TESS walks in through the house. She rubs her arms as she walks. The theatre appears to be empty. She looks back at the door, considers leaving, then turns towards the stage.

TESS

(calling out)

Charlie?

There is no reply.

TESS

Charlie?

(beat)

Anyone?

EDEN enters the stage from the wings. Her robe is wrapped around herself. She's giggling, glowing the glow of someone who just had some of the best sex of her life.

EDEN

Hey. Hey. Hi. What are you doing here?

TESS

I um...I was looking for Charlie.

EDEN

Yeah. I could tell. She's not here right now.

PIPER

(offscreen)

Who is it?

EDEN

(to PIPER)

No one. I got this.

EDEN climbs down off the stage and walks up to TESS.

TESS

Do you know where she-

EDEN

Look. You seem nice and all. But I don't think anyone here wants to see you right now. Not after the scene you caused the other night. We really don't want any trouble, so if you--

TESS

I didn't take them.

EDEN

(beat)

You didn't?

TESS shakes her head. EDEN walks up to her, takes her chin in her hands, and examines her eyes.

EDEN

How are you feeling?

TESS

Alright. Head's starting to hurt a little bit but-

EDEN

That's not going to last.

TESS

Oh. Good.

EDEN

It's gonna get worse.

TESS

...Oh.

EDEN

Follow me.

EDEN leads TESS out of the auditorium, through a series of hallways, and into another room

Int. Theatre. Dressing Room. Continuous

The room is lined with racks of clothing that hasn't been touched in years. The clothes are made of various fabrics and colors ranging in brightness and texture from sheer, satiny fabrics to dark rich silks. To one side there is a small kitchenette area. There is a laptop computer sitting closed on one counter and a stack of Clean propaganda pamphlets on another. EDEN points to a chair as she moves towards the kitchenette.

EDEN

Sit.

TESS sits in the chair watching EDEN disappear into the kitchenette. She folds her hands in her lap, but fidgets, completely unable to sit still.

TESS

How bad is worse?

EDEN

(offscreen)

Bad.

TESS

Shit.

Sound of cabinet doors opening and closing.

EDEN

(offscreen)

There's good news, though.

TESS

Oh?

TESS notices the propaganda pamphlets. She takes one and turns it over in her hands.

EDEN

(offscreen)

Once you make it through the first 24 hours it gets better.

TESS opens the pamphlet. A column reads "What the MedCorps Don't Want You to Know."

TESS

Uh-huh.

EDEN

(offscreen)

You're on the big three right? Anxiety, Depression, and Mood Swings.

TESS

Yeah. Who isn't?

EDEN

(offscreen)

(beat)

The Big Three are designed so you take one of each every twelve hours. They're formulated so that you're going to start feeling the withdrawal about thirteen hours after your last pill. First few hours, your mood gets strange: higher highs, lower lows. Anger. Elation. Then it makes you sick as hell so that you won't forget to keep taking them. That lasts about twenty-four hours from the time you miss a dose.

TESS reads the bullet points in the pamphlet, each one an elaboration of what EDEN is telling her.

EDEN

(offscreen)

You on anything else?

TESS

No. Just those.

EDEN

(offscreen)

Good. There are a few I wouldn't go cold turkey on. Anti-psychotics for example. Generally if people are on that it's for a good reason. Also, stronger doses of the Big Three-

TESS

You get all that out of this?

EDEN peers out from the kitchenette. TESS holds up the pamphlet.

EDEN

I wrote that.

TESS

You-

EDEN

It's based on the information from my thesis.

TESS

Thesis?

EDEN goes back into the kitchenette.

EDEN

(offscreen)

I was working in the psychopharm lab as part of my grad work, my work was specifically around withdrawal effects. As I was working, I realized that the labs were working towards creating more side effects, possibly lethal withdrawal symptoms. When I brought itup with my adviser... well, I'm here now.

EDEN emerges from the kitchenette with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

TESS

They threw you out?

EDEN

That's the nice way of putting it. I'd say loss of financial aid, my apartment, my savings... came very close to getting arrested. I couldn't just leave it at that, though. Nowadays most of my research comes from case studies. Watching and observing the people who go off their meds.

