Hidden Meadows

[Mundane Monster]

Deep in the country, like the deep deep country with farms and cows and what not, there stands a huge building that might have been a few barns at one point, but turned into a facility of sorts over time.

This facility is called Hidden Meadows and it was created and is ran by Miss Mallory Adams, a young woman who has a family history of relatives being afflicted with strange addictions. All of her relatives either perished or withdrew from society due to their addictions, and so Mallory has made it her mission to rehabilitate teenagers who develop odd addictions.

Along with Mallory, a team of understanding and lovely people work at Hidden Meadows, one of them being, James O'Connor, a man who used to have an addiction to purple pixie stix. Mr. O'Connor serves as The Scout. Meaning he goes out and finds teenagers that are suffering from Outlandish Addictions and invites them to stay at Hidden Meadows.
When the patients arrive at Hidden Meadows, they are placed with a roommate who won't trigger their addiction. And then they are given a schedule. The schedule consists of support group sessions that they must attend to rid themselves of their ailment.

- -

Cecily Williams, the intern, sat at the lobby desk, gazing at the sliding glance ENTRANCE doors, with an intense look of absolute boredom. The usual receptionist had to go on a leave because her triplets all got sick with the flu, so Cecily had to check in the new patients and give them their schedules and what not.

- -

Two minutes late. The guard was TWO MINUTES LATE! And Benny knew it was two minutes because she had been counting. Being around so many clocks had made her really good at counting down seconds. And so far 120 seconds had past and the guard still wasn't in her room and waking her up! They always did this and she hated it! They wanted her watch and clock addiction to fade into the background, so instead of waking her up on at 6 AM sharp, they kept coming at 6:02 or 5:59! It was infuriating!

"Rise and shine, Benny. " Henderson, her usual guard, stated as he entered her room slowly. Benny glowered at him and gestured at her already dressed and 'been ready since two minutes ago' self.

Henderson frowned, and Benny realized her error. She was never going to get out of here if she kept keeping time of everything! But it was just so hard!

"Come on then. Let's get you down to the breakfast nook."

Benny trudged after Henderson, her hands stuffed into her shallow pockets and tried to take her mind off of her recent mistake by contemplating what she would have at the breakfast nook.

They called it the breakfast nook, but it really wasn't. It was a large room with a seven buffet tables, long dining tables and plush sofa-like seats. Benny thought it was really weird when she first came to Hidden Meadows, but she was later told that the center Director has designed the room that way because she didn't want the patients to be agitated and nervous during their first meal of the day.

- -

"Hippolit Bajor, get in that shower right now." A large muscular security guard named, Annie growled.

Hippo shook his head vigorously. As childish as it sounded, Hippo hated taking showers. The water and soap washed away his lovely putrid morning odor and brushing his teeth eliminated his morning breath! Even if he skipped the soap and toothpaste the smell became greatly diminished.

"Why do we have to go through this everyday?" Annie groaned, placing her hands on her hips. "You know what happens when you refuse to take a shower. You get a forceful and unpleasant sponge bath. Do you want a forceful and unpleasant sponge bath, Hippolit?"

The teen shuddered. As much as he didn't want to destroy his morning funk, Hippo really didn't want to get held down, lathered up and rinsed by the Hidden Meadows staff. No matter how nonchalant and professional they were, it was still creepy as hell.

"Fine." He grumbled, and slowly entered the bathroom. When he was finished with his shower--which he had to spend the entire ten minutes in-- he got dressed and tried to slip out the door, but Annie (who had had her back turned as he dressed), grabbed him and forced him into a chair and began combing and brushing his hair.

Dandruff didn't really have a smell, but when you mixed it with other things, well...Shit got smelly.

Finally, Annie finished and escorted Hippo to the breakfast nook, where she turned him over to Henderson, who would make sure that the boy didn't shove any perishable foods in his pockets.

 

[Boss Megu]

Amena Eloise Puehr; or Ama as she prefers to be called, sat patiently at her bed. She was patient with waiting for her caretaker. He was a nice man. He would come at random minutes after six. It was okay. Ama didn't mind the time.

But being alone meant thinking about tea. Or rather, the LACK of tea.

Ama sighed as she TRIED not to think about how her parent's would be having delicious English Breakfast Tea at promptly 7'o clock in the morning, followed by Earl Grey at luncheon, and perhaps Jasmine Tea at 3 if they were feeling oriental. She gave a sigh. She desperately wanted tried to forget her parent's--HER--schedule for the day that includes tea, but she found that it was her only solace from this place.

The door opened and Ama smile shyly. "Good morning, Mr. Treat" she greeted. The man gave her a roguish smile. "Hello, Ama" he greeted back, not bothering to correct her on his name. His name was Timothy Trace, how she misheard his name as Treat, was a story they both were not sharing. "Time for breakfast~" he sing sang. She smiled brightly and rushed in the shower, eager to start the day.

She had come out after 10 minutes. It was too much time, but she wasn't going to complain. She let Treat comb her hair. She hummed as he did so. Her hair didn't need much combing, it was much too straight to get tangled.

"Will I get tea for breakfast today, Mr. Treat?" she asked him cautiously as they left her room. Ama knew that asking about her beloved tea, may or may not result in a frown. And a frown was always a bad thing here. He gave her a blank look and chuckled, not saying anything.

She deflated. She did so want to know. Apparently, Mr. Treat wasn't going to tell her when she was allowed her tea. Well, at least she wasn't given a frown. She entered the room and looked around, trying to see the familiar face of her best friend. Deflating slightly when she wasn't there yet.

Ama hoped she wasn't causing trouble. She sighed and sat closest to the door, amused to see Mr. Treat give her a wink before handing her over to Claudia, her other caretaker. Who she too greeted politely.

She smiled at the entrance of their newest companion, waving at her in welcome. "Benny" she called out, albeit softly but still manageable to be heard. "Good morning" she greeted. It was always important to greet someone politely.

"How are you today?" she asked as she the girl approached.

 

[Banana-senpai]

For the first five minutes of her day, Adelaide would have to be woken up. Her protests of "But my dream is going so well!" or "Is Ama up? Is Ama up yet? Can I go see her now pleeeeeease?" must be ignored and she must be ushered into everything that has to be done without any distractions. She had a very short attention span on things that are monotonous and mundane.

"Are you going to tie my hair in double pigtails, Sebastian?" She said, sitting down where she was placed and vibrating with excitement.

"My name is Simon and yes, I will." The orderly said calmly. He was oddly skilled in tying Adelaide's hair. "You can go ahead and play with that."

Adelaide took the Etch A Sketch Simon was talking about. They wanted to keep Adelaide's hands as busy as possible and away from anything shaped even remotely like a pencil. Her love for art calms her, though. "Sebastian, you said I could have a Magna Doodle or an iPad with a drawing app if I behave."

"I'm Simon, and you'll have to hold out a little bit longer, alright?" he said kindly, finishing with his task and smiling at his handiwork.

"These aren't double pigtails, Sebastian." Adelaide said, already drawing away at the Etch A Sketch. She had looked up to see her hair in double half pigtails.

He sighed. "I'm Simon. Let's go, Addy. Time for breakfast."

"It's Ada and I think you're obsessed with your own name." She had a devilish little grin, not taking her eyes off the Etch A Sketch. "It's quite a most outlandish obsession!"

"Nice try, but even you don't like to be called the wrong name, see? Now come on."

"Oh, but Sebastian is a lovely name! The name of a butler! And I'll be the princess!"

"Princesses have ladies-in-waiting to attend to them. Now let's go or we'll be behind schedule."

"If I were a princess, I'd definitely make you my butler 'cause you're a cool guy."

"I'm...honored?"

"You should be!"

This strange conversation went on as it did everyday. Ada would talk of dreams and imaginations big and small, realistic and peculiar. Also, she'd always call her guard Sebastian. He'd always correct her. And when she gets to the Breakfast Nook, the first person she looks for is the one person whose name is always accurate to her.

"Ama!" She wanted to run but she was told not to, every day. She remembered, pausing in mid-step and stumbling a bit. She straightened up and walked stiffly and quickly over to Ama and Benny.

"Hello Ben!" She greeted the other girl with a hug. She went to Ama and gave her a hug too. "Hello Ama!" She waved at Hippolit as he entered. "Hello Hip!" She called out. "I'm hungry, what's for eats?"

 

[Pyralithia]

Scarletta was deep into her dream as she curled up in bed, she was running through a field of flowers, every kind she could think of was there. Her pockets jingled with all the precious and rare metals she had collected that day. When suddenly she felt a rather rude poke in her side, ignoring it she continued to cling to her dream. When the poke persisted once again she grumbled, opening one sleepy eye to see her guard-Mariam Clides, staring down at her with a very suspicious looking pencil pointed at her side.

Letta mumbled in a childish voice "Mm Mary I was having a good one!" Mary just rolled her eyes shaking her head at Letta's usual whine whenever she had to get up from a nice dream. "Ya ya, why dont you tell me about it on our way to the baths?" She asked in a friendly but teasing tone. Grumbling about Mary being her bane in the morning Letta got up groggily and got ready to go to the bathroom with her. She didnt hate mornings but being a natural night owl it always took her awhile to wake up fully in the morning. On their way to the bathroom she recited her dream to Mary.

"There was daffodils, lilies, roses, irises, tulips, it was so pretty! And I had many finds stashed away in my pockets." Mary had to force herself not to roll her eyes once more at Letta's dream, knowing by now that "finds" meant her precious metals she use to collect. "Sounds nice Letta, but you know you shouldnt dwell on dreams like those. It wont help you recover" Letta stuck her tongue out at Mary already knowing the usual lecture.

Once they got into the bathrooms she took her usual hot shower, she loved the water and always wished she had more time, but at least it was longer than the 5 minute ones she use to get. After she was done with her 10 minutes she got out, getting dressed as Mary had her back to her she hummed softly to a song stuck in her head. Mary then brushed her wavy red hair that fell just past her shoulders.

All ready now Mary smiled at her "Beautiful as always Scarletta, off to breakfast?" Smiling brightly at Mary's compliment she nods. Arriving at the breakfast nook she looks around at all the people already there, Mary switched out with another guard-Jimmy Balloon, or Jimbo as she liked to call him. Spotting Adelaide she grins skipping over to the the small group. "Hey Addy!"​

 

[Requiem]

It was seven in the morning. Not, of course, that it meant anything to Dorian who hadn't actually gone to sleep. It wasn't too big of a deal, it was only his second day without sleep. He'd been cataloguing his bottle collection again in his head, reorganising them to different places of his room back home, trying to decide how he liked them best. This place was a drag and he wanted to get out as soon as possible. His addiction wasn't harmful, what did it matter if he had an affinity for collecting them. He'd only been kidnapped, and he certainly would've done it again given the opportunity. After all, he had technically escaped unharmed, and he wasn't as young as he used to be. He could take care of himself.

Finally, the door to his room popped open. "Oi, Grey, time to get some breakfast. Get ready and be quick about it, would you?" It was like this nearly every morning. Saria waited outside impatiently. She wasn't much older than Dorian, 23, 24 probably, but she seemed much older. It was partly because of how she carried herself, mostly how she acted. She was part of the whole 'Strict Security' mentality. No nonsense, no fun. He was honestly amazed that she hadn't killed herself. He would've had he been her. Wouldn't have had much of a choice. He wouldn't be able to live if he couldn't enjoy life.

"Alright, alright sourpuss." He grumbled standing up and stretching himself out. Once out of his room he headed towards the showers. He had the option of taking a bath, but he never cared for the things. Showers suited him just fine. He enjoyed the water as long as he could, but eventually had to leave it. Then he made his way to the mirror, trimming up his facial hair, cleaning up. Once finished with his daily routine, he was lead out to the dining hall for breakfast. At his level of clearance, he didn't really need an escort, but Saria preferred to keep an eye on him anyway, and he didn't care enough to complain.

When he arrived, he saw that almost everyone else was already there. He smiled lightly as he approached "Hey folks, I miss anything interesting?"

 

[Banana-senpai]

"Hello Scarlet! And by the way, it's Ada. Rhymes with Ama." Adelaide gave Scarletta a hug and caught a whiff of the other girl's hair. "Ooh, smells pretty. You and Ama smell like spring. Sit with us! Ben and Ama were here first but do you guys mind? Of course you don't!" she had a way with people indeed, aside from remembering them by scent, she liked to collect the people she takes an interest to.

"Hello Dori!" She stood up again to hug Dorian. The opportunities given to higher levels seem to do them well in Adelaide's opinion. "Sit with us too!" She gestured to the table. "Ama, Ben and Scarlet won't mind right? Of course they don't." She sat down, beaming at the group. They all look lovely. "I'm starving, guh, what's for eats. What are you guys doing today? Well, mostly you two." -she gestured to Scarletta and Dorian, curious about their activities as higher levels- "What do you guys actually do? Anything interesting? Are we meeting during support group period, Ben? Oh! Guys, Sebastian gave me this today. Seriously!"-she took out the Etch A Sketch with a finished picture of what seems to be a short haired girl. "And I thought I'd get better arts stuff for being nice. Oh! Oh, Ama! Can I hang out at your room again today please?"

Adelaide usually had this kind of energy in the morning and a lot of people think it's annoying. But she's only ever this lively with the people she likes. Unfortunately, only Ama can make her shut up or at least simmer down most of the time. Ama and food.

"Wasn't there a new guy, by the way?" She looked around. "Hey, Hip! Come sit with us!"

 

[Mundane Monster]

"Good morning and I'm horrible." Benny responded to Ama as she approached. Benny poked crossly at her scrambled eggs and sighed. "I screwed up again." She muttered, however this time she took a bite of her eggs. The guards would tell on her if she didn't eat. Upon the entrance of Adelaide, Benny rolled her eyes.

"My name is already a type of nickname and you're shortening it?" She laughed. She didn't really mind the girl's blatant nicknaming but she knew others would. Like Hippolit for example. "Hey Hippo." She called giving the boy a wave. She then turned back to Ada. "They added hybrid muffins. There's even a banana pineapple blueberry disaster over there." She said pointing at the breakfast desert table.

When Scarletta entered, Benny couldn't help but let out a guffaw. "Is it the day of nicknaming or something?" She snorted, not touching on the fact that the girl had only greeted Adelaide. Benny didn't care much for rude people and here, she brushed off impoliteness even more.

Benny gave Dorian a wave, although she never really spoke to the guy much. The fact that he was way older than her sort of deterred her from interacting with him.

"Yeah, sure." She said in response to Adelaide the motor mouth's question. The girl could really fire out those words. Her eyes widened when she saw the Etch - A - Sketch though and a thought occurred. "Hey um, do you think you could uh--sketch a clock?" She whispered hoping the guards wouldn't hear her.

- -

Hippo piled his plate high with eggs, sausages and breads and jams. Henderson--his breakfast guard--narrowed his eyes at him and Hippo gave him an innocent smile. "I'm gonna eat it all!" He insisted and Henderson nodded.
"If I see you jamming anything in your pockets, the event will be put on your record and that might keep you from moving up a level at the end of the year. Understand?" Henderson said, firmly. Hippo nodded vigorously, "I promise I won't."

"Good kid." Henderson said before walking off to lean against the wall and the survey the group of patients with the other guards.

Where to sit, where to sit? Hippo thought as he gazed at the nook. He didn't really want to sit with the rest of them, because the constant shortening of his name was extremely irritating, plus there were a lot of girls who probably used a lot of nice smelling soaps and perfumes or something. Plus Adelaide never shut up no matter what you tried and she seemed to always want to reach out to him and bring him into the fold. He cast her a glare and went to sit by himself. He knew he would lose 'social' points but he wanted to have his breakfast in peace.

 

[Boss Megu]

Ama smiled patiently at Benny as she complained, but didn't say anything and began to pile a few small amounts of food in front of Ada's plate. "Hello Ada, did you have a good night?" she asked her chatterbox best friend. "And here, have some muffin, you chatterbox or else they won't allow you to come to my room" she told her friend and giggled at Benny's reaction. "Maybe?" she retorted just as playfully.

Turning to Scharletta, she smiled yet again. "Hello Scharleta, any plans for today?" she asked as the other took a seat in their table. Wow, everyone must feel extremely sociable today! Speaking of sociable...

"Dorian, good morning~" she greeted with a bright shy smile at the boy-man...guy that just entered. Dorian always seemed like such a cool guy though it looked like he didn't get some sleep again.

"How was your evening?" she asked him politely as she began to pile a few muffins and a scoop of scrambled egg on the man's plate all the while, pouring herself and by extension Ada and Dorian a cup of coffee. Needing the urge to do something while looking at the caretakers around them. Coffee was a good replacement, but she really did want her tea.

They broke her schedule so many years ago but truly, one cannot simply break a tea schedule, because there is no schedule for tea. Tea was taken at any time of the day, but sometimes, just sometimes, Ama believes all these people are mean. Really mean, the type of mean that was given to bad, bad people who liked to bully others.

Her train of thought was broken at the mention of a sort of odd sketch pad courtesy of Ada and narrowed her eyes at Benny, just a tad slightly. "Hush, Benny" she whispered back, her voice barely even heard now that she was whispering. "If Ada does such, you will be caught and she will be too, for assisting you. You'll be stuck!" she advised.

Really now, she huffed. And frowned. The lack of tea was giving her a really bad temper, but she won't apologize. She wanted Ada with her in Level 2.

"What do you think will happen today?" she asked them all in slight wonder. Today seemed different for some reason.