyes squinting in the evening light. Her room was positioned in the castle on the west side, to ensure that Tor’s sun would wake her up for her duties. It was a purpose that it served with perfection, despite the fact that she really would have liked to sleep for a few more minutes.
However, her duty could not be delayed. It was her power that served as the linchpin to Tor’s spell, and she would fulfill her duty to ensure her Diarchy’s, and her world’s, future. With a grunt of exertion, Queen Ja’vail rose from her bed, stretched out her wings, and moved to the balcony before picking up her robe. As soon as she was somewhat decent, the Queen of the Night then opened her wings, looked to the skies, and began channeling her power into the spellform that had been weaved between the planet and its moon, renewing the bonds that connected them, and ensuring the delicate balance between her magic and her husband’s would not come undone.
She performed this ritual twice a day, every day, to ensure the spell’s continued existence. In the past few months she had performed it well before Tor had performed his own renewal, and had had to go remind the foolish drake to not only perform his duties, but to hurry up and get his tail to bed. Without her efforts, and her constant reminder to the king, the entire thing would come undone, ensuring their planet’s rapid descent into division once again.
Without the two dakri turning the planet, the two sides would either become too hot or too cold to sustain life, with the twilight between them ruled by monsters birthed from the nightmares of the oppressed.
It was with some surprise, then, that as she poured her soul into this undertaking, she could feel the thrum of her husband’s power clear in her mind, letting her know that Tor had already renewed his half of the spell for the night.
He really did need that sleep, she thought, giving a self-satisfied nod towards the setting sun before turning back towards her private chamber. She still had much to prepare for her night; even with the most pressing matter out of the way, she still expected a full schedule. Her court wasn’t especially busy, as the dakri found the night to be the best time to sleep and prepare for the next day.
That was besides the point, though, as her duties rarely involved overseeing the day-to-day rule. Rather, her task was to patrol the ǣther, hunt the nightmares that plagued her people, and to do her best to heal the source of those nightmares.
This was especially important now that she had cleared the Forest of Yith and had located the source of that particularly violent nest. It was best to keep those nightmares from returning, and for this cause she was going to attempt to enter the survivor’s dreams again. She doubted she would have as much success this time as she had last time, simply because almost drowning had weakened the creature’s defenses significantly. However, she had faith that she would at least be able to soothe the visitor’s dreams, and possibly gain a little more information on how he thought.
At the very least, she’d settle for a name. She couldn’t just keep calling it ‘the creature’ or ‘the survivor,’ as those ‘names’ grew heavy on the tongue, and wore down her patience. A name would also help the visit she had planned go a lot smoother, and would hopefully help them as they tried to convince him to come to the castle with them.
Once Ja’vail was dressed, she left the comforts of her room and made her way to her husband’s study. As she expected, he was still there, his desk still quite messy, a combination of his daily paperwork and the reports of the crashed alien spaceship forming the majority of the clutter.
Much to Ja’vail’s surprise, however, Tor wasn’t at his desk. Instead, the drake was standing at his window, looking out over the countryside and the eerie sunset before him, a reminder of the twilight that his people had escaped. In his hand he held a memory crystal, its red glow plainly visible in the slowly darkening room.
“Tor, are you alright?” the queen asked as she approached her husband.
Tor turned to look at her, surprise on his face. “Oh, I am well enough, I suppose…” he said, clearly still lost in thought. The king then looked down at the memory crystal in his hand, his brows furrowing in displeasure. “I have just received some… unsettling news. I was actually waiting for your arrival before deciding on anything.”
Ja’vail took a few more steps, her eyes locked on her husband's diminutive form. “What happened?”
Tor looked at her, then back at the stone. “It isn't easy to say this, but… we may have to kill the visitor.”
Ja’vail felt like her stomach had turned to ice. “Kill? Tor, what madness are you spouting? What crime could he have possibly committed while I was asleep to earn him a death sentence?”
Tor looked at his wife, pain in his eyes. “Nothing, dear. He’s completely innocent. That is beside the point, however.”
“Then tell me, what madness has overtaken you that you would murder an innocent?” Ja’vail demanded, her tone brooking no argument. “Or what monster are you, to have taken the place of my Tor? I must say, you have the likeness down, but your impression of his mannerisms leave much to be desired.”
Tor let out a mirthless laugh at that. “No monster or madness, my dark princess. Just a visit from an old friend…” he sighed again, before turning and holding out the crystal for Ja’vail to take. “Lady Siv paid both me and the survivor a visit today. She left me this, as well as a decision to make.”
Ja’vail looked at the crystal, before staring back at her husband, a dubious expression on her face. "And she told you to kill him? I do not remember her being so heartless.”
“And you would remember correctly. She was nearly in tears when I met her, though she did well in hiding them,” Tor said, before approaching his wife. He gently took her hand, and placed the crystal in her palm. “When she saw the visitor, she also looked into his future. This is what she saw. Please, do not force me to bear this knowledge alone.”
Ja’vail’s expression softened ever so slightly before she glanced down at the stone in her hand. “I will look, but I do not promise anything.”
Tor’s crest rose, but he did not say anything else. Instead he turned back to the window, waiting patiently for his wife to see what he had seen.
The memory took Ja’vail less than a second to go through, but she felt like she had been gone for a lifetime when the world came back into focus. She stared at the rock in horror, before throwing it to the ground. It did not shatter, it being made of quartz, but it still felt satisfying after the horrors she had witnessed.
“I was not pleased, either,” Tor said, not even bothering to turn and look. “Even if the visitor was guilty of some crime, I would spare him for what he could teach our people. As it stands, he is lost and alone, hoping for a friend. And I have to kill this lonely soul.”
“But… but we can’t do this! You’re better than this… we’re better than this!” Ja’vail said, nearly in tears. “Would we really sacrifice an innocent for the security of our own realm? Would you… would you…”
“Would I what?” Tor asked, turning to his wife, fire in his eyes. “Would I judge the worth of souls? Would I weigh a single life against the good of my people? Of his people? Would I become my father?”
Ja’vail looked away, her eyes closed as she folded her arms. “I’m… I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be,” Tor said, turning back to the window. “You have no need to apologize. I cannot measure the worth of anyone’s soul, nor would I try. However, this visitor’s life is not worth the lives of every person on this planet. When you include the lives of his own world, as well as the unnamed snake people… well… the choice is quite obvious.”
Ja’vail looked down at the floor, her eyes filling with tears as she thought everything over. “Would it have been better, then, had I not saved his life? Should I have let him drown?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is that the spirits have told us that the lives of others are better off if his is forfeit,” Tor said, his voice filled with bitterness. “I have not even seen this visitor in the flesh, and I do not know anything about him at all. What is he like? Does he have a family? What does he enjoy?” Tor asked, looking to his wife hopefully.
Ja’vail shook her head, not daring to bring her eyes up to meet her husband’s, as she didn’t think she could contain herself if she did. “I cannot say. I was only in his mind for a brief time, and I do not understand much of what I saw,” she said, her form gently shaking, as if a chill wind had entered the room.
Tor looked back at the window, his eyes closed as he thought on this. “Essentially, we are deciding the fate of not only an innocent, but a complete stranger.” Tor took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “And try as I might, I cannot measure his worth as greater, or even equal, to the lives of my people’s. If it comes to it, he will be slain, and his body destroyed, just as the spirits have told us to do.”
Ja’vail began crying in earnest, her shoulders slumping with the weight of guilt. This caused Tor to turn to her, lifting her beak gently with one hand until she looked him in the eye. “So… let’s ensure that it never comes to that.”
Ja’vail looked up at Tor, hope in her eyes. “But, Tor, we can’t-”
“Shhhh…” Tor said, encircling his wife in his arms. He was shorter than her, but she still felt comforted, simply because it was him. “I’m not going to murder someone simply because of the damage his life might cause. Siv’s vision wasn’t that his continued existence spelled our doom, but that we must do everything in our power to ensure he doesn’t leave.” He pulled away from her a little, looking up into her hopeful eyes. “His death will be treated as a last resort, nothing more. For now, let us see how much worth his life is. What can he teach us? What is his people like? I, for one, do not want to squander this opportunity that the spirits have gifted us, simply for fear of an unknown future.”
Ja’vail’s crest rose as she dried her tears with the feathers on the back of her arm. “Yes… I completely agree…”
The two of them spent quite a bit of time like that, lost in each other’s arms as the sun slowly set on the horizon. Even after the world was shrouded in night, they were still there, lost in the comfort that each other provided.
* * *
Kel’vara’s beak glowed as she wove her magic, pulling the water from the bucket in front of her. It coalesced into a ball hovering inches above her hand, the swishing, splashing sounds of the liquid a soothing counterpoint to the frustration she was feeling.
She liked working with liquids when she was feeling upset. It had always come easy to her, the seemingly chaotic way it flowed and ebbed was a balm on her nerves, instead of a frustrating mess that most other practitioners found the state of matter to be.
She slowly flexed her fingers and extended her wings, the movements giving a tactile presence to the shapes she was forming in her imagination. Slowly, as if watching ice melt in reverse, the ball of water stretched and flowed, extending here, twirling there, molding and shaping to her will to become whatever she wanted.
In this instance, the water took the shape of a dragon, its long, strong legs striding through the air as it looked around, its inquisitive, intelligent eyes searching for prey, or barring that, a dakri to play with. Its long tail wagged behind it as it seemed to spot something, before it shot off like an arrow, dashing towards whatever had garnered its attention.
The small, watery, facsimile of a dragon didn’t get very far across the room before the door opened, breaking Kel’vara’s concentration and causing her happy little pet to lose its cohesion. In an instant, the once watery, spiky, two legged reptile was nothing more than a mess on the once clean floor.
Kel’vara looked up in annoyance, her gaze falling upon an irritatingly unapologetic Valros as he entered the room. “Haven't you ever heard of knocking?” Kel’vara demanded as she used her magic to scoop up the water and return it to the bucket.
Valros was unimpressed. “Kel’vara, you can’t just stay here sulking, we still have work to do.”
“I’m not sulking! I’m just practicing my more precise spell work,” Kel’vara said, turning up her beak as her crest lay flat against the back of her head.
Valros, however, did not look convinced in the slightest. “Kel’vara, The Lady is her own person. You can hardly expect her to stay around and answer every single question you have.”
“I never said that she wasn’t.”
Valros let out a frustrated sigh. “Well, if you’re sure, then I really think we need to go over the plan for tomorrow,” Valros said, trying to get Kel’vara back on track. “I don’t think we’ll need many knights, the thing’s pretty docile, all things considered. Have you given much thought in how we’re going to actually communicate with it?”
Kel’vara thought about this for a while, her beak glowing softly as she played a little with the water in her bucket, causing the surface of the liquid to ripple in odd ways. “Ja’vail said that she was able to communicate pretty well with it while it was dreaming. The only problem with that is that it was dreaming. I don’t know how dreams work with its species, but for dakri at least, anything that happens to our subconscious from outside forces is quickly forgotten. Bad dreams, flights of fancy, nothing to be taken seriously, or remembered.”
“I’ve been talking with the Captain of the Dreamguards about that too. He told me that we can’t rely upon that for communication, since we’re just as likely to get a straight answer as one about how the creature loves to eat its own pillow and ride a dragon made of Twirly Whirlys,” Valros said, stretching his wings a little and grunting with discomfort. The knight quickly brought his arm close to his chest, searching the broad wing until he found the feather that had been giving him trouble, and quickly put it back into its proper place.
Kel’vara found herself staring a little as the knight preened himself, before she turned away, her feathers fluffing a little in embarrassment. “Yes, and… ah, and in addition, the creature won’t be as weak as when we fished it from the river. It has an ǣon level spirit, after all, regardless of any actual ability it may or may not possess. We’ll be lucky to be able to intrude on its dreams at all.”
If Valros noticed her discomfort, he didn’t show it. Instead, he stood up and made his way to the window. “I remember the Sunrise Tribe had something to communicate, but it was mainly used to control their apprentices during ǣon training. It was supposed to be able to cross language barriers, but I don’t think we want to be dredging up the old ways…”
Kel’vara shuddered a little. “Those ways were barbaric.”
Valros nodded at her, but did not say anything as he stared out the window. “I suppose the only choice we have is to slowly teach the thing how to speak.”
“That’s not as easy as it sounds, though,” Kel’vara said, shaking her head. Valros looked at her, one of his brows raised, prompting her to continue. “When I treated his wounds, I ran a number of tests on him. He’s showing the symptoms of someone who has been transmuted into another shape entirely, except that he has no binding spellform keeping him in that shape.”
Valros looked confused at this. “You’ll have to forgive me, M'lady, but my knowledge of magic is somewhat limited to a handful of combat spells. You’ll have to use less formal terms with me.”
Kel’vara rolled her eyes a little, then used her magic to pull the water from the bucket again. With a thought, she caused the water to take on the shape of a dragon again. “With magic, it is possible to force something to assume another shape or state. Such as turning a dragon into a pig.” With a little exertion, the water took on the desired shape. “I’ll not bore you with the details, but things… well, they remember what they were. Always. If the spell is not properly maintained, the spellform will eventually fall apart, and the thing will revert. This is because things want to return to their old state. They’ll continue chipping away at the spellform, increasing the difficulty of keeping things in their altered state, until it grows beyond the mage’s ability to control. It’s why you cannot turn copper into gold and have it stay that way, or why you cannot turn dirt into food without accidentally poisoning someone.”
“Or purposefully poisoning someone,” Valros pointed out. “I remember history class at least. That happened quite a number of times during the Clan Wars.”
“It was a popular method of assassination, yes, but the old ruling class quickly caught on, and began screening their food before eating.” Kel’vara furrowed her eyes as she twisted the water to appear like the creature. “Whatever the bug-like aliens did to the creature, it didn’t involve magic. ‘The creature’s shape isn’t his own,’ if you remember what the queen told us. It’s entirely possible that it’s lost the ability to speak, even in its own language.”
Valros thought about this for a time. “Well, can’t we turn it back? Reverse the changes, and return it to its original shape?”
Kel’vara thought about this for a little bit, but shook her head. “It’s… possible, but there are so many unknowns. I was even afraid of using regeneration magic on him when I healed him. I had to resort to sealing spells to repair the damage.”
Valros looked confused. “I’m not sure I follow. I thought you healed it up pretty good.”
“I didn’t heal it at all. All I did was fuse its skin together, and do some very basic repair based on that strategy, to keep it from bleeding internally or externally. It’s why I still applied bandages, in case those wounds reopened; I couldn’t risk regenerating it,” Kel’vara explained, her voice both pained and exasperated.
Valros still didn’t understand what the fuss was about, though. “Why not? What’s the big deal if you use a little regeneration? And what does this have to do with changing it back?”
“Everything!” Kel’vara said, standing up in anger as she rubbed both hands through her crest. In response, the water in her grip twisted and flowed into strange shapes, a clear reflection of the tormented state of the battlemage’s mind. “This is an entirely unknown scenario, with an entirely unknown species! The spell to do this doesn’t even exist! All we have are spells to change something into something else, not to return something to its original shape. The way we would do this if this were a magical affliction would be to simply collapse the spellform, but this isn’t magic! If I were to try to change it back, any number of things could go wrong, the least being the creature dies a quick, painful death as it turns completely inside out! The closest I can come up with is the regeneration spell, which would force accelerated cell mitosis using the target’s remembered form, not its changed form. If I did use regeneration, it is entirely possible that the creature might revert…”
“...But?” Valros asked, knowing that there was a but in there somewhere.
“But the creature’s body might start attacking itself, killing itself from the inside out! The two different sets of genetic material might merge, making it into something even more monstrous than it is now! Any number of things could go wrong!” Kel’vara shouted, the water next to her turning into some kind of lumbering beast, whose basic shape only vaguely resembled the creature in the forest.
Valros held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, okay, I get it. It’s probably a bad idea… but what do we do, then?”
Kel’vara collapsed into her chair, the water that she had been shaping falling into the bucket at the same time. “I don’t know… I really don’t know…”
Valros rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, there’s always pictures and trying to teach it to read…”
“That would take even longer than just teaching it to talk,” Kel’vara said dismissively. “Especially since it probably can’t-”
Before Kel’vara finished, a voice chimed in, interrupting her thought process. It seemed to be coming from the lieutenant’s belt pouch, and based on the tone of the speaker’s voice, whatever it was was urgent. “Sir Valros! Are you there?”
Valros quickly pulled out his whispering stone and gave it a squeeze, worry building in his heart. “What’s wrong, Calis?”
He almost wished he hadn’t asked, because what Calis said next turned his insides to ice. “Sir, I’m relaying a message. Viar and his drakes need backup, and they need it now. It’s those bug aliens the queen told us about. They’re here.”
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Nightmare of the Past

It’s nice not to be alone. I’ve been staying at Nettie Peterson’s house, tending to her garden in her stead while she's at work. I just sit there reading in the sun, to be honest. When she came back from the larvae today, she was in a surprisingly peaceful mood. Not exactly happy or content, but satisfied. I made us some tea and we settled in to soak up the flowery scents and sweet air. I took the time to tell her in detail about meeting Kit Sutton in the grotto, relaying the other woman’s message. It got a genuinely warm smile out of her; a sad one, but a smile nonetheless.
“Your server texted me earlier to apologize for… well, basically outing me and baring a private secret to my closest friend of five years,” she informed me. “Now that I think about it, I have no idea when or how that boy got my number… Oh, but he was sweet. I told him we were cool.” She took a long sip of her tea.
"Don't forgive him for my sake. If that's what's happening here."
"It's not."
"You really aren't mad anymore? I would be."
"I guess I'm just a very forgiving person." She gave me a sidelong grin and a shrug.
"Nettie, how'd your breeders die? I don't know if this is okay to ask. I hope it is."
"Uh." My savior human took a deep breath. "That, um… it's okay. Just unexpected. It was a car accident. That's all there is to it. I was at summer camp when it happened. Some college kid got drunk, sat down in his car and made me an orphan. I was thirteen… My auntie took care of me afterwards. You know, Elijah's mom. She tried, but it wasn't the same. She was too much for me sometimes, pretty often, if I'm being honest. My mother was so, so different. Both my parents were. My dad had made it into money, so they were never really worried about my future or what I wanted to do with my life. They said I'd always have their support. I guess that made me kinda sheltered but… I don't know. I had a nice childhood, sue me."
She sighed. "Anyways, my aunt was really demanding when it came to school and stuff. I was always a good student but my grades dropped after my parents' crash, and it never got better. So she was picking fights over that all the time. I did recover over my last year, but no thanks to her, I'll have you know."
"And do you miss them?"
"Of course I do. Who wouldn't?"
I shrugged.
Nettie leaned forward, catching my eyes. "Don't you miss your parents? Or was that different where you're from?"
"Breeders aren't like that at home." I paused. "Weren't. They protected their offspring for the first couple years of their life, but afterwards, everyone went their own way. And it was never more than that, just protection and a supply of nutrients. You wouldn't find any breeders kissing or cuddling their young like people do here."
"Oh. That's kinda sad."
"It's it? I never thought about it. Although sometimes I figure infancy in this dimension would have been a pleasant experience. It's nice being held. I wouldn't have minded it, had I known that feeling sooner." I raised my head to smile at her. "Then again, you've given me a lot in that regard."
Nettie reached out to squeeze my hand. "Baby girl." She said nothing else for a while. "So, what's this about Eli having to get his car fixed?"
"One of the windows got smashed in." I held her gently searching gaze. "Nothing was taken."
"Baby girl."
"Hm?"
"Baby. Girl."
I groaned. "A folder. With an interrogation transcript from one of the murder cultists. Mary Markov gave it to me."
"And you didn't want to tell me this why?"
I pursed my lips.
Nettie Peterson crossed her arms, raising a brow at me. "I came clean about dating the fishwoman, so you really owe it to me to keep me informed on any magical stalkers you got."
"I don't know that I'd call them a stalker."
"What would you call them?"
"Jewel." My hand absently began tracing lines on my stomach. "That's their name, apparently."
"The creep who hit on you and then disemboweled you?"
"I don't know that they disemboweled me."
"They had to stuff your guts back in at the clinic," my savior human reminded me.
"Stop bringing that up, please." I feel so weak whenever I think about them. Totally helpless. I took a deep, cleansing breath before settling against the backrest of my chair, grounding myself. Then I unpacked.
I'm turning into a regular unreliable narrator with my storytelling for this blog, aren't I. As you may or may not have guessed, there is another reason for me staying over at Nettie's the last couple days. Maybe she sensed it somehow—she claims to have mother's intuition, and even though she's not technically my parent, I believe her. Or perhaps Elijah Carter shared his suspicions with her. Either way, it's true. I seem to have acquired a stalker. I can't hold down a job but at least I've got that going for me. Let me stay over at the beginning.
The day after Eli and I had talked to Kit in the grotto—referring to her as Princess Chandra still doesn't feel right—I was driving out for gas. The whole time while I was filling up my car, I had this feeling that I was being watched. It was beyond uncomfortable, and I kept glancing into the rearview mirror during the drive back. I thought I could hear the roar of a motorcycle, but whenever I tried to focus on the sound or started looking for the source, it seemed to be escaping me. I double-checked whether I'd locked my door that night. In fact, I triple-checked. I was on edge. It was an eerie, uncanny sensation, like bugs crawling beneath my skin. I made dinner, then tried to sit still as I ate it in front of my television.
I ended up calling Elijah. We didn't talk about anything important, but he was glad to stay on the phone with me while I washed up and got ready for bed. It might have been his pleasing dark baritone or the weary relaxation that always swings along when he speaks, but something about his voice helped me unwind. I ended up falling asleep while still on the call. I was faintly aware of him saying my name and then chuckling and hanging up when he received a snore in response.
I have always enjoyed the transition into the sleeping state. My eyelids growing heavier, the world losing focus, my mind drifting off… It's such a soothing, peaceful process. I've found that I dislike dreaming, though. You never know what you get. I've had all sorts of rattling dreams, ranging anywhere from nightmarish and homesick to sexually confusing. But this one truly took the cake, as they say.
It started with me walking through an unfamiliar neighborhood that looked like an abstraction of my own. It was far too shiny and colorful, and not in an aesthetically pleasing way. I was not really walking either—my feet were heavy as lead, my bare skin unprotected from the harsh breeze assaulting my body. I kept staggering forward, aimless and confused, wishing for shelter but unsure of where to find it. My head was reeling from the hunger and desperation, and there was not a soul in sight to help. I started knocking on random doors, but nobody opened. House by house, I was getting increasingly frustrated. The knocks turned into incessant pounding, the sound mingling with my crying. The tears blurring my vision made it even harder to press on. Before long, I was weeping intensely, my steps becoming more frantic as I continued heading from door to door.
Why was nobody answering me? I could hear people talking in hushed voices behind the walls, I could see their silhouettes flitting to and fro in the windows. Anger began to bubble up inside me, heating up my chest and constricting my throat. My fist became more forceful as it clashed with the surface of each door, until I started to throw my whole body against them. My sobs turned into howls of fury, I was beginning to yell obscenities and outlandish threats before finally, my body started to turn. This wasn’t the silent transition I was used to, however.
I could feel my skin rip open as it gave way for my tentacles to spring free. Normally, it’s like these extra appendages simply melt out of my body. It’s not painful, and I don’t even really pay attention to the sensation most of the time. But this, this was pure agony. I broke down in the middle of the street, wailing like a creature of myth. How could a dream give me this kind of anguish? I suppose I knew deep down that I was dreaming, and I willed myself to wake up, to emerge from this state…
That’s when a thought crossed my mind. Was this really a dream?
It didn’t seem like one. It felt way too real and structured, almost coming off as scripted. Like an experience that someone had thought up and planned out for me, vaguely meaningful, maybe in an attempt to prove some kind of point, maybe just to terrorize me. The realization had my blood run cold, and that little part of my conscience that was aware of this not being real went wild. What in the world was happening to me? Who was doing this to me, and just how? And yet, a spark of fight lit up within me over it all. I had to tear myself out of this trance by any means necessary.
For a moment, I managed to push aside the pain and uncertainty, trying to focus. I pushed against the heaviness of sleep, through the fog of my clouded mind. Apparently, that was enough. The surreal, unnaturally bright world around me grew dark and I could once more make out the familiar shadowy outlines of my bedroom. I was in the present, back in the actual, physical realm of the waking.
The first thing I noticed was that my eyes were burning. There was a demanding pressure around my brows and lids, and my heart sank when I realized it was fingers peeling them open. My nightlight provided a soft blue sheen that came to rest on a chair that had been pushed up from my bedside, and furthermore, on the figure that occupied it. Their arms were extended, their hands resting on both sides of my face as they forced my eyes open. In the gentle cerulean glow, I recognized the shimmering vast irises of the cultist.
A deep, almost primal fear took hold of me. This was worse than the not-dream, a thousand times worse. The cold that seeped into my bones at the mere sight of them sent shivers running up and down my spine, trickling through my body like electric shocks.
I instantly started thrashing, or I would have liked to; except not a single muscle in my body would respond to the frantic outcries of my frenzied mind. My eyeballs had gone as dry as sandpaper, the painful sting penetrating my vision and setting my senses ablaze, paired with an accompanying feeling of nausea. And yet, I couldn’t help but remain transfixed on that horrid stare piercing into mine. My lips parted a mere fracture of an inch, just enough for me to take in a ragged, wheezing breath that I’d meant to give way to a shout. Not a single sound left my parched throat, though. Still, the cultist appeared to notice that I was awake.
With a sigh, they withdrew, releasing my eyes for me to blink furiously. The moment they averted their gaze, I covered my face with my hands, aggravated tears wetting my trembling palms. “You piece of shit,” I pressed out the second I regained my voice. “You fucking piece of shit…” I found myself unable to form any clear thoughts. My heart was thundering in my chest, my ears were ringing—I was a horrified, shaking mess.
“I didn’t think you’d wake up.” There was genuine astonishment in their tone. “Proper shame, too, I was just getting started.”
“What the fuck,” I breathed, still shielding my face. “How the hell did you get in here? Why… just… just why—what even was that?”
“What, you think doors keep me out? What a very human notion.”
I was slowly beginning to recover my wits, reason restoring to her throne. I squeezed my eyes shut, opening my mouth as my fangs came out. “You’re not getting out of here alive.”
“Calm down, okay? I was just having some fun. I was going to let you wake up, alright?” their disembodied voice came from my bedside. “I’m here to talk, is all.”
I vaguely turned my head in their direction. I knew I shouldn’t even bother, I should rip the bastard’s throat out now that I had the chance. There was something there, though; something in their words intrigued me. Besides, they could have easily killed me in my sleep, so why didn’t they? There was something they were after. I figured I would have to tell Mary Markov about this, and the more information I’d be able to give her, the better. “This feels like a fever dream,” I muttered.
“Doesn’t it?” Jewel asked giddily. “I get that a lot.”
“Speak then, leech. What is going on here?”
“I came to—Oh, will you open your eyes already? I’m not gonna try anything else, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“Don’t you dare mock me.” I tried to mask the tremor in my voice. “Either you talk now or I swear I’ll skin you.”
“Okay, well. I’m here on behalf of the Collective. You have one week to report to the warehouse. We’ll have someone waiting there to welcome you. Simply put, you’ll join our cause. But you know, you can sleep on it or whatever. Take your time. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision soon, especially since there’s only the one option, really.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Part of me considered the possibility of all of this merely being part of another, bigger dream, but sadly, everything seemed to point against it. “What if I don’t?”
“Then we will come after you and probably the rest of your little found family, too,” Jewel explained nonchalantly.
“You’re awfully sure I’d let you.”
“Yes, yes, you grow big, sharp teeth and tentacles, I get it. You’re a menace. To three to four people. But if you’re up against half a dozen, all armed and unintimidated by your admittedly glorious and utterly terrifying appearance, I imagine things would be different.”
I wanted to offer some sort of confident riposte, but I simply couldn’t. A tiny voice inside my head actually agreed. “So what is your cause? Or are you aiming to recruit me based on fear alone?”
“Oh, not at all—I was just getting there. We want to, in essence, end all things.”
A brief silence settled upon us. I dropped my hands to lock eyes with Jewel, this time without any hypnotic side effects. They were beaming at me, my nightlight adding an unearthly quality to their bright, dimpling smile.
“What?”
Jewel’s grin grew wider. “Oh, you heard me, baby. We want to… we will bring about the apocalypse. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to be fast. It’d be a boon if we had another being such as yourself at our side for it.”
“Another?”
Impossibly, the corners of the cultist’s mouth curled even further, their eyes shining with mirth. They tossed their pale blond hair, responding only with a huff of laughter.
“You,” I whispered. “You too.” I swallowed, reaching up to massage my throbbing temples. “Why do you want this world to end? You aren’t native to it, right? But do you really hate it that much?”
“Oh, it’s not that I hate it. I just don’t care for it all that much. Okay, listen, it’s not gonna be a real apocalypse. It’s just gonna look like it for a moment. And sure, the humans may or may not survive—they probably won’t, not gonna lie—but it’ll be for the greater good, and the two of us are gonna make it for sure.”
I frowned. “What?”
“You keep saying that.”
“Yes, because you aren’t making any sense. I don’t get what you’re trying to tell me.”
Jewel sighed. “Well, I can’t give you everything. Just… just trust me. You’ll want to be on our side, you’re gonna want to help us. Again, you literally have no other choice, so… yeah.”
“You know, I’ve been asked to go on a murderous rampage by someone far more attractive before, and I still said no.”
“Oh, you won’t be doing any of the killing. Not much, at any rate.”
“That’s a great comfort to me,” I said, without much sarcasm at all.
Jewel tilted their head at me. “I gotta admit, I do not get you. I kinda wish I did, though. Anyways, I guess I’ll leave you to it, then. Goodnight.”
“So you’ll head right out now? Just like that?”
They twinkled at me. “Want me to stay?”
“Oh, Lord, no.”
“Yeah, well, if you wanna fight now, I gotta disappoint you. I’m not feeling up to it.”
I wanted to tell them that it was not their decision to make, that I wouldn’t let them leave, but somehow, I thought better of it. Quelling the anger raging inside of me, I strained to keep my tone calm. “What was your home like? What kind of a dimension are you from?”
The question seemed to catch them off guard. “Please don’t ask me things like that.”
“Why?”
“You… just stop.” Their voice had suddenly become brittle and quiet. I’d rattled them. A warm feeling of glorious triumph surged through me like a wave.
“Do you remember what they called you back there? I don’t. Maybe we didn’t even have names, I really don’t know anymore.” I shrugged.
Jewel rose to their feet a little too quickly. Their eyes were shining with moisture, and before they could wipe them dry, a single tear rolled down their cheek. To my complete astonishment, it hardened the second it dropped off their chin, forming a tiny, sparkling yellow stone. They caught it with practiced precision, hastily stuffing it into the pocket of their jeans. “‘Scuse me, I, uh… I gotta go. See you soon.” Without losing another word, they headed out into the living room, and after another moment, I heard the front door slam. The noise of a motorcycle engine revving was carried in on the breeze through my open window a minute later.
I stayed seated upright in my bed, staring blankly at the wall across from me.
Thus ended my retelling of events to Nettie Peterson, taking us back into the garden. She regarded me with wide eyes, her jaw slackened. She then shook her head, letting out a string of incoherent murmurs as she sank back into her seat. “I don’t believe this,” she breathed. “What… what are you gonna do about this? You’re not seriously gonna go along with what that psycho wants from you, right? Have you told the agency yet?”
“No,” I admitted. “And I haven’t been to the warehouse either. My week is not up yet, so that’s probably okay… I really don’t know what to do, though.”
“Well, that’s an easy one. You call this Markov-lady, have her raid the warehouse and arrest every last one of those freaks she can find!”
“But they won’t leave it at that. They’ll come after me. And you, too.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can hold my own.n” lg
“I’m not saying you can’t, but—”
“No buts. I’ll be fine. Both of us will be. And I hope you know I won’t have you going back to your apartment after this. You’re staying here with me, where it’s safe.” Her eyes looked almost golden in the light of the setting sun. “Let's go back inside. It’s time I showed you where I hide my guns.”
I pursed my lips. “Gun-s? As in plural?”
“Oh, absolutely.” She took me by the hand, pulling me to my feet with a melodic hum falling from her lips.
I know I have a lot going on in my life right now, but Lord, am I grateful that this woman’s in it.
X
1
2: deadbeat roommate
3: creepy crush
4: relocation
5: beach concert
6: First date
7: Temp work
8: roommate talk
9: a dismal worldview
10: warehouse
11: staircase
12: explanation
13: hurt
14: hospital
15: ocean
16: diner
17: government work
18: something in the caves
19: shopping cart
20: olms and Jewels
21: long hair
23: waitresses

Welcome to Camp Redwood! The feel-good camp for ALL AGES.
We toast marshmallows around the fire, tell spooky ghost stories, and hide in random secret military bunkers under the campgrounds! Because SOMETHING IS HERE WITH US.
Camp Redwood is the PERFECT PLACE for a summer getaway where we start EVERY DAY with a CAMP REDWOOD SMILE. Where our counselors disappear every five minutes, and our campers disembowel us for funsies! Did I forget to mention our littles aren’t actually eight years old, but fully grown adults?
We hope you enjoy your fucking stay!
We are also not responsible for any counselors revealing they are not who they said they are—and not who they appear to be.
...
So. There’s a LOT to tell you and not a lot of time to tell it.
Right now, I suppose you could say we are under lockdown—if that is the word. I want to go over the last several days to get you up to date. That’s all I can do right now. I can hope and pray the thing with Teddy’s voice does not get in here, and once again cry out for help—that I know is not coming. Not from the authorities, at least. But hey, if any of you fancy coming to rescue us, we’re in the middle of the Canadian wilderness. The closest rest-stop is maybe three fucking hours away. So have fun. Has it really almost been a week since I posted? Well, we’re still here!
And surprise, surprise, help is not coming. So, please excuse the salt. I am seventeen years old and I have been abandoned by the adults who were supposed to be looking after us.
Who were supposed to act under protocol if something like this happened. I know they were waiting for it—there are specific fucking guidelines on an emergency evacuation for counselors if this ever happened. But then the little shits took over before we could do anything. I guess I’ll start by letting you know that there are two of us left. (three, if we count Rowan, but I’m not). What I thought was going to be a quiet summer getaway with kids my age has turned into a nightmare.
For one, we have been cornered inside the head counselor’s underground secret bunker. If you want to know why she has a secret military bunker, I guess you should keep reading.
Because shit gets weirder than animal crackers having the power to turn adults into kids, and vice versa. When I made my first post, I thought that was it for us. I thought for sure there must have been a self-destruct somewhere—which meant whoever was running this camp was waiting for something like this. I was sure we were going to die, so after making the post, I have to admit with ya’ll—I just slept. I curled up, tried to ignore Harry and Carmel calling our names through childish laugher, and went to sleep with the thought in my head that I was completely at peace with what I had done with my life.
Sure, I was young. Seventeen years old is too young to be ripped apart by littles who are in fact grown adults. But as I was falling into slumber and allowing myself to fall, with my head resting in my lap, my head turned towards a separate pile of files on the other side of the room—I realized I really wanted to know how this was possible. There was so much I needed to know. Why did eight-year-old Eleanor Summers have a file where here birthday dated back to 1979? Why had supposedly innocent sugary snacks turned our adorable littles into mini psychopaths?
These kids were not kids, somehow. But how? How was that even possible? Could it be that the files were wrong?
1979 was definitely 45.
But Eleanor Summers couldn’t be 45 years old. I knew what 45 looked like. I knew that they thought like. They spent half of their time on Facebook laughing at outdated memes, and the other half… I don’t know, working? They have job’s! They’re happily married with kids, maybe soon grandkids! That was not Eleanor Summers. Because Eleanor Summers was most definitely eight years old. I had played several rounds of teddy-bears picnic, and spent hours reassuring her that Harry's ghost stories were in fact not real, enough times for me to know that this little kid was little—and a kid.
But something was bothering me. More than the secret military bunker, and magic age-regressing animal crackers. When I first signed up to Camp Redwood, one of the tag-lines to gain attraction had been, “Solve mysteries in the woods in the dead of night, with nothing but a flashlight and your fellow campers!” I had no idea I would be solving this thing on my own, trapped inside a bunker.
“What are you doing?” Rowan, who was still looking through Allison’s dinosaur laptop, turned to me with half lidded eyes, when I slowly got to my feet, careful not to make too much noise, and crept over to the pile of separate files which seemed to be crumbling apart from age. He kept his voice low, but it sounded almost like a whine. He could have been scared, but from the way he was sitting, cross-legged with a frowny face, I figured something must have been going on with him. The guy looked tired. More tired than normal.
The bags under his eyes were practically shadowing his face, and were an odd contrast to unusually ashy colored cheeks and slightly dilated eyes. Still though, Rowan refused to look vulnerable. I caught glimpse of Harry’s raybans sitting on his head, pinning back thick dark brown curls from falling in front of sleepy eyes. Maybe he was finally losing his cool and breaking out of the well-constructed façade he had been hiding behind since Teddy disappeared.
We had just narrowly escaped a crowd of psycho littles high on age-regressing sugary snacks who were doing who-the-fuck knows to the other counselors who had been captured, so I didn’t blame him looking like that. I guess he couldn’t look me in the eye, because in Rowan’s mind, he was the reason why this happened. He was the leader, and the camp had fallen to psychopathic little eight year olds who had taken half of the counselors hostage, and the other half—most likely taken apart in the physical sense, after what we had witnessed in Cassie’s cabin. Still though, it wasn’t Rowan’s fault. He could sit there and pull a face all he wanted, it’s not like I was going to blow up at him for getting us stuck down here. He actually saved us.
And trapped us, judging from the footsteps upstairs, Carmel and Harry still bouncing around looking for us.
It was a game in their heads. The little’s thought it was cat and mouse. Harry and Carmel were the oblivious cats prowling, while we were the mice, hoping to fucking GOD we weren’t caught and eaten. Ignoring Rowan, I glimpsed what looked like a box full of DVD’S—all of which were labelled with dates and names. I saw familiar ones, my heart racing into my throat. Phoebe. Eli. Cassandra.
Each DVD had one of the kid’s names scribbled on the front, as well as a date.
I found Eleanor’s right at the back of the box.
Eleanor Summers.
08/05/2021. (PM)
Before I could hesitate and think what I was doing, I slid the DVD into the portable player attached to the MacBook. Rowan, to my surprise, didn’t move. But he did make an acknowledging noise when the screen flickered to what looked like video footage. Peering at the screen, I found myself staring at a small white room. There was no door. Only a wooden desk and a chair, and sitting on it was a middle aged woman with dark blonde curls tied into a strict ponytail. She was wearing what looked like a prison jumpsuit.
Her eyes were eerily glued to the camera, unblinking. Her wrists were cuffed in front of her. Though from the look on her face, she saw the restraints as a game. Her eyes lit up with intrigue and I could practically see the cogs in her mind starting to turn as she struggled with them.
As soon as I saw this woman, I felt all of my nerve endings set alight. I wanted to turn the screen off, or look away. But once I was looking at the screen, I couldn’t bring myself to tear my eyes away. “Let’s try this again.” There was a woman offscreen. She sounded young. Too young to be in that kind of authority. I figured there was no way teenagers were being hired as special ops agents, but I guessed I was wrong. She cleared her throat. “It is 4:35 exactly. August 5th 2021. My name is Agent Lemrac,” she stated. “I am asking once again for you to comply with us. As I have said several times, the court are willing to lessen your sentence if you plead guilty with insanity.”
The woman surprised me with a snorting laugh. She seemed to come alive, leaning forward with animated features, her brow reaching her hairline. She was acting like a child, bouncing up and down in the seat, her lips stretching into a wider grin. “What did you just say?”
There was a pause. I could tell the woman was intentionally antagonising the interviewer.
“It means you have been legally declared insane,” the interviewer stumbled over her words slightly. “Mrs Summers, it would be in your best interest to work with us to lessen your current sentence which at the moment is standing at,” the sounds of shuffling paper crackled through the speakers. The interviewer cleared her throat again rustling paper. “Thirty six years. Without parole.”
The woman didn’t speak, only continued to smile—and the interviewer delved further into the sentence. “If you do in fact plead guilty with declared insanity, you will be sentenced to a program which is in the process of supporting and rehabilitating people with your…” she caught herself for a moment. I could tell this interviewer had a biased opinion and it was definitely showing through her interviewing style. I could hear the rapid intakes of her breath as she hurried through what seemed to be a script she was reading from. “Conditions.” She finished. “The Redwood program aims to help people exactly like you.”
Redwood? I thought.
Like… Camp Redwood?
Rowan whistled behind me. I guess I could call that a reaction. The guy was probably still in shock after seeing Café de Teddy splattered all over little Cassie’s cabin floor. I should have known those little bitches weren’t playing Operation for eight hours straight. Turning my attention from Rowan and back to the screen, the woman in the jumpsuit appeared to have changed tactics. Her expression twisted into nonchalance. She leaned back in her chair. “I am not pleading insane because I am not insane.”
“Mrs Summers—”
The woman cut her off. “I am not crazy.” She raised her hands “I am doing what needs to be done.” She leaned forward. “Humanity suffers in the skin. We age and die— and how is that fair? What if we want to see the next millennium? And the next two millennia after that? Why should our bodies dictate our lifespan? Why should we sit here and wait to rot and wither and die when we have the intelligence and mindset to do it? If nobody else is willing to throw ethics aside to take a step forwards in human evolution, I should do it myself.” She folded her arms across her chest, again, like a child. “I did what was to be done.”
“Dr. Summers.” The interviewer’s tone grew stiff. “You and your colleagues conducted illegal and unethical procedures on your family and friends—as well as four other victims.”
The woman inclined her head. “You have a daughter, am I correct? I have a son.”
“A child you killed, Dr Summers.” The interviewer retorted in a hiss which was definitely expressing emotion. She ignored the mention of her daughter, but I could tell it had rattled her to her core. Her voice had cracked. This case was close to her.
That was obvious. Without seeing the interviewer herself, I could sense how uncomfortable she was, shuffling in the chair. Every so often I would hear the sound of her rubbing her hands on her knees and tapping her shoe against the chair leg. She oozed anxiety, not just from her tone of voice, but the way the frame seemed to move with her. “Dr. Summers, you used your son in your research, along with several of his friends. This was not science.” Her voice shook. I heard her sharp inhale. Unprofessional, but very human. Instead of staying stoic and keeping to script, this agent was cracking apart. “It was murder.”
“Agent Lemrac, concentrate on the interview only.” An official voice crackled through what sounded like an intercom on screen.
“Got it.” She spoke through her teeth.
The woman was finding wounds and pressing on them. She was scanning the interviewer for vulnerabilities and preying on every insecurity. She leaned back speaking through a sigh. “Without my son’s sacrifice we wouldn’t have created an answer to death. To growing old and dying, and leaving loved ones behind.” Her voice softened into a murmur, but I didn’t trust it.
After identifying the shattering pieces of this interviewer which were very clear visible in her view, the woman was taking advantage.
“Agent Lemrac, you have a daughter. Am I correct in saying her name is Mari?
“That… that is not relevant.”
“Glioblastoma.” Dr. Summers lips curved into a sickening smile hidden behind mocking sympathy. “A sickness of the brain--which, unfortunately, I cannot fix. If your daughter’s brain was in my hands, I would try. However, not even a brand new body would help her. One which would never age or grow sick. And for that, I am deeply, deeply sorry.” She reached her cuffed hands forwards. “My condolences, Agent Lemrac. Honestly. I have to hand it to you. You are incredibly brave for coming here today and talking to me while abandoning your sick child.” She shook her head.
“Your daughter is dying of an incurable illness, suffering inside fragile skin which will break and fall apart and be unable to keep her standing for much longer. While my son will live on forever. He will see every millennia, a planet which will crumble and build itself back together. And maybe the end of the universe itself.” There was a twitch in her expression and a glitter in her eye I did not recognise. Insanity.
She was fucking insane. I was seeing the pure of it, the depraved and disgusting gleam in eyes empty of remorse and regret. This woman did not care what she had done. I could tell from the look on her face. If she had the chance, she would do this again.
But there was no way they were trying to say her cruelty and complete disregard for her son’s life was due to insanity.
“You are sick, Dr. Summers.” The interviewer said after a moment of gathering herself.
The woman shook her head with a chuckle. “I told you. I am not sick--”
“Sick in the head!” The interviewer’s voice exploded through the speakers in a shriek—a terrified cry she had been trying to hold in. I finally saw her—or at least the back of her. She was a young woman with light blonde hair falling loose on her shoulders. She was trembling. Slamming her hands down on the table, she screamed at the orange jumpsuit woman.
“You are psychologically fucked in the head! You psycho bitch! That is my sister!” She spoke through strangled sobs rattling her whole body. “Mari is my little sister. She is not my child.”
Her breaths were strangled and harboured. I noticed figures looming in the background, but she was continuing. “You killed your own fucking son,” she spat. “You are not legally insane, you are sick!” she shrieked. “You planned and put this together! You sit there and you talk about your son like he’s a… like he’s a tool! You deserve to rot. Do you hear me?” I noticed the orange jumpsuit woman was still smiling, satisfied with the interview’s reaction. Her words were spoken in a vicious poison as she leaned forward and spat directly in orange jumpsuit’s face.
“Agent Lemrac!” Whoever her superiors were—were panicking. “I told you not to turn it off. I knew this was going to happen. Can we stop the demonstration, please? Human emotions present inside an Aceville soldier are too powerful—"
Voices were murmuring in the background, and Agent Lemrac raised her hands. “I want to stop.” She choked out, her hands trembling. She spoke like she still had control over the situation and wasn’t being apprehended. “I want to stop. Do you hear me?” The interviewer was crying, I realized. “Stop the recording! I can’t do this. Oh god, I think I’m going to be sick—”
When the footage ended in a burst of static, I found myself backing away, something slimy creeping its way up my throat.
The woman in the orange jumpsuit who had murdered her son and countless others in what sounded like an attempt at playing god, was Eleanor Summers. I thought back to Teddy’s corpse, and the surgical precision of every organ’s removal. The young interviewer had mentioned colleagues of Eleanor.
Was it possible that Camp Redwood was in fact nothing more than a rehabilitation camp for murderous criminals? There was a loud bang from above, and I was torn from my thoughts.
I turned to Rowan, who had been unusually quiet. And I realized why, when I twisted around to find him three inches from my face, his laboured breath tickling my cheek.
The boy jumped back with a chuckle—like me noticing him was some kind of game, before diving back into the chair. I did notice something odd, as my thoughts spiralled. Rowan couldn’t sit still. Slumped in the leather spinning chair, he fingers tapped a rhythm on the armrests while his feet jumped up and down. In the dim light of the bunker, I glimpsed a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead and the flesh of his neck. He looked to be… feverish—and now that I was looking at him properly, all of my attention on the boy, I noticed small things which seemed… off about him.
For one, he wasn’t coming up with a plan. Rowan always had a plan. Even if he wasn’t completely sure of it, or was completely winging it. This time though, he was strangely quiet. I found my voice when he stuck out his tongue at me. “What are you looking at?”
“Rowan.” I spoke softly, careful not to garner attention from above us where Harry and Carmel were still clamouring around, playing games. “Are you… feeling okay?” I asked, when he turned back to the laptop, manically biting his fingernails.
“I dunnnooooo, Josie! Am I feeeeeeling okaaaaaayyyyy?” He surprised me with an uncharacteristic laugh.
But I did know it.
I knew it from earlier when he reacted to Allison’s bunker and I had been too freaked out to realize that I was dragging along the enemy with me.
Because the fucking idiot had consumed animal crackers. I had seen him for myself earlier, pouring a pack into his mouth for a snack. Which meant either the ‘kids’ had intentionally dosed him with mind altering sugary snacks, or the more likely, he could not resist those preservatives which was the equivalent of caffeine. It’s not like I could blame him when he harboured the weight of an entire camp, but come on, did he really have to sacrifice his own fucking mind to keep himself awake?
Rowan wasn’t just biting. His nails. He was gnawing. Which he previously thought was a filthy habit. He had yelled at a camper for chewing on her nails a few days earlier.
Now that I was noticing it, I couldn’t… stop noticing it. The boy’s whole demeanour had changed; the way he was sinking into the chair, instead of sitting up straight like usual—- I used to call it having a stick up his ass. The boy started typing on the laptop, ignoring me. But when I watched the pattern of his fingers, he was just typing gibberish. Footsteps pounded above us, Harry and Carmel acting as the kid’s’ brainwashed foot-soldiers. Or, more likely somehow, if the animal crackers had caused the littles, or I guess, the fully grown forty year old criminals, to relapse in age-- then maybe it was possible for the same thing to happen to us. To Rowan.
I could feel myself starting to back away, but there was nowhere to run. I just slammed into a cupboard. My gaze flicked to Rowan again, who was tapping a beat on the laptop tracking pad, swaying back and forth, his eyes elsewhere before his gaze found mine. “Marcoooooo!” Harry shouted from above, giggling with Carmel.
I had to guess their mental age had to be at least 8-10 years old. Which meant I wasn’t just dealing with a camp full of forty-year-old psycho’s, I was also dealing with mentally relapsed counselors acting like toddlers.
Rowan seemed to jolt in the chair, twisting his head around, his eyes suddenly incredibly childlike and playful, and very Un-Rowan, were finding the ceiling, his mouth stretching into a smile, like he was seeing butterflies. His eyes flashed to me, and I caught a twitch in his lip. I knew that look. It was the look on my seven year old sister, who knew mom was mad at me, and wanted to make it even worse.
His cheeks were starting to blossom scarlet from what must have been the overwhelming urge to laugh. Rowan pressed his lips together and held in a breath like a hamster, and the asshole was fucking with me. Waiting for me to beat him to it by accident. Kids were fucking ruthless, but there was something terrifying about an 18 year old with a little kid’s mind.
I lifted my index to my lips, miming for him not to even try, but the boy just mimicked me, bugging out his eyes and pressing his finger to his grinning mouth. “Don’t you fucking dare.” I managed to whisper. The boy was definitely playing his own game, moving in twitching movements, baiting me. When he cupped his mouth, I almost let out a cry, but then he dropped his arms with a giggle, as if to say, “I’m just kidding!”
Slowly, I turned around, grabbed the salt I’d found in Allison’s cupboard, and a flat can of soda. Without making too much movement, I poured a handful of salt into the can. But Rowan seemed to know exactly what I was doing. Because in the time it was taking me to advance towards him with the can of salty soda, one arm shakily ready to grab hold of him, and put him into a headlock, he was cupping his mouth, all logic and everything adult, everything he had been as our leader, igniting in playful eyes, leaving me the last one standing.
“Pollloooooo!”
By the time Rowan had managed to reveal our hiding place in a spluttered laugh, I had hold of the squirming boy, one arm wrapped around his neck, my other forcing the can of soda into his mouth. I had definitely miscalculated his strength. During camp Redwood activities, he was always the last one to come back from the trail, holding his knees and panting. I figured he was unfit. However, I was wrong. Underneath his shirt, the guy had some serious muscles.
It was like attacking a brick wall. However, Rowan was mentally a kid. So, I had my intelligence and logic on my side. When it became obvious I wasn’t going to get anywhere with brute strength, I resorted to tickling him, which made him squirm, squeaking out a laugh. When he opened his mouth to yell at me to stop, I took my chance, thrusting the can into his lips and holding his nose so he swallowed it down.
“No!” His laughter turned into muffled yelling, as he batted his fists at my chest. “No, no, no! Get off, get off!”
His body convulsed as the salt did its job, causing the boy to lurch to his knees and choke up forbidden animal crackers in a gooish sludge which turned my stomach. By the time Rowan seemed half himself and half not, still kneeling, his head pressed against the floor, Harry was poking his head through the door with a goonish grin. “Found you!” He giggled, before forcing the door open, allowing Carmel and Callen, freshly caught and mentally turned into littles, to advance down the stairs with equally terrifying grins. There was something wrong with Harry’s face, and I only realized it when the guy himself was hauling me from the bunker, Carmel dragging a barely responsive Rowan. There was nothing in Harry’s expression, only blind childish excitement at winning the game. When he dragged me out of Allison’s cabin and threw me to the ground, I realized he too had insane strength I had not been expecting. But that thought quickly retracted when I was seeing his face in the light of a crescent moon lighting up the sky an eerie glow. Harry’s cheeks were puffy and swollen, his right eye way bigger than it should have been.
When he spoke, his voice was more of a lisp. This was something far more realistic than magical animal crackers fucking with his brain.
“He needs help!” I managed to choke out when Carmel wrapped jump-rope around my wrists. Next to me, Rowan was refusing to get up, still choking up salty soda, groaning into his hands. Every time Callen tried to restrain him, he hissed out like an animal.
“Do you hear me?!” I struggled violently. “Harry needs—”
BANG.
Is what it felt like. The feeling of something—what felt and sounded like a toy car—colliding with my temples, sent me onto the ground, my head spinning itself off of its axis. I remember lying on my back and frowning at the moon which almost looked like it was getting closer to me, blurring into a white ball of light—before reality sunk in, and it was in fact Carmel’s converse coming down to finish me off. I didn’t stay knocked out for long. But I did dream.
I think you can call it a dream? I was lying in bed at home; my room drowned in the dark. I was cosy, curled up in my blankets, when a clammy hand slammed over my mouth, rousing me from slumber. There were two figures in my room. They didn’t have faces. They just existed as shadows, silhouettes. Before one of them raised something above their head, and… impact.
It was the same impact as the toy car hitting me, snapping me back to that night. It wasn’t a dream. Because I remembered his clammy fingers over my mouth, and his hisses for me to shut up as he dragged me from my room.
My parents stood in front of me with expressions of sympathy. Basked in warm light, my mom and dad looked almost otherworldly. “For the best.” Was what they mouthed when my own phantom screams slammed into me. I asked them why, and they didn’t reply, allowing him to pull me further and further from what I knew, from my life as I knew it. But.. that couldn’t be real. I had memories of getting on the bus to camp Redwood. I could recall the whole journey. So, why… why was my tangled mind saying otherwise?
When I gathered myself, the first thing I realized was I was sitting down. I was outside, cool night air grazing my bare arms. There was something attached to me, jerking violently, And it took me several disorienting blinks to understand that I was tied back to back with Rowan. My head pounded, and something wet and warm dripped down my temple. Great. I could add head injury to the long list of things to worry about.
“Let me go you little fucking witch.”
Rowan was back to himself, though from the muffled hissing and the sound of choking—I had to guess he was being force-fed animal crackers.
“Let me—mpphmmm. little…. fucking… mphmmphhmhppmm!”
“Rowan.” I managed to get out in a croak. Through flickering eyes, I caught glimpse of a familiar figure dancing around us. Shivers rocketed down my spine, and I wrenched at the jump-rope restraints, but they did a surprisingly job of restraining my arms behind my back.
Eleanor was with Rowan, while Eli was knelt in front of me. Looking at him, the boy had definitely aged in the face—and I couldn’t help wondering what exactly he had done as a forty something year old to be sent to this place.
“Josie!” Rowan responded in a wail. “Josie. Wake the FUCK up.”
“Stop swearing.”
Eleanor spoke with the cold tone of her actual age.
“Oh, yeah?” Rowan spluttered. “Fuck you.” The boy’s laugh was still rough from almost vomiting his insides out from too much salt intake. “I’m sorry, you were a fucking boomer all along?!” He wriggled in the restraints, lunging forwards, which sent me backwards.
“Stop swearing, Rowan.” Was all the girl responded with calmly.
“Like I’m going to listen to you!” He sneered. “Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fucking fuck!” What are you going to do, huh? Bite me with your false teeth?” The sound of saliva hitting skin made me wince. He was pissed. I had no doubt his completely rational anger was going to get us killed. Rowan was also somehow getting mixed up between forty and eighty. Though he was unwillingly snacking on mind bending sugary goodness.
“Fudge, Rowan.” Eleanor spoke in a giggle.
“What?!”
“Say fudge. Not fuck.”
“No.”
His hiss of pain caught me off guard. I don’t know what she was doing to him, but it was hurting him.
“You fudging fudge! I’m going to fudging kill you when I get out of these fudging ropes—“ his manic cursing became a muffled yell.
“Say fudge,” Eleanor hummed, followed by his hiss when the palm of her hand skinned his cheek. “Fuck is a bad word. You even said so yourself and you’re my favourite counselor.”
He heaved out a breath.
“You fudge,” Rowan spat. “When I get out of this, I am going to fudging kill you, you fudging—” His manic ranting morphed, once again, into muffled yelling, after another fistful of animal crackers were forced into his mouth. When I risked twisting around, I could see his rebellion slowly starting to simmer out as he relaxed slightly. I wanted to yell at him to keep a clear head before cold fingers were dipping under my chin and forcing my head around where I found myself face to face with Eli.
“I like you, Josie,” he said, before untying me and pulling me to my feet. Now at the age of nine or ten, he was a lot stronger. When I tried to pull away, the cruel blade of a knife grazed my gut. I caught his grin. “But we don’t need you.” Eli pointed to Rowan.
“We just want them.”
I followed his pointer finger which went from Rowan to Harry and Carmel, who were just standing there like fucking idiots, probably awaiting the next game. Harry’s face was getting redder. It looked like he was suffocating, and yet his grin was growing wider and wider, splitting his lips apart. “Rowan Atlas.” Eleanor said, dragging him to his feet. Something was stapled to his forehead head, which caused him to howl in pain, hissing another strangled line of “Fudge”. but I couldn’t read what it was.
“Camp leader. Intelligent, and problem solving skills.”
“Harry Carlisle.” Eli nodded his head with a smile. “Quick thinker. Strong minded.”
“Carmel Locke.” Cassie spoke behind me. She had her arms folded, a wry smile on her lips. “Smarter than she makes out—- an independent learner, and can work well under pressure.”
Looking at these kids, I felt sick to my stomach. They were planning something—and had the intelligence of renowned scientists, which was what I gathered from the footage on the MacBook. “What?” was all I could hiss out, as Eli prodded the blade of the knife into my back, ushering me to walk. “What are you talking about?”
“Duh.” He spoke in a more tweeny giggle. “Like I said, Miss Josie. You’re my favorite counselor but we don’t need you, so I’m going to use you for parts.” He laughed when a shiver spiderwebbed down my spine. “See! I told you I was going to show you my collection!”
“But… what do you need them for?”
Eli pressed his index finger to his lips with a laugh before forcing me to face forwards. “That’s a secret!”
When I didn’t, or couldn’t move, he shoved me into a stumbling power-walk, and I managed to turn my head quickly, making feverish eye contact with Rowan.
“Rowan.” I said calmly through the gutter in my throat. “Get…. Get help.”
If I was going to die, I needed him to get a hold of himself and somehow alert the outside world what was going on.
“From whom, Josie?!” He wailed back—and as I was dragged away, I could once again sense the childish undertones in his voice.
I had no choice but to obey Eli’s orders. If I didn’t want a knife in my back. He took me to the main lunch cabin, which, when I set foot inside, almost sent me to my knees.
Something lurched inside me, and I was screaming with no voice, staggering backwards, only to be shoved onto my face. In front of me was what had been the lunch hall, fully converted into the beginning of a laboratory.
What had been cafeteria tables were fashioned into makeshift gurney’s and beds, and I was looking at all of the missing counselors. Yuri and Noah had been skinned completely, their faces laid out on a makeshift surgical table. Joey had been ripped open, his heart and brain removed, a glittering metallic substance creeping its way across his forehead. It was then when I remembered Eleanor Summers words.
She wanted to prevent death and preserve the human mind. Looking at what was in front of me, this was the start of it. There was equipment I had never seen before. Lily’s body was empty, carved out completely, tubes forced inside her. When I glimpsed her fingers move and begin to ball into a fist, I saw red. I saw fucking red. The exit was so close and yet Eli, fucking Eli, wielded his knife. I think that is when part of me gave up. My brain just stopped. It short circuited. Seeing my friends murdered and yet somehow being kept alive through playing god, my body slumped to the ground. I was numb. Completely numb.
I’m not sure what would have happened if those bloody saws and instruments which had been used on my friends were used on me too.
Luckily, that did not happen. Before Eli could get his slimy hands on me, he crumpled to the ground in an almost cartoon-like fashion, and standing over me was Harry. Who was looking better. When he grasped hold of me and helped me up, I only had one word. “Out.” And he was nodding, his eyes glistening as he drunk in our friends’ fate.
“How?” I managed to sputter out, when we made it out of the cabin, ducking behind a tree. Harry turned to me, motioning for me to shut up. There was a group of now ten to eleven year olds already running around, searching for what I guessed was him.
“I’m allergic to peanut butter,” Harry murmured, his grasp tightening on my wrist as he led me across the camp, the two of us stumbling.
“What, and you just magically healed?”
He didn’t respond to that, which bothered me.
“The bunker is our best shot,” I hissed out. “I think we can get in contact with someone down there.” I paused, unable to stop myself. “What makes you so important?”
“Dunno. Maybe I’m their favorite.”
When we found Allison’s cabin, which was more of a safehouse (an exposed safehouse) I found Rowan sitting on the wooden porch with his legs swinging over the side. “Rowan!” Harry groaned. I found it hard to believe their roles had been switched. Now he was the one yelling at the camp-leader. “I told you to stay inside!”
He ushered the boy inside, before barricading the door with some hefty looking equipment. I could tell from the grin on his face that our so-called leader was once again no longer himself.
I had to bite back a groan. “You’re kidding.” I said, pointing to Rowan, who buried his head in his knees and blew a raspberry. “Does he look and act like our leader right now?!”
“It’s Rowan, Josie.”
“He’s a liability.”
“He’s our friend! Wouldn’t Rowan do the same?”
Yes, he would. But. He would also realize we’re lost causes.
“Gag him with something.” I said. “If he makes any more noise, we’re dumping him.”
“He’s a kid!”
“Just the mind of one.”
I don’t know how animal crackers worked, but his age seemed to be progressively younger. This time he just sat with wide eyes watching us.
Harry almost tore apart the place looking for means of communication, before an old fashioned ringing sound made me jump.
“What was that?” Harry turned to me with his lip curled.
“How am I supposed to know?!” I hissed. “Keep looking!” But when I ducked under the table, my hands crawled under the desk, finding a wire—and attached to that, an ancient looking phone which looked straight out of a 1940’s movie, a bright green rotary phone.
Hesitantly, I answered it, lifting the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Did you awaken the subjects, Agent Salta?"
The voice on the other end was a woman, an oldish sounding woman with the tinge of a British accent.
“What?” I shot a look at Harry before shaking my head. “No. My name is Josie Greenfield. We’re at Camp Redwood, and we need help.”
The woman paused.
“Where is Agent Salta?” She cleared her throat. “This line is reserved for communication with agents only.”
“I don’t know who the fuck you’re talking about!" I squeaked out. “My name is Josie, and whatever is happening here, we need help!”
“Josie. Did you awaken the subjects?”
I paused after a moment, shooting Harry a look when he tried to take the phone off of me. “Yes.”
“And… are our agents unavailable?”
“I don’t understand.”
“When a health and safety breach is activated, our agents are awakened to deal with the Project Spearhead subjects if they were to ever go rogue, or become conscious enough to think. Josie, can you tell me what is in front of you? Describe it to me.”
I held my breath. Next to the hidden phone under the desk was what looked like mismatched wires, all of which had been severed. I lowered myself slowly, poking at mess. “Wires. I see… cut up wires.” I whispered. “Does this mean they know about you?”
She hummed. “Ah…That makes sense. The only way to activate our sleeper handlers would be to send out the signal. You appear to have been sabotaged. Unless activated manually, our agents cannot help you. I am sorry. They are your problem now.” The woman paused.
“If I were you, I would hope and pray they have not sabotaged the self-destruct. If you find that, then you may be able to save yourselves and find peace.” She cleared her throat. “Thank you for your service, Josie Greenfield.”
“Wait.” I managed to get out. “Wait, no! You can’t just… you can’t leave us! We need help!”
I found myself yelling at nothing when the phone went dead. The dull tone of the dead ringtone was clanging in my ears before footsteps from up above. “Fuck this.” Harry picked up a lead pipe. “They’re still little kids, right? I mean, their head must still be partly kids—- so let’s fucking beat their heads in.”
He noticed something, then, starting forwards towards the mess of files I had left earlier. Harry knelt on the ground and picked up Eli’s file, his eyes wide. But he wasn’t staring at the dates confirming the little boy’s age.
Instead, Harry pointed at the bottom of the file. “I don’t want to freak you out, Josie,” he whispered. Initially, I didn’t know what he was trying to show before I glimpsed notes scrawled at the bottom of the file, followed by a signature. “But I’m pretty sure that is my fucking writing.”
Harry was right.
I pulled the paperwork off of him, flicking through each file before turning my eyes to him. “Who the fuck are you?”
A clanging sound from above broke the tension, and whatever Harry was about to reply with was strangled in his throat. He slammed a hand over his mouth.
“Guys?”
The voice twisted me up inside, threatening to release a shriek from my mouth I had managed to clamp shut.
Teddy.
“Are you down here?” His voice was strained, and had an odd tone to it. “I can’t… I can’t see you.”
…
Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?! It’s been a blur of a week. We’ve managed to stay down here, surviving off of Allison’s rations. Rowan isn’t getting any better. He seems to have stopped mentally de-ageing at the age of maybe six. Harry has spent the last few days trying to get in contact with anyone, but it’s like they are IGNORING US.
I’ve been looking through everything I can find on Project Spearhead, but nothing points to Harry being involved. So. How is his signature all over the files? How is it possible that two friends I thought I knew several days ago, are now complete strangers?
Teddy keeps coming back.
He’s crying out to us.
I think he’s… in pain.
My god, I can’t stand this anymore. Please. CAMP REDWOOD NEEDS HELP.