TESS eyes the plate of cookies.

TESS

That part of your experiment?

EDEN

(smiling)

Yeah. I'm currently studying the effects of milk and cookies on someone having a bad day.

TESS takes the glass of milk and a cookie. EDEN sets the cookies on the counter and pulls up a chair.

EDEN

I didn't even know that there was a Clean movement until I'd been off my meds for a month. I met Piper when he was busking on the street. He played the most beautiful music I'd ever heard.

TESS

So... you two are...?

EDEN adjusts her robe.

EDEN

What do you think?

TESS grins and EDEN laughs.

EDEN

Anyways, he took me here, introduced me to my friends. And I just stayed.

TESS

So you all live here?

EDEN

Some of us. Most of us pass, have jobs, income, places of their own. Like Charlie. It's more like a safe house than anything else. A fallback for when everything falls apart. We get a lot of people coming here when they get clean for the first time. Everyone's got their reasons. Rebellious teens who want to defy the man, people who want to be free of the little orange bottles, some people who've been Clean their whole lives.

TESS

Their whole lives?

EDEN

(beat)

When did you get your first pills?

TESS

I don't know, I don't remember actually. I must've been in preschool.

EDEN

Hyperactivity?

TESS

I guess. That's what happened with Nate.

EDEN

That's how it starts. Young children are too loud, too obnoxious, too disruptive. They get in the way of the grown ups lives. What's the answer? Drug them. Keep them calm, keep them subdued, you might as well be sedating them. Then, they don't have a childhood anymore. But you get them seeing a psychiatrist before they hit kindergarten, and it builds. Years go by, one drug leads to another, and then you forget. It's been going on your whole life. And you don't know anything besides it. I'm not against medication. We started using it because it helps... it helps the people who need the help. It's just gotten out of hand... medicated against every bad feeling because it's frustrating and inconvenient... it's like we don't know how to live without it even if we don't need it.

TESS

Practice that speech alot?

EDEN grabs a cookie.

EDEN

Every day. Piper and Gabe are getting a little sick of it.

TESS

So... what side effects can I be looking forward to.

EDEN

Fever. Disorientation. Might very well end up flat on your back, we've got cots and couches if you want to stay here. Increased heart rate and breathing-

CHARLIE

(offscreen)

Violent, crushing fits of nausea. Enjoy that cookie before you're going to want to throw it up.

TESS looks up to see CHARLIE leaning in the doorway.

CHARLIE

I thought I heard your voice.

TESS

Um... hi.

EDEN

Get the goods?

CHARLIE holds up a paper bag, she grins.

CHARLIE

Fresh from the bakery.

EDEN

Good, I'm starving.

EDEN snatches the bag out of CHARLIE's hands and exits into the hall. TESS stands, she isn't quite steady on her feet.

TESS

What was that about?

CHARLIE

Bagels.

TESS

I see.

CHARLIE

What are you doing here?

TESS closes her eyes and rubs at her temples, a sudden wave of headache.

TESS

You know, I'm not actually sure.

CHARLIE

What? Just woke up this morning and decided to try going Clean on a whim? Good luck.

TESS

I don't-

CHARLIE

It's not a fad. It's not your safe, happy suburban family life, Tess. This is a major change and about three hours from now you're going to be reaching for the next orange bottle you see.

TESS

How dare you! You don't know me. You don't know my life.

CHARLIE

I know enough to know you don't have it in you.

TESS

Fuck you! Okay? Just fuck you!

TESS stumbles forward. CHARLIE catches her, holding her upright.

CHARLIE

Damn it.

TESS

Where's the room going?

CHARLIE

You really want to go through with this?

TESS

I... I just... Everything is in a holding pattern. My life is... it's the same thing. I live the same couple of days over and over again. And pretty soon, I'm going to lose the chance to see if I can live it any other way. If I-

TESS groans and sinks further into CHARLIE's arms.

TESS

Twenty-four hours?

CHARLIE

Let's get you lying down.

TESS

I can't stay here. I need to get home.

CHARLIE

You think I'm going to let you drive like this?

TESS

I guess not.

CHARLIE

Give me your keys